'This is why I didn't want to accept it.'
Instructor Ludain is a top-class knight.
He was powerful enough to be counted among the best in the Empire, and he also served as the commander responsible for a knight division.
Therefore, when he was offered the position of an instructor at the academy, he honestly hesitated.
It was because he was busy training the knights under his command to prepare for the upcoming War of Advent.
However, in the end, he had no choice but to accept.
It was also because it was the order of the one he served, and he couldn't resist the curiosity about the Heroes.
However, the Heroes he actually saw were just novices.
They couldn't even withstand the attacks of low-level trolls and were so weak that they would lose their composure.
'Can these guys really face the Demon King?'
He wondered.
A sigh escaped him, but on the other hand, a sense of duty burned within him.
It was the sense of duty to properly train these inexperienced Heroes.
"Next."
The respect and awe for the Heroes had long disappeared from his voice as he called for the next one.
"Hmm?"
Ludain carefully observed the expression of the Hero walking towards him.
It was completely different from the rookies he had seen so far.
There was a suitable tension, but more noticeable was the calmness.
'Even after seeing the fate of the previous Heroes, to have such composure…'
He checked the name of the Hero he had called.
'Seo Woojin?'
Regardless of the class and level, he had heard this name before.
'He performed quite well in the recent subjugation.'
Among the knights sent to support the subjugation, Ludain's knights were also there.
He had heard stories about this Hero from their reports.
'Calm, experienced, and excellent in swordsmanship.'
In summary, that seemed to be the impression.
Although it was different from the evaluations of other Heroes, he seemed to have considerable skill.
In addition, there was the destruction of the training ground that occurred a few days ago.
Ludain, who had raised his expectations a little, unleashed the troll.
And…
He was astonished.
It was a very clean strike.
'Skilled.'
It felt like he had hunted countless trolls.
He didn't show fear like the other Heroes, and he wasn't swallowed up by the atmosphere.
Just by looking at this, one could tell how much experience Seo Woojin had accumulated.
Indeed, the reports from his subordinates were accurate.
However, what surprised Ludain even more was the other side.
'How can someone possess such skill?'
Ludain is well aware of how Heroes become stronger.
He has personally witnessed Bak Siwoo, who is currently supported by the Empire, leveling up.
However, becoming that strong and mastering swordsmanship are different stories.
The sword strike that Seo Woojin just executed wasn't simply a blow pressed with strength.
If it were, he wouldn't have been able to cleanly cut it in two like that.
It was a sword that seemed to sever the connection from the troll's head to its tailbone.
'Is this even possible?'
It's been only a year since the Heroes were summoned.
It's impossible to master swordsmanship superior to most knights in that time.
No, it was thought to be impossible.
But having seen Seo Woojin, it was impossible to think that way.
"Where have you been training for the past year?"
Ludain asked Seo Woojin, who seemed oddly flustered.
"…Massive Guardian."
Ludain nodded in response to Seo Woojin's answer.
He could understand why Seo Woojin showed no reaction to the question.
Being in Sion, where monsters wage war every year, it might have seemed natural.
"Then, can you tell me who taught you that sword?"
"I learned it from the Lord of that place."
Pause.
Ludain's eyes widened slightly.
"I see. Understood. You may go now."
As Seo Woojin went in with a playful smile, Ludain chuckled inwardly.
'Van Slaine.'
He was the only lord of the Massive Guardian.
He may not be a person famous enough to resonate across the continent, but for knights who pursue the end of the sword, he is an unmistakable presence.
Ludain watched Seo Woojin's retreating figure with interest, thinking that he should observe him closely from now on.
* * *
'Darn it. I unconsciously drew my sword out.'
I tried not to show a conspicuous appearance.
Although the guys mentioned earlier were all like that, I had no choice but to attract attention by overwhelmingly killing trolls alone.
However, in the midst of a brief hesitation, he unconsciously swung his sword at the troll's vital spot.
As a result, the troll was split in half and died.
Seo Woojin sighed and looked at the Heroes.
Naturally, they were all looking at this side with shocked expressions.
Although Lee Ji-ah and Kim Da-hye seemed to have expected it.
Seo Woojin shook his head and returned to his seat.
"Next."
Then the combat test resumed.
However, a slightly different scene was staged compared to before.
Unlike the unsightly Heroes in the previous order, they were gradually showing a stable appearance.
'…Is it because of me?'
Of course, their expressions still showed fear, but a proper battle was taking place.
And the troll couldn't withstand the Heroes who had become able to move.
Crack!
The troll's disgusting green blood flowed on the ground.
Although it was a monster that was difficult to deal with due to its outstanding recovery ability, it couldn't stand against the Heroes who were gradually regaining confidence.
They tore it apart, pierced it, and burned it.
It died in various ways.
'I feel a bit pitiful.'
It wasn't what Seo Woojin, who first split the troll in half, would say, but it implied the overwhelming situation.
"Next."
Seo Woojin showed interest in the Hero named this time.
"Oh, the elite friends."
Among them was Kim Tae-jin, who introduced himself as the "Fire Mage."
