Chapter 545: Never More (2)

"L-Let's rest here for a bit." Baek Geon-Woo stopped in the middle of the mountain path to catch his breath. He sat down on a nearby boulder and rummaged for water in his Inventory.

Seo Jun-Ho belatedly felt sorry.

"I'm sorry, hyung. This must have been a lot to process."

"A little, I suppose. But there's no need to apologize for that," said Baek Geon-Woo while wiping the sweat from his brow after quenching his thirst. "By the way. Were you waiting for me, or am I wrong?"

"No, you're completely right. I was waiting for you."

Baek Geon-Woo's eyes grew serious. "...How is that possible? The president shouldn't have been able to tell you, considering the timing."

"It's a long story, but I suppose it would be better to tell you before we leave." It would be easier to just tell him because Seo Jun-Ho would need Baek Geon-Woo and Rahmadat's help with his plan. "I'll tell Rahmadat when he wakes up, so I'll just tell you first."

"I shall be the one to explain. That way, it will be faster and more accurate," Frost interjected.

"Who's this?"

"Huh? This is Frost, of course...Oh!" Seo Jun-Ho exclaimed as he remembered.

He thought that they would know each other because the three of them had lived together in the Wailing Mountains. 'But Frost was invisible back then.'

So, even though they had spent time together for several months, this was Baek Geon-Woo's first time meeting the Frost Queen.

Seo Jun-Ho explained, "This is my Spirit. It's your first time meeting her."

"Huh? Oh, perhaps..." Baek Geon-Woo smiled slightly as he looked at the Frost Queen. "I see. So you are Seo Jun-Ho's invisible guardian."

"...You know me?"

"I had a vague idea." When he found Seo Jun-Ho unconscious on the mountain path, he heard the voice of a child. However, he didn't see anyone, so he thought he simply imagined it.

"You see, Master once told me this." He sensed some kind of soul nearby. "He told me there was someone watching over you."

"A-ha..." The Frost Queen nodded. Indeed, when her Contractor passed the Thunder God's test, she had protected him with her power to block.

"Oh, and I also saw your video."

"Eek!" The Frost Queen shrieked as a shiver ran down her spine. Recreating that had been the hardest part of her regression. It was a bad memory she wanted to erase.

"When I watched it, I thought that you were surely a child, but you've grown a lot," he added.

"Stop talking about that! I forbid it!" She almost sounded like she was about to cry.

Baek Geon-Woo held up his hands in surrender. "Oh, I truly apologize if I was being insensitive. I'll stop."

"Sob... Contractooorrr..."

She buried her face into Seo Jun-Ho's back, and then she whined for a long time.

'I should change my clothes later.' Seo Jun-Ho's back felt wet.

"...Well, anyway, I guess I'll be the one to tell you like we originally planned."

***

Once Seo Jun-Ho was done explaining, Baek Geon-Woo's face grew dark.

"This is more serious than I thought," he said.

"Yes. And according to Frost..."

"Okay." In a flash, his eyes filled with firm determination. "So you're saying the Heavenly Demon is on the 7th Floor right now."

And he must be plotting something big and committing other evil acts at the moment...

Baek Geon-Woo's hands instinctively curled into fists, "...I will not let him kill anyone again. Never."

"Me, too. I'm going to do everything I can to stop him."

"So that's why you were in such a hurry."

"Yes." Seo Jun-Ho nodded. "Woo-Joong will become the Sword Demon five days after our attack at Gulat." In other words, five days later. "Within that time, we must raid the Chronos Laboratory."

"...A holy relic is there..."

"Yes. Once we retrieve it from there, we'll go find him before he can kill any of the Players." And they would have to bind him tightly so he couldn't hurt anyone.

"That's going to be hard."

"I know, but we have to do this," Seo Jun-Ho said firmly.

Baek Geon-Woo studied him for a moment and smiled. "Okay, we'll do this, whatever it takes. I swear on my life."[1]

"You don't have to go that far..."

"No. I'll help you no matter what it takes."

He hadn't understood it back then, but this was part of their master's last will and testament. He said that Seo Jun-Ho was the saddest and loneliest person in the world, and he told him to become Seo Jun-Ho's strength.

"...Thank you." Seo Jun-Ho saw Baek Geon-Woo's feelings and intentions, and he revealed a bittersweet smile. "Now then. Let's start moving again after about ten more minutes. We don't have much time."

"All right."

Baek Geon-Woo stood up to prepare. Meanwhile, Seo Jun-Ho sat on the edge of the boulder. The Frost Queen sat next to him, and her cheeks were still wet from the tears she had shed.

"...Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Sniffle." She blew her nose into her handkerchief and glared at him through bleary eyes. "You do not understand. I felt so humiliated I wanted to die."

"Yeah? I don't think so"

"Frankly, I never wanted to broadcast it in the first place. But I had no other choice because the future might have changed."

"And that's supposed to be my fault?"

"It is."

Seo Jun-Ho was dumbfounded. He scoffed. "Wow, you're amazing. Amazing at blaming others."

"That is not what I am doing. It is the truth." The Frost Queen giggled, and it seemed that she felt better now.

Seo Jun-Ho studied her for a moment before saying, "...Honestly, I don't know what to think."

"Oh, do not take it so seriously. If I am honest, I am aware that it was my..."

