The Silver Lion Guild's guild master had sent Joon-seok straight into an A-rank dungeon.
When he arrived, he saw a team of eight standing together.
At the front was the leader—Ryu Jin-woo.
Behind him, the rest of the party was lined up.
The team:
Assassin, Im Seo-jun: Silent. Cold. Observant.
Archer, Seo Eun-ji: Sharp eyes… confident… completely quiet.
Main DPS, Park Tae-min: Aggressive. Loud. Always angry.
Mage, Yoon Hye-ri: Holding her staff calmly. Intelligent. Calculates everything.
Porter, Baek Ji-hoon: Friendly. Talkative. Always positive.
Healer, Cha Soo-min: Kind… but a little nervous.
And last… Kang Joon-seok: E-rank hunter. First time entering an A-rank gate.
"Move quickly!" Ryu Jin-woo shouted.
"The gate is about to close!"
One by one, everyone stepped inside.
Once inside, everyone paused.
Everywhere… it was white.
Ice.
Walls, floor, even the air… everything radiated cold.
Joon-seok took a slow breath.
What kind of dungeon is this…?
Everywhere… just ice.
An ice dungeon.
"Stay alert," Ryu Jin-woo's voice came from the front.
"I've heard about this type of dungeon from top hunters.
Ice dungeon… means ice monsters will be here."
Joon-seok narrowed his eyes.
He was right.
This is an A-rank dungeon… underestimating it would be suicide.
"Keep moving forward," Ryu Jin-woo signaled.
"And stay sharp."
The team slowly advanced.
Then—
Joon-seok froze.
…That sound?
Like something heavy moving…
Not just one… multiple things.
"Mr. Kang?" Ryu Jin-woo looked back.
"Why did you stop?"
Before Joon-seok could answer—
"Haha!" Park Tae-min laughed loudly.
"A kid… must be scared."
Joon-seok said nothing.
Just stayed silent.
Then Cha Soo-min stepped forward.
"Mr. Park, please be quiet," she said firmly.
"Don't bother him."
"Tch… idiots," Park Tae-min muttered, turning his face away.
Cha Soo-min approached Joon-seok.
"I'm Cha Soo-min," she said with a faint smile.
"And you must be Kang Joon-seok, right?"
"Yes," Joon-seok replied directly.
"…Thanks. For earlier."
"Oh… no problem," Cha Soo-min smiled lightly.
"Mr. Park has a good heart… he just says whatever comes to mind when he's angry."
"Don't take his words personally."
"Okay," Joon-seok said plainly.
But at that moment—
…he felt something strange.
The air grew heavy.
"Everyone, take your positions!" Ryu Jin-woo suddenly shouted.
"Something's coming… not one, but many!"
In the next second—
The ground shook.
In front of them… dozens of ice bears appeared.
Much bigger than normal bears…
Red eyes… drooling from their mouths…
And their gaze was fixed squarely on the team.
Joon-seok observed them carefully.
They're strong… but not unbeatable.
The real problem… lies inside.
He looked toward the cave.
A massive, oppressive aura was radiating from within…
The boss.
Then, one ice bear lunged straight at Joon-seok.
He paused for a second.
Should he wait… see if someone comes… or act himself?
"Flame Burst!"
A blazing slash cut through the air.
Park Tae-min had wrapped his sword in flames and attacked.
In the next moment—
The bear's body was sliced clean in half.
Blood spread across the ice.
"See that, kid?" Park Tae-min said sharply.
"I told you… an E-rank has no business here.
If I weren't here… you'd be dead already."
Joon-seok replied calmly—
"Thank you, Mr. Park."
"Tch," he muttered and turned away.
Joon-seok glanced at his back.
Cha Soo-min was right… he's not that bad.
Then—
The rest of the ice bears charged together.
"Barrier!" Yoon Hye-ri immediately cast a spell.
A magical barrier formed around the team.
The bears slammed into it—
One, two, three—
The barrier held them back.
But—
Roars rumbled… and the bears slammed against the barrier with full force.
Crack…
A fissure appeared in the barrier.
Joon-seok's gaze shifted to Hye-ri.
The barrier is strong… but the user isn't.
"Leader!" Yoon Hye-ri shouted.
"I can't hold this for much longer!"
"Okay," Ryu Jin-woo replied quickly.
