Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Crisis on the Third Day
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#50.
The first day passed without any major crises.
Thanks to Kang Byung-gyu, meals were quite satisfying, and the battles weren't overly dangerous.
Though stamina had been a concern, the heroes far surpassed humans in that regard.
Their recovery was exceptional—even a short rest was enough to soothe their weary bodies and minds.
The second day was much the same.
Stronger monsters appeared than on the first day, but Seo Woo-jin's team still had plenty of leeway.
But starting on the third day, things changed.
“Ice Javelin!”
With Jin Tae-seong's shout, a massive ice spear pierced the black bear's chest.
It must have been a critical hit, as the black bear let out a dying screech and collapsed.
“Huff, huff—!”
But Jin Tae-seong didn't look great either.
Even from his rear-guard position, he was gasping for breath.
Which meant...
“Kyaa! Uncle!”
Slash—!
As Lee Ji-ah's scream rang out, Seo Woo-jin's sword severed the black bear's neck.
“Damn, there are too many!”
Even the ever-calm Yoo Hong-seol began uttering rough words.
‘This is dangerous.’
The situation wasn't good.
Black bears weren't particularly strong monsters.
They were tougher than the wolf-like ones from the first day, but to Seo Woo-jin, the difference wasn't huge.
The problem was the nonstop battles.
They hadn't gotten even a moment's rest.
‘Isn't this basically a monster wave?’
The monster waves that occurred in the North during years without subjugations.
When their numbers built up beyond limits, monsters would swarm under a Massive Guardian.
Seo Woo-jin had never seen it himself, but this felt similar.
‘I could hold out somehow, but...’
The others couldn't.
They did possess impressive power.
In raw ability, they might even surpass Seo Woo-jin.
But they didn't know how to wield it efficiently.
They lacked the rigorous training he'd undergone.
That led to wasteful exertion, and now they'd hit their limits.
Both stamina and mana.
‘What to do?’
The situation was bad, sure.
But was it a crisis for him?
‘Nah.’
Seo Woo-jin hadn't used a single skill so far.
He'd fought solely with swordsmanship.
Meaning his mana was still full.
‘A few skills would get us through this easily.’
Nothing fancy. Just ‘Acceleration’ and ‘Aura’ would do.
No black bear could block his sword with skills active.
But he hesitated to use them.
Not just to avoid standing out.
Even if he disliked it, he wouldn't ignore comrades he'd spent days with facing mortal danger.
He simply knew they needed to experience this to grow.
He'd been the same.
‘Besides, those knights watching from over there will step in at the last second, like with Ailin.’
‘Alright, let's watch a bit longer.’
The kids struggling and panting were a little pitiful, but he'd let them tough it out more.
“Haaah!”
With a kiai, Lee Ji-ah's fist hammered the black bear's body.
‘Mana depleted?’
Her fists, once spamming skills nonstop, no longer spat fire.
Now relying on pure muscle and speed.
Even so, it battered the black bear enough.
Weaker than with skills, but sufficient.
Thud thud thud—!
Her plain punches burst the bear's massive body open.
“Huh?”
Lee Ji-ah stared at her handiwork in bewilderment.
She hadn't expected bare fists to work without skills.
Seeing that, Yoo Hong-seol stopped using skills too, fighting only with her sword.
And her face lit with realization.
‘They get it now.’
They'd burned too much mana on these monsters.
Unnecessarily so.
In this team, only Kim Da-hye and Jin Tae-seong truly needed skills.
Their attacks wouldn't land without them.
But Lee Ji-ah and Yoo Hong-seol were different.
Their physical prowess could rip black bears apart barehanded.
‘But realizing it too late.’
Too much stamina already spent.
With mana left, they could've breezed through, but now that was gone too.
‘Better late than never.’
Just day three.
They had four more days to fight more efficiently based on today's lesson.
A smile crept onto Seo Woo-jin's lips.
Was this how Ban Slane or Ailin felt watching him?
Seeing the heroes grow little by little filled him with pride.
‘Not like I taught them anything directly.’
Still, it felt good.
‘But that's enough.’
