As Kim Che-geon momentarily missed that remark and tilted his head in confusion, the warrior from the Sword Room nonchalantly shifted the subject.

"This interview is being conducted by Jinu," he said.

"Ah! Pleased to meet you! I look forward to working with you today," Kim Che-geon responded.

"Ahem, well then, it seems Seong is not here yet. Let’s wait a little longer."

"Oh! Seong is coming too?"

"It seems you didn’t hear. Seong will be joining as well," Jinu remarked, slightly surprised.

Kim Che-geon had only been told to come to the interview by 10 AM, but he hadn't heard that Seong would also be involved. The Rapid Guild had passed along the message, so there was no need to mention who else would be attending; it wasn’t relevant to the interview.

Jinu, now slightly awkward, scratched his head.

‘It’s a bit embarrassing to bring this up now,’ he thought, but seeing the skill book, it seemed like it was generally understood what would happen.

Kim Che-geon, hearing that Seong was coming, murmured excitedly, "This is a good opportunity to test how far my skills can go compared to Seong."

"Hmm?"

"Why do you ask?"

Jinu looked at Kim Che-geon, surprised by his sudden enthusiasm.

Had something gone awry?

On the other hand, Jinu was also a bit taken aback by Kim Che-geon's attitude. Usually, people like him—those with a strong image of self-importance—didn’t acknowledge others' abilities. It was unusual that he held Seong in such high regard.

If he had played in a party with Seong, that would make sense. But for someone like Kim Che-geon to recognize Seong immediately was unexpected.

‘This is worth noting,’ Jinu thought to himself, and responded, "Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just impressive how highly you regard Seong."

"Ha, ha, ha. Although I claim to be the greatest sword in Joseon, I don’t belittle the skills of others."

"Hmm..."

Jinu scratched his cheek as he watched Kim Che-geon, who always referred to himself as the greatest sword of Joseon. His Western-looking face was unmistakable, yet to call himself the greatest sword of Joseon... wasn’t there someone already known by that title in the community?

"Is it because of Yuna, perhaps? I mean, are you trying to join the Rapid Guild because of her?"

"Ha, ha, ha. What’s there to say? My only goal is her."

"Ah... I see."

Jinu answered, nodding slightly in acknowledgment, though he privately shook his head. A grand goal was nice, but it seemed almost impossible.

At that moment, in the distance, someone in a familiar outfit approached them. The time showed that it was just about a minute before 10 AM.

Jinu, looking at the approaching figure, couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.

It wasn’t just about arriving on time, it was something else entirely.

Gulp.

It wasn’t just Jinu who stared; Kim Che-geon next to him also held his breath, admiring the approach of the figure.

The figure, walking gracefully toward them, exuded an overwhelming presence. The air around them seemed to warp as if heat waves were rising, revealing none other than Seong.

This Seong was certainly different from before.

‘...I saw him just yesterday, but something feels off today…’

‘Ah, as expected, it’s Seong.’

It had only been a day since they last saw him, but this was a drastic change.

What neither of them realized was that this transformation was a result of the summoned Demon Knight’s influence.

Without realizing it, both were overwhelmed by Seong’s presence, and as he approached, they instinctively took a step back.

Seeing this, Seong tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What’s going on?"

"Ah, ah, ah, ha-ha. Nothing, just… I see you’ve arrived, Seong."

Jinu awkwardly turned the conversation and greeted Seong, while Seong nodded slightly, surprised but not overly so. He had expected the Rapid Guild to be involved but hadn't expected someone of such skill to be the interviewer.

Jinu was probably using an alternate character since there was no guild insignia on him.

Seong thought for a moment and then responded, "Hmm, I had an inkling."

"Hmm, it’s nice to meet you," Jinu added.

"Likewise," Seong replied shortly.

The exchange was brief, but they were familiar enough with each other. Jinu quickly proceeded to explain the schedule.

"This isn't for fun, so let’s get to the point. The dungeon we’re entering is a three-person record-based dungeon, where we fight waves of monsters from three different directions. I’m using an alternate character, so I’ll step back after Wave 1, and we’ll see how much wave progress the Joseon Sword can make."

