Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Elite Heroes
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A-Rank ‘Brawler’.
B-Rank ‘Administrative Supply Officer’.
B-Rank ‘Scout’.
A-Rank ‘Guardian’.
A-Rank ‘Frontier Vanguard’.
B-Rank ‘Frost Sorcerer’.
And so on.
The information on a few of the heroes surrounding him came to mind.
Every single one of them was no pushover.
They were the kind of guys that elite friends kept close and hung out with, so their level was high accordingly.
But it meant nothing to Seo Woo-jin.
Whether they were A-Rank, S-Rank, or SS-Rank.
To Seo Woo-jin, they were just a bit stronger brats.
“…What did you just say?”
The guy who had first picked a fight with Seo Woo-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“Don’t you get the situation you’re in?”
A guy whose rank and name he couldn’t even recall.
Judging by the energy he sensed, he seemed about B-Rank.
“Get away from Tae-jin while I’m asking nicely.”
The guy seemed to overly trust the numbers of his comrades nearby.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t say something like that after seeing S-Rank Kim Tae-jin beaten to a bloody pulp.
“Haa-”
Seo Woo-jin sighed.
Naturally, it wasn’t out of worry.
It was just pure exasperation leaking out unconsciously.
But the guy seemed to interpret Seo Woo-jin’s expression a bit differently.
“Yeah, regretting it now, huh? Back off and apologize. Then I’ll let it slide.”
How could someone fail to grasp the situation this badly?
The problem was that the others thought the same.
Only two.
Only Kim Tae-jin’s friends, Park Jin-han and Im Tae-eun, refrained from rash actions.
They simply looked at Seo Woo-jin with uneasy eyes.
‘At least they’ve gotten a bit cautious after getting hit once?’
Their worry for their battered friend and anger toward Seo Woo-jin were palpable.
Yet they didn’t move.
Because they knew full well how strong Seo Woo-jin was—and how ruthless he could be.
That’s why they’d just watched when Seong Yu-ra died.
“So hurry up and kneel before us…….”
“I can’t listen to any more of this.”
Seo Woo-jin cut the guy off.
“Just take a beating yourself.”
Kwaduduk-!
When had he even moved?
Seo Woo-jin’s fist slammed into the guy’s face.
And no one even registered it.
It was like piecing together a broken film reel.
The moment they noticed Seo Woo-jin moving, his fist was already buried in the guy’s face.
“U, uwaaaak!”
Just like Kim Tae-jin, one punch caved in his face.
Shiny white teeth scattered into the air, and blood sprayed like a fountain.
The other heroes cried out in shock as their teammate collapsed backward with a scream.
“Go Seong-jin!”
“Th, this crazy bastard!”
Had they never imagined Seo Woo-jin would act like this?
Even with one teammate bleeding out on the ground, they only showed panicked faces and didn’t move.
‘Are they really idiots?’
If they were his teammates, they would’ve assumed defensive postures the instant Seo Woo-jin attacked.
Thanks to countless spars and real combat training they’d done together.
But these guys just stood there dumbfounded.
Not taking any action at all.
“Fuck, hit him!”
As expected of elite friends?
At least Park Jin-han was a bit better.
His mind had frozen like the others, but he quickly snapped out of it and ordered an attack.
“Tsk.”
And that was the wrong choice.
If he’d assumed a defensive stance to brace for the next attack, Seo Woo-jin might’ve let it slide.
But since they attacked first like this, he couldn’t just overlook it.
“This is on you.”
He spat the cold words and moved.
Wududuk-!
The first to fly was the ‘Brawler’.
He aimed a knee strike at Seo Woo-jin’s solar plexus, only for his knee to snap backward.
Next up was the ‘Guardian’.
True to his tanker class, he wore heavy plate armor and used ‘Shield Charge’.
Kungkungkungkung-!
His footsteps carried even more weight than Park Min-seong’s ‘Iron Giant’.
But the ‘Guardian’ went flying through the air from a single kick by Seo Woo-jin.
The shield—clearly donated by some kingdom—shattered without blocking even one hit.
“Kkeee-!”
A groan or scream, impossible to tell, rang out.
Then the rest came charging like moths to a flame.
They weren’t worth drawing ‘Karaniel’ for, so Seo Woo-jin blocked them barehanded.
Breaking, smashing, shattering……
In the blink of an eye, all 21 heroes lay on the ground half-crippled.
Only two remained.
Park Jin-han and Im Tae-eun.
They looked at Seo Woo-jin with terrified expressions.
“Not jumping in?”
Honestly, he’d prefer they just stayed put.
Dealing with guys he couldn’t even consider opponents was a hassle.
But Park Jin-han had no intention of granting Seo Woo-jin’s wish.
“Hey, you fucking bastard!”
Dormant power exploded from his compact muscles.
Kwaang-!
He kicked off the ground and shot toward Seo Woo-jin like a cannonball.
Im Tae-eun beside him didn’t stay idle either.
Her face showed reluctance, but she couldn’t just watch her friend charge in.
Grrr-!
An arm-thick dragon flew from her shoulder straight at Seo Woo-jin.
