Unlucky!! -6-
A duel with Yukihime had taken place, and another two weeks or so passed. If I'd been in my original world, this would've been the time for high school graduation ceremonies, agonizing over college as I stepped into adulthood. But instead, I'd been doing something unprecedented in all my lives: serious training.
I'd always been a hands-on learner, picking things up through real combat rather than drills, so I never bothered much with formal practice. And above all...
In my past life or this one, I got stronger just by breathing...
It was all about raw strength. No need for training when power came that easily. The most I'd ever done was pick up swordsmanship or martial arts out of boredom, but I'd master them after a few sessions—surpassing my teachers so fast I got bored. Occasionally, I'd work out when my body felt stiff, or wrestle wild beasts barehanded if something tough showed up.
But this past week, I'd thrown myself into training like a madman.
Tsk... Still no clear path to victory.
Another two weeks, and I figured I could catch up.
"Aniki!! Training done, super cool?!"
"I-I made some potions good for your body..."
That's when Erika and Kanami barged into my training room. Kanami clutched a glass vial filled with suspicious yellow liquid—like some tonic for vitality.
"Aniki!! Catch!!"
"W-Wait, if you throw it..."
Erika snatched the potion from Kanami's hand and chucked it straight at me.
"Oh, dank you."
I snagged it smoothly. The bottle felt ice-cold, fresh from the fridge. Erika must've precooled it with her ice magic—she knew I chugged cold drinks even if it meant freezing my guts out. She always did this for me.
The potion tasted exactly how I liked it. We'd hung out so much, we knew each other's tastes inside out.
"And Aniki, Benecchi said it's about time to gather, right?"
"C-Calling the knight commander something so weird... i-isn't that bad?"
"What're you on about!! Kat-chan!! This nickname's adorbs, right?!"
As I watched Erika and Kanami's usual back-and-forth, I pondered why the knight commander had summoned us.
"Oh yeah, this time we're heading to the demon realm for some real combat experience."
Two weeks into this isekai life, and we'd finally face monsters in actual battle.
"Alright, let's go."
"Woo-hoo!! Picnic with Aniki!! Super exciting!!"
"Yeah..."
This monster subjugation exercise pulled in both vanguard and rearguard teams. No levels in this world, but killing monsters made you stronger—so even the rearguards needed to rack up kills to boost their stats.
"The spot's the Forest of Beginnings?"
"I-I heard it's a huge forest near the imperial capital..."
"I've heard too, right. Massive woods full of beginner-friendly monsters even newbies can clear. Perfect training ground for adventurers and soldiers, yeah."
I'd gathered intel from the library and locals whenever I had time, so I knew the basics. The forest was special—around since before the empire, back when the Grion Kingdom stood. Tons of low-level monsters, but kill 'em all and they'd respawn in a day from who-knows-where. Chop trees or dig soil, and it'd revert by morning. Carry resources out? Poof—gone like an illusion. No infinite farming.
Legend said an ancient great witch made it, but no proof—just folklore. Ideal for military drills, close to the capital, and under direct Roman Empire control. Oh, and home to the Adventurer's Guild HQ, as per isekai tropes.
Fighting these 'monsters,' huh? Can't wait.
Stronger than the mutant mega-elephants, giant anacondas, or massive sea crocs I'd wrestled barehanded in my past life?
Anyway, we gathered at the designated spot as ordered.
No knight commander.
Few familiar faces—mostly newbies. Instead of the commander, a First Centurion I didn't know led us. Word was, the commander, vice-commander, and Saint Matthias had rushed north—demonkin launching a massive surprise attack.
He brought 100 knights under him, plus about 10 combat mages. Overkill for patrolling the emperor's direct territory around the capital—one of the safest spots in the world. Showed how much the emperor doted on us Heroes.
"Very well, Heroes. Let's move out."
We headed to the Magic Guild's teleport gate nearby. Built by ancient mage and first great sage Magnus the Black in key spots worldwide—one of this world's main transport methods.
We were at the back, chatting while the front passed through the massive rift the gate conjured.
"Oh yeah."
"W-Why?"
"Thought about it—not in Japan anymore, no need to hide my real name behind this Japanese alias, Haku Yutakichi."
"R-Right, Yutakichi-kun... you grew up in K-Korea till elementary school."
"Ooh!! What is it!? Beyond weeb to true weeb vibes, super?! Aniki never spilled your real name—been dying to know!!"
"Yeah, Haku Yutakichi's not my real name. It's just my birth name tweaked into Japanese style. No need now. Call me Park Seokgil—or just Seokgil for short. You two at least."
"Baku... Suku... Giru...? Suku... Giru... Seku... Gil..."
Kanami mumbled my name over and over, getting the Korean pronunciation down—or committing it to memory.
