The Frost Queen’s suggestion to maintain Overclocking at all times except during battle had been a challenge since day one.

Boom! Craaaash!

Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t control his speed and he crashed into a large tree. He looked at the flying flock of birds and sighed. How many times had it been?

"The 20th crash...”

She was counting the number of times he had crashed so far without his consent.

"Is this actually even effective?"

"Yes, it is. If it does not work, the fault lies with you, not me,” said the Frost Queen primly. That was only right. In the end, she had shown him the way, but it was he who had to walk it.

"I can't even walk properly, so I don't know how I’ll be able to adapt to this in five days…”

"It is said that a journey of thousand miles starts with a step," the Frost Queen encouraged.

“…”

She was full of wise sayings.

***

Seo Jun-Ho slipped to the ground and slashed with Black Dragon Fang.

"Kuuuuuuh!"

The steel bear roared in fury upon being cut in an unfortunate place. Finishing up the steel bear that had pressed its legs together tightly due to the pain was as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

"Now, start over.”

“…”

The Frost Queen urged as soon as the battle was over. Seo Jun-Ho gave a light sigh and gathered his magic again. With Overclocking, he couldn’t break his concentration even for a second.

'If I get distracted, it's hard to even walk.’

Seo Jun-Ho's legs moved as he began to look for his next prey.

Whoosh! Whoosh! 

His body moved so fast that it seemed to leave behind an afterimage. He still could not control his body; however, he had improved greatly compared to back in the morning.

"You do not crash into rocks anymore and have gotten better at walking by yourself. Good job, Contractor."

"...Stop making fun of me," Seo Jun-Ho replied with a sullen look.

He had never turned off Overclocking except for when he hunted and recharged his magic. However, even though he had put in so much effort, it still wasn’t enough.

‘Every step I take, I go hundreds of meters, and I even broke the Association’s sword that I used as a test...’

Losing control of his body caused stress beyond words. When five hours had passed since he had started training, Seo Jun-Ho had realized that this was not an ability he could adapt to in just five days. Eventually, he chose to compromise with reality.

"What percentage did you say you are at about now?” asked the Frost Queen.

"About 15%..."

Overclocking’s overall output had been lowered. This was the best option for him since he didn’t have a lot of time on his hands.

"Hmm, it is not bad. It is a lot better than Booster," the Frost Queen praised.

"Well, I definitely succeeded in making my body’s temperature even lower than before. The magic capacity of my magic circuit has also increased."

What was the point of increasing the magic circuit’s capacity?

'It'll be helpful when I’m using Watchguard of Darkness and Frost, but it's not helpful when I’m using Overclocking.’

Still, when he lowered the output, he was able to regain some control of his body. Right now, every step he took only moved him about 5 meters at most. Like the Frost Queen said, at least, he wasn’t crashing into rocks anymore.

'Of course, there are also some parts that I'm bummed out about.’

Overclocking at 15% of the output no longer brought him into a world faster than sound. It was not only speed but also power. At the maximum output state of Overclocking, Seo Jun-Ho was not afraid of even a steel bear’s strength. But at 15% of the output, he was only comparable to or slightly below the steel bear in strength.

"But I'm glad the leveling up is going well..."

At this speed, he would be able to hit level 65 in three days. The number of steel bears was not as high as he thought, so the original target of reaching level 70 before the time limit would be difficult to achieve.

"Huuu..." Seo Jun-Ho let out a sigh from deep in his lungs.

"Contractor, why do you sigh so deeply?"

"It’s just, I feel like it’s just one thing after another."

Sitting on a rock, Seo Jun-Ho murmured, looking down at the deep mountains.

"I thought everything would work out as long as the Overclocking stabilized, but it seems that it hadn’t been the case."

"That is just how the world works. Adversity comes after adversity, and hardship comes with more hardship," consoled the Frost Queen.

"…Yeah, that's how the world works."

To be honest, he knew it in his head. But even though he knew of this, and had already experienced it dozens of times, it was still suffocating whenever he encountered it.

"Let's start slowly," muttered Seo Jun-Ho.

Even at 15% of Overclocking, he still couldn’t handle himself as he wished. Fine control was still impossible for him during Overclocking.

'This difference is huge. It'll create a big variable in battle.’

In a battle, a tiny mistake separated victory from defeat. Seo Jun-Ho judged that he would be pushing the envelope if he used Overclocking in real battles at this rate.

‘I was lucky last time.’

Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that he would be lucky against fiends belonging to a Squadron. He decided that if he couldn’t completely control Overclocking despite only using 15% of its maximum output, he would rather only use Booster.

'The power and speed of Overclocking are addictive, but…’

He reckoned that if he became overwhelmed by that power, he would slowly start to collapse from the inside. Seo Jun-Ho had no intention of giving up safety for power that felt pleasant in the heat of the moment.

"That is a wise decision." The Frost Queen nodded slowly as if she was having similar concerns. "Contractor, do not be so depressed. You are a wise man, and you are doing well enough now. Even if I do not tell you, you always think ahead and pave your own way."

Riding on Seo Jun-Ho’s head, the Frost Queen suddenly comforted and tapped him on the head.

"That which does not kill you makes you stronger..."

"… That's Nietzsche,” Seo Jun-Ho murmured with a faint smile.

A cool breeze in the mountains cooled his sweat.

***

[You have leveled up.]

[8 lost stamina stats have been restored.]

[10 lost speed stats have been restored.]

[With the effect of Limit Breaker, strength has increased by 2 and speed has increased by 3.]

Level 65. It was the result of Seo Jun-Ho's full-fledged training. He reached it on the third day.

