Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Second Subjugation
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Time flew by like an arrow.
During that time, Seo Woo-jin spent the same routine every day.
Morning, lunch, and evening training.
He sweated it out with Eileen and Lee Ji-ah before heading to bed.
The unexpected part was Kim Da-hye joining in on the training.
"I want in too."
It wasn't hard to welcome Kim Da-hye when she hesitantly approached.
Honestly, he had a bit of curiosity about trying out the K-2 himself.
In the end, Yoo Hong-seol didn't join, but it didn't matter much to Seo Woo-jin.
She wanted to remain a potted flower in the greenhouse, and he had no intention of forcing her.
And so, the day before the academy's official schedule began.
After finishing their intense training as usual and taking a short break, Lee Ji-ah sidled up slyly and asked,
"Why are you so strong, Uncle? You're really D-grade? I'm A-grade, so why do I keep losing?"
Lee Ji-ah wasn't oblivious.
If she couldn't notice after seeing the countless scars on Seo Woo-jin's body, she'd just be an idiot.
But it wasn't unreasonable for her not to understand.
Rank and level were absolute.
She must have heard it countless times.
It was common sense in this world.
Van Slaine was the odd one for not agreeing with that common sense and pushing Seo Woo-jin so hard.
"You'll get stronger if you keep training."
That was all Seo Woo-jin could say.
He couldn't exactly tell her he wasn't D-grade but "immeasurable."
'If that's the case, then saying rank is absolute isn't entirely wrong, is it?'
Who knows.
He didn't really want to dwell on such complicated thoughts.
It was better to swing his sword one more time instead.
"Even so, if I use my skills, I think I'd win..."
Lee Ji-ah still hadn't conceded.
She took pride in being an A-grade hero, and the restrictions on their spars probably factored into that too.
"Next time, next time."
But sparring with skills would be too much.
Even for Seo Woo-jin, suppressing Lee Ji-ah once she used her skills wouldn't be easy.
'I'd get hurt bad.'
He wouldn't be able to hold back, so real serious injuries could happen.
Right now, it was time to focus on getting used to real combat sensations like this.
"What about me?"
At that moment, Kim Da-hye slipped into the conversation.
"You... hmm."
Sparring with her was a bit different.
Her class didn't involve physical combat to begin with.
To be honest, her abilities were a little ambiguous.
She could draw and summon things she'd seen directly, but there were limitations.
"Maybe go all-in on leveling up?"
Her summons' power scaled with Kim Da-hye's level.
Unlike Lee Ji-ah, she could just crazily grind levels without worry.
She wasn't fighting directly, after all.
That didn't mean the spars were meaningless.
'I've learned quite a few ways to use them effectively in a short time.'
He allowed skills in spars with Kim Da-hye.
Restricting skills for a "Fire Painter" made it pointless.
Thanks to that, Kim Da-hye could use her skills more flexibly than before.
She could now react actively mid-battle, not just summon in front of dying monsters.
"Don't forget to draw them in your spare time."
"Got it."
Who has time to draw during combat every time?
Seo Woo-jin suggested pre-drawing useful things for battle and summoning the right one for the situation.
Kim Da-hye accepted, and every day she filled her sketchbook—which she dubbed her "picture book"—with drawings to store.
"But you don't have any combat skills at all?"
"I do. They're just not that effective."
Skills usually matched one's class.
But not always, so sometimes a mage would get something like "One Stroke, Two Cuts."
Even as a Fire Painter, Kim Da-hye had a few sword skills.
"Let's think of ways to use those too. You might have to swing that pen like a sword someday."
The pen is mightier than the sword.
It was a classic metaphor, but Kim Da-hye was a hero.
She had the strength to actually break a sword with her pen.
"Ooh."
Kim Da-hye nodded as if she'd gained some great enlightenment.
'...She's pretty unique too.'
She always seemed spaced out, and occasionally did something totally out of left field.
Impossible to read her thoughts.
But one thing was certain.
'She's a good kid.'
No rough edges, always thinking of others first.
'Though she is unique.'
He chuckled, recalling how she'd applied medicine without a single scream and crawled around like a maggot.
"Shall we call it here for today?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow the academy's official schedule starts anyway."
At Lee Ji-ah's words, Seo Woo-jin recalled the training curriculum the academy had distributed recently.
'Will it be okay?'
Even the Empire seemed aware that the heroes lacked experience.
They'd done this many times, so knowing the side effects would be weirder.
Most of the training focused on spars or monster hunts.
