The Legendary Ice Raider's Secret
“I’d really prefer you didn’t touch that factory.”
It was Editor-in-Chief Choi Yeon-hee.
Around that time, the editor had covered for one of Skyla’s mistakes, so she backed off without argument. Truth be told, there were plenty of juicier stories than the mystery of some suspicious factory.
Skyla climbed up the stacked boxes and slipped inside through a window.
From a fairly high walkway, she peered down. Bluish ice blocks were sliding along the conveyor belt.
Skyla moved toward where the ice was being made.
Chunks of ice over 100 kilograms were pouring out of a massive tank. Hoses connected to the top were probably supplying the water.
Skyla pressed her face to a round glass window on the tank’s side and peered inside.
A person was floating in the half-filled tank, reading a book.
It was an elderly woman with wrinkled skin, wearing what looked like a diver’s suit—but Skyla instantly recognized it as a Milano suit.
Cold air emanating from the old woman was freezing the water inside the tank.
Ice Raider! At that level… Level 4? No, at least Level 3.
At that moment, she felt eyes on her.
The old woman was staring right at her.
She should have been terrified, but curiosity overpowered the fear. That face—she’d seen it somewhere before.
Where do I know her from? Definitely a familiar face.
The tank’s lid opened.
The old woman floated up into the air naturally and landed in front of Skyla.
“A thief. No, a thieving wench.”
The moment she heard the voice, Skyla realized who the old bat was.
It was Sa Geum-ok, the legendary youngest sister even Association President Sa Gyeong-baek had thrown up his hands at.
Damn, the legend of the Ice Raider was holed up here making ice cubes?
She was so wildly unpredictable that no one bothered looking for her, and she’d quietly retired from everyone’s memory.
Hating the name Sa Geum-ok so much, the cantankerous old bat had renamed herself Savi Ju.
Tch, now I get why the editor said that.
Skyla put on a stern expression and bowed her head politely in European style.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Savi Ju-nim.”
“You know me?”
“Because you’re the Ice Walker who treads the Ice Road.”
Skyla pushed her mana orb forward slightly, infused with icy energy.
Savi Ju—formerly Sa Geum-ok—relaxed her guarded expression just a fraction upon seeing the orb. But one slip of the tongue, and Skyla would end up frozen solid on the conveyor belt.
“You’re from America?”
“Yes.”
“Where’d you learn that greeting?”
“Paris.”
“You lived there?”
“About half a year.”
“Paris is such a beautiful city. The Champs-Élysées was just stunning.”
Skyla nearly burst out laughing. A chandelier was something you hung from the ceiling with candles or bulbs on branches. She’d mangled Champs-Élysées.
Savi Ju eyed Skyla appraisingly. She seemed aware something was off but couldn’t pinpoint it.
“The plane trees lining the streets are amazing.”
“Right? Such a cool place. So, why are you here?”
The old bat asked casually, like an old friend.
“To get stronger.”
Savi Ju stared at Skyla intently, then nodded slowly as if understanding.
“Growing as an Ice Raider in Korea ain’t easy. It’s too damn warm compared to Antarctica. So you came to me. Perfect timing—I was getting lonely.”
Savi Ju grinned, and silvery ice stretched out, wrapping around Skyla.
Moments later, Skyla was floating on the water in the tank.
The water was… so cold it made even Skyla—who was used to chill—shiver uncontrollably.
“For an Ice Walker, you’re way too frail.”
“Sorry, ma’am.”
“...What?”
Savi Ju’s face twisted suddenly, and Skyla panicked. What had she done wrong?
“Don’t ever call me that again. Makes me feel old. What’s your name?”
“Skyla.”
“Cool name. Skyla. From now on, you’re my little sister. Sworn sister. That okay?”
“Of course.”
“Speak casually.”
“Uh, yeah… sure thing, sis.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Savi Ju beamed happily.
Skyla barely held back another laugh. The old bat was well over seventy, and her antics were utterly outrageous. No wonder even the Association President had given up on controlling her.
Even as they chatted about this and that, Skyla focused on absorbing the cold.
This chill burrowing into her body was leagues beyond the freezer in her friend’s basement. To avoid freezing to death, she had no choice but to pour everything into her Ice Taking.
Her mana orb hardened far beyond before, growing in size too.
Savi Ju kept chatting cheerily while reading her book. Peeking over, Skyla saw it was a magazine full of young celebrities.
Most pages were pictorials of hot young singers and actors with killer bodies.
Skyla desperately wanted to write an article about Savi Ju.
But if she did… the Association President wouldn’t let it slide. Savi Ju—no, Sa Geum-ok—was his dirty little secret and embarrassment.
The cold intensified. Her teeth chattered audibly.
Savi Ju tilted her head.
“Cold?”
“...A, a bit.”
“It’s warmer than usual today. You really are frail. Want sis to help?”
The chill dropped like from minus 30 to minus 60 degrees, wrapping her in otherworldly cold.
How the hell is this helping? Skyla wanted to scream but couldn’t even open her mouth.
Then, a siren blared.
“Too bad. People’ll be here soon. You’ll come back, right?”
The cold vanished abruptly. Skyla clawed back from the brink of death.
“...Yeah. Gotta come see you, sis.”
She felt like she wouldn’t get out alive otherwise.
“See ya, sis.”
Savi Ju left first.
Finally out of the tank, Skyla spotted workers cutting the night’s ice into standard sizes for transport. She snuck out without them noticing and let out a sigh of relief.
She retrieved her phone from behind a utility pole, turned it on, and saw a bunch of missed calls. Three texts too.
All from Daily Raiders’ editor-in-chief.
