Chapter 314. 90 Days (2)
Seo Jun-Ho walked confidently over to the executive office. This was one of the few good things he had gotten out of revealing his ident.i.ty: he could casually walk over to the office whenever he wanted without giving any notice.
“One gla.s.s of orange juice please,” he said.
“...I think you’re on the wrong floor. This isn’t the cafeteria,” Shim Deok-Gu said.
“Come on, just give me one,” he complained.
Shim Deok-Gu sighed at his friend and handed him a gla.s.s of orange juice. He watched as Seo Jun-Ho gulped down the orange juice.
‘...Is he alright?’
On the other hand, he didn’t look any different than usual, so Shim Deok-Gu wondered if his worries were for naught.
Seo Jun-Ho saw him stroking his chin and frowned. “Why are you staring at me like that? Is this your first time seeing a hot guy?”
“Bulls.h.i.t.”
However, Shim Deok-Gu was a little jealous of the fact that Body Transformation had given him clear, glowing skin and flowing hair...
Shim Deok-Gu shook his head and pulled himself together before changing the subject. “The people are happy.”
“Mm, that hits the spot.” Seo Jun-Ho wiped his mouth and nodded. “Of course they are. Would they be unhappy after I killed all the fiends for them?”
“But your methods were too extreme. Things aren’t the same as they were 26 years ago,” Shim Deok-Gu commented. Some of the fiends had quietly surrendered, raising a white flag because they were scared of being chased by Specter.
“If you believed them, you’re dumb,” Seo Jun-Ho said.
“Jun-Ho, not everyone is like us.”
When Seo Jun-Ho killed the fiends who had surrendered without mercy, people started to criticize him. Some human rights activists were saying it was unnecessary to go that far against the scattered troops who no longer wanted to fight.
“Human rights activists are coming together and saying that you’re too cruel. There are likely people egging them on, too.”
“Human rights activists? They’re a ridiculous bunch. They couldn’t say a word when the fiends were going around killing people because they were too scared, but seems like they think I’m a pushover.” Seo Jun-Ho was grinning brightly, but Shim Deok-Gu didn’t buy it.
“You’re really mad.”
“Don’t you see how much I’m smiling?”
“How long do you think I’ve known you?”
“Geez, you always catch on too quickly.” Seo Jun-Ho clicked his tongue. His face grew somewhat cold. “Still, my opinion remains unchanged. There’s too much to get done to pay attention to all those voices.”
“...”
Shim Deok-Gu agreed. However, he was still worried that the wave of criticism was too big to completely ignore.
“Ugh. Once again, I have to do all the work. I’ll try to save your image through the a.s.sociation. We can make some kind of doc.u.mentary series about your past achievements,” Shim Deok-Gu said.
“Good idea. And why’d you call me here?” Seo Jun-Ho asked. He had come running straight to the executive office because he had received an urgent summons. He still hadn’t even gotten to stop by his room.
“Master Son Chae-Won stopped by,” he explained.
“The Guild Master of Silent Moon? Why?”
“She said that Wei Chun-Hak spoke with her.”
“Geez, is this some kind of relay race?”
“Of course not.” Shim Deok-Gu grinned and opened a hologram file. It was a registry. A Player registry.
Seo Jun-Ho quickly skimmed through the tens of pages.
“...I think I recognize a lot of these names,” he said.
“You should. It only contains the most powerful Players on the 1st and 2nd floors,” Shim Deok-Gu said.
“So, what do you expect me to do with this?”
“We’re making a second expedition party to send to the 4th floor.”
At that, Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes glinted sharply. “You’re not planning to send everyone listed here, are you?”
“Of course not. We can’t exclude the possibility that the Heavenly Demon will come back down to the 1st floor,” he a.s.sured.
The Heavenly Demon and the seven executives he had disappeared with were the sole enemies humanity was currently wary against.
“We’re planning to send five Players,” Shim Deok-Gu said.
“Five...? Only five?” Seo Jun-Ho looked dumbfounded. The registry had thousands of Players listed, but they were only going to send five of them?