"You've bought us enough time.
Now… let's take them down."
Crash!
The barrier shattered.
But at that exact moment—
A shadow moved.
Im Seo-jun… somehow had moved behind them.
A swift motion—
His dagger flashed.
The head of an ice bear dropped.
Another bear charged Ryu Jin-woo.
He remained calm.
A precise slash—
First, he cut its leg. The bear roared in pain.
Next second—
A clean strike.
The body split in two.
The remaining bears paused for a moment.
Fear was visible in their eyes.
But then—
From inside the cave…
A roar echoed, shaking the entire dungeon.
The ground trembled.
The pressure surged.
Low-rank members stumbled.
Breathing became difficult.
The air felt suffocating.
Joon-seok's feet sank slightly into the icy floor.
His gaze fixed directly on the cave.
This is the boss.
Will they be able to defeat it…?
Or… will I have to act?
The next moment—
Something emerged from the darkness.
A massive ice bear.
Much larger than the others.
A deep scar across one eye…
Red eyes… even more terrifying.
Drool dripped from its mouth.
It looked at its fallen comrades…
And then—
The boss let out a roar so powerful that it seemed to tear through the air itself.
The remaining ice bears recoiled in fear.
Some turned and fled immediately.
Then—
The boss moved.
In a single leap, it landed directly in front of Ryu Jin-woo.
It raised its massive paw… aiming to crush him.
Boom!
Ryu Jin-woo blocked the strike.
"You damn monster…" he gritted his teeth.
"You think you can kill me this easily?"
"Wow!" Baek Ji-hoon exclaimed, excitement shining in his eyes.
"This is our leader! Calm even in front of such a strong monster!"
Joon-seok looked at him.
Excited? What's so exciting about this?
Then—
A shadow moved.
Im Seo-jun silently slipped behind the boss.
Emerging from the darkness—
His dagger struck at the boss's leg.
Clang!
The blade hit… but didn't cut through.
Tch. This is the boss… it won't be that easy.
The next moment—
Without looking back, the ice bear swung a powerful kick.
Bang!
Im Seo-jun flew backward.
But he got up immediately.
Cha Soo-min cast a healing spell.
"You okay, Mr. Im Seo-jun?"
"Yes… I'm fine."
Ahead, the clash between Ryu Jin-woo and the boss raged on.
Every hit was heavy.
Every movement, lightning-fast.
Joon-seok observed carefully.
They're fast… but not as strong as he expected.
"Hey hey hey!" Park Tae-min's voice rang out.
"Did you all forget me? Doing your own party without me?"
He wrapped his sword in flames.
"Fire Burst!"
A blazing slash shot straight at the boss.
The boss couldn't dodge—
Ryu Jin-woo kept it occupied.
Slash!
The attack struck the boss's body.
A deep wound opened.
The boss roared in pain.
At the same moment—
Seo Eun-ji drew an arrow.
She coated it with dark flames.
A precise shot—
The arrow pierced straight through the boss's eye.
The boss screamed.
One eye… gone.
"Now!" Yoon Hye-ri raised her hands.
She conjured a massive fireball.
It landed directly on the wound.
Boom!
Flames spread across the boss.
The boss writhed in pain.
Flames… are its weakness.
Ryu Jin-woo took a step back.
His sword emitted a strong aura.
The air grew heavy.
A powerful slash—
The boss tried to dodge… but too late.
Cut.
Its body split cleanly in half.
Silence.
Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.
"Is everyone okay?" Cha Soo-min immediately asked, healing her teammates.
"Yes," the team replied.
But—
Park Tae-min stormed straight to Joon-seok.
His eyes were burning with anger.
"Hey, kid.
What did you come here to do?
You didn't even touch a single one of them.
Why did the guild send you?"
Joon-seok stayed silent.
What could he do…?
This fight didn't require him at all…
If he stepped in, it would've just been like bullying the weak.
He didn't answer, moving past him straight to Ryu Jin-woo.
"Answer me!" Park Tae-min shouted from behind.
Joon-seok remained calm.
"Mr. Ryu," he said,
"I think… this gate hasn't been cleared yet."
Ryu Jin-woo looked at him.
"…Yeah.
"I was thinking the same, because the dungeon entrance still hasn't opened yet."
Ryu Jin-woo immediately went serious.
