Chapter 31

 

Scary.

 

A devil covered in blood was smiling at them, revealing his white teeth.

 

The three people who had grown like greenhouse plants couldn’t help but find Seo Woojin terrifying.

 

Are you asking us to do something like that with you?’

 

Fighting wasn’t frightening.

 

They had killed countless monsters and even engaged in sparring with knights.

 

But compared to what Seo Woojin and Irene did, it was no different from children’s pranks.

 

Lee Ji-ah couldn’t help but think if the two were enemies.

 

Otherwise, they wouldn’t attack each other so aggressively.

 

Compared to what Seo Woojin and Irene did, her previous thoughts of sparring was like a Taekwondo match seemed foolish.

 

One wrong move, and it felt like their necks would be cut off.

 

This feeling wasn’t exclusive to Lee Ji-ah.

 

Yu Hong-seol and Kim Da-hye also couldn’t hide their pale faces.

 

They seemed afraid of their turn coming up next.

 

“…Are you not going to do it?”

 

Seo Woojin asked nonchalantly.

 

Then, Lee Ji-ah raised her hand abruptly.

 

It was an action even she didn’t expect.

 

Certainly, she was scared and reluctant.

 

It wasn’t pleasant to step forward, risk getting hurt by a sword, and she didn’t particularly want to see blood.

 

Nevertheless, Lee Ji-ah didn’t lower her hand.

 

Somehow, her heart was pounding for reasons she couldn’t understand.

 

‘I guess I’m crazy?’

 

She wanted to experience a fight.

 

It would be painful and scary, but still, she wanted to experience it at least once.

 

“Me! I’ll go first!”

 

Seo Woojin’s eyes turned toward Lee Ji-ah.

 

He used to look like such a friendly uncle, but now his shoulders slumped involuntarily.

 

“Sure, come over here.”

 

Seo Woojin nodded with a smile.

 

‘Seo, Am I going to die?’

 

She took a step forward, swallowing saliva as she moved to the center of the training ground.

 

*  *  *

 

‘That’s unexpected?’

 

Honestly, Seo Woojin didn’t have high expectations.

 

After hearing Yu Hong-seol’s words, he could understand how comfortably they had grown.

 

What if they get hurt…?

 

Was that something Heroes preparing for a war against the Demon King would say?

 

The Advent War would be much more brutal compared to the subjugation carried out by the Massive Guardians.

 

It was natural; it was a war to prevent the end of the world.

 

Given the situation, it was a bit surprising to hear such weak words.

 

So, he asked out of courtesy, and Lee Ji-ah stepped forward.

 

You could tell how scared she was just by looking at her stiff expression and movements.

 

‘Relax a bit.’

 

Arms and legs moved simultaneously.

 

It felt like watching a drill sergeant at a training camp.

 

Nevertheless, seeing her step forward like that was admirable and pitiful at the same time.

 

Lee Ji-ah’s profession was a ‘Fist Master.’

 

It was an A-class job, and she was already at level 26.

 

She was undoubtedly among the top ranks of the Heroes.

 

With a slightly excited heart, Seo Woojin asked Lee Ji-ah, who had arrived in front of him:

 

“What about your equipment?”

 

“Oh, I left it at the lodging. Originally, I was planning to go sightseeing outside. Since this happened so suddenly, I couldn’t bring it. How about we do that next time? Wouldn’t that be better?”

 

Perhaps feeling even more nervous as the duel was about to start, she began to speak incoherently.

 

‘Impressive.’

 

Even in such a situation, Lee Ji-ah’s mouth never stopped.

 

“Well, then, shall we just have a martial arts duel?”

 

“Oh? Is it okay, though? You’re a ‘Swordsman,’ right?”

 

“Of course. I’ve been diligently training in martial arts as well.”

 

Seo Woojin’s response brightened Lee Jia-ah’s expression.

 

She thought there wouldn’t be much risk if she didn’t use a sword. 

 

Moreover, a simple fistfight was definitely in her favor.

 

After all, she was the ‘Fist Master.’

 

“Without using skills or magic. Is that fine?”

