Chapter 76

Chapter 76.

—I remembered the Apostle’s eyes as he looked at me.

They were dull eyes that held no emotion, eyes that judged me as if appraising an object and asking, ‘Is this all?’

There was no disappointment in them, nor joy.

No emotion of that sort was present.

Like a pediatrician measuring how much a child had grown.

He merely evaluated and judged.

For the Guardian, Han Seol-ah, who had grown up seeing only the blind, desperate eyes of others, they were eyes she had never experienced before.

At first, they simply felt unfamiliar.

So someone could look at me with such indifferent eyes too.

Then, at some point, her thoughts began to chase one another.

‘In the Apostle’s eyes, I must look just like… those people.’

Those people?

On a large scale, they were people looking toward the salvation of the Republic of Korea.

On a smaller scale, they were people looking toward a Savior who would save their own lives.

Until now, she had reigned as the Republic of Korea’s only hope.

She was used to becoming someone’s savior.

She had considered it both natural and a rightful responsibility.

—If I collapse, Korea is finished.

In order to withstand that terrible pressure, she had always forced herself to push away the desperation of the people who looked up to her with indifferent eyes.

That mask had shattered after the Apostle appeared.

The Apostle’s numb gaze as he looked down at her like a piece of luggage.

The fact that it was chillingly identical to the way Guardian Han Seol-ah had looked at others.

Just as others had clung to her.

She, too, had been clinging to the Apostle, her new lifeline, saying, ‘Please save us,’ and ‘Please do something,’ while irresponsibly pushing the burden onto him.

‘No. I should not have done that.’

She, of all people, knew best how brutally someone’s blind faith could choke the person who received it.

She could not repeat the act of forcing that cruel yoke onto someone else.

That painful realization soon rooted itself in Han Seol-ah’s heart as a fierce obstinacy.

An ambition not to push the responsibility of saving the Republic of Korea onto someone else.

Compassion born from knowing how heavy that responsibility was, making her unwilling to place it on another.

And if her own strength was insufficient, then she would scrape herself down to the bone if she had to, climb to an equal position, and share that burden…

A drive to improve!

From before she entered the Resonar Subjugation Battle.

After returning from subjugating Resonar, even during the brief time before the next Boss Break.

Han Seol-ah had not rested for even a single moment.

Her EX-rank body did not require rest.

Mana breathed within her, constantly maintaining her body in its optimal condition.

Sleep? She did not need it.

Food? She did not need it.

The only thing that grew tired was her mind.

But even that, if she forged it as solidly as ice…

Naturally, she would be able to endure.

[…Would it not be better for you to rest a little?]

“I do not want to.”

She could not hear Frozen’s worried attempt to dissuade her either.

“Seol-ah, are you really all right?”

“I am all right, so please stop coming here. The temperature inside the training room is fluctuating.”

Even amid a precariousness that anyone could see was abnormal, the razor-sharp spirit unique to someone standing on the edge of a cliff shone clearly within her.

“…”

However, after facing the unbreakable resolve firmly settled beyond it, her adoptive parents realized that trying to stop her any further would be useless. With heavy sighs, they had no choice but to quietly withdraw.

Han Seol-ah did not rest for even one minute.

She wanted to become stronger!

After Awakening, she had never felt such an intense desire to rise higher before.

And at last.

The day of proof arrived.

***

‘…I have been waiting for this moment.’

How long had it been since she last slept?

At some point, she had felt as though she was obsessing over that number, so she stopped counting.

All she knew for certain was that it had not been a short time.

Even so, Han Seol-ah’s mind was clearer and more lucid than ever.

Like a winter sky.

Like a day swept clean by a raging cold wave.

Across Han Seol-ah’s clear sensory net, now broadly expanded, strange and unpleasant “warm things” began to be detected.

THUD, THUD, KRAAAH—noises echoed from somewhere far away.

To Han Seol-ah, who had descended deep within her mind, the world was divided into cold things and warm things.

There were three nearby heat sources.

