Chapter 498. Frost and Jun-Sik (1)
A call came from Yeon. Seo Jun-Sik held his Vita to his ear.
“h.e.l.lo?”
- Your Majesty! I mean, Clone Majesty! It’s an emergency!
“Ugh…”Seo Jun-Sik’s nose crinkled. it hadn’t even been five minutes since Original fell asleep.
“How serious is it? Is it serious enough that I can’t pretend like I didn’t hear you?” he asked carefully.
- It is very serious.
“Um, well… that’s pretty subjective, you know.”
- Geum Hak-Do is on his way with mercenaries from the Flower Willow Merchants.
“d.a.m.n.” It was serious. Seo Jun-Sik rubbed his forehead. “Can’t you stop them?”
- Even if we tell them to stop, it seems they’re willing to come brute force their way in.
“I guess it won’t be easy to do that...”
d.a.m.n Original. Why did he have to go and gag that guy? He had caused him trouble.
“You know, it’s pretty unfair when I think about it…” he muttered. He started at the bedroom door and scoffed, thinking of Seo Jun-Ho.
- Of course, there is a way to resolve this peacefully if you so wish. Geum Hak-Do is a merchant, so I’m sure he’ll fall back if we agree to share Star’s Voice.
“Hm. That would be a waste.”
This planet had a bright future. And once the Star’s Voice went up for sale, its future would become so dazzling it would be blinding. ‘And if I hand it over just because I was too lazy to fight, I’ll never hear the end of it from Original.’
Seo Jun-Sik thought for a moment and turned to the Frost Queen.
“Perhaps the two of us should take care of it.”
“...You and I?”
“Yeah. I think we can do it.” He could use about seventy percent of Original’s power. In short, he wasn’t someone people could just mess with. It was the other way around.
“Hm.” The Frost Queen seemed conflicted. She stuck out her lower lip, looking frustrated. “Contractor is asleep, so I cannot use my powers at the moment.”
“Huh? Shouldn’t it be the opposite?” Seo Jun-Sik blinked, seemingly confused. “He’s already asleep, so I guess it doesn’t matter how much mental energy you use. Actually, wouldn’t it be a good thing if you used a lot of mental energy? He’ll sleep even better.”
What in the world was he talking about?
The Frost Queen tilted her head.
She fell into deep contemplation and eventually muttered, “Is that so?”
“Of course.”
Now that she thought about it, it sounded right. She swallowed nervously like a child about to board a plane. “B-But what if it hurts so much that he scolds us later?”
“Hey.” Seo Jun-Sik’s face grew serious. “Who are you? You’re the Queen of Niflheim, the Frostbringer of Worlds. Most importantly, you’re a High… I mean, a Grade 3 Arch Spirit and the genius agent of the Player a.s.sociation.”
“You are correct indeed.”
“So, why did you think of that first?”
“...!” The Frost Queen’s eyes widened. He was right. When did she start being scared of getting in trouble? “Goodness. I do not remember the last time Contractor scolded me. In the beginning, I was the one scolding him.”
It was a shocking revelation.
“Tsk, tsk. You just realized that?” Seo Jun-Sik said, “We’ll resolve this perfectly, and we will restore the regal and charisma from your days as the ruling Frost Queen.”
“Regal… charisma…” The Frost Queen muttered as if she were daydreaming. She squeezed her hands into tight fists. “I will bring them back.”
“Now, we’re talking,” Seo Jun-Sik smiled in satisfaction and said, “This operation’s name is Frost and Jun-Sik.”
It sounded like a name straight out of a fairy tale.[1]
***
- Is this truly all right?
Yeon looked at the two of them nervously. He was well aware of Seo Jun-Ho’s power, but he wasn’t sure about Clone Majesty’s strength.
“Haha. Don’t even worry about it.” Seo Jun-Sik laughed, trying to calm him down. “I’m seventy percent as strong as him.”
“I am weaker than my glory days, but I am more powerful than most Spirits,” added the Frost Queen.
- ...You’re treating this like a math problem.
Yeon felt even more nervous now.
- I believe using that is also a great option.
Yeon gently coaxed.
“No,” Seo Jun-Sik said flatly and asked, “If I use that without even asking, do you really think that Original will let me off?”