‘Hm…….’
They were definitely on another level from the ones who’d rushed in earlier.
The mana he sensed from them, and their attack patterns too.
Unlike the others who’d panicked into sloppy attacks, these two’s coordination was excellent.
Of course, that didn’t mean Seo Woo-jin was in any danger.
“Heaven and Earth Upheaval!”
Park Jin-han’s clasped hands rose high into the sky before slamming down toward Seo Woo-jin.
At the same time, the dragon’s sharp teeth aimed for his side.
Confirming it, Seo Woo-jin casually reached out with an indifferent expression.
An utterly ordinary gesture.
But the result was anything but.
Swipe-
Park Jin-han’s massive arm, falling toward his head, slid off Seo Woo-jin’s hand like a bead rolling on glass.
It passed over his hand so smoothly, then smashed into the ground.
Kwaaaaaang-!
A sight befitting the name ‘Heaven and Earth Upheaval’ unfolded.
The ground exploded from the immense impact of the collision with Park Jin-han.
The earth’s surface flipped over, dirt pillars shooting into the air like a volcanic eruption.
It blocked Seo Woo-jin’s vision for a moment.
And seizing that gap, Im Tae-eun’s dragon sank its teeth into his side.
Not fully grown yet, it seemed limited to such attacks.
But a dragon’s bite force could shear through metal like tofu.
However……
Kkaduduk-!
Seo Woo-jin’s skin was tougher than any ordinary metal.
The dragon’s eyes widened.
Realizing not even a millimeter had pierced.
“Hwirateon.”
Seo Woo-jin called out to the divine beast that had been hiding from view.
Hwaaaak-!
Unlike the gentle breeze when it usually appeared, this was a gale.
The dirt cloud obscuring his vision was swept away in an instant, revealing Seo Woo-jin’s face.
“Play with this one for a bit.”
At his words to Hwirateon, the little blue-furred rabbit nodded.
Piiik-!
As if thrilled at the prospect, it eagerly flew toward the dragon.
Whoosh-!
The wind blew again, sending the dragon that had been biting his side flying off, unable to withstand Hwirateon’s presence.
Dragons were great beings called transcendent species, but divine beasts held an even higher existence.
One immature dragon was just a toy to the current Hwirateon.
He glanced at the one harassing the dragon in midair before turning away.
Park Jin-han came into view.
His entire body trembled as he looked up at Seo Woo-jin.
“Why’d you even jump in?”
What Seo Woo-jin had done wasn’t just deflecting the attack.
It was more like seizing control of the force and sending it right back.
A sort of counter.
Plus the chaos energy mixed in—it was beyond imagination what shock and pain Park Jin-han must be feeling.
Yet he could still stand because his body far transcended human limits.
“Y-You…….”
Even his voice shook.
Whether from shock or fear, it was unclear.
But one thing was certain: Park Jin-han could no longer move.
Seo Woo-jin stared straight into his eyes before sighing.
The gaze had already lost all will to fight.
He seemed to feel the gap between them down to his bones.
The fear outweighing anger was surely because of that.
Seo Woo-jin made a face like even hitting him would be annoying.
Beating a guy like this would just sour his mood.
“But fairness is fairness, right?”
He couldn’t smash all the others and let the main instigator, Park Jin-han, off.
Seo Woo-jin furrowed his brow and raised his palm.
Then paaak-!
A dull thud erupted, unbelievable for a mere slap.
His head snapped around so hard you’d think his neck had broken.
Shattered teeth flew from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back.
Srrrrk-
One slap, and Park Jin-han lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.
“Now, the only one left…….”
Done with Park Jin-han, Seo Woo-jin turned to Im Tae-eun.
She trembled in fear.
‘What to do?’
Seo Woo-jin had no intention of going easy just because she was a woman.
In fact, quite a few of the heroes crawling on the ground now were women.
Yet he hesitated.
Im Tae-eun felt a bit different from the others.
‘Doesn’t seem like she’s in on it willingly.’
The Im Tae-eun he’d seen in the Demon Realm Heldein ruins had been timid.
Just a kid dragged along by her friends’ actions.
‘Similar to how I used to be.’
Different in degree, maybe, but fundamentally the same.
“Haa-”
Seo Woo-jin sighed.
“Fine, I’ll let you off. We’ve got some history together.”
He said that to the girl who had clasped her hands in front of her chest and was shaking, then turned away.
“Come here now. That’s enough.”
He called Hwirateon.
The one who’d been happily toying with the dragon zipped back like lightning and settled on his shoulder.
Piiik-!
It had just been sleepily tagging along hidden for a while, but now that it moved, it seemed to have had quite the fun.
Of course, the dragon returned to Im Tae-eun looking utterly terrified, the opposite of its foe.
Seo Woo-jin stroked the excited Hwirateon once and started walking.
Chalpak-
The ground was slick with the blood from the 22 heroes excluding Im Tae-eun.
Seo Woo-jin stepped through it casually and approached Kim Tae-jin.
“You know I can’t let you off, right?”
It was time to resume the interrupted task.