The Frozen Player Returns

always happens.”

“No, that’s not it.
A newbie has appeared, but they’re the real thing.”

Gong Ju-Ha took another swing of her coffee.
“So they’re good at fighting? It’s not like they’re the only ones.
There are a lot of talented newbies out there,” she said, unimpressed.

“This one’s different.
They’ve been winning continuously with the challenge system.”

“…The challenge system?” She vaguely remembered it.
She tilted her head.
“Isn’t that the one where it pairs you with people of a higher level than you?”

“That’s right.
They’ve been using it from their very first day, and they even won against a level 120 opponent.”

“Well, level differences don’t really matter past 100.”

“But they’re level 76.”

“Pffft!” Ju-Ha spat her coffee out.
“A-a level 76 Player won against a level 120 Player?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

She tilted her head as they made a fuss.
“Has something changed since I stopped using matching? Do they give advantages to lower-level participants?”

“Of course not…”

“You know how there was the whole issue about there being a bug in the matching system? This guy’s the one responsible for that.”

“And you know what’s even more surprising? Administrator Reiji posted an announcement herself.”

“…Reiji? The 2nd floor Administrator?”

“Yes.
Check it.”

’

Gong Ju-Ha’s eyes went wide as she opened the community forums.
There was a new announcement post, with a NEW icon attached to its top corner.

 

[Announcement]

I checked the notorious Player, but it was their skills, not a bug.
So stop sending me complaints, you bastards.

 

“Wow… It’s real.”

When it came to the 2nd floor Administrator Reiji, the Players considered it lucky if she opened the Administrator’s shop.
She had “lazy” written all over her face, but she actually went so far as to make an announcement this time.

“She said it’s their skills, not a bug… That means she investigated it, right?” Gong Ju-Ha asked.

“I believe so.
No matter how lazy she is, she’s still an Administrator.”

“…That means the level 76 Player has really defeated a level 120 Player.”

“And they also have 13 consecutive wins.”

“It’s 27 wins and 0 losses now, actually.”

“Even though we don’t know exactly how many points they’ve earned by now, everyone's jealous.”

“…” Gong Ju-Ha was lost in thought.
It wasn’t actually impossible for a level 76 Player to defeat a level 120 Player.
Gong Ju-Ha was confident that she could’ve defeated most level 120 Players at level 76.

‘But I’ve never actually tested it.
The Matching system’s pretty new, after all.’ 

Plus, there was only one day left until the Administrator’s shop opened.
Players who regularly participated in Matching would be especially eager to win because it would determine whether or not they could buy the items they wanted.

“What weapon do they use?” she asked.

“Everything,” a member replied.

“What do you mean, everything?”

“Apparently, they pretty much use every weapon in the book.”

“Everyone who’s fought against him says something different.”

“So far, they’ve used 23 different weapons.
They even used a gun, apparently.”

“…What’s with that?” Gong Ju-Ha muttered.
This sounded like a true Specter copycat… “Oh my god! What if it really is Specter-nim?”

’

She was the only one who had guessed the truth, but the other Guild members shot her down.

“Come on, that’s impossible.”

“He’s on the 1st floor right now.”

“And he should at least be level 80.
This guy’s level 76.”

“It’s not like he’s the only one who has mastered multiple weapons.”

“Ah… You’re right.” She scratched her head.
“I just had a thought.
What if Specter-nim’s level was reset to level 1 and he started using the matching system while leveling up?”

“That’s too much, Princess.”

“Yeah, I can’t defend you for this.”

“R-right?” Embarrassed, she changed the subject.
“Do we know what skills they have?”

“I think they have a physical enhancement skill.”

“Physical enhancement… That’s more ordinary than I thought.”

“You’ll eat those words if you actually fight them yourself,” a Guild member said, laughing.
They laid back in the chair.
“I’ve actually fought them.
That guy… They were pretty good.”

“They talk as if they won, but this guy lost 20,000 PP.”

“Hey, I stayed up all night getting them back.
The Administrator’s shop is opening tomorrow.”

“…Is the newbie really that strong?” Gong Ju-Ha was unexpectedly interested.
Her competitive spirit as a professional Player was piqued.

“To be honest, I can’t imagine you losing.
But the same is true for this guy.
How should I put this… It felt like they had no openings.
Simply flawless.
It took my breath away.”

“…Hmm.” 

Just how strong was this guy for the Guild members to be saying this? Since they were part of the Big 6, they were elites that Gong Ju-Ha had hand-picked from all over the country.
Even after becoming professional Players, they were still in the top 0.01%.

‘These guys have a lot of pride, but they’re praising the newbie so much…’ 

She was starting to get curious about just how strong this opponent was.

“What’s that person’s nickname?” she asked innocently.

1.
The phrase for “momentum” 파죽지세 is changed by one character to read as “rockslide” 파석지세 ☜