"I think the higher my level, the more lost stats will be restored when I level.”

Or perhaps it had increased after Seo Jun-Ho came up to the 2nd floor? He was not sure because he didn’t particularly make a note of it. But there was one thing he was sure of—the pace he was regaining his old strength was increasing.

'The Curse of Bitter Cold will be lifted in another seven hours or so...’

He was rapidly adapting to Overclocking with 15% output. Of course, there were still areas that clearly showed his inexperience.

‘But this is enough for real battles...’

He had passed his own strict screening criteria. All he could see now were green lights.

"Status window."

[Seo Jun-Ho]

Level: 65

Title: Bring of Spring (2+)

Strength: 215 (-99)

Stamina: 210 (-94)

Speed: 212 (-92)

Magic: 169 (-75)

Fame: 2,720

Of course, there was one thing he was worried about. It was that the Curse of Bitter Cold would be lifted in the next seven hours.

'It's good that the curse will be lifted, but then my stats will almost double again...’

He felt burdened about whether he would be able to control Overclocking at 15% of its maximum output when his stats dramatically increased after the Curse of Bitter Cold was lifted.

Tug, tug. 

The Frost Queen pulled Seo Jun-Ho's hair with a frown.

"Contractor, it says all over your face that you feel burdened. Do not worry too much."

"Tssp, this must be a disease, an occupational disease. It's a job where you always have to risk your life.”[1]

That was why he was sensitive to every little thing. Especially since the humans he would meet tomorrow were fiends belonging to a Squadron. Even Skaya was both slightly nervous and excited.

"Since we found a lead, I hope we can find something bigger…” Seo Jun-Ho muttered as he watched the sunset falling over the horizon.

"Huh? Contractor!"

Then, the Frost Queen raised her voice and pulled Seo Jun-Ho's hair once again. When he looked up with a questioning look she pointed her finger at something without saying a word.

"The moon?"

The moon she pointed to was brighter and bigger than any other light. And above all, it was round.

"…A full moon."

Seo Jun-Ho got up from his seat with a stiff expression. It was one day earlier than expected. He clicked his tongue at the status window that was still disrupting his view. There were still seven hours before the Curse of Bitter Cold was lifted. 

***

"Oh, you're here? You're just in time."

Back at the inn in Denver, Skaya was waiting for Seo Jun-Ho. She quickly put him in a chair, not bothering to explain anything.

"There’s no time. Did you see the sky?" asked Skaya urgently.

"Yeah, it was a full moon," replied Seo Jun-Ho.

"In a few hours, someone will be at the meeting point. You have to be Gouf within that time."

Splash.

Skaya shook a medicinal bottle filled with green liquid.

"Here, drink this."

"…What is this?"

"Transformation potion. I made it in a hurry, so the duration won’t be that long. I think it'll last about six hours?”

Seo Jun-Ho gulped down his saliva. Today, he would drink this medicine and meet the fiends disguised as Gouf. The reason why he was doing such a cumbersome job, even though he could easily obtain information through the Confession of the Dead, was simple.

"If they really think you're the real Gouf, they'll probably take you with them."

"…To the Fiend Association’s branch."

The Fiend Association’s branch was a small branch of only about ten fiends. They had no idea how many people would gather there today, so they had to be careful as much as possible.

"And for you...”

Slap.

Skaya stuck a heinous-looking skeleton sticker to his forearm.

"What's this?"

"It's a sticker that has location tracking magic and simple wiretapping magic. If something happens, this noona will fly over, pronto."

"Mmhm, you're so reliable."

Skaya was to be on stand-by at this inn today. Only Seo Jun-Ho would be moving according to their plan. It was all because fiends with sharp instincts might notice her magic.

"How was the training for the last three days?”

"Well… It wasn't bad. I managed to obtain some things."

It was very lacking compared to 100% output, but the 15% output was still superior to Booster.

"Just keep one thing in mind, the Curse of Bitter Cold." Skaya requested sincerely. "We have about six hours left... Before that, don't create a situation where a fight might occur."

It was a reasonable request. 

When Seo Jun-Ho nodded, Skaya tapped him on the shoulder. "Have a safe trip."

"Do your best."

It was unknown when the battle would begin. Seo Jun-Ho reckoned that she had to be feeling frustrated too. After all, she had no other choice but to patiently wait while fully prepared. Seo Jun-Ho left the inn and casually activated Overclocking at 15% of its maximum output.

Stretch. 

Every time he kicked off the ground, his body seemed to leave behind afterimages. He was definitely faster with Overclocking compared to Booster.

"Contractor, I think this is enough?"

"Mmhm."

Arriving near the deserted Canal Mountains, Seo Jun-Ho poured the medicine Skaya had given him into his mouth.

"Ugh, it's bitter...”

It was so bad that his face contorted. 

Crack, crack. 

At the same time, his bones began to make strange noises.

"Uck."

Surprised, the Frost Queen distanced herself. About ten minutes later, the strange noises calmed down.

“Hmmm."

Seo Jun-Ho took out a mirror and looked at his face. He slowly nodded. "Perfect."

No matter how you looked at it, it was the face of the Gouf whom he had just hunted a few days ago. Even his height had slightly grown. It meant that even Gouf’s skeletal structure had been reproduced.

"Contractor, are you confident in your acting skills?"

"Of course…"

Seo Jun-Ho was confident in his acting skills. After all…

"I even have his memories."

In short, method acting was possible.[2]

1. Tssp is the sound of sucking air in between your teeth. ☜

2. Method acting is acting through identifying with, understanding, and experiencing a character's inner motivation and emotions. - From Wikipedia. ☜