A great drinker would recognize good alcohol without opening the bottle’s stopper. Graham was a great drinker.

"Is it vodka?"

"Diva Vodka, Frontier Edition."

"Ahhh, my Horn...”

Graham closed his eyes and looked for his god. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask for the alcohol and could only lick his lips while glancing at the bottle. It was all because of what he had said a few seconds ago.

'What did I say that for…’

Seo Jun-Ho offered the alcohol to Graham, who looked like a puppy in the rain.

"I think things should be clear-cut between friends. If it's a relationship where only one side loses out, then that friendship will never last long."

"Ahem, now that you mention it, Seo Jun-Ho, your friendship theory seems rather profound. All right, I'll take it."

Graham reached out with a stern look. As soon as he received the bottle, his expression brightened like a child who had just received a Christmas gift. Of course, he had instantly recovered.

"When are you going to move?"

"Hmm, probably soon. I've done you the favor, and I don't have any more usable ore here." Graham took a look across Del Ice. "Moreover, this land has run out of earth energy and is no longer able to spit out good ore or fire."

"It will be restored over time."

"Yes, but I won't come back." It probably wouldn’t be until his grandchild, or his grandchild's children’s generation that they would come back here. Graham already looked as if he was missing this land. "I'll have a good drink with the other dwarves."

"If I make more money, I will bring more alcohol for you."

"Kkul-kkul, I'm looking forward to it." [1]

Seo Jun-Ho turned his back to Graham and the dwarves, took the three weapons boxes with him, and engraved the "last" image of Del Ice into his memory. The next time he visited them, he would meet them at the new Del Ice.

"Then, goodbye."

"Looking at you packing that many weapons, it seems you’re thinking of going to war... If possible, you’ve got to win."

"Of course," Seo Jun-Ho said with a smirk. "How could I lose when you made the weapons?”

***

There was a tall building that formed a twin wall with Dragon Rock, a rock resembling a dragon. It was a clock tower built in the city center of Port Lane.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Inside the clock tower was a large space. Seo Jun-Ho sat there on a simple chair.

"This place is a little noisy for me. I think I will develop neurosis if I stay in here for too long,” complained the Frost Queen.

"Really?" Seo Jun-Ho shrugged his shoulders and raised his voice.

"That is how this Queen feels, but what about you?”

"Hmm, I personally like it here because it's easy to keep up with the rhythm." Seo Jun-Ho took out a can of cold beer from a cooler and threw it toward the back. "Has your body recovered yet?"

"There wasn't enough time to build muscles, so I just recovered my reaction speed," replied the blonde man sitting next to Seo Jun-Ho, Gilberto Green.

He wore a casual suit and had his long hair tied roughly in the back again.

"Hey, why didn't you cut your hair? There are so many famous hair salons in Seoul these days."

"It's annoying…"

"I think it would be more annoying to have your hair like that." Seo Jun-Ho sipped his beer and pointed to a box in the corner of the clock tower.

"That's your item, take it."

"My item?" Gilberto blinked and approached the box.

Clack.

The light in Gilberto's eyes changed after checking the contents inside.

"It's a sniper rifle? But I already...”

"It's different. It's a gun the dwarves made."

“…!”

Gilberto looked back at him with a startled look.

"Dwarves? Are they the same dwarves I know?"

"They should be..."

"When did you befriend the dwarves?"

"Well, this and that happened.” Seo Jun-Ho gestured for him to quickly pick up the weapon. "I personally liked all the weapons I received, but I don't know what you'll think.”

"Hmm."

Gilberto reached out carefully and grabbed the sniper rifle. His expression was replaced with a worried one.

"This is a sniper rifle? It's so light...”

"It’s fine as long as the bullet doesn't shake, right?”

"I wonder if that’ll be possible with such a light gun."

"If you don't believe it, you can test it."

Gilberto walked to the wall of the clock tower, between the clock tower and the clock. In a gap that was only big enough for an adult man's fist to fit, Gilberto pointed his gun through the gap.

"Can you shoot from here?”

“The clock tower has four sides. The downtown, Dragon Rock, and the sea are all possible angles.”

"Oh."

If someone told him to shoot through it, Seo Jun-Ho had the confidence to do it and hit his target.

'However...'

Click!

The moment Gilberto pulled the trigger, his body was lightly pushed back—the recoil was absolutely enormous. However, the only sound produced when the bullet was fired was the sound of the trigger being pulled.

‘I can't do what he does. As soon as the gunshot echoes, the fiends will come running.’

Gilberto, who was used to sniper rifles, made a very subtle expression.

"What do you think?"

"Good, good... But it’s hard to handle."

"It absorbs your magic and increases the rotation and destructive power of the bullet."

Since Gilberto could increase the spin of a bullet with his own skill, it was basically a layered amplification.

"If it’s used well, it can be used like a cannon, not a sniper rifle."

"I had the gun made for that purpose in the first place."

Gilberto looked back at Seo Jun-Ho with a grateful expression. Twenty-six years later, he still hadn’t regained his form from his prime days, so this was a blessing for him.

"Hiik."

All of a sudden, the Frost Queen hurriedly hid. The space split and Skaya popped out. She swerved her head and began to look for something.