Otherwise, just class-specific education?
It seemed intended to build combat experience step-by-step and raise their skills.
If they trained even half as hard as Seo Woo-jin had in Massive Guardian, the heroes' power would skyrocket.
But would that be easy?
He'd have to see the training, but honestly, Seo Woo-jin was skeptical.
Just looking at the heroes' attitudes made it clear.
Back on Earth, their lives probably topped out at a few playground punches.
Same here after summoning.
They were used to being spoon-fed, not just served.
Could people like that adapt to life-or-death combat?
'We'll still win the war.'
They'd held off with fewer than ten heroes.
Now with a hundred, it'd be more than enough.
Of course, sacrifices would be huge...
From their perspective, they probably wouldn't care how many heroes died.
This world was what mattered to them.
Heroes were grateful, but also expendable.
'It's funny I'm even thinking this.'
Who was worrying about whom?
His own nose was three inches long right now.
Seo Woo-jin just needed to keep living like this.
Get stronger to avoid dying pointlessly in the war.
And not draw too much attention.
The latter was already a bit messed up, but there was still time.
Keep living normally, and his presence would fade.
"Right, Uncle. I overheard the knight guys talking yesterday. Apparently, we're getting thrown into a monster subjugation soon."
At the words "monster subjugation," Seo Woo-jin and Eileen's eyebrows twitched.
"What does that mean?"
"Somewhere in the western Empire, I think? Monsters are showing up, so we're going for subjugation and training combined?"
Lee Ji-ah said it casually.
From her view, monsters were weaklings that died with a poke.
She'd only ever fought those.
She knew intellectually that real fights weren't easy, but it wouldn't feel real.
Seo Woo-jin had been the same.
Monsters— the name alone didn't worry him much.
But when he met Drakeas and the Snowuls?
He'd nearly pissed his pants.
Now he could handle a Snowul pack alone, but...
'Can the other heroes?'
It depended on the monsters.
"Did you hear when we leave?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am? I never miss rumors—er, info like that!"
Her triumphant laugh gave him a slight headache, but he forced a smile and asked.
"So, when?"
"Tomorrow."
"No way. They move this fast, like lightning roasting beans?"
"Sudden monster subjugation?"
"Time to show my power!"
Lee Ji-ah's info turned out to be spot-on, surprisingly.
The heroes were thrown into confusion.
Some tensed with fear at the abrupt subjugation, others got excited to show off their built-up strength.
Lee Ji-ah was the latter.
Already confident, her spars with Seo Woo-jin boosted it further.
Seo Woo-jin had no particular thoughts.
No fear, no excitement.
He just prepared body and mind before the subjugation.
"Long time no see."
Eileen spoke from behind Seo Woo-jin.
"Yeah. Almost a year?"
"Yes. It's about time for Sion to start too."
Coincidentally, it overlapped with Massive Guardian's subjugation schedule.
"Nervous?"
Eileen asked.
"A bit."
Saying he wasn't tense at all would be a lie.
Even after fighting monsters endlessly, tension was inevitable.
"No one to protect this time."
No soldiers.
Just heroes and knights on this subjugation.
Even without Seo Woo-jin stepping up, they could protect their own lives.
'They'll take some injuries.'
The Empire's knights wouldn't just watch heroes die.
"What kind will they be?"
Seo Woo-jin changed the subject.
"Not many monsters appear in imperial territory this season."
At most goblins or orcs.
"And wyverns."
"Wyverns?"
Famous, but he hadn't seen any in the north.
"Lesser dragons. Unlike Drakeas, they hunt by flying through the sky."
Their bodies couldn't survive the north's constant blizzards.
"How strong?"
"I've never fought one myself, but I hear they're more troublesome than strong."
Makes sense; knights would have headaches fighting flying ones.
"But with all the mages here, even if they show, no need to worry."
Many heroes had ranged attacks.
Mages especially, plus spirit users or archers.
"Not much of a threat, huh?"
"That's why the Empire's sending us."
No sane place shoves you into hordes of strong ones from the start...
'Ah, Massive Guardian.'
Surviving that really was sheer luck.
"Probably to build confidence."
Start with small fights to desensitize emotions.
That was textbook.
Seo Woo-jin nodded, scanning around.
Excited heroes chattered away.
More like a school trip than subjugation.
He took them in with heavy eyes.
"Heroes, form ranks in the order called!"
An imperial administrator shouted via magic.
The chaotic atmosphere settled, order forming.
And soon...
Seo Woo-jin's second monster subjugation began.