"Understood."

"Shouldn’t be a problem," Seong added.

Both nodded in agreement.

With the briefing finished, Jinu looked at them and said, "Let’s head in then."

With no further delay, the two of them nodded, relieved not to have to wait any longer.

Seong thought to himself, ‘I can test Valtar and the Shadow Transition effect here.’

Although Valtar, the underwear thief, was tough, Seong was optimistic.

3.

Located at the innermost and safest part of the Rapid Guild's headquarters, the Guildmaster's office of Rapid was undeniably the most secure place within the fortress, a natural stronghold. Yet, for some reason, today was different.

It was all because of one person.

Rapid, who was deeply focused on editing, sighed heavily as he glanced over at Yuna, sitting on the sofa with a clearly sour expression.

"Haah."

Yuna shot a sharp glare at him in response to the sigh, though she didn’t say anything. She merely grumbled in a brusque tone, "What, is something wrong?"

"Are you not leveling up?" Rapid asked.

"…I will," Yuna muttered.

"Then go to the hunting grounds."

"…"

Although she didn’t make a fuss after receiving a scolding from Seong, Yuna’s entire demeanor was showing her annoyance, making it clear she was upset. This was a stark contrast to her usual composed, logical self. However, Rapid, being her friend outside the guild as well as a fellow member, was well aware of this behavior whenever Seong’s name came up.

"Haah. This is getting troublesome. I guess I’ll have to talk to Seong," Rapid sighed.

"…Just go then," Yuna responded dismissively.

It seemed like she was still unhappy about being placed in the Rookie Team, Luna Team. But what else could be done? Luna Team had the most skilled members and was the team most in need of a member. Naturally, it made sense for Yuna to be assigned there.

The members were all a bit eccentric, but the truth was, they were more than just "eccentric." Some of them could easily be called downright troublesome.

As Yuna stood up to leave Rapid's office, Rapid casually remarked, "Hmm, it seems like it's almost time."

"Time for what?" Yuna asked, tilting her head.

"Seong entering the past fortress," Rapid answered.

"Ah?" Yuna asked in surprise, clearly unaware.

Rapid, staring at her with wide eyes, asked in disbelief, "Wait, you didn’t know?"

He regretted bringing it up but continued.

Yuna shrugged nonchalantly and responded, "Well, I guess it’s about time."

"Right, normally you’d enter before level 50."

Then, Rapid curiously asked, "So, how many waves do you think Seong will make it through?"

Yuna couldn’t help but smile faintly, as if it were an obvious question.

Standing up and leaving the office, she responded, "Obviously, he’ll go further than me."

Rapid watched her leave, slightly stunned by her comment.

Afterwards, Rapid checked the publicly available ranking board for the past fortress.

[1st Place 『Yuna』 - wave 35 (1:37:58)]

[2nd Place 『Dark』 - wave 32 (1:29:32)]

...

Seeing Yuna’s overwhelming record, Rapid chuckled softly.

"Could a new number one be emerging?"

It seemed unlikely. It was probably just something Yuna said out of affection for her younger brother.

Rapid dismissed the thought and continued working. After all, even if Seong was an exceptional rookie, there was no way he would surpass Yuna’s record. If by some chance he did, it would cause quite a stir.

"Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes it into the top 10."

After all, Seong had the Almighty class.

‘It will be interesting to see how far he goes,’ Rapid thought, though he didn’t seriously consider the possibility that Seong would beat Yuna’s record.

4.

As the Forgotten Past Fortress lived up to its name, it was an old and worn structure. The ivy clung to its stone walls, and moss could be seen in various places, suggesting it hadn't been touched by human hands for some time.

Inside the fortress, the surroundings were more like ruins, not the kind of place one would expect to find people living. There wasn’t even a trace of human warmth or sound; the fortress stood with three jagged walls, each with gates wide open.

The purpose of the dungeon was to guard these gates.

What was interesting was that it wasn't a typical defeat-if-any-one-wall-breaks scenario. Even if one of the walls was breached, the others remained unaffected. Each defense was measured individually, and it was all about personal records.

