"Uncle, uncle! Are you really okay? Look at your face, it's half gone for real."
Under the bombardment of words pouring like gunfire, Seo Woojin opened his closed eyes.
"Oh, I'm fine."
Having leveled up six times, there was no way he wouldn't be okay.
All the numerous scars he had obtained while training in the Massiv Guardian had disappeared without a trace.
"I was really worried! We went to hunt goblins, and suddenly a dark elf appeared, emitting a terribly frightening aura. Holes appeared in the sky, and then black jellyfish rained down…"
Certainly, consecutive events that couldn't be easily experienced had occurred.
Yet, amidst all this, the fact that Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye were able to return without a single scratch was close to a miracle.
"I would have been in big trouble if I hadn't trained with you, uncle."
Dark elves were strong.
Individually, each one couldn't match them, but when their number exceeded ten and approached twenty, they were life threatening.
Nevertheless, the two of them endured until the end.
As mentioned just now, training with Seo Woojin was a significant help.
If they were other Heroes, there was a high probability that they would have been confused and suffered.
"I'm glad."
Although she was an uninvited guest who interrupted his long-awaited rest, Seo Woojin wasn't particularly uncomfortable.
Rather, the sound of complaints from the side was even endearing.
'Because I'm alive, I can feel these things.'
Seo Woojin smiled.
Gerald was truly terrifying.
Even elite friends who were said to be the best among the Heroes couldn't rebel properly and almost died with their bodies crushed.
Even the 'Hell' which Seo Woojin activated as a secret trick was only a momentary delay.
If a little more time had passed.
And if Dariel hadn't arrived at the perfect timing.
Seo Woojin would have died.
Thinking about it, it could only be said that he was really lucky.
"By the way, did you see that grandfather? He said something like computer science or something."
'He must be the Sword Master.'
Seo Woojin let out a bitter laugh and nodded.
"They say he's an incredibly strong grandfather. If he can defeat monsters that even Cutie can't beat on his own, how strong must he be?"
"Cutie?"
Seo Woojin raised his eyebrows at the title he heard for the first time.
"Oh, it's Baek Siwoo. He looks really cute."
How can you make such a judgment based on that handsome face?
He was a little worried about Lee Ji-ah's eyesight.
"He's said to be one of the strongest people in this world."
Even if Dariel, the Sword Master, was looked down upon, he was undoubtedly a formidable figure, with even Van Slaine being inferior to him…
It was impossible to guess just how strong he really was.
"I guess even such a strong grandfather can't defeat the Demon Lord?"
Seo Woojin remained silent in response to Lee Ji-ah's question.
In a world where such powerful individuals existed, they ultimately couldn't overcome the Demon King and had to seek help from another dimension.
Just how powerful was the Demon King?
And what about himself, whose profession was 'Demon King'?
He had pondered this dozens or even hundreds of times.
Yet, a clear answer never emerged.
"Well, he must be incredibly strong."
Even a monster like Gerald is not a member of the Demon King's inner circle, but merely a follower.
It was clear that the term 'strong' couldn't adequately express it.
"Can we win against him?"
He couldn't give an immediate answer to this question.
Of course, he didn't think they could win.
Despite suffering significant losses, they had managed to hold out until now, especially with a hundred Heroes this time.
If they continued to grow steadily for a year or two, it was certain they would win in the Advent War.
However, Seo Woojin refrained from saying anything.
'I don't know.'
Even though he thought they could win, a sense of unease lingered in Seo Woojin's heart.
It wasn't just because of his profession.
There was something else bothering him.
He wasn't exactly sure what it was yet.
"We will win."
Irene spoke on behalf of Seo Woojin, who couldn't answer immediately.
Listening to their conversation silently, she confidently stated that the thought of losing in the Advent War didn't even cross her mind.
Seeing Irene like that, Seo Woojin chuckled inwardly.
'What if she's not from Massiv Guardian?'
For them, there was no concept of defeat.
In Massive Guardian, defeat meant death.
Those who fought monsters and risked their lives every year had a unique sense of pride.
"Yeah, we'll win."
Seo Woojin agreed with Irene's words.
It was better not to bring up any stories that might unnecessarily weigh down the atmosphere.
"Right? I thought so too."
Lee Ji-ah smirked and playfully teased, making the lively atmosphere return.
If someone hadn't entered the room at that moment, they would have continued their chatter until the departure for the capital.
"Looks like everything's settled."
Sword Master Dariel visited again.
***
"What happened to the injured Heroes?"
Agna asked.
"We just started transporting them to the capital a little while ago."
"How are their physical conditions?"
"Fortunately, no one lost their lives."
She breathed a sigh of relief at her subordinate's words, as if expressing her gratitude for the good fortune.
"Now, it's just a matter of sorting out these documents."
Agna waved her hand, dismissing her subordinate and began reviewing the documents with her tired eyes.
"Gerald…"
Fortunately, they managed to handle the situation without significant damage.
Considering that an unexpected monster named Gerald appeared, it was a pretty neat ending.
"There are many injured, but no one died."
Considering Gerald's strength and nature, it wouldn't have been strange for all the Heroes and knights to be massacred.
Although the situation ended relatively well, no one took the incident lightly.