Lee A-un, Kim Cheol-su, and Yeriche.

The number of heat sources she could sense in the distance was…

1. 1. 642…

They multiplied in an instant.

And they quickly drew closer.

Han Seol-ah slowly lifted Eternal Winter in her hand.

Move her Mana and cast a spell?

Such an “inefficient” action was no longer necessary.

She visualized a single spell in her mind.

The magical battle against the Transcendent Nebula that she had experienced in the Other World.

The death that had left the deepest impression on Han Seol-ah there had been the “White Mist” that had frozen her to death.

However, the spell that had killed her the greatest number of times was something else.

Its name was Glacial Flash.

It was a spell that fired Mana imbued with extreme cold at the speed of light, freezing and shattering whatever part it touched.

The moment it activated, there was no way to dodge or block it, so if she failed to cancel the casting itself, she had no choice but to die. It was a lethal spell.

She had worked tirelessly to imitate it, but her conclusion had always been the same.

It was not a spell a human could use.

It was a spell that could only be calculated by surpassing human cognitive ability by several stages.

However, Han Seol-ah liked the killing power that Glacial Flash possessed.

The Apostle was an unknown superhuman who had appeared without warning.

She could not rule out the possibility that he might disappear without a trace at some point as well.

In that case, the duty of killing the Boss threatening the Republic of Korea would fall to Han Seol-ah again.

To prepare for that moment, she absolutely had to arrange a lethal spell.

After repeatedly researching together with Frozen in order to somehow reproduce Glacial Flash’s killing power, Han Seol-ah reached one conclusion.

The Republic of Korea had a reliable Tanker line that could hold out until Han Seol-ah’s spell activated.

A Tanker line that, with the Apostle’s help, had become powerful enough to be called the strongest in the world.

Therefore, she did not need to activate the spell as quickly as the original.

She would abandon speed.

Instead, she would refine the source of Glacial Flash’s killing power.

It froze a vital point and killed the target.

She would push that advantage to its extreme.

A new problem arose here.

The problem was “how” to attack a vital point.

Surprisingly, the answer was simple.

Thump—thump—

Whether human or Demonic Beast.

The things that existed in this reality…

—All had hearts.

Blood circulated through them.

…They had heat.

Conveniently, frost was an extreme power that aimed below subzero temperatures.

It was more sensitive to changes in temperature than anything else.

However, in order to pinpoint and snipe the “heart,” the hottest organ pumping within, the surroundings needed to become extremely cold.

So first.

She would create a cold, white world.

The Tower’s Monsters detected on Han Seol-ah’s radar numbered 944.

On the white earth, she calculated the shortest route to reach every single one of their hearts.

Frozen handled this on her behalf.

[Lock-on complete.]

“Glacial Flash—”

With that, the preparations were complete.

All that remained was to pull the trigger of the Grand Magic, as though imitating the sensation of the Apostle clicking once.

“Frozen Hell.”

CRACK!

Thin, hard ice spikes shot up from the ground.

Each spike carried a meticulously calculated angle, sprouting faster than the blink of an eye…

And piercing the hearts of the living beings with precision, freezing them…

Then shattering them.

Han Seol-ah closed her eyes again.

The roars of hundreds of creatures that had shaken the earth as if they would tear apart her eardrums, and the 944 heat sources that had been approaching ominously.

All of them vanished in an instant without even letting out a death cry.

A bizarrely unreal silence descended, every presence and sound completely erased.

The world Han Seol-ah saw became cold again.

Looking into that silence, Han Seol-ah clenched her fist tightly.

Yes, I am Han Seol-ah, the Frost Queen.

—The Guardian of the Republic of Korea.

***

Right before the fortress.

The hundreds of Monsters that had been charging with such ferocity that they seemed about to break through the ice sheet and rush in at any moment…

CRASH!

THUD! RUMBLE…!

Just a few meters before the defensive wall, they collapsed all at once like puppets with their strings cut.

FSSSH—!

The massive bodies of the Monsters, which had died instantly with their hearts pierced, crumbled before they even touched the ground, scattering into Light Motes.

