Chapter 2

 

The largest number of monsters on the continent live in the north.

 

When the 6th Demon King was defeated in the war and headed towards the north, he took many of the monsters he had been commanding with him.

 

There were so many types of monsters that Massive Guardian even distributed booklet recording them.

 

Moreover, their reproductive capabilities were truly enormous.

 

Due to their tendency to form legions and invade if one let their guard down, large-scale subjugation had to be carried out at least once a year.

 

Thanks to this, the soldiers of the Massive Guardian were powerful enough to be reckoned with even on the continent.

 

Of course, a considerable number of sacrifices followed, but that was inevitable.

 

“I guess I’m going there in the end.”

 

Seo Woojin, returning to his lodging, sat on the bed and held his head.

 

He had prepared for a day like this to come eventually.

 

The reason he was summoned wasn’t to tour the fantasy world for amusement.

 

Of course, he had to level up, gain experience through battles with monsters, because before the Advent War started, a hero had to become strong enough to face the Demon King.

 

Seo Woojin believed he was mentally prepared for that.

 

However, when the moment approached, he suddenly felt scared.

 

“Should I just run away?”

 

When he thought about it, wasn’t he no different from other heroes?

 

From the start, his occupational aptitude was opposed to the heroes; he was a ‘Demon King.’

 

In that sense, he might even be closer to the side of monsters.

 

Even if not for that reason, he had plenty of reasons to run away.

 

Who would want to fight desperately for those who treated him with such contempt and disdain?

 

“Should I really run away?”

 

Seo Woojin began to seriously contemplate.

 

If he escaped from Massive Guardian, where would he go, what would he do to make a living?

 

Since he had received a rough education about this world, he wasn’t entirely clueless.

 

“Yeah, let’s run away. If it doesn’t work out, it’s better than dying here like a dog.”

 

It was better than suffering a miserable death here.

 

“Hmm, that’s an interesting story.”

 

“Oof!”

 

Suddenly, a voice from behind startled Seo Woojin, and he quickly stood up.

 

“W-who are you!”

 

A short, silver-haired, handsome face.

 

The owner of the voice was a young man Seo Woojin had never seen before.

 

He had no idea when he had arrived and why he hadn’t noticed him until now.

 

“Oh, surprised, aren’t you.”

 

His way of speaking was a bit strange.

 

Even though he looked roughly the same age as Seo Woojin, his words made him seem like an old man.

 

But Seo Woojin was too bewildered to pay much attention to such things.

 

“Sorry, I heard a hero came while I was away, so I thought I’d come and take a look…”

 

At his words, Seo Woojin inwardly chuckled.

 

‘Come and take a look? Am I some kind of zoo monkey?’

 

While pondering whether to get angry for a moment or just laugh it off, Seo Woojin chose the latter.

 

The word choices didn’t quite sit well with him, but it was because, unlike other people, he didn’t feel any malice from him.

 

“So, who are you?”

 

Of course, that didn’t make him any less suspicious.

 

Under Seo Woojin’s scrutinizing gaze, the young man slapped his forehead with a surprised expression.

 

“I seem to be making several rude mistakes today.”

 

He quickly adjusted his appearance, then started introducing himself with courtesy.

 

“I am Van Slaine, the Supreme Commander of the Massive Guardians and the lord of this region. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Hahaha!”

 

Seo Woojin burst into laughter.

 

Then Van Slaine tilted his head.

 

He wondered what mistake he had made again.

 

But Seo Woojin’s laughter wasn’t because of that.

 

“Hey, if you’re going to lie, at least do it properly. Are you saying you’re Van Slaine himself?”

 

The Iron Blooded Count, called the Shield of the Kingdom Sion.

 

Comparable to summoned warriors of unparalleled strength, he was one of the strongest beings in this world.

 

Unfortunately, Seo Woojin hadn’t met him in person so far, but the rumors about him had been so widespread since he arrived here that it was impossible not to hear.

