I slowly opened my mouth to Yoon Yeon.
“…It’s not because there’s a problem with the Myth Clan that I declined.”
“Hmm… Then what’s the reason?”
“It’s… a very simple reason. I just wanted to join a clan together with my party members.”
“……”
She seemed surprised, clearly not expecting such a simple reason.
“Hmm… I see. In my case… during the tutorial, my peers and I didn’t get along well, so I definitely wouldn’t have thought of that reason.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I understand. Your party seems really close. Honestly… I’m a bit jealous. That you can be that close.”
“…It might sound insincere, but if I were alone, I would have accepted Instructor Yeon’s offer.”
She playfully responded, as if she thought I was trying to flatter her.
“Hmm… Trying to score points with me?”
Normally, I would have brushed it off as a joke, but for some reason, I didn’t want her to take my words lightly this time.
“I’m serious. It might be rude, but just as you figured out what kind of person I am last time, I think I’ve gotten a glimpse of who Yoon Yeon is through this conversation.”
“…..”
“Regardless of you being the Myth Clan Master, I respect Yoon Yeon as a person.”
Yoon Yeon’s face turned as red as a tomato, clearly not expecting such direct praise.
“…Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I didn’t decline because there’s a problem with the Myth Clan. So, you don’t need to worry about whether there’s an issue with the clan. It’s definitely a clan I’d want to join.”
“…I see. Hmm… Well, it’s getting late, so… Trainee Lee Yun-seong should head back to the dorm, right? Go ahead and get going.”
After her words, I was instantly kicked out of her room. She suddenly forced me out, leaving me confused and stranded in the hallway.
“…Was she upset?”
From Yoon Yeon’s perspective, she had every right to be upset. I should have realized that, just like how I was upset last time, she might feel the same way.
“…I should have been more careful with my words… Did I say something unnecessary?”
******
On the day of the demonstration, everyone gathered in the auditorium where we first arrived at the training facility. The difference was that the people sitting there were instructors and representatives from various clans.
On the stage, a male trainee was sparring with an instructor. The instructor seemed to be going easy, while the trainee was attacking with all his might.
If the instructor were serious, the trainee wouldn’t stand a chance, so it seemed like this was how things were being conducted.
The trainee’s status window was ordinary, but curious about the instructor’s stats, I opened his status window.
[ Name: Kim Gwan-seok ]
[ Age: 33 ]
[ Job: Advanced Swordsman (Hero Grade) ]
[ Title: Alcoholic ]
[ Unique Traits ]
Alcoholic (Hero Grade) – You love alcohol. After drinking, all stats temporarily increase by 2.
[ Traits ]
Sword Mastery (Hero Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of swordsmanship.
Intermediate Combat Understanding (Rare Grade) – Moderately increases understanding of combat techniques.
Magic Sword Energy (Hero Grade) – Temporarily imbues the sword with magical energy. ]
[ Stats ]
Strength – 74 Agility – 70
Stamina – 70 Luck – 46
Magic – 50 Resistance – 72
The instructor’s stats were average. Not weak, but not strong either—just enough to hold his own in this world.
After some time, the instructor quickly knocked the trainee’s sword away, disarming him.
“Trainee Lee Kyung-heon’s demonstration is over.”
The male trainee sat down in despair, clearly disappointed with his performance.
From the looks of it, he had transitioned into an Artifact user. His stats were extremely low.
The trainee trudged back to his seat, and it was our party’s turn next.
“Next, we have Trainee Seo Yoo-ju’s demonstration.”
Seo Yoo-ju slowly walked onto the stage.
The clan representatives in the audience seemed highly expectant. They had clearly seen Yoo-ju’s value over the past three months, but the demonstration seemed to heighten their anticipation.
The instructor facing Yoo-ju stiffened and adjusted his stance, completely different from his attitude with the previous trainee.
“Let the demonstration begin.”
As soon as it started, Yoo-ju charged at the instructor, unleashing spear strikes.
“This… insane!”
The instructor, clearly flustered by Yoo-ju’s level, let out a curse without realizing it.
As the exchange of attacks continued, murmurs spread among the spectators.
“…She’s a real monster. Is she really a three-month trainee?”
“…This is unbelievable. Whoever gets her is hitting the jackpot.”
“I heard she’s joining the Hwashin Clan…”
Hearing Yoo-ju being praised made me feel good too. Following her was definitely the right choice.
After more than three minutes of intense sparring, Yoo-ju blocked a kick from the instructor and was pushed back, ending the demonstration.
“Trainee Seo Yoo-ju’s demonstration is over.”
Despite being pushed back, Yoo-ju walked out unscathed, dusting off her clothes and still holding her spear.
Everyone, whether instructors or fellow trainees, was stunned, staring at Yoo-ju in disbelief.
Someone muttered,
“…Monster.”
Whether Yoo-ju could have beaten the instructor or not, I don’t know. The difference in stats probably made it impossible, but even if she could, she wouldn’t have.
