A rather spacious interior.
It was a personal training room assigned by the academy.
Although not very large, Seo Woojin thought it was enough and sat down.
"Let's see."
He opened the monster encyclopedia.
Then he started to quickly flip through it one by one.
"Skip the trolls. Ogres? Pass those on too."
What Seo Woojin was looking for were not ordinary guys.
At least monsters or demons that were equal to or stronger than Burtal.
They had to be at that level to help him grow.
'Derka. A boar-shaped demon.'
It was a creature with considerable strength.
But Seo Woojin turned the page with an expression of disinterest.
Although it was a decent opponent in its own right, it primarily used charging attacks.
There wouldn't be a proper fight in this indoor practice room.
Seo Woojin desired not only experience points but also a proper battle, so there was no reason to choose it.
"Not this one either. This one's not great either."
Seo Woojin flipped through the Monster Encyclopedia for a long time.
With detailed descriptions of over a thousand creatures, it took quite a long time just to choose an opponent.
"Oh, this one seems fine."
A name caught Seo Woojin's eye.
"Gairodus."
It is a high level humanoid monster that occasionally appears in Demonic Realm Mountains.
It boasted speed surpassing that of high-ranking knights and had exceptional physical durability.
It mainly used attacks utilizing its nearly one-meter-long claws.
While ordinary swords couldn't inflict wounds due to its toughness, it was reported that its belly area was comparatively softer than other parts.
It is recommended to flee unless you are a Hero of level 40 or higher.
"Level 40…"
Currently, Seo Woojin's level is 23.
It was almost double the recommended level.
But Seo Woojin didn't pay much attention to it.
He had even won against Baek Siwoo, who was over level 50.
"There shouldn't be anyone over level 40 except for elite friends."
Most of them were in their 30s, and only a few with lower ranks were still in their 20s.
"Okay, let's start with this one."
Seo Woojin gripped the 'summoning stone' in his hand.
Then, taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth.
"Summon Gairodus."
Woo-oo-oo-
A white magic circle began to carve itself on the floor of the training room.
"Oh, is this a summoning spell?"
Seo Woojin observed the magic circle with curious eyes at a sight he had never seen before.
Indeed, a powerful magic force was gathering.
It seemed like it was for activating a summoning spell.
As the amount of gathered magic increased, the magic circle carved on the floor became brighter and brighter.
The light was so bright it filled the training room.
And after a moment.
Bang!
As if it had been there all along, the light disappeared, revealing in its place something with red, glistening skin.
"They said it was humanoid."
Seo Woojin chuckled.
Two arms, two legs and a head.
It had a human-like body structure.
But it didn't look like a person at all.
"It vibrates with life."
Even though it was standing still, the fur on its body was trembling from the life emanating from it.
It was a monster so powerful that the power of a single entity was incomparable to that of Draconis.
Its eyes slowly opened.
Red eyes, like skin, slowly revealed themselves.
Seo Woojin and the creature made eye contact.
Without making a single growl, it just stared silently.
But its ferocious aura was gradually growing, as if it was about to devour Seo Woojin.
"Most people wouldn't be able to withstand that aura."
It wasn't just knights.
It seemed like even a Heroes would have a hard time avoiding being like a mouse before a cat in front of him.
That's how intense his aura was.
He could understand why the Monster Encyclopedia recommended fleeing for levels below 40.
"It has nothing to do with me."
Of course, Seo Woojin wasn't much affected by the aura of the fellow.
Seo Woojin had faced beings too powerful to be intimidated by such things.
Swoosh!
"Rune Dea" emerged from the scabbard.
The pure energy emanating from the white sword collided with Gairodus aura.
"You little scum."
The sword descended.
It was accompanied by light steps.
But the power within was anything but light.
Clang!
The sound of metal scraping against skin echoed.
According to the Monster Encyclopedia, the creature seemed to have extraordinary durability, except for the navel area.
"It was said that it's hard to inflict wounds with a normal sword, right?"
It seemed to be true.
However…
"Rune Dea" was not a normal sword.
It didn't use any skills, and it didn't release any aura.
Nevertheless, Gairodus's crimson skin began to crack.
Kraaaah!
A scream erupted.
From shoulder to waist.
His flesh was sliced only by the sharpness of the sword.
Thin streams of blood spurted from the wound, blooming in the air.
Black flowers, like the blood of the creature.
But Seo Woojin's expression wasn't so bright.
'It's shallow.'
Was it because there was no mana in it?
Gairodus's wound was just a superficial cut.
Whooaang!
The angry creature's claws tore through space and struck towards Seo Woojin.
Whip!
'They say that speed is its speciality!'
The movement far exceeded what Seo Woojin had expected.
"Acceleration!"
Seo Woojin, startled, quickly used his skill.
Immediately, a different level of speed overwhelmed them with the sound of clashing.
Clank-clank!
Nails and 'Rune Dea' collided dozens of times in a single second.
