Chapter 5: F -class teacher, s -class disciple

Park Yul, an A-rank Awakener.

He was a man who had recently been promoted from B-rank to A-rank.

He was also the guild master of the ‘Geltimore’ Guild, which showed relentless growth.

“Satellite footage confirms that approximately 30 large entities are moving south along the coast at a speed of 40 km/h. Their exact species has not yet been identified, but they are believed to be monsters originating from at least an A-rank Gate.”

That was the news he heard.

Park Yul’s eyes gleamed.

‘This is an opportunity.’

The Mir Guild was currently clashing with monsters descending from North Korea.

And now, other monsters were exploiting that gap.

If he dealt with those creatures, it would help make his guild known to the world.

Thinking so, he immediately rushed to the scene with his guild members.

Unfortunately, however.

It was a bad move.

“Guild Master! H-help…!”

“Gahhh!”

The opposing monsters possessed unexpected power.

He had believed they stood a chance, having cleared A-rank Gates several times before.

But the monsters’ might far exceeded his expectations.

“Shaaaark–!!”

“Ugh-!! Everyone, fall back for now! I’ll take the front. Retreat!”

Park Yul shouted urgently.

He had no choice but to admit his mistake.

It was an error born from his eagerness to succeed quickly.

He should have thoroughly familiarized himself with the monsters’ information before charging in.

But he had impulsively rushed forward at a single phrase from the news: ‘presumed to be A-rank.’

“Damn it-!”

It was an uncharacteristic misjudgment.

He had been too arrogant, intoxicated by the high of being promoted to A-rank.

He struggled alone, trying his best to minimize casualties among his guild members by sending them back.

But it was not enough.

Clang-!

Clang-!

Crash-!!

“Ughhh–!”

“Shaaat-!”

Pushed back by the fierce onslaught of the creatures, his weapon was even shattered.

Just as his life hung by a thread.

The voice of a guild member turned the tide of the battlefield.

“Reinforcements! Reinforcements are here!!”

At the excited voice, not only Park Yul but also the other Awakeners simultaneously turned their gaze.

The guild member who shouted about reinforcements was pointing a hand towards the sky.

And at the tip of that pointing hand, a pair of a man and a woman, seemingly superimposed, were flying through the sky.

****

Whoosh–

Thud–!!

“Ugh… that landing was too rough… bleh…!”

“I apologize. A dangerous situation was apparent, so I had no time to focus on the landing.”

Thanks to Elysia’s diligent efforts, they had arrived quickly.

But the ride quality was terrible, leaving his stomach churning.

As he dry-heaved, trying to empty his stomach.

A guild member, who was still in the midst of battle, asked.

“Um… you’re here as reinforcements, right?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

He composed himself and surveyed the battlefield.

It didn’t look easy.

Every single guild member had sustained injuries, big and small.

It was a situation where combat was no longer possible for them.

The person who seemed to be the guild master was struggling, but.

It looked like only a matter of time before he fell to the creatures.

“B-but, only two of you?”

“Those guys aren’t ordinary!”

As the news had stated, there were about 30 monsters.

Every single one of them looked terrifying.

“Not two of us.”

“Huh?”

“Only she will be fighting.”

“?”

Elysia exhaled lightly and drew out her twin swords.

The famous swords ‘Sovereign Swords’ that he had given her long ago.

They glowed with a blue light that matched her blonde hair, exuding a chilling aura.

“Let’s finish this quickly and go.”

“Yes, Master.”

With her reply, Elysia forged mana into the blades.

Then, towards the creatures.

She lightly leaped.

Slash-slash-slash-slash-!!

“Shaa-shaaaark–!!”

Slice-crunch–!!

“Shaaark–!!”

This place, where Awakeners’ screams had echoed wildly.

It became almost ridiculous to call it a battlefield anymore.

Elysia hunted the monsters.

“Crazy, she’s slicing those monsters up like that?”

“Have you ever seen that woman? I haven’t, I wonder if there was an Awakener like that in our country?”

“With that level of skill, she’s at least S-rank, but there’s no one like that in our country. Isn’t she a foreigner?”

Of course, they wouldn’t have seen her.

Because she came from another world.

They were on the verge of death, and suddenly a woman appeared.

And instantly slaughtered 30 monsters, far surpassing A-rank.

It was a situation where doubting their own eyes wouldn’t be strange.

“Master, it’s finished.”

Without a single breath out of place.

Elysia shook the blood from her sword and said.

“Good work.”

Then, Elysia naturally came towards him and bowed her head.

As always, he naturally stroked her head.

Pat-pat-

A habit he had developed while raising Elysia since she was fifteen.