Skyla hit call.
―Why the hell aren’t you picking up?
“What’s up?”
―Check the front page. You’ll be floored.
Choi Yeon-hee’s tone made Skyla tense up a bit.
“Bad news?”
―Half and half, in my book.
Skyla stepped onto the main road and ducked into a convenience store. She grabbed Daily Raiders, checked the front page, and was speechless.
Stormy Raider Kim Jun Shatters Expedition Norms!
Kim Jun, who started as a carrier and passed the awakening test in a groundbreaking move that captivated the nation, has now slammed the brakes on the convention of joint expedition raids involving multiple teams. He called out the irrationality of expedition leaders dictating plans and execution.
Jeong Myeong-ho, senior raider of Brave Guild and captain of this Sokcho Dungeon raid, embraced the provocative action with his signature tolerance. He relinquished his authority as expedition leader and announced he’d implement the evaluation placement system per Association rules.
The evaluation placement system objectively assesses the strength of teams in the expedition and assigns positions accordingly, aligning perfectly with Association philosophy.
Thus, simulation evaluations will determine Group A for scouting, Group B for relic interior, and Group C for rear guard. All eyes are on whether Uramata’s Pink Team, led by the stormy Kim Jun, will make Group B.
Skyla crumpled the paper.
“What’s half and half about this?”
The convenience store clerk eyed her.
Her heart pounded even as she paid at the counter and stepped outside.
Kim Jun wouldn’t have suggested that to Jeong Myeong-ho, and even if he had something similar… that arrogant captain wouldn’t accept evaluation placement.
Her phone rang. It was Go Cheol-min.
“...Just saw it. Heading to the guildhouse now.”
Skyla hopped in a taxi.
Hwang In-su was running on his treadmill as usual.
The custom-made machine stretched 7 meters long. Top speed: 100 km/h. The best part? Low noise even at max.
Current speed: 33 km/h.
That was nearly 9 meters per second.
A fist-sized bump protruded. Timing-wise, he had to hit it—or lose balance at this speed, fly off, and smash into the wall.
Hwang In-su swiftly shifted his Yeonhwa Sarun Gong to his back. The searing inner energy blasted out through his spine acupoint.
The thrust propelled him forward.
His sneaker-clad foot landed a meter ahead of the bump, body steady as a rock. Above all, he hadn’t lost balance—perfect.
He upped the speed.
36 km/h.
Naturally, more Yeonhwa Sarun Gong flowed to his legs, and sweat started dripping steadily.
Dumping all into legs and Yeon Kwae Bo could hit 75 km/h, but speed-focused training wasn’t practical.
The key in dungeon raids: balance.
Power, flexibility, speed—in harmony.
Lifting his head, Hwang In-su frowned. The massive TV on the front wall blared unwelcome news.
He grabbed the remote from the control panel and turned up the volume.
“In a bold move drawing all eyes after passing the awakening test, Kim Jun has once again challenged the status quo. Dungeon raids—especially E-rank+ expeditions pooling multiple teams—start with meetings of the captain and team leaders. Sources say rookie team leader Kim Jun raised a structural issue no one else dared. Shockingly, Brave Guild’s expedition leader Jeong Myeong-ho accepted the demand.”
The reporter droned on in that grating voice. Flipping channels yielded only similar breaking news.
All those reporters couldn’t be fabricating the same novel.
Making such a ridiculous call without a word to his sub-captain.
“I wanted to just run the raid quietly, but no dice.”
Omniverse Guild’s honor, Pacific Team leader’s pride, and his rep as sub-cap—all at stake.
His phone rang beside the remote.
Hwang In-su snatched it mid-stride. Predictably, the cocky captain. Zero skill, delusions of being Lee Hwan—what nonsense would he spout?
“Fun news, huh.”
―Necessary decision.
The curt tone irked Hwang In-su.
Not even a “sorry for not consulting” to cool his anger.
Brats born into elite families like Jeong Myeong-ho’s never learned to bow.
Exhibit A: that bastard Lee Hwan. Shit personality matched by top-tier skill—no one could touch him.
Hwang In-su stayed silent.
Lately, he expressed displeasure with silence.
Sensing the awkward vibe, Jeong Myeong-ho’s tone softened slightly.
―You know I trust you as sub-cap, right? Kim Jun’s a scout raider—we need him. You know our buffers can’t even glimpse dungeon items inside the relic. I’ll handle distribution ratios, so don’t get weird ideas.
Scout raider?
Hwang In-su nearly tumbled, losing balance.
That meteoric carrier-turned-raider owned scout abilities?
Does that even make sense?
It explained Jeong Myeong-ho’s choice. In mana vortex zones nullifying buffers’ detection, searchers, and even Legio, scout skills would still work somewhat.
But the “distribution ratio” jab stung his pride.
Shut up and take the cash, stay in your lane.
And “don’t get weird ideas”? Assumes he’d scheme otherwise.
This punk never considered how his words landed. His ego only—blind to others’ pride.
Given the chance, he’d crush him.
Such chances never came, or if they did… weren’t his to take. Hwang In-su knew from experience. Still, rage simmered.
Change the subject. Before exploding.
“How’s the evaluation placement going down?”
―Team-by-team relic adaptation tests.
Hwang In-su got it instantly.
Relic adaptation tests sent each expedition team into the relic one by one—gauging endurance, adaptability to scenarios.
The purpose? Simple. To slot Kim Jun’s Pink Team into Group B without backlash.
Captain arbitrarily adding them would spark fury from other leaders; worst case, his scheme leaks to press.
Following procedure nipped risks in the bud.