The Archduke looked away from the constellation. He seemed no longer intrigued.
‘Was I expecting too much from him?’
The Archduke truly had high expectations of Seo Jun-Ho because he was walking on the constellation of regression. Unfortunately, the Archduke was aware that there was no way Seo Jun-Ho could escape his destiny.
‘He made a mistake by revealing his true strength too early. His action instilled a sense of crisis in Kineos.’
Kineos had been minimizing his movement, as he was keeping Helic in check, but now, he would definitely lead an army to the ice castle. The death of the Players was inevitable.
‘In other words, Specter’s effort and regression this time is useless.’
The Archduke finally closed his eyes after completely losing interest in the constellation.
***
The Heavenly Demon was finally dead, but Seo Jun-Ho didn’t really feel anything. He felt neither excited nor bitter at the futility of his revenge.
‘That was my 238th time killing the Heavenly Demon.’ All of a sudden, he was struck by both an epiphany and extreme exhaustion. Seo Jun-Ho closed his eyes. ‘I’ve finally come this far.’
He had arrived here by choosing only the same options as he did before he obtained the final page—such was all to prevent the slaughter of the players on the 7th Floor and to finally move forward.
“So it’s finally over,” the Frost Queen muttered in a voice filled with complex emotions. “You’ve finally driven the fiends to extinction.”
“It was about time,” said Seo Jun-Ho.
The Frost Queen smiled. She made an ice chair and sat on it with her legs crossed.
“Well, it’s time for you to tell me.”
“...Tell you what?”
“You promised me, remember? You need to tell me what happened to you.”
“Oh, right.” Seo Jun-Ho nodded upon recalling the promise. He wasn’t sure if he should tell everyone else, but he knew that he had to tell the Frost Queen at the very least.
‘It’s the right thing to do. Yes, it certainly is...’
Seo Jun-Ho started talking about his regression.
The Frost Queen’s expression kept on changing as she listened.
“Wait, wait! Stop talking…” The Frost Queen raised her hand to stop Seo Jun-Ho before asking in a trembling voice, “...How many times did you say you’ve regressed so far?”
“Three hundred and eighteen times.”
“...” The Frost Queen couldn’t find any words to say.
“I thought I could ensure everyone’s happiness, but it was an illusion. When I realized that it was impossible to create that kind of world, I decided to go back to the very beginning.”
“While wearing that mask…?” asked the Frost Queen.
“Yes,” Seo Jun-Ho calmly admitted. He was currently wearing the mask called Seo Jun-Ho. “I have been imitating the actions, manner of speech, and the mindsets that I had back then.”
He had to do it because the moment he stopped imitating the version of himself before his regressions, then he would no longer have anything to do with Seo Jun-Ho.
“...Since when? Since when have you been like that?”
‘Since when was it?’
Seo Jun-Ho dug deep into his memories. “I think it started on the twelfth regression?”
That was when he felt something crumble from inside of him, and it took him a bit longer to realize what had crumbled inside of him—It was none other than his mind and humanity.
“...Contractor. Don’t you think things will get a bit better for you if you swallow that poison once again?”
“Poison? Are you talking about the Mania Snake Poison?” asked Seo Jun-Ho. However, he shook his head and said, “I tried it on the 4th Floor on this regression, but it had no effect.”
Mania Snake Poison was a poison that amplified the object’s emotions and senses by bypassing the brain’s safety limits.
However, Mania Snake Poison was of no use to Seo Jun-Ho, and Seo Jun-Ho had a rough guess as to why it didn’t work for him.
Tap, tap.
Seo Jun-Ho tapped his left chest with his finger.
“This is empty. What does not exist cannot be amplified.”
The human emotions inside Seo Jun-Ho had dried up a long time ago.
Seo Jun-Ho had long acknowledged and accepted it.
“I decided to consider it as the price for the regressions, and I think it was a pretty good deal,” said Seo Jun-Ho. The ability to regress allowed him to fix his mistakes. He thought that the price in exchange for such an ability was rather cheap since he only had to pay for it with his humanity.
The Frost Queen barely managed to speak, “Contractor… what are you doing this for?”
Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t answer the question outright because he had also promised someone else.
“...I’m sorry.” Seo Jun-Ho could only smile bitterly, and it was a smile that the Seo Jun-Ho of the past would reveal as well.
“Contractor, you don’t have to wear that mask in front of me.”
Pat, pat.
