“...”

An unfamiliar ceiling came into view. Every time Seo Jun-Ho blinked, his hazy vision became clearer.

“Ah, you’re awake.” The Frost Queen’s face suddenly popped up. Even now, she still looked like a doll. Seo Jun-Ho stared at her for a second, then closed his eyes.

“...How many days has it been?” he asked.

“Seven days. I thought you were dead.”

“I just woke up, and you’re already being rude…” he muttered. He noticed how soft the mattress felt under his body. “This doesn’t seem like a cot in a tent… Where are we?”

“We are in a city called Denver. You once dined here with Skaya, did you not?”

“...”

So they had safely made it out of Blackfield. Relieved, Seo Jun-Ho tried to sit up.

“Ugh!”

However, his face contorted as pain shot through his body. It felt like he was being ripped apart. He laid back down.

“Pfft, not a chance. The Saintess said that it was a miracle that you were even alive. Because…” The Frost Queen couldn’t hide her smile as she pressed her finger into his chest.

It was enough to make him feel like he was going to die. Seo Jun-Ho screamed.

“Fufu, I have defeated you. This is revenge for 26 years ago,” the Frost Queen declared.

“...”

Why was she so excited when her Contractor was in so much pain?

“And according to the words of the priest who came in with the Saintess…” She folded one small finger on each hand, imitating the priest.

“Eek, there’s not a single drop of magic in his body! How is he still alive?”

“Gasp! He has overdosed on poison. How is he still alive?”

“Wait, he’s not just a typical patient? You’re telling me that he fought… Really? Just how great is his willpower? And how is he still alive?

“...”

Seo Jun-Ho looked tired. But that soon passed, and he slowly approached the question he had been afraid to ask.

“...What about Gong Ju-Ha?”

“That fox.” The Frost Queen let out a light sigh and shook her head. “They say that she is still in a coma. But they have successfully finished treating her, so it should only be a matter of time until she awakens.”

“Hm.” It made sense. They had suffered the same injury after being stabbed through the chest by Janabi’s poisonous stinger.

‘At least the treatment was successful.’ 

His face grew gloomy, but the Frost Queen flicked his forehead.

“Ow!” Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t even move his arm to rub his forehead. He scowled. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think? It is punishment for your recklessness.” The Frost Queen sulked. “I told you, did I not? Moon Eye is too hard on your body to use right now.”

“...I know. But I had no other choice.”

Janabi was strong. To be precise, he was much stronger than Seo Jun-Ho. If he hadn’t gambled with Moon Eye, he would have lost.

“To be honest, I had my doubts even when I used it. I wasn’t sure if it would be able to kill him,” Jun-Ho admitted.

Moon Eye was a technique that required him to use every drop of magic energy within him. After using it, he would have to rest for at least a few weeks because of the burden it put on his body.

‘And not only that…’ 

Seo Jun-Ho closed his eyes and inspected his insides. The first thing he noticed was his magic circuits. “Tch.”

Usually, they were so well-maintained that they were even shining. But right now, they looked very worn out and had scars all over the place. This was the consequence of forcefully summoning all his magic power.

“...You are human. You are not the main character of a comic or movie. You will not receive a power-up at a decisive moment, and you won’t be able to defeat your enemies without consequences,” the Frost Queen said.

“I know. I knew that when I did it.”

Seo Jun-Ho smiled after seeing the ruined state of his body. His reliable muscles had been shredded to pieces, and his great reservoir of magic power had been reduced to a mere puddle.

In other words, his body had become trash.

“For the time being, you should focus only on resting and stabilizing, at least until your body has recovered somewhat.”

“Yeah, I’m not gonna push myself when my body’s like this.” To be exact, he didn’t even know what he could do in his current state. Forget grinding; he didn’t even think he could even work as a cashier at the moment.

“Oh, right! I just remembered.” The Frost Queen clapped, recalling something. “Do you know?”

“Know what?”

“Do you know who the Schumern Saintess is?”

“Oh… I should thank her. And how would I know who she is?”

“Fufu, I think you do. Actually, you’ll be in trouble if you don’t.” the Frost Queen teased, giggling.

“Is she someone I know…? If she’s a woman…” He thought for a second. “Skaya…?”

The Frost Queen stopped laughing, and her face grew serious. “Contractor, I was referring to the Saintess. The Saintess, not a witch or a madwoman.”[1]

“I just guessed because I don’t know. You’re really saying that I know who the Schumern Saintess is?” Seo Jun-Ho asked once more.

“Well, you will realize once you see her, so I will not tell you for now. You will be shocked.”

Just as the Frost Queen finished speaking, there was a knock on the door, and two people came in.

“W-woah! Y-you’re awake! How are you awake?!” the priest cried out. The Saintess calmed him down.

“Calm down. I said that he should wake up around today,” she said.