All of the injuries sustained in the battle with Gerald had recovered, and he seemed fine.
He entered the training ground with a rather relaxed expression.
Certainly, the S-rank seemed to be on a different level from the other Heroes.
"Let's begin."
As Ludiane spoke, Kim Taejin snapped his fingers.
"Volcano."
Kwaaaaah-!
The volcano erupted.
While its scale was incomparable to a real volcano, at least in appearance, it was no different from a volcanic explosion.
Magma erupted, swallowing the troll whole.
In the face of overwhelming power, the troll melted away without leaving a single bone fragment.
It was a truly overpowering display.
However, as if Kim Taejin was dissatisfied with something, he glanced at the floor of the arena, clicked his tongue, and returned to his position.
'What?'
In the meantime, Seo Woojin seemed to make eye contact with him.
'Could it be that he's giving me a hostile look because he couldn't break the arena floor?'
Seo Woojin's incident of destroying the training arena was quite famous among the Heroes.
It even sparked a trend called the "Floor Breaking Challenge."
However, no one had been able to break the training floor.
That's how powerful the protective magic on the arena was.
A few days had passed, and it seemed like the incident had settled down, but seeing Kim Taejin's expression, it seemed like it wasn't over yet.
Seo Woojin chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
Although he possessed a tremendous ability, he still seemed quite immature.
"Next."
The tests continued.
Both Park Jinhan with 'Adamantite Warrior' and Lim Taeeun with 'Dragon Tamer,' as well as Seong Yura with 'Saintess,' overwhelmed the troll with their impressive displays, just like Kim Taejin.
Especially Seong Yura summoning a giant cross made of light to shatter the troll's skull was spectacular.
Thanks to these displays, the Heroes who had been tense began to regain some stability.
Laughter and cheers erupted sporadically.
After dozens of tests were completed.
Only one person remained.
"…Next."
Baek Siwoo stood up from his seat.
Seo Woojin looked at him with a curious expression full of interest.
It was an opportunity to see his true abilities.
Unfortunately, during the subjugation, he couldn't witness it due to Gerald.
'How strong is it?'
He thought he would take this opportunity to take a closer look.
Baek Siwoo was in a fully recovered state, just like his other elite friends.
The last time he saw him, his arms and legs were gone, and he was in a wheelchair.
Now, he was perfectly fine.
'Leveling up feels like cheating.'
As long as you don't die, it perfectly restores any condition.
Could it be that the Demon King has been defeated because of the cockroach-like vitality of these heroes?
Seo Woojin smirked.
Of course, it was an unlikely story.
As the level increases, the required experience points increase exponentially.
Now it's a perfectly possible treatment method, but in the future, it will be nearly impossible.
Because it takes an enormous amount of time and effort to level up.
While Seo Woojin was lost in such thoughts, Baek Siwoo arrived on the battlefield.
"Are you ready?"
At Ludian's words, Baek Siwoo nodded.
"I'm ready."
Even though he hadn't drawn his sword, Ludian didn't mind.
Baek Siwoo, a Hero supported by the Empire.
Ludian had seen him more than any other Hero.
"Begin."
At the same time, the troll was released, and Baek Siwoo's sword emitted light.
"Instant sword.'"
Splitch-
The sound was small.
But the troll's movement stopped.
No one had any idea what had just happened.
Not the Heroes, not even the instructor Ludian.
The same was true for Seo Woojin.
As the sword was drawn from Baek Siwoo's scabbard, the battle came to an end.
Crackling sounds—
The troll's body began to split apart.
One, two… four… sixteen… two hundred fifty-six…
Countless runes engraved with gold, the troll's body collapsed in no time.
As if it were a sandcastle.
'Crazy…'
Seo Woojin chuckled bitterly.
He already knew Baek Siwoo was strong.
After all, he was SSS rank.
Level fifty.
Someone with overwhelming talent and potential, who didn't even take a break from effort.
It was strange for someone like him to be weak.
'But I didn't expect it to be this much.'
If that skill were directed at him, could he block it?
Seo Woojin simulated it in his mind, but he couldn't find an answer.
Honestly, he couldn't see what had happened, let alone how he had blocked it.
'Impossible.'
Seo Woojin couldn't block the instant sword.
'Of course, if I take the initiative, it might be a different story…'
Just as he couldn't block that skill, Baek Siwoo wouldn't be able to block 'Hell.'
The same goes for other skills.
But Seo Woojin was uneasy.
What if, by any chance, he revealed that he was a Demon King, and ended up fighting Baek Siwoo?
Since he couldn't be confident of an absolute victory, he couldn't help but be uneasy.
Seo Woojin's expression stiffened slightly, and Baek Siwoo turned his head to look at him.
It was as if he was bragging and saying, 'How about that?'
'This is not the time to relax.'
Certainly, he excelled in swordsmanship.
Overwhelming in experience.
Even so, with such a difference in levels, it seems impossible to cope with.
'I'm not denying Van Slaine's thoughts, though.'
Still, I felt like I needed to change my mind a little.
"I need to raise my level."
It seemed like he had to be at least the same level as Baek Siwoo.