Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Unexpected Gratitude
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# Chapter 9
The northern morning was far from refreshing.
There was no clear sky in sight—only an endless blizzard obscuring the view ahead.
"Looks like today's going to be rough too, eh? What do you think, Hero?"
"......Are you talking to me?"
Someone called out to Seowoojin as he stepped out of the barracks after a hasty morning meal.
"Huh? Is there another Hero named Sion around?"
The man who spoke with a teasing grin appeared to be a soldier in his forties.
'Don't think I've seen him before.'
There were far more soldiers stationed at Massive Guardian than Seowoojin had imagined.
It was only natural that he wouldn't know them all, so this wasn't all that strange.
Even so, Seowoojin found it odd because no soldier had ever approached him so casually before.
He could only stare blankly at the man, at a loss for words.
"Don't stare at me like that. Even I get embarrassed. Oh, unless that's what you like?"
"No!"
Seowoojin shouted at the soldier, who wore a lecherous smile.
The soldier chuckled and drew closer.
"Well, well. I'd heard about you, but damn, you're easy to mess with."
Exactly.
That meant he'd been teasing him all along.
"But don't make that face. I don't mean any harm."
This soldier definitely had a different vibe from the others.
Half Slaine had been the only one to treat him warmly at first sight, so it felt a bit novel.
"I saw you fighting yesterday."
The soldier leaned in and whispered to Seowoojin with a sly tone.
Curious about what he might say, Seowoojin perked up his ears—only for the man to live up to expectations.
"You managed to survive somehow, huh? You'd have been done for without Lady Ailin."
He even clapped Seowoojin on the shoulder with a loud guffaw.
"What the hell is this?"
Seowoojin couldn't make sense of the situation so early in the morning.
He furrowed his brow and asked, but the soldier kept smiling as he replied.
"I wouldn't be alive right now without you."
What nonsense was this?
Without him, the soldier would be dead?
Seowoojin racked his brain, wondering if he'd saved someone yesterday.
All he could recall was rolling around to dodge claws and fangs.
"......Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
There was no other explanation for such words.
Or maybe the soldier had taken a hit to the head in yesterday's battle.
"You're not the only one who owes you their life."
"Thanks for the kind words, but I don't think I did anything like that......"
"White light."
Seowoojin, mid-denial, fell silent.
"My gut was torn open by a Snowul's claw. I was one step from death."
Blood and entrails spilling from the gash in his flesh, clutching them as he lay dying.
"Then this white light poured out, and the wound vanished. Like it had never been there."
It sounded like the bright light that had spread around Seowoojin when he leveled up.
"Thank you. I'd have died right there without you."
The soldier expressed his genuine gratitude.
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, Seowoojin couldn't respond.
He'd only felt joy at leveling up and growing a bit stronger, unaware that he'd pulled someone back from the brink.
"There are plenty more who owe you their lives besides me. Though I seem to be the only one who came to say thanks. Bunch of idiots."
The soldier suddenly started cursing.
"If they had any conscience, they'd come grovel and apologize first. Then again, if they did......"
From what Seowoojin gathered, the soldiers had always ignored him as usual.
That must be why they couldn't bring themselves to express thanks.
"Ahem, sorry. Got a bit worked up there. Point is, lots of folks here owe you their lives."
He hadn't come to bow his head, but he wanted Seowoojin to know there were more who felt grateful than he thought.
Seowoojin couldn't help but smile at the man's earnestness.
"I think that's enough thanks."
It hadn't been intentional—just a side effect of leveling up.
Having them gild his face like this felt burdensome.
"Intentional or not, a life debt is a life debt. And Sion's soldiers never forget a favor."
With those words promising some form of repayment, the soldier turned away.
"Oh, name's Jo Han. I pull some weight among the troops, looks notwithstanding. Hit me up if you need anything."
After introducing himself, Jo Han chuckled and walked off.
"What...... was that?"
Seowoojin was left dumbfounded by the sudden encounter right after breakfast.
But it didn't feel bad.
If anything, it felt good.
He'd never realized how nice it was to receive thanks from someone.
'I've only been getting shit on every day since I got here.'
That might be why it hit even harder.
"What's Jo Han doing here?"
Just then, Ailin approached, ready for the expedition, and asked Seowoojin.
"You know him?"
"Of course."
Ailin nodded as if it were obvious.
"He's the captain of one of Massive Guardian's century units."
A century captain, just as he'd claimed to be someone of influence.
No exaggeration there.
"I heard he took a serious wound yesterday trying to save one of his men......"
