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“Ptoo!” Seo Jun-Ho spat the charred tissues of his organs. He felt his body recover ever so slowly thanks to Cell Regeneration (A).
‘My internal organs were damaged. Maybe it’s from the sudden deluge of magic energy.’
The intense storm of magic had occurred inside of him rather than outside, so it had grazed past his organs. To protect them, he had to obtain suitable ‘resistance.’
“Contractor, would you like some water? Rest.”
“It’s not so bad that I need to rest,” Seo Jun-Ho replied. His face was pale as he re-assumed the lotus position. Compared to all the countless thorny paths he had walked so far, this was actually quite on the easier side. “This is good, actually.”
He thought that the World Tree had given him very suitable Quests.
‘After all, she gave me what I need most.’
Time.
He had recently gone through rapid growth, with his stats increasing by twice their original number. However, if someone asked him if he could use all of that power, the answer would obviously be ‘no.’
‘Because I didn’t have time to adjust to all that strength.’
Right now, he was going through a type of growing pains. He was planning to take his time and slowly adapt to his power, and the World Tree had coincidentally given him time to do just that.
‘I understand why they call her the tree of wisdom now.’
It was as if she had looked into the future and arranged all these for him. He actually felt a little touched by what she had done.
Seo Jun-Ho slowly closed his eyes. “Let’s take it one firm step at a time.”
He still had 361 chances left. He ‘only’ had to complete five Quests during those chances.
Seo Jun-Ho leisurely made up his mind.
‘Even if I steel myself ahead of time, it’s not like any new shortcuts are going to appear.’
He believed in himself. He believed in the man the World Tree believed in.
“Let’s start.”
Magic started to speed through his ragged circuits once more.
***
A month and a half later, the party was done with their ten Quests and said their farewells to Seo Jun-Ho.
“We’ll gather information for you in the next city.”
“I’ll contact you.”
“Don’t skip meals, and make sure you’re eating well.”
“Please do not push yourself too hard.”
“...Bye.”
He watched their backs disappear in a daze before returning to the training room. As he stared at the empty room, he felt a sense of emptiness for some reason. It felt like he had just come home from a vacation to return to his cold, empty house by himself.
“Do you feel lonely?” the Frost Queen asked.
“Not really. It’s not like it’ll be much different from what I have done until now.”
The only time he had been able to speak with them was during mealtimes anyway. Aside from those times, he poured all his time into sharpening his Overclocking. And now, he reaped the fruits of his labor.
[You have been injured by magic.]
[Your cells have acquired the lowest-level Magic Resistance.]
[Magic Resistance has increased to low-level.]
[Magic Resistance has increased to mid-level.]
[Magic Resistance has increased to high-level.]
Magic Resistance…
Thanks to that, no matter how much he used Overclocking, his organs didn’t get torn apart.
“Let’s just practice.”
He pushed aside his melancholy and gathered his magic energy.
Seventy percent…
Eighty percent…
Ninety percent…
Even when his output shot up to ninety-two percent in an instant, he was able to maintain it with no trouble.
“Hoo…”
He let out a small exhale as the output started to stabilize.
His goal for today was to complete the first Quest.
‘I can reach ninety-five percent output, but it doesn’t last that long.’
However, he stumbled upon a wall when trying to maintain it for an hour. It was already his second week being stuck at maintaining it for ten minutes, so he ended up deciding to just be extra stubborn.
‘I’ll get help from Midnight Sun.’
The armor enhanced ice-based abilities. Thus, it would strengthen the Frost-infused energy in his circuits. As such, it would certainly be more effective at cooling down the heat created from Overclocking running at ninety-five percent output.
“Reconsider this. It will be dangerous,” said the Frost Queen.
“The last time you said that, my Magic Resistance all the way up to high-level, so it’ll be fine.”
The Frost Queen was worried about the exceptional ice-enhancing effects of the armor. “That power cannot be controlled, so it will be even more dangerous…”
“There’s nothing else I can do, so I’ll just have to risk it.”
With all his preparations complete, Seo Jun-Ho touched Midnight Sun with his magic power, and the white armor covered his body.
Just in case, he made a request to the Frost Queen. “On the off chance that I end up being a cripple, don’t hesitate and just kill me off.”
“...”
The Frost Queen didn’t reply. Rather, she gave him a cold stare and turned her head.
But before Seo Jun-Ho could even say anything else, his face darkened.
‘It’s coming.’
Fwoooosh!
Just as Midnight Sun’s enhancement effect activated, the magic running through his circuits became much colder.
‘...Ugh!’
An intense cold grazed through his body. At this point, it felt like cooling down the heat was the least of his problems. He felt like his whole body would freeze over at any moment.
Seo Jun-Ho hurriedly summoned an even greater amount of magic energy, heating up his circuits. With the magic running through his body a hundred times a second, his body actually vibrated.
‘I-I have to hold on…’
A tug-of-war between the untamed heat and cold began. As the Frost Queen watched, her face grew shocked, and she uncrossed her arms.
“Contractor, are you alright?”
Seo Jun-Ho was already in a state where he couldn’t even respond. He had already jumped on the back of a raging tiger. If he let go of the reins now, the uncontrolled magic would definitely snap and backlash.
‘And then I’ll die...’
As cold sweat started to drip down his body, Seo Jun-Ho remained steadfast, holding onto his determination.
‘No looking back. I’ll go all the way to the end.’
Ninety-three percent…
Ninety-four percent…
Ninety-five percent…
The output continued to increase, and it eventually reached ninety-five percent. His body repeatedly cycled through hot and cold. He would sweat, and then his sweat would freeze over and over again.
‘J-just a little more!’
Every time the magic energy made a lap through his circuits, the shadow of death loomed closer and closer. However, Jun-Ho won over the pressure and started pushing out even more magic as if he couldn’t stop doing it.
