Chapter 52

Kim Chul's once-confident unit collapses into ruin as the Ice Elves move like ghosts, loosing pinpoint arrows and whirling blades while prolonging the kill for amusement. A taller, more regal shape steps from the storm, the elves splitting aside for their leader, and Kim Chul, sure he cannot win, deserts his dying men and bolts. Tearing through deep snow in shattered armor, he reaches a clearing piled with dozens of slain Ice Bears. The notion that mere low-rank hunters cleared an entire den is unthinkable to him, and renewed terror sends him running once more.

Beyond the gate, the friction that had built up between the two S-rank rivals finally ignites; Dongsoo and Yoonho trade fists and shockwaves until Woo Jinchul plants himself between them and his sheer authority ends it. Dongsoo dismisses Jinchul's talk of observing Jinwoo as a pretext; he confesses he only wants the thrill of the hunt, yet with that excitement spent he turns and heads back to his car. Within the gate, Kim Chul stumbles onto the low-rank hunters relaxing by a fire, fed and wrapped in furs, and fury supplants his dread as he concludes Jinwoo did this. He charges in roaring for the culprit's name and starts a count. Jinwoo blurs in behind him and hammers him down onto the ice. Then the Ice Elves appear; their leader taunts the group, and Jinwoo replies in their language, courtesy of the system. An elite warrior steps forward to duel, and Jinwoo strikes his head off in one motion before fixing his gaze on the leader.

The Ice Elves slaughter Kim Chul's elite attack force, and the leader's appearance sends Kim Chul fleeing. Dongsoo and Yoonho trade blows until Woo Jinchul halts them, after which Dongsoo departs for America. Kim Chul finds the low-rank hunters safe and well-stocked, recognizes Jinwoo as the cause, and is struck down instantly. The Ice Elves arrive, the system lets Jinwoo grasp their speech, and he beheads an elite challenger with a single strike.

Part of the Red Gate Arc, this entry maps to anime Episode 14. Baruka, the elf leader, makes his weight felt here in the lead-up to his full clash with Jinwoo. The system handing Jinwoo comprehension of the Ice Elf tongue points toward the deeper secrets buried in the dungeon.