A small and cold hand patted Seo Jun-Ho’s head over and over again.
“I’m proud of you. You’ve suffered a lot, and I know that.”
“...” Seo Jun-Ho wordlessly stared at the Frost Queen.
The Frost Queen didn’t mind that and comforted Seo Jun-Ho for a long time.
***
After reading the memories of the deceased fiends, Seo Jun-Ho and the Frost Queen headed for the ice castle.
“I should have killed Fahm Vert as well. He’s the one who brainwashed Kim Woo-Joong.”
“Just forget him. He must be in the Underworld by now.”
A strong snowstorm blocked the Frost Queen and Seo Jun-Ho’s view as they entered the snowfield. However, the Frost Queen strode forward with no hesitation.
“I know the way,” said the Frost Queen. She was familiar with the surroundings because she was the one who built the ice castle. “We should see the castle once we exit the canyon up ahead.”
“Okay.”
Step, step…!
Seo Jun-Ho abruptly came to a halt.
‘...What is this feeling?’
He felt something strange for the first time in a long while.
Seo Jun-Ho pondered over the identity of the strange feeling.
Keen Intuition eventually spoke.
- It’s a sense of foreboding, partner.
“Is that so? Then, why am I feeling a sense of foreboding?” Seo Jun-Ho responded out loud.
The Frost Queen heard that, and she said, “This is bad… Let’s speed up.”
Swoosh!
The Frost Queen made a break for the exit of the canyon.
‘I can’t believe that Contractor is feeling a sense of foreboding when he has already lost his humanity. Could it be that—no, it can’t be…’
The Frost Queen finally exited the canyon.
“Ah…”
The strong smell of rust assaulted her nose.
The Frost Queen’s eyes quivered as she glanced at her contractor.
“...” Seo Jun-Ho wordlessly stared at the ice castle. Then, he started moving at a pace that was neither slow nor fast. He walked into the gate and looked around.
“There are so many corpses…”
“Contractor, don’t give up just yet! The battle isn’t over!”
The Frost Queen shouted upon hearing metal clashing against metal from inside the castle.
Seo Jun-Ho muttered, “You’re right. I haven’t received an influx of memories just yet, so Jun-Sik is still alive.”
‘But what’s the point in that?’
Seo Jun-Ho read the memory of the corpse rolling around.
“...As expected.”
The variable in this regression was Kineos Mullibach, the Overmind Emperor.
‘Did he lead the army himself after feeling a sense of crisis upon realizing that I’m at the Star Destruction Stage as well?’
Seo Jun-Ho stoked his chin in agony. “This is a bit difficult.”
The Overmind Emperor would invade the Ice Castle if Seo Jun-Ho revealed his strength. However, Kim Woo-Joong would become a fiend, and the Heavenly Demon would invade the ice castle if he didn’t reveal his strength.
“Should I rescue Kim Woo-Joong without revealing my strength and kill the Heavenly Demon on top of that?’ It was a difficult task. ‘But I guess I just have to try and try until I succeed...’
“Inventory.” Seo Jun-Ho took out the final page of his diary and ordered his Freedom Blade to stab him in the heart.
Boom!
However, the castle wall next to him collapsed, and the eyes of a massive dragon appeared in front of him.
“...” Seo Jun-Ho inadvertently stared into the vertical eyes of the dragon.
A system window popped up in front of him.
[You have encountered the boss monster of Frontier-23, Kineos Mullibach.]
[Once defeated, safe zones will appear in Frontier-23.]
‘Oh, he’s the Overmind Emperor…’
Boom!
The world itself trembled as a deafening explosion assaulted his ears.
The disoriented Seo Jun-Ho found himself buried in the rubble of a castle wall, and he opened his eyes slowly.
‘Is it… an air raid?’
Seo Jun-Ho thought that he spoke out loud, but not a single word came out of his mouth. What emerged from his mouth weren’t words but a hissing noise similar to a balloon being deflated.
“...”
Seo Jun-Ho looked down and found a gaping hole in his chest. He managed to avoid instant death thanks to Cell Regeneration (A), but he suffered a wound that would kill him faster than his regeneration rate.
‘Wow, did he just poke a hole in me in just a single blow?’
Seo Jun-Ho acknowledged the Overmind Emperor’s power. It seemed that at the Star Destruction Stage, the first one to land an attack would be at a tremendous advantage.
‘Diary. I need to get my diary first.’
Seo Jun-Ho’s gaze turned to the pool of blood in front of him. The final page of his diary was floating on the pool of his own blood.
