It had been four days since he had entered the Gate. Seo Jun-ho strode up to the door of the training ground and was asked the same question once more:
â âHave you come again to prove your knighthood?â
â âOf course.â
The only things that had changed were Phil and Lanceâs attitudes; they shook their heads and refused to fight.
â âWandering Knight, you have already far surpassed our abilities.â
â âThe only reason we have left to fight you is our own greed.â
Yesterday, theyâd clearly surrendered early in their matches. Perhaps that was why they looked at him with an air of respect. Today, they were only here to watch.
â âHoh, how interesting. If it continues as such, you will not even need to unsheathe your sword on the final day. You would be able to fight Sir Kis at your best.â
ââŠYeah, I didnât expect this.â Seo Jun-ho scratched his head.
The third opponent, Ticino, stepped up.
âAh, Ticino. He was famous for having a fiery character.â
âI know. I fought him on the first day.â He used a spear like Lance did, but Seo Jun-ho still had a lot left to learn.
Lanceâs spear and Ticinoâs spears are completely different. After fighting them both, it was hard to believe that they used the same weapon. Unlike Lance, whose spear was constantly moving, Ticino landed hard and heavy hits. If Lanceâs spear is like a machine gun, Ticinoâs is like a cannon.
Ticino gripped his spear with both hands, holding it between his armpits as he charged.
â âFor the Queen!â
âYes, yes, thank you.â
* * *
It had been two months since he had entered the Gate. It had taken much longer than he had expected, but Seo Jun-ho wasnât scared or nervous. On the contrary, his eyes grew brighter as time passed. The only thing that had changed was that he was no longer receiving a knightâs acknowledgment every four days.
âDo you plan to train again today?â
âYeah, itâs nice to learn new techniques, but itâs also important to brush up on things Iâve already learned.â
His daily life was very simple. He would wake up, eat, fight the knights, train the techniques, train some more, and sleep. The cycle was never-ending.
Both his hair and beard had grown out quite a bit. The Frost Queen covered her mouth and giggled as she saw him.
âFufu, you look like a castaway.â
âWould that make you Wilson?â
âI am not a volleyball.â
âDamn, when did you watch that movie?â
(TN: This is a reference to the movie Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks.)
If it werenât for the Frost Queenâs constant chatter, he would have quickly grown tired of his current life, no matter how much he would learn. But thanks to her, he was able to continue to learn and train.
Exactly three months and two weeks after he had entered the Gate, heâd completely absorbed all the knightsâ weapon techniques.
âNo wonder heâs the captain. It took me four days to learn Horunâs technique because it was so complicated.â
âThey say that a single sword can cause ten thousand changes.â
Seo Jun-ho finally received his proof of knighthood, and the hundred others treated him as a full-fledged knight.
âMy stats also increased a lot after training like crazy for all that time.â
His Stamina had increased by 2, and his Strength, Agility, and Magic had all increased by 1. And that wasnât everything heâd received.
[Cold Tolerance]
Rank: C
Effect: You can tolerate the cold.
After heâd spent three months in the harsh cold of the Winter Castle, heâd adapted to the climate and received the skill out of nowhere.
âIâm not cold at all anymore.â When heâd first come here, heâd had to create a large fire and wear his thick jacket constantly. But now, he felt fine simply wearing a long-sleeved shirt.
Iâve also learned a lot of little tricks. Heâd learned how to flex his muscles ever so slightly to fake a strike, how to read his opponentâs next move, and so on. Heâd also refined many of his other, smaller techniques that wouldnât appear in textbooks.
âIâve worked really hard⊠I wonder what the reward will be.â
âContractor, do not be so eager. The strongest enemy is still left.â
âAh⊠Sir Kissyface.â Seo Jun-ho nodded gravely. âLetâs get him today.â
He had nothing left to gain from the Gate. It was time to fulfill his mission and return to Earth. This was his final task.
Creak! After being used so many times in the past three months, the door now opened smoothly, as if it were oiled.
â âThe Wandering Knight is here!â
â âIâve never seen anyone who understands weaponry better than him.â
â âYup. Heâs one of the few men that I acknowledge.â
â âI was called a genius in my hometown, but the world sure is big.â
The knights approached him, full of admiration. Seo Jun-ho felt a pang in his chest.
Ah, how nice it would be if I could take them back to EarthâŠÂ They would have been a huge help in the future, but it was impossible to do that. There was a bitter taste in Seo Jun-hoâs mouth as he gave his final goodbyes.
âYouâve worked hard, Phil. Ticino, tone it down a bit. Oh, that technique you taught me was great, BogusâŠâ He bid farewell to each and every knight in the Winter Castle.
â âWandering Knight, your pride was unshakeable.â Captain Horun held out his hand. As Seo Jun-ho shook it, he smiled for the first time. âMay I ask your name?â
Theyâd never asked for his name before, only calling him âWandering Knightâ. Seo Jun-ho smiled happily.
âSeo Jun-ho. Thatâs my name.â
â âWhat an interesting name.â
â âSeo Jun-ho, Seo Jun-ho⊠I wonât forget it.
â âYouâve left the deepest impression on me out of any knight.â The knights of the Winter Castle smiled as they approached him one by one. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each one patted him on the shoulder. It wasnât much, but it somehow gave him strength.
Horun was the last one. He patted him on the shoulder and held out a metallic emblem in the shape of mist.
âWhatâs this?â
â âIt is a token of sorts. It shows that you have proven your knighthood.â
Seo Jun-ho clenched his fist around it. He smiled. âNice. Iâm gonna brag about it to my friends later,â he muttered.