"There's a hole in Crusiel."
This was by no means a simple matter.
Crusiel was an umbrella.
An umbrella that shielded the Empire from all kinds of dirty rain pouring down.
Of course, it was impossible to prevent even a single drop of water from splashing.
However, this time, the splashed water droplets were a bit too large.
If not handled carefully, it could have been a threat to the survival of the world.
The fact that they couldn't detect and prepare for such an incident in advance was a significant problem.
It wasn't just something to be brushed off as lucky that it ended well; it implied that something had gone wrong.
"Where did the problem occur?"
Agna furrowed her brow.
There was no way that those who belonged to Crusiel were lacking in ability.
It was an organization that had been meticulously nurtured with great care and attention.
It wasn't some other kingdom; it happened within the imperial territory, and yet, they couldn't detect it beforehand.
In that case, there was only one remaining possibility.
'Information omission.'
Someone deliberately omitted information.
Who? Why? These questions were unnecessary from the beginning because she already knew the answers.
"It seems like those dirty rats have infiltrated."
Agna, unable to overcome her frustration, took out a cigarette from the drawer.
Click-
As she flicked her fingers, the cigarette ignited.
"Phew."
The dense smoke from the cigarette began to fill the office.
"They deceived us like that, and they're probably still hiding."
Where on earth did followers of the Demon King continuously emerge like this?
From Agna's perspective, she couldn't fathom it at all.
If the Demon King descended and won, only destruction remained.
"If you want to die that badly, it would be easier to just hang yourself."
There was no greater nuisance than this.
"Huuu-"
Before she knew it, Agna had finished smoking one cigarette, crushed the butt, and then turned her gaze back to the documents.
Hunting down these rats was important, but what needed immediate attention was the documents in front of her.
This was because it was important data that collected information from the field and recorded it in writing.
Because they were eroded by demon energy, the knights' statements were all gibberish.
But there was a common point.
"A hole?"
Although the expressions were different, they were all saying the same thing.
There was a hole in the sky, and something dark came down from there.
This part matched the testimony of the knights who managed to stay sane.
It was the same story of surviving thanks to that.
"Now that I think about it, that old man mentioned seeing something like this."
Agna chuckled, thinking about Dariel.
What in the world is this hole?
And who or what created it?
Her fingers tapped on the desk.
"We lack information."
With just this, there was no way to make any deductions.
Initially, she thought it might be a skill of one of the knights, but none of them had ever used such a thing.
Moreover, according to Dariel, the hole emitted an energy similar to demonic energy.
Since no knight had a skill emitting such an energy, it was clear that some other entity was involved.
"But it's a problem that we don't know who that is."
Lack of information, lack of information…
Agna had been the head of the secret intelligence agency Crusiel for 30 years.
During those long years, she had never faced such an opaque wall.
It felt like walking a fog-filled path.
Agna sighed, checking the documents, and her eyebrows twitched when she came across a familiar name.
"Seo Woojin?"
She had judged that this individual was not worth paying attention to and classified him as a 'Grade 9 Management Target.'
However, the information on the document was slightly different.
"He resisted magic?"
It was a statement directly from Dariel, so it was likely reliable information.
Agna pondered.
There were only two possibilities for someone who could withstand magic.
"Either he's strong or… similar to them."
Seo Woojin, classified as a 'Grade 9 Management Target,' couldn't possibly be strong enough to withstand magic.
"Similar?"
Having said that, Agna lifted her head.
Seo Woojin is a Hero.
There's no way a Hero they summoned themselves would have any connection to the Demon King.
"A Hero who withstood magi even though he wasn't protected by divine power."
Maybe in the future.
But not now.
Agna tapped the desk with her fingers, repeating Seo Woojin's name to herself, then rose from her seat.
She reached for Seo Woojin's file, tucked away in a corner, and pulled it out again.
She then stamped it once more.
Although the stamp was the same large one as before, the content was different.
[Grade 5 Management Target.]
It wasn't a significant interest yet, just a small curiosity about whether he had some special skill.
However, it was true that Agna and Crusiel had started to pay slightly more attention to Seo Woojin.
Of course, it wasn't a particularly friendly interest on Agna's part.
***
"Come outside."
Seo Woojin was taken aback by Dariel's sudden words.
"All of a sudden?"
"There's something I need to check."
Dariel seemed indifferent to Seo Woojin's reaction, as if he didn't care.
Feeling a bit uneasy, Seo Woojin naturally wanted to refuse.
But he never had a choice from the beginning.
When Seo Woojin hesitated, Dariel simply lifted him up and carried him outside.
"Uh, what are you doing right now!"
Seo Woojin naturally resisted.
But it was futile.
Ignoring Seo Woojin's resistance, Dariel continued to walk as if nothing had happened. After a while, he stopped and let Seo Woojin down.
"No, why all of a sudden…"
Just as Seo Woojin was about to say something, he sensed something quickly flying towards him and closed his mouth.
'A sword?'
It was the Black Sword.
Only then did Seo Woojin look around, realizing where he was.
"The Arena?"
Why was he brought here?
Why was he given the Black Sword?
As Seo Woojin looked at Dariel with questioning eyes, Dariel spoke.
"Draw your sword."