Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Shaggy-Haired Loner
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#98.
Shaggy hair covering his face.
An aura that screamed he didn’t want anyone approaching.
And a spear strapped to his back.
“Kim Woo-ram?”
Seo Woo-jin was certain this was the guy Jin Tae-seong had mentioned.
“…What?”
The fact that he didn’t deny it seemed to confirm it.
His tone was rude, too.
Seo Woo-jin approached him and extended his hand.
“I’m Seo Woo-jin.”
It was an introduction made with as much courtesy as possible.
But Kim Woo-ram clearly didn’t see it that way.
He glanced at the hand reaching toward him and walked right past.
“Hm.”
They’d said he kept his distance from others.
He definitely seemed to have some personality issues.
‘Should I just head back?’
There was no need to force someone like that onto the team.
Even if their skills were a bit lacking, it’d be a far better choice to bring in someone sociable with good character.
‘Our team’s strong enough anyway.’
He was the type who’d just stir up trouble.
Seo Woo-jin thought that and withdrew his hand.
Then he called out to Kim Woo-ram, who was walking ahead.
“If you’re not interested, nothing I can do about it. See you around.”
This time, it was a farewell.
His voice carried not a hint of regret.
In truth, Seo Woo-jin turned away without a shred of lingering attachment.
“Wait.”
Just then, Kim Woo-ram called him back.
He turned around, wondering what was up.
And then the guy asked,
“You’re Seo Woo-jin, right? The D-rank?”
The tone was laced with blatant condescension.
It’d been a while since he’d heard that kind of reaction.
No one had talked to him like that since he’d beaten Baek Si-woo.
‘Kinda refreshing, actually.’
That didn’t mean it felt good, though.
To speak like that to someone you were meeting for the first time.
No wonder he had no one around him.
“And?”
Seo Woo-jin’s response wasn’t exactly polite either.
“Let’s spar.”
“Huh?”
He doubted his own ears for a second.
Inside the academy, no less.
Challenging a total stranger out of the blue.
‘It’s not like we’re in some shonen manga.’
It was so absurd he could barely get the words out.
But apparently, he took the silence for agreement.
Kim Woo-ram drew the spear from his back and assumed a stance.
“No, wait…”
Seo Woo-jin tried to wave it off with a smile.
But Kim Woo-ram’s actions were faster than his words.
Shuuuuaak-!
The spear thrust forward.
The momentum behind it was no joke.
One wrong move, and it could’ve caused serious injury.
Seo Woo-jin frowned and sidestepped a single pace.
Naturally, the spear whistled past him.
‘B-rank. Job’s “Magic Spearman,” right?’
Level unknown, but it didn’t matter.
This level was nowhere near enough to even graze Seo Woo-jin’s clothes.
He dodged the attack with such ease that it bordered on leisurely, then raised a hand.
He didn’t even feel like pulling out ‘Rune Dea.’
He simply grabbed the spear shaft, twisted it like wringing out laundry, and applied force.
Kkiiikik-
The shaft screamed in protest, unable to withstand the pressure.
It was a spear made of rare metal, forged in one piece, but it couldn’t handle Seo Woo-jin’s strength.
“Urk!”
Kim Woo-ram struggled to wrest it back.
“What’s the problem?”
Seo Woo-jin asked calmly.
His face only grew redder with every passing second.
“Attacking someone out of nowhere—what kind of manners is that? What if someone got hurt?”
Seo Woo-jin scolded him like a teacher.
Kim Woo-ram’s expression twisted.
His eyes were hidden, but they were surely burning with hostility.
“Shut up.”
Seo Woo-jin let out a hollow chuckle.
“What a guy.”
It confirmed it one more time.
He had no place on their team.
Seo Woo-jin released his grip.
The sudden end to the contest of strength made Kim Woo-ram stagger, unable to control his own momentum.
Seo Woo-jin turned away.
He saw no value in dealing with him further.
“Stop!”
Kim Woo-ram’s shout came from behind.
But Seo Woo-jin didn’t halt.
If he attacked again, he’d straighten him out for real this time.
‘Not coming at me, huh.’
Unfortunately, Kim Woo-ram seemed to grasp his place and didn’t swing the spear again.
A few petty curses drifted over instead.
‘Tch.’
It soured his mood for nothing.
“Ah, no decent heroes around?”
Thud, thud-
Seo Woo-jin soon shoved the rude jerk Kim Woo-ram from his mind and resumed wandering the academy.
* * *
“Hello!”
A new face appeared in the training grounds.
Bright personality, friendly and approachable vibe.
It was a hero brought by Lee Ji-ah, the academy’s top social butterfly.
“Age 25! Level 38, job is C-rank ‘Alchemist’!”
Lee Ji-ah beamed proudly beside the man who’d introduced himself as Park Min-seong.
She looked like she was waiting for praise.
“Good work.”
Seo Woo-jin ruffled her hair as he said it.
“Told you to leave it to me, right?”
He didn’t recall saying that, but Seo Woo-jin nodded anyway.
She’d done well, after all.
“‘Alchemist’… so, a non-combat job?”
“You only looking for combat jobs?”
Seeing him deflate visibly, Seo Woo-jin quickly waved it off.
“Of course not. We don’t discriminate like that.”
