Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: A Job is Assigned
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# Chapter 23.
A job is assigned.
That meant Seo Woo-jin couldn't choose his own job.
The most suitable and fitting one would be granted based on his aptitude and past actions.
Seo Woo-jin watched the letters with a nervous heart.
'Please, anything but Demon King!'
He'd even be fine with becoming a D-grade Sword Soldier for real.
No, that would actually be better.
Living day by day worrying when heroes might chop off his head was far worse than being ignored as a D-grade.
He was already used to that, after all.
Seo Woo-jin prayed desperately.
[Job 'Demon King' is assigned.]
[It is an immeasurable grade.]
[Some skills assimilate with the job.]
But as always with the ways of the world.
Things didn't go as he wished.
"Fuck."
* * *
The bright light was visible to Ban Slane too.
It wasn't far away.
He headed straight there without hesitation.
'He leveled up.'
That also meant Seo Woo-jin was still safe.
"I'm glad."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Ban Slane soon arrived where Seo Woo-jin was.
"Lord!"
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-!
With the soldiers calling out to him, the monsters were swept away.
It wasn't an exaggeration.
Perhaps venting his urgent worry?
Ban Slane showed no mercy with his hands, slaughtering every monster.
"Any casualties?"
Confirming Seo Woo-jin standing unharmed, he asked Jo Han.
"No deaths. There were some injuries, but everyone's fine now."
Thanks to the light, they had all recovered.
"Huh-"
It really was fortunate.
Not just Seo Woo-jin, but the soldiers too... all safe.
"Drakeas is dead."
Ban Slane looked with admiring eyes at the massive corpse behind Seo Woo-jin.
It was cleanly bisected, exposing its insides.
"Are you alright?"
Ban Slane approached Seo Woo-jin and asked carefully.
Somehow, he didn't look to be in good shape.
"Ah, yeah. I'm fine, more or less."
'Hm?'
He could see Seo Woo-jin subtly stepping back.
It looked like he was trying to avoid him.
They'd always kept some distance, but he'd never dodged so openly before, tilting Ban Slane's head in confusion.
"You must be level 10 now."
But Ban Slane didn't show it and continued as usual.
"Congratulations."
He sincerely celebrated Seo Woo-jin's growth.
Honestly, during this subjugation, he'd thought reaching level 5 would be lucky.
Not riding the bus like other heroes and being mere D-grade, he figured growth would lag far behind.
Yet Seo Woo-jin had leveled up at an astonishing pace.
Watching from the side, it was awe-inspiring.
In less than a month, already level 10.
That meant he now had strength rivaling an upper-grade knight.
'Ha ha...'
Ban Slane chuckled inwardly.
If Seo Woo-jin had ridden the bus like other heroes?
If he'd received the kingdom's full support?
How fast could he have grown?
At least level 20 by now, probably?
'Though that's not necessarily the best way.'
Ban Slane didn't think Seo Woo-jin's current growth path was wrong.
If anything, he believed the current Seo Woo-jin was stronger than any hero.
Even if his level was a bit low.
"Thank you."
After hesitating a moment, Seo Woo-jin offered thanks to Ban Slane.
"We'll hear the details later. Let's head back to the main force for now."
At Ban Slane's words, Seo Woo-jin nodded, and the soldiers began preparations to return.
* * *
'What should I say?'
Seo Woo-jin was deep in thought.
His gravely serious expression kept even the soldiers—and Ban Slane—from speaking to him.
'Obviously, I can't say I got Demon King as my job.'
Lately, the soldiers' gazes toward him had changed a lot.
Always charging to the front in every battle, fighting like mad to protect them—his image couldn't stay the same.
In that atmosphere, what if he said, 'Ta-da, I became the Demon King'?
'I'd die.'
No need for soldiers to step up—Ban Slane would swing his sword once, and his head would go flying.
No matter how strong Seo Woo-jin had gotten, he was still no match for Ban Slane.
The majesty he'd shown fighting the ice worm was overwhelming.
At least level 20. No, 30 to even compare?
'Even that's not certain.'
Seo Woo-jin couldn't even gauge what realm Ban Slane had reached.
So he had to make up another job.
'In the end, Sword Soldier it is?'
But that had issues too.
Normally, skills followed the job.
A Sword Soldier job should naturally have sword-related skills.
'But I don't.'
If he had to pick, maybe 'Aura'?
The rest were far too alien for a Sword Soldier's skills.
He could maybe force 'Acceleration' or 'Heavy Strike'...
'But not 'Black Flame' or 'Rampage'.'