‘Haaa… haaa...’ Seo Jun-Ho reached out with his hand. ‘It’s too far. I can’t reach it.’
“No…”
The diary’s activation condition was dying while holding it.
Seo Jun-Ho stubbornly clung to his consciousness and clawed at the ground with his fingernails.
The diary was getting closer.
‘A bit more. Just a bit more…!’
Seo Jun-Ho was dying. His heart had been annihilated, his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and his vision was swimming as well.
‘Come on…!’
Seo Jun-Ho stretched out his hand with all his might, and he finally touched the page.
However, someone walked over and snatched it away from him.
‘Thank goodness…’ Seo Jun-Ho was relieved.
The Frost Queen was the one who snatched the page from him.
“Frost, hurry up! Give it to me.”
Seo Jun-Ho reached out with his hand.
However, the Frost Queen simply glanced at him before looking away.
She looked down at the paper and said, “Contractor. I’ve been thinking about it.”
“...?” Seo Jun-Ho’s hand was trembling in mid-air.
‘Come on, give me the paper! I’m about to die!’
“After much consideration, I reached the conclusion that I should not let you regress anymore.”
‘What are you talking about?’
“...The contractor I used to know was… very kind and warm.”
The Frost Queen could still remember making the decision that she would live in his warm light for the rest of her life. However, the current Seo Jun-Ho had long lost his humanity and his warmth throughout the hundreds of regressions.
“I’m sure your warmth won’t return even after thousands of regressions.”
Seo Jun-Ho would only get worse and worse.
Eventually, he would forget his identity altogether.
Splash, splash.
The Frost Queen walked up to the dying Seo Jun-Ho.
She bent over and gently stroked Seo Jun-Ho’s bloody face.
“Contractor. The weight on your shoulders is too heavy, and I don’t think I can keep on just observing you from the side.”
“...” Seo Jun-Ho finally realized what the Frost Queen was about to do. She was going to rewind everything back to when Seo Jun-Ho had yet to go down the cursed road of regressions.
“Don’t worry,” the Frost Queen smiled and said, “I am the Frostbringer of Worlds, after all. I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but I’m definitely better at handling time compared to you.”
“...”
‘Don’t do it. Please stop…’
Seo Jun-Ho shouted with his eyes. He knew better than anyone else just how painful the path that the Frost Queen was about to take.
The Frost Queen’s heart was soft, so Seo Jun-Ho could already deduce just how many tears she would shed while walking down that cursed path.
“Contractor.”
A giant dragon emerged from behind the Frost Queen.
A vast amount of Force converged at the dragon’s mouth.
“...Goodbye.”
“...!”
Kineos Mullibach’s Breath instantly engulfed the two.
***
The Archduke’s eyes shot wide open. He lowered his hand that had been resting on his chin and leaned forward to stare at the constellation that was shining brighter than everything else.
“...Frost Queen.”
The tiny change she made created a path that even the Archduke had never seen before.
***
The Frost Queen found herself in a space filled with absolutely nothing.
It was a world of emptiness where not even light existed.
The Frost Queen sat down. “...Is this what regression is supposed to be?”
She had no idea how much time she had spent in this space so far because she decided to stop keeping track of time after the hundredth day.
“Did I make a mistake?”
‘This is definitely not the time I set before I returned. Did I make a mistake when I chose the date?’ The Frost Queen was terrified. ‘How long do I have to endure this stifling darkness?’
The Frost Queen held back her tears. She became proud of herself for not crying so far.
‘Contractor had to have gone through harder hardships than this. I told him not to worry, so I can’t cry just yet.’ The Frost Queen opened her eyes wide to hold back her tears and prayed. ‘Contractor. If I meet you again, I won't let you experience this again.’
The Frost Queen was determined to prevent Seo Jun-Ho from regressing.
Crack!
“...?” The Frost Queen heard a strange but familiar sound.
Crack, crack, crack!
The Frost Queen hurriedly looked up.
“Contractor’s egg rolls!”
The noise could only be made by cracking eggs, and it was a noise that she would hear whenever Seo Jun-Ho was making breakfast for her in the kitchen.
Fwoosh!
The void collapsed, and the face of her young contractor filled her sight.
The Frost Queen felt like crying because she was so happy to see Seo Jun-Ho.
However, she held back her tears and greeted him with a grin.
“Hello there, Contractor. I really missed you.”
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