“Ugh… why is that thing talking…?”
Woo Yujin muttered in horror. A monster capable of communication—those weren’t common even among S-rank.
He rubbed his arms, goosebumps rising.
“Hunter Siyoung, what do we do?”
Gong Siyoung didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on the monster—
More precisely, on the door that had suddenly appeared beneath the feet of the self-proclaimed guardian.
It was hard to see clearly through the swirling snow, but it was unmistakably a door.
A locked door… and a monster claiming to be its gatekeeper.
“…Woo Yujin, you attack. I’ll cover you. Gu Jayeong… do whatever you want.”
Both of them nodded.
Yujin immediately activated his skill.
He summoned a chainsaw and yanked the starter cord. The engine roared to life, the blade spinning with a shrill whine.
“Leave it to me!”
With a shout, he charged.
The ice giant spoke again.
〈This is the domain of the chosen. Those not chosen may not enter.〉
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[ 「Boss Monster (A): Guardian of Niflheim」 deploys Polar Seal (A). Time until release: 00:15:00 ]
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An ice dome formed around them, sealing the area. The sky turned opaque in an instant.
The cold pierced straight to the bone.
“Fuck, it’s cold! So damn cold!”
“Feels like a sensory suppression skill.”
Gu Jayeong pointed at the dome.
Black dust formed at her fingertips, swirling upward like a vortex. It shot toward the dome—
—and vanished before it could pierce through.
“…It’s sealed off from the outside. If this keeps up, we might suffocate.”
“We’ll break out before that.”
Gong Siyoung gave Yujin a look.
Chainsaw in hand, Yujin nodded confidently.
“Yes, sir! Moving out!”
He charged straight at the giant without hesitation, aiming directly for its neck.
A massive hand swung down toward him.
To keep him from getting grabbed, Siyoung fired a volley of ice arrows. Dozens of arrowheads formed midair and embedded themselves into the giant’s body.
But it wasn’t enough to stop it.
The giant’s hand kept coming.
Boom!
The palm slammed into empty ground.
Yujin rolled away just in time, letting out a strained groan. Ice fragments crumbled from the cracked ground beneath him.
“Not letting that pass!”
He seized the opening.
His spinning chainsaw tore into the giant’s wrist. The moment the blade bit into its body—
The giant’s eyes glowed red.
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[ Warning! Boss Monster is activating Polar Seal! All lifeforms within the domain cannot move. Time until release: 00:01:00 ]
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“What?! What kind of seal—”
Yujin froze mid-sentence.
His entire body locked in place. Even his breathing stopped, his eyes dull and lifeless.
From behind, Gu Jayeong grabbed the back of Siyoung’s collar.
“Duck!”
Her skill activated.
A faint violet barrier formed around them.
Beyond the thin shield, traces of magic scraped past, barely missing them. Snowstorms raged violently, as if they were trapped inside a snow globe.
“You won’t be able to move for a minute.”
Siyoung bit down on his lip.
He scanned the storm outside.
Yujin was frozen solid—but still alive.
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[ Time until release: 00:00:31 ]
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“When I give the signal, drop the barrier. I’ll take care of Yujin.”
Jayeong nodded, swallowing dryly as she watched the countdown.
But the monster didn’t attack.
Even with Yujin right in front of it, frozen and defenseless—
It returned to its position above the door.
Standing there like a statue.
“…What?”
Siyoung frowned.
Not attacking when an enemy was right in front of it?
That was something he had never seen before.
His eyes sharpened.
He prepared multiple skills at once.
“Changing strategy. The moment the seal lifts, get Yujin. I’m freezing the entire zone. When I signal, put up the barrier and stay inside.”
Jayeong nodded.
Both of them tensed as the timer ticked down.
3… 2… 1…
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[ Time until release: 00:00:00 ]
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“Now!”
The moment the barrier dropped—
Siyoung kicked off the ground.
Wherever his feet touched, frost spread instantly. Cold energy spiraled outward from him.
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[ Using skill ‘Freeze’. Applied to all targets within a 10 km radius. ]
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A violent wind surged.
The giant’s eyes lit up again.
The storm grew into a raging blizzard, swallowing everything.
The dome cracked—
Splintered—
Shattered with a thunderous crash.
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[ Polar Seal (A) has been broken. ]
[ Boss Monster is greatly enraged. ]
[ Boss Monster has recognized the player. ]
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The giant’s red gaze locked onto Siyoung.
The moment the seal lifted and Yujin thawed—
The boss charged.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The ground trembled violently.
It moved far too fast for something that size.
Siyoung formed an ice spear just as the giant struck.
Like a trained warrior, it threw a punch.
The fist froze mid-swing—
Then shattered with a crunch.
Siyoung clicked his tongue as shards scattered.
Ice-type attacks weren’t very effective against it.
“…Then physical it is.”
He gripped the spear and lunged.
The monster’s red eyes bore into him.
〈Are you chosen?〉
“Chosen my ass.”
He didn’t hesitate.
The spear shot forward, streaking blue as it aimed for the giant’s neck.
The giant’s hand followed him.
Right before it could grab him, Siyoung twisted his body and slipped past.
Another spear formed—
This time, he struck the leg.
The giant dropped to one knee.
Then—
〈This is the domain of the chosen. Those not chosen may not enter.〉
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[ 「Boss Monster (A): Guardian of Niflheim」 deploys Blue Flame (A). ]
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A massive flame crawled up from the ground like a serpent.
“…That’s not ice.”
The attack didn’t match its attribute at all.
Siyoung immediately rose into the air.
Blue flames spread across the ground, devouring everything.
He formed an ice sphere and threw it toward Yujin and Jayeong.
They quickly stepped inside.
The flames intensified.
The frozen ground melted, collapsing under the heat.
The monster charged again.
Every step cracked the earth.
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[ Due to Blue Flame (A), all areas within a 1 km radius are melting. This terrain will not recover. ]
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With a sickening crack—
The ground gave way.
The entire zone collapsed.
Right before they fell—
Siyoung lifted the ice sphere into the air.
The floating sphere swallowed Yujin and Jayeong mid-fall.
Yujin gave a thumbs-up.
Siyoung exhaled quietly.
They were safe.
His gaze returned to the boss.
Something felt wrong.
The patterns. The skills.
None of it followed proper structure.
It wasn’t just dangerous—
It felt like the monster was trying to keep them away.
It only attacked when they got close.
At a certain distance, it would go completely still.
That wasn’t normal for a boss.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t kill it.
Even with poor compatibility, if he kept hitting it, it would go down eventually.
The others were contained safely.
All that was left was to unleash everything and finish it.
He tightened and loosened his grip on the spear.
Should he stall a bit longer and observe?
The door was still beneath the monster.
It seemed like entering a certain radius—or making direct contact—triggered its attacks.
He glanced at Yujin and Jayeong inside the sphere.
Jayeong would be fine.
But Yujin had taken a direct hit from the monster’s skill.
He might look okay now, but he’d need to be checked after they got out.
“…Told you it’s easier alone.”
Forcing a team into this—what was the point?
Siyoung exhaled and moved.
Dragging things out wouldn’t help.
He made his decision.
The spear returned to his hand.
Fragments of ice scattered across the battlefield rose all at once.
Hundreds of razor-sharp shards turned toward the giant.
Just as they were about to strike—
A system window appeared.
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[ <The Chosen> has entered the dungeon! Allied attack power increases by 10%, health regeneration increases by 5%. Time until expiration: 00:30:00 ]
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