“But I didn’t know that zombie would wake up today…”

“...Who are you calling a zombie? We’re in front of the patient, so please watch your words.”

Huh? This voice…

Seo Jun-Ho squinted.

‘What’s this? She sounds really familiar. This cold, firm-toned voice… Where did I hear it?’ 

As he pondered this, the Saintess approached him. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes. You’re the Schumern Saintess-nim…Correct?”

“A-ahem!” She cleared her throat, seemingly embarrassed. She furtively looked away and nodded.

Unsurprisingly, her aloof yet tender aura was befitting of a saintess.

But…

‘Why is she dressed like that?’ 

She looked suspicious. Very suspicious.

Like last time, she was wearing a white priest robe with a hood over her head. But below it…

‘Sunglasses and a black mask?’ 

He didn’t think she was wearing this last time. As he stared, she covered her face with her hands, even though it was already hidden.

“P-please don’t look at me with that piercing gaze.”

“I’m not.” She must be sensitive to the eyes of others. Already forgetting that her voice sounded familiar, Seo Jun-Ho asked, “Objectively, what do you think of the state of my body?”

“Mm, well. You could say… it’s complete trash.” She didn’t hold back her scathing remarks. And then words started pouring out of her like a waterfall.

“Why did you keep fighting until you became like this? There were Heavens of the Nine Heavens there. Did you know that you would have died if I had come just a little bit later? You’re lucky I had been in the area. I don’t know why you always do this to yourself. I don’t understand. I’m pretty sure I told you not to push yourself…”

She muttered the last part to herself so Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t hear her, but he was sure of one thing.

‘She’s very angry at me...’ 

It was probably because she hadn’t seen a patient in such an extreme state for some time. He laughed bitterly.

“I’m sorry. But I had no other choice.”

“You didn’t have a choice this time either? Then when will you have a choice?”

She was absolutely fuming. But all Seo Jun-Ho could do was apologize once again. Either way, she had saved his life.

“I promise to repay you someday,” he said.

“No thanks. You can repay me by not getting injured and living a healthy life.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“...I’ll start the treatment.” Her hands started to glow. As soon as her hands smoothed down his body, he felt like his pain was being washed away.

“Wait…” He was sure he had experienced this refreshing sensation before. He could remember that, at the least. “Saintess-nim, were you working at Hanguk Hospital last year?”

“N-no. I’ve never eveeen been near there. Really.” She shook her head vigorously.

‘Yeah, I suppose they did tell me they just gave me some basic nutrients. That’s what Miss Cha Si-Eun said.’ 

He understood now.

“So what happened to the commission in the end?” he asked.

“It was a success. It was easy after the boss was killed.”

Without their king, the bees were nothing but mobs. No matter how many of them there were, no matter how strong they were, it didn’t matter as there were three Heavens in Blackfield. Working with the elite fighters of the Big 6, they cleaned them up until there wasn’t a single bee left.

“And now, they’ve gone to the capital to receive their reward,” the Saintess said.

“...I see.”

Seo Jun-Ho didn’t have a strong desire for a reward. In the first place, the only reason he was able to get into Blackfield was that he was a mercenary for Hallem. His contributions would probably be attributed to the guild.

“Mr. Milphage sends his thanks,” she said.

She gave a brief summary of what happened. After finishing off the bees, the Heavens came up to the roof and were shocked by the flower. They couldn’t believe how much destructive force Moon Eye had.

They also felt ashamed and blamed themselves. If they had fought Janabi instead of Seo Jun-Ho and Gong Ju-Ha, the two of them wouldn’t have sustained such injuries.

“Mr. Milphage said that even though you contributed to the battle, he would give the corpse to Specter-nim because he did most of the work.”

“I see...”

Good. He would need the corpse to use Confession of the Dead on Janabi.

“By the way, the body is being held at the Player Association on the 1st floor.”

“Makes sense.” It was much easier to store it on the 1st floor because the 1st floor didn’t have unpredictable fiends like on the 2nd floor.

The Saintess finished her treatment and stood up. “Despite what happened, you, Miss Ju-Ha, and Specter-nim have ushered in a new age.”

“...”

“You’re a very interesting person, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Seo Jun-Ho asked. The way she said it sounded like she had been watching over him for a long time.

She let out a light laugh. “Ever since you became a Player, I feel like the strings of destiny have started to unravel.”

He had been the first one to clear the Cave of Trials after several decades, and his skill had brought Specter and the 5 Heroes back. He had been merely a cog in the machine, but now, he had even opened the 3rd floor.

“Please know that there are always those looking out for you and cheering you on.” Because of the sunglasses and mask, he couldn’t see any part of the suspicious saintess’s face, but his heart felt warm from her support.

“Thank you...”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, she left the room.

Seo Jun-Ho stared up at the ceiling for an hour before he managed to sit up.

He got ready to leave.

1. In Korean, saintess, witch, and madwomen all rhyme with each other and sound similar. ☜