Draconis stopped.
'It's not an illusion.'
I thought that when I was faced with death, my thoughts accelerated and time seemed to pass slowly.
Isn't this a scene often seen in comics or movies?
But Draconis actually stopped moving.
'What's going on?'
A monster that had annihilated dozens of soldiers and even left Irene in a state of combat incapacity.
Such a creature stood in front of Seo Woojin.
As if it had eaten fear…
'Fear?'
It was absurd.
Clearly, this side should be the one feeling scared and trembling.
Nevertheless, despite everything, Seo Woojin felt the sense that Draconis was afraid.
"What's that about?"
"Courageous, isn't he?"
"I thought you were quite timid for a hero."
At that moment, a voice came from right behind.
A very calm voice.
"A hero who hasn't properly grown yet should step back. We'll take it from here."
Seo Woojin slowly turned his head.
The first thing that caught his eye was the blue armor.
"…Knights."
The proud knights of the Kingdom Sion and the Massive Guardians, the Blue Shield.
"I've enjoyed your little show."
It was the voice of Testeron.
As always, it was a mocking tone, but this time it was a bit different.
"Still, thanks to you, Irene survived."
With those words, Testeron patted Seo Woojin's shoulder once and rushed towards Draconis.
Kwaaaang!
And a massive explosion resounded.
'Why am I so stupid?'
Seo Woojin looked blankly at the knights battling Draconis and blamed himself.
Seo Woojin was well aware.
The fact that there were other knights around him, not just Irene.
Didn't he hear their conversations directly?
Caught in fear and tension, he completely forgot about that fact.
'How ridiculous would it have been?'
Seo Woojin imagined the knights laughing as they watched him stumble while Irene was buying time for them to prepare for the battle against Draconis.
"So why were you rushing in alone like that?"
While receiving treatment at his side, Seo Woojin gave a pointless reprimand to Irene.
"Because that's my role."
"Is it to run ahead and die?"
At least, that's how it seemed to Seo Woojin.
Fortunately, she survived, but still.
"If I hadn't moved there, you would have been in danger."
To be precise, it may or may not have been dangerous.
But Irene couldn't ignore that 1% possibility.
So she rushed towards Draconis.
She was surprised by the strength more than she expected, but at least she didn't fall victim to Draconis attack.
Compared to the soldiers who died, it was nothing.
"They're all incredibly strong."
Seo Woojin admired the knights.
Only about a dozen of them were confronting the massive monster.
No, it would be more accurate to say they were subduing it.
Every time the sword moved, Draconis' flesh was chopped off and fell to the ground.
Despite his struggles to survive, Draconis couldn't endure it, and in the end…
Testeron's massive sword beheaded Draconis.
Kwoong!
With the sound of a falling boulder, the giant head of Draconis crashed to the ground.
"Clean up the battlefield!"
Testeron, who swung his sword to shake off the blood, commanded the soldiers.
When the knights stepped forward, the soldiers who had taken a step back from the battlefield and were watching the battle began to move quickly.
"… He's really strong."
I knew that the knights were strong, but seeing it with my own eyes was truly awe-inspiring.
Especially Testeron.
His strength was truly overwhelming.
"I thought he was just a muscle-headed gym-goer."
Not just Irene, but even compared to other knights, it was noticeably different.
"Lord Testeron is a senior knight."
In the Kingdom of Sion, there were only five senior knights, and Testeron was one of them.
His martial prowess was without question, and his leadership skills were outstanding.
Well, he wasn't very popular due to his personality, but still.
"Although Draconis is the top-tier monster, Lord Testeron is no pushover either."
Irene's voice was calm.
But her expression was different.
'Is she angry?'
The way she was chewing her lips seemed like she was completely disintegrating.
While she struggled to even momentarily stop the monster's charge, they were hunting it like it was a plaything…
It was understandable for Irene, who was still just a lower-ranked knight.
Of course, Seo Woojin's thoughts were a bit different.
'I think she's strong enough from my perspective.'
Just being able to stop a charge from such a monster was astonishing to Seo Woojin.
Still, I was a little impressed to see Irene not being satisfied with her own skills.
"Mr. Seo Woojin."
Irene suddenly turned her head to look at him.
The angry expression was gone, and she was back to her usual self.
"Uh, yes?"
As Seo Woojin blinked and looked at her, Irene spoke.
"You know how heroes grow, right?"
It was a sudden question, but Seo Woojin nodded.
Status window and levels.
Just looking at these two things, the growth methods of heroes were very straightforward.
"Just hunt the monsters, right."
He had already learned it during the basic training before coming to Massive Guardian.
"That's right."
For Irene, who was originally a person from this world, it was a mechanism that she could not understand at all.
Not training and not learning any advanced combat skills.
Still, heroes became stronger just by 'killing' monsters.
And not just stronger but incredibly quickly and powerfully compared to themselves.
Honestly, it was jealousy-inducing.
Some people even saved their sleeping time to become stronger…
But she couldn't complain.
The heroes came to help their world, so there was nothing she could do but support them as much as possible.
"Heroes from other kingdoms have already started to grow."
"…Already?"
I haven't even adapted properly yet, but the others are already growing.
It felt like I was falling behind for no reason.