 

As a result, Seo Woojin was well aware that Van Slaine was now over 60 years old, a white-haired veteran knight.

 

“No matter how you look at it, you don’t seem older than me, right?”

 

Could it be that the young man who introduced himself as Van Slaine had come to tease him? That thought crossed his mind.

 

However, the young man didn’t show any signs of embarrassment. 

 

On the contrary, he had a pleased expression, as if he had received praise.

 

“I didn’t think about that.”

 

The young man nodded as if admitting his mistake.

 

“I haven’t gotten used to this transformation yet; it hasn’t been long.”

 

What do you mean?

 

Seo Woojin didn’t understand.

 

“Well, it’s obvious that no matter what I say now, you won’t believe it, so let’s formally greet each other soon.”

 

As if expecting something, he smiled at Seo Woojin and then disappeared.

 

“Huh?”

 

He literally disappeared.

 

As if he had never been there in the first place.

 

He just vanished.

 

Seo Woojin stood still in his place, blinking his eyes, and his body shivered.

 

“What the heck? A ghost?”

 

***

 

The weather hasn’t been very good recently, and eventually a snowstorm began.

 

I’ve seen something like this on TV a few times on Earth, the wind was unbelievably strong compared to that.

 

“If you don’t stabilize your center, you’ll be blown away.”

 

At Irene’s advice, Seo Woojin lowered his posture a bit.

 

It wasn’t an exaggeration; he really felt like he might be blown away by the wind.

 

“Of all days, it had to be today…”

 

Seo Woojin grumbled.

 

In the end, Seo Woojin couldn’t escape and had to face the day of punishment.

 

There were various reasons why he couldn’t escape, but the biggest one was Irene right in front of him.

 

She, who usually had no interest in him at all, suddenly, for some reason, began to check his position without warning, as if she were monitoring him.

 

The moment he decided to run away, this happened, and it was frustrating.

 

“Surely it’s him.”

 

It was clear that the conman who had sneaked into his room had set him up.

 

Otherwise, there was no way her attitude would change so suddenly.

 

Still, Seo Woojin didn’t give up and tried his best to escape somehow.

 

Because he didn’t want to participate in the dangerous subjugation that could lead to death.

 

But Irene’s surveillance was something Seo Woojin couldn’t escape with his abilities.

 

Time passed rapidly, and finally, the day arrived.

 

Seo Woojin followed Irene like livestock being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

 

“Wow.”

 

The training ground was already crowded with numerous soldiers.

 

A thousand? Two thousand?

 

It was astonishing to know that there were so many soldiers of the Massive Guardian in one place.

 

As they were strong soldiers with a lot of experience, they did not even move even in this strong snowstorm.

 

It seemed like they were preparing their bodies and minds for the upcoming battle with monsters.

 

It was enough to make Seo Woojin doubt if they were the same guys who used to mock him.

 

“Let’s go this way.”

 

Irene headed towards the front podium with Seo Woojin.

 

There were about fifty knights lined up there.

 

It was the Kingdom Sion’s proudest knight order ‘Blue Shield’.

 

“Tsk.”

 

Seo Woojin clicked his tongue inwardly.

 

In front of me, the figure of Knight Testeron was visible.

 

I wondered if molding around 200kg of male hormones would result in a human figure like that.

 

“Oh, our hero has arrived.”

 

It’s amazing how soldiers never deviate even a bit from saying the same thing.

 

Despite his macho appearance, his tone sounded remarkably light.

 

“Oh, yes.”

 

Seo Woojin nodded vaguely in response to Testeron.

 

Since he had never seen any good results from being involved with Testeron, it was better not to interact with him if possible.

 

Of course, Testeron seemed uninterested in letting go of such delicious prey as Seo Woojin.

 

“Could you please handle this subjugation well? You need to earn some points as a hero. Oh, since you are a D-rank? Might be tough for you, huh?”

