Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Red Signal
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#51
Seo Woo-jin fell into thought for a moment.
‘Red smoke.’
It meant that an enemy too much to handle had appeared, so they were requesting support as quickly as possible.
It wasn’t the heroes who used this signal flare.
If the heroes were in danger, the knights nearby would throw themselves in first to protect them.
But in the Demon Realm, there were monsters that even dozens of knights couldn’t stop.
The red smoke signal was for the knights to use in those situations.
‘There aren’t supposed to be guys like that on the outskirts?’
If such monsters were swarming the outskirts, they never would have chosen this place for combat training, no matter the reason.
‘It feels familiar.’
It had definitely been the same in the north.
A guy who shouldn’t have appeared had shown up in a place he shouldn’t have.
‘Drakeas.’
Fortunately, knights led by the senior knight Testaron had taken it down back then...
But judging by the signal flare, it seemed an even more dangerous monster than a Drakeas had emerged all the way to the outskirts.
‘They said it’s a sign of the Demon King’s descent?’
Back then, he’d judged that monsters were acting unpredictably because the Demon King’s descent was near.
If so, the chances were high it was the same here.
‘What to do...’
The rule was that anyone who saw the red smoke had to rush to the location for support as fast as possible.
But Seo Woo-jin hesitated.
‘Should I go?’
Not just him, but his team members had grown somewhat accustomed to combat.
At this point, they could wield strength incomparable to ordinary knights.
He would definitely be of help.
And yet, the reason he hesitated was that everyone was exhausted.
Their stamina and mana had run dry long ago, and the nonstop battles had worn down even their spirits.
People in that state wouldn’t be of any real help.
No, they’d more likely just get in the way.
“What do we do? Shouldn’t we go there too?”
Yoo Hong-seol asked Seo Woo-jin with a serious expression.
“In principle, yes, we should...”
Seo Woo-jin trailed off.
No one present failed to grasp the reason.
They knew better than anyone how messed up their condition was.
“There is a way.”
Seo Woo-jin glanced to one side.
The knights who had seen the red smoke were there, moving busily.
‘Leave this place to the knights and go alone.’
Seo Woo-jin was tired too, but not as much as the other team members.
Plus, he hadn’t used much mana, so he had some in reserve.
He’d be far more helpful than a few knights going.
‘But is there any reason I have to?’
That was why Seo Woo-jin hesitated, even though a solution existed.
Why bother?
There was no reason or need for him to step up and save the other heroes.
If things went wrong, the heroes would become his greatest enemies.
There was no reason to risk himself saving such people.
He should even welcome the chance to reduce their numbers without getting his own hands dirty.
‘It’s contradictory.’
Seo Woo-jin gave a bitter smile as his thoughts reached that point.
If he truly saw the heroes as enemies, he shouldn’t be acting like this.
Setting aside Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye...
Yoo Hong-seol, Jin Tae-seong, Kang Byung-gyu.
He was looking out for them too.
Not just protecting them enough to stay alive, but actively helping them grow stronger.
‘I don’t even know what I really want anymore.’
Clearly, in his head, he viewed the heroes as potential enemies.
But his actions were the opposite.
It was impossible for someone with Seo Woo-jin’s personality.
The experience in the north only made it worse.
The hundreds of soldiers who had died because of him.
Thinking of them, he couldn’t just stand by.
‘Sucker, total sucker.’
Seo Woo-jin inwardly berated himself and sighed.
He found himself frustrating and pathetic, but what could he do?
‘This is who I am.’
Having sorted his thoughts, Seo Woo-jin started walking.
His other team members watched his back, not guessing what he was thinking.
“I have something to say.”
Naturally, Seo Woo-jin headed toward where the knights were gathered.
He approached the most familiar knight among them and spoke.
It was Ludein.
“Hm?”
Ludein, who had been holding a brief meeting with his subordinates after seeing the red smoke, tilted his head at Seo Woo-jin’s sudden approach.
“What is it?”
Seo Woo-jin was one of the heroes Ludein paid the most attention to.
Especially after arriving in Demon Realm Heldein, that had only intensified.
To be honest, he was an outstanding talent incomparable to the other heroes.
It was hard to believe he was only D-grade.
If Seo Woo-jin weren’t a hero but a native of this world, Ludein might have immediately offered to recruit him.
That was how highly Ludein regarded Seo Woo-jin.
But he hadn’t expected Seo Woo-jin to approach him like this, so he looked puzzled.
“I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
Curiosity flickered across Ludein’s face.
But he didn’t have time to listen right now.
With the red smoke signal up, they needed to provide support as quickly as possible.
“We can talk about that later...”
“I’ll go.”
Ludein fell silent.
He was a very intelligent man.