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump!
Scarily, his heart started to pound like it had gone haywire. Most people wouldn’t be able to hold out any longer at this point, but Seo Jun-Ho was different.
‘This is the turning point.’
If he could just stabilize and maintain his current state, he felt like he could keep it going for an hour.
By then, the first Quest would be complete, and he could go on to the next.
‘But what about after?’
If he decided on his limit right now and stepped back once he reached it, he wouldn’t be able to perfect his technique by reaching a hundred percent output.
If he didn’t do it right now, he strongly felt that he wouldn’t be able to reach it again.
‘Go big or go home.’
As he endured the excruciating pain, his lips curled up. He wasn’t thinking about the pain any longer, which surprised even himself.
‘From the very beginning… There was only one path.’
Having made up his mind, a storm started within him once more. The magic energy sped through him senselessly at several hundred laps per second, and his body started to burn with heat so powerful even the enhanced frost energy struggled to hold it down.
‘...!’
Hot and cold breaths alternated out of his parted lips. In the face of the nonstop outbursts of magic and pain, even his tenacious willpower started to waver.
His body quivered. Blood started to drip between his gritted teeth.
‘I-I can’t…’
He couldn’t go any longer.
He squeezed his eyes shut, about to accept his loss.
[Magic Resistance has increased to the highest-level.]
Fwooosh!
Amazingly, the energies inside his body felt as if they had made peace and settled down to equilibrium.
And that was when Seo Jun-Ho realized it…
‘Oh, this is…’
A hundred percent Overclocking output.
This was the peak of Overclocking he had been dreaming of achieving.
His eyes flashed open, and there seemed to be a small galaxy within his pupils.
“How pretty, they’re like gems…” the Frost Queen muttered. Just as she did, the stars started to fade.
However, Seo Jun-Ho’s power was still there.
“...”
He forcefully squeezed his hand into a fist, and the pressurized air exploded and shattered a mirror on the wall.
“Eek!” Startled, the Frost Queen covered her head and crouched. The mirror’s sudden destruction had scared her.
Seo Jun-Ho comforted her and stood up before checking his body.
‘...It feels different from Body Transformation.’
Back then, it felt cool and refreshing as if he were in a new body.
This was different. His confidence was overflowing as if there was something immovable and sturdy within him.
‘The output is at a hundred percent, but it’s shockingly stable.’
His magic energy wasn’t oscillating uncontrollably. Now, it felt like it was just flowing through his circuits like a placid river, indifferent to the world.
“This feels pretty nice.”
When he was cleaning up the broken shards of the mirror with the Frost Queen, a System message appeared.
[You have completed the First Quest.]
[The Second Quest has been revealed.]
He tapped on the window and skimmed through the text.
[Second Quest]
Requirements: Use the vending machines and reach 500 in all stats.
“Huh?” Seo Jun-Ho blinked. All his stats were already over 500, though?
The System realized it a second too late, but it quickly sent another message.
[You have completed the Second Quest.]
[The Third Quest has been revealed.]
‘I guess the World Tree doesn’t know everything.’
To be fair, it was difficult to find an individual Player in this day and age with an average stat of 500 points.
When Seo Jun-Ho saw the third Quest, he froze.
[Third Quest]
Requirements: Destroy Erebo’s hivemind by yourself.
“What? How are you supposed to achieve this?!” the Frost Queen exclaimed, reading over his shoulder.
“The World Tree is insane!” she said over and over.
Seo Jun-Ho’s face grew contemplative.
‘Is it possible?’
He tried to look at it objectively with his current state. Certainly, compared to his previous limit of eighty-five percent, an Overclocking output of a hundred percent gave him extraordinary power.
But that was all…
‘I’ve definitely grown stronger, but it’s not like I’ve gained some almighty power that can shake the world.’
His body had just become even stronger than before. In his current state, he couldn’t even conceive the idea of defeating Erebo by himself.
Moreover, if he wanted to kill Erebo, he also had to fight Erebo’s army of cockroaches.
“...”
His heart wavered. He checked the contents of the second Quest once more.
‘Reach 500 in all stats…’
He slowly closed his eyes.
The World Tree had never asked him to do something impossible, based on the first and the second Quest, at the least.
‘That means I should be able to complete the third Quest…’
If the World Tree was the tree of wisdom and could truly watch over all things, she would definitely only give him Quests his current self could handle.
‘That probably means I can kill Erebo by myself once I have fully adjusted to my new stats.’
Once he did, he should be able to use them and breeze through the battle.
Seo Jun-Ho quietly thought to himself.
‘How many times will it take?’
A hundred times? Two hundred? It was also possible that she gave him 365 chances for this Quest alone. If that was the case, he was going to fail more than 300 times.
“I’ll just give it a try.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes…”
In a joyful mood, he made a lot of delicious food with the Frost Queen that night. He made the food she wanted, and they relaxed together by watching dramas.
“Today was very entertaining. I wish that every day would be like today,” she remarked.
“I’ll hang out with you next time.”
Once he died, the Frost Queen’s memories would all disappear. The only person who would remember this day would be him.
‘Rather than fighting Erebo, it’ll be harder to fight against the loneliness.’
But he would emerge victorious…
Just like always…
When the Frost Queen started nodding off, Seo Jun-Ho went over and sat on the sofa. He drank a strong cup of coffee to wake himself up before running dozens—no, hundreds of simulations in his mind.
‘I don’t know.’
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
He didn’t know if he could kill all the bugs in this city by himself, and he didn’t know if he could destroy Erebo’s hivemind afterward. He couldn’t get a good grasp of how many lives he would have to use up to succeed.
“Zzz…”
As the Frost Queen started snoring next to him, Seo Jun-Ho was immersed in his own thoughts for a long time.