Return of the Frozen Player - Chapter 76
Turn Up the Volume (1)
ââŠâŠâ
Kal Signer slowly opened his eyes. As an unfamiliar ceiling came into view, he slipped his hand under his pillow. The dagger he always put underneath was there.
âAh.â
He gripped it in his fist as he took in his surroundings. Finally, he sat up. He remembered that he was back on the 1st floor and checked the clock on the table.
ââŠI slept for seventeen hours?â He muttered in surprise. He couldnât remember the last time heâd been able to rest like this. For the past few months, his body had been constantly exhausted because of Kim Woo-joongâs pursuit. It sapped his energy, and his health wasnât great either.
Fucking Kim Woo-joong. Iâll make you pay for humiliating me. He gulped down the glass of water he had put on the table and went to go shower.
He was currently in a bunker in the basement of Paradise that had been built long ago for a war. He was perfectly isolated from the rest of the world.
âItâs nice and sturdy.â No one would be able to find himânot even a member of the Nine Heavens.
Signer took a long shower and came out wearing comfortable workout clothes. He checked his Vita.
A message? It was from Torres and had been sent six hours ago. Signerâs face twisted as he read the text.
â Please come to the lecture hall for a moment. I have something to show you.
ââŠIs that weakling trying to give me an order?â He let out a frustrated sigh. It had only been two days since theyâd agreed to stay quiet and mind each otherâs business. Yet here he was, trying to summon him. He couldnât even be bothered to come to Signer himself and had sent a text message instead.
Did he go crazy?
Fiends lived under the creed of âsurvival of the fittestâ. It was a world that was ruled by the strong. Torres may have been the director of Paradise, but he was barely level 75. To Signer, who was level 100, he was like a child.
âTsk, itâs annoying⊠but Iâll see whatâs going on.â
As fiends did, Signer was planning to give him a good beating. He emerged from the bunker with a sour face.
The entrance was in the back of the property, and Signer stopped as he approached the building.
âHm?â Being the experienced player that he was, he noticed that something was wrong. His eyes narrowed.
Itâs too loud.
Just the day before, Paradise had been a quiet place. Since the two hundred children were under Torresâs control, they did not scream or run around. But now, he could hear dozens of people all around the building, milling around and talking. Two men started to walk out of the building.
âIâm supposed to start on the 1st floor, correct?â
âYeah, all the offices are here, so go through all of them before⊠Huh?â
They froze as they saw Kal Signer.
âYou bastard, do your job right! How did a civilian get here?â The supervisor hit the other man on the back of the head.
âI-Iâm sorry. But I definitely did it rightâŠâ The subordinate frowned and waved his hands in a shooing motion. âHey, ahjussi*. You look like you got in here by accident, but you canât just waltz in here.â
(TN: Korean for âmisterâ, typically used to refer to middle-aged men.)
ââŠAhjussi?â Kal Signerâs eyes were full of fury.
He looked around. What?
He didnât understand what was going on. From what he saw, the two men in front of him definitely werenât fiends. Theyâre not even players. Theyâre just insects.
Thatâs where he started to get confused. How did normal people get into Paradise? Where are the rest of the fiends?
It wasnât just these two. There were dozens of people running around, carrying boxes and files; they were all normal people.
âWhat the hell is going on hereâŠ?â
âWhy do you need to know? Hurry up and go. Leave!â
âŠShould I just kill them all? Bloodlust leaked into his eyes, but he quickly suppressed his anger. Dammit, if only it werenât for Seo Jun-ho.
He was carrying out Nazad Hallowâs orders. It would be bad for him if he did something that caught the otherâs attention.
âIâm going.â
The air was cool on his face as he left with only the clothes on his back. He turned around and muttered to himself.
ââŠWhat the hell happened while I was asleep?â
There was no one there to answer his question.
* * *
Seo Jun-ho sat in the vast sanctuary of the Vatican Palace. The guard players kept glancing at him.
ââŠTheyâre all staring at you,â Marco whispered. He squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable.
Seo Jun-ho turned the page in his newspaper. âDonât pay them any mind. Theyâre rightfully expressing their respect,â he said nonchalantly.
ââŠâŠâ
Or so he said, but Seo Jun-ho glanced around his surroundings. Just as Marco had said, they were all staring at him in admiration.
Itâs worse than before.
Of course, tons of people had admired him 25 years ago. But now, they practically treated him like a god. Everyone would bow their heads as he passed them in the streets.
Well, itâs not a bad thing. He hummed to himself.
They were currently waiting for the examinations to finish. They would soon find out if the children had truly turned back to normal.
âIs it really gonna be alright? My siblingsâŠâ
âI told you. Theyâre not fiends anymore.â Unlike Marco, Seo Jun-ho was sure of it.
I sucked up all the Demonic energy from the roots. If theyâre still fiends, they mightâve been born with it.
Heâd absorbed the energy from all 217 children, raising his Magic stat by 21. His level had also increased by 2 after killing all the fiends.