Ailin glanced at Seowoojin and nodded in understanding.
"Now I see why he came looking for you."
Seowoojin didn't bother replying.
He had no desire to gild his own face.
"Things are starting to shift a bit when it comes to how people see the Hero, ever since yesterday."
"Didn't notice a thing."
In truth, even on the way back with Testern yesterday, the looks hadn't been friendly.
"You saw it yourself with Jo Han dropping by, didn't you?"
Not everyone's mindset had flipped overnight, but a few soldiers were beginning to view Seowoojin positively.
Mostly those whose lives he'd saved.
It wasn't a large number yet, but if things kept going like this, the dismissive atmosphere wouldn't last much longer.
'It won't be easy.'
Still, it was a huge step up from when everyone was hostile.
Shrugging indifferently, Seowoojin checked his gear.
"The monster we're hunting today is called Tranga, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Its overall form resembled a white tiger.
Its behavior and habits were tiger-like too......
'Except it's over five meters tall.'
A monster through and through.
According to Ailin, it wasn't Drakeas-class.
But that didn't mean it was safe.
It fell short of a Drakeas, but a Tranga was still an apex predator dominating its territory.
A far cry from a Snowul pack in terms of danger.
Seowoojin had been on edge since morning.
Jo Han's greeting had eased him a little, though.
"The battle today will play out differently from yesterday."
Seowoojin wasn't strong enough to face a Tranga head-on yet.
Truth be told, neither was Ailin.
You'd need to be at least an upper knight like Testern for a one-on-one.
Which meant today's fight......
'Was more like a raid.'
Seowoojin probably wouldn't get many chances to step up.
"As I mentioned yesterday, Seowoojin, your job is to scout for and deal with any Tranga cubs that might be around."
Fortunately, Trangas didn't live in packs.
If they did, they'd be classified as higher than Drakeas-level threats.
But around this time of year, they were likely rearing cubs.
Hunting the adult while rooting out the cubs was the key to today's subjugation.
"Even the cubs are stronger than Snowuls, though."
"A Tranga cub is still a Tranga."
In the monster world, species differences were practically tier gaps.
Even immature ones were leagues stronger and fiercer than Snowuls.
"And they're clever too."
Jo Han's words about a harsh day ahead were coming true.
"Their white fur makes them great at stealth and ambushes, so stay sharp."
"Got it."
With no intention of dying to a monster here, Seowoojin etched Ailin's advice deep into his mind.
"Prepare to march!"
Testern's booming voice rang out then.
"Ready?"
Seowoojin nodded.
"Let's go."
The hunt was on.
* * *
"Th-that's incredible."
The knight marveled at the blue sword blazing like fire before him.
"Aura already? No Hero in history has achieved it this fast."
Amid the knights' repeated exclamations, the man holding the sword flashed a bashful smile.
"Well, my class is 'Sword God.' Gotta deliver at least this much."
Countless spent lifetimes training without touching this realm.
Yet this man had manifested aura the instant he hit level 10 and unlocked his class.
Even for an SSS-grade aptitude, this was ridiculously fast.
"It's thanks to the Empire's help. I couldn't have grown this quick without it."
Several times a day.
The Empire's knights brought him half-dead monsters.
All he did was swing at immobile targets and sever their necks.
Yet he could feel himself growing stronger by the day.
'It was tough at first.'
Monster or not, killing living beings with his own hands wasn't easy.
But humans adapt, as they say.
After a few rounds, he felt nothing.
Just a thrill at becoming stronger with every kill.
Crackle—
"Ah, damn!"
The sword in the man's hand suddenly crumbled to dust.
"The blade couldn't withstand the aura."
Aura was destructive mana incarnate.
Even fine swords couldn't handle its power.
"We didn't expect aura this soon, so we haven't prepared a new one yet......"
The Emperor had bestowed a sword treasured by the imperial family for the Hero.
But since aura had awakened far ahead of schedule, they'd have to cut training short today.
"Can't be helped. We'll pick up when the sword's ready."
"Now that you can wield aura, you can take on stronger monsters."
Ordinary ones would split in half under a single swing now.
They could bring beefier prey without issue.
The stronger he got, the faster he'd level—good for the Empire too.
"Looking forward to your continued support."
The man bowed to the knights, then smirked faintly.
'Wonder how the others are doing?'
He thought of his friends.
All prodigies—they'd be thriving on their own.
"Hope we meet again soon."
He looked forward to reuniting with his friends and the other Heroes.
And he had no doubt he'd outshine them all.