The One Who Saved a World Before Will be Best at Saving Another

Chapter 59

I heard a faint sound, like something breaking.

The thermometer floating above my head shattered. The crushing heat smothering my body also vanished.

“That must mean my temperature’s back to normal.”

When people fall into hypothermia, they often feel the urge to strip their clothes off. The fact that I no longer felt that way meant my body temperature had finally stabilized.

Freedom. Han Sang-ah’s strike had landed, and the gamble we agreed on had paid off.

“Good. Now that Han Sang-ah did her part,”

I twirled my spear and smiled up at the woman floating in the air.

“Now it’s my turn to do mine.”

Her effort bore fruit, shattering the annoying thermometer that had been hanging over me.

“I’ll melt you down slowly.”

Hang Sang-ah’s role was finished. Which meant I didn’t care if it took me days to bring this monster down. I no longer needed to maintain a delicate distance either.

Every condition that had bound me was gone.

“My body isn’t in the best shape though.”

Hypothermia had left me sluggish. I had accepted that risk for her sake. I still had a gaping hole in my side as a souvenir.

Still, that was nothing. Leaning on my spear, I steadied myself.

“Let’s see how long you can keep up with me.”

The first one to tire would die. I pulled back the Paradoxical Flame I’d been using to burn curses out of the ice. In a drawn-out fight I would need them elsewhere.

How long has it been after that?

At last, the monster facing me looked at me with disbelief. The once-regal queenly figure was now marred with scratches and punctures.

“So that makes it over two weeks.”

Two weeks, two days, and three hours, to be exact. The monster who had once seemed incapable of changing expression now looked utterly exhausted.

Neither of us had landed a killing blow, but countless small wounds had piled up like raindrops.

― I’ve never seen such a lunatic… fight like you. Maybe if a cockroach and a leech mated, their spawn would turn out like you.

At first it had driven me furiously, but that strength was gone.

“People say life’s a marathon.”

A wave of drowsiness tried to claim me. I burned it away with my black flame and raised my spear as I slowly walked up.

“Farewell.”

The spear extended, piercing the monster’s heart. It stared at the weapon skewering its chest and muttered incredulously.

― To die of exhaustion? I had prepared for death someday, but this is…

Its words trailed off as its body slowly crystallized into ice, starting from the toes, creeping up the legs, hips, torso, and chest. Finally it fully became solid ice.

Then it collapsed and broke into shards. The look frozen on its face was one of sheer futility.

“Sorry that I couldn’t give you the kind of fight that makes your heart race.”

I can never offer something like that. Anyone who fought me left this world with dissatisfaction on their face, because their end was never what they wanted.

I shortened my spear down to the size of a dagger and hooked it at my belt.

“Oh, a chest.”

From the floor, snow rose and hardened into the shape of a massive chest.

― Looks like it’s over.

For the first time in two weeks, Han Sang-ah’s voice came through the comm.

“Dude, I thought you were dead.”

She answered.

― My part was done. Talking would’ve just distracted you.

So she’d spent two weeks doing nothing? That girl was really something else.

“Go on, open yours.”

I hadn’t cleared this Erosion Core alone. Naturally she’d have the same chest waiting for her.

“After all that, if it’s just a spam ham set I’ll be pissed.”

I opened it slowly.

“A ring, huh.”

It was a platinum ring with sapphire. I examined it with my intelligence and sighed.

“Jeez. Whoever made this was a freak.”

Once worn, needles sprouted from inside, piercing the finger and anchoring deep enough to bore into bone.

It’d be painful, but only momentarily. And the effect it granted was superb.

“The Amulet of Dominion, was it called.”

Back in the other world, there had been an item by that name. Those who failed to resist the power would collapse flat to the ground, unable to even raise their heads.

This ring worked the same way. At my will, it would try to freeze my opponent in place.

Anyone without a proper countermeasure would be iced over instantly.

Even those who resisted would be forced to fight while constantly burning power to hold it off.

Below a certain level, foes froze outright. Above that, their movements were still shackled.

The greatest advantage of this ring was that it completely blocked one whole strategy from an opponent.

“When facing me, summoning hordes is no longer an option.”

Sheer numbers couldn’t save them. There would always be weak links in a mob, and those would freeze before they ever reached me.

I had seen the effect of the Amulet of Dominion before.

Sighing, I slid the ring onto my finger.

“Sorry, my poor finger.”

The needles punched through flesh and bone. Sharp pain lanced up.

