There were many people gathered at Blackfield—or rather, the place that had been called Blackfield until a few days ago. To the imperial scholars, the ecology that had been inaccessible for hundreds of years was a precious treasure.

Of course, other than the citizens of Frontier, there were also Players. They were gathered at the top of the Magic Tower, lost in thought.

“Hm.” Among them was Shin Sung-Hyun. He stroked his chin.

As he scanned the roof again, a movie played in his head.

‘The bees’ king was powerful. It had similar abilities to the mutant I had killed.’ 

Regeneration. And because he was the king, Janabi’s regeneration abilities had to be much stronger.

‘Ju-Ha’s flames activated twice. Once here, and once over there.’ 

He looked down at the soot-blackened floor and continued his analysis.

‘Janabi was hit with two of her attacks…’ 

And Janabi remained unscathed. What had killed him, in the end, was an attack of darkness fused with ice.

‘That means there are two possibilities.’ 

Either Janabi’s regeneration skills were powerful enough to withstand Ju-Ha’s flames.

‘Or…’

Sung-Hyun turned his head toward Gong Ju-Ha’s dried bloodstains.

‘He possessed another ability that allowed him to ambush them in that state.’ 

There were many possibilities. Invisibility, sensory disruption, division, clones, revival…

‘It’s also possible that he possessed a combination of those abilities.’ 

That was the only possible explanation. The Gong Ju-Ha he knew was a veteran among veterans, and yet she had left her back open.

‘The king came up through this hole. After that, someone saved Ju-Ha.’ 

He took a step back, picturing what happened next. After being stabbed through the chest by the king’s poisonous stinger, the one who had saved her was…

‘Specter.’

There was a simple reason as to why he thought it was Specter and not Seo Jun-Ho.

‘Whoever it was made it all the way over here. Player Seo Jun-Ho would have been unable to do that.’ 

His logic was flawless.

“And then…”

After that came the first crack in his reasoning. The picture in his head grew foggy, like scratched tape.

‘...Something’s off. I can’t shake this feeling.’ 

After Specter saved Gong Ju-Ha, Seo Jun-Ho had also been stabbed by the stinger in the same place they were standing.

‘Does that mean that Specter used Seo Jun-Ho as a shield? But why?’ 

There was no reason for him to do that. He needed Seo Jun-Ho no matter what to save his comrades.

‘If he used him as a shield on purpose, Jun-Ho would not have lent him his power at the last moment.’

The remnants of Moon Eye had yet to melt even after several days had passed. Instead of melting under the sun, the black ice reflected light like a crystal.

‘That means… Both Specter and Jun-Ho were defenseless when they activated this technique, and the king aimed for Jun-Ho at that moment. Is that it?’ 

However, this was where things got complicated.

‘The battle was so intense that they had to put their lives on the line. So why did Specter not spill a single drop of blood?’ 

He didn’t know. At this point, his theory started to go adrift.

“Hm.”

Of course, he could try to fit the pieces together if he wanted to. According to the records, Specter was the type of person to prioritize killing the enemy over saving his allies.

‘That would also explain why he couldn’t protect either of them.’ 

However, Shin Sung-Hyun couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t the whole story.

‘Actually, there’s one possibility that would easily explain everything…’ 

However, he couldn’t even bring himself to say it.

“Hm?”

At that moment, Wei Chun-Hak and Kim Woo-Joong stepped onto the roof.

“Are you Heavens that curious about Specter’s skills?” Wei Chun-Hak said, chuckling with a cigarette between his teeth.

“You also came here because you were curious, did you not?”

“Yeah, actually. I’m really curious.” There wasn’t much to say after he had acknowledged it.

Kim Woo-Joong didn’t pay any mind to the other two. He simply stared at the way Moon Eye had scattered, unmoving.

“Darkness and ice, together in harmony…”[1] 

He closed his eyes and gripped the handle of his sword as he recalled that day. How would he handle this technique if it were aimed at him? The hand on his sword grew clammy. 

“...It wouldn’t be easy. Currently, Specter’s abilities are almost comparable to the Nine Heavens,” he said.

