[Unbelievable! Player Seo Jun-ho says his next goal is a 1-star Gate.]

[Seo Jun-ho has created the best career we’ve seen in ten years. Is it greed or is it confidence?]

[Gate experts say it’s “impossible” after hearing Seo Jun-ho’s announcement about the ⟪Winter Castle⟫.]

[Seo Jun-ho to go to the ⟪Cave of Trials⟫! Will he be able to beat Kim Woo-joong’s record of nine levels?]

Seo Jun-ho started his morning with a refreshing cup of Agarit tea. 

“Mm, it’s good.”

“……” The Frost Queen took a peek at his tea. She seemed to have decided something and spoke hesitantly. “…That tea has a fine aroma. If you so wish, I can take a sip…”

“No can do. If you’re thirsty, drink some water over there.” He swatted her away as if she were a fly. 

“…I will not forget this transgression,” she said coldly. She disappeared into the study. Seo Jun-ho ignored her and looked at the comments under the article.

– Isn’t it too early for him to go to the Cave of Trials? What level is Seo Jun-ho right now?

┕ Isn’t he around level 25? His stats aren’t public. 

– Then it’s kinda vague. Isn’t it best to go to the Cave of Trials at level 30?

┕ Who knows. The stuff that happens inside isn’t known to outsiders. 

“So people still think that.” Seo Jun-ho nodded. 

There were two requirements in the Cave of Trials. First, you had to be between levels 25 and 30. The second was that you couldn’t reveal anything that happened inside once you were out of it. 

“The second rule is really strict.”

Of course, the System couldn’t control players completely. Instead, it didn’t let you record or share any information about the Cave—whether it be through speaking, writing or telepathy. It was a high-level feature that even Skaya couldn’t crack. It was impossible for humans to break through it. 

Even if the world ends, I’ll be the only one who knows the secret of the Cave of Trials. 

Seo Jun-ho had already gone to the Cave of Trials before. When he was Specter, he’d entered at level 30, like most others did. 

It was pointless. It’s better to go in as soon as possible. 

The Cave of Trials gave better rewards based on how much the player struggled. Its difficulty was fixed. So if you go in when your level is lower, you’ll experience the same things but get better rewards.

The only person in the world who knew this was him. Seo Jun-ho took a sip of tea. 

The only problem right now is that I don’t know if I can go in there again… He couldn’t be sure. No one had ever gone into the Cave of Trials twice. 

There are certain conditions. Those who possessed rewards from the Cave of Trials couldn’t go in again. But because of the Frost Queen’s nucleus, I lost all the stats I gained at the Cave of Trials. 

If it worked in the way he thought it did, it would let him go in. Still, it wouldn’t be a big deal if he couldn’t. 

I’ll regain my stats as I keep leveling up anyways. 

But if he could go into the Cave once more, he would get all the rewards he could. 

“Huh? Where did she go?” Seo Jun-ho put his glass down and stood up to look for the Frost Queen. She appeared from behind the door, peeking out from the side. 

“…Why did you call for me?”

“Let’s go out to train.”

“To train?” When she saw that he was being serious, she smirked. 

“Hmph, so the Contractor is requesting my teachings?”

“You know how to use Frost better than I do. There’s nothing to lose.”

“To teach you… That means that I will become your master.” She gave a smug smile and sat down on his shoulder. She nodded. “Lead me. Under my duty as a sovereign, I shall teach you thoroughly.”

“I’m not your vassal or anything… But I’d be grateful if you taught me.” 

Seo Jun-ho stepped out of the door wearing clothes suited for exercise. Before he went to the training room, he stopped by the secretary’s office and called for Cha Si-eun. She put down the documents she’d been organizing. 

“You called for me?”

“I’m going to the training room for a special session. Please take care of everything while I’m there.”

“Excuse me? How long are you thinking of staying there?”

“About two weeks.”

“…Wait. You’re not gonna come out of the training room for two weeks?”

“It has a shower and a sleeping bag, so I can sleep there.”

“How about food? Shall I send meals?”

“No. This is good enough.” Seo Jun-ho shook a small wooden case. They were pills made of grain, pine needles, prunes, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and other similar ingredients based on the diet of Shaolin monks. They were ground and turned into bead-shaped pills and were the most convenient way to get all the nutrients he needed. 

They were expensive because I got them from the Black Market, but there’s a small amount of magic in them too. It was the best way to keep his body running. 

Cha Si-eun let out a light sigh and nodded. “Understood. For now, I’ll reject all personal commission requests and put commercial offers, advertisement offers, and sponsorships on hold.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope you have good results.” 

Cha Si-eun saw him off, and Seo Jun-ho headed to the training room. 