They were truly at their limit now.
Kim Da-hye and Jin Tae-seong's attacks had stopped, and Kang Byung-gyu's support too.
Worse, blood seeped from the two women in close combat.
Seo Woo-jin glanced at the knights.
But they showed no sign of intervening.
They'd only move if death was imminent.
‘Push too hard, and tomorrow will suck.’
Or they'd fall behind.
Resolving to step in, Seo Woo-jin activated his skills.
“Aura, Acceleration.”
His mana-ignited sword danced through the air at invisible speeds.
Swoosh—!
With a brief whoosh, the remaining black bears toppled like dominoes.
Over a dozen sliced at once.
The skill combo made it possible.
“U-Uncle?”
Lee Ji-ah gaped at Seo Woo-jin in shock.
The other heroes did too.
Honestly, they hadn't even noticed he wasn't using skills.
He'd fought as well as they had.
So they'd assumed he was using them too.
But no.
“Y-You mean... you've been holding back this whole time?”
Yoo Hong-seol's voice trembled.
Clearly rattled by the surprise.
“Not holding back.”
Seo Woo-jin shook his head.
Why hold back against monsters?
“I figured fighting like this would help you all. Right?”
The last bit was to Lee Ji-ah.
She, wide-eyed and staring, startled and nodded vigorously.
“Yeah! It helped, just like you said, Uncle!”
Lee Ji-ah grasped his intent perfectly.
Hadn't she realized it at the end?
“Hong-seol must've too.”
As Seo Woo-jin smiled, Yoo Hong-seol had no choice but to nod.
“...Impressive.”
She was genuinely awed.
She'd known Seo Woo-jin was strong beyond his rank and level.
Some denied it, but they were the minority.
Most heroes sensed his skill was no joke.
But not to this extent.
“Let's clean up first. More might smell the blood.”
“Oh, right!”
Exhausted, but work remained.
As he said, blood-scent monsters swarming would spell real trouble.
The bears were heavy, but clearing the field was easy compared to fighting.
Lifting weights was nothing.
They wiped the blood scent and headed inside.
“Wanna wash up, but...”
Blood-soaked Lee Ji-ah pouted.
Unlike day one, no time now.
Focus on recovering stamina and mana faster.
She knew, so just grumbled without whining.
“How are you so strong? D-rank, right? No offense.”
Kang Byung-gyu voiced what others hesitated to ask.
Quick to add he meant no insult.
Seo Woo-jin didn't mind.
“Just used to it.”
“Used to this?”
Kang Byung-gyu stared in disbelief.
“You been to war or something?”
Otherwise, how could anyone be used to this...
“Something like that.”
Asked in jest, but Seo Woo-jin nodded.
Northern subjugations were warzones.
He'd survived countless near-deaths, witnessed innumerable deaths, shouldered equal burdens.
Heroes used to knight-provided meals couldn't imagine that hell.
“Something like...”
Not just Kang Byung-gyu—all eyes turned to Seo Woo-jin.
“Then those scars?”
Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye had seen the gashes covering him.
Now gone from leveling, but back then, it was miraculous he lived.
“Some from then, some from later training.”
Some scars were Ban Slane's handiwork.
Pity filled Lee Ji-ah's eyes looking at him.
Seeing it, he chuckled softly.
“Thanks to them, I'm strong. No regrets—grateful, even.”
The soldiers, Blue Shield Knights, Ban Slane.
He'd gained so much from Massive Guardian.
Hadn't realized fully then, but seeing other heroes now confirmed it.
His path was right.
‘Though he did grind me too hard.’
Thinking of Ban Slane still ground his teeth.
“More rest than talk now. Rest whenever you can.”
Seo Woo-jin shifted topics, urging the team to recover.
But Kang Byung-gyu gazed desperately.
“How do I get strong like you?”
Fair question from them.
But Seo Woo-jin had no easy answer.
“Just keep at it like today...”
Fweee—boom!
A sudden unfamiliar sound cut him off.
“Flare?”
All rushed outside.
Crimson smoke streaked the sky.
The color for emergency aid requests.