 

“Yes! It’s totally fine!”

 

Lee Jia-ah was excited.

 

“Okay then, Irene. Please prepare some medicine, just in case.”

 

“Alright.”

 

As Irene moved to one side, Seo Woojin immediately took a stance.

 

“You can attack first.”

 

Since Lee Jia-ah wasn’t familiar with this type of sparring, he conceded the initiative.

 

“I won’t decline then!”

 

Kwung-!

 

Lee Jia-ah stamped her foot.

 

The dust piled on the training ground scattered, and her fist swiftly flew towards Seo Woojin’s nose.

 

‘Huh!’

 

He tilted his head.

 

There was a slight delay in his reaction because the speed was faster than expected, but fortunately, he was able to evade it.

 

‘Surprise!’

 

A-class was indeed A-class.

 

Even with restricted skills and magic, it seemed like she could handle most knights with just her physical abilities.

 

Whoa!

 

Seo Woojin turned his body to the belatedly surging aftermath.

 

‘Still…’

 

If it was at this level, it was manageable.

 

Seo Woojin reached out his hand, simultaneously targeting Lee Ji-ah’s knee with his leg.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Though startled, Lee Ji-ahtried to pull away, but her escape route had long been blocked.

 

Before she could even think of a solution, Seo Woojin’s hand grasped her throat.

 

And…

 

Kwaang-!

 

“Ack!”

 

Lee Ji-ah’s head slammed into the ground.

 

Despite trying to minimize the force, it must have had quite a significant impact.

 

As evidence, Lee Ji-ah was rolling around, clutching the back of her head.

 

“It hurts! It hurts! Uwaaah!”

 

It must have hurt so much that there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

 

‘Heh-‘

 

She knew her opponent wouldn’t be an easy match.

 

Despite the significant level difference, Lee Ji-ah had no experience in this kind of fight.

 

Naturally, she was inexperienced in assessing the situation and dealing with it.

 

On the other hand, Seo Woojin had endured a year of training as if he were about to die.

 

He had been stabbed with a knife several times a day, and his bones were broken from punches and kicks.

 

Seo Woojin, who had gone through such a hellish training, had no intention of losing.

 

But the difference was too great.

 

‘She’s over 16 levels higher than me.’

 

With this kind of gap, he worried about whether she could survive in a war.

 

“A-are you okay?”

 

Seo Woojin belatedly helped Lee Jia.

 

Of course, there were no major injuries to her body.

 

Because Lee Ji-ah’s body far transcended the limits of humans.

 

She’s just panicked and surprised now, but if you think about it, the pain shouldn’t be too bad.

 

Seo Woojin comforted Lee Ji-ah who was in tears.

 

To continue the training, it seemed like he would have to consider Lee Ji-ah’s circumstances a lot.

 

“Ung… ung…”

 

Lee Ji-ah sniffled until her nose ran dry and got up from her seat.

 

“Again.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Do it again!”

 

In her eyes, though faint, there was a determination.

 

Seo Woojin smiled.

 

* * *

 

Bang!

 

“Again!”

 

Bang!

 

“Again!”

 

Kabang!

 

“St… stop.”

 

How many times did they face off?

 

Because he had eased up on his strength, she lasted longer than the first time.

 

He also started making quite a few fierce attacks.

 

But it was still difficult for Lee Ji-ah to counterattack properly against Seo Woojin.

 

Lee Ji-ah gave up trying again after rolling on the ground nearly ten times.

 

She realized that, no matter how hard she tried, there was no way out for her now.

 

“Let’s spar again next time! This time, with equipment!”

 

The determination in Lee Ji-ah’s eyes grew stronger.

 

It was somewhat regrettable to see such a gaze in her once pure eyes, but this was a good thing for her too.

 

Training like this with Seo Woojin would increase her chances of survival in a war.

 

But on the flip side, it made him a bit uneasy.

 

‘I might be digging my own grave for no reason.'”

 

It might not be worth raising a kid who could become a problem, right?

 

Wouldn’t it be better to quit now?

 

Those thoughts crossed my mind.

 

But it wasn’t comfortable just leaving the child like that.

