The owner of the Sky Tower
The sole Archmage on the continent.
The teacher of all mages.
The Dragon Slayer.
There was only one being to whom all these epithets referred.
Magus Martes.
'Crazy…!'
Seo Woojin widened his eyes.
He knew from the start that the girl in front of him was not an ordinary person.
She could be a high-ranking mage of the Sky Tower or perhaps a member of the imperial family.
But a magus?
'It means she's on par with that old swordsman!'
It was an unexpected identity.
However…
'That's it.'
He couldn't talk about magi.
If the fact that magi resided in his body were revealed, he might die on the spot.
An oath?
Such an oath was less valuable than a scrap of tissue paper in front of the demon king and demons.
Moreover, the being in front of him was the guardian of the Empire and the owner of the Sky Tower.
No matter how strong he had become, in the current world, she was the strongest who could kill him with just one finger.
To the extent that, in the Empire, it was said that Martes alone could win the Advent War without the help of a hero.
Of course, she shook her head and said that she couldn't do it on her own.
So, he absolutely couldn't say it.
'But I can't just say nothing either.'
If he continued to hide something, he would surely be suspected.
No, it already seemed to be a suspicious situation.
Martes might not know that she had absorbed not only mana but also magi, but she is likely fully aware of the fact that there is something he has not said.
Although she appeared to be a young girl, she was a monster among monsters who had lived for almost 200 years.
'Don't be fooled by appearances.'
One of her titles is Dragon Slayer.
It was literal.
She alone had taken down a transcendent-class dragon.
Even Van Slaine or Dariel would find it impossible.
She was an old wise woman with a hundred beautiful snakes inside her.
Seo Woojin hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but there's nothing I'm hiding."
"Oh, go on, tell me more."
Martes looked straight into Seo Woojin's eyes.
It seemed as if she was trying to uncover the truth.
Seo Woojin swallowed dry saliva and continued speaking.
"Are you familiar with the hero's skills?"
"Skills…."
Martes nodded.
"I don't know everything, but I am confident that I know more than others."
Among the knights, there were those who didn't even understand the concept of skills.
"…I have a skill that is different from others."
A deep curiosity appeared in Martes' eyes.
"What is it?"
"I don't know either. It's just marked with a question mark in the 'status window'."
■Skill: ??? [Passive]
It was a skill that Seo Woojin had from the moment he was first summoned, and its identity had not yet been revealed.
Instead of hiding Magi's identity, Seo Woo Jin presented it as a piece of cake.
"A question mark?"
"I don't know its name, and I haven't figured out its effect yet. But I think…"
Seo Woojin mentioned the subjugation in the north and the fight with Rosie Ruby as examples.
"Sometimes monsters or demons stop moving. It's like they're afraid."
Seo Woojin watched Martes' reaction carefully while he spoke.
'Please just get over this.'
He prayed silently over and over again.
Did that earnest prayer work?
Martes showed great interest.
"This is the first time I have heard of such a skill. Can you activate it now?"
"Unfortunately it is labelled as 'passive'."
"Passive? What does that mean?"
It seemed as if Martes was unfamiliar with the term.
"Well, it means… even if you don't actively trigger it, the effect is always maintained."
"Indeed, that's fascinating."
Fortunately, Martes nodded her head.
"Why didn't you mention these abilities before?"
From now on.
We must not arouse any more unnecessary suspicion in Martes.
"At first I thought everyone had them."
Since it was something you couldn't know unless you were asked during conversations with other heroes, it was a convincing story.
"Afterwards?"
"It was a bit scary."
"Scary? What happened?"
In response to the continued questions, Seo Woojin took a deep breath.
"That I'm different from others."
Silence followed.
Seo Woojin waited anxiously for Martes' reaction, and she quietly closed her eyes and was lost in thought.
How much time has passed?
"I can understand."
The fear of being different from others.
Martes knew that better than anyone.
"Let me look into your abilities as well."
"T-Thank you."
Seo Woojin sighed inwardly.
By revealing one small secret among the hidden ones, he was able to hide the others.
Every one of Seo Woojin's secrets was deadly, so he couldn't help but feel relieved.
'Of course, it's not time to relax yet.'
If the '???' skill is related to the Demon King profession, it would be a big deal if it was revealed.
But it's impossible for Martes to find out something so quickly that even the person involved doesn't know.
Even if she's the owner of the Sky Tower.
First he had to come up with an excuse.
"I'm sorry for pushing you like this today."
"It's okay."
In truth, it was not okay at all.
Even now, cold sweat soaked his back.
But he couldn't show it, forcing a smile as he nodded.
"Is there anything you want? As an apology for today, I'll grant you anything."
'Wish?'
It was an unexpected stroke of luck.
'What could there be?'