As a top-class knight, Ludein was also extremely sharp-minded.
Thanks to that, he instantly grasped what Seo Woo-jin’s words meant.
“The knights will handle those guys here...”
“Wait.”
Raising a hand to stop Seo Woo-jin, Ludein quickly ran the calculations.
Seo Woo-jin going for support versus them going.
He judged which was safer and more efficient.
‘Definitely this way is better.’
Ludein had some idea of how strong Seo Woo-jin was.
He was probably at a level where even several senior knights couldn’t take him down easily.
That meant it would be far more effective than sending his subordinates.
“Very well.”
Having finished his mental calculations, Ludein nodded.
“Uh, yes? Really?”
Seo Woo-jin looked taken aback.
He had expected a refusal.
The people of this world were almost obsessively overprotective of heroes.
That was why Seo Woo-jin had been prepared to persuade him as quickly as possible.
‘He accepts this easily?’
It didn’t make sense.
Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing.
No time wasted on convincing meant they could head out immediately.
But Seo Woo-jin couldn’t.
“On one condition—you won’t go alone.”
Ludein wasn’t done speaking.
“Yes? Then what’s the point?”
The knights had to stay here and protect the team members.
Hadn’t Seo Woo-jin come to convince him of that?
As Seo Woo-jin frowned and opened his mouth, Ludein was a step faster.
“You go with me, just the two of us.”
* * *
Kang Byung-gyu scanned his surroundings with a grave expression.
‘What to do?’
He had stepped out briefly to forage for supplies and spotted a red signal flare nearby.
Knowing full well what it meant, Kang Byung-gyu agonized.
Should he go provide support, or return to base camp?
Honestly, he just wanted to go back, but the flare had gone up too close by.
‘Should I just take a quick peek?’
He had plenty of skills related to ‘scouting’ and ‘detection’.
If he used them well, he probably wouldn’t end up in any real danger.
‘Alright. Think of it as recon, nothing more.’
He decided to check the situation there first, then return to base camp.
It would be better to relay what he saw and discuss with the team.
If it was a monster they couldn’t handle, he’d have to stop the others from rushing in.
Kang Byung-gyu moved slowly and cautiously.
‘No monsters around for now.’
His detection range showed no threats.
‘I’ll just look a bit and head back.’
How far had he gone like that?
Combat sounds started coming from ahead.
Kwaang-!
“Block it! Damn it, I said block it!”
Explosions, screams, and shouts blended together, thick with the chaos of battle.
Gulp.
Kang Byung-gyu halted for a moment.
Something felt off about the situation ahead.
He’d guessed from the red smoke, but the fighting seemed even more intense than expected.
Exhausted from repeated battles and lacking combat skills, he was reluctant to get involved.
‘No good. Better head back.’
Fear overrode his curiosity.
After a brief hesitation, Kang Byung-gyu shook his head and decided to retreat.
‘Not like I’d be any help anyway.’
He felt bad, but it was the right choice.
He had to avoid stepping in and forcing the knights to divert their strength to protect him.
That was when Kang Byung-gyu cautiously turned to leave.
“A rat was hiding nearby.”
“Gasp!”
An unexpected voice came from behind him.
Kang Byung-gyu leaped away in shock, kicking off the ground.
‘How?’
His ‘scouting’ skill had detected no threats at all.
There was only one thing that meant.
‘A strong one!’
It was a being so powerful even his skills couldn’t detect it.
Cold sweat trickled down Kang Byung-gyu’s back.
With no proper combat skills to speak of, he stood no chance.
“Pretty nimble.”
But surprisingly, the enemy didn’t attack Kang Byung-gyu.
It just watched him with curious eyes.
“...A Dark Elf!”
What appeared was a Dark Elf.
He’d heard there was a Dark Elf village in Heldein.
But that was near the central area, not out here on the outskirts.
‘Of all things.’
Dark Elves were powerful.
They could toy with and kill ordinary knights with ease.
Now the red signal flare made sense.
“Standing guard was getting boring. Perfect timing. Try running away. If I like it, I might even consider letting you live.”
Murderous intent gleamed in its eyes.
‘I have to run!’
Unlike other heroes, he absolutely couldn’t win.
Especially not in his exhausted state!
Kang Byung-gyu kicked off the ground with all his might.
‘Light Steps!’
He poured all his remaining mana into the skill that boosted his movement speed.
Kang Byung-gyu’s speed more than doubled in an instant.
‘Good, straight to base camp...’
“Gahk!”
As Kang Byung-gyu inwardly cheered, a horrific pressure suddenly gripped his throat, forcing out a groan.
“Did you think you could escape an elf in the forest?”
A cruel smile spread across the Dark Elf’s lips.