"Everyone, stay alert.
If the gate hasn't closed… it means that ice bear wasn't the main monster.
We need to move forward much more carefully."
The team scanned the area.
Nothing.
No movement. No sound.
After a while—
They set up a temporary camp.
Tents pitched, everyone sat down to eat.
But the tension in the air hadn't gone away.
"Is this really safe…?" Cha Soo-min asked softly.
"We don't know when an attack might come…"
"Don't worry," Ryu Jin-woo said casually between bites.
"Any monster that comes… our party will handle it."
His words had barely finished—
Thak!
An ice arrow pierced straight into Baek Ji-hoon's head.
Everyone froze.
There wasn't even time to react.
The next second—
Another arrow flew toward Cha
Soo-min But—
Pak!
Joon-seok caught it midair.
Dead silence.
All eyes were on him.
So fast… no one could even react… and he caught it… with his bare hand?
Joon-seok lowered his hand slowly.
"I'm feeling extremely strong presences from afar," he said calmly.
"Something dangerous is coming."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And whoever it is… they're targeting the weak first."
A brief pause.
"That's why… Baek Ji-hoon was killed.
And Cha Soo-min… would have been next."
Park Tae-min's fists clenched.
"Damn…" he gritted his teeth.
"Targeting the weak… what a filthy tactic.
I won't forgive this."
Ryu Jin-woo lowered his gaze.
"…This is my fault.
I got overconfident.
Because of me, an innocent died."
He looked at Cha Soo-min.
"You were right… I was wrong."
"Now is not the time to cry," Joon-seok's voice was cold.
"What's done… is done."
His gaze moved forward.
"First… we eliminate these monsters.
I don't like it either… someone died for no reason."
The team readied themselves immediately.
They advanced toward the direction the arrows had come from.
As they moved forward—
They saw them…
Ice elves.
Riding on horses… dozens of them.
Sharp gazes… bows and ice swords in hand.
Joon-seok stopped.
Then shouted loudly—
"Come out!
Hiding won't help.
Your aura has already given you away."
A second of silence.
Then—
A figure emerged from the front, apart from the rest.
Blue skin… roughly 6'5" tall.
Two ice swords, one in each hand.
Eyes… pale blue. Cold. Empty.
The presence alone was suffocating.
Then—
Joon-seok's system pop-up appeared.
Frost Sovereign Velkarn
Rank: A
Monster Type: Boss
Title: The Unmelting Tyrant
"Defeat this boss to claim your reward."
Warning: This boss is five times stronger than you… proceed with caution.
Joon-seok's eyes locked on him.
…So this is the real boss.
He glanced at the system screen.
The Unmelting Tyrant…
Hmm… defeating this guy will be interesting.
He slowly lifted his gaze.
Frost Sovereign Velkarn was staring straight at him.
"So… you're the one who stopped my companion's arrow," Velkarn said.
A faint smirk appeared on Joon-seok's lips.
"What's the big deal about that?"
Velkarn's lips curved into a small smile.
"Interesting…
My name is Frost Sovereign Velkarn.
Human… or should I say…
Outsider."
The team froze. Shocked.
"Outsider…?" Ryu Jin-woo repeated slowly.
"What does that mean…?"
Tch, Park Tae-min scoffed.
"Outsider, whatever.
Just a scared little E-rank… got lucky stopping an arrow."
Joon-seok didn't even glance at him.
"Ryu Jin-woo."
His voice was cold and direct.
"Tell your party to stay away from my fight.
Handle his minions.
This boss… I'll take care of it myself."
Ryu Jin-woo paused for a second.
This… is not a normal E-rank.
And Silver Lion sent him here…
He nodded slowly.
"Understood."
But—
Park Tae-min was about to speak—
"Shut up," Ryu Jin-woo cut him off.
"Do exactly as he says."
Tch… Park Tae-min clenched his teeth.
Velkarn quietly observed all this.
Then his gaze fixed on Joon-seok.
"Not going to introduce yourself… outsider?"
Joon-seok answered calmly—
"Kang Joon-seok."
A brief pause.
Velkarn's lips slowly curved upward.
"Alright… Kang Joon-seok.
You… will die by my hands."
The air grew colder.
Joon-seok took a step forward.
His eyes completely calm.
…Let's see.
To Be Continued…