novelraw Chapter 151 : Chapter 151
Chapter 151 : Chapter 151
Chapter 151: Hero (2)
“Saul!”
After being saved by Ryu Jinwoo, the Doi siblings screamed their younger brother’s name with voices on the verge of tearing apart.
The surroundings were nothing short of pandemonium.
“Move! Get out of the way, damn it!”
“Aaah! P-please save me! My leg…!”
“H-Hey! Th-thief! My wallet!”
People shoved others aside and fled in desperation just to survive.
Looters took advantage of the chaos, stealing belongings or scooping up jewelry from shattered display cases.
Others collapsed onto the floor, groaning in pain from their injuries.
At the scene of the disaster, every facet of human nature revealed itself.
The Doi siblings pushed through the chaos, running without a moment to spare.
“Saul! Do Saul! Where are you?!”
They had been weaving through the crowd for several minutes when they finally spotted a taekwondo uniform crouched beneath a secluded pillar.
“Noona?”
“Saul!”
The Doies rushed over and pulled their brother into a tight embrace.
But the relief lasted only a moment.
“Aah!”
Do Saul let out a cry of pain.
When they checked him, his ankle was badly swollen, and blood was flowing from one knee.
He had clearly fallen while being swept along by the fleeing crowd.
“Can you stand? We have to run, quickly.”
“Y-yeah… I’ll try. Ngh….”
Just as they were about to force him up while supporting him—
Grrrk—
A chilling sound came from behind them.
The Doies’ bodies stiffened.
When they slowly turned their heads, a Venom Crawler was crawling out from beyond the corridor, its grotesque maw gaping wide.
Hiss—!
Drops of venom dripped from its mouth, melting the floor where they fell.
“Ah….”
A hopeless situation.
Instinctively, the Doies pulled Saul behind them.
Their vision went dark.
Earlier, someone had appeared like a miracle to save them.
‘Jinwoo oppa.’
His indifferent expression flashed through her mind.
But he was not here.
He must be fighting monsters somewhere else.
Is he safe right now?
She bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut, and held Saul tightly in her arms.
Kreeeek!
With a grotesque shriek, the monster kicked off the ground.
Just as she thought it was all over—
BOOM—!
A heavy shockwave reverberated through the area.
But the pain she was bracing for never came.
“…Huh?”
The Doies cautiously opened their eyes.
The wall beside them had been blown wide open.
The crawler had suddenly changed direction, smashing through the wall and leaping outside.
Its movements were frantic, as if it had been lured away by something.
“Wh-what was that?”
As they stood there in a daze, unable to process what had just happened—
“Wooooaaah—!”
Cheers erupted from all around them.
“A hero! A hero is here!”
“Look over there! It’s Slashhammer!”
A hero.
At that word, the Doies were drawn toward the windows as if possessed.
People crowded tightly around the broken walls and windows, peering outside.
Beyond the shattered glass, a fierce battlefield unfolded.
In the hazy mist stood a massive hero swinging an enormous hammer—Slashhammer.
And beside him—
“…Ah.”
A boy cutting down monsters while his uniform fluttered in the air.
“Jinwoo oppa?”
He moved across the battlefield without the slightest sense of incongruity among the registered heroes.
“Noona, isn’t that Jinwoo hyung?”
“Y-yeah. It is.”
“Wow! He really looks like a hero!”
Forgetting his pain, Do Saul’s eyes sparkled.
The Doies stood there, transfixed, watching the boy massacre monsters with overwhelming power.
The monsters converged toward where Slashhammer and Ryu Jinwoo were standing.
‘So he saved us again.’
She understood immediately.
Why the monster that had been about to attack them earlier had suddenly turned away.
They—Ryu Jinwoo—had willingly drawn the danger onto themselves for their sake.
The murmurs of the surrounding crowd drifted into her ears.
“That’s Slashhammer! We’re saved!”
“But who’s that kid next to him? A new hero? A sidekick?”
“That uniform looks like a school uniform. Zero Academy, maybe?”
People were starting to notice Ryu Jinwoo.
It was inevitable.
The way he wielded his sword so fluidly naturally stole the eye.
‘It’s Ryu Jinwoo! Ryu! Jin! Woo!’
If only the Doies had a little more confidence, they might have shouted that to everyone around them.
But they decided to stay quiet.
It was embarrassing.
***
“Hoo!”
Hammer Man—Slashhammer—plopped himself down atop the corpse of a massive crawler.
He pulled a water bottle from his waist and gulped it down.
Monster corpses were scattered everywhere around him.
The thick, foul stench of blood mixed with the faint smell of smoke, making it unmistakably a real battlefield.
“Ahhh! Now I can finally breathe.”
With a satisfied shout, Slashhammer wiped his mouth with the back of his hand after emptying the bottle.
Then he looked at me and spoke.
“For a rookie, you fought damn well. You’re real smooth with cooperative play. How was it, teaming up with a registered hero? Not exactly a common opportunity.”
“There was a lot to learn. Thanks to you, it went smoothly.”
I replied politely as I sheathed my sword.
Slashhammer pointed toward the sniper woman who had just gotten off the helicopter and was checking her rifle.
“I’ve been working with that sharpshooter for two years now. What do you call it again—yeah, buddies.”
“Buddies.”
“Right. Unless it’s a special case, heroes operate in at least pairs. Watching each other’s blind spots is how you stay alive long-term.”
He pulled out three pieces of yanggaeng (sweet bean jelly bar) from his pocket, unwrapped one, and tossed another toward the sniper.
“Ah! You scared me! At least warn me before you throw it!”
“Quit making a fuss. Hey, kid. You take one too. After intense exercise, sugar intake is important.”
He handed one to me as well.
It looked like a casual snack, but it was actually pretty expensive.