âWeâve finished examining them,â a priest said as he approached. He made the sign of the cross, seeming overjoyed. âSpecter-nim has once again given hope to the land! The children are safe!â
âWowâŠ!â
âSpecter-nim!â
Priests, players, and civilians alike made the sign of the cross and raised their hands in prayer.
Pope Aberson V approached him and bowed his head. âSpecter-nim⊠I sincerely thank you for saving the lives of these little lambs.â
âWell, someone had to do it.â
ââŠAnd I am ashamed that that âsomeoneâ was not us. If itâs alright, may I release this incident to the public to warn others about the fiends?â
âSure.â He had already been planning to make an announcement about Specter when he went back to Korea.
Itâs not a bad idea to sprinkle some crumbs in the Vatican first.
He shook the popeâs wrinkly hand.
âBuf if youâre really thankful, can I ask you a favor?â
(TN: Specter actually speaks to the pope casually.)
âPlease, speak.â
âAll the children I brought are orphans. They became scapegoats of crime because they didnât have guardians.â
ââŠâŠâ The pope was silent. He couldnât even begin to imagine how much pain and fear the children had suffered through.
âYour enemies are also closer than you think. The Vatican is the holiest place on Earth, and this happened right under your noses. You know the Church isnât entirely blameless, right?â
âI have nothing to say. Weâve come to realize how blind we were.â
âThen, take responsibility. The Vatican has the capacity to take care of all the orphans in Rome, doesnât it?â
Seo Jun-ho couldnât do all that himself. He needed to leave it to them. Thankfully, the pope nodded eagerly.
âWe wonât spare any hands. Weâll make sure the children are properly educated and happy.â
âThatâs all I need to hear.â He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He patted Marcoâs head. âSince youâre now under the care of the Vatican, you wonât have any problems getting a part-time job.â
âSpecter-nimâŠâ Marco started to tear up, but Seo Jun-ho only smiled.
âYou say youâre a man, but all you do is cry.â
âI-Iâm not crying. Thereâs dust⊠My eyes sting, thatâs all.â
There mustâve been a lot of it, because he cried for a long time.
Both Seo Jun-ho and the pope laughed.
The Association teleporter approached Seo Jun-ho, all ready to leave. It was the same person that had brought him here.
âI-Iâm sorry I didnât recognize you last time!â He folded forward at a 90-degree angle.
âPfft, I did all that so you wouldnât.â
âOh⊠Yes!â Seo Jun-ho looked at Marco. He seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
ââŠIs it really okay if you leave like this?â
âIt would be a hassle if thereâs a lot of people. Thatâs why you were the only one I called for.â
The only people in the room were the three of them. The Vatican had respected his wishes to leave quietly.
ââŠYouâre really weird, Specter-nim. Youâre the complete opposite of what Iâve read in the books.â
âReally? What do the books say?â
âThey say youâre a lot nobler, colder⊠and they also say youâre boring.â
Seo Jun-ho bent down to meet his height. âThis is your second lesson. As a player, donât believe everything you read.â
âIâll keep that in mind.â His eyes sparkled. Marco scratched his neck and bowed deeply. âI saw that this is how people in Korea show their thanks.â
âWhere did you see thatâŠ?â
âYouTube.â
ââŠâŠâ Seo Jun-ho was silent.
âOnce I become a good player, youâll be the first person I run to. Iâm gonna repay you by becoming your apprentice,â he promised.
âSorry, but I donât take apprentices or anything like that.â
âOhâŠâ Marcoâs face turned red. Seo Jun-ho ruffled his hair.
âI only take teammates. But the standards are a bit high. If you wanna get there, youâll have to train your ass off.â
ââŠâŠâ Marcoâs face brightened as he looked up. His heart leaped. He was as happy as the first time his hero had encouraged him.
âI hope youâre happy. Send my regards to your siblings.â
âYes, please stay healthy!â
Seo Jun-ho and the teleporter disappeared.
* * *
Kal Signer pulled at his hair as he flipped through articles. He finally understood why heâd been chased out of Paradise.
[Breaking news! The Specterâs big revival!]
[The Specter destroys fiend hideout!]
[What exactly did Paradise do? Pope Aberson V makes a shocking reveal.]
[âFiend Hunterâ Specter is still going strong 25 years later.]
The articles popping up in real-time were all about Specter.
He ground his teeth.
Dammit, if I werenât sleeping back thenâŠ
The regret hit him like a wave. If heâd been able to kill Specter or capture him alive, he mightâve been promoted to the Eighth Apostle.
âTsk. Why are there so many lucky guys these days?â
He was referring to Seo Jun-ho and Specter. Signer was more confident in his abilities than others.
He sighed. Seems like this wasnât the right time, Specter.
As he looked down at his plane ticket to Korea, his frustration subsided a bit.
âJust you wait. After I kill Seo Jun-ho⊠youâll be next.â
Signer planned to catch two rabbits before he went back up to the 2nd floor.