He felt weightless for a brief moment.
The next instant he stood before a grand dark gate.
The towering black iron doors rose dozens of meters high, their surface crawling with grotesque demonic carvings — twisted faces screaming in eternal agony, horns curling like thorns, heavy chains that seemed to writhe under his gaze, and ancient runes pulsing with faint malevolent crimson light. An oppressive aura leaked from the seams, thick and suffocating.
"Holy shit…"
He stared at the gates with his heart beating as loudly as it could. His mind was telling him to stay away from it yet he walked forward and placed his palm against the freezing metal.
A system screen materialized in front of him.
[Host Alex, your level is too low. It is highly suggested that you do not enter the Hall unless you are strong enough.]
Alex stared at the warning for a moment, then ignored it completely. "Heh. What's the fun in that?" He pushed the massive gate with both hands.
The doors groaned open like the jaws of some ancient beast.
The moment he stepped inside, he felt countless gazes lock onto him from every direction.
A tremor ran through him and he instinctively stepped back.
The grand dark hall stretched out endlessly, a vast, cavernous space swallowed by shadows.
Thousands upon thousands of glowing orbs floated in the air like malevolent stars, each one pulsing with a different sinister color.
The ones hovering near the ground gave off weak, flickering light, containing the weakest villains. The higher they floated, the brighter and more menacing their auras became, until the ones near the unseen ceiling radiated power that made the air itself tremble.
"Nothing weird here…" he mumbled. It was mostly the same as he remembered from the novel.
He began searching through the countless orbs, looking for the one he wanted.
As he moved deeper, an enchanting, sweet voice drifted into his ears.
"Are you looking for me~?"
Alex's mind went blank. His eyes glazed over with hearts as a dazed smile formed on his lips.
"Yes…" he mumbled dreamily.
"Come to mommy~" the voice cooed seductively.
He started walking toward the voice without resistance.
Just as his hand was about to touch the orb, a sharp, cold voice cut through the air.
"Get out of it."
Alex snapped back to his senses instantly. He stumbled backward, heart pounding violently.
He gritted his teeth, cold sweat running down his back.
'Damn it! I nearly died…'
'Her charm is just as terrifying as the novel described.'
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he continued his search. Many other voices called out to him — some seductive, some promising power, some threatening — but he managed to shut them all out.
Finally, he found the orb he was looking for.
He walked over and touched it.
His body instantly disintegrated into black particles and was sucked inside.
When his body reformed, he stood beside a frozen lake. The entire world was buried under thick, endless snow. Jagged ice-covered mountains loomed in the distance under a pale gray sky. A biting wind howled across the frozen expanse, carrying flakes of snow that stung his face.
Steam escaped his mouth with every breath.
"S-Shit! I forgot about the cold," he muttered as his jaw rattled under the intense cold.
A few hundred steps ahead stood a majestic building — a martial palace. The large plaque above the entrance read: North Sea Ice Palace.
"I-I have to go there." Alex walked toward the palace, boots crunching through the deep snow.
As he entered the main gates, the cold lessened by itself and he heard the faint, beautiful sound of a zither echoing through the icy halls.
He let out a relieved sigh and walked towards the melodious sound.
The closer he drew, the colder the air became.
At first, it was merely chilly. Then it turned biting sharp.
By the time he crossed the hallway, the temperature had plummeted so severely that frost formed on his tactical vest and his fingers began to ache.
His breath came out in thick white clouds.
The cold pressed against his skin like blades, seeping straight into his bones and his lips were sealed tight.
After several minutes, he reached the grand throne room and with heavy eyes, he glanced at her.
Upon a magnificent ice throne sat a woman of breathtaking beauty.
Her long hair was pure white, her blue eyes cold like fresh snow. Her skin was flawless, pale as white petals. She wore the flowing white and blue martial robes of the North Sea Ice Palace which draped loosely around her perfect curves. Her slender fingers glided gracefully across the strings of a grand black wood zither resting on her lap.
She looked peaceful. Almost divine.
But Alex already knew the truth.
This woman had single-handedly destroyed the entire Murim world she once belonged to.
She was the 78th Palace Master, Dan Seol-hwa, titled the Demonic Ice Spirit Sword.
He fell on his knees and muttered through his frozen lips, "T-This disciple pays his respects to the Palace Master!"
Dan Seol-hwa's fingers stopped. She gracefully lifted her head and looked at the person kneeling before her.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice calm and soft yet carrying the power of someone who had reached the pinnacle of ice arts.
Alex didn't lift his head and answered, "I-I am nothing but a disciple of the great North Sea Ice Palace…"
For a minute, Dan Seol-hwa stared at him in silence then she returned to her zither and muttered, "Return to wherever you have come from. My palace has no disciples."
Alex finally raised his head and stated loudly, "I am Alex Voss, a disciple of the place… that's my belief, I don't care if you agree to it or not."
Dan Seol-hwa's fingers froze. She appeared right before him and muttered, "You… Do you know Seung-Ho?"
Alex didn't answer.
Dan Seol-hwa raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Why aren't you answeri…"
Only then did she notice that Alex's face had turned red.
She flickered her hand and the robe tightened around her. Hiding the secrets he had just witnessed.
Alex finally came to his mind and immediately lowered his head to the ground, "P-palace master I didn't mean to."
She turned to her throne and said, "Forget it and answer my question. Do you know Baek Seung-Ho?"