Submission

One month prior, all Awakeners were plunged into shock upon seeing the same message.

It announced the advent of a Transcendent Being.

While much debate ensued regarding the nature of this Transcendent Being, one point garnered universal agreement.

[It will certainly not be benevolent towards humanity.]

The message contained a direct warning.

This was the first such incident since the Great Cataclysm, which had claimed nearly 3% of the human population.

Many anticipated a crisis that would result in at least as many casualties, and I was among them.

Nevertheless, having quit my job and been consumed by extreme despondency for the past few months, I hadn’t paid it much mind.

‘Well, if I die, I die.’

‘Everyone around me is already dead, so what’s the point of living anyway?’ That was the line of thought I’d been following.

I had certainly held such thoughts until today’s events unfolded.

“Hmm… this place is as trashy as I expected.”

Her hair was an exquisite blend of shimmering silver and oceanic blue.

Her skin was so clear it seemed almost transparent.

Her mysterious eyes held a coexistence of weariness and intrigue.

The being that tore through the void was so stunningly beautiful it took my breath away.

‘Is that… a Transcendent Being?’

Just moments ago, the message announcing the advent of the Transcendent Being, the Witch of Bitter Cold, had appeared. Almost simultaneously, the air before me had shattered.

What else could this mean?

‘I’m screwed. Dammit!’

I had thought, ‘My family and friends are all dead anyway, so who cares about a Transcendent Being?’ But now, such thoughts had vanished from my mind.

Her unprecedented beauty had momentarily captivated me, but that was all.

Soon, cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

A being believed to be anything but benevolent towards humanity.

A being whose single message had plunged the entire world into fear and chaos.

That very Transcendent Being now stood before my eyes.

“A trashy landscape, a trashy smell, and a single, worm-like human.”

The Witch’s mysterious blue eyes fixed on me.

What should I do?

If the Witch were to attack, how should I react?

Escape?

It seemed utterly impossible.

Then, should I fight back?

That was out of the question. I had awakened less than ten minutes ago.

What skills did I even have, to begin with?

‘Ah, Just Let Me Touch It Once’ and ‘Touch It All You Want.’

What could I possibly accomplish with those?

‘Ah, Just Let Me Touch It Once!’ seemed to have a good effect on its own.

It was a ridiculously powerful ability that allowed me to randomly copy a target’s skill if I touched a specific part of them for five seconds.

The problem was that it was utterly useless right now.

‘It would be great if I could just touch that Witch…’

But I needed to touch her for five full seconds.

I likely wouldn’t even be able to get close, let alone touch her for five seconds.

“You have nothing to say. You don’t seem to be frozen.”

The Witch’s chilling gaze pierced through me.

“Hmm… I had a few things I wanted to ask, but I suppose there’s no helping it.”

The Witch’s hand moved slowly… very slowly.

Simultaneously, goosebumps erupted across my skin.

I couldn’t tell if it was truly moving slowly or if it only appeared that way to my eyes, but one thing was certain: that hand must not rise any further.

I would die.

Whether by uttering a word or taking some action, I had to stop that hand’s movement.

Perhaps it was that thought that did it.

An unexpected phrase burst from my lips.

“Ah! Just let me touch it once!”

[Skill ‘Ah, Just Let Me Touch It Once!’ is activated.]
[The area to be touched is displayed.]

At the same moment, the Witch’s slowly moving hand abruptly stopped.

Then, one striking detail appeared.

The Witch’s pristine white neckline.

Following it down, a faint, shimmering handprint was clearly visible on her slightly exposed shoulder.

It seemed to be enticing me to touch it.

Unconsciously, I reached my hand toward the Witch’s pale shoulder.

However, a voice as cold as bitter frost snapped me back to reality.

“…Did you just speak to me?”

It seemed the Witch was angry.

My mind raced.

I couldn’t run, nor could I resist.

That left only one option.

“…Witch-nim! You must have endured great hardship to travel such a long distance!”

I smiled brightly and bowed a crisp ninety degrees.

“…….”

Cold sweat ran down my back, fearing my head might be severed while I was bowed, but thankfully, nothing of the sort happened.

When I raised my head again, the Witch was staring intently at me with an icy expression.

My choice was submission.

Submission born from the desire to simply survive, for now.

“You’ve even shattered space to arrive! You must be exhausted, so… hehe. Ah! And you mentioned you had something to ask earlier, didn’t you? Ask me anything! I know this area like the back of my hand!”

My entire submission hinged on that one fleeting remark the Witch had made earlier.

That single phrase about having things to ask.

The problem was whether the Witch would even listen to me, but…

“So?”

“Yes?”

“So, what use can you be? With that power, weaker than a worm?”

Fortunately, she seemed willing to hear me out.

“Haha… well, Witch-nim. I am…”

‘Think, Park Minhyuk, think!’

How could I possibly be of help to this monstrous Witch?

This monster, whose mere appearance had frozen an entire village, if not more.

As the Witch said, my power was utterly useless.

In this situation, the only thing I could offer was my knowledge of this place.

But…

‘What happens after I satisfy the Witch’s curiosity?’

What use would I be then?

One hundred times out of a hundred, the Witch would casually kill me once I became useless.