* * *

“Contractor, you can currently use two different elements.” The Frost Queen paced back and forth in front of him with her hands clasped behind her back. “The first is Darkness, and the second is Frost, which is the same as mine. Am I wrong?” 

(TN: ‘Frost’ skill is separate from the element. Also, from now on attributes → elements.)

“No, that’s right. But why do you bring it up?”

“In order to use elements, you must first understand precisely what that energy is. Let me test you. What do you think Darkness is like?”

“It’s violent and prideful, disregards others, and has a scornful nature.”

“Hoo, a decent answer. Then what do you think Frost is like?”

“…Cold?”

“Haa.” She let out a disdainful sigh. “Well, there’s no helping it. It’s only been three months since you’ve started using Frost…” She muttered to herself. 

“You could say that the Frost element is a jack of all trades. It is more aloof, haughty, and elegant than all other energies.”

“Makes sense.” Seo Jun-ho nodded in understanding. “I think I know what you’re saying. I have to balance out the battlefield.”

“Ah! Good, your head isn’t just for decoration.” She clapped and spoke cheerfully. “You are correct. Darkness, Fire, and Wind are all suited for the offensive and don’t work too well in defense. Conversely, elements like Water and Earth are best used for the defensive and are wasted on attacks.”

As she said, players who could only use one element were either offensive or defensive in battle. On the other hand, players who could use two or more were all-rounders. 

“I will teach you how to use the Frost element. But before that…” The Frost Queen pointed her finger. At her command, a number of weapons, armor, and shields appeared in the air. 

“Make duplicates of each one. I shall teach you thereafter.”

“Huh? Wait. I don’t want to focus on making equipment.” He tried to refuse, but the Frost Queen was stubborn. 

“Those who use the Frost element are respected by others and called one-man armies. Do you know why?”

“…Because they can create all the weapons needed, for one.” Seo Jun-ho knew that all too well. “I’ve fought them before. It’s annoying to fight enemies who keep changing and replacing their weapons.” 

The Frost Queen had done that as well. She smiled and nodded. 

“I still recall that battle fondly.”

“Not me.”

He’d just wanted to quickly defeat her and save his friends. But her shield was stubbornly strong, and her swords and spears were as sharp as they were cold. 

“If you understand, then get to it.” She crossed her legs and jutted her chin. “Make them.”

* * *

Seo Jun-ho’s eyes were closed and his face was damp with sweat. Considering that the room was chilly because of his continuous use of the Frost skill, it meant that he was sweating profusely. 

This is the handle… Eyes still closed, he slowly moved his hand. He pictured the Frost Queen’s sword and created a similar one. 

Crackle. Every time he moved his hand a bit, the moisture in the air would freeze into the shape of a sword. 

“Phew!” He finished the sword and looked nervously up at the Frost Queen. She grinned and held out her hand. 

“Show me.”

The sword floated in the air toward her. Whenever she moved her finger, the sword would turn and spin so she could inspect the details. It only took ten seconds for her to make her decision. 

“Rejected,” she said firmly. She shattered his sword. 

“Ugh, why?” Seo Jun-ho cried out. He’d already made dozens of other attempts. He needed to make a hundred swords, but not a single one had succeeded yet. Half a day had already passed. 

“The blade isn’t sharp enough and needs to be angled about five degrees higher. The center of weight is also a mess.”

“Dammit.” He felt like she was being too strict. It wasn’t like he was gonna be a blacksmith or something. Still, he was too prideful to ask her to be lax.

I feel like she’s getting back at me for not letting her drink the tea this morning. 

Either way, she had good reasons to reject him. Like she said, his sword wasn’t good enough. 

I’ll wipe that grin off her face. 

With a new fire burning inside of him, Seo Jun-ho started to think about how he could fix this attempt’s mistakes. 

Meanwhile, the Frost Queen looked at him, deep in thought. 

He is… quite a formidable human. 

The weapons she made were national-level weapons that were kept in Niflheim’s royal armory. They came up in fairytales and legends. It wasn’t something a human could make just by looking at it a few times. 

But he can replicate Fragarach’s appearance at 62% with only 34 attempts…

(TN: In Irish mythology, Fragarach was the sword of Nuada, the first high king.)

At first, she’d been planning to tease him a bit and then start teaching him properly, but now she wasn’t sure. She was curious to see what would happen first: him creating the sword, or him giving up.

Watching the human grow is also enjoyable. Twenty-five years ago, Seo Jun-ho was so strong that she didn’t believe it was the strength of a human from Earth.

Being weakened had almost broken her. But what if someone could inherit her essence?

I… I may be raising a monster. 

She smiled. If that was true, things would become even more fun.