 

He burst into a hearty laugh, but there was mockery mixed within.

 

Seo Woojin’s eyebrows twitched.

 

Normally, he would have pretended not to hear and let it slide.

 

As always.

 

Unfortunately, Seo Woojin’s state of mind was currently very uncomfortable.

 

Unable to escape from this place, he found himself dragged into a dangerous subjugation.

 

It would have been stranger if he felt the same as usual.

 

“Hey, aren’t your words a bit harsh?”

 

In the end, Seo Woojin couldn’t suppress the feeling and blurted out.

 

“What?”

 

“What did I do so wrong that you can’t remain silent”

 

He spat out the words towards Testeron as if chewing them.

 

Enduring silently for a time or two was fine, but he couldn’t take it anymore.

 

‘He probably deserves a beating.’

 

Seo Woojin thought as he reached out towards his sword.

 

Unlike the previous soldiers, Testeron was a knight.

 

Not only in terms of physical strength but also in combat experience, he undoubtedly surpassed Seo Woojin by far.

 

Maybe if he grows in the future, who knows, but currently, there was no possibility of winning against him.

 

Still…

 

Seo Woojin intended to show the Korean proverb that even a worm will squirm when stepped on.

 

“Are you going to draw that sword?”

 

Testeron’s voice tone lowered.

 

Even though that was all it took, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly changed.

 

Seo Woojin swallowed dry saliva at the gaze in his eyes that seemed to penetrate even his superficial life.

 

‘Damn, are you trying to die?’

 

Despite the chaotic situation, people here knew him as a hero.

 

So, he couldn’t just kill as he pleased.

 

Since there was no fear of death, he wanted to give him at least one stab even if he got into trouble.

 

“Now that the count has appeared, let’s leave it at that.” Irene said, bringing the situation under control with a single sentence before the fight even began.

 

Hearing Irene’s words, Testeron lost his momentum and turned his head as if nothing had happened.

 

No matter how careless he was, he couldn’t act carelessly in front of his lord.

 

Seo Woojin also released the tension in his hand that held the sword, as it was shaking from nervousness.

 

In the suddenly quiet atmosphere, Seo Woojin glanced at Irene, who subtly checked the situation, and then shifted his gaze to the podium.

 

“Van Slaine….”

 

Considering that even Testeron couldn’t act carelessly, he seemed like a formidable person.

 

At the same time, the face of the swindler he saw in his room not long ago flashed in his mind.

 

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

“If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly.”

 

Seo Woo-jin shook his head and concentrated his mind to see the real Van Slaine.

 

A white-haired knight.

 

Commander of the Massive Guardians.

 

A formidable figure even in the entire continent, including the Kingdom of Sion.

 

Since there were so many rumors, Seo Woojin eagerly checked Van Slaine’s appearance on the podium.

 

“Huh?”

 

Seo Woojin’s eyes widened.

 

“Shh-“

 

Although Irene subtly signaled to be quiet, he couldn’t help it.

 

“That person… Is that true?” he asked, even rubbing his eyes as if it were unbelievable.

 

In response to that sight, Irene quietly answered with an expression that seemed to say there was no choice.

 

“He might be a bit different from what you’ve heard.”

 

It was beyond surprising!

 

The image of Van Slaine reflected in Seo Woojin’s eyes was not the knight he had imagined, but exactly that swindler.

 

“He recently transcended his limits and achieved physical reconstruction.”

 

“Then…”

 

It meant that the young man he saw at home a few days ago was really Van Slaine.

 

Color drained from Seo Woojin’s face.

 

It wasn’t his fault, but why did things have to go so smoothly?

 

He started to worry that he might have attracted unnecessary attention.

 

At that moment.

 

Hmm-

 

Seo Woojin’s body stiffened.

 

Van Slaine’s pupils were precisely directed towards him.

 

It was just a moment, so he couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like he was smiling.

 

“The subjugation begins.” Van Slaine declared, issuing the command to start.