He would stroke her head whenever she excellently completed a task he entrusted her with.

He, who was awkward with praise, had once stroked her head, and it had become their routine for nearly ten years.

“Ah, my height doesn’t match this body.”

At the time, his height was nearly two meters.

So it had been natural to place his hand on her head.

But trying to do it with his current body, his hand height just didn’t match.

“Then I shall lower myself.”

Saying so, Elysia knelt on one knee.

“No, you don’t have to go that far.”

He was unnecessarily flustered and made Elysia stand up.

It seemed Elysia had subtly taken a liking to flustering him since coming to this world.

“Alright! Shall we collect the Magic Stones?”

With an excited heart, as he busily put the Magic Stones into the backpack he had brought.

The person who appeared to be the guild master spoke up.

“Um, first of all, thank you. Without your help, we truly would have been in a dangerous situation.”

“No problem. I just came for the Magic Stones anyway… I can take these, right?”

“Ah, of course.”

The guild master waved his hand, indicating it was fine.

Then, he subtly posed a question.

“If it’s not too rude… may I ask which guild you are from?”

He must have thought that with such skill, they would naturally belong to a great guild.

That was likely the reason for his question.

However, he and Elysia didn’t really have a guild.

He had only just awakened, so he was unregistered.

And Elysia was from an entirely different world.

“Guild… we don’t have one yet.”

“What? With that level of skill… you operate alone?”

“I only recently awakened.”

“?”

It seemed he thought Elysia and he were of similar skill.

However, even though he had awakened, he only felt a slight amount of magical power.

He hadn’t become particularly stronger than before.

But there was no need to reveal that.

“If we’re going to continue our activities, it wouldn’t be bad to create a guild. What do you think, Elysia?”

“If that is Master’s will, I shall always follow.”

****

The next day.

He visited the exchange to convert the large amount of Magic Stones he had collected.

“Haha! This is almost 5 billion won worth!”

“F-five billion… won?”

A truly jaw-dropping amount!

Elysia, who had no sense of modern currency, merely chuckled, finding his shocked expression amusing.

“Is it that much money?”

“Of course. With this much, I could even buy a house.”

Acquiring a house in this world carried a completely different weight than in the other world.

Elysia had a look that suggested she couldn’t fully comprehend the emotion and joy he felt.

But she simply felt proud seeing him so happy.

The exchange owner also spoke with a rather serious yet hearty expression.

“How did you get this much in one night? You didn’t… steal it, did you? Haha.”

“Nah. I just awakened yesterday, sir.”

“Oh? Really? What’s your rank?”

“I haven’t been ranked yet.”

“I see. And the blonde friend next to you, is she your colleague?”

As the owner’s gaze shifted towards Elysia, Elysia politely bowed her head.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Elysia, Master’s disciple.”

“Haha, ‘Elysia’… a foreigner, then.”

He casually brushed off the owner’s jovial reaction.

“Well… something like that.”

“You look young, but you even have a disciple, that’s unusual. Are you actually some kind of NIS agent or special forces operative?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

The words, ‘A hero who defeated the Demon King and saved the world in another dimension,’ did not leave his lips.

Amidst that amicable atmosphere, news began to play on the TV inside the store.

“Last night, footage of an Awakener defeating approximately 30 A-rank monsters descending along the coast has become a hot topic.”

On the TV, along with the announcer’s voice, footage of Elysia sweeping through the monsters was being broadcast.

Elysia, who finished off the monsters in an instant, then sheathed her swords.

Even the scene where she bowed her head to him and received a pat.

‘No, who filmed that?’

In a world where everyone carried a camera in their pocket.

This truly was the modern world.

The exchange owner alternately looked at the footage on the TV and at him, then opened his mouth with a surprised look.

“Ah, so that was you two?”

“Looks like it made the news again.”

The owner was momentarily lost in admiration of Elysia’s swordsmanship in the news footage before speaking.

“Haha… Elysia-ssi, your skill is truly remarkable.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“With that level of skill, guilds will be falling over themselves to recruit you.”

Elysia subtly bowed her head and spoke in a rather serious tone.

“I have no intention of following anyone other than my Master.”

At her words, the exchange owner burst into hearty laughter.

“My, this friend has a truly reliable disciple.”

“Indeed.”

Among his many companions, Elysia was the one who followed him most devoutly.

She was truly a companion whose trustworthiness was second to none.

After finishing the exchange and leaving the trading post, he headed towards the Awakener Management Office.

‘Awakener Management Office.’

Also known as the AMO for short.

It was a national institution that handled almost all matters related to Awakeners and guilds.

Since he had awakened, he decided to stop by to get his rank assessed.