“Well, he got help from Seo Jun-Ho, so I don’t think he’s that strong…But I don’t think he’s that much weaker than us. He’s probably only half a level or a level[2] below us,” Wei Chun-Hak agreed, blowing out smoke. “Of course, if one of us fought the boss monster instead of Specter, the results wouldn’t have been very different.”

Both Seo Jun-Ho and Gong Ju-Ha had been mortally injured after fighting with Janabi. Wei Chun-Hak also didn’t think that he would have been able to defend both Seo Jun-Ho and Gong Ju-Ha while fighting Janabi. “I suppose a hero is a hero.”

Twenty-six long years had passed, but the strongest Player of the past could still compete with the strongest Players of today.

“But don’t you think something’s weird?” Wei Chun-Hak openly asked what all of them were thinking. “If you look at the traces… Doesn’t it seem like two people fought instead of three?”

“Yes.” Kim Woo-Joong nodded. “According to the information that our Guild acquired, Jun-Ho didn’t participate much in the battle.”

“...Huh? What do you mean?”

“He was fighting with the thousands of wasps up there so that Specter could focus wholly on their king.”

That was a misunderstanding. The one who had fought all those bees was the Frost Queen, not Seo Jun-Ho. However, to those who couldn’t see Spirits, Seo Jun-Ho was the only person who could create golems and control ice.

“That makes sense. So that's why it seems like there were only two fighters… I get it now.”

“Oh… I see.”

Crystal Room, the flood of ice, and Moon Eye. Seo Jun-Ho’s ice skill was used in the battle against Janabi three times.

Kim Woo-Joong started walking toward the stairs. “I plan to go up. How about you two?”

After the 2nd floor was cleared, numerous reports came in stating that the 3rd Floor had become much cooler than before. Of course, they would have to freeze the altar to get rid of the heat entirely. However, most veteran Players had a good inventory of items. At the current level, they would be able to handle it with some equipment with heat resistance.

“You ask the obvious.”

“Of course, I’m going. In fact, I think I’ve stayed here for too long. I’m tired of it.”

They had indeed stayed here for too long. After the boss of the 2nd floor’s defeat, many changes arose. In the past, only those with tickets could enter the 3rd floor, and even then, it was impossible to assume normal activities.

‘But now, any Player level 100 or higher can go up.’

‘They say that it’s still hot, but before, it felt like you’d burn alive.’

‘As long as I have some level of fire resistance, I can get around up there.’

Though it was also for the sake of expanding their Guilds, they had a duty to reach the 10th floor to save Earth from destruction. As some of the strongest Players and members of the Nine Heavens, they had an even bigger responsibility.

“I’ll see you all on the 3rd floor.” Kim Woo-Joong turned to leave.

“M-master!” A member of Goblin approached them, looking pale.

“What’s the matter?

“Seo Jun-Ho… Seo Jun-Ho has disappeared!”

“...!” Kim Woo-Joong stopped in his steps. He turned around and stared at the Guild member.

“What do you mean he disappeared?” Sung-Hyun asked calmly.

“It’s exactly as I said. He disappeared. He even folded his blanket and cleaned up his space.”

“...Wait.” Sung-Hyun opened up the Community window and searched Jun-Ho’s ID.

[This Player has blocked all incoming messages.]

He had covered all his tracks. Shin Sung-Hyun clicked his tongue. “I’m quite sure I was told that he was unable to move.”

“Yes, all his muscles had gotten ripped apart, so they said it would take at least several months for him to recuperate. He had also used up all his magic power in his circuits, so they said it would take him at least a few weeks to recover it.”

“How did he run away then… Did he happen to leave a note?”

“He left a letter to the Princess, but other than that, not really…”

Shin Sung-Hyun had planned to go to Denver to meet him as soon as they left Blackfield, but now his plans were obsolete.

Wei Chun-Hak shrugged. He looked at Kim Woo-Joong. “Aren’t you pretty close to him? You saved his life last time… But you don’t seem all that worried.”

“He is strong. He is not a Player that I will worry for. He must have a plan,” Kim Woo-Joong replied.

