'Damage?'
But it was too late for that.
The tentacle was descending at an incredibly fast speed, already reaching Seo Woojin's vicinity.
'Block it?'
That was impossible.
Thicker and heavier than a utility pole, Seo Woojin couldn't possibly block the tentacle that could shatter the ground with a single blow.
"…Then do I die?"
It seemed there was no other choice but death.
However, he didn't want to just stand there and die.
Seo Woojin raised his sword.
If he was going to die either way, it felt better to do something before dying.
"Even worms wriggle when stepped on!"
He swung the sword toward the descending tentacle, intending to crush it to free himself.
Swish—
The sword of a level 2 Hero, no, a prospective Demon King's, collided with the tentacle in a pitiful manner.
And…
"Huh?"
The Ice Bug stopped moving.
There was almost no impact transmitted through the sword.
It felt as weak as a child swinging a fist.
Considering the size and weight of the tentacle, it was impossible.
"…What is this?"
Seo Woojin cautiously observed the state of the Ice Bug.
Indeed, he hadn't suddenly become stronger.
The Ice Bug had just stopped moving.
Not only the tentacle descending toward Seo Woojin but also the main body and other tentacles had frozen like stone.
Unconsciously, he swallowed dry saliva.
He couldn't comprehend the current situation.
"Seo Woojin!"
At that moment, Irene's cry echoed.
It was a voice close to a scream.
But Seo Woojin couldn't respond.
He didn't want to make a sound unnecessarily, as it might cause the Ice Bug to move again, and he would be helpless.
Instead, he slowly retrieved the sword held above his head and moved to the side.
"Seo Woojin! Answer me, Seo Woojin!"
Irene's voice trembled significantly.
It was due to the thought that Seo Woojin might already be dead and the guilt that accompanied it.
Meanwhile, the sound seemed to be getting closer, as if someone was rapidly approaching from that direction.
"Just a little more…"
It seemed the Ice Bug wasn't dead.
Even now, its large pupils were moving slightly toward Seo Woojin.
But its body was undeniably stiff.
"Quick, now!"
Thinking that he had distanced himself enough, Seo Woojin suddenly broke into a run and opened his mouth.
"Over here!"
What if the Ice Bug moves again? I was worried, but it was unfounded.
Even though Seo Woojin was moving backwards, the guy didn't even flinch.
It was just watching.
"Stay away from the ice bug! I'll go over there!"
Joy? Relief?
Unlike the trembling voice heard until now, Irene's shout was filled with a deep sense of relief.
Of course, the sense of urgency still seemed apparent.
Seo Woojin did as she said and continued to run to distance himself as much as possible from the Ice Bug.
He didn't forget to glance back and check the creature's movements.
Despite Seo Woojin quickly moving away, the tentacles remained rigid and did not move.
And Irene's figure started to become visible beside it.
"Here, over here!"
Seo Woojin raised his hand and shouted.
Then Irene's figure rapidly expanded.
It approached at a speed incomparable to before.
"You're safe!"
Honestly, he intended to say something when he saw her.
Not necessarily an insult, but at least a remark that could help soothe the shock.
However, Seo Woojin couldn't do that.
Irene, who always had a cold and cold expression…
'Tears?'
If what was in her pupils wasn't sweat, it was definitely tears.
"A-Are you okay? Any injuries?"
As soon as Irene arrived by Seo Woojin's side, she examined his body.
Naturally, he was in a state where not a single hair was harmed.
He was a bit tired and strained, but that was because he had been dealing with the crisis alone.
Since the Ice Bug hadn't shown the slightest interest in Seo Woojin until a moment ago, there was no chance of him getting hurt.
"I-I'm okay."
In response to the unfamiliar sight of Irene, Seo Woojin stammered his reply.
However, as if she needed to confirm with her own eyes, she carefully examined his entire body.
Then she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Let's get out for now."
The current situation was perplexing even for her.
Why the Ice Bugs suddenly stopped moving, and why this state continued.
It was a puzzle she couldn't comprehend, but what mattered now was not figuring out the reason.
It was swiftly moving the Hero to a safe place.
Irene carried Seo Woojin up.
"Oh, no! Wait a moment!"
Seo Woojin was taken aback by her sudden actions, but he had no time to protest.
Shwoosh-!
With an unimaginable speed that they had never experienced before, the two arrived at their original position.
Is this what it feels like to speed by in a supercar with the lid open?
Seo Woojin closed his mouth and lowered his eyes due to some unknown excitement and shame.
"It should be fine here."
Irene put Seo Woojin down, carefully checking his condition once again.
After confirming that there was nothing wrong, she returned to her usual self.
