A month passed inside the North Sea Ice Palace.
Day after day, Alex trained under Dan Seol-hwa's ruthless guidance.
He fought countless ice puppets of increasing strength, completed dozens of minor quests, and slowly forged his body into something far beyond what he had been.
As he fought them, his mind and body unified with one another and his progress exploded even further when Dan Seol-hwa began enhancing his body with her internal energy.
By the end of the month, his movements were sharp, precise, and carried the weight of a first-rank martial artist though he wasn't actually at that stage because he had no internal energy.
He had learned the method to absorb and refine internal energy. But it was useless here — the Hall and Zyandra only ran on mana — but Alex already had a plan for it.
During that time he had earned a total of 97 Experience and 97 Dominion Points.
Today he stood before Dan Seol-hwa in the throne room, dressed in the white and blue robes of the palace and holding a sheathed sword.
She looked at him for a long moment, then gave a small nod.
"You have done well, disciple. Your progress is acceptable."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Farewell."
Alex didn't move.
He took a deep breath and spoke in a clear voice.
"Master… ten days here equals one day in my world. Even if I try my best to return as soon as I can, I won't be able to. Still, I promise I will come at least once every three months."
Dan Seol-hwa's expression remained calm.
"You don't have to."
Alex shook his head firmly.
"My heart won't allow me to leave my master alone."
For a brief second her cold blue eyes softened.
She smiled. "You may leave now."
Alex nodded.
He closed his eyes and whispered, "Hall of All Evils… heed my call."
Darkness wrapped around his body like a living shadow. His form disintegrated into black particles and vanished from the throne room.
"Fascinating…" Dan Seol-hwa murmured, staring at the space where he had stood.
A heavy, sinister voice echoed from every direction at once, deep and dripping with malice.
"What do you think of him?"
"He is not bad," she answered quietly.
The voice chuckled, low and threatening.
"You know he isn't Baek Seung-Ho's reincarnation, don't you?"
Dan Seol-hwa nodded once.
"Then, Demonic Ice Spirit Sword… why did you accept him as a disciple?"
She smiled, the expression both gentle and chilling.
"Even though he was imitating Seung-Ho's words, he actually believed in them. He didn't come here just for power… but for something even he himself doesn't fully understand yet."
The voice hissed with dark amusement.
"You gave in too easily for a woman who didn't bat an eye while killing her own disciple."
Dan Seol-hwa said nothing.
She leaned back on her icy throne, eyes half-lidded.
After a long silence, she spoke again, voice soft yet commanding.
"You may leave. And be prepared for my real disciple."
The voice erupted into a maddening, bone-chilling laughter that shook the entire hall.
"If the Demonic Ice Spirit Sword says so… then I must prepare. Hahahahaha!"
---
Alex reappeared inside the simple wooden cottage.
He stood still for a few moments, blinking as the familiar scent of pine and old wood filled his lungs. The bare furnishings looked exactly as he had left them.
He called out quietly, "Quest."
A blue screen unfolded before him.
[Quest: Hunter I — Kill 150 F rank monsters.]
[Time Remaining: 4 days.]
[Reward: Common Artifact loot box x1, 100 Dominion Points.]
[Death upon failure.]
"I need to finish this and find water and food," he mumbled.
He stepped outside the cottage and headed into the dense forest.
The air was thick with the damp, earthy smell of moss and rotting leaves. Tall trees stretched overhead, their branches creaking softly in the cool breeze. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in scattered golden shafts, and the ground felt spongy under his new boots.
Every few steps, fallen twigs snapped and distant bird calls echoed through the woods.
After only ten minutes of careful movement, the sound of frantic rustling erupted ahead.
Alex drew the sword Dan Seol-hwa had gifted him and crept forward.
A dozen rabbit-like monsters burst into view — white-furred, red-eyed creatures with sharp horns and clawed paws.
He focused on one and muttered, "Info."
A new screen appeared.
_______
Horned Rabbit
Level: 3 (F)
Experience on killing: 1
Skills: [Horn Charge]
Affinity: None
_______
The Horned Rabbits squealed in high-pitched alarm the moment they spotted him, thumping their powerful hind legs and scattering in every direction.
"Dammit!" He moved like a shadow.
The first rabbit lunged with a piercing squeak, horn aimed at his thigh.
Alex sidestepped and drove the blade straight through its neck.
It let out one final, dying squeal before going limp.
[You have slain a Horned Rabbit (F)]
[+1 Experience, +1 Dominion Point.]
[You have obtained a skill.]
[Horn Charge]
Seeing that, many questions came to his mind but he ignored the screen for now.
The rest of the pack panicked, squealing and darting between roots and ferns.
Their claws scraped against the ground as they tried to flee.
Alex flowed through them with cold efficiency that Dan Seol-hwa had hammered in him.
[You have slain a Horned Rabbit (F)]
[+1 Experience, +1 Dominion Point.]
[Identical skill detected! Turning the newer skill into a skill shard of that specific skill.]
[Collect a total of 5 skill shards to upgrade [Horn Charge] skill.]
"Annoying…" he mumbled and dashed towards the next one.
Each kill ended with a short, shrill squeal that was quickly swallowed by the forest.
Ten minutes later the clearing fell silent.
Twelve small bodies lay scattered among the ferns and moss.
[Skill [Horn Charge (Lvl. 2)] has been upgraded to [Horn Charge (Lvl. 3)]
"How the hell am I supposed to use it without a horn?"
Alex wiped the blood from his blade and muttered.
"Store."
A small inventory window appeared.
[Inventory – 2 / 2 Slots]
Two of the corpses disappeared into blue static and he mumbled dejectedly, "I have to level up as fast as I can."
He shook his head. "Quest Progress."
A system screen materialized before him.
[Slain F rank monsters: 12/150]
"138 more to go," he whispered, already looking for his next prey.