28 Hours of Frozen Boredom
Lincoln was wrong. It had been ages since I placed my hand on the eternal ice crystal.
I had no sense of how much time had passed. The only thing clear was that it had long surpassed that pathetic 1-2 minutes.
Is this thing even working right...?
If this wasn't some third-rate martial arts novel bullshit like a mental space where time bends, then at least a few hours had gone by by now.
I'd fully adapted to the crystal's chill, so I could've kept the test going indefinitely. But the real problem was elsewhere.
Fucking boring as hell.
Concentrating on circulating the energy flowing through my hand was engaging at first, but once I got used to it, it became half-automatic.
That's when the tedium started creeping in during the test.
Zoning out only works once or twice. After hours of standing stock-still without moving a muscle, I was itching to death.
...I've done enough by now, right?
Hell, if I'd pulled my hand away after just a minute like a normal person, none of this would've happened. But I got flustered when no pain hit, missed the timing, and here we were.
Since I'd come this far, I figured I'd give it my all—but now it was turning into a battle of mental endurance, and the boredom was getting unbearable.
"Hoo..."
Having decided to call it quits, I carefully lifted my hand from the crystal and opened my eyes.
The sky had already darkened, and the only people around were the Grand Elder and the Grand Protector. The crowd that had swarmed the palace lord's hall earlier was gone.
"Finally done. What an absurd talent."
"Uh... where'd everyone else go?"
"They watched for about an hour, then left to prep for tomorrow's next test. The other candidates stopped by to check on you now and then, though."
"How long was I here for?"
"Fourteen shichen."
"Holy shit."
In the martial world, one shichen equals two hours in Korea, so fourteen meant I'd lasted 28 hours in front of this damn crystal.
I figured it'd been a while, but over a full day? No way I'd expected that.
"Still, you guys just left me here alone?"
"What good would've it done to stick around? There's nothing to do but watch."
"Better to focus on the next test without stressing over the last one."
"What if I'd used some sorcery or whatever...?"
"If you could fool the Grand Elder and Grand Protector and maintain contact with the eternal ice crystal for fourteen shichen using sorcery, that alone would be impressive enough."
Damn, the North Sea Ice Palace was seriously open-minded.
Hell, they were more progressive than the seniors I met in the army. They'd probably sell alio e olio at the inn or some shit.
"We've said our piece, so head back now."
"You kept us standing around for fourteen shichen too."
"Uh... sorry...?"
Now that I looked, exhaustion shadowed their faces—dark circles down to their cheeks.
These were peak masters, and they still looked wrecked. Feeling inexplicably guilty toward the Grand Elder and Grand Protector, who'd suffered as test proctors in their old age, I headed back to the lodging.
"You can't just leave me behind like that!"
"We stuck around for a good three hours with you. You expect us to wait 28 hours by your side?"
"Sure, but kicking back like this while I'm gone ain't right."
Back at the inn tied up with the Association and Cheonam Guild, the room was a full-blown party.
Dumplings, noodles, salmon, cod, all kinds of fish. They weren't drinking since we were mid-raid, but they were feasting like it was just them.
"Where'd all this food come from?"
"Ice Palace handed it out as a treat for the palace lord candidates."
"So it's not bribery, boss?"
"Chatty newbie just a month in. The Association pursues the public good, you know."
Watching the pint-sized Nam Juyeong stuff his face with dumplings made my blood boil.
While I'd been wrestling that crystal for 28 hours, this guy was throwing a bash?
"Still, they say the eternal ice crystal's some divine relic. Doesn't 28 hours mean you absorbed a ton of energy?"
"Nah, after the first hour, it barely did shit. Same energy keeps coming, so you build tolerance."
"Even an hour's worth is huge, though?"
"Yeah, true."
Luckily, my mana was ice-attuned too, so this test gave me massive growth—at least in quantity and quality. No average A-rank Hunter could laugh at me now.
"No wonder HQ chief scouted you special. So, what trick did you pull?"
"What're you talking about?"
"No way you lasted 28 hours straight. You used a skill or artifact, right?"
"I really did it for 28 hours."
"...What the hell does that mean?"
Nam Juyeong paused mid-dumpling, eyeing me suspiciously.
Guy could shove something bigger than his face no problem.
"Just did what everyone else did. Circulated the energy through my meridians, absorbed what I could, spat out what I couldn't."
"You did that nonstop for 28 hours?!"
"Gets easier once you're used to it."
Honestly, even I was baffled. Sure, post-TS my body got rebuilt optimally, but there's a limit.
Even noble heirs couldn't last 10 minutes in this trial, yet I pushed past a day. Definitely weird.
Truth is, 28 hours wasn't even my limit—I just pulled away myself.
"...If you're lying out of pride, cut it out. Gets more embarrassing when it blows up later."
"I'm telling you, it's true."
