Frost (2)

How many hours had even passed? Even if they brought the "Demon King" itself.

I was certain this brazen attitude wouldn't waver in the slightest.

……Turns out even thoughts can go barren, for real.

I stared at the blinking quest window.

The king of demons, huh. No matter how I looked at it, this was the Demon King I knew.

It's like dousing me with ice water, not just cold water.

Even I love a good twist, but this crossed the line starting from the Yusra Archipelago update. Seriously.

Above all, I just wanted to ask: Can you even handle this vibe right now?

The community was buzzing with excitement over Frost's appearance.

But from the quest details, I could roughly guess the truth.

Frost wasn't in anywhere near the normal state players imagined.

And it's tied to the Demon King, of all things.

Demon King.

To me, they were both close and distant existences.

Back when Arcana was just a VR game.

Back when I was in middle school second year.

The Akkshan demon hunter NPCs always said it like that.

"The Demon Kings—they are our true nemeses."

Maybe because I'd heard it so often it stuck in my ears.

I still remembered everything about the Demon Kings.

I picked up a quill pen.

"They shall deem it an honor to be etched in my memory."

If a Demon King heard that, it'd probably scoff in disbelief. For a moment.

I moved the pen to organize those memories.

I wrote more, but…….

To sum it up in three lines, that about covers it.

Looking back at what I'd written, it felt even more hopeless.

This isn't a counterattack starting.Isn't this the real ordeal beginning?

In short, Demon Kings were the boss monsters of the demon race.

So let's roughly estimate their levels.

For starters, they'd be on a whole different order of magnitude from Count Askyura.

Then…….

The comparison would have to be the colossal evil or the Seven Deadly Sins' Gluttony.

But even that wasn't a proper benchmark.

It was something I'd realized through a demon hunter's instinct.

Gluttony of the Seven Deadly Sins—that thing wasn't in its proper state.

The childlike demon form I'd seen from it.

I didn't know the reason, but it definitely wasn't complete.

Unlike the stories from the Akkshan demon hunters.

From my memory, colossal evils ranked even higher than Demon Kings.

That's why I wasn't exaggerating when I said I'd defeated one……!

After much deliberation, I reached a conclusion.

Scritch─

One line added: my assessment of the Demon King.

Indeed.

Upper demon or Demon King—it made no difference.

……If only that colossal evil had dropped some spoils.

A being supposedly stronger than Demon Kings, that mighty colossal evil.

The caliber of its loot would be beyond imagination.

No, forget colossal evil drops.

If only the class quest had given some reward……!

Well, I'd have a bit more confidence.

But my confidence was mere droplets compared to Grandfell's pride.

I rose from my seat and declared,

"I trust the self-proclaimed king shall not cower in cowardice."

It was a warning.

"Disappoint me not, O Demon King."

In the end, my task was simple.

Just thrash about so the weight of this heavy pride didn't drown me.

Please, just let me live up to my words.

I prayed fervently and opened my status window.

Infusing that wish into it.

I tried investing 1 point into Luck, but ended up spending more.

Even if it's superstition.

Facing a Demon King with the number 4 felt ominous…….

……My precious 2 points of blood and flesh……!

The value of two whole levels, no less.

Did my desperate flailing reach through somehow?

Luck didn't betray me this time either.

In the Mage Tower's lab.

I checked the magic tools and items transmitted to the desk.

Excluding the approved orb for loan.

Two items lay neatly on the desk.

I'd commissioned jewelry crafting, and sure enough, they'd delivered.

I picked up the ring adorned with emerald.

Special crafting method.

Well, the Mage Tower had no blacksmiths.

Smelting, processing, assembly—all done through intricate magic.

That must've maximized the effects.

……Hold on, this isn't normal.

A single short line of effect.

But put differently, no specific conditions attached.

In plain terms: get hit, and you always recover health.

Of course, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wouldn't know the amount until I got hit.

But it's basically like chugging potions nonstop.

……This exceeds expectations.

My gaze naturally shifted.

I lifted the neatly folded handkerchief.

The one crafted from [Island's Treasure, Silkfish Scales Silk].

Even its appearance was extraordinary.

A subtle yet radiant sheen. It screamed luxury just looking at it.

"Splendid indeed."

Before even checking the info, my mouth approved it.

But unlike Grandfell, what mattered to me was the effect.

Especially now, with a colossal class quest "Subjugate the Demon King" looming.

Soon, the handkerchief's info appeared.

……Hold on, masterpiece?!

Masterpiece— just that prefix alone made its value inexpressible.

Masterpiece items were rare even in Arcana.

Blacksmiths might make one in a lifetime, if ever.

Rumors said auctioning one maxed your relations and influence with the auction house.

Of course, more important was the immediate performance.

The other effects matched what I'd previewed.

What remained was the Aesthetics stat effect—even the Mage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tower couldn't figure it out.

I didn't hesitate.

I tucked the handkerchief into my jacket's breast pocket.

A message appeared.

"!"

And simultaneously.

