To the Ice Prison
'This isn't right.'
Cheon Se-yeon rested her chin on her hand, staring straight ahead.
Whether she was watching or not, Jin-hyeok was devouring the freshly made tteokbokki and sundae with gusto.
'How did things end up like this?'
Se-yeon glanced down at her phone.
A message had arrived from Jin Yun-ho last night.
Not on the official line they used for Hunter Bureau work, but on a strictly private one.
-22-year-old Yoo Jin-hyeok, presumed runner of the Book of Honor. I'd appreciate it if you could quietly track down his location.
The two of them had grown close ever since his low-level days, with her looking out for him in all sorts of ways.
Cheon Se-yeon was one of the few freelance hunters that Jin Yun-ho truly trusted.
-Yes!
When she'd received the message, Se-yeon had clenched her fist.
She herself had suspected since the Dongdaemun transfer incident that Yoo Jin-hyeok might be a runner.
And now, a secret request from the Player Hunter Bureau's team leader had come in on top of that.
Though he'd used the word "presumed," it was basically a done deal that Yoo Jin-hyeok was a runner.
Se-yeon had planned to tease him about it, probing slyly here and there.
She had to get revenge for all those ignored KakaoTalk messages, after all.
-Yeah. That's right.
But then he'd casually admitted it without batting an eye, and the situation had turned weird.
Instead, he'd seized the initiative in a subtle way, saying something like, "Now that I've told you, how about sharing some details on the Breath of the Phoenix as payback?"
For some reason, it felt like she'd been outmaneuvered.
Gulp!
Jin-hyeok swallowed a bite of tteokbokki and looked at Se-yeon.
"Think while you eat. The tteokbokki's gonna get cold."
"Yoo Jin-hyeok-ssi. Before we talk price on the Breath of the Phoenix, I have something I'm curious about."
"You've got a lot of questions today."
Se-yeon made a pained expression.
Come to think of it, she'd been asking an unusually high number of questions today.
Normally, it was the other way around.
"I'm kidding. Ask away. And if you could knock a bit off the price of the Breath of the Phoenix, that'd be great."
"You weren't hiding that you're a runner for the Book of Honor?"
"Less hiding and more... not bothering to advertise it."
"What wind blew in to make you admit it so readily?"
Jin-hyeok smiled.
Jin Yun-ho was already convinced that Jin-hyeok was a runner.
If he decided to search in earnest, he'd enlist the help of top-tier freelance hunters on the prowl.
Denying it now would be pointless.
As for the hassle, he could just avoid running into Jin Yun-ho, and that'd be that.
"It's not like I did anything wrong."
"That's true."
Se-yeon looked at Jin-hyeok with an unresolved expression.
"Sigh."
Letting out a deep sigh, Se-yeon shrugged her shoulders.
"It feels a bit off to say this after asking all those questions, but the Breath of the Phoenix isn't some cheap item. Even its lower-grade equivalent, the Lava-Infused Stone, goes for a few thousand. Plus, a big corporation reached out just recently offering 10 billion won for it."
"I see. Thanks for the tteokbokki. Good work."
Wiping his mouth, Jin-hyeok stood up from his seat.
10 billion? No way in hell.
He needed to find another way.
"Hey, wait, wait! At least hear me out to the end. I'm not saying sell it for 10 billion."
"Ten million won?"
"You're more heartless than you look. I wasn't planning on taking money for it anyway. You answered my question from earlier, after all. It's still a bit iffy, but whatever."
As Jin-hyeok sat back down, Se-yeon let out another deep sigh and leaned back in her chair.
Then, arms crossed, she began to agonize.
Her brows furrowed, eyes squeezed shut, even scratching her head vigorously—Se-yeon looked like she was wrestling with a dilemma of a lifetime.
"It's really embarrassing to say this."
After glancing around the room once, Se-yeon lowered her voice.
"So, I was wondering if you could help me out."
The reason Se-yeon wanted to meet a runner was simple.
She was stuck on the 83rd floor with no sign of breaking through.
If it was him—the one ceaselessly shattering astonishing records—maybe he'd have some clever solution.
"I just cleared the 20th floor, you know?"
"Even so, there's got to be some trick to clearing the tower quickly and easily."
"Of course there is."
"Then how are you clearing it so fast!?"
"I already promised earlier, remember? It's a secret, so let's agree not to pry."
Se-yeon gripped the table with both hands, trembling in frustration.
"Th-the table's warping."
"Oh."
Only then did Se-yeon snap out of it and let go.
With her high synchronization rate, she always had to control her strength, but she'd blanked for a second.
In the meantime, Jin-hyeok, who had searched the tower site for the 83rd floor, rubbed his chin.
"Don't you have a lot of money, Se-yeon-ssi? And you get Hunter Bureau support too. Can't you just throw cash at it and get a dark-attribute weapon?"
'Look at this guy.'
Jin-hyeok had just grasped the monsters appearing on the 83rd floor.
In mere seconds, he'd connected it to Se-yeon's class and figured out why she was stuck there.
And he'd tossed out the most straightforward solution, naturally.
'He's quick on the uptake.'
Tapping his fingers, Jin-hyeok continued.
"But you're still stuck, so that means you can't find one, right?"
"Spot on. The Hunter Bureau's pulling out all the stops to search, but no luck. I've looked on my own too, obviously a bust."
"Even with the Hunter Bureau on it, nothing? No one's sabotaging it or anything?"
"Come on, no way. Who'd have the free time to interfere with something like that?"