…

For a moment, a breathless silence fell.

“…Eh?”

Yeriche let out a dazed sound.

“They… died?”

Including the Ogre Big Boss…

Every single Boss-class Monster from the 70th to 80th Floor range had died instantly.

It was such an alien sight that it felt like a dream.

But it was reality.

…They were all dead!

Yeriche looked back with trembling eyes.

Perhaps this massacre did not stir any particular emotion in her, because Han Seol-ah maintained a calm posture with her eyes closed.

‘…She was this powerful?’

Firing one or two shots of ice after gathering Mana for a long time like an inefficient cannon, then retreating.

Was that not “Han Seol-ah”?

When did she become this strong?

‘No, how did she become this strong?’

“Pull yourself together, Saintess.”

A voice suddenly cut in.

“…You are not surprised?”

When Yeriche asked with a blank expression, Kim Cheol-su answered with his usual emotionless face.

“I am surprised.”

At his voice, which showed no sign of surprise at all and was far too calm, Yeriche was so dumbfounded that she was rendered speechless.

‘…Ever since I came in here, everything has been shocking.’

It was stifling. Her chest felt tight.

Even though she tried to stay calm…

Kim Cheol-su’s gaze, which had been fixed beyond the dark horizon, sank in an ominous way.

“The second wave is coming.”

“…”

At that chilling remark, Yeriche shook off the pointless thoughts circling in her head and came back to her senses.

Cheol-su was right.

They had passed through the first wave easily thanks to Han Seol-ah’s Grand Magic.

However, the vicious cries of Monsters ringing out from far away had not ceased.

They echoed, sounding one after another.

Cheol-su closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the faint vibrations carried through the air.

“Judging from the echoes, the waves will continue until the fourth wave. A moment ago, it was the third wave, but it has already increased… Ah, now it is the fifth wave.”

“…You can judge that sort of thing too?”

“Somehow, I became able to do it.”

What on earth is this man…?

Yeriche slapped her cheeks with a SMACK.

“Han Seol-ah, what about the next spell?”

“Rapid fire is difficult. It is a spell that requires me to concentrate my mind.”

“But you can use it, right? If we hold out, you can keep instantly killing them like before?”

“Yes.”

Han Seol-ah answered without hesitation.

“As long as there are no enemies with Frost Immunity.”

“…”

Yeriche let out a heavy sigh with a sunken expression.

However, Scathach, who already possessed “Frost Immunity,” had already been summoned.

When Han Seol-ah swept away the first wave with her spell, he seemed to decide that he would not wait any longer and began to move as well.

Han Seol-ah lifted her head and looked into the distance.

“He is already approaching. A terribly unpleasant cold clashing against my Mana is getting closer and closer.”

“Haa…”

So that would be where the real fight began.

Moreover, if they were elite Demonic Beasts with troublesome gimmicks, they could not endure simply by pouring healing from behind.

Yeriche grasped the situation instinctively, raised her Stone Staff with a sharp snap, and dropped down in front of Lee A-un without hesitation.

“You are the type who tanks through summoned creatures, correct? Your main body’s tanking ability must be awful.”

“Huff, huff. Yes.”

“You are strong against numbers but weak against elites. In that case, I will lend you a hand.”

[Please do not forget that this body is here.]

At that moment, a voice suddenly cut in from below.

“Hm?”

Something white popped out of Lee A-un’s pocket and landed on the ground.

It was the Death Knight, Ratty.

“…A skeleton?”

[How insolent! I am Ratty, the ‘Elite Death Knight’ whom the Great One personally created and granted a name.]

Yeriche slowly looked over the tiny skeleton, which barely seemed to reach an adult’s ankle, and deep suspicion appeared on her face.

“…So, Mr. Ratty, how strong are you in combat?”

[Under my lord’s control, strong enough to kill someone like you within three seconds. However, together with this insect…]

‘…Three seconds?’

Yeriche blinked as if she found it absurd.