"Oh? That's weird. I teleported as soon as I felt the Queen."

"Hmm, you don't know, do you? She hates you. That's why she keeps avoiding you."

"Hey, hey, Gilbe!"

Seo Jun-Ho was flustered by Gilberto’s heavy fact artillery. Skaya, on the other hand, merely smirked and replied softly, "What are you talking about? Are you jealous of me and the Queen?"

"Hmm, is that so? You just don't want to believe it."

"Jun-Ho, as expected, I can't communicate with him."

‘You don't get along with me either.’ 

Seo Jun-Ho stopped the two with a tired face. "We have something important coming up, so stop fighting. Are you guys kids?"

"Hmph, he started it first."

"You are the one in denial."

'Ah... I miss Deok-Gu.’

This tomboy, Skaya, wouldn’t be this wild in front of Shim Deok-Gu.

“Anyway, I’m going to explain the strategy. Concentrate."

As soon as Seo Jun-Ho said 'concentrate', Skaya and Gilberto’s expressions turned serious, as if they never fought like children. They revealed the admirable expression of a serious, professional Player.

"In about a week, two of the Fiend Association's Squadrons will come here."

"Pride Squadron. I don't know the other one. Am I remembering it right?”

"That’s right. I found out from reading the memories of Jang Seon-Ho, one of the fiends I killed while rescuing Arthur."

It was certain that the Pride Squadron would come. But it was still unclear which of the other Squadrons would come with them.

“Their purpose is also unknown. In other words, we will have to make our own judgments when the battle begins.”

Time would be too tight to discuss and set the order of things with each other. Each of them had to think and make their own judgment. The good thing was that the three of them had good chemistry.

"Gilberto will snipe enemies from the clock tower, and Skaya will disrupt them with magic."

"What about you?"

"I will hide in the city center and the moment the enemy's goal is revealed, I'll stop them from accomplishing it."

The short briefing ended. It was impossible to plan a more detailed strategy without knowing the enemy's goal and the number of people they had.

"Then I'll start installing magic circles in the town today."

"Please..."

"People keep calling the 5 Heroes a faded relic of the past. I'm going to properly show them what we’re made of.”

Unlike Skaya, who was burning with energy, Gilberto began to wipe a bullet with a dry cloth.

"If this works out well, we'll be able to pursue the main body of the Fiend Association.”

This was a large project attended by two Squadrons. There was no way that only small fries would attend. The two nodded silently at Seo Jun-Ho's words.

‘A week…’

There was only a week left.

***

Bee- Beep.

Bee-bee-beep.

"Where did you come from?"

"We are from the Paris and Switzerland branches."

"So you guys are from every branch of Earth."

"Yes."

"What about the Seoul branch?"

"I got a call from all five branches in Seoul this morning."

“…”

There was a man covered in black bandages all over his body and he exuded a gloomy vibe. Every time he stroked his chin, blue light glistened in his eyes.

"But you still failed to find out his whereabouts?"

"I-I’m sorry, Shadow-nim.”

The man called Shadow stared at the huge hologram monitor.

"He was last found in the Pacific Ocean?"

"Yes, after killing the people who tried to capture Arthur Green, he returned to Earth with Skaya and Gilberto."

"And the possibility that he’s an illusion created by Skaya’s illusion magic?"

"I cannot exclude it."

"Hmm."

The leader of the Darkmoon Pavilion, the information department of the Fiend Association, Shadow, felt even more suspicious.

‘After returning to Earth, Specter hasn’t moved at all… He’s like a man who doesn't exist.'

Specter was like a heavy burden. If he moved freely and revealed his whereabouts, Shadow could move the fiends to the other side of the Earth, mirroring Specter’s movements. But Specter wasn’t showing any signs of movement at all.

‘Even though he died, he's still a thorn in my side. Is it because he's a Hero?’

He had already incurred the massive loss of the entire Paradise in Rome because he had ignored Specter. The Fiend Association didn’t want to incur any more losses. As such, there weren’t any orders coming down to the fiends on the 1st floor.

"But I can't believe we can't find him after searching so thoroughly... Perhaps he’s not on the 1st floor?"

"Well, if the Specter who came down with Skaya was really made from her illusion magic, the chances are high."

"Tsk, give orders to all the fiends acting independently on the 2nd floor. Search for Specter and all Players who can use similar skills."

Shadow knew that this was a ridiculous directive. There was no way it could be possible on the vast Frontier continent. However, as the head of the Darkmoon Pavillion, he had to at least pretend that he was working on something.

"Oh, and isn't Operation Port Lane in two days?"

"That is correct. The Pride Squadron with Pride-nim and the Despair Squadron are on the move right now."

"Well, there shouldn’t be a need to worry since Pride is with them. It's just that…" Shadow spoke as he looked at the two reports in his hand. "Tell him that a week ago, the Archmage and Gray came up to the 2nd floor."

Since then, they had lost track of the two. Shadow was annoyed by this fact.

"Shadow-nim, do you think they are headed to Port Lane?”

"Maybe…"

"Then shall we provide additional troops?”

"It's fine," Shadow spoke in a stern voice. "I've already sent them."

1. Kkul-kkul is the sound of chuckling. ☜