"Ooooh!! FUCK!! SUCK!! KILL!! So badass, Aniki!! Even your real name radiates power!!"
Erika mangled it hilariously, stirring old memories from my past life.
—Woooaaah!! Boss!! Boss broke their lines and took out the enemy commander!!
—Yaaaay!!
—SUCK!! KILL!! FUCK!! SUCK!! KILL!! FUCK!!
—You shitty bastards!! It's Seokgil Park!!
—Aw, but Boss, that sounds cooler.
"E-Erika! Calling Seokgil-kun something so vulgar...!!"
"Huh? But it's cooler this way, right?!"
"In the world... who gets off on their own name like that..."
"Eh, I don't mind."
"???"
Kanami got mad for me—back then, I might've snapped too. But now? Just fond memories.
"Still, to me, you're always Aniki!!"
"Call me whatever. You're the only ones besides Mom who know my real name since coming to Japan."
"J-Just us two..."
Pong!!
"Hawa..."
Kanami's face flushed red.
"Next team!! Step in!!"
Our turn—we stepped through the rift.
"What the fuck? How'd it come to this?"
I muttered to myself. No answer, as usual.
Looked around.
"Praetorians!! Form up!! Maximilian phalanx—now!!"
The First Centurion barked orders to knights and combat mages, tense as hell.
Clack-clack-clack!!
Knights moved in perfect sync, shielding us Heroes—including me.
Vrrrrm!!
Mages prepped spells in all directions.
"What the—?"
"H-Hiiik!?"
"Don't panic!! Fight like we trained!!"
The weaklings freaked or tried coping. Yukihime, Seigen, and their cronies rallied the students.
And the cause?
"Grrrraaah!! Advance!!"
"Isekai Heroes!? Krahaha!! Fresh chicks!!"
"Buhiit!! Wonder what Hero meat tastes like?"
Thousands of demonkin surrounding us.
Not random mobs—these were demonkin in the emperor's territory, the ultra-safe Forest of Beginnings.
Demonkin: evolved monsters with speech and smarts, way stronger than base forms. Common in the northern Great Demon Realm with the Demon King, but not here.
Biggest issue:
Fwoosh!!
A fire-wreathed figure hovering midair, watching us. Humanoid, but goat horns, devil tail, inverted eyes, red skin—like a parasitic oni. Its overwhelming aura prickled my skin.
Can't win like this.
Dunno about the knight commander matchup—never saw Benefict's full power. But definitely stronger than current me.
Fuck, why us?
Teleport was smooth. Forest entry fine—goblins, kobolds, horned rabbits, lesser slimes. We cleared 'em for training as planned.
Then, at the central clearing—Beginner's Rest—ambushed by this demonkin horde.
Veteran of battlefields, I knew instinctively: we were fucked.
Fight hasn't started, but 100% loss at this rate.
Their thousand vs. our 100 elite Praetorians—even green Heroes tips it 50/50. Demonkin mostly orc- or goblin-kin, not elite. Numbers even it out.
But that fire demon steps in? Instant L.
Commander and Saint here? Winnable. They're not.
Someone had to kill that fire demon to survive.
Not the Demon King... fuck, one of the dozen Archfiends? This strong?
"S-Seokgil... w-what do we...?"
Kanami's voice trembled with terror—she'd practiced my name, but tears welled from fear.
Glanced at Erika.
"Magic... like we learned... build the ritual... aim at enemies..."
Uncharacteristically serious, tense, using proper speech in a low growl—prepping spells with the combat mages.
My friends were scared.
Heat surged in my head.
No fear in me—just rage at my weakness, at how pathetic I once was.
"Whatever. Died once—can't die twice?"
"S-Seokgil...?"
I turned to worried Kanami.
"Kanami, you got those enhancement potions from before?"
"Y-Yeah, here."
"Hand 'em over."
She'd refined them nonstop—that miracle brew doubled physicals and mana for one sip. Alchemist Sage's power after 300 years was no joke.
Couldn't boost the multiplier—fatal to the body. No side-effect fixes. But duration? Up to 18 minutes max.
"B-But..."
"It's fine. I'll get everyone out alive. Trust me."
Trembling, she offered two vials of swirling purple potion.
Pong.
I uncorked and downed them.
"Oh."
The world changed. Everything slo-mo extreme, power flooding my body.
Whish!!
"H-Hero!?"
I leaped from behind the knights' shield wall.
"Ooooh yeahhh!!"
BOOM!!!
Legs coiled like springs, I rocketed toward the demonkin cluster—landing where knights stayed safe.
"Guh?!"
"What storm is this!?"
The shockwave quaked the earth like an earthquake, winds blasting everywhere.
Target: demonkin horde.
Time to ravage.