That adorable little piece of bone would kill her in three seconds? Was he being serious?

[About equal to you, or slightly superior.]

“Ah… I see?”

Yeriche’s gaze was filled with disbelief.

Moreover, when she saw Ratty’s endlessly insignificant back as he toddled toward the middle of the open ground on his short legs, her suspicion grew even firmer.

It looked like he would break if she kicked him right now.

However, Yeriche could not openly ignore him.

That was because the bloodied Lee A-un was looking at that tiny skeleton with blind faith, as though he were some kind of Savior.

‘…I can trust it, right?’

Ratty lifted and swung his toothpick-like sword.

SHAAK!

In that instant, black energy suddenly rose from the blade and sliced through the solid ground as easily as cutting tofu.

‘!’

Yeriche was startled by the extraordinary swordplay.

[I will kill every creature that crosses this line. Please concern yourself with the rest.]

“Yes.”

As it turned out, he was an extremely reliable party member.

THUD…! THUD…! THUD…!

The second wave was approaching.

Most of them were entities they had witnessed in the first wave.

However, here and there… familiar “Demonic Beasts” could be seen.

They were Break Bosses that had once driven Han Seol-ah into despair, Demonic Beasts possessing the “Frost Reduction” trait.

There were several Frost Dragons.

Behind them loomed the shadow of a massive body that could not even be compared to the Frost Dragons.

Scathach.

Two of them, at that.

Han Seol-ah’s brow furrowed.

***

[Notification: The “Unlimited Monster Wave” will now begin.]

Along with that despairing message, the sky turned black.

It was as if the space called the Republic of Korea itself had transformed into hell.

Originally, this should have been the time when the entire nation was filled with despair and screams.

However, the atmosphere at Hanam Fortress was completely different.

“Wow…”

Kim Tae-wan, the Tanker Squad Leader, stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before him, unable to stop himself from marveling.

A strangely blazing hope was circulating throughout the entire fortress.

Every time the foreign woman called “Happy” waved her hand once, small buildings rose one by one.

‘Did they say she was an S-rank Earth Mage?’

He had heard that a B-rank Earth Mage could raise a few walls at most, but as expected of S-rank, her level was different.

Hanam Fortress, which had only been called a “fortress” in name and had been shabby enough to be closer to a campsite, was transforming moment by moment into a real fortress.

And that was not all.

“Now, take one each.”

“Thank you.”

In one corner of the open ground, the legendary merchant “Golden Mine Lee Hyeong-je” was distributing supplies with a good-natured smile.

They were Consumable Items whose effects had been clearly proven not long ago during the Resonar Subjugation Battle.

Amazing sights continued wherever he turned his head.

A group in suits, their faces covered by masks or cloth coverings, was identifying the personal information of the Hunters with movements even more orderly than an army’s.

“Name and position.”

“Jeong Ui-ro. I am a B-rank Healer.”

“Confirmed. Group A, issue this man a B-rank Divine Power Amplification Ring.”

‘Why are Black Market employees here?’

It was a strange sight: people who prided themselves on absolute neutrality were mechanically distributing expensive Artifacts matched to each Hunter’s position.

“Just… what is happening right now?”

And more than anything else, the place that seized Kim Tae-wan’s gaze was the formation where numerous Tankers had gathered.

“What is our objective?”

When Jin Cheon-jin called out first, countless Hunters answered, radiating boiling morale.

“To hold out!”

The endless Unlimited Monster Wave had only just begun.

However, under the hellish sky, there was no fear on anyone’s face.

“We hold out! Until when?”

Jin Cheon-jin’s heavy roar burst out as though he were coughing up blood.

Assimilated by that overwhelming Charisma, Kim Tae-wan shouted until the veins in his neck nearly burst along with hundreds of Tankers.

“Until the Apostle returns—!!”

They could do this.

No, they would absolutely be able to hold out.

Overwhelmed by a shuddering thrill, Kim Tae-wan, the Tanker Squad Leader, clutched his heart as it burned hot and became certain of it.