The Ice Sovereign's Arrival

The elegant North Sea Ice Palace Master spoke. "Are you all right?"

Thud—!

"Get lost. And don't talk to me."

The burger event for a hundred people had wrapped up perfectly after every set was handed out. Amid the festival where everyone enjoyed themselves, only Blue Badge 1—no, Lee Sieun—had spent the last twenty minutes with her face buried between her knees, grumbling nonstop.

"Damn it… The tower's making me feel all tower-y. I thought I sounded like an American who doesn't speak Korean."

Tsk. That wasn't even the real problem. She must have realized how terrible her dad jokes were after hearing them a few times, right? Apparently, our dear Lee Sieun had decided to blame everything on external factors instead of taking responsibility.

"Come on, isn't it funny no matter how many times you hear it? Just looking at the tower makes me feel all tower-y… Oh my god."

"Pfft, pfft-haha! Ah, seriously… That is kinda funny. 'Tower-y,' what the hell."

I forced my voice as high as possible and let out an exaggerated laugh. Honestly, my facial muscles were cramping, but if I looked serious now, Lee Sieun might hold a grudge and stop cooking for the rest of her life.

Fortunately, my reaction made Lee Sieun lift her head from her knees. Her eyes sparkled with joy.

"See! I was right, wasn't I? My sense of humor is just ahead of its time!"

Lee Sieun dusted off her butt and stood up, then slapped my forearm and started chattering excitedly.

"I knew you'd get my jokes. How about this one? What do you call a cow climbing stairs?"

"Uh… I don't know."

"A cow-ld breeze! Pfft-hahaha! I'm dying, seriously, even I think it's hilarious!"

"……"

Wow. Just… wow. I pinched my thigh and desperately tried to keep my expression under control. This was even worse than the "tower-y" joke. She had actually tried to post something like this on a community full of people from all over the world. The authority of Blue Badge would've hit rock bottom.

After somehow enduring it, I grabbed Lee Sieun's shoulders with both hands and stared straight into her eyes with the most serious expression I could muster.

"Sieun."

"Huh? Why so serious all of a sudden?"

"Your jokes… are truly the best. I've never felt such a fresh shock in my entire life."

"R-right?"

"Yeah. But honestly, that genius-level gag sense of yours… I want to keep it all to myself. It's too precious to share with the community. There's no way those low-level otherworlders could understand your high-class humor, right? So please, never do it outside. From now on, only tell them to me. Got it?"

"Heh… hehe."

My Oscar-worthy performance made Lee Sieun's shoulders shoot up so high they nearly touched the ceiling. She snorted and spoke with an arrogant tone.

"Hehe, well, if you insist that much. I suppose I can grant that much of a privilege to the bodyguard who protects my life. Fine. From now on, my special humor will be exclusively for you!"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks so much…"

I wiped the cold sweat running down my forehead with the back of my hand and started backing away. Staying in this space any longer felt like my brain would melt.

"I'm heading to the 10th floor real quick! Eat first without me!"

"Already? Wait! I just came up with a new one…!!"

"I'll be right back!!"

Without looking back, I hurriedly opened the system window and spammed the 10th floor entry button. The view flashed, and the familiar sensation of spatial movement swept through my body.

"Extreme+? Huh?"

I was briefly flustered by the sudden difficulty spike. As soon as my vision cleared, the scenery wasn't the dense forest I'd seen on previous floors. It felt more like the arena where I'd fought the slime before—except this one was even more desolate and spine-chilling.

That wasn't the real issue, though. The real problem was what filled the massive arena…

"Holy crap…"

I couldn't help but curse.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

-Kikikikik! Kyaaaak!

A green wave filled my entire field of view. Just from a quick glance, there were well over five hundred regular goblins in crude leather armor wielding rusty weapons. And that wasn't the end. There were goblin warriors the size of orcs, shamans waving bizarre bone staffs, and even hundreds of variant goblins with horns or crimson skin—creatures humanity had never encountered in the three years since the tower appeared.

All together, it was a mad army easily exceeding seven hundred monsters. Even with my stats over 90 and the Blue Wave Breathing Technique, this wasn't a stage meant to be cleared by individual strength. Spamming Wind Cutter, a 1st-circle spell, would just leave me mana-depleted and unable to even collect my bones.

"Damn it, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

At this point, wouldn't you need at least an A-rank hunter in Hard Mode to clear it easily? While pondering whether it might be safer for survival to just give up quietly and go listen to Lee Sieun's dad jokes, a notification appeared.

Reading the golden notification floating in midair, my eyes widened involuntarily.

A proxy summon? Imagining something incredible was about to happen, I cautiously asked the system.

"Don't tell me… I can even summon faction leaders whose stats are too high or traits too strong for them to enter the tower?"

[System: With administrator authority, any user registered in the community can be summoned without exception.]

"Whoa, that's insane."