"How long ago did you awaken?"
"Little over a month."
"Makes no fucking sense..."
Nam Juyeong pondered with his mouth agape, incredulous.
But what could I say? No good explanation, so I gave up and headed to crash.
"Sigh... I'm off to bed. Got another test tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah... good work. Women's room is third floor, end of the hall. Hyeji and the Cheonam raid leader are sleeping, so be quiet."
"Gotcha..."
Got the room deets, went downstairs, stopped at the women's door. Unlocked with the key from boss and slipped in.
"...Zzz."
"......"
"Everyone's out cold, huh."
While I'd been force-meditating for 28 hours, they'd crashed comfy? But no urge to bitch—they were way stronger than me.
Or... now that I'd absorbed the eternal ice crystal's chill, maybe I could take 'em?
"Too much shit happened today..."
Griping to myself, I changed into comfy clothes, dragged the blanket onto the bed, and lay down.
Sharing a room with women felt kinda weird now that I thought about it...
Eh, whatever. After 40 hours without sleep, who gives a damn if chicks are next to me.
Pillow hit head, fatigue crashed over me, and I passed out.
"Before announcing the second test, we'll share the grading from the first."
"To note upfront: under this elder and the Grand Protector's standards, no one cheated."
The next test was upon us before I knew it.
The minor issue of waking up using I-hwa as a body pillow in my sleep? Skip that. Not important.
"First, Bang Seo-jeong of the Gucheonbang. Lasted 20 seconds: 1 point."
"Note that perfect across all three tests is 10 points total. We'll sum them for evaluation."
The tanned girl's score—who tested first—was 1 point.
20 seconds showed talent, but for palace lord selection, it was lacking. Fair enough.
Plus, she wasn't even here, arm still healing.
"Baek Ye-hwa: 1 minute, 5 points. Bonus for lacking proper martial training: 6 points."
"Yu-jin of the Nam Young Yu family: 40 seconds, 4 points."
"Han Yu-wol of the Anseolhan family: 2 minutes, 8 points."
Grand Elder and Grand Protector announced scores one by one.
But despite the stakes, I couldn't focus.
Why? Obvious.
"Baek Sion."
"Yes."
Everyone else barely hit 2 minutes, but I did over a day?
Compared to second-place Han Yu-wol, I outlasted her by hundreds of times. All eyes on my score.
Not that I expected much from it.
"You get full marks: 10 points."
"Thank you for the kind evaluation."
Not 100 or 1,000 points—just 10.
Tiny for my feat, but the right call.
Like school PE: run 100m in 13 seconds for top grade—even 0.1 gets the same. Ice Palace ain't some hole-in-the-wall; fair judging.
Didn't erase my 28 hours' meaning, though.
"Full marks in the end."
"Still... doesn't she deserve palace lord?"
"Grand Elder said no sorcery. Her talent might be the world's best."
Elders, protectors, three families.
All pillars of the North Sea acknowledged me.
Claimed as lord's daughter for legitimacy, skills undeniable.
"Even if our lady tries her hardest..."
"Hey! Aren't we supposed to back the lady no matter what?!"
Deep down, they all saw me as the qualified one.
Talent alone burned me into their minds, scores be damned.
Wait, wasn't I supposed to back Han Yu-wol? How'd this happen...
"Now, the next test!"
Caught up in the vibe as a top contender? Short-lived—the Grand Protector announced.
"Monarch studies, liberal arts, military strategy. Test on these three subjects!"
"Candidates, enter rooms, solve problems for one shichen, then exit!"
Written exam this time. Can't pick a musclehead lord, right?
Scope just revealed—no prep, so it'll show daily study.
I planned to bomb it minimal, push Han Yu-wol.
"Hey. Baek Sion, right?"
"Uh, yeah?"
Till the ponytail Yu-jin from Nam Young Yu approached.
"Think you'll score how much?"
"Uh... not into studying, so no clue."
"Hahaha. Figured."
"Huh?"
"Tits like that? Bet you were busy fooling around with guys. No time for books."
This crazy bitch suddenly mouthing off.
Glanced down at the massive wall blurring chest and back—yeah, kinda got why.
"What if I outscore you? Embarrassing, huh?"
"Hahaha. Think I studied like some scrub like you? If I lose, I'll be your slave."
She smacked my chest with her fan and stormed into her room.
"Oops, my bad."
Her fake-ass "accident" pissed me off, but I held it in and headed to mine.
I'm mature enough to ignore provocations.
This rude bitch.
Nah, fuck that—I couldn't hold it.
You have looped!
Test over, I memorized the answer sheet and looped.
"Baek Sion, perfect score. Yu-jin, 9 points."
Obviously, I aced it. Couldn't hold back the rage, went all out.
"Call me 'Master,' you bitch."
"Wh-what the...?"
Yeah, why provoke someone minding their own business.