In front of Joon-seok and his party… stood the Ice Elves.
And among them — their boss.
Blue skin.
Around 6'5" tall.
Two ice swords in his hands… faint mist drifting off them.
His eyes… pale blue. Cold. Empty.
His mere presence was heavy.
Even the air felt dense.
Joon-seok slightly turned his neck.
"Mr. Ryu… if we're fighting, you handle the minions. The boss… I'll take care of."
Ryu Jin-woo replied without hesitation, "Alright. Everyone — take positions. These Ice Elves are not normal monsters."
The team instantly spread out.
Ahead… the Ice Elves sat atop their white horses.
Pale blue skin.
Some held bows… others swords.
Their faces… completely blank.
But in their eyes, there was only one thing—
the intent to kill.
At that moment, Velkarn lightly dragged his ice sword across the ground—
khrrrkkk… the sound of cracking ice echoed.
"Companions…" his voice was cold,
"Do not let these humans escape. I… will deal with this outsider myself."
Joon-seok's expression changed instantly.
Serious. Dead cold.
His gaze locked onto Velkarn.
And in that same second—
THUD!
An Ice Elf shot forward on his horse at lightning speed… straight toward Cha Soo-min.
His sword aimed directly for her neck.
But—
CLANG!
A figure burst out of the shadows—
Im Seo-jun.
He blocked the attack with his dagger.
The impact was so heavy that a shockwave exploded outward.
Snow scattered into the air.
The horse slid back.
Seo-jun's boots dug into the ground… but he didn't break his stance.
But in that very moment—
FWIISH!
Another Ice Elf had already fired an arrow.
It tore through the air, heading straight for Seo-jun's chest.
The speed… insane.
But—
THAK!
Another arrow came from a distance…
and deflected it mid-air.
Shards of ice spun through the air.
Seo Eun-ji lowered her bow, eyes sharp.
"We just lost a member…" Her voice trembled slightly, but carried strength.
"We won't lose anyone else."
On the other side—
An Ice Elf charged at Ryu Jin-woo with his sword.
CLANG!
Ryu blocked the attack effortlessly.
His grip steady, eyes full of confidence.
Joon-seok stood to the side, watching everything carefully.
He thought quietly to himself—
The minions are strong… but the real problem…
His gaze shifted back to Velkarn.
…This is it.
And at that moment—
All the Ice Elves charged simultaneously.
The pounding of hooves, the crack of ice, the pressure slicing through the air.
"Barrier!" someone shouted.
Yoon Hye-ri raised her hands instantly.
WHOOM—
A translucent magic barrier enveloped them all.
The ice attacks struck it and shattered on impact.
Ryu Jin-woo allowed himself a small smile.
"Very good, Hye-ri!"
Hye-ri gave a weak smile in return…
But in the next second—
CRACK… CRRKKK…
Cracks appeared across the barrier.
Park Tae-min ground his teeth.
"Expected… The barrier is strong, but these monsters aren't weak either."
The pressure continued to rise.
Then—
Velkarn slowly fixed his gaze on Joon-seok.
"Look, Kang Joon-seok…" His voice carried a faint chuckle.
"You really think your team can beat my minions?"
Joon-seok stared at him without blinking.
His expression completely blank.
His voice cold.
"…I don't know if they'll win or not…"
Joon-seok's tone was calm, unwavering.
"But I'm here… I'll win."
For a second, silence filled the space.
Then—
A slow, badass smirk spread across Velkarn's face.
As if he'd been waiting for this exact moment.
Excitement in his eyes… like he'd just found the prey.
At that very instant—
CRRRRASH—!
The barrier shattered.
Ice shards exploded in all directions.
"MOVE!" Ryu Jin-woo shouted—
SHHIIING—!
He swung horizontally.
So fast, the eye could barely follow.
Three Ice Elves riding horses—sliced clean in half.
Blood and ice erupted together into the air.
But—
THUD!
Another Ice Elf came from behind.
His sword pierced Ryu Jin-woo's back.
The blade emerged from the other side.
Blood spurted directly from Ryu's mouth.
"KHH!"
Ryu's body jolted forward and stopped abruptly.
"RYU!" Cha Soo-min ran to his side immediately.
She dropped to her knees, hands over his wound—
"Stay still… I'll heal you…"
A soft light radiated from her hands… the wound should have closed—
But… nothing happened.
The wound didn't seal. Blood kept flowing relentlessly.
Soo-min's eyes widened in shock.
"This… what—?!"
Ryu spat blood through clenched teeth.
"…It's deep…"
But the real problem wasn't the depth—
It was the Ice Elves' weapons.
There was something about them…
Something that rejected healing.
Joon-seok shouted,
"Mr. Ryu! Are you okay?!"
Ryu tried to rise, blood dripping onto the frozen ground.
"Yes… I'm fine…" he panted.
"Focus… on your fight…"
On the other side—
Park Tae-min's face had twisted completely.
Anger. Frustration.
He gripped his sword tightly—
FWOOM—!
Flames erupted along the blade. The entire sword was engulfed in fire.
"LET'S SEE NOW!"
He swung with full power—
A wave of fire shot straight toward the Ice Elves.
Next second—
BOOOOOM—!!!
The ground trembled.
Ice shattered.
Smoke, flames, and shattered frost blended in the air.
For a few seconds, nothing could be seen.
Only heavy breathing… and the smell of scorching air.
Slowly, the smoke cleared…
And… only one Ice Elf lay on the ground.