A smile naturally spread across my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lips. Without hesitation, I immediately opened the messaging window. The most powerful person I knew who also showed the most favorable reaction toward Blue Badge.

After sending the message, I squatted in a corner of the arena to pass the time. The goblins, perhaps because of the Trial of Proof or whatever it was, were forming ranks on the opposite side instead of charging at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me immediately. However, after nearly five minutes with no reply, I started feeling anxious.

'Is she busy? Well, someone who's the leader of an entire faction wouldn't have time for part-time jobs… Does that mean she's refusing?'

Just as I was biting my nails and about to draft a message to the Magic Tower Master of the Empire instead, a brilliant light burst forth.

Whoosh—!

A pillar of ice, so blue it stung the eyes, erupted in the center of the arena. Crack, crack! In just one second, the dusty arena floor was covered in white frost, and a chill slapped my cheeks. The seven hundred goblins on the opposite side all froze in place and began trembling.

Gradually, through the dispersing icy mist, the silhouette of a woman in a dazzling white robe emerged.

It was Seol Yeon-hui, the North Sea Ice Palace Master.

She landed lightly on the arena floor, then slowly turned her head to look at me crouched in the corner.

"……"

Seol Yeon-hui slightly furrowed her brows and walked toward me with light steps. With each step, the ice on the floor chimed crisply. She stopped in front of me, covered her mouth with her sleeve, and spoke in a voice tinged with subtle disappointment.

"How disappointing. I thought I might see Blue Badge 3's face, but some strange fog is covering it."

She tilted her head slightly, glanced at the goblin army behind her, then met my eyes again.

"So… I hear you wish to request a proxy duel from me. Is that correct?"

"Yes. As you can see, there are far too many for me to handle alone. I'd appreciate your help."

I answered without the slightest hesitation. Making excuses would only make me look pathetic. It was better to honestly admit I'd called for a proxy knight.

My clean admission made Seol Yeon-hui chuckle behind her sleeve, as if the situation amused her greatly.

"Very well. I was planning to contact you anyway… Gaining Blue Badge's favor this way wouldn't be bad either."

The translucent red countdown floated in the air. I swallowed dryly and stepped back slightly.

'… Can she handle it?'

Even though I'd called in a powerful connection, facing seven hundred bloodthirsty monsters barehanded was still daunting… And honestly, everything I knew about Seol Yeon-hui's strength was just speculation, so I wasn't entirely confident. But there were no other options left. I could only hope the rumors were true.

The moment the countdown ended, the transparent wall blocking us shattered and crumbled.

-Kieeeek!!

-It's the enemy of our kin! Kill them!!

Like the lid of hell had opened, a green tidal wave surged toward us with deafening roars. But Seol Yeon-hui standing in front of me didn't move an inch. Instead, she simply covered her mouth with her sleeve and smiled with her eyes.

And the moment the leading goblins reached right in front of her, axes raised—

-Kieeeek!!!

"How noisy."

With those words, she unfolded a fan that appeared from nowhere and lightly swept it through the air. Blue mana starting from her feet instantly transformed into a massive tidal wave. Like an angry winter sea crashing down, a gigantic ice storm dozens of meters high swept across the entire arena.

Crack, boom!

-Kie… ek.

The goblins' screams didn't last long. The goblins caught in the ice wave froze solid in the exact poses they had been jumping or swinging weapons. With a single gesture, the entire army of over seven hundred goblins had turned into elaborate ice statues.

The arena instantly transformed into an exhibition hall of ice sculptures, with only a bitter chill lingering in the air.

"……"

I stared blankly at the overwhelming sight, mouth agape. I felt slightly embarrassed about how proud I'd been setting a record on the 7th floor by spamming Wind Cutter.

Clack—!

When Seol Yeon-hui snapped her fan shut, the hundreds of ice statues filling the arena all shattered into pieces. The green army that had filled my vision disappeared without a trace, leaving only sparkling frost and ice powder piled softly on the floor.

As always, the clear congratulation message appeared along with tremendous rewards, but I couldn't even blink as I stared dazedly at the silver-haired woman in front of me.

Truly overwhelming martial power. It was the very definition of girl crush.

Seol Yeon-hui lightly brushed the ice powder from her robe and slowly turned to face me. With an expression so serene it was hard to believe she'd just committed mass slaughter, she smiled with a captivating, mature charm and spoke.

"You'll have to choose a faction soon… You'll naturally pick the North Sea Ice Palace, won't you?"

Her voice was gentle yet carried a subtle pressure. The gap between her elegant demeanor and the insane power she'd just displayed made my rationality briefly flee. Looking up at her beyond the translucent system window floating in the air, I blurted out an answer without thinking.

"……Yes, noona."

"…Oh my."

At my sudden answer, Seol Yeon-hui's eyes widened into circles, then she couldn't hold back and burst into light laughter behind her fan. In the middle of the frozen arena, it took me a long while to realize what insane thing I'd just said. By the time I came to my senses, I had already arrived at the Meeting Plaza.