What does it mean?
'What did Gerald say about me?'
He couldn't figure out what conversation the two had as he was unconscious.
As Seo Woojin just looked at him blankly, Dariel clicked his tongue and dragged a chair over to sit down.
"Gerald said that. If it weren't for you, everyone there would have died."
Oh, was that what he said?
Fortunately.
"He talked about the 'Hell' I heard."
"What did you do?"
"…I just struggled a bit."
It wasn't a lie.
He had tried everything just because it felt unfair to die.
Nothing worked, though.
"I looked into you. Grade D 'Sword Soldier,' level 10. That's all you are. Can such a person stop Gerald? Do you think that makes sense?"
"I'm not level 10."
Seo Woojin denied Dariel's words.
"What? I heard that…"
"I'm now level 16."
It was accurate as he had just checked.
——————
■ Name: Seo Woojin
■ Occupation: Demon King [Unable to measure]
■ Level: 16
■ Skills: ??? [Passive], [Black Flame], [Power Strike], [Rampage], [Acceleration], [Aura], [Hell], [Punishment], [Stigma], [Madness], [Twilight], [Muspellheim], [Sword of Uranus].
——————
It seemed like a lot had increased.
Probably due to wiping out goblins and dark elves with 'Hell' he suddenly experienced such explosive growth.
'Hunting is indeed hunting.'
Most of the monsters were low-class, so the increase wasn't as much as expected, but what is this?
He closed his eyes, opened them, and found himself 6 levels higher.
"…You didn't hide your level, did you?"
"Never. Why would I lie like that? I'm not a pervert who enjoys being ignored."
Of course, except for the level, the class and the occupation are lies.
'This is something that can't be helped. I'm not a pervert.'
When Seo Woojin confidently spoke, Dariel furrowed his brow.
"But it doesn't change anything. Whether it's level 10 or 16, it's impossible to stop Gerald."
That's a valid point.
An ant evolving into a queen ant doesn't mean it can beat humans.
"What did you do?"
"I really don't know. For some reason, I wasn't affected by demon energy, except that guy was curious and spoke to me."
Seo Woojin spoke a mixture of truth and lies.
Perhaps because his occupation is 'Demon King,' he was not affected by magi at all.
Thanks to that, it was true that Gerald showed interest while being confused.
However, he could never talk about the 'Hell.'
If he unfolded it once in front of him, he felt as if his throat would be cut off.
'I've never been wrong about a bad premonition, so it's likely to happen this time too.'
Even if a knife was placed on his throat, he wouldn't speak.
However, it seemed like enough explanation for Dariel.
"Can you withstand magi?"
Dariel thought for a moment, then grabbed Seo Woojin's wrist.
"What are you doing…"
"Be quiet."
Surprised by the sudden movement, he was about to pull his arm back, but he closed his mouth under the pressure that pushed his body.
Then, he felt a pure magical power entering his body.
"Hmm."
Confusion appeared on Dariel's face.
After thoroughly examining Seo Woojin's inner self for a long time, Dariel let go of his hand.
Then he asked, "You're D-grade?"
Did he catch on to something?
"And level 10. No, level 16…"
He, who had been lost in thought for a moment, soon looked at Irene.
"Hey, did you teach this guy?"
It was a sudden question.
Irene was startled but immediately responded without showing it.
"I laid the foundation, but I wasn't the one who taught him how to use a sword."
"Then?"
"It's the Lord."
Dariel licked his lips and nodded in response to Irene's answer.
"The northern brat created something quite impressive."
Whether it was admiration or sighing, he muttered words that were hard to decipher and got up from his seat.
"I'll see you again after you recover."
Having said only that, he left.
"…I'm all better now, though."
With the level up, his body had fully recovered.
Yet, he had fainted because he was mentally exhausted.
Seo Woojin chuckled and got up.
"But where is this place?"
It wasn't the Academy's dormitory. The Academy's dormitory was so splendid and spacious that one wouldn't know how much money was spent on it.
In contrast, this place was simple.
It had a luxurious feel, but it couldn't compare to the Academy's dormitory.
"It's the Lord's Castle in Tipin, a city on the outskirts of the empire."
"Oh, the one with the train station?"
It was the city closest to the subjugation site.
"Yes. Since there were a lot of injured people, we couldn't go to the capital right away."
Not only the knights but also the Heroes.
Especially the elite friends who were hurt by Gerald at the end were in a somewhat serious condition.
"What about you? You don't need to rest?"
Irene was also exposed to magi.
The corroded magi causes injuries by clashing with mana.
Therefore, other knights were also in the process of recuperation.
Irene's face also seemed a bit pale.
"I'm okay. I can handle it better than you think, so don't worry."
Compared to training at the Massive Guardian, this doesn't even register on the injury scale.