Burned. Dead.
The rest… remained standing.
Completely unharmed.
Park Tae-min's face went blank.
"…I… I used my most powerful attack…" His voice cracked softly.
"…Only one?"
Then—
khhh… khhh…
A low-pitched laughter echoed.
The Ice Elves.
They were laughing.
Cold… creepy… faint laughter.
Velkarn turned his gaze to Joon-seok.
"Look, Kang Joon-seok…" His voice carried mockery.
"I told you… your team cannot defeat my minions."
Joon-seok didn't react.
He only looked at his team.
Cha Soo-min—frozen, hands trembling.
Ryu Jin-woo—on the ground, soaked in blood.
Park Tae-min—gripping his sword, yet defeated in his eyes.
Seo Eun-ji—sitting down, unable to move.
Im Seo-jun and Yoon Hye-ri—clear fear etched on their faces.
The atmosphere… shattered.
This party… was finished.
Everyone had already given up internally.
Joon-seok exhaled slowly.
Then… he started walking toward Ryu Jin-woo.
"What's happening, outsider?" Velkarn's voice echoed, cold and taunting.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Joon-seok didn't respond.
He walked straight to Ryu Jin-woo and stopped.
For a second, he assessed the situation… then said—
"Mr. Ryu… and the rest of you. Rest. I'll handle what's ahead."
Ryu Jin-woo let out a faint laugh, spitting blood.
"…Thank you, Mr. Kang."
Joon-seok remained silent.
Then—
"ALRIGHT!" Park Tae-min roared. Anger still lingered, but it was now mixed with fear.
"Now I'm trusting you, kid… go finish these monsters!"
Joon-seok looked at him.
Just looked.
No reaction.
Then—
He raised his hand.
FWOOM—
A soft, dense light cascaded over them all.
The next second—
Ryu Jin-woo's wound sealed.
Blood stopped flowing. Flesh knitted back together.
Cha Soo-min's exhausted body… restored.
All injuries vanished.
Complete silence.
Shock.
Ryu Jin-woo slowly got up.
"…How…?"
Joon-seok replied calmly,
"Perfect healing. With this… I can heal anyone."
Velkarn's lips curled into a faint smile again.
"I expected nothing less from you, outsider… my opponent must be strong too."
Joon-seok glanced at his team.
"Step aside. Stay out of sight. Otherwise… you won't survive this fight."
Park Tae-min ground his teeth.
"But there are still Ice Elves here—"
Before he could finish—
BOOM—!
Joon-seok vanished.
The ground split apart. Ice flew into the air.
The shockwave threw everyone backward.
The next second—
He appeared behind the Ice Elves.
Black sword in hand.
The blade gleamed with fresh blood.
And—
…thud… thud… thud…
One by one—
All the Ice Elves' heads spun through the air and fell.
Their horses split in half as well.
A shower of blood erupted through the air.
White ice… instantly red.
Silence.
Heavy. Deadly.
Ryu Jin-woo spoke softly,
"…I knew… you weren't a normal hunter, Kang Joon-seok."
Joon-seok stayed silent.
Park Tae-min was trembling completely, drenched in sweat.
This… this fast?
I didn't even get a chance to react…
And I had shown him so much already…
His throat went dry.
I was wrong…
Then—
Joon-seok's voice cut through, cold as ice.
"Move. Leave now. Otherwise… you'll die."
This time—
No one argued.
Everyone fled.
Within seconds, only two remained—
Joon-seok.
And Velkarn.
Velkarn slowly made a clapping-like motion, a faint chuckle escaping him.
"Huh… I never thought you'd crush my minions like mosquitoes."
His eyes gleamed.
"You are strong… Kang Joon-seok… or should I say… outsider."
Joon-seok tilted his head slightly.
"Tell me… what does 'outsider' mean?"
Velkarn remained silent.
Then repeated the same line—
"Huh… I never thought—"
Joon-seok's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What do you mean by 'outsider'?"
Again.
Same tone. Same words. Repeat.
A strange feeling stirred in Joon-seok.
Is he… repeating?
Like a glitch… or…
Like trapped in a time loop.
He exhaled.
Useless. Talking to him is pointless.
He twirled his sword slightly.
"Alright… let's see how strong you really are, Velkarn."
This time—
Velkarn's face broke into a wide, savage smile.
He dismounted his horse.
Reins dropped—horse stepped back on its own.
"Let's go… I'll show you, Kang Joon-seok."
Then—
BOOOOM—
He released his full aura.
The air instantly became heavy.
Pressure… crushing chests.
The ground trembled.
Joon-seok's feet sank slightly into the frozen floor.
His muscles tensed… even standing was effort.
"…You are strong," Joon-seok said quietly.
"Velkarn… The Unmelting Tyrant."
Next second—
WHOOM—!
Joon-seok's aura erupted outward as well.
Both auras collided.
BAAAAAAM—!
The shockwave uprooted nearby trees.
Ice shattered and flew.
The wind became wild—fast, heavy, violent.
Velkarn laughed.
"You are stronger Too… outsider."
Then—
—BLINK—
One second.
Velkarn vanished.
The next second—
He appeared directly in front of Joon-seok.
Both ice swords aimed straight at him—
CLAAANG—!!!
Joon-seok blocked.
The impact sent ice shards flying in all directions.
The ground cracked.
The air pressure was so heavy… breathing became difficult.
Another massive shockwave exploded.
Their eyes locked.
The fight… had just begun.
To Be Continued…