And also to create a guild.

“So, it’s a place that plays a similar role to the ‘Demon Lord Resistance Army’ in our world.”

“You could say that.”

Although the specific roles were different.

It would be easier for Elysia to understand it that way.

“Then, are you going to create this ‘guild’?”

“That’s the plan.”

It would likely be better to create a guild if he intended to become actively involved.

Becoming a guild leader offered several advantages.

Especially, the benefits were prominent from the perspective of information gathering.

There were naturally limits to gathering information solely through the internet.

To obtain high-level information not known to the public, it would be helpful to first create a guild and gain renown.

‘First, become famous. Then, high-quality information will come rolling in for free!’

It was a kind of know-how he had gained from ten years of being a hero.

Even in the other world, where swords and magic ran rampant, the importance of information was immeasurable.

How much more so in the eventful modern society?

‘I wanted to live quietly in this world… but since it’s come to this, I suppose I have no choice.’

As long as there was suspicion that the demon beasts from the world where he was a hero were the same as the monsters in this world.

He couldn’t just sit back and watch.

To close his eyes and pretend not to know for the sake of his peaceful life.

Thanks to his ingrained heroism.

His meddling nature had already grown too large.

Moreover, thanks to the skill ‘Dimensional Summon,’ he could now even summon Elysia.

There was even less reason not to step forward.

‘Since it’s come to this… I’ll rip them out by the roots.’

Renewing his firm resolve, he arrived at the Awakener Management Office.

“I recently awakened. I’ve come to get my rank assessed.”

“Yes, both of you?”

“…Yep.”

Elysia naturally stood before the ranking assessment device, pretending to be a recently awakened Awakener just like him.

“Alright. Please place your hand on the machine, one by one.”

He felt nervous.

What would come out, he wondered.

The mana he felt after awakening wasn’t immense.

So it wouldn’t be S-rank, perhaps A-rank?

No, was he hoping too much?

Even B-rank wouldn’t be bad.

After all, ranks could be raised through training.

“…It’s F-rank.”

“???”

F-rank.

He was F-rank!!

No matter what.

He never imagined he’d get the lowest rank.

“Is something… wrong?”

“Occasionally, there are Awakeners who are F-rank.”

“No, just one more time…”

“That’s enough. Next person~”

The Awakener Management Office employee dismissed his request for reassessment and immediately moved on to Elysia’s ranking assessment.

“Master. Please don’t worry too much. Such a rank is just…”

Before Elysia could finish her sentence.

The employee’s eyes widened twofold, and he screamed.

“H-huh?! It’s S… S-rank…!! Manager! Manager!!!”

Elysia was S-rank.

The employee couldn’t hide his surprise and continued to cry out for the manager.

As soon as the news of Elysia’s S-rank assessment spread, the AMO lobby instantly began to stir.

“S-rank? Really?”

“How many years has it been since an S-rank Awakener appeared!”

Spectators gathered one by one, and soon Elysia was surrounded by people.

From Awakeners to ordinary citizens, everyone murmured, looking at Elysia as if she were a marvel.

Among them, guild representatives in suits began to interject.

“Hello! I’m a scout from the ‘Elverin’ Guild. Please take my business card first.”

“Ours too! Here’s our card. Any conditions you want!”

“If you’re S-rank, you naturally deserve the best treatment!”

Numerous hands offering business cards poured towards Elysia.

Everyone’s gaze was focused on her.

‘Haha, this is incredible.’

He witnessed the gap between F-rank and S-rank in real-time before his eyes.

He wasn’t particularly disappointed.

Just as he was wondering how to get out of there with Elysia.

Elysia suddenly pushed through the crowd and approached him.

“Elysia?”

Her next action shocked everyone.

She knelt.

She placed one knee on the ground before him and bowed her head.

The lobby instantly fell silent.

Suddenly, all eyes were fixed on him and Elysia.

“I serve only one person as my Master.”

Elysia’s voice echoed throughout the entire lobby.

“I have no intention of accepting any guild’s offer, or any conditions. This is because I already have someone to follow.”

The guild representatives looked around with bewildered expressions.

“Master, you say… who might that be?”

Elysia raised her head and looked at him.

“It is the person right here. My sole Master.”

“…Huh?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to him.

To him, who had received an F-rank assessment.

“Your S-rank Master is F-rank?”

“What in the…?”

Muttering sounds could be heard, but Elysia remained completely unshaken.

“He is not someone who can be judged by a mere rank.”

At her resolute declaration, the lobby was once again enveloped in silence.

The embarrassment that followed that quiet stillness was entirely his to bear.

At that moment, he thought.

This, too, must be Elysia’s trick to tease him.