Freezer Fiasco
Variable types... their interiors shifted constantly. In the end, the second buffer Na Ji-won's words had been spot on.
Legio could usually be adapted cleverly to find a path in cases like this, but it was useless in the relic discovered in the Sokcho Dungeon. Anomalies popped up everywhere.
Some sections suddenly lost gravity, while others unleashed gale-force winds that could blow an entire team away.
Those phenomena disrupted mana flows so badly that Legio couldn't even function.
Growing impatient, Jeong Myeong-ho opened his leaderbook. He double-checked the relic data from the simulator they'd entered earlier.
"What the hell?"
Thirty centimeters below the exact spot where he'd logged off in frustration because of the buffers... there was an A-rank dungeon item buried there. Even if it was just a simulation, the fact that they hadn't detected it left Jeong Myeong-ho dumbfounded.
He nearly summoned the two buffers who'd been issued item detection tools called 'Searchers' and chewed them out for missing it.
Regaining his composure, Jeong Myeong-ho realized it wasn't their fault.
Buffers' detection didn't extend underground. On top of that, the relic itself interfered with it. Even the item Searchers they carried hadn't picked up the dungeon item. If he had to pinpoint the cause, it was the relic's... bizarre phenomena.
He needed to swap out the buffers.
The problem was... even if he brought in different buffers, could they actually find the dungeon items hidden somewhere...? That was the key issue.
Jeong Myeong-ho contacted the team leaders from B Group participating in this expedition to check.
They were all grappling with the same headaches as the Lincoln Team. No one had figured out that the relic was a variable type.
"Knew it. From now on, make sure you check the simulation data reports."
He felt good bragging like that right up until he hung up. No matter how it happened, he'd informed the expedition leader—himself—about something none of the participating team leaders had known.
But Jeong Myeong-ho's face soon soured again.
Even if they pushed into the relic's interior... if they couldn't find the dungeon items, it was all pointless.
He had to find a way, somehow.
The freezer was set to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Skyla glared at the door.
She knew she had to spend at least three hours inside, but today of all days, she really didn't want to go in.
Still, she had to.
With a deep sigh, she slowly gripped the handle and turned it. Cold air seeped through the crack. Skyla shivered involuntarily.
In that moment, she remembered Sa Yeonggyo eyeing her up and down while yapping away. And the words that bitch had spouted.
Hmm, you wouldn't suit it. Manage your figure a bit more, maybe then.
"Ugh, pisses me off."
Fueled by rage, Skyla flung the door wide open and charged into the freezer.
Her friend's restaurant supplies were stacked in one corner. The fan mounted above the urethane panels whirred furiously, keeping the temperature down.
It was so cold her cheeks felt like they might peel off.
Skyla nearly bolted right back out.
She pictured that rude bitch's face again. The moment Sa Yeonggyo's smirking mug came to mind, she managed to strip off her gown.
"Eek!"
Her bikini-clad body was exposed.
Goosebumps prickled everywhere.
Skyla hurriedly began her Ice Taking. To absorb this brutal cold.
At first, focusing was tough. She'd been begging her friend for days to use this freezer for cold absorption training, but she still couldn't get used to it.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Shit, this isn't working."
Skyla threw on her gown and dashed out, printing the most punchable photo of Sa Yeonggyo she could find online. She slapped it on the freezer wall, and suddenly the cold felt a tad more bearable.
Back in her bikini, she absorbed the cold while glaring at Sa Yeonggyo.
The chill assaulting her body gradually eased.
A moment later, the shivering stopped.
Instead, the fan noise grew louder.
That meant the Ice Taking was working properly. Now she just had to maintain her physical and mental balance.
Skyla shot a venomous look at the nasty bitch pinned to the wall. The more she stared, the less she liked that face—perfect for playing a scheming gisaeng in a historical drama.
Why the hell had Sa Yeonggyo come to Uramata? Why join the Pink Team and swallow the humiliation of being second buffer?
For now, it was because of Kim Jun.
Her blatant tailing of him made the reason obvious.
"Pfft."
Laughter burst out.
The Association President's granddaughter... had come to a third-rate guild on her own and joined up because of a guy.
Skyla had immediately sensed the unique charm radiating from Kim Jun the first time they met. She'd nearly fallen under that strange pull herself, but backed off once she spotted the unbeatable rival by his side.
Things were about to get entertaining. Yoo Min-jeong was no pushover either. She'd never met a calm fire-attribute raider—not one.
Skyla's hands itched.
What kind of reactions would she get if she serialized an article on the fierce battle over Kim Jun? Who would he pick between the two? If Yoo Min-jeong and Sa Yeonggyo got serious, a few buildings might crumble—would it really come to that? Hopefully outside the guild, if it did.
An hour flew by.
Skyla grinned at Sa Yeonggyo.
Even dog shit has its uses. A few more photos might make cold absorption a breeze.
At that instant, the cold swirling around her body coalesced into one mass. Rice-grain sized at first, it grew into a smooth marble.
Skyla clenched her fist.
Finally! Finally!
A marble had formed!
The marble she'd painstakingly created in America had faded away during her reporter days from neglect.
Fortunately, marbles didn't vanish completely once made. With steady cold absorption and magic training, it was back.
Skyla unleashed Icicle.
A finger-length spike materialized in the air. Far easier than before, and less draining.
Next, Ice Arrow. Trickier than Icicle, but the freezing cold here let her nail it on the first try.