"It could happen. That's why every country's lighting fires under themselves to recruit rankers. Players who break through high floors with high sync rates become national power. No country likes seeing another one outshine them."
Jin-hyeok presented a fresh possibility with a completely nonchalant face.
It was something she'd never even considered, hitting her like a smack to the head.
"I don't know anything concrete, but that's just me throwing out unfiltered thoughts that popped up. Anyway, so you just need to switch your attack attribute to dark, right?"
"Yeah. Then I could take it down within the time limit."
Jin-hyeok, lost in thought for a moment, cautiously opened his mouth.
"I can't guarantee 100%, but I might be able to help?"
"Yes!?"
Jin-hyeok told her the story of the potion crafting box.
"That... yeah, there's definitely potential. Worth a shot."
A potion crafting box from who-knows-where.
If something came out that could change a weapon's attribute to dark, everything would be solved.
"But like I said, I need the potion I want first. If it works, any remaining tries are yours, Se-yeon-ssi."
Finishing his words, Jin-hyeok extended his hand with a smile.
"So, give it to me for free. The Breath of the Phoenix."
Se-yeon swallowed dryly.
This guy wasn't just bold—he was brazen.
But she couldn't refuse.
Even without the Breath of the Phoenix, Jin-hyeok had options.
She didn't.
She was the desperate one here.
"Sigh."
With another heavy sigh, Se-yeon pulled the Breath of the Phoenix from her inventory and handed it over.
Jin-hyeok snatched it up and stowed it neatly in his own inventory.
"Thanks!"
Scrape.
The moment he got the Breath, Jin-hyeok stood up.
"H-hey, wait! Where are you going!?"
The flustered Se-yeon grabbed his arm.
"I've got all the materials now. Time to give it a try."
"Can't we do it here?"
Jin-hyeok looked at Se-yeon impassively and held out his hand.
"Se-yeon-ssi. From now on, we're partners. Allies, in other words. And the most important thing in an alliance is trust, right? Let's trust each other."
You're the one who took everything, so it's easy for you!
She didn't shout it out.
She was in the weaker position, after all.
Se-yeon shook his hand with a bitter grimace.
Jin-hyeok nodded once more, then grabbed the pre-packed tteokbokki-sundae-fritters he'd wrapped up and headed out of the shop.
The old lady who'd been sitting there eyed the now-lonely Se-yeon.
"What's this? Did our puppy get dumped?"
"No. Dumped? Who'd turn me down?"
"Eheheh, true enough. Our puppy's a real looker."
Scratching her head, Se-yeon looked down at the hand she'd just shaken.
'How is someone who just cleared the 20th floor this strong?'
It wasn't about working out or not.
Se-yeon's synchronization rate hovered near 40 percent.
Even to her, the weight of that grip felt substantial.
She really couldn't figure this guy out.
Shrugging, Se-yeon gathered her cash and stood.
"Great meal as always, Grandma."
"Sure thing. That'll be 100,000 won."
Thinking she'd misheard, Se-yeon glanced back at what she'd eaten.
Generously, it wouldn't even hit 20,000 won's worth.
"He took all the leftovers packed up. Puppy said he'd pay for it tomorrow."
"Argh."
Staring at the exit where Jin-hyeok had vanished, Se-yeon made a firm vow.
One day, she'd pay him back for sure.
Having slotted the Breath into the box, Jin-hyeok rubbed his palms together.
"Can't wait to see what comes out!"
Kancho's eyes sparkled, his mouth smeared with tteokbokki sauce.
Jin-hyeok felt the same—excited, but more precisely, desperate.
If something useless came out, it'd be a loss of more than pocket change.
Jin-hyeok moved his hand to the pattern at the top of the box.
Ding!
[Materials used: Lava of the Summoned Beast, Explosive Clay of the Yodel Ranger, Breath of the Phoenix. Turning the box will display the list of craftable potions. Even if your desired potion isn't available, materials will not be returned. Proceed?]
The moment he nodded, light poured out from the box.
And after a few seconds.
The glow faded, and a translucent hologram appeared before his eyes.
Potion that makes you breathe fire from your mouth for a day.Potion that erupts in phoenix flames when thrown.
.
.
.
Jin-hyeok quickly scanned the list from top to bottom, then clutched his head.
'Hallelujah!!!'
He'd been on the verge of despair, thinking it wasn't there.
But at the very bottom.
Potion of Scorching Heat that Melts Millennium Ice.
Selecting it, a bottle filled with crimson liquid materialized in the box's empty center.
[Acquired Potion of Scorching Heat that Melts Millennium Ice! It can melt any ice in an instant! Rest assured, it won't melt anything that isn't ice!]
He poked it with his fingertip.
Not hot.
Pocketing the potion, Jin-hyeok immediately hit the entry button without delay.
[Entry conditions met! Entering the 3rd floor of the Mythic Tower!]
Jin-hyeok and his group re-entered at the spot where they'd exited yesterday.
He uncapped the potion and liberally sprayed it over the ice blocking the path.
Sizzle!
Starting where the liquid touched, a wave of intense heat spread wide.
"Nice and toasty!"
"Yeah. Feels like a sauna."
Thick steam billowed up.
His skin, dry from the moisturizing cold, felt soft and refreshed.
Seira and Kancho seemed to like it too, not shying away from the steam.
Ding!
[The millennium glacier blocking the path has fully melted! You may now enter the Ice Prison!]
The prison that Dordal had desperately tried to guard.
Jin-hyeok stepped toward it.
And in that instant.
Shwaaaa...!
Someone's memory began to replay.
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T/N:
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