The sword… is newly acquired.
Armour doesn't really help when it comes to fighting style.
There's plenty of mana, and physical strength is more than enough.
If there's anything lacking, it's level, but even that's not a big problem.
Given the class, it was possible to grow so quickly that it could not be compared with others.
'I don't know.'
Perhaps because of the sudden question, nothing came to mind.
As Seo Woojin's pondering grew longer, Martes chuckled.
"If you don't have one, shall we consider this conversation unheard?"
"Wait, wait a moment. I'll think of something soon!"
His mind spun.
"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly necessary…"
"I want to get stronger!"
As Martes seemed to retract his words, Seo Woojin shouted without realising it.
"You want to get stronger?"
'Holy shit!'
In his haste, he blurted it out without any filter.
If only he had a little more time, he could have made a more specific and efficient wish.
Seo Woojin felt a little sad, but the water had already spilled.
'Since I need to get stronger anyway.'
He hoped that Martes would fulfil his wish in a way that would help him.
"Well, I want to get stronger. I want to become stronger."
Martes thought about Seo Woojin's words.
"Aren't you strong enough already? You'll become even stronger in the future. Do you still wish for that?"
"I want to become as strong as possible. Because even if I become stronger, it won't be enough to drive out the Demon King."
As if he had prepared his excuse today, the words flowed effortlessly from his mouth.
"Your words are correct. When it comes to the Demon King, it's better to have more than less."
Then she gestured to the empty space as if checking something.
It was like heroes checking their 'status window'.
"As a hero, this should be good for you."
Martes made a satisfied face and pulled something out of the empty space.
'Is it some kind of dimensional magic?'
Seo Woojin muttered to himself, wishing he had asked for an item enchanted with dimensional magic instead.
Unfortunately, Heroes didn't have an inventory-like system.
However, his eyes widened when he saw what Martes had pulled out.
"What is this…?"
"Take it. It should be enough for you."
* * *
"Where did the old man go? It's been a while since training ended and he hasn't come back yet."
Lee Ji-ah asked while doing push-ups on the training field.
Yu Hong-seol, who was nearby, smiled and replied.
"I heard while I was passing by that someone seems to be looking for him."
"Who? A woman maybe? Was she pretty?"
"No, it was an old man with white hair."
At Yu Hong-seol's words, Lee Ji-ah stopped practicing with a puzzled look on her face and stood up.
"Dahye, did you see him too?"
"I didn't see him."
Kim Dahye, who was drawing a picture, lowered her head.
"What are you drawing today? Another gun?"
Lee Ji-ah asked, clinging to her annoyingly.
But Kim Dahye, as if used to it, casually showed her sketchbook.
"What is this?"
"M134."
"And what's that?"
Kim Dahye hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
"Minigun."
"What? Minigun?"
A surprised cry echoed across the training ground at Kim Dahye's words.
"It's a surprise!"
Lee Ji-ah turned to see a bear standing there.
"Oh, it's the 'Magical Girl' guy."
"Hahaha! I'm not a guy yet!"
Although Gu Dong-hwan denied Lee Ji-ah's words, no one paid much attention to them.
"By the way, Minigun?"
Kim Dahye nodded and showed the picture she had drawn.
"Wow!"
Gu Dong-hwan's muscles trembled with excitement.
"It really is a minigun! "Can you really summon this to fight?"
"Yes."
It was a weapon that could destroy most monsters without leaving a trace.
"Can I try shooting it later?"
When Gu Dong-hwan begged like a puppy with a snack in front of him, Kim Da-hye nodded as if it didn't matter.
"Thanks!"
With a triumphant smile on his face, Gu Dong-hwan suddenly looked around and asked Lee Ji-ah.
"But where is Seo Woojin? We were supposed to train together starting today."
"I don't know either. Since he's someone who keeps his promises like a sword, he'll be here soon."
Unconsciously, all the people who had a connection to Seo Woojin gathered at the training ground.
Lee Ji-ah, Kim Dahye, Yu Hong-seol, Kang Byeong-gyu, Jin Tae-seong, Gu Dong-hwan and even Irene.
"Suji Unnie said she would come too."
Lee Ji-ah's eyes sparkled.
While training with Seo Woojin, she was confident that she wouldn't lose to anyone without weapons.
However, she was overwhelmed by Gye Suji.
Although there could have been jealousy, Lee Ji-ah felt more admiration than negative feelings towards her.
"I wish we could train together. There is no Uncle and no Unnie."
"Then shall we do it ourselves first?"
Kang Byeong-gyu suggested.
"Oh, shall we?"
At this suggestion, the others hesitated.
It was embarrassing to just sit and chat on the training ground.
"Sorry for being late."
At that moment, Gye Suji arrived.