There was no doubt in his mind that he would lose all the meal coupons he had worked so hard to collect. What Yeon had was an extremely powerful weapon, but it was extremely risky to use as well.
- You could also take an army of cyborg soldiers…
“Look here, Mister Prime Minister.” Seo Jun-Sik grinned. “I told you to stop worrying. Just watch.”
- ...Hoo.
Seo Jun-Sik had that same haughty smile as His Majesty.
In fact, he seemed even more arrogant.
The sight made Yeon feel better.
A few moments later, the door to the throne room was flung open.
A h.o.a.rd of mercenaries came rushing in.
“Mmph! Mmph!” Geum Hak-Do tried to say something through his ice gag.
A mechanical voice could be heard behind Seo Jun-Sik’s ears.
“Your Majesty. They arrived much faster than we expected.”
“You’re right.” Seo Jun-Sik held his chin lazily with his legs crossed. “Why did you come here? And why did you bring all those small fries?”
“Hahaha! The elite forces of the Flower Willow Merchants are small fries in your eyes? Such big words!”
“Hooo. Let’s skip the small talk,” Seo Jun-Sik sighed and said, “I’m going to remove the ice from your lips; will you go away without kicking up a fuss?”
“...” Geum Hak-Do thought for a moment and shook his head. “My apologies, Your Majesty. Considering the emotional pain and damage I went through, I don’t think that would be enough.”
“Really? Then, what is it that you want?”
“I wish to have half of the rights to the Star’s Scream.”
“Pffft!” Seo Jun-Sik smirked and sat upright. “I heard that you’re good at calculations. Do you really think that’s the answer? Try again.”
This was Geum Hak-Do’s last chance.
Seo Jun-Sik wouldn’t give him any more chances.
Geum Hak-Do pretended to consider it for a moment before saying, “I suppose I will only take forty percent. I have to consider your dignity as well.”
“Wow, I’m touched. You’re so considerate.”
Seo Jun-Sik stood from his seat and started down the stairs.
“But you know, you’re still way off,” said Seo Jun-Sik while walking down the steps.
“What do you mean?”
“You see, my dignity is pretty expensive. You wouldn’t be able to buy it even if you sold your business.”
“...” Geum Hak-Do’s eyes grew venomous as he spat coldly, “I offered you wine, but you chose to drink poison.”
“d.a.m.n, that’s a line I’ve read in Wuxia novels.”
Seo Jun-Sik had never seen someone use that line until now.
And most importantly…
“So you’re no longer going to respect me, is that it?”
“You only have one territory, and you’re ruling over a tiny city. Why would I respect you? If it hadn’t been for the Star’s Voice, you wouldn’t even have the honor of meeting me.”
Geum Hak-Do finally showed his true colors.
He puffed his chest out and said haughtily, “Kill him.”
At that, the elites of the Flower Willow Merchants pulled out their weapons.
Geum Hak-Do looked totally relaxed as he watched.
‘They’re powerful warriors at the Liberation Stage.’
Geum Hak-Do closed his eyes. He already knew the gory outcome, and he wasn’t really a fan of such a sight, so he chose to close his eyes.
Crackle!
“Is it over?” he asked. There was no reply.
The sound of metal clashing against metal continued after a brief lull.
“Huh?”
What was that sound just now?
Geum Hak-Do couldn’t help but open his eyes, and he reeled in shock.
There was a headless corpse and two bodies that had been split in half.
In addition, the fight was still ongoing.
‘He’s strong enough to handle several dozen elite fighters?’
The Emperor of Neo City was like a wolf tearing through a flock of sheep, and he was dominating the battle while clad in imperial garb emblazoned with the emblem of a yellow dragon.
Geum Hak-Do’s face crumpled in confusion.
The white-haired man standing next to him spoke, “He’s pretty good.”
“Hooo, yes. We still have you.”
Gilburt was a warrior at the Star Destruction Stage, and Geum Hak-Do had hired him for the price of an entire planet.
“In any case, I’ll order them to fall back. They’re no match for him,” said Geum Hak-Do.
“No. Leave them be...”
“What? Why?”
“Because they’ll wear him down…”
Geum Hak-Do was taken aback by his heartless suggestion, and he gnashed his teeth.
