Chapter 11

And so, the six of them stepped outside. No need to say much about Yoo Ju, and the kids and I had somewhat adapted, so while we were still nervous, it was definitely less tense compared to the beginning.

The two who were stepping outside the camp for the first time seemed really nervous, their faces stiff. Yoo Ju, noticing their tension, tried to ease it by speaking up.

“No need to be so nervous. Unless you’re screaming in the middle of a monster horde, we can handle most situations.”

“Haha… Thanks for saying that. But still, stepping outside the camp makes me nervous no matter what.”

“I get it, Tae-woo. How about you, Ha-eun?”

“…Y-yes, I’m fine…”

This girl, Song Ha-eun, seemed to have a very timid personality.

‘…Well, her timidity might be frustrating, but it could also work in my favor. Easier to win her over.’

I needed to start working on her steadily. Glancing at Tae-woo, his attention was solely on Yoo Ju. He didn’t seem to care about this girl at all.

To others who couldn’t see status windows, she’d just seem like a shy and frustrating person, but I knew better. I knew her value.

I licked my lips slightly and started talking.

“No need to worry too much, Ha-eun. Everyone’s nervous at first. I was too, and so was everyone here.”

“….Okay.”

‘…She’s really timid. Seems like she has no self-esteem either. How did she even muster the courage to apply?’

“Hmm, now that I think about it, I’m curious. How did you decide to apply, Ha-eun?”

“Ah… S-sorry. Was I not supposed to apply…?”

‘What is she even saying?’

“No, not at all. I’m just impressed. It’s not easy to muster courage in that situation.”

“….I don’t know if you’ll believe this, but… sometimes something speaks to me… telling me to raise my hand…”

The others started looking at her like she was crazy. I also wondered for a moment if she was insane, but then I remembered the trait I’d read in her status window. It went something like this:

**Blessing of the Spirits (Grade Pending)** – Spirits feel an immense affinity toward you. They are always watching you, no matter where you are.

‘Could the voice she’s hearing be related to this?’

Unable to bear the stares, Ha-eun started explaining frantically.

“P-please don’t look at me like that. You don’t think I’m crazy, do you…? That voice really helped me… It’s why I survived at the starting point…”

Yoo Ju seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Ha-eun’s words. As everyone walked in silence, unsure of what to say, I spoke to Ha-eun.

“Of course, I believe you, Ha-eun. In fact… this world has powers and abilities that we couldn’t even imagine on Earth. Just look at me…”

To show her, I created a small black flame in my palm and showed it to her.

“I can use magic now, something I never could’ve imagined on Earth.”

Seeing magic for the first time, Tae-woo and Ha-eun’s eyes widened. Ha-eun, in particular, seemed fascinated.

“As you can see, the voice you hear might very well be a special ability of yours.”

“I hope so. Hehe…”

She seemed to lighten up and started speaking more comfortably.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze on me. Glancing over, I saw Yoo Ju looking at me subtly.

‘What’s this? Is she… bothered by me talking to Ha-eun?’

‘Nah, that can’t be. I’m overthinking it.’

Anyway, Yoo Ju kept glancing at me while I continued talking to Ha-eun in this strange situation for about 10 minutes. Then, Yoo Ju, who was leading the way, signaled for us to stop.

“Let’s pause for a moment. Everyone, stay quiet.”

We all held our breaths.

“I’ll say this quietly. There are four monsters up ahead. I’ll take one, Yoon Seong, you handle one with magic. Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun, subdue one without killing it. The last one, Tae-woo and Ha-eun, you two handle it together. It doesn’t matter who kills it.”

Everyone nodded.

“I’ll count down. When I reach zero, everyone attacks. Ready… 3… 2… 1…”

“…Zero!”

As soon as the count ended, she instantly pierced one monster’s throat with her spear.

I immediately activated the magic I had prepared. The monster hit by my magic screamed and burst into flames.

“Kieeeeeek!”

Yoo Hyun prepared a protective barrier just in case, while Yoo Rim charged at another monster.

Yoo Rim seemed to have gotten somewhat skilled with her dagger, slicing the monster’s leg to prevent it from standing.

‘These monsters are definitely weak. If we’ve completed our job changes, one person could handle one without issue.’

Three of the four monsters were dealt with, and I turned my attention to the last one.

“Ugh… Damn it!”

Tae-woo swung his spear but only grazed the monster’s side. The monster screamed and lunged at him, swinging its claws, but Ha-eun slashed with her dagger, cutting off the monster’s wrist.

Ha-eun seemed surprised that her slash actually hit the monster. It must’ve been a lucky strike.

“Kreeeeek!”

“Die, you bastard!”