The moment it settled, I was back at the spot where we had first entered the Erosion Core. Han Sang-ah stood there scratching her matted hair, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“You’re telling meI fought for two weeks straight while you just slept?”

“It’s not like I could’ve helped you even if I was awake.”

She answered easily.

“And why is your hair like that?”

Her hair was streaked with white here and there.

“I don’t know. Looks like you got a ring though.”

Her reward was a long coat. It wasn’t just any coat either. Its magic resistance was insane.

Only overwhelming power could harm her through it. On top of that, it cut the force of all physical blows in half.

“What?”

She held out her hand to me.

“High five.”

With an incredulous look, I put my hand to hers. Clap.

“You did well.”

“Yeah. You too.”

And the rewards waiting for us ahead would be sweet too. We had cleared a first class Erosion Core without Lee Se-eun’s help.

“…”

A vibration rang out. Han Sang-ah pulled out her smartphone. The fact that she was getting a call here, in the middle of this desolate field, meant it had to be a satellite phone.

“Yes, Grandfather. That’s right. We just returned from the Erosion Core.”

Grandfather? I looked at her after hearing that. That would mean the chairman of Geumyang Group. He was a man with enough money to topple a couple nations if he wanted, and that was not an exaggeration.

“I’m surprised the news spread that quickly. No, I’m not saying it’s wrong for you to worry about your granddaughter.”

So he already knew huh. She spoke to him in her usual dry tone.

“I think that it would be proper to ask his opinion too. One moment.”

She paused and looked at me.

“Grandfather wants to have a meal with you.”

“With me?”

She nodded.

“He wants it as soon as we’re back in Korea.”

“…I’d be honored.”

She nodded again and returned to the call.

“He says he’d actually be honored. Yes, understood.”

Not long after the call ended, people arrived.

* * *

The Hunters deployed to the Bratsk Refrigerator took a visit to Lee Se-eun, with their faces worn.

“Hunter Lee Se-eun. We still have no word.”

She exhaled smoke from her pipe, lounging in a folding chair.

“Which means they’re not dead yet.”

“It’s been over two weeks already.”

She dangled her hand from the armrest and nodded.

“Yeah, I can count too. I think you should be a little more patient.”

One could say two weeks already, but also only two weeks as well, depending on perspective.

“This is a first class Erosion Core.”

“When you cleared one, it took five days, Hunter Lee Se-eun.”

Lee Se-eun rose at last and gazed at the person that spoke to her.

“That’s right, it took five days my first time. A week isn’t unreasonable, is it?”

They were panicking early, simply because they were nervous.

“There has been nothing for over two weeks.”

“I guess someone apparently developed comms inside Erosion Cores without telling me huh.”

Communication inside was impossible. They knew that, yet complained anyway.

“Even the operator team Seagull is waiting calmly.”

Her words clenched the Hunter’s fist. They knew that as well. But that didn’t mean Seagull was calm while waiting for the news.

Inside of their team, endless debates raged over what to do next. Not only them, but most of the Hunters who had joined this case were in constant discussion about what measures to take next.

“We’re just worried about your reputation.”

That much was likely true. Everyone here was acting under the strength of her name. If it failed, her name would suffer.

In truth, she should have been the most nervous of all in this situation.

“I’m fine.”

But she was calm. She had trained with Yoo Chan-seok and Han Sang-ah in Britain for a long time. She knew how Yoo Chan-seok fought.

If he had failed, he would have been back long ago. The fact that there was still no word after two weeks meant he was still in there, fighting in his own style.

There was no reason to worry.

But of course, other people didn’t know Yoo Chan-seok’s fighting style.

“Honestly, who could even imagine such a thing.”

“Eh?”

She gave no answer. Instead of answering, Lee Se-eun took out a thermos, poured tea until the lid was half full, then filled the other half with honey.

Yoo Chan-seok never fought with minutes or hours in mind. His scale was different.

“It’s nothing.”

Not just two weeks, but it could take more than a month even. But the longer it went, the more likely he was to succeed.

― Report. Report. As of now, the Bratsk Erosion Core, the Refrigerator, has been confirmed destroyed. Repeat, the Bratsk Erosion Core has been destroyed as of…

Hearing the comm, Lee Se-eun smiled, drained her syrupy tea, and rose, tapping ash from her pipe.

See? He melted it down in the end.

“Now things will get noisy.”

A first class Erosion Core was successfully destroyed. Moreover, the ones inside had been considered rookies.

Not just that, but the Hunter who cleared it was not the kind to stop at just clearing only one.