â âHahaha! Iâm sure they will be proud of you.â Horun thumped his shoulder once more and stood to the side. The one hundred knights followed, cutting a path for him to walk through.
â âThe one who has proven his knighthood may meet with the Lord of the Castle.â
â âI bet heâll like you too.â
â âLetâs spar again when I get stronger.â
ââŠâŠâ
Seo Jun-ho slowly started to walk down the path. He felt strange.
âHa, you must feel something peculiar. Did you not know that such things could happen within a Gate?â
ââŠYeah.â
âPay attention to your surroundings. There may be other ways to reach your goal.â The Frost Queen seemed happy as she lectured him. Not a single one of her knights had been injured.
Seo Jun-ho arrived at the door and glanced behind himself. The knights of the Winter Castle waved as they smiled brightly.
ââŠThank you,â he whispered. He pushed the frozen doors open.
Creaaak! As he entered the room, Seo Jun-ho drew in a harsh breath.
Itâs different. The air was so heavy, it felt as if his entire body were being weighed down.
And the source of this energy was one man sitting on a large throne.
ââŠFrost.â At his call, the Frost Queen flew from his shoulder to study the man.
âHe is Kis Bremen. My and Niflheimâs most powerful knight.â
âHe looks strong, just like you told me.â
Shing. Kis slowly stood up from his seat and silently unsheathed his sword.
I can feel his hostility. The powerful bloodlust he emanated was enough to make Seo Jun-hoâs skin tingle.
âIt seems that Sir Kis is aware that you are a player.â
âI agree. He planned to kill me as soon as he saw me.â
Seo Jun-ho pushed his magic into Black Armor, causing it to unfold and cover him from head to toe. He pulled out a spear from his inventory, spinning it around a few times.
â ââŠâŠâ Kis glanced at Seo Jun-hoâs weapon, looking away from his figure.
âHup!â In a split second, Seo Jun-hoâs spear divided into eight, aiming at vital points across Kisâs body. They werenât just mere illusions; they were real spearpoints.
Clang! Kis blocked the attack easily.
Heâs too relaxed. Determined, Seo Jun-hoâs eyes narrowed as he called upon his magic. The darkness wavered and bloomed, covering his spear like a snake.
âContractor! You shouldnât use such a powerful technique alreadyâŠâ
âIt canât be helped. I canât afford to go easy on him.â
The aura wrapped over the spearhead and started to whirl. It consumes a lot of magic, but this can pierce through anything.
Kis eyed the spear and wordlessly ignited a gray aura over his sword, compressing it several times. Heâd instinctively sensed that Seo Jun-hoâs attack would be dangerous. Seo Jun-ho watched as he pulled his spear back in preparation.
Heâs strong. He was the Lord of the Winter Castle, the Sword of the Niflheim Empire. A weapon aura wouldnât be enough to hunt a monster like him.
âFrost, whatâs the time for Booster?â
âWith this temperature, it should last for a minute and two seconds.â
âOne minute and two secondsâŠâ He took a mental note of the number. âStart counting!â he shouted.
Seo Jun-ho started to give off an explosive magic energy, and his body temperature started to rise. Itâs hot. But I feel full of energy. He thrust his spear sharply at Kis. The spearhead burst into sixteen different pieces, flying into the air. He felt sure that Kis wouldnât be able to block it.
â ââŠâŠâ
But that was an arrogant mistake. Kis coolly blocked each projectile. Seo Jun-hoâs body locked up at the sight.
âContractor! Get it together!â
âShitâ!â
He ducked back a beat too late and felt his head sting. Seo Jun-ho wiped the blood from his forehead and bit his lip. The alarm bells were going off in his head.
He looked down at his spear. The tip had been broken off with a single hit. I canât use this. He couldnât estimate how the battle would go anymore. It wasnât a matter of technique, but rather, there was too much of a difference in the quality of their weapons. He tossed the spear aside and unsheathed Black Dragon Fang.
â ââŠâŠâ Kis swung his sword slowly as he stepped forward. Gray mist started to surround his body. It covered the field in an instant, blocking Seo Jun-hoâs vision.
ââŠAshen Mist. This is Sir Kisâs ability.â
âWhat does it do?â
âAll it does is block oneâs vision by covering the entire battlefield. HoweverâŠâ
He was the Sword of the Empire, the Knight of the Mist. And the reason he was feared was because of the way he slayed his enemies in battle with this very technique.
âTake heed, Contractor. You donât know when or where he will attack you.â
âIâm already watching myself, butâŠâ Seo Jun-hoâs face fell. He couldnât see a single step in front of him. It felt like a tight, solitary cell. Even if he walked forward, all he saw was gray.
My skin feels tingly. He couldnât tell where Kis was, but he felt him watching from somewhere through the mist. However, he was pondering over something more important.
Should I turn off Booster? Or should I keep going?
Time wasnât on his side. With every second, his body heated up even more.
âFrost, time.â
â42 seconds, 41 seconds, 40âŠâ
He was running out of time. If Kis waited for 40 more seconds, Seo Jun-ho would lose all chances of winning.
Dammit. He grit his teeth as he made his decision. The magic that ran through his circuits dispersed back into a normal speed. Phew, time to cool off. He quickly covered Black Armor with ice. He felt his body temperature start to fall bit by bit, but he couldnât let his guard down.
Where is he? I canât sense anything at all. He was completely blind, and he couldnât even sense a trace of magic. As the Frost Queen said, he didnât know from where or when Kis would attack.
Nervous sweat beaded on his face. A single drop rolled down to his chin and plopped to the ground.