"Heh."
She hadn't expected the marble to return this fast. With one formed, the others would follow soon.
Greed kicked in.
Skyla tentatively unleashed the Ice Blast she'd been practicing lately. A league above Icicle or Ice Arrow in power—if mastered, it could rival Yoo Min-jeong's Double Fireball.
Whiiiiiing.
The fan noise spiked dramatically.
"...Oh crap."
She'd only practiced Ice Blast in the simulator until now.
Simulators let you tweak environments—Great Wall or polar tundra, whatever.
She'd deluded herself into thinking it only worked in extreme cold.
Skyla's Ice Blast sucked in the freezer's cold air voraciously. The new marble amplified it.
Smoke rose from the fan.
Something was wrong with the 5-horsepower compressor supplying the cold too.
Skyla wanted to stop the Ice Blast, but it had already raced past compression, arrangement, and into linkage.
The freezer lights flickered.
Then, Ice Blast detonated.
Boom!
The cold explosion ripped outward, shredding the freezer. Urethane panels tore free and slammed into corners; the fan shattered and crumpled to a halt.
The basement where the freezer had been plunged into darkness.
The deafening roar vanished.
Moments later, her friend arrived with a flashlight.
Skyla raised her hands like a caught criminal and forced an awkward smile.
"...Sorry."
Her friend was speechless.
Kicked out of her friend's place, Skyla headed to the guildhouse.
One call and she could crash anywhere, but she wasn't in the mood for her usual chit-chat.
It was well past 2 a.m., yet the guildhouse lights were on. Inside, Kim Jun sat before the simulator.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Update."
Kim Jun answered without turning, as if he'd sensed her arrival.
"Still?"
"Taking longer than expected. Almost done."
He stood and looked at her—his eyes widened. He approached like a gust of wind and stopped in front of Skyla.
"What happened to your forehead? Scratches on your hands too. Everything okay?"
"...Kinda."
Skyla hated dragging it out.
Kim Jun scanned her expression, fetched the first-aid kit, disinfected the wounds, and applied ointment. It took nearly 30 minutes. Since she stayed quiet, he focused silently on treating her.
Skyla glanced at her team leader.
This was Kim Jun's strength. Reading people, maybe.
Oddly, his silence made her want to talk.
"Blew up a freezer."
Kim Jun just stared steadily.
That gaze that drew words out!
If she'd interviewed people with eyes like that as a reporter, she'd have swept every "Reporter of the Month" and "Reporter of the Year" award.
Skyla spilled the whole story.
Listening for a while, Kim Jun's shoulders started shaking.
Skyla caught on late. The guy was holding back laughter.
It irked her a bit.
"What? I'm serious."
"You seriously wore a bikini in a freezer, glaring at Sa Yeonggyo's photo?"
Kim Jun kept chuckling.
Skyla couldn't help but laugh too. People would call a woman doing that "crazy bitch."
"Keep it secret from others."
"Obviously. How's your friend?"
"Pretty pissed."
Skyla's stomach twisted. She'd scraped together cash for a Blue Ellipsis to recover her mana fast, but her wallet was wrecked. And now she'd trashed her friend's ingredient freezer.
Payday was next month; she'd figure it out somehow. But she couldn't just sit idle till then. A quick nap, then she'd make sure her friend took no loss.
Kim Jun held out his phone.
Skyla eyed him.
"Punch in your account."
"...Huh?"
Lips pursed, Skyla glared. Not mad yet. But even Kim Jun wouldn't get a pass for bruising her pride.
"Lending you team funds as leader. Don't stiff me."
"Team funds?"
"Operational expenses. Leader's discretion. Just learned it myself. Anyway, take it, fix the mess. This is for Pink Team. Can't ignore a team member's problem."
Skyla's nose stung.
Big-guild leaders had all sorts of expense allowances. Not a shoestring outfit like Uramata.
The guy was covering for her pride—calling it team funds, operational expenses. And he'd asked about her friend first.
If she snapped now... she'd be the real crazy bitch. That's what Skyla thought.
Then, a cheerful chime rang out.
Update complete.
Kim Jun stood fully and looked at her.
"Let's go in."
Skyla nodded.
"Pride, one seasoned, one regular. To go. How long?"
―Twenty minutes.
"Cool, see you in twenty."
Yoo Min-jeong hung up and slid into her beloved red Ferrari.
The garage door opened automatically.
She glanced at the door leading to the living room hallway.
Dad was in the basement training room. He'd looked off, but when she asked, he just smiled and changed the subject—never answered straight.
She'd gotten home that evening to find him standing by the basketball hoop in the yard corner.
"What?"
"...Got interested in basketball."
Explaining it was for Kim Jun's training would take forever.
Yoo Min-jeong cooked manduguk for her dad. They enjoyed dinner together, then he said he'd regulate his qi in the training room for a few days. Down to the basement he went.
Yoo Min-jeong nearly got out of the Ferrari.
What the hell happened on Jirisan? She was thrilled Dad was Uramata's new guild master, but as his daughter, she couldn't ignore how much worse his condition seemed—he might need support soon.
But she knew him best. He'd snap if she fussed needlessly.
Yoo Min-jeong drove out.
She gunned it onto the road a bit. Vrooom—engine roar hit just right.
Empty streets were perfect for speeding.
"Been a while since I opened her up."
She blew past 100 kph in no time.