Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Safe Return
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#55
Seo Woo-jin was a little taken aback.
It was because when he returned after slaying Burtel, Kang Byung-gyu greeted him with a teary-eyed expression.
“Seo Woo-jin! Are you okay? What about your body? Nowhere hurt?”
For a moment, he almost mistook him for Lee Ji-ah.
His pale face scanned Seo Woo-jin from head to toe, as if he had been deeply worried.
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
Seo Woo-jin awkwardly reassured Kang Byung-gyu.
“You fought a monster from the Demon Realm, right?”
Monster.
Burtel had lived up to the name, incredibly strong.
‘But…….’
He had caught him easier than expected.
Of course, there had been a few hair-raising moments of danger along the way, but considering he hadn’t sustained a single injury, it had been far too easy for his reputation.
Seo Woo-jin turned his gaze to Rudain.
‘Top-class knight.’
One of the rare few across the empire—no, the entire continent.
Excluding outliers like Van Slane or Dariel, they were powerhouses who could claim to be the continent’s strongest.
‘If it hadn’t been for Rudain, I’d be dead.’
Seo Woo-jin didn’t overestimate his own abilities.
He had certainly helped, but that was it.
The fight with Burtel had essentially been all Rudain.
He had grown a bit stronger and gotten cocky, but he still had a long way to go.
“The instructor severed his head.”
That was all Seo Woo-jin could tell Kang Byung-gyu.
“The instructor?”
Kang Byung-gyu glanced at Rudain.
“I’d heard he was a strong knight, but I didn’t realize he was *that* strong.”
“Yeah.”
Seo Woo-jin agreed.
It was then.
Rudain, having noticed their gazes, approached.
“You’ve done well. I’ll leave the cleanup here to the other knights. You all should head back now.”
The emergency was over.
There were injured knights, but from here on, the heroes wouldn’t need to step in.
“Returning… the two of you should manage, right?”
Rudain pondered briefly, then nodded at Seo Woo-jin.
It was the Demon Realm, but given the skills he’d witnessed from Seo Woo-jin, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.
Having leveled up, his body was in perfect condition—no need to worry.
Kang Byung-gyu could handle finding the way.
“I’ll wrap up quickly and follow shortly.”
“Then take care.”
Seo Woo-jin politely bowed to Rudain before leaving with Kang Byung-gyu.
‘I want to wash up a bit.’
He felt like hurrying back to base camp and scrubbing off in the stream.
* * *
“Shouldn’t we go check it out too?”
Baek Si-woo said, recalling the red signal flare from earlier.
“It’s too far from here. By the time we get there, it’ll already be over.”
Sung Yu-ra replied curtly.
“No, still…….”
“Look at the knights over there.”
At Sung Yu-ra’s words, Baek Si-woo turned his head.
“Even those knights aren’t moving. They’re thinking the same as me.”
Sure enough, the knights had stirred briefly but remained in place.
Just as Sung Yu-ra said, they must have judged it too late to head over now.
“Besides, where would we even find the time for that?”
Sung Yu-ra pointed at the wolf-shaped monsters charging toward them.
“We’re barely holding our own right now.”
Dozens of monsters.
He’d lost track of how many hours they’d been swarming.
Could they really just abandon these endlessly respawning bastards?
Roarrr—!
A massive flame erupted from Kim Tae-jin’s hand, incinerating the lead wolves entirely.
“She’s right. No time to rest, let alone go help.”
There was a way.
If the others didn’t want to, he could go alone and help.
But Baek Si-woo didn’t voice it.
He knew Sung Yu-ra would explode if he brought it up.
Baek Si-woo glanced wistfully toward the flare’s direction.
The red smoke had long dissipated.
Hoping nothing bad had happened, he swung his sword.
Clang!
A simple slash without any skill.
Yet the five monsters caught in its arc split apart.
It was possible thanks to the sword provided by the empire and his swordsmanship.
“Mana holding up?”
Baek Si-woo habitually shook the bloodless blade clean and asked his friends.
“Of course. Who do you think I am? Mana management is basic of basics.”
Sung Yu-ra answered for them.
They were different from the other idiot heroes.
They had seen through the traps hidden in the easy growth method called the bus long ago.
So they hadn’t neglected real combat experience.
Alternating between bus runs and battles, they boasted skills superior to any other heroes.
On top of that, their minimum S-rank jobs were like added wings.
“Honestly, I don’t get why we need the other guys. We could handle even the Demon King on our own.”
Not arrogance—confidence.
The Demon King had descended seven times so far.
And without exception, they had all fallen to the heroes.
There had even been times with only two heroes, so five of them was overkill.
Sung Yu-ra truly believed that.
