Chapter 23

 

A profession is assigned.

 

That means Seo Woojin cannot choose his occupation.

 

Based on your aptitude and past achievements, you will be given the most suitable and suitable job.

 

Seo Woojin watched the characters with a nervous heart.

 

‘Please, If only it’s not the Demon King!’

 

He’d be fine even if he became a D-rank warrior.

 

No, he’d prefer that.

 

Rather than living each day worried about when he might lose his head to the Heroes, it would be much better to be ignored as a D-rank.

 

Because he had already become accustomed to it.

 

Seo Woojin earnestly prayed.

 

[Occupation: Demon King is assigned.]

 

[Unable to measure the grade.]

 

[Some skills will be assimilated into the occupation.]

 

But things are the same as always.

 

It didn’t go as hoped.

 

“Damn it.”

 

* * *

 

The bright light was also visible to Van Slaine.

 

It wasn’t that far away.

 

He headed there without hesitation.

 

‘He leveled up.’

 

That meant Seo Woojin was still safe.

 

“Thank goodness.”

 

Van Slaine, exhaling a sigh of relief, soon arrived where Seo Woojin was.

 

“My Lord!”

 

Kwakwakwa-!

 

With the sound of soldiers calling him, the monsters were driven away.

 

It wasn’t an exaggeration.

 

Was it an outburst of his current feelings?

 

Van Slaine, without a second thought, ruthlessly slaughtered all the monsters.

 

“Any casualties?”

 

Confirming that Seo Woojin was standing unharmed, he asked Jo Han.

 

“No casualties. There were some injuries, but everyone is okay now.”

 

Thanks to the light, everyone had recovered.

 

“Whew-“

 

It was truly fortunate.

 

Not only Seo Woojin but also all the soldiers were unharmed….

 

“Draconis is dead.”

 

Van Slaine looked at the huge corpse behind Seo Woojin with admiring eyes.

 

It was cleanly split in half, revealing its insides.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Approaching Seo Woojin, Van Slaine cautiously asked.

 

For some reason, his condition didn’t seem good.

 

“Oh, yes. Well, I’m fine.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Seo Woojin subtly stepped back.

 

It seemed like he was trying to avoid him.

 

Although there was always some distance between them, he had never openly avoided him, so Van Slaine tilted his head in confusion.

 

“Now you must be at level 10.”

 

However, Van Slaine didn’t show any emotion and spoke as usual.

 

“Congratulations.”

 

He genuinely congratulated Seo Woojin’s growth.

 

Honestly, he had thought it would be fortunate if Seo Woojin reached around level 5 in this expedition.

 

Unlike other Heroes, he didn’t take the bus, and being only D-class, he judged that his growth rate would lag behind.

 

However, Seo Woojin leveled up at an incredible speed.

 

It was astonishing to watch from the side.

 

In just about a month, he had already reached level 10.

 

That meant he had acquired skills comparable to a high-level knight.

 

‘Haha….’

 

Van Slaine let out a dry laugh inwardly.

 

If Seo Woojin had taken the bus like the other Heroes?

 

If he had received all the support of the kingdom?

 

How fast could he have grown?

 

At least, wouldn’t he have reached around level 20 by now?

 

‘Of course, I can’t say that it’s a good method.’

 

Van Slaine didn’t think that the way Seo Woojin’s grew up was wrong.

 

On the contrary, he believed that Seo Woojin was stronger than any other Hero right now.

 

Even if his level might be a bit lacking.

 

“Thank you.”

 

After hesitating for a moment, Seo Woojin expressed his gratitude to Van Slaine.

 

“We’ll hear the details later. For now, return to the main base.”

 

In response to Van Slaine’s words, Seo Woojin nodded, and the soldiers began to prepare for their return.

 

* * *

 

‘What should I say?’

 

Seo Woojin was deeply lost in thought.

 

The expression on his face was so serious that not only the soldiers but even Van Slaine could not say anything.

 

‘Of course, I can’t just say I’ve been chosen as the Demon King as a profession.’

 

Lately, the soldiers’ gazes towards him had changed significantly.

 

In any battle, he was always at the forefront, fighting like crazy to protect his soldiers, so it was strange if his image didn’t change.

 

In such an atmosphere, what would happen if he said, “Ta-da, I’ve become the Demon King”?

 

‘They’ll probably kill me.’

 

Without the soldiers stepping forward, Van Slaine, with one swing of his sword, would probably cut off his head, sending it flying.

 

No matter how strong Seo Woojin had become, he was not yet comparable to Van Slaine.

 

The majesty he showed when fighting against the Ice Bug was simply overwhelming.

 

At least level 20. No, wouldn’t he have to be around level 30 to be similar?

 

‘I’m not sure about that either.’

 

Seo Woojin was at a level where he couldn’t even gauge how far Van Slaine had reached.

 

So, he had to obtain a different profession.

 

‘In the end, is there only the Sword Soldier?’

 

But this, too, posed a problem.

 

Usually, skills are determined by the profession.

 

The profession of a Sword Soldier naturally requires skills related to the sword.

 

‘But I don’t have any.’

 

If he had to pick one, maybe something like ‘Aura’?

 

The rest were too alien for the skills of a Swordsman.

 

At least ‘Acceleration’ or ‘Power Strike’ could be forced, but…

 

‘Not ‘Black Flame’ or ‘Rampage’.’

 

Moreover, becoming a ‘Demon King’ and acquiring the new skill, ‘Hell’, doesn’t even work as an excuse.

 

‘Summoning hell that devours the target’s soul? How is that a swordsman skill?’