“Hm, that sounds a little exaggerated… But seems like that nerd thinks the same. Dammit, am I the only one who didn’t know?”

He pointed to Shin Sung-Hyun, but he seemed even less affected than Kim Woo-Joong—almost as if he had expected this.

‘Perhaps…’ Seo Jun-Ho didn’t want to face the three of them again.

He had a faint smile on his face. ‘I wonder if he has a guilty conscience or if he truly just left for no reason.’

He was already looking forward to the next time he would meet Seo Jun-Ho. 

***

“Huff, huff…” Seo Jun-Ho panted as he lay on the ground like a toppled tree. He didn’t even have the energy to take deep breaths, so he could only take short ones.

“...See, did I not tell you not to push yourself? You should have listened and received your treatment.”

“Huff, huff.” Seo Jun-Ho shook his head softly.

‘That would take too long.’ 

He had opened the way to a new world, and the rest of the world had quickly started to move. Many Players had already left the 2nd floor, seeking new adventures on the 3rd floor.

‘If I had quietly continued to receive treatment, I would have been too late.’ 

And he was already behind in the running because of his late start.

The fiends and Players would obviously start clashing on the 3rd floor. To stop that, he had to restore his health as soon as possible.

“I heard that the Schumern Saintess has great healing skills. Would it not have been better to continue receiving treatment from her?” the Frost Queen asked.

“...No. I don’t know if she’s not as good as I thought or if she simply hadn’t healed me to her fullest extent, but if I stay there, it will take at least three or four months before I can fully recover.”

Seo Jun-Ho was spot-on. The Schumern Saintess, Cha Si-Eun, hadn’t used her full healing capabilities. She had planned to drag out his treatment so that he could take a break and so that she could watch over him for several months.

“Hm. Do you have an idea of what you will do?”

“...I have about three ideas.”

“Oh my, so you have a plan?” the Frost Queen asked, jutting her chin. “Then tell me what those plans are.”

“First, Janabi’s nucleus.” After he had killed the Frost Queen and picked up her nucleus, he received the Frost skill. If he absorbed Janabi’s nucleus, he could probably gain one of his abilities.

‘And it’s likely that I’ll get regeneration…’ 

The problem was that he could fall into a long sleep again if he absorbed it.

‘So before I do, I want to read his memories first.’ 

Once he had done so, he might be able to estimate the time frame or find hints.

“And the second is the Amitabha Holy Water.” The yin energy elixir he had bought from Administrator Reiji’s shop. His second plan was to take it and turn over a new leaf, which would give a similar result as the first.

“Rejected. Do you really think you can take it with your body in this state? I did not know that you had suicidal tendencies.” The Frost Queen immediately tossed aside his second plan. It was dangerous to take it even when he was still healthy, so taking it definitely wasn’t a good choice in his current state.

“I also thought that the Amitahba Holy Water should be the absolute last resort,” Seo Jun-Ho said.

“Then what is the third idea?”

Seo Jun-Ho wordlessly pulled out something from his Inventory. It was a letter. “This is a letter of recommendation from the Guild Master of Goblin, Shin Sung-Hyun.”

“That’s…”

“Yes. It’s for the Sage of the Observatory Tower. They say that he can see the future from where he sits. He might be able to give me a good solution.” He would meet with the Sage and find the fastest way to restore his body.

‘And once I’m fully recovered, I’ll take the Amitabha Holy Water, and after I reach level 100…’ 

He would go up to the 3rd floor.

This was Seo Jun-Ho’s current plan.

“Ugh…” He had rested enough. He glanced over. There was no need to move his own body even as it moved as a large ice golem carefully lifted his body.

“Be careful not to use up all your mental strength before you meet the Sage,” the Frost Queen said.

“...I’ll try.”

The golem continued up the remote mountain path.

***

“...Ah.”

And at that moment, Gong Ju-Ha opened her eyes.

1. ’Harmony’ can also be read as ‘artificial flower’, to read as “An artificial flower made of darkness and ice…” ☜

2. He’s talking about in general, not using an actual system ☜