[Congratulations! You have reached a combat power of 92,880!]
[Completing the Hero Quest]
[As a reward, your title changes from ‘Aspiring Hero’ to ‘Regular Hero’]
The system alert rings.
As expected, raising my combat power by 10 was ridiculously easy.
While training as usual, my Stamina stat increased by 1, and as soon as it did, my combat power also increased, achieving the goal.
Upon closer inspection, it had increased by exactly 69, reaching 92,936.
“So, I’ve finally become a regular employee, huh?”
“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?”
“It just feels that way. Like being converted from a contract worker to a permanent one.”
Choi Hyun-seok shrugged.
I don’t know why the title is ‘Regular Hero’ of all things, but it felt like being converted to a permanent position, so it wasn’t too bad.
“By the way, what’s so good about upgrading the title?”
“There are several things. The most important thing is that you level up faster.”
“What? Level up faster?”
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.
He grabbed Rachel by the scruff of the neck and lifted her up.
“Hey, you! Why are you telling me this now!?”
“Ah, no, I forgot too!”
“There are things you can forget and things you can’t!”
“In the first place, the title is upgraded through a quest in the system! It’s not something I can interfere with!”
Rachel’s words were not a lie.
There was nothing she could do even if she had told me about the title in advance.
Rachel was just a component of the system.
It was impossible to adjust the system itself.
“Haa, so in the end, I suffered a huge loss because some blockhead up there forgot.”
“That’s right. I know that when you become a Regular Hero, you probably get 25 percent more experience than before.”
“25 percent…?”
Choi Hyun-seok’s face crumpled.
He clutched his stomach and made a painful expression.
“If I had gotten it sooner, I would have leveled up at least forty or fifty more times!”
Choi Hyun-seok raised his head and looked at the sky.
“If you made a mistake, compensate me! Give me some experience or Hero Points or something!”
“Oh, Hero. What do you think the system will give you for that?”
The moment Rachel shook her head.
Ding!
A system alert rang.
[Unsettled compensation will be paid!]
[500 Hero Points will be awarded]
[Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!]
Choi Hyun-seok blinked at the alarm.
On the surface, it was called unsettled compensation, but anyone could see it was compensation for negligence.
“It really came in?”
Rachel, who could not share the system, tilted her head.
“What came in?”
“Compensation. 500 points and 10 levels have been added.”
“Yes? You’re telling me they actually listened to that tantrum!? The Hero System!?”
“What tantrum! And the right expression is *saengtte* [unreasonable demand]!”
“Anyway! How can the system listen just because you threw a fit!?”
Rachel jumped up and down and shouted.
The system changes the reward according to the user’s request.
It was absolutely impossible in her common sense.
“I’ve seen a lot of things while being with the Hero, but it’s always new.”
“Watch your mouth!”
Choi Hyun-seok flicked her forehead.
“Tch… You’re the one who always has swear words in your mouth.”
Rachel grumbled, pouting.
Of course, Choi Hyun-seok lightly ignored it.
“Hoo. The reward isn’t exactly what I wanted, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Of course!”
“By the way, is there anything else you get from becoming a Regular Hero?”
“Hmm… When you become a Regular Hero, more Hero Quests come out!”
“Is that an advantage?”
“You can collect a lot of Hero Points!”
Choi Hyun-seok frowned.
“I don’t think I need that right now. I don’t even look at the Hero Shop, to be honest.”
“That’s because the Hero is just thinking about saving points like a miser. If you look closely, there are endless things you can use not only in battle but also in everyday life.”
“Hmm… Well, yeah. I’m saving points right now.”
Choi Hyun-seok agreed.
He wasn’t using Hero Points right now because he was saving them to buy the inventory.
I remember that there were quite a few items I wanted to buy if I had enough.
“Are there any other benefits?”
Rachel listed more benefits that could be received by becoming a Regular Hero.
However, nothing really resonated with Choi Hyun-seok.
Even if they talked about the system synchronization rate increasing, the actual feeling he felt was similar.