“Wei Chun-Hak said that the 4th floor needs a few Players who are more powerful than most.”
“Hm.” Seo Jun-Ho looked at Shim Deok-Gu questioningly as if he was asking the point of showing him this list.
“What I’m trying to say is that even if you five are gone, the world won’t go up in flames. We have these people, after all.”
“...” Seo Jun-Ho momentarily looked back at the registry and eventually said, “You’re right. I’ll take Miss Cha Si-Eun with us too, then.”
“Huh? Will she be able to keep up with your pace?” Shim Deok-Gu asked.
“We’ll see...”
Shim Deok-Gu seemed to have realized what he meant. “So, bringing her with you will be a test for her.”
“There’s something I personally want to check too,” Seo Jun-Ho said.
“What do you mean?” Deok-Gu asked.
If things went as planned...
Seo Jun-Ho swallowed his words. “I’ll explain later. And don’t worry about her too much.”
For the past three months, Cha Si-Eun had been working hard to hunt alongside the other Heroes. The fact that she could do that meant she had the basic skills to do so, at the least.
‘But that’s different...’
Whether or not they could trust her to watch their backs during a battle was an entirely different question. If she didn’t have the ability to understand all five of them, they wouldn’t be able to trust her.
Seo Jun-Ho was momentarily lost in his thoughts before he spoke...
“When are we leaving again?”
***
Click.
It had been a while since Seo Jun-Ho was home.
‘I think it’s been about two weeks...’
While he was taking off his jacket, looking a bit tired, something near the opposite wall peeked out. It was the Frost Queen.
“...You’re back?”
“Yeah.”
Seo Jun-Ho’s face relaxed. He approached her, and the first thing he did was pinch her cheeks.
“Hm... Seems like you’ve been portioning your snacks well. Good job.”???e????o???.?૦?
“O-of course?”
“Then, what are you hiding behind your back?”
“Ah.” She pressed her back against the wall, hiding her hands. Seeing how her eyes were flickering like candles, it was definitely food.
“I thought today’s snack time is over?” Seo Jun-Ho said.
“I-it is not a snack.”
“Then, give it to me.”
“Stop right there! Even if you are my Contractor, that is impudent of you. Are you accusing me of something?”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“Hmph...” She wilted and quietly held out her two hands. They were holding a pack of jellies.
“So, it was a snack...” Seo Jun-Ho pointed out.
“...”
The Frost Queen then stared at the ground with a guilty look. He returned the jellies to her. “You’ll get cavities if you eat too much, so don’t do that.”
“I am not a child, and my teeth are healthy...”
“Do you want to go back to the dentist, then?”
“I am sorry. Forgive me,” she hurriedly said.
Seo Jun-Ho went to the bathroom and took a shower. The Frost Queen looked up when he came back; she was sitting on the sofa, chewing on jellies.
“I saw the reports. Is it finished?” she asked.
“Yeah. There are still a few of those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds left... But for now, it’s over.”
“You’ve worked hard, Contractor. Really, well done,” she praised. Her expression was that of a kind, benevolent ruler. It was unbefitting of a child’s face.
“...”
It would have been more compelling if her face wasn’t full of gummy worms.
Seo Jun-Ho ran a towel through his hair as he spoke, “We’re planning to go up to the 4th floor soon.”
“I see. Have a safe trip,” she said, raising the volume of her drama with the remote.
“What are you saying? You’re coming with us.”
She looked at him, shocked. “What? I am?”
“Of course. You’re my Spirit.”
“B-but... I did not go with you when you hunted the fiends,” she protested.
“It was more comfortable for me to do it alone for multiple reasons,” he countered.
“Ugh...” The Frost Queen looked disappointed. She had truly become a homebody after spending three months rolling around at home—a baby homebody.
“You have to start doing some work too,” Seo Jun-Ho said.
“...I will not let your words slide. You speak as if all I had been doing were eating and playing.”
“Am I wrong?” Seo Jun-Ho asked. He thought she would stick out her lip and pout again. However, she gave a sly smile instead. She told him to wait, and she eventually came out of her room carrying something.