'Strong.'
Seo Woojin exclaimed as he swung the sword relentlessly.
'Is it Burtal level?'
At least it seemed to be that level.
However, there was no fear on Seo Woojin's face.
No, instead, a smile gradually appeared.
'I have indeed become stronger.'
When fighting Burtal, he faced the risk of death several times despite joining forces with Ludian.
He had even been desperate to block the enemy's attacks.
He couldn't even dream of launching a real attack, so he just had to wait for Ludian to slit the enemy's throat.
But now it was different.
Apart from 'Acceleration', he hadn't used any special skills, and yet the fight was going on evenly.
'Of course, leveling up helped, but that's not all.'
Combat experience from fighting Rosie Ruby.
The development of physique and mana.
These two things became the basis for a different kind of growth from leveling up.
Seo Woojin swung the sword with a smile thicker than the aura of the Gairodus.
This time he avoided the aura.
A faint blue light rose into the sky.
Snap!
The seemingly sturdy nails were sliced off as easily as tofu.
Astonishment flashed through Gairodus' crimson pupils.
He never thought that his toughest nails would be cut off so easily.
Seo Woojin stared straight into the enemy's eyes and lowered his raised sword.
"I told you I would gouge out your eyes, didn't I?"
Crash!
The 'Rune Dea' collided with Gairodus' forehead.
And it cut through.
Shoo-ahk!
There was no need to aim for the weakness around the navel.
The 'Rune Dea', imbued with a destructive blue aura, swept from Gadeas' head to his crown.
Without stopping for a moment, it drew in a precise straight line.
[You have leveled up.]
* * *
Baek Siwoo was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
It's already been two days.
Without even moving a single inch, he reenacted his confrontation with Seo Woojin in his mind.
'Why did I lose?'
Baek Siwoo couldn't understand.
Rank, level, talent.
He surpassed everything.
He believed that Seo Woojin's lead was only due to his experience in the real world.
He even thought that the difference wasn't significant at this moment.
'But I still lost.'
He was clearly ahead at the start of sparring.
His swordsmanship was faster, and although his sword techniques weren't overwhelming, they were superior.
'Was it because of the aura?'
Seo Woojin's burning black sword.
It wasn't a skill, it was a real aura.
Moreover, when combined with other skills, it showed much greater power than its inherent strength.
But he didn't seem to lose because of that.
He could also raise his own aura.
Unfortunately, he still had to use skills to do so, but it didn't make much difference.
'At least he used three skills at the same time.'
Was that even possible?
Baek Siwoo was unknowingly using skills himself.
'Instant Sword', 'Thunderbolt' and 'Berserk'.
"Cough!"
Before 'Berserk' could be fully activated, a pain surged through his body as if it would burst.
Although he had enough magic power, his body could not bear it.
His hands were shaking.
"It's impossible, boo."
At least it was something impossible at the moment.
'Even though I have reconstructed my body…'
When Baek Siwoo reached level 15, his body transformed into a form suitable for battle.
This was thanks to the Bone Reconstruction passive skill.
After the transformation, he was able to gain much faster and stronger physical abilities.
However, activating three skills at once was too much.
'What the hell was Seo Woojin doing?'
At first, it was curiosity.
Seeing a D-class Hero who was much lower in level than him easily defeat a level 20 B-class Hero made him interested in high-level techniques that didn't match his level.
The same was true during the Gerald incident.
He didn't know exactly what had happened at that time, but it was clear that Seo Woojin had done something.
Thanks to him, they were able to stay alive.
The ruins.
Rosie Ruby.
As they went through disasters together, he began to admire Seo Woojin more and more.
But he still didn't think he was lacking anything.
Even though Seo Woojin was excellent, he still believed that he was better in the end.
He had always thought that implicitly.
He had never been surpassed by anyone.
He thought it would be the same this time.
But it wasn't.
Seo Woojin cut his own body with unbelievable skill.
It was impossible to understand.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand it.
'What tricks did he use?'
A scene flashed through Baek Siwoo's mind.
A black burning aura.
The figure standing arrogantly, looking down on himself.
It was intimidating.
And disturbing.
It was an appearance that did not seem like a Hero like himself.
"Magi?"
Could those black flames be Magi?
That could be the reason why he was defeated so easily.
Baek Siwoo's thoughts were gradually becoming narrow-minded.
He even forgot that Aier's priests were there.
No, perhaps he deliberately ignored it.
He had to, to restore his wounded pride.
'Yes. Seo Woojin may be walking a path that a Hero should not tread. Maybe that's it.'
He had to think that way.
Baek Siwoo's eyes opened.
Suspicion, jealousy, envy, anger, madness.
All kinds of low emotions were reflected in his eyes.
But Baek Siwoo didn't realise it.
He was just desperately rationalising.
"Seo Woojin."
A cold, subdued voice was spoken.
"I will reveal your true identity."
A demon dwelled in Baek Siwoo's heart.