As expected of a hero. He must make good money.
While chewing the yanggaeng, Slashhammer continued.
“You’re pretty sharp, from what I can tell. If you’re a Zero cadet, do you have a buddy you train with?”
“No. I don’t.”
He looked genuinely surprised at my answer.
“Oh? Really? Then why not find one? Cooperation comes from experience.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly at his words.
Zero Academy did have a buddy system.
It was optional, not mandatory.
‘There’s no way anyone would want to partner with me.’
Usually, cadets paired up with others who were slated for the same guild, or with people they planned to work with in the future.
Even if my swordsmanship stood out, no one would go out of their way to propose a partnership to a “Non-Awakened with zero Magic Power.”
‘It is a shame, though.’
Once a buddy pair was formed, cadets could take on separate [Cooperative Missions], and the bonus points and rewards were quite generous.
In the game, cooperative quests were an efficient farming method, and reality was probably no different.
“Well, you’re still a cadet. You’ll find one eventually. Your skills aren’t bad.”
Perhaps he read my expression, because he brushed it off lightly.
“Then do you have a guild lined up? With those skills, I’m sure plenty have approached you.”
“No. I don’t have one either.”
“…What?”
This time, his eyes went wide in genuine disbelief.
“You’re that good and you don’t have a guild? You’re a Zero Academy cadet, right?”
Most cadets who surpassed a certain level were recruited early.
Especially at a prestigious place like Zero Academy, many already belonged to a guild or had sponsorship contracts.
It felt awkward to say it myself, but I had built up a decent record, not just in this incident but in others as well.
Still, reality was cold.
‘A lot of them looked at my profile.’
The Academy shared information on outstanding cadets with guilds.
My terminal was flooded with notifications saying, “OO Guild has viewed the cadet’s information.”
‘But none of them made an offer.’
The first four characters anyone saw when opening my profile were [Non-Awakened].
That alone was enough for guilds to decide I was not worth recruiting.
“The reason is simple. I’m Non-Awakened.”
“…What?”
“I don’t have any Magic Power.”
At my flat response, Slashhammer’s jaw dropped.
“That’s wild. You fight like that, and you’re Non-Awakened? Your training level alone—”
He scrutinized my arms and shoulders with disbelief.
Reaching this level with nothing but raw physical ability and technique clearly astonished him.
“Man, the world’s a big place. That’s interesting.”
He shook his head, then pulled something out and held it toward me.
“Take this.”
It was a business card with a rugged design.
Printed on it was the emblem of his affiliated guild and his hero name.
[Slashhammer]
His real name was not listed.
Heroes usually operated under their hero names.
[Oh Hamma (Slashhammer)]
[Interest, Enjoyment]
[Status: Fatigue Accumulation (Medium), Addiction (Low)]
Of course, I could see his real name.
Oh Hamma.
He probably could have just used that.
“If you ever need help, give me a call.”
After asking a few more questions and marveling at things, Slashhammer looked around.
“So, shall we get going?”
“Yes, then I’ll be on my—”
“No, not that way.”
Slashhammer grinned and grabbed me again.
“You need to enjoy this too.”
“…Enjoy what?”
Enjoy? Enjoy what?
When I asked blankly—
“Just follow me. Hey, sharpshooter! You too!”
He called out to the sniper, but she waved him off with a scowl.
“I’m passing. My makeup is completely ruined.”
“Tsk. Skipping this for that?”
Clicking his tongue, he pushed me toward the plaza in front of the building.
“Alright, let’s go!”
The moment we appeared, all the murmuring citizens turned their gazes toward us.
Slashhammer grabbed my wrist and raised it high into the air.
“Wooooaaah—!!!”
An explosive roar erupted.
Hundreds of citizens packed inside the building cheered wildly in our direction.
“So? This is the real thrill of being a hero. It’s addictive, I tell you.”
Slashhammer joked with a chuckle.
I stared up at the crowd with a dazed expression.
There was definitely something stirring inside my chest.
Of course, most of that applause was probably for the towering hero beside me.
“Jinwoo oppa…!”
At that moment, a voice that sounded like it would tear apart rang out from the crowd.
I turned toward the familiar sound.
The dirt-covered Doies were shouting with faces flushed red.
“Y-you were amazing!”
After shouting, she bowed her head deeply, embarrassed.
“Jinwoo hyeooong!!! You were so cool!!!”
This time, Do Saul yelled even louder.
People around them began to murmur.
“Ryu Jinwoo? That student’s name is Ryu Jinwoo?”
“Isn’t that a Zero Academy uniform?”
“Wow. As expected of a prestigious school.”
What started as a single shout soon spread like a wave.
“Ryu Jinwoo! Ryu Jinwoo! Ryu Jinwoo!”
My name filled the plaza.
Admiration and gratitude shone in countless pairs of eyes.
The ‘reputation’ I had only ever seen as text in a game became something I could feel on my skin.
“Hah, looks like your face pulls its weight. You’ve got fans already.”
Slashhammer laughed as he patted my back.
“Ugh.”
Pushed forward by his rough hand, I stumbled a step ahead.
The pouring cheers, hundreds of hands waving toward me—
As the heat rushed over me, my body froze reflexively.
‘…What am I supposed to do?’
If they were charging enemies, I could just cut them down.
If it were curses or criticism, I could let it go in one ear and out the other.
But this—this was something I had no resistance to.
“Awkward? Everyone’s like that at first. You’ll get used to it.”
Slashhammer grinned as he looked at my stunned expression.
“Whether it’s sooner or later, you’re going to become a hero. I can just tell. You pick these things up after rolling around in this field long enough.”
Hero.
Those three syllables, which I had never given much thought to before, dropped heavily into my chest.