“This is...” When she held it out confidently, Seo Jun-Ho looked shocked.
‘A diary? This is the first time I’ve seen one since elementary school.’
He then patted her head. “I see, so you kept a diary. Good job.”
“H-How rude! I asked the President for an empty notebook, and he gave me this!” She fumed and pushed out the journal. “What is important is the contents, so read it.”
Unable to refuse, Seo Jun-Ho opened it and turned to the first page.
[March 2nd, 2050. Weather: Slitely Slightly cloudy.]
[t.i.tle: Chocolate flavor, strawberry flavor, banana flavor.
Entry: As soon as I opened my eyes today, I went to the kitchen...]
“Huh? S-stop for a moment!” The Frost Queen realized that something was wrong and s.n.a.t.c.hed her diary back. She was flushed red all the way to her ears. “...I gave you the wrong one. Wait here.”
She strode back to her room and went out carrying a diary that looked the same. “This is what I intended to show you.”
“I want to read more of the other one, though.”
“How impertinent. Are you saying that you dare wish to intrude on a queen’s personal life?” she responded.
‘The entries were about food, though.’
Seo Jun-Ho shrugged and opened the new diary. When he did, his face stiffened.
‘This is...’
It was a Skill Book. Or more precisely, this was a valuable notebook where the Frost Queen had written and organized her abilities.
“I shall tell you of other techniques in the future,” she said.
“Can’t you just tell me all of them now?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
“...I do not remember the others well so that would be difficult.” The Frost Queen shook her head firmly and aimed her remote like a sword. “In addition, it will take a long time to master even one of these techniques. You are quite greedy, Contractor.”
“Like Spirit, like Contractor, I suppose...”
“What nonsense. I have no ounce of greed. I am a person with integrity.”
“Chocolate flavor, strawberry flavor, banana flavor—”
“Aaahhh!”
Seo Jun-Ho returned to his room after teasing the Frost Queen to his heart’s content.
***
The next day, Seo Jun-Ho invited his friends over to his place. The first one to arrive was surprisingly Rahmadat.
“What’s the occasion? I didn’t think you’d arrive on time, as an Indian person.”
“Haha, are you being racist as soon as you see me? Besides, you ugly Koreans are notorious for being late as well,” Rahmadat teased. However, he kept looking like he wanted to say something, but he simply scratched his head rather than say it.
“What is it? You look like a constipated dog. Just tell me. Were you going to insult me, was that it?”
“No. Just...” Rahmadat pursed his lips and looked apologetic. “I am sorry. I feel like we dumped it all onto you when we should have done it together.”
“Geez, is that all? I said I wanted to do it that way. Don’t worry about it,” Seo Jun-Ho a.s.sured.
When he first announced that he would hunt down the fiends, his friends insisted on helping. However, Seo Jun-Ho refused their offer. It was all because he strongly wanted to take revenge with his own hands, and his friends’ growth was important as well.
‘If we’re going to keep climbing the floors together, they have to reach my level, at the least.’
Mio’s training was especially urgent because it hadn’t been long since she awakened. As such, Seo Jun-Ho had told his friends that he would hunt the fiends himself and that they should just focus on leveling up.
“Since you said that, I understand.” Rahmadat looked at him gratefully and lightly thumped his chest. “How about the Frost kid?”
“She’s hiding because Skaya’s coming,” Seo Jun-Ho explained.
Soon enough, the entrance started to get noisy.
“Ughhh, I’m so freaking tired after doing nothing but hunting,” Skaya complained.
“That’s why I told you not to push yourself,” Gilberto advised.
“All you do is sit in the back and shoot a gun. You don’t know what kind of pain this noona is going through.”
“...You do the same, just with magic. And I am older than you...”
Skaya and Gilberto bickered. From behind them, Mio carefully stepped inside with a “please excuse me.”
Seo Jun-Ho got up to greet them with a long sigh.
“You guys are so noisy as usual.”
Despite the insult; however, there was a gentle smile on his face. He met the eyes of each of his friends.
“Let’s start getting back into it...”
It was about time they continued their journey from twenty-six years ago.