*Thud!*

Not being used to handling a spear, the monster was hit by the shaft instead of the blade and rolled on the ground. Tae-woo immediately ran over and smashed the monster’s face with his spear.

“F***! Die! Die, you damn monster!”

Having lost his composure in his first battle, he kept smashing the already dead monster with his spear.

*Thud.*

“That’s enough, Tae-woo. Good job, Ha-eun. You two did well.”





Yoo Ju grabbed Ahn Tae-woo’s shoulder to calm him down. After a moment, Tae-woo seemed to regain his composure, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“Whew… Hoo… I must have looked pathetic… I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, Tae-woo. Everyone feels that way at first. You did well. Can I ask if the job selection window has appeared for you?”

“Ah… Yes. I can see the job selection window.”

Yoo Ju nodded and then turned to Song Ha-eun.

“Song Ha-eun, since you also need to change jobs, you can finish off the monster that Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun have subdued.”

“Okay…”

Song Ha-eun hesitantly approached the subdued monster. It seemed her body was trembling at the thought of killing it.

Seeing her hesitation, I spoke up, fearing it would take forever if left alone.

“Just think of it as squashing a bug. It’s only hard the first time. Close your eyes tight and do it, and it’ll be fine.”

She listened, clenched her eyes shut, and tightened her grip on the dagger.

*Stab*

“…You did well. Everyone struggles with killing at first. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

I comforted her, sensing her self-loathing over her difficulty in killing the subdued monster.

“Th-thank you, Yoon Seong.”

“It’s nothing.”

“You both did well. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me what job options appeared for you?”

“Hmm… I have Spear Master, Swordsman, and Thief.”

“Ah… I only see one job… It says Spirit Master…”

Yoo Ju’s eyes widened at the mention of the Spirit Master job, clearly a rare profession.

“Hmm… Personally, I recommend Tae-woo choose Spear Master. I also use a spear, so I might be able to help you. And Ha-eun, since you only have one option, just go with that.”

After hearing Yoo Ju’s advice, both of them seemed to have chosen their jobs, as light began to emanate from their bodies. They had completed their job change, so I checked their status windows.

[Name: Ahn Tae-woo]

[Age: 28]

[Job: Spear Master (Normal Grade)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Traits]

– Social Skills (Grade Pending): Slight bonus when interacting with people.

[Traits]

– Basic Spear Mastery (Normal Grade): Slight increase in spear comprehension.

[Stats]

– Strength: 14, Agility: 11

– Stamina: 12, Luck: 18

– Magic: 00, Resistance: 09

[Name: Song Ha-eun]

[Age: 22]

[Job: Spirit Master (Rare Grade)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Traits]

– Blessing of the Spirits (Grade Pending): Spirits feel a strong affinity for you. They are always watching you.

– Perfect Magic Organs (Grade Pending): Your magic organs are remarkably pure. High bonus for all magic-related actions.

[Traits]

– Spirit Contract (Rare Grade): Can contract with spirits. Do so when alone, as spirits are shy.

[Stats]

– Strength: 07, Agility: 10

– Stamina: 10, Luck: 11

– Magic: 13, Resistance: 06

Ahn Tae-woo’s stats were similar to mine—below average, to put it bluntly.

On the other hand, Song Ha-eun’s job was a rare grade from the start.

Her traits were impressive, and her magic stat of 13 stood out. Considering the Returner’s magic stat was 19, a magic stat of 13 at this stage was monstrous.

‘She’s starting on a different level than everyone else.’

Of course, Yoo Hyun’s job was Hero Grade, but Song Ha-eun’s magic stat being higher than his was noteworthy.

Ultimately, Yoo Hyun and this girl were indispensable members of the Returner’s party. Yoo Rim also had decent stats, and as Yoo Hyun’s sister, she was a given.

Meanwhile, Ahn Tae-woo and I were expendable parts of this party.

The only saving grace was that Yoo Ju and I had some connection from the first round. Still, I couldn’t let my guard down.

‘I need to prove my worth in some way, even if not through combat.’

People are discarded when they’re useless. A truth I learned painfully on Earth. Regardless of my abilities or looks, the only person who stayed by my side was my sister.

I started reminiscing about my time on Earth. I worried about my sister being alone there, but she was tough and would manage.

‘I hope she’s not too sad…’

Comparing myself to others led to unnecessary thoughts. Anyway, memories of Earth were irrelevant now, so I tucked them away in a corner of my mind.

Pleased with the outcome, Yoo Ju nodded cheerfully.

“Alright. Now that Tae-woo and Ha-eun have their jobs, let’s head to the western starting point. If there are other survivors, we’ll check on them, and even if there aren’t, there might be leftover supplies.”

“That sounds like a good plan, Yoo Ju.”

“Great. Let’s move out then.”