 

Since he hadn’t used it yet, he couldn’t know exactly how it manifested.

 

But just by reading the skill description, it was definitely not ordinary.

 

‘Let’s hide it.’

 

Seo Woojin decided to conceal his skills.

 

Honestly, now that he was at level 10, he was confident enough to face Draconis alone with just his ‘Aura’ skill.

 

Becoming a ‘Demon King’ as a profession had greatly increased his physical and magical abilities.

 

In the end, Seo Woojin continued to insist on being a swordsman.

 

“I can see the main force over there.”

 

I suddenly came to my senses after hearing Van Slaine’s words.

 

In the distance, the sight of soldiers approaching became visible.

 

It seemed like they were moving quite quickly.

 

“I think everyone is rushing towards you because they think you’re in danger.”

 

It wasn’t an empty statement.

 

In reality, the soldiers, with desperate expressions, couldn’t maintain proper formation and were running as if mad.

 

And among them, one stood out.

 

‘Irene.’

 

Leading the soldiers from the front, she was hurrying more than anyone else.

 

‘Sigh…’

 

Seo Woojin scratched his face as if embarrassed.

 

He felt that a lot had changed.

 

Himself, Irene, and the soldiers.

 

He never expected those who always ignored and looked down on him to come running to save him like that.

 

“Let’s go. You need to let them know you’re safe.”

 

Van Slaine urged Seo Woojin to hurry.

 

“Yes, let’s go.”

 

A small smile hung on Seo Woojin’s face as he nodded.

 

*  *  *

 

“Sword Soldier… This?”

 

Irene asked.

 

She, who had been nagging a lot just a moment ago, hardened her expression slightly when she heard of Seo Woojin’s job.

 

“You expected this, didn’t you?”

 

It’s extremely rare for someone to be assigned a different occupation than their aptitude.

 

Therefore, most soldiers, including Seo Woojin, expected him to be assigned as a swordsman.

 

But the thoughts of the knights, including Irene, were a little different.

 

“I see.”

 

Irene seemed somehow disappointed.

 

‘I thought with the skills you’ve shown so far, you’d get a different job.’

 

A soldier with a sword in hand.

 

Is there a soldier in the world who radiates ‘Aura’ and has the skills of a senior knight?

 

Therefore, she had expectations of at least obtaining a knight-level job.

 

But in the end, it was a Sword Soldier.

 

Honestly, there was a bit of disappointment.

 

Of course, it wasn’t directed towards Seo Woojin.

 

It was just a little regrettable.

 

“What if it’s a Sword Soldier? It’s enough if you have the skills to hunt Draconis alone, isn’t it, Hmm?”

 

Whether he was trying to change the mood or not, Van Slane chuckled and said.

 

“Well, yes.”

 

Only then did Irene nod with a changed expression.

 

The person who was most disappointed in this situation was Seo Woojin, not them.

 

It was rude to make such a face in front of the concerned person.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Seo Woojin just shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

 

It was better to be disappointed than to be guarded.

 

Unlike before, there was no one ignoring him.

 

It would be best to quietly bury himself here and return home safely when the Advent War ended.

 

“Could you tell us what new skills you acquired, by any chance?”

 

“It’s nothing special.”

 

He couldn’t demonstrate the skill called ‘Hell’

 

So, Seo Woojin decided to roughly describe it.

 

“It’s a skill called ‘Swift Sword’ and its only effect is a slightly faster swinging speed of the sword.”

 

He answered, thinking of the skill with the most ordinary name and effect.

 

If someone asked to see it, he could just swing his mana wildly, and it would look like a skill as fast as he could move.

 

With his mana, even a normal swing could appear as a skill because he could move so quickly.

 

“Oh, it’s a decent skill.”

 

To be precise, it was ambiguous.

 

Certainly, the increased speed of the sword was attractive, but there were many skills of other Heroes that would be admired just by hearing about them.

 

But Irene showed no expression.

 

As a Sword Soldier, she judged that level was the best.

 

“It might overlap with ‘Acceleration,’ but if you use both skills at the same time, it seems quite effective.”

 

Seo Woojin said, glancing at Van Slaine.

 

Although others might feel uneasy, he was worried that Van Slaine might feel something strange.

 

But Van Slaine continued to smile without showing any particular expression.

 

“Is today the end of the suppression?”

 

Seo Woojin changed the subject.

 

Continuing to show interest in his profession was burdensome.

 

Fortunately, people followed his intention.

 

“All planned schedules have been completed. So, I guess we’ll have to return to Massive Guardian tomorrow.”

 

One month.

 

It was a long time if it was long, and a short time if it was short.

 

During that time, Seo Woojin experienced too much.

 

Among them, there were experiences one would never want to go through again, and there were also rewarding moments.

 

But one thing was certain: Seo Woojin had changed a lot, to the point where he couldn’t be compared to his past.

 

“So, what should I do from now on?”

 

If he returned to being a Massive Guardian, the kind of growth he’s experiencing now would be impossible.

 

There were no worthy opponents to hunt except for the occasional monsters that intruded.

 

For Seo Woojin, who needed to become stronger for his own safety, it was a perplexing situation.

 

“Don’t worry.”

 

Did he sense such concerns?

 

Van Slaine opened his mouth.

 

“I’ve already thought of a way for you to become stronger even when you go back.”

 

Looking at his expectant expression, Seo Woojin felt a slight sense of unease.

 

The words Van Slaine had said before still echoed in his mind.

 

‘Heroes become stronger the more they train.’

 

It seemed like Van Slaine was planning to train Seo Woojin.