Then, I needed to offer something else I was good at.

Something I was best at.

And that was…

“You must be tired, so I will give you a massage!”

It was sports massage.

“A massage?”

“Yes! I guarantee it, I am the best masseur in this world! I can completely wash away all your accumulated fatigue, Witch-nim!”

The Witch, perhaps not expecting this, fell silent for a moment.

But did a Transcendent Being even need a massage?

“Hmm… you’re too weak to attempt any tricks, and it is true that I exerted myself somewhat… Very well.”

The answer was: ‘Even a Transcendent Being needs a massage.’

“Yes! I’ll do my absolute best to…”

“However, if I do not feel even the slightest bit refreshed…”

Whoosh!

A chilling aura beneath my neck stiffened my body.

I barely managed to roll my eyes down to see a fist-sized chunk of ice, honed sharper than an awl, suspended directly before my throat.

“You will die, struggling like a worm.”

I swallowed hard without realizing it, then managed to reply.

“O-of course.”

****

When had I become a masseur?

My dream had clearly been to be a physical education teacher, but somehow I learned about sports massage, and somehow it became my profession.

I found it perfectly suited me, and I felt a sense of pride watching people leave satisfied.

Before I knew it, I had made a bit of a name for myself in this niche field and received several offers.

They were significant opportunities for me, and back then, every day was filled with hope.

To become a personal sports masseur for any guild or Awakened individual was the pinnacle of success in the industry.

More importantly, I wouldn’t have to deal with difficult clients who openly scowled or became angry when a male masseur arrived.

But that happy future never materialized.

Everyone died in the catastrophe that struck this place around that time.

I had rejected all offers, quit my job, and returned to my hometown, where I lay sprawled in an empty house for months.

‘I thought I’d never have to see another difficult client again.’

The worst kind of client had appeared.

“Now, then.”

The Witch lowered her posture, making a motion as if to sit in mid-air.

Did she think there was a chair?

I briefly imagined the haughty Witch looking flustered and falling, but then…

Kugugung—

A massive ice throne erupted from the frozen ground behind the Witch. She then sat down on it with perfect naturalness, crossing her legs and resting her chin in one hand.

“Go on, squirm.”

The worst kind of client, one who would kill me if I failed to satisfy her, had arrived.

****

The Baekje Guild.

Unlike the other four of Korea’s five major guilds, all based in Seoul, Baekje is headquartered, as its name suggests, in Busan. It is a colossal guild, extending its influence across the Yeongnam and Honam regions and even further north.

Consequently, the Baekje Guild boasts the largest number of members among the five major guilds.

Now, many of Baekje’s members were converging on a single location.

“Chief! Awakeners from the Changwon branch have arrived.”

“The Jinju branch, which arrived earlier, has contacted us asking if they can deploy a reconnaissance team.”

“Are you insane? Do you have a death wish? Tell them to calmly fly drones until we arrive!”

“But the drones are unresponsive. They malfunction as soon as they enter the area…”

“Then tell them even more emphatically to stay put! Can’t you see what’s ahead? Tell them to just wait calmly if they don’t want to freeze to death for no reason!”

“Understood!”

Cha Yeongho, the Chief of the Baekje Guild, roughly loosened his tie and gazed straight ahead.

What was once a quiet rural road had now become a land of bitter cold, where taking even a single step was difficult.

‘The people who were there…’

They had probably all perished.

They would have frozen to death instantly, without even knowing why or how they died.

Cha Yeongho turned his head halfway to the man waiting behind him and asked.

“How far does that frozen territory extend?”

“About half of Hadong County. The temperature drops sharply towards the center, and we are currently devising entry methods.”

“What about the Awakener guilds in Hadong?”

“There were three small guilds, but all contact has been lost. It seems…”

“…I understand.”

Even though they were small guilds, they were still Awakeners who had surpassed humanity. Yet, they had died without even being able to make contact.

“Hmph…”

Cha Yeongho took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and looked straight ahead again.

Here, the temperature was still normal, but just a few more steps would lead to a blizzard so fierce that visibility was zero.

‘What exactly is a Transcendent Being…’

Why here of all places?

Why appear in Korea?

“Is this the end of Korea?”

No, not yet.

It hasn’t even begun.

The five major guilds are intact, and their guild masters are intact.

Korea’s strongest haven’t even stepped forward yet.

“Hmph…”

The exhaled cigarette smoke billowed out, then was instantly swept away and vanished upon reaching the bitterly cold zone.

“How are we supposed to break through this?”

Even if they somehow managed to enter that frigid zone, accepting immense casualties, the aftermath was the bigger problem.

A being that the system itself warned about.

The Transcendent Being, the Witch of Bitter Cold.

A being that had obliterated half of Hadong upon its arrival.

Even if all of Korea’s strongest gathered, could they win?

Was it even possible to confront such a being in the first place?

The system had all but called it an irresistible force.

Was it truly right for them to try and resolve this amongst themselves?

Shouldn’t they wait for foreign aid?

“No. The damage could become uncontrollable.”

Cha Yeongho irritably flicked the cigarette butt towards the frigid zone.

What on earth was happening inside there right now?

“…Surely no one is already fighting the Transcendent Being.”

‘No, impossible.’