“Probably just meat shields.”
Park Jin-han crushed the head of the wolf biting his arm.
Not even a scratch marred the skin where fangs should have pierced.
“Yeah. Having them around makes us shine brighter. Perfect extras, right?”
For once, Kim Tae-jin agreed with Park Jin-han.
“True. More useful pawns are never a bad thing.”
Sung Yu-ra nodded at their words.
When other heroes looked at her with envy, she couldn’t hide her smug satisfaction.
It was a different thrill from the one she got from this world’s natives.
“Th-that way of thinking… feels kinda wrong…….”
But Im Tae-eun seemed to think differently.
Perched on her shoulder with her dragon, she had been providing rear support from a distance when she voiced her dissent.
“Tae-eun, you’re too nice. Keep that up, and people will call you a pushover later.”
Sung Yu-ra advised her friend with genuine concern.
“Uh, y-yeah…….”
Im Tae-eun flinched and nodded.
“You’re great in every way, but your personality’s too soft.”
She had poor athleticism but compensated with sharp wits and a frail, endearing appearance that made her quite popular.
The problem was her naivety bordering on stupidity and her extreme timidity.
If they hadn’t looked out for her, she definitely would have been bullied by others.
“S-sorry.”
Im Tae-eun mumbled an apology.
“It’s fine. Just do what I tell you. That’ll work out.”
Baek Si-woo sighed as he swung his sword.
They were great friends, but frustrating at times like this.
‘Elitism? Arrogance?’
He could understand.
Their families were among Korea’s elite—second to none.
Money, fame, power.
Their own talents shone brightly too, so looking down on others was almost natural.
But not Baek Si-woo.
He came from an utterly ordinary family with nothing to boast about.
Absolutely nothing compared to his friends.
Yet he led them because his talents blazed brilliantly.
Academics, athletics, looks.
He excelled in everything.
Even here, landing an SSS-rank job.
So even those prideful friends had to acknowledge him.
But their personalities weighed on him.
‘If only…….’
One face came to mind.
The D-rank hero.
Older, plain-looking, worst rank.
Naturally, not someone who drew attention.
Yet he made his presence undeniably felt.
Through pure skill, no less.
‘He could be a better friend.’
He wanted to arrange a meeting and talk seriously.
‘Easier said than done?’
Baek Si-woo sidelong glanced at Sung Yu-ra.
She had a habit of scorning those inferior to her.
The more lacking, the more thoroughly she dismissed them.
To her, Seo Woo-jin was no different from a bug.
A bottom-tier D-rank hero.
Not worth noticing, and his mere presence would annoy her.
‘Impossible as long as she’s around.’
Baek Si-woo pondered briefly.
How could he talk to Seo Woo-jin?
He was curious about that punch from the party, and what happened during the subjugation.
He wanted answers and to build rapport.
‘I need to figure out a way.’
Baek Si-woo thought as he cleaved a monster’s head.
* * *
“You’re back! You’re back! Mister, what happened? Did monsters swarm? Or something else? Oh, tell me quick!”
Lee Ji-ah was definitely on another level.
Kang Byung-gyu’s earlier barrage had been impressive, but the original outdid it by leaps and bounds.
“Hold on. Mind if I wash up first and talk then?”
Burtel’s blood had splattered quite a bit on Seo Woo-jin in his final moments.
It felt sticky, so he wanted to clean up now.
Kang Byung-gyu looked exhausted and needed rest too.
“Oh, sure. Go wash up. We’ll prep some food in the meantime.”
Lee Ji-ah nodded vigorously after checking his state.
“Brr, cold.”
Kang Byung-gyu shivered as he immersed himself in the stream alongside Seo Woo-jin.
“How’s your body?”
Seo Woo-jin asked.
No major injuries visible, but having nearly died to a Dark Elf worried him a bit.
“Fine, except my mana’s completely drained.”
He’d pooled his already low mana to guide the knights, leaving not a drop.
“Good.”
Seo Woo-jin gave Kang Byung-gyu a strange look.
They were same-age acquaintances here and had decided to be friends, but he hadn’t expected this level of concern.
Having always been ignored, it was a fresh experience for Seo Woo-jin.
Having a rare Earth friend here felt novel too.
‘Should I win them over one by one?’
Then, if his Demon King identity came out later, he might get help.
Of course, some might turn hostile on the spot……
Still, allies would make things far safer than going solo.
“Oh, right.”
Seo Woo-jin snapped out of his thoughts at Kang Byung-gyu’s voice.
“I spotted something weird earlier. Didn’t have time to check ’cause it was urgent.”
“Something weird?”
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head.
“What to call it? Like an entrance or something. It pinged my ‘Search’ skill.”