‘Do you even know how much money I spent training the elite forces?’
Unfortunately, Geum Hak-Do knew how dangerous it was to stand against someone at the Star Destruction Stage. Geum Hak-Do was Gilburt’s employer, but he had no choice but to nod to indulge Gilburt’s request.
“If that helps, we’ll do that then.”
Meanwhile, the ongoing battle was about to reach its climax.
Seo Jun-Sik was trying to catch his breath
“Looks like they’re all around the Liberation Stage,” he muttered.
He had taken out nearly twenty of them so far, so it wasn’t strange that he was out of breath.
‘Of course, Original would be perfectly fine if he were here.’ A man in the back caught Seo Jun-Sik’s eye. ‘The problem is him.’
Seo Jun-Sik couldn’t see through the man’s aura. In other words, he was a powerful warrior that was a step above these Flower Willow Merchants’ elite forces.
‘But we have a secret weapon, too...’
“All right, kids. It’s time to go home.”
Seo Jun-Sik gripped White Dragon tightly as he turned into a ray of light.
"Black Moon Martial Arts Second Skill: Silent Flash Wave.’
He swept past the remaining elite forces like a tornado.
Afterward, he started wiping away the blood on his cheek.
“That’s all…?” Geum Hak-Do growled. His expensive subordinates were dead. He turned to the mercenary and said, “Gilburt, kill that wicked man.”
“I will. However, I think you’ll have to give me a generous bonus once we’re done here.”
“Okay...”
The heinous mercenary was more money-hungry than a merchant. Geum Hak-Do inwardly clicked his tongue, but he had already made the calculations beforehand.
‘If I can take the planet and obtain its Star’s Scream to convert into Star’s Voice, the amount of money I will have to spend on paying him will be nothing.’
Gilburt just had to kill that self-proclaimed emperor.
Gilburt wore an indifferent look as he stepped forward to Seo Jun-Sik.
“How strange. I cannot detect any trace of your thoughts…”
Warriors would always think and ponder. They spent forever contemplating their skills, deciding what to do, testing things out, and refining their techniques until they mastered them.
They had to go through this process tens—no, hundreds of times before they could call themselves a true warrior.
‘But this man has been showing no signs of thought.’ He was a clean slate. He was as clean as the peak of a snowy mountain, and it seemed as if he had just randomly fallen from the sky.
Gilburt became wary about Seo Jun-Sik. However, he still pulled his swords out.
‘I’ll definitely know his strength once we clash.’’
He dashed forward with a sword in each hand.
He flew across the slick, blood-soaked floor and instantly narrowed the distance between them.
“Keuk…!”
Seo Jun-Sik instinctively predicted the trajectory of the attack, and he barely managed to dodge it.
Unfortunately, his opponent had two swords.
‘Here comes the other…!’
There was nowhere to dodge. Seo Jun-Sik lifted his left hand and froze the weapon.
Crackle!
The sword abruptly slowed down after it was enveloped in ice.
‘The ice is thicker than I expected.’ Gilburt also felt like he was slowing down the closer he got to Seo Jun-Sik. ‘I have a good idea of how strong you are now...’
He calculated in his head and decided to retreat.
“...?”
Gilburt couldn’t move. The sword in his hand was stuck to Seo Jun-Sik’s left hand because of the ice. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge.
“You fool. Do you really think that this can hinder me?”
Crack!
Gilburt shattered the ice into thousands of fragments using his magic.
However, Seo Jun-Sik only smiled at the sight.
“It doesn’t matter.”
It was already too late.
He pointed a finger gun at Gilburt’s forehead. “Spirit Summon.”
“...!”
A tiny figure manifested.
Gilburt’s eyes reflected the figure’s silver hair, which was like melted silver, and her pair of blinking eyes.
“A child…?”
“A child? How rude.” The Frost Queen moved her finger ever so slightly. “Address me as your queen.”
Craaaaackle!
A giant pillar of ice abruptly shot up from the ground, piercing Gilburt and sending him toward the ceiling.
1. This is how many Korean folktales are t.i.tled. Eg Hongbu and Nolbu, the Sun and the Moon, the Tiger and the Persimmon. ☜