"Why on earth…"
Irene swallowed her words.
But Seo Woojin could understand the continuation even without hearing it.
'She's probably asking why I did something reckless like that.'
He didn't know.
When other soldiers or knights were in danger, he didn't act like this.
He just thought about saving his own life somehow.
But it was different when Irene was in danger.
Unconsciously, his body reacted, and he rushed to her.
This was already the second time.
'Is it because she's pretty?'
She is indeed beautiful.
But that couldn't have been the reason.
Seo Woojin, who had seen numerous celebrities on Earth, including those more beautiful and enchanting than her, did not stake his life just because of that.
'Do I like Irene?'
Impossible!
Rather, it was closer to being uncomfortable.
While grateful for someone taking care of him and watching over, that was all.
There was no history built between the two for feelings of liking to develop.
'I don't know either.'
It wasn't a typical Hero's mentality…
"Irene, it doesn't seem like the right time to say this, does it?"
Eventually, Seo Woojin, whose answer became elusive, turned his gaze toward her with an arrowhead.
She, too, had run forward without looking back, just as he had.
If Irene hadn't suddenly rushed out, this situation would not have occurred.
"…I'm sorry."
Seo Woojin's eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't expected her to apologize so easily.
"Forgetting the orders given to me and leaving you alone due to my own emotions was clearly my mistake."
"Uh, um. It's okay."
Having said that, Seo Woojin scratched the back of his head.
To receive an apology from Irene, whose pride and pride were sky-high.
Seo Woojin, who felt embarrassed for no reason, turned his gaze towards the ice bug.
"By the way, why is that guy acting like that all of a sudden?"
Irene brought Seo Woojin to a place quite far from the Ice Bug.
At this distance, even if the Ice Bug started moving again, they could easily dodge its attacks.
Now that some safety was assured, Irene regained her composure and began analyzing the situation.
There were several reasons why a monster would stop moving.
Firstly, when a natural enemy appeared.
Thinking about a snake and a frog, it was easy to understand.
When faced with a natural enemy, the prey often froze in its tracks.
But what was the natural enemy of the Ice Bug?
Irene had never heard of such a thing.
At least in this vicinity, there were no monsters capable of facing it.
Secondly, it was when they received the master's command.
No matter how lacking in intelligence a monster might be, it had to obey the orders of the master connected through the spiritual link.
Of course, that was impossible.
The monster had only one owner.
Because there was no one else but the Demon King.
She thought of a few other reasons as well.
But none of them seemed to fit the current situation.
"…I don't really understand."
In the end, Irene tilted her head, expressing a look of incomprehension.
"I guess you don't know either."
Seo Woojin shrugged, not really expecting an answer.
While doing so, he thought to himself,
'Wasn't it the same during the Draconis?'
The monster that had rushed at him as if to shatter him had suddenly stopped its movement.
'It was as if it was scared.'
It was an unreasonable thing, but Seo Woojin definitely felt that way.
The Ice Bugs were the same.
It was impossible to tell if they were scared since their expressions couldn't be read, but at least their movements were frozen in the same way.
'Why is that? Could it be because I'm the Demon King?'
Seo Woojin tilted his head.
He was not yet the Demon King.
To be precise, he only possessed the potential to become the Demon King.
At the moment, Seo Woojin was nothing more than a level 2 newbie whose job had not been determined.
He was too insignificant for Draconis and the Ice Bugs to sense the existence of the Demon Lord and be scared.
'Then there's only one thing left… … .'
Seo Woojin opened his 'status window' for the first time in a while.
——————==
■ Name: Seo Woojin
■ Job Aptitude: Demon King [Cannot be measured]
■ Level: 2
■ Skills: ??? [Passive]
——————==
The only change was that the level had become 2 from 1.
However, what Seo Woojin wanted to confirm was not the level.
'That skill.'
While waiting in the Empire, he had picked up a few things with his sharp ears.
"Heroes acquire skills starting from level 5, right?"
"Yes? Oh, that's right."
Just to be sure, he asked Irene.
Heroes gained their first skill at level 5, and thereafter, they could acquire one additional skill with each level-up.
'Even those with S-grade or SSS-grade aptitude didn't have any skills from the beginning.'
However, Seo Woojin had a skill from the start.
Even though it was marked as '???' with no information available.
'If there's a reason, it's only that.'
An unknown skill with an unknown name and effect.
Since it was a passive skill, it was likely active all the time.
'I need to figure out what this is.'
To do that, there was only one way.
Level up.
When he reached level 5 and obtained a skill, he might be able to confirm its true nature.
"Can we take that guy down?"
Seo Woojin asked Irene while looking at her.
Of course, she stared at him as if he were crazy.