 

Except for the people of the Massive Guardian, she was the first person to approach me warmly.

 

“Okay, okay, let’s do it again tomorrow.”

 

“You can’t run away!”

 

Normally, you would give up.

 

Just like Yu Hong-seol and Kim Da-hye, who got scared just by looking at them and kept their distance.

 

But Lee Ji-ah was different.

 

Somehow it felt admirable.

 

“Do you guys want to spar with me?”

 

He still had some strength left.

 

Although Irene and I moved a bit aggressively, it was nothing compared to the training we did at Massive Guardian.

 

I want to sweat a little more…

 

“I’ll do it next time!”

 

“Me too!”

 

Did they hear Seo Woojin’s words?

 

The two shook their heads vigorously.

 

“Yes. Okay then.”

 

It was a little disappointing.

 

The same goes for Yu Hong-seol and Kim Da-hye.

 

I wanted to see how they fight.

 

But I couldn’t force them if they didn’t want to.

 

“Wait. I’ll apply some ointment.”

 

Lee Ji-ah’s head and arms were covered with small scratches.

 

They were the wounds she got from rolling on the ground continuously.

 

“Ugh, it’s the first time I’ve been hurt this much! Seriously, you’re a devil!”

 

Lee Ji-ah complained.

 

“Do I look like a devil even when you see me?”

 

Seo Woojin chuckled, pointing at himself.

 

Although the bleeding had stopped slightly, Seo Woo Jin was literally covered in blood.

 

To someone unfamiliar, it might have looked like he had been hit by a dump truck, a scene that could lead to misunderstandings.

 

“Well, that…”

 

Just now, the memory of giving a harsh beating to Seo Woojin crossed her mind.

 

“Are you okay? You seem to be in a lot of pain…”

 

Only then did she ask with a worried expression.

 

“It’s nothing. In training, you often get hurt worse.”

 

“Mr. Woojin.”

 

As he lifted Lee Ji-ah up and dusting her off, Irene approached and handed him some medicine.

 

“Have you already applied it?”

 

Judging from the fact that his face was flushed red, it seemed like he applied the medicine himself first.

 

As expected, Irene nodded.

 

“Can you put some on Jia too?”

 

It seemed a bit awkward for her to apply it herself.

 

It would be more comfortable for two women to help each other.

 

And…

 

“Ah? Ahh? Aaah!”

 

As Lee Ji-ah, who had applied the special ointment, writhed in pain.

 

“Oh, right. That hurts a bit.”

 

For example, It felt like applying Albochil ten times over.

 

Lee Ji-ah was unable to regain her composure, experiencing even greater pain than when she received blows from Seo Woojin.

 

‘Even so, the effect is amazing.’

 

It was a miraculous medicine that substituted a week of pain for a mere 10 seconds of agony.

 

Irene skillfully applied the medicine to Lee Ji-ah, who was writhing in pain.

 

“Sir, I almost died….”

 

Lee Ji-ah sniffled and wiped away her tears.

 

‘She didn’t cry like this earlier.’

 

It must really hurt from the medicine.

 

“Can you put some on me too?”

 

Inevitably, someone had to apply it to the parts that couldn’t be reached.

 

“Me! I’ll do it!”

 

Before Irene could step forward, Lee Ji-ah took the medicine.

 

Seo Woojin could sense the intention in her eyes.

 

‘That… It’s a gaze blinded by revenge!”

 

It was clear that she intended to repay the pain she suffered today with the medicine.

 

Seo Woojin chuckled.

 

Though the medicine hurt, it was bearable now.

 

He had become too accustomed to it over the past year to make a fuss.

 

As Seo Woojin undressed, Lee Ji-ah approached with a mischievous smile.

 

“Finally, the revenge of justice…”

 

Lee Ji-ah’s body, ready to cheer, froze as she was about to apply the medicine.

 

Seo Woojin’s body was far from normal.

 

One, two, three.

 

Countless scars covered Seo Woojin’s upper body.

 

It looked as if someone had forcibly patched up a broken piece of pottery.

 

It was almost unbelievable that a person could live in such a state.