"Good to hear. Oh, where are the others?"
When Gerald appeared, it didn't cross his mind, but there was no sign of Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye.
Several other Heroes as well.
Because there were only five elite friends who showed up later.
"They're fine. It seems they encountered a few dark elves while scouting the area, but they managed to escape unharmed."
"…Is that so?"
That meant those kids had seen the 'Hell.'
The jellyfish had squeezed all the 'enemies' around Seo Woojin.
Sure enough, Irene brought up the subject.
"I heard that while Seo Woojin was fighting, something unusual happened there too. Some black ghost-like entity killed all the dark elves in an instant. The Empire has already started investigating its identity."
Irene didn't doubt the relationship between the jellyfish and Seo Woojin.
"That's fortunate."
Seo Woojin sighed in relief.
"How long do we have to stay here?"
"We are planning to leave tomorrow. Fortunately, few people were seriously injured, so as soon as they recover, they will take the train and return to the academy in the capital."
Tomorrow…
Seo Woojin nodded and lay back down on the bed.
"Well, let's rest a bit more. You should rest too, instead of staying here."
At Seo Woojin's words, Irene nodded.
Now that he seemed to be awake, it was time for him to rest.
As Irene went outside, Seo Woojin closed his eyes.
The subjugation that was thought of lightly turned into a much bigger affair.
Followers of the Demon King, Dark Elves, and Gerald…
There seemed to be more complicated circumstances in this world than expected.
'But what was that?'
When Gerald swung his axe to cut his own throat.
It was brief, but he clearly paused for a moment.
As if…
'Like Draconis.'
It was unclear whether it was because of the profession called 'Demon King' or for some other reason.
If it was because of the profession, could it lead to problems? That was a concern.
But now, there was no answer to be found in contemplating it.
For now, Seo Woojin decided to rest a little more and think about it later.
He slowly fell asleep.
Hoping once again to dream of the happy dreams from the past, Seo Woojin fell asleep like that.
* * *
"Are you okay?"
Ronain, the commander of the Imperial White Knights, one of the pride of the empire, asked with a worried expression.
"…I'm fine."
Baek Siwoo answered with a smile.
But his appearance was pitiful, contrary to his words.
Both arms were twisted, and one leg was cut off with no way to reattach it.
It was a forced sacrifice to protect friends in the compressed space.
"How about the others?"
"Thanks to the Swordmaster, they are quite stable. Of course, they will have to recover for a while…"
"It's fine as long as they aren't dead."
He really almost died.
Baek Siwoo felt the impending feeling of death.
"Don't worry. We have already prepared for the treatment of Sword God and the others in the capital."
The greatest advantage of a Hero was that they grew easily and quickly.
And there was another advantage that was just as good.
As long as they didn't die, they could be completely healed in perfect condition regardless of the injuries, be it losing limbs or having a hole in the stomach, by killing monsters and leveling up.
Everyone was able to recover.
Although there was a disadvantage that it took longer as the level increased, just the fact that recovery was possible was morale-boosting.
"Thank you."
Baek Siwoo sincerely thanked Ronain.
"It might be better to express your gratitude to someone other than me."
"…Someone else?"
"If the Sword Master hadn't arrived in time, it would have been a real disaster."
Baek Siwoo was well aware of the Sword master.
Because he was a Hero who received support from the Empire.
"He came?"
He didn't know.
He had fainted at some point due to unbearable pain.
Now he understood how he could still be alive.
"So, did that Dark Elf die?"
The Sword Master was truly a formidable person.
Even now, at over level 50, he was far beyond any opponent.
It seemed like Dariel could easily win against that monstrous dark elf.
But Ronain shook his head and explained the events that had transpired.
"…He was such a strong guy."
Even though he had escaped, the fact that it was possible to face Dariel itself was astonishing.
'How strong must the Demon King be then?'
A being followed by Gerald, an existence that even Dariel couldn't defeat.
Could they really win against such a Demon King?
He had thought it would be easy if they continued to grow. He had talent, and with the combined strength of his friends, it seemed achievable. With the unique growth ability of a Hero, it felt like playing an enjoyable game.
But after experiencing yesterday's events…
'It's frightening.'
He didn't realize death could be so close. He had thought it was something in the distant future.
"Are you okay?"
Ronain, seeing Baek Siwoo's expression darken, cautiously asked, "What's wrong?"
In response, Baek Siwoo, as if questioning when he had ever made such an expression, grinned and nodded playfully.
"I'm fine. I know you must be busy, so you don't have to worry about me anymore."
Baek Siwoo sent Ronain away with a friendly smile and then rested his head on the pillow.
'I need to become stronger.'
He needed the power to overwhelm not only Gerald but also the Demon King.
'What should I do?'
Baek Siwoo's worries deepened.