His friend Kang Byung-gyu was a non-combat ‘Explorer,’ after all.
He’d seen countless times in Heldein how much they could help without jumping into the fray.
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
Park Min-seong grinned sheepishly.
“Was worried I’d get rejected again.”
“…Again?”
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head in confusion, and Park’s expression turned bitter.
He was quite the expressive guy.
“Everyone prefers combat jobs. Hard for non-combat types like me to fit in with others.”
He hadn’t realized his connections were limited to the people here.
“Non-combat jobs can be a huge help, though.”
Seo Woo-jin said, glancing at Kang Byung-gyu.
“Right? We’re useless in fights, but we can do a ton of other stuff!”
Quick to pivot.
Park Min-seong excitedly started listing his skills.
Production - [Status Ailment Potion], [Antidote Potion], [Buff Potion], [Attribute Power-Up Potion]….
Transformation - [Property Change], [Attribute Change], [Material Change], [Form Change]….
Equivalent Exchange - [Iron Giant], [Homunculus Creation]….
‘Something in the middle there feels familiar…’
An ‘Alchemist’s’ skills were all support-oriented.
They’d definitely get a lot of use out of him.
“Still, it’s not without downsides.”
Park Min-seong scratched his head.
“What job doesn’t have drawbacks? Uhahaha!”
Goo Dong-hwan laughed.
He definitely had some serious ones himself.
Though he refused to admit it.
“What’s the downside?”
Seo Woo-jin asked carefully.
It might be rude, but as potential teammates, better to know the flaws upfront.
“It costs a ton of money.”
“Huh?”
“Whether it’s ‘Production,’ ‘Transformation,’ or ‘Equivalent Exchange,’ using the skills burns through cash. Like, pouring it in nonstop.”
It was an unexpected flaw.
‘Well, makes sense, I guess?’
Creating stuff with those effects for free would’ve been the weird part.
“How much are we talking?”
Lee Ji-ah asked curiously.
“Hmm…”
Park Min-seong calculated for a moment before answering.
“Depends on the type, but a single potion usually runs about 30 gold. ‘Transformation’ and ‘Equivalent Exchange’ can cost even more.”
“3—30 gold?”
Kang Byung-gyu yelped in shock.
Everyone else, including Seo Woo-jin, cocked their heads at his reaction.
None of them had a solid grasp on economics.
“How much is that?”
The pocket money they got once a month from the academy was around 10 gold.
Seemed high, but not shriek-in-horror high….
“That’s way too much.”
Unlike the others, Explorer Kang Byung-gyu knew the value of currency inside out.
“10 gold’s about 1 million won.”
…1 million won?
So their monthly allowance was that much?
“O-our allowance was more than I thought.”
Even Lee Ji-ah stammered in surprise.
“Wait, so then…?”
“30 gold’s roughly 3 million won.”
3 million won per potion.
Seo Woo-jin shut his mouth.
Yeah, that qualified as a real downside.
* * *
“No one around.”
“Can’t find anyone either.”
“Maybe all the teams are already full?”
It was a valid point.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t still be short members.
“Group training’s tomorrow. If we haven’t found anyone by now, all teams must be set.”
Kye Soo-ji sighed as she said it.
“Doesn’t that leave one person out? 100 heroes, teams of 10.”
Seo Woo-jin’s expression hardened slightly at Goo Dong-hwan’s observation.
‘Don’t tell me…’
He prayed it wasn’t what he thought.
But as always, his hopes were dashed.
“Hey, Seo Woo-jin.”
Someone entered the training grounds, calling out to Seo Woo-jin in that rude tone.
Dread building, he slowly turned.
Shaggy hair came into view first.
‘Ah….’
As expected, it was Kim Woo-ram.
Spear slung across his back, he approached.
A sigh escaped unbidden.
‘So the last one’s him after all.’
The fact that he’d come looking said it all.
No team had taken him.
No one had even approached with an offer.
Except Seo Woo-jin.
“What do you want?”
He replied icily on purpose.
His teammates glanced over in mild surprise.
They’d never seen him act like that.
It felt awkward, but Seo Woo-jin glared at Kim Woo-ram without showing it.
If he apologized sincerely and asked to join, he’d consider….
“Come at me. Win, and I’ll join your team.”
He stopped thinking.
As Kim Woo-ram raised his spear, Seo Woo-jin smiled and drew his sword.
“Guess you don’t listen unless it’s beaten into you.”
He wouldn’t kill him.
It wasn’t that serious.
But that attitude? He’d fix it.
He wouldn’t stop until the guy begged for mercy.
“Fine, let’s go, you edgelord punk.”
Seo Woo-jin’s sword sliced through the air.
Paaak-!
The flat of the blade smacked Kim Woo-ram’s temple.
“Gaaah!”
One hit.
The guy who’d been striking all sorts of poses went tumbling across the training grounds.
Seo Woo-jin, the one who’d struck, froze in bewilderment.
“Mister, isn’t that a bit much? He looks young.”
“No, wait.”
He hadn’t hit that hard.
He was annoyed, sure, but not enough to lose his senses.
“Then what’s with that?”
As Seo Woo-jin tried to explain, Lee Ji-ah pointed at Kim Woo-ram.
He was still screaming and rolling on the ground.
“Beats me. What the hell?”