Plus, the new skill from becoming 'Demon King', 'Abyss', wouldn't fly as an excuse.
'Summons a hell that devours the target's soul? How is that a Sword Soldier skill?'
He hadn't tried it yet, so he didn't know exactly how it activated.
But from the description alone, it was anything but ordinary.
'I'll hide them.'
Seo Woo-jin decided to conceal his skills.
Honestly, at level 10 now, he could take on Drakeas solo with just 'Aura'.
Thanks to the massive boost in physical abilities and mana from the 'Demon King' job solidifying.
In the end, Seo Woo-jin decided to stick with claiming Sword Soldier.
"There's the main force."
Ban Slane's words snapped him out of it.
He could see soldiers approaching from afar.
They seemed to be moving quite urgently.
"They think you're in danger, so they're all rushing like that."
It wasn't empty words.
The soldiers were indeed running frantically, faces urgent, formations in disarray.
And among them, one stood out.
'Eirin.'
Leading at the front, she hurried more than anyone.
'Tch...'
Seo Woo-jin scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
He felt anew how much things had changed.
Himself, Eirin, the soldiers.
People who'd always ignored and despised him, now rushing to save him—he hadn't expected that.
"Let's hurry. We need to let them know you're safe."
Ban Slane urged Seo Woo-jin on.
"Yeah, let's."
Nodding, a small smile played on Seo Woo-jin's face.
* * *
"Sword Soldier...?"
Eirin asked.
Until moments ago, she'd been pouring out a torrent of scolding, but upon hearing his job, her expression slightly hardened.
"You expected it."
Cases where the job differed from aptitude were extremely rare.
So most soldiers had anticipated Seo Woo-jin would get Sword Soldier.
But the knights, including Eirin, thought a bit differently.
"I see."
Eirin seemed somehow disappointed.
'With the skills he's shown, I thought he'd get something else.'
A soldier wielding a sword.
One spewing 'Aura' nonstop with upper-grade knight-level prowess—where in the world was there such a thing?
So they'd expected at least a Knight-grade job.
But in the end, Sword Soldier.
Honestly, a bit of disappointment was inevitable.
Though not directed at Seo Woo-jin.
Just a touch of regret.
"So what if it's Sword Soldier? If he can hunt Drakeas solo, that's plenty, right?"
Perhaps to change the mood, Ban Slane laughed heartily.
"Y-Yes."
Only then did Eirin compose her expression and nod.
The most disappointed here wasn't them—it was Seo Woo-jin.
Making such a face in front of him would be rude.
"I'm fine with it."
Seo Woo-jin just shrugged it off nonchalantly.
Better they be disappointed than wary of him.
No one was ignoring him anymore, unlike before.
Best to stay low like this until the Dimensional Descent War ended, then safely return home.
"Any new skills you can tell us about?"
"Nothing special."
He couldn't show 'Abyss'.
So Seo Woo-jin made something up.
"It's a skill called 'Quick Sword.' It just makes swinging the sword a bit faster."
He picked the most bland name and effect he could think of.
If anyone asked to see, he'd just dump a ton of mana and swing wildly.
With his mana, even normal swings would look like skill-level speed.
"Oh, that's a good skill."
To be precise, it was so-so.
Faster sword speed was appealing, sure, but other heroes' skills were jaw-dropping just hearing about them.
Still, Eirin didn't show it.
For a Sword Soldier job, that was the best it could be.
"It overlaps with 'Acceleration,' but using both together should be pretty effective."
Seo Woo-jin said, glancing slightly at Ban Slane.
Anyone else maybe not, but he might sense something off.
But Ban Slane just kept smiling, showing nothing.
"Is the subjugation over for today?"
Seo Woo-jin changed the subject.
Their continued interest in his job felt burdensome.
Fortunately, they followed his lead.
"We've completed the schedule. So tomorrow, back to Massive Guardian."
One month.
Long if long, short if short.
In that time, Seo Woo-jin had experienced so much.
Some he never wanted to repeat, some fulfilling.
But one thing was clear: he'd changed beyond compare to before.
"So what do I do from now on?"
Back at Massive Guardian, this kind of growth would be impossible.
No hunting targets besides the occasional monster raid.
For Seo Woo-jin, who needed to grow stronger for his own safety, it was tricky.
"Don't worry."
As if reading his mind, Ban Slane spoke.
"I've already thought of ways for you to get stronger even after we return."
At his expectant expression, Seo Woo-jin felt a slight chill.
He still vividly remembered Ban Slane's previous words.
'Heroes grow stronger the more you grind them.'
Ban Slane seemed intent on grinding him.