Chapter 5

 

When a summoned hero reaches level 10, his or her job is determined.

 

Until then, it’s merely a matter of ‘aptitude.’

 

The real profession is decided at that moment.

 

Among the summoned heroes so far, some have ended up with professions different from their aptitude.

 

Isn’t it the same on Earth?

 

Most people there live lives completely different from the results of their aptitude tests.

 

Here, the accuracy of this aptitude thing was ridiculously high, but not everyone obtained their profession just because of it.

 

Seo Woojin was placing his hope in that.

 

The hope that he might not necessarily become a ‘Demon King.’

 

Of course, he would have to continue hiding his aptitude.

 

If Seo Woojin’s aptitude is revealed, who will be the biggest threat?

 

The first that comes to mind was, of course, the heroes.

 

They responded to the summoning with the goal of defeating the Demon King.

 

There was no particular friendship, so there was a high possibility that they would rush to cut his throat as soon as it was revealed.

 

But they were far away.

 

Moreover, as long as they didn’t swarm, he was confident he could somehow survive.

 

There are truly dangerous people around him.

 

Irene, Testeron, Knights of the Blue Shield.

 

People who are close and strong enough to stab a sword into his neck at any moment.

 

And among them, the most dangerous is…

 

‘Van Slaine.’

 

Seo Woojin’s head slowly turned backward.

 

There, a young man with well-groomed silver hair was smiling.

 

“Salute!”

 

Irene, startled by the sudden appearance of Van Slaine, quickly saluted.

 

He nodded slightly to her and turned to Seo Woojin.

 

“How have you been all this time?”

 

My mouth became dry.

 

At this moment, he was facing the person he least wanted to encounter.

 

“Oh, yes, yes.”

 

Seo Woojin nodded with as much composure as he could muster.

 

“As I mentioned before, let’s greet each other properly. I am Van Slaine.”

 

‘I know.’

 

If you don’t know by now, you’re really clueless.

 

Van Slaine, who politely greeted Seo Woojin, smiled and spoke.

 

“The cold this year is quite severe compared to the normal. It’s fortunate that you seem to be holding up well.”

 

‘Hold up well, my foot.’

 

Seo Woojin felt a pang of discomfort, but he didn’t show it.

 

“Thanks to you.”

 

Pointing to the enchanted clothes, he replied, and Van Slaine’s smile deepened.

 

“Do you trust it a bit more now?”

 

At his question, Seo Woojin made an awkward expression.

 

The memory of being treated as a scammer at their first meeting came to mind.

 

“I apologize for that time.”

 

It wasn’t really Seo Woojin’s fault, but since he probably wouldn’t see a better situation by confronting him, he decided to apologize first.

 

“I should be the one to apologize. I startled you that day, and I’m sorry.”

 

Van Slaine extended his hand.

 

“By the way, have you given up on the plan to be someone else’s housekeeper?”

 

“…Thanks to whom?”

 

Seo Woojin glanced alternately at Irene and Van Slaine.

 

Seeing his gaze, Van Slaine chuckled.

 

“You noticed?”

 

“It’s hard not to notice. Such blatant surveillance was suddenly put on me.”

 

At the time, he thought Van Slaine was the one behind the surveillance, but now he wasn’t so sure.

 

“Understandable. Can’t just stand there watching the precious hero, the only one I have, run away, can I?”

 

At those words, Seo Woojin made a perplexed expression.

 

‘A precious hero?’

 

It was the first time he had heard such words since being summoned.

 

At first, he was welcomed, but after introducing himself as D-rank, he always faced cold treatment.

 

Ironically, the person who valued Seo Woojin more than the soldiers was Count Slaine.

 

He was the General and lord with a duty to protect the Massive Guardian.

 

Nevertheless, from their first meeting until now, he has never once ignored Seo Woojin.

 

Rather, he wished he had been more respectful.

 

‘Why is he like this?’

 

As someone was treating him so friendly for the first time, suspicion naturally arose in Seo Woojin’s mind.

 

“Irene.”

 

However, before Seo Woojin could continue his contemplation, Van Slaine’s voice snapped him out of it.

 

“Please speak.”

 

“You’ve had a hard time.”

 

“You’re being too kind. There was no need for trouble.”

 

“Still, continually watching one person is not as easy as it sounds.”

 

Seo Woojin let out a bitter laugh while listening to their conversation.

 

No matter what, saying something like that in front of the person who was the subject of surveillance… … .

 

“I’ll rely on you in the future.”

 

“I follow your orders.”

 

Irene gave a courteous salute.

 

“And…”

 

Van Slaine looked in this direction.

 

Seo Woojin blinked, wondering why, but Van Slaine grabbed his hand.

 

“Follow me.”

 

Taken aback by the sudden pull, Seo Woojin had no choice but to follow him.

 

“Uh, where are we going?”

 

Despite Seo Woojin’s inquiry filled with an inexplicable sense of unease, Van Slaine did not answer.

 

He just urged his steps a bit away from the training ground.

 

Seo Woojin tried to gather strength against the growing anxiety, but as a level 1, he couldn’t possibly handle Van Slaine’s power.

 

Ultimately giving up resistance, they arrived at a small hill overlooking the training ground, not far from the residence.

 

From there, the view below was that of the headquarters.

 

Moonlight gently illuminating and reflecting on the endless white ground.

 

Busy soldiers moving on top of it.

 

It was so majestic that it felt unrealistic.

 

As Seo Woojin was momentarily lost in thought, Van Slaine finally released the hand he had been holding.

 

“Isn’t it impressive?”

 

Unconsciously, Seo Woojin nodded his head.

 

Honestly, it was impressive.

