219. Winter Palace (1)

‘Hmm, are you having a good conversation with your mother?’

I was looking out from outside the Sulwha Garden to give the two of us some alone time.

To be honest, it wasn’t that I was curious about what Master’s expression would be and what she would say when she met her mother for the first time in five years.

Still, in order to protect the privacy of the two of us, I consciously excluded detection in that area.

‘Hmm, surely someone won’t come?’

There were some guys I sent after earlier, but they already beat me up and threatened me so they wouldn’t even think about coming back, so it should be okay.

It was when I was staring blankly into space.

─ This way!

A woman’s voice reached my ears as I developed my senses.

A strangely familiar tone of voice.

And a strangely familiar tone of voice.

I felt a sense of déjà vu.

‘It feels like a voice I’ve heard before somewhere?’

Ta-da-da-da-

However, before I could figure out the identity of the déjà vu, I heard the sound of several people approaching quickly.

I stiffened my expression.

‘Quick…! They are all very capable people! Could it be that this is a demon approaching to target the teacher?’

If so, you can never send it after this.

Kwaak─

I raised my tension and gripped the handle of the sword.

Turning towards where the sound came from. To cut down enemies as soon as they show up.

And those who finally showed up.

“Huh?”

When I saw them, I couldn’t help but spit out empty words.

That’s right, the people who showed up were the people I knew well.

“······You guys?”

Those who appeared before our eyes were all Utopia party members.

What was even more embarrassing was that they all showed up dressed up in flashy clothes, unlike usual.

There is only one person who is the same as usual.

It was only Ichika.

‘What on earth is going on?’

I looked at them with bewildered eyes.

*

“Well, so… Are you saying you guys also came to rest?”

“Yes!”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“Okay.”

Party members nod their heads like puppies in response to my question.

When I found out that I was going to take a break on a personal request this time,

It is said that the party members were secretly jealous of it and came after it.

“I tried to stop him too, but there was nothing I could do.”

Shin Se-hee shrugged his shoulders and said.

‘So you look ready to play too?’

I thought that way for a moment, but

In other words, even Shin Se-hee needed a break.

‘Oh, have I been playing around too much…?’

Well, if you think about it, we go to the gate every day, to training, to class, and recently even to missions.

After entering the academy, I just kept running like crazy.

Even during summer vacation, there were so many days when I had fun and had fun that I had nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.

‘If you don’t give your kids proper breaks even in games, they get burned out, but I forgot about that.’

I was keeping a pretty tight schedule with the compulsion to become strong because I was weak.

Without realizing it, I was requesting the same schedule from my party members.

This was clearly my mistake.

I knew how important rest was in Velvetsra, but I completely neglected it.

I was really glad that he came to visit me in person.

If you don’t pay attention to the characters in the game and just keep rolling, you’ll burn out, get depressed, get upset, and don’t get upset.

It takes a huge amount of money just to release it.

But at the same time, I couldn’t help but scratch the back of my head with an embarrassed look on my face.

Because it reminded me of my teacher sharing a happy ending with my parents in the Sulwha Garden in the back.

‘······What should I do, Master?’

You cannot take party members to the teacher.

I shouldn’t have interfered with the relationship between mother and daughter who are meeting for the first time in 5 years.

No matter how much I believe in the Utopia party members, talking about Master’s work is a different story.

The secret that Master only told me was something that only I should know.

‘Later, after receiving a promise from Shin Se-hee that I would not dig into it, I was going to propose a protection contract for Sulwha Garden…’

As expected, it seemed right to contact the teacher and tell him that he would leave first when the party members came.

That was when I was about to call my teacher.

“You······. “What does that look like?”

At that time, Master appeared from behind, saying that even a tiger would come if I told it to.

‘Ah, things will be easier if Master comes.’

Before her party members left, I took what she said and explained it to her.

“Oh, I’ll tell you. What happened…”

“What······. “You came here because you wanted to relax?”

After hearing the explanation, the teacher opened his mouth as if he was amazed.

