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chapter 91
Chiiik—
『Beta, area cleared.』
『Gamma, area cleared. Survivor rescue complete. Out of 33 members of the White Night Unit, 19 survived. I repeat, 19 out of 33 confirmed alive. Returning to base camp.』
Reports flowed through the radio.
It meant there was no longer any need to worry about enemies at the foot of the mountain.
Kim Min-jeong, having just finished eliminating the remnants herself, let out a deep sigh of relief.
Chzzzt—
『Alpha, the crater area is also cleared. But the leader is currently engaged with the enemy commander.』
Raising her binoculars toward the frozen crater, Kim Min-jeong continued listening.
Perhaps because Lee Hyun had already blasted it once with a thunderous strike, the cracked ice now let magma and smoke seep through, as if the volcano was ready to awaken again.
『Requesting partial unit support.』
Chiiik—
『Beta, order confirmed. Will hand survivors over to Gamma and move to provide support.』
『Gamma, order confirmed.』
Pingxin—the unit said to be born as an imitation of Cheong-rye (Blue Thunder)—was undeniably strong.
Even compared to the countless foreign special forces Cheong-rye had fought against, it wasn’t inferior in the least.
Which meant they could never afford to drop their guard until the very end.
Even for a raid in this snowbound stage reminiscent of the Palace of Ice…
‘Seo Chang-woo…’
Kim Min-jeong bit her lower lip.
‘Why on earth are you people doing all of this?’
The Gangneung Incident four years ago was still a deep trauma for her.
The annihilation of comrades she once laughed and joked with.
The forced retirement of the leader she trusted.
The sudden, compulsory disbanding of the unit.
One disaster after another, too cruel to process.
Many comrades took off their uniforms after the unit was disbanded for that exact reason.
Because as long as they wore them, the pain of that day haunted them endlessly.
It was PTSD.
Even those with the strongest mental fortitude had been unable to breathe properly during that time.
So even Kim Min-jeong—who once intended to dedicate her entire life to the military and the nation like her soldier parents—was forced to take off the uniform in the end.
The spark that triggered it all was the Palace of Ice.
And now—
Seo Chang-woo’s faction was flaunting the power they had gained there as if mocking them.
Creating Pingxin.
And now, attempting to trigger a dungeon break on Ulleungdo.
‘If all you wanted was power, you could’ve just used it for yourselves. Why cling so desperately to tormenting us as well…?’
That was the very reason she accepted General Lee Gun-san’s call and joined this operation.
She wanted to know.
What wrong had they committed against Seo Chang-woo’s group…
‘That you would remain so vicious, even after all this time?’
She wanted to drag that answer from them—then sever their heads.
To end the specter that had tormented her for four long years.
And surely, her comrades felt the same.
‘If that’s the way you want it, then we have no choice but to fight to the end.’
Her eyes glinted coldly at that very moment.
Kuuuuuuuumble—
The crater shook violently.
Was it about to erupt?
BOOOOOM!!
Before the eruption, the entire ice sheet shattered, and a pillar of blue-white light soared into the sky.
At its peak stood Lee Hyun.
‘Senior!’
Unscathed, despite having dived into molten lava.
Yet the cold smile at his lips brimmed with murderous intent. It was chilling.
“……!?”
Kim Min-jeong hastily raised her rifle, pressing her eye against the scope.
A shadow chased after Lee Hyun.
‘Jang Baek-eun.’
Her old friend and fellow history major.
Clad in armor like a medieval knight.
But—
‘No, that’s not him.’
Something was off. He had Jang Baek-eun’s face, yet it felt like someone else was wearing it.
Like another being was hiding beneath his skin.
Could it be an ice spirit’s possession, like with Cheng Xiao?
‘No… no, it can’t be. Don’t tell me…!’
Her eyes widened as she realized the truth.
“……Fuu.”
She steadied her breath, forcing her racing pulse to calm.
If her suspicion was right, she had to act carefully from here on.
She would only get one chance.
One chance to deliver a fatal shot.
She focused all her senses into the scope, finger slowly tightening on the trigger.
Shweeeek—
As he rocketed skyward, Lee Hyun thought one thing:
How utterly ugly Jang Bai-yan’s twisted face was.
How did a man live with such a face?
Did Chinese people just not care about appearances?
‘A shard of Pure Ice Crystal. But wielding that in front of its original owner? Of course it won’t work.’
If he had to name the skill that had grown the most during this fight, it would be the Emblem of Permafrost.
[The relic: Emblem of Permafrost has greatly increased in mastery. Multiple functions unlocked.]
[Link circuits with six auxiliary bodily functions strengthened. Physical capacity enhanced.]
[Overall stats increased by 5.]
Pure Ice Crystal wasn’t just the Snow Queen’s relic.
It was her very heart—her dungeon core.
The chill it contained was beyond imagination.
At last, Lee Hyun understood her words: that the Ring of Permafrost was not a curse.
‘The Ring of Permafrost… it’s how the Snow Queen built her palace and ruled her subjects. A karmic brand carved into the soul itself.’
What had tormented him for four years hadn’t been a curse.
It was the lingering fragment of her soul.
Which was why, once he dispelled the curse, her consciousness had awakened inside his subconscious.
‘So the more shards of Pure Ice Crystal I absorb, the more rings I reclaim, the stronger her saga becomes.’
That was also why he could absorb not just the shards but the entire glacier covering the crater.
[The <Snow Queen>’s saga says much is still missing before it can recover its strength.]