For anyone below level 50, there was no better place to test individual abilities than here.

There were specialty training areas for advanced classes, but with the level requirement being 10, it was considered a lower tier compared to the Forgotten Past Fortress, so this place was more highly regarded.

This was also why the Rapid Guild chose this location for interviews.

"If you can't prove yourself here, you're nothing," the thought crossed Jinu's mind.

No matter how high a class was—whether Unique or higher—some things just weren’t achievable. In fact, if someone from an Epic class had high records in this dungeon, they would be accepted into the guild. It was clear that the Rapid Guild prioritized skill above all else.

“Although, that means a lot of eccentric people end up joining…” Jinu thought but didn’t dwell on it further.

He had already decided to forgo his own test and instead climbed to the fortress walls, where he stood watching the two candidates from an elevated position. He had high expectations for Seong, given his proven abilities.

As for Kim Che-geon, Jinu thought, "He was recommended by Seong, so he must be decent." He wasn’t expecting anything extraordinary, just the general level of competence that came with a recommendation. Though his personality seemed a bit eccentric, Jinu wasn’t concerned—it wasn’t the reason he was being tested.

As Jinu entertained these thoughts, a system message appeared in the sky, visible to everyone.

[The waves that once stormed the Forgotten Past Fortress are about to stir again.] [『wave1』 begins.]

The message was familiar to Jinu but new to the other two, especially Kim Che-geon, who immediately began preparing for battle.

Kim Che-geon took hold of his sword, performing a practiced draw and positioning it downward in a low stance, placing his right foot behind. Even from a glance, it was clear he had solid swordsmanship.

Jinu, who had also trained in swordsmanship, couldn’t help but admire his form. "Oh?" he muttered under his breath. It was the proper stance for an effective charge, and there wasn’t a hint of hesitation or awkwardness in it. It was a clear indication of someone with significant experience in swordplay.

Jinu was impressed and felt reassured that he wouldn't need to worry much about Kim Che-geon’s abilities. But when he looked at Seong...

Seong wasn't preparing at all.

“Hmm?”

Despite the fact that Seong could summon the undead at any time thanks to his necromancer abilities, it seemed unusually carefree to not prepare in the slightest. Was he overconfident, or was he saving mana for something later?

Jinu frowned, his expression growing uneasy. "He’s being far too relaxed…"

Seong’s abilities should have made him confident, but the lack of preparation was unsettling.

As these thoughts ran through Jinu’s mind, he noticed the monster horde in the distance—goblins and other low-level creatures charging forward. At this stage, it was hardly a challenge.

“I suppose I’ll just watch for now and offer feedback later,” Jinu thought. If Seong didn’t pull it together soon, maybe this would be a good lesson in humility.

Just then, as the monsters neared, a greenish portal appeared behind Seong. The connection to the netherworld had been established.

Jinu expected the summoned being to be a ghost or spirit, but he was wrong.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the portal, as though someone was walking through a swamp filled with water. The heavy steps were unmistakable.

Thud, thud.

A figure emerged from the green portal—a tall, armored knight, his skin a dark reddish hue, and five ominous horns protruding from his helmet. Despite the heavy armor, his menacing presence was clear, and the sky above darkened as if overshadowed by this hellish entity. A blood-red storm began to whirl around the knight.

Jinu froze, unable to think clearly. The being that had emerged was no mere warrior. This was a demon knight, a creature of the damned.

The knight raised his sword, which gleamed with a blood-red aura, and in a single, swift motion, he slashed through the air, sending a crescent-shaped wave of energy toward the approaching monsters.

The slash was so powerful that it split the monsters in half in a single strike, leaving nothing but carnage in its wake.

Seong stood unfazed as the system messages appeared in the air:

[『wave1』 successfully repelled.] [Recorded.] [Massive experience gained.] [All experience will be awarded after final record.]

Jinu stared at the message, stunned. "W-what did I just witness?"

Meanwhile, from a different direction, Kim Che-geon, who hadn’t seen the spectacle, cheerfully called out, “Ha, ha! It’s time to show my true skills!”