‘You look in a bad mood…’

Hmm, it seems like he’s worried that confidential information will be revealed to party members.

But, can I afford to be like that?

I whispered to her in my small voice.

“Well, Master’s parents can keep it a top secret. “I have a good idea.”

“······Good idea?”

“Yes, I plan to lead the party members to the gate.”

I said I was going to the gate, but it wasn’t for strategy or hunting.

A dungeon just for comfortable rest!

Where is something like that?

There is!

Of course, it is not known to people, but there is a dungeon with a steaming hot spring in a winter landscape where it snows 365 days a year!

If you find it in the game, it’s a place where mini events also take place, so I remembered it clearly.

“If you go into the dungeon, the secret will never be revealed.”

Then, Master answered with a cold face.

“······I’ll go with you. Because the request date is not over yet.”

“Uh? Would you mind? Well, my parents… “

“Thanks to you, we’ve already had enough conversations.”

‘Have you not met your father yet?’

I thought about that for a moment, but whatever. I can’t argue about Master’s business.

Just like that, we, including all of Utopia and Master, headed to the gate.

* * *

Whiiiiing─

Just right. Just right. Just right. Just right. Just.

Sniff!

“Keuuu… Cold, cold…! Huh, my junior, why did you come to this place!”

Lim Ga-eul shivered, chattering her teeth against the driving cold.

Pure white snow wherever you look.

It was only the eyes.

My bones were sore from the bitter cold, as if I were in Antarctica.

‘This dungeon is already a dead dungeon that doesn’t need to be conquered, so why did you come!!’

I requested the Dungeon Management Bureau of the Jeju Island branch to attack this place for the first time,

Didn’t they respond with an absurd expression on their side as well?

There are no monsters or anything here, only biting cold.

Other hunters have already stopped by several times to check.

Surely not even monsters would be able to survive in this cold.

Although the Utopia party members hurriedly wrapped themselves in the thermal coats included in the subspace tattoo, it was far from enough to protect them from the cold here.

Why on earth did I come to a place like this?

I just wanted to see my junior, and I came with the intention of having a good time after seeing his face.

Was that such a big mistake?

Sniff!

Lim Ga-eul sniffed his nose and tears welled up in sadness.

The same was true for everyone else except himself.

Despite all the decorations, it looks like training in the cold weather in the middle of winter.

“We’re almost there! Cheer up a little!”

Jin Yuha shouted in front.

How many times have I heard that sound?

Even when I ask where I am and what I plan to do here, Jin Yuha just tells me to look forward to it.

There was no separate answer.

‘What, what do you expect!’

Lim Ga-eul felt a little bit wrong and glared at Jin Yu-ha.

At that time, Jin Yuha suddenly started doing strange things.

Sereung.

He stopped and looked into space.

Suddenly pulling out a sword.

Isn’t it like cutting the air?

Seogeogeokkeuk─

I swung the sword in the air and heard the sound of something being cut.

And a gap in the air.

“Come in before it closes! Quickly!”

Jin Yu-ha went in there first and put out her hand outside her, urging her on.

Taaat!

The party members immediately kicked his feet and followed him in.

“Wait a minute!!”

Lim Ga-eul, who was the last one left, used acceleration and threw herself towards the gap.

Rolling around─

Boom!

Lim Ga-eul, who jumped in and rolled awkwardly on the floor, hit his head on the ground.

“Ouch, ouch…”

She rubbed her head and lifted her head.

And what caught her, her eye, her

“Uh? This is…”

It was a building made of pure white ice.

“Last name?”

Lim Ga-eul’s eyes widened.

A scenery like a palace built by the Queen of Winter.

A magnificent castle stood as if touching the sky, emitting dazzling light.

Castle walls and tall towers.

Even sharp protrusions.

It was all made of cold ice crystals.

Before I knew it, the fierce snowstorm had also slowed down and was falling slowly like light dust.

It was a fantastic scenery.

“It’s pretty, right?”

Jin Yu-ha looked back at Lim Ga-eul and the party members and smiled.

“Welcome to the Winter Palace.”