[The <Snow Queen>’s saga demands more blood from your enemies.]
‘Just wait. He’s nothing more than a small fry.’
Lee Hyun sharpened his inner sight.
[Relic: Fire-Eyed Golden Crystal tracks the enemy’s movement!]
Jang Bai-yan, unable to keep up, activated his baptism to chase.
‘Wait… that’s not just ice crystal. He’s fused his own myth as well?’
Jang Bai-yan’s mythic legacy: Gu Tu.
The toad god said to dwell on the moon.
[Gu Tu]
An immortal from the legend of Chang’e of the Moon Palace. Sometimes her guardian, sometimes a god in its own right. Symbolizes poison, regeneration, and the moon’s hidden face.
-Origin: Classic of Mountains and Seas
Possessing strong yin energy, it wasn’t strange that he could activate both baptism and possession simultaneously.
Having lost his ice crystal, his mana, this was his last resort.
[The <Snow Queen>’s saga explains that the vassal he now possesses was one she cherished deeply.]
[The <Snow Queen>’s saga warns that this was her First Knight. Extreme caution advised.]
Lee Hyun’s eyes sharpened.
‘The knight commander who guarded the boss room of the Palace of Ice… That one.’
He remembered it vividly—nearly impossible to defeat even after activating authority.
Shh-shhh!
Jang Bai-yan slashed the air with his sword.
Too clean for a mere sorcerer’s hands.
[Blades of ice rain down!]
Sword aura.
Dozens of blades cut toward him.
Flash! Flash!
Lee Hyun struck them down with the Fangs of Taotie. Ice shards scattered, followed by a cloud of mist.
Whoosh!
As he swept the fog aside, Jang Bai-yan was already gone.
[Combat Sense (S) warns of an ambush!]
Behind him—
Slashhh!
The sword cleaved through his torso.
But—
Fwoooosh!
It was an afterimage.
[Afterimage of Gale Wind detonates.]
[Lightning strikes down!]
BOOOOOM!!
The phantom exploded, thunder crashing down with it.
“Khk!!”
Crossing his arms, Jang Bai-yan blocked, but the shockwave slammed him into the ground.
The ice crater, already half-melted, bubbled with magma.
BOOOM!!
As he crashed, shards of ice sprayed.
[You step on the Shade’s Footsteps and appear.]
Lee Hyun reappeared half a beat later, axe swinging down.
But—
Clang!
Jang Bai-yan twisted midair, blocking. At the same time, his left hand whipped his belt free, snapping it like a lash.
The belt bristled with icy spikes.
[The Goblin’s Collar flutters!]
Too late to dodge.
Lee Hyun raised his defenses to maximum, blocking the strike. His clothes tore anyway.
Jang Bai-yan pressed close, dagger stabbing in sharp, feral movements.
‘Just like then.’
He remembered—how many Cheong-rye soldiers nearly died before the Ice Palace boss room.
He himself had nearly lost an arm.
Wiiiing!
Suddenly, something spun inside his mind.
[Gin-goa activates rapidly, boosting intuition!]
The world seemed to slow.
Reading Jang Bai-yan’s next move, Lee Hyun slammed his axe upward.
Clang!
Steel clashed. Time snapped back to normal.
But Gin-goa left behind a trace—a vivid predictive line of the enemy’s next strike.
Crack-crack!
Lightning roared.
The clash intensified, both striking with elemental fury.
The ground shook. The ice buckled like a seesaw, magma bubbling higher.
Cracks deepened beneath their feet.
“KAAAAH!!”
Jang Bai-yan howled.
He should’ve been stronger as a high-ranker. Yet he couldn’t even land a decisive blow.
[Stacks accumulated.]
[Lightning falls!]
He leapt back just in time, lightning smashing where he had stood.
But that was a mistake.
Crkkk—
The fragile ice collapsed.
Splash!
Jang Bai-yan plunged into lava.
Lee Hyun, activating the Ogre’s Trust, hurled his axe into the pit.
[The Ogre’s Fury detonates!]
CRRRACK-BOOOOOM!!
Blue-white lightning struck the axe, amplifying its power.
He intended to bury Jang Bai-yan deep beneath the crater, never to return.
To be certain, he even invoked the Immortal Iron Bead.
But then—
[Combat Sense (S) reacts sharply to an unknown presence!]
‘…What?’
He felt Jang Bai-yan’s aura suddenly shift.
Fwoooosh!!
Just before sinking, Jang Bai-yan stomped hard on the lava’s surface.
Crack-crack-crack!
The molten lake froze over in an instant.
His sword slashed upward.
CLANG!!
The axe ricocheted away. The lightning froze, then shattered into powder.
A snowstorm swirled, forming a barrier that blocked even the Iron Bead.
Chaaang!
A divine technique, hidden until now.
And then—
Whoosh!
He hurled his sword straight at Lee Hyun.
So fast, so fierce.
Clang!
Lee Hyun deflected it aside, though his wrist throbbed painfully.
And Jang Bai-yan—
He was smiling.
An unpleasant, familiar smile.
Lee Hyun’s face stiffened.
He knew who it was.
Jang Bai-yan was gone.
‘Seo Chang-woo.’
And then—
A new voice overlapped his.
A voice Lee Hyun could never forget.
“Been a while, friend. You’ve grown ruthless since I last saw you.”
In that instant—
CRACK!!
Lightning blazed from Lee Hyun’s eyes.