If a three-month rookie beat an instructor, everyone would find it strange.
There’s no way she wouldn’t have thought of that.
“Next, we have Trainee Lee Yoo-hyun’s demonstration.”
As soon as Yoo-hyun stepped onto the stage, she began her demonstration…
Cutting his hand and healing it.
Looks like any priest could heal that much. The people sitting down looked surprised, but their reactions weren’t that big.
Considering his experience, that level is pretty impressive.
The real spectacle was when Yoo Hyun activated the shield.
“Shield of Protection.”
When the shield, which had proven its worth in the dungeon, was activated, the clan representatives started to widen their eyes.
“What, what? A shield? Not just healing?”
“Crazy! A priest who can use a shield?!”
Everyone except Ha Yu-ri reacted as if they couldn’t believe it, seeing the shield for the first time.
‘I get it.’
From what I heard from Ha Yu-ri, the concept of a shield is incredibly important in this world.
Healing is about fixing injuries, but a shield prevents injuries in the first place.
In a place where life is valued, the worth of a shield is far above healing.
In a way, to those who don’t know that Yoo Ju is a Returner, Yoo Hyun’s value might be seen as higher than Yoo Ju’s.
Yoo Ju’s true worth lies in her knowledge from the first round, but to others, she’s just a talented spear master. Not entirely irreplaceable.
On the other hand, Yoo Hyun is a priest who can use a shield. A priest who can use both a shield and healing.
Basically, he’s irreplaceable.
Kang Seong-jun also seemed really surprised to find out Yoo Hyun could use a shield.
Probably because Ha Yu-ri had kept some information about Yoo Hyun hidden for the past three months.
‘She must have wanted to recruit him herself.’
But because of her tantrum, that girl’s chance to join our party is pretty much gone. She didn’t even realize it and was giggling at Yoo Hyun’s response, thinking about it. What a joke.
‘Stupid girl.’
One by one, our party members finished their demonstrations, and everyone reacted well. Except for Ahn Tae-woo, everyone looked at our party with shining eyes, clearly interested.
Next, it was my turn.
“Next, we have trainee Lee Yun-seong’s demonstration.”
‘Damn it…’
Swearing internally, I slowly walked up to the stage. I felt like crap.
‘…Because I have nothing to show.’
I tried to grow in various ways over the past three months, but it was impossible.
While others could use two types of magic from one attribute, I only managed to learn one more spell of the same attribute.
It got to the point where during lectures, Ha Yu-ri looked at me like I was a bug, and I couldn’t even lift my head out of shame.
As I stepped onto the stage, the countless eyes on me made it hard to breathe. After all, I had to prove my worth here, and I couldn’t.
First, I activated the most basic magic I used during the tutorial.
“Burn, flame.”
The most basic magic, flame or fireball. The only special thing is that my magic is dark magic, so the fire is black.
I immediately cast the spell at the practice dummy, and it burned with a bit more power than during the tutorial.
“…..”
Next was Flame Wall, also known as the Wall of Fire.
“Wall of Fire.”
Whoosh –
As my mana drained, a wall of fire as tall as me appeared in front of me.
‘Damn… my mana…’
Less than a minute after creating the Flame Wall, my mana was completely drained, and the wall disappeared.
The higher-ups sitting and watching couldn’t have missed this.
“Trainee Lee Yun-seong’s demonstration is over.”
Clap clap clap.
Everyone sitting knew I was an important member of our party, so they gave a formal applause, but their expressions were like they were looking at a common pebble on the street.
I tried to keep a calm face and walked down from the stage.
As I stepped down, I momentarily locked eyes with Yoo Ju.
“…….”
I felt really crappy.
Because she was looking at me with pity.
Suddenly, I imagined what I was like here during the first round.
‘…What does it matter, everything was shit.’
Now, thanks to Yoo Ju, I’m in the Hwashin Clan, one of the top three clans, but in the first round, I couldn’t even dream of it.
I guessed that in the first round, I might have joined Yoon Yeon’s clan, but that’s just a guess.
There’s no guarantee that Yoon Yeon would have made me an offer like she did now.
Probably everyone in the first round looked at me like I was trash. If even Yoon Yeon hadn’t made me an offer, I would have had nowhere to go.
In the end, it means that on my own, I’m not welcomed anywhere.
‘This sucks… whether it’s on Earth or here…’
Maybe because of the way they looked at me, random thoughts came to mind. I killed my emotions.
‘It’s familiar anyway.’
Looking at the waiting party members, I greeted them.
“Good job, everyone. You all were amazing, haha.”
“….Yoon Seong, you worked hard too.”
“No, you all worked harder. I didn’t have much to show, so it wasn’t that hard.”
“…Oppa.”
Yoo Rim seemed to call me, so I turned to her and answered.
“Yeah?”
“…Never mind.”
“…What, boring.”
Anyway, there was no reason to stay in the hall any longer, so I spoke up.
“Alright, let’s all head back. The demonstration is over, so let’s all go rest. Good job, everyone.”