"Not that." Seo Jun-Ho looked down at the ground and said, "You said I was super strong before you regressed, right?"

"Yes indeed. You had actually reached the Star Destruction stage."

"But now, I'm weaker than I was back then." He was pathetic in comparison, but he was as strong as he had been when he still hadn't started his regressions on the 7th Floor. "You said I failed."

Kim Woo-Joong turned into the Sword Demon and went wild. The Heavenly Demon also killed the Players using the Overminds. He was scared that such a future was awaiting him.

"I already failed. Do you really think that I can do it?" He kept doubting himself because he knew that he couldn't regress.

"Hmm." The Frost Queen strained her neck and observed him from over Seo Jun-Ho's shoulder. "How strange. You look quite weak today. Were you always like this?"

"...Are you my teacher or something?"

"Contractor." A small, cool hand settled on his hand. He knew it was cold, but it made him feel warm inside.

"Ease your worries." When he saw her smiling face, his doubt slowly melted away. "I know that you are strong. I was with you, after all."

"...Even though I'm a lot weaker than I was then?"

"I have become just as powerful, so it is all right. Besides, I know the events that are to come." She let out a small sigh. "I will confess that it felt strange when you were at the Star Destruction Stage."

He had never held so much power until he saved Kim Woo-Joong. Besides, he had been living only as an imitation of his old self.

"It was like night and day. You were so awkward after you changed, I thought I would die."

"..."

"And, you know, well. Sometimes people get that dead look in their eyes, like a dead fish... Ah, I want grilled fish now." She always strayed from the topic.

Seo Jun-Ho chuckled. "Yeah, freshly-cooked fish with white rice is the best. All right. If we return to Earth, I promise—"

"Ah! Stop!" The Frost Queen cut him off. "In dramas, the character who says something like that always dies in the next scene. I forbid you from saying that, as your queen."

"Yeesh." He shook his head and looked up at the sky.

He didn't know what the future held for him, but at least the sky was clear today.

"All right, let's do this."

The very same Seo Jun-Ho had already failed once.

'...But I'll succeed this time, no matter what.'

He refused to let himself fail.

Seo Jun-Ho's eyes became filled with cold determination.

***

Two Overmind imperial knights stood guard at the hefty barbed-wire fence.

"Hey, did you hear the news before you came here?"

"News? What news."

"Apparently, those damn humans raided Gulat just a few hours ago."

"Ha. They really must be mad."

"Um... They said that Duke Schalke and his men have perished."

It was hard to believe. It was already unbelievable that those humans had attacked first, but to think that Duke Schalke and his knights would die.

The knight gulped to hide his fear and spoke, "Hey, do you think they'll come all the way here? Should we be on guard for that?"

"Don't be so dramatic. We have these, so nothing will happen."

They were both holding magic detectors in their hands, and the magid detectors hadn't gone off since they received them.

The knight studied the device. "Let's see. Look, it's the same as always..."

Bang!

His fellow knight was sent flying away by something, and he hit the barbed-wire fence.

"A surprise attack? It's the humans!"

His fellow knight died instantly.

He turned his back to the corpse and quickly hid behind a boulder. His face had never been this pale. 'Right before he was attacked, the detector went off for just a moment.'

However, there was something wrong. According to the researchers, the magic detectors' range was three kilometers. In other words, if the humans actually did ambush them, the detector should have gone off a long while ago.

"Those good-for-nothing scoundrels. How dare they lie to us—"

Beep!

Just then, the magic detector went off again.

'...It only went off once, and the target disappeared?"

Not only did they lie about its capabilities, but it was also defective. Once he went back, he would give them a piece of his mind.

The knight chewed on his lip and watched the detector intensely. If he at least knew where his opponent was, he could fight them. However, he still had no idea where his enemies were located.

'Wait, then that means... Are they attacking from more than three kilometers away?'

Impossible.

The knight's eyes became filled with fear.

Beep!

And the magic detector went off again.

***

Click.

Gilberto lowered his gun and stood up.

"Let's go! Move out!"

"Yes, sir!" Arthur nodded and followed behind him. They had been constantly moving for the past few days.

- Go to where the thunder sleeps.

They could only trust Seo Jun-Ho.

"How many are tailing us?"

"It's still fifteen... Shit, there are more now. Seventeen!"

"..." Gilberto's face darkened at Arthur's report.

'I should get ready.' He had to prepare himself mentally. If the worst-case scenario happened, he would ensure Arthur's survival at the very least.

"Father, this is..." Arthur trailed off.

The fence that the knights they had sniped had been guarding had a warning sign posted written in a language that they couldn't read.

"Is it really okay to go in here? If this is some important military base, we'll be walking right into the lion's den," asked Arthur.

"We have no choice," Gilberto said.

The Overminds were chasing after them, so it would only be a matter of time before they were captured if they decided not to enter the facility in front of them.

"Let's go."

With that, the two men opened the gates and ran inside.

Moments later, their pursuers arrived and came to a halt.

"Oh no. What should we do?" asked an Overmind.

"..." The leader was silent for quite a while before they spoke, "This is a forbidden area that His Majesty himself had declared forbidden. We do not have the authority to go beyond this point. We have no other choice but to report this to our superiors."

1. Can also be read as"I'll put my life on the line", but I thought that was already implied. ☜