Knowledge of Aesthetics flooded my mind……!

I gazed at the newly updated status window and thought.

As expected, it's expressed differently.

Divided into upper, middle, lower tiers, probably.

Given Aesthetics' effects, this made sense.

I wanted to test it with my own eyes right away, but.

The Mage Tower lab wasn't suitable.

And before that, there was a bill to settle.

It's scary. Terrifying.

Did I say "best results regardless of cost"?

Pure as driven snow, my ass.

Grandfell, you gullible fool!

But what's done is done.

What good does cursing my past self do?

Outgoings make incomings possible, after all.

Plus, I still had unclaimed rewards from the Yusra Kingdom.

So I kept a straight face and checked the horrific bill…… no, the parchment.

Dozens—no, hundreds of billions? Don't flinch.

I steeled myself.

And realized once more.

Indeed, those 2 points in Luck weren't wasted at all!

*

The new update drawing global attention finally revealed the northern city Frost.

The moment its location was pinpointed.

Inazuma's guild master, Hisagi Kazuma, clenched his fist.

"……It's ours!"

Frost had appeared near Japan's Hokkaido, in the northern seas.

The chance had finally come.

The chance to turn everything around!

Hisagi shuddered.

How much humiliation had he endured?

"Guild ranking 5th? Hisagi, this is shameful. Utterly shameful!"

Yes, guild rankings fluctuated constantly.

A drop in rank would've been understandable.

But Inazuma—under two whole spots.

"……Those brute idiots from Gaon!"

Accepting Korea's Gaon above them was bitter enough.

But now, a chance to flip the script again.

Vroooom─!

On the private jet to Hokkaido.

Hisagi checked his email on his smartphone.

Everything was falling into place.

Everything favors Inazuma.

Frost appeared in Japan, near Hokkaido, after all.

Like him, the Japanese government was all-in on this opportunity.

The instant Frost was spotted off Hokkaido.

They launched a meticulous operation.

Blocking foreign guilds from approaching first with bureaucratic hurdles.

Of course, it violates the AAU pact.

Per AAU agreements, Japan had no authority to bar players.

But they'd risk the backlash to give Inazuma priority.

I'll repay my homeland, no matter what.

The private jet landed secretly in Hokkaido.

Fierce northern winds howled.

Hisagi led his Inazuma guild members.

"Ugh, freezing. This is why I hate Hokkaido."

"You just dissed the region indirectly, didn't you? Typical Kyoto snob."

"……What? You're the one who dissed it!"

"Quiet, all of you. Move as stealthily as possible."

Inazuma entering Frost solo.

The government blocking other players.

All possible only because Frost posed no apparent danger.

But the government's stalling wouldn't last.

"We have maybe one or two hours at best."

Foreign powers knew Frost's value too.

"Secure relations and influence in Frost swiftly during that time."

So they had to move fast.

Above all, beat Gaon to the punch.

Hisagi recalled pre-scouted info.

Nam Taemin is one of the players with highest influence in Frost.

Nam Taemin's class: barbarian warrior, Barbarian.

Barbarians could class-change in forests near Frost.

And the #1 Barbarian ranker was Nam Taemin.

He must've cleared tons of quests there.

Individually, no catching up to Nam Taemin.

But guild-level? Different story.

Hisagi was confident.

Plus, Gaon invested heavily in Yusra Kingdom.

They couldn't overcommit to Frost.

Truly a golden opportunity.

Hisagi's snake-like eyes gleamed.

We'll climb above Gaon again!

But that resolve crumbled instantly.

"……Wh-what the hell is that?"

Frost's towering walls.

Something faintly visible atop them.

One guild member activated Clairvoyance and recoiled in horror.

"H-heads! Human heads up there……!!"

"Why are there so many?"

"Wait. That goatee—isn't that Maron……?"

"Maron? The blacksmith? D-does that mean Maron is dead?!"

Yes, not just Maron.

Dozens, hundreds of heads adorned the walls.

Whoosh─!

Flames erupted from within Frost's walls.

Terror crawled up their spines.

Gulp─

Hisagi swallowed dryly and yelled,

"Contact them now! Tell those idiots not to hold up the players!!"

.

The greater the expectations, the greater the shock.

Panic was inevitable.

"……How are we supposed to enter a place like that?"

"Demons that conquered Frost, they say."

"And now a real siege war. This is insane."

"Raymon Sean, that psycho bastard! Stabbed us in the back again!"

Shining, Cheonha Tongil.

Major guilds like them couldn't even enter Frost.

A perfect reversal.

To flip this grim mood again.

They needed an equal shock.

For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠example.

"……It's Lee Hoyeol."

Like right now.

"Wait, no. It's not just Lee Hoyeol?"

Yes, Hoyeol wasn't alone.

Players' faces filled with dread.

"It's Harkon."

"What? Lion Heart Knights again?"

"No, even if—but isn't that Kichi and the Shadow Mercenaries? Why are those monsters with Lee Hoyeol……? Don't tell me even the Lion Heart Knights aren't enough……?!"