 

“But why are we here…?”

 

It wasn’t just to show this spectacle.

 

Although it was spectacular, there was nothing particularly awe-inspiring about it.

 

‘It’s too cold for that.’

 

A moment of admiration.

 

His body shivered in the onslaught of the approaching icy wind.

 

“I heard you’re a D-rank swordsman.”

 

Seo Woojin’s complexion slightly stiffened.

 

“Damn it.”

 

I wondered if he, who seemed like a good guy, would finally show his true colors.

 

If I had known this would happen, I regret not raising the level a bit, even if only a little.

 

“I’m not blaming you.”

 

Van Slaine, who saw Seo Woojin’s expression, shook his head.

 

“I already have an idea of what kind of hardships you’ve been through.”

 

He comforted Seo Woojin with a voice full of apology.

 

“Hmm…”

 

To be honest, it didn’t really make a big difference.

 

If it could be solved with just a few words like this, it might not have been that difficult in the first place.

 

But it was true that a part of my heart felt a little relieved.

 

“Can I tell you an old story?”

 

Perhaps because he thought he wasn’t too young, Van Slaine started an old story with Seo Woojin.

 

“It’s a story from the time when the third demon king descended.”

 

A time so long ago that there weren’t many records left.

 

“According to the records, there were only two summoned warriors at that time.”

 

“Really?”

 

Although this summoning was particularly successful, the difference was too great.

 

There were a whopping 98 people difference.

 

“It was quite serious at that time, too. At least they believed they could summon five or more, but there were only two.”

 

Of course, with fewer numbers, they would receive more concentrated support and grow faster, but there was a limit to that too.

 

Two people were just too few.

 

But there was a bigger problem.

 

“One of them was at the D level.”

 

“Ah…”

 

When I thought about how I had been treated, I felt very sorry for that hero.

 

Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.

 

“But there’s more to the story.”

 

Van Slaine smiled in his characteristic way as he looked at Seo Woojin.

 

“The one who beheaded the demon king was that D-level warrior.”

 

Seo Woojin’s eyes widened.

 

Was that even possible?

 

D-level had a slow growth rate and a narrow range of growth compared to other levels.

 

Although they might be similar at first, after a while, an insurmountable gap would appear.

 

Even if they were both level 100, the difference between D-level and S-level was incomparable.

 

So, it is inevitable that prejudice will arise.

 

It was not unreasonable for Seo Woojin to find it hard to believe that a D-level warrior had beheaded the demon king.

 

“How was that possible?”

 

Of course Seo Woo Jin couldn’t answer.

 

Van Slaine didn’t seem to expect an answer either and immediately provided an explanation.

 

“The thing you folks call a bus.”

 

Seo Woojin tilted his head.

 

He didn’t understand Van Slaine’s words.

 

‘Is he saying it was possible by taking the bus? Is that still happening now?’

 

Ironically, Seo Woojin couldn’t walk the easy path himself.

 

However, the following words were the opposite of what Seo Woojin expected.

 

“The D-class hero grew only with his own strength without receiving help from others.”

 

Seo Woojin’s eyes widened slightly.

 

“Of course, if you grow with the overwhelming support of each kingdom, you can become strong very quickly.”

 

After all, it was a bus ride like that.

 

The knights faced monsters, and the heroes waited behind, delivering the finishing blow to monsters that were in dying state.

 

Then, like in a game, experience points came in, and levels increased—a growth method.

 

Is there a safer and faster way than this?

 

But Seo Woojin understood immediately what it meant.

 

‘It’s the same in games.’

 

Wallet warriors who start playing the game after making tremendous in-app purchases.

 

They quickly farm items and level up by paying for the bus.

 

But what is left after doing that?

 

Being treated as a party’s target of avoidance, receiving the derogatory treatment of being called a “whale” in casual cosplay?

 

No gaming skills, no knowledge of strategies, just a newbie with high levels and good items.

 

In the end, there’s nothing they can do except stand in the middle of the village and boast about their characters.

 

Of course, many of those who took the bus made efforts to adapt to the game after riding it…

 

‘Is he talking about this?’

 

Easy, comfortable, safe-growing heroes and those who grow desperately risking their lives.

 

If they were at the same level, it was obvious whose skills were better.

 

“But what about the difference in ranks?”

 

Seo Woojin asked after organizing his thoughts.

 

The growth would already have been slow due to the low level, and if the bus had not been taken, the speed would have been significantly behind.

 

No matter how overwhelming real battle experience is, can it surpass ranks and levels?

 

Van Slaine’s eyes drew a line.

 

“Well, I don’t know either. Most of the records from that time have been lost or are not well-preserved.”

 

Seo Woojin felt a sense of disappointment creeping in.

 

Even though he wasn’t really D-Class, what if he found out how that hero grew?

 

“One thing is for sure, though.”

 

Perhaps due to feeling disappointed.

 

Van Slaine placed his hand on Seo Woojin’s shoulder and spoke.

 

“Heroes become stronger the more they roll, that’s the truth.”

 

Seo Woojin’s face contorted.

 

So, does that mean he’s going to roll over him like a dog?

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll make you the strongest warrior among the hundred.”

 

His compassionate smile somehow looked like that of a demon king in Seo Woojin’s eyes.

 

In response to Seo Woojin’s reaction, Van Slaine chuckled and turned away.

 

“Now, let’s go down.”

 

Chuckling and stepping down the hill, Van Slaine recalled the scene that had happened earlier in the day.

 

It was the moment when Draconis cowered in fear and stopped in front of Seo Woojin.

 

‘I’m curious about what you’re hiding.’

 

Curiosity shone strongly in Van Slaine’s eyes.