"And they've chosen a fast and easy path."
"What is that?"
Seo Woojin tilted his head and asked.
In the first place, the method of growth through hunting and leveling up is faster and more convenient than any other way.
But is there a better way than that?
"Previously summoned warriors referred to it as a 'bus,'" Irene said, casting a questioning gaze if he knew what it meant.
"Ah…"
Rather than a detailed explanation, that single word was much easier to understand.
"I see. Riding a bus would certainly make it easier. It shouldn't be too dangerous either."
The heroes have not yet entered the realm of superhumans.
In such a situation, what if you can level up with the help of other knights?
'That would be a piece of cake.'
Hearing that, Seo Woojin felt a little more at ease.
Powerful knights like Irene and Testeron.
And hundreds of soldiers.
With their help, he could proceed with subjugation more safely and quickly than he thought.
However, Irene's following words shattered Seo Woojin's expectations.
"To be honest, our Sion won't use that method."
"…What?"
Why not?
Why take a difficult path when there's a method guaranteed since the previous generation?
'Especially when it's already dangerous!'
Seo Woojin's expression, which had loosened, stiffened again at the thought of facing monsters like Draconis directly.
"Sion doesn't train knights in such a weak manner."
Pride? Arrogance?
In Irene's resolute tone, laden with such emotions, Seo Woojin grabbed his head.
"I'm not a knight; I'm a hero!"
To be precise, he was not a hero, but had the aptitude for being a demon king.
Anyway, these guys didn't seem normal either.
Since running away was already out of the question, I had to become stronger as quickly as possible.
To survive among the 99 warriors and the ignorant Sion knights, speed was crucial.
But instead of getting faster, he was falling behind.
"Of course, we'll do our best to ensure your safety."
"Can you guarantee that?"
"Yes?"
Even though he unintentionally voiced his inner thoughts, Seo Woojin paid no attention to such things.
Ignoring Irene's gaze, he became lost in thought.
'What should I do?'
There were two options.
Either somehow escape without getting caught, or actively participate in subjugation.
But both options were risky.
The more likely of the two…
'Subjugation?'
He didn't have the confidence to leave this frozen land on his own.
Without any supplies, leaving here would undoubtedly lead to his death soon.
On the other hand, subjugation was a bit different.
There was a need for combat, but there were many supplies, knights, and soldiers.
Irene had promised to ensure safety as much as possible, so he probably wouldn't die so easily.
'Nevertheless, it's still risky.'
Seo Woojin sighed as he continued to wrestle with his thoughts.
From the start, he only had one option.
"Are there many of those things?"
Seo Woojin pointed to the Draconis being dismantled by the soldiers.
It was fortunate that there was only one now, but what if such creatures came in a horde?
That would be a disaster.
Even Irene wouldn't be able to protect herself.
"As I mentioned earlier, Draconis is the top-tier monster. However, their population is small."
That was fortunate.
"But there are monsters more dangerous than him."
Although each individual is weak, Erath hunts in groups of hundreds.
Nairdo lurking in the white snow, launching surprise attacks.
These monsters cause tremendous damage every year.
But the most dangerous among them is…
"Kratos."
The sixth demon king and the strongest evil spirit on the surface.
In fact, not much is known about Kratos.
If there were no records from the arrival of the sixth demon king, people might not even be aware of his existence.
"Don't worry. No one has encountered Kratos in the subjugation missions until now."
They didn't proceed with subjugation into the area considered to be Kratos's territory.
The distance was too far, not subjugating him wasn't a significant problem.
However, even with Irene's words, Seo Woojin's expression did not relax.
To him, whether it was Kratos or just a wild bear, there was no big difference.
Either way, meeting them meant death.
Regardless of Seo Woo Jin's worries, the movement to the camp resumed.
Now, after enduring six long hours with the remains of Draconis that had almost disappeared, they could finally arrive.
'Fuck.'
Seo Woojin cursed inwardly.
It wasn't the time to worry about monsters.
The much bigger issue was the deadly cold.
"At this rate, I might really freeze to death."
"You won't die."
Irene raised her head at Seo Woojin's complaint.
"There's a warming spell on the outerwear you're wearing. It's not a high-level magic, so it can't completely block the cold, but at least it can prevent you from freezing to death."
At her words, Seo Woojin looked down at his clothes.
The outerwear looked a bit more luxurious than what the soldiers were wearing.
He hadn't paid attention until now, but Seo Woojin was slightly surprised to learn that there was magic cast on it.
"Are clothes like this common?"
"I don't think so."
This is a specially prepared magical item for a hero who has not grown at all.
They were not used to this kind of weather like the soldiers, and it could be really dangerous.
Seo Woojin looked once again at the clothes he was wearing and then looked around.
"Everyone is impressive."
Even though they had walked in this cold for a long time, the speed at which they were setting up a camp was very fast.
"It's something we do every year. We also train regularly."
No matter what, it was amazing.
'If they were taken to the military in Korea, they would be treated like an ace.'
While thinking about unnecessary thoughts, he heard someone calling him from behind.
"You were here."
Startle—
His body involuntarily shrank.
The reason was simple.
"Van Slaine?"
It was because it was his voice.