“That’s it. In fact, a 25 percent increase in acquired experience is enough.”
Anyway, since the acquired experience has increased, this alone is a huge benefit.
“Well, shall we start working as a Regular Hero?”
“Okay!”
Just as Choi Hyun-seok and Rachel, who were excited, raised their fists vigorously.
“To think you’d do Heroic activities inside the Demon King’s army, you’ve got guts.”
A murky voice that seemed to scrape the bottom of the abyss was heard.
Turning around, there was the demon I least wanted to meet.
He was ranked first.
“Ahaha…! If it isn’t Motem-nim?”
A knight in black armor with a greatsword.
It was Motem.
***
Choi Hyun-seok forced a smile.
His lips trembled due to the intense facial exercise.
‘I thought it was too quiet.’
Even though he was busy grasping the Legion Commander’s duties, Motem didn’t show his face too much.
I was thinking it was about time for him to show his face…
The timing is not good.
“Heroic activities, huh? I heard that a Hero is an apostle of God who kills demons, right?”
Motem, who rarely engaged in external activities, lacked common sense in many ways.
One of the reasons he hadn’t shown his face for a long time was to learn this common sense.
“It’s true that I’m a Hero… but I don’t kill demons or anything like that! I am Hemeis-nim’s loyal dog no matter what anyone says! I’m Choi Hyun-seok, the direct battalion commander of the 3rd Corps! Hahahaha…!”
“That’s right! Our Hero is trash who cuts down humans!”
It was a Regular Hero and a dedicated fairy who volunteered to be the dog of the Demon King’s army.
Motem waved his hand with a nonchalant attitude.
“It was a joke. Hemeis-nim has already given me a heads-up about you, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you!”
“Okay. As you said, you are an executive of the Demon King’s army. A battalion commander.”
“Of course, that’s right!”
“But what do you do?”
“Yes…?”
Motem’s already low voice was even lower.
“You’re a battalion commander in name only, but all you do is train in the training ground. Training is not bad, but the role of a commander is not just training, is it?”
“Uh… um…”
Choi Hyun-seok, who was flustered, continued.
“Motem-nim. I’m sorry, but even if I want to do that commander’s role, I don’t have any troops.”
Currently, Choi Hyun-seok was a battalion commander in name only.
Because he didn’t have a single troop.
I heard that there would be a large-scale troop replenishment soon and that the unit would be reorganized at that time, but I have not received the detailed schedule.
“So, I’m going to replenish your troops now.”
“Oh…”
A slight expectation appeared on Choi Hyun-seok’s face.
He is a battalion commander.
There are five battalions under the battalion commander, and he also has several direct companies.
In other words, the battalion commander has approximately three thousand subordinates.
Three thousand.
At first glance, it seems small, but when you see that many people gathered, you can see that it is more than you can imagine.
‘Am I finally becoming a proper commander?’
A commander with countless soldiers!
It is a position that every man has dreamed of at least once.
Even if the soldiers in the Demon King’s army are demons, what does it matter?
Choi Hyun-seok’s mentality has become so strong that he can laugh off such trivial matters now.
“I have arranged a place for the interview, so go there.”
“Yes? Interview?”
“…Do I have to say it twice?”
“No! Haha! Recruiting soldiers through interviews. I like it even more!”
Choi Hyun-seok smiled kindly, but his heart was different.
‘What is this interview thing?’
Recruiting soldiers through interviews.
There are three thousand of them.
It will take at least a few months to interview and select that many people.
‘Or are they interviewing battalion commanders?’
Choi Hyun-seok followed Motem without resolving his doubts.
***
The interview site was the largest parade ground in Gadrak Castle.
Hundreds of demons were gathered there, and as soon as Choi Hyun-seok and Motem appeared, their attention was focused at once.
The momentum was so threatening that a stream of cold sweat ran down Choi Hyun-seok’s back.
“Are those gathered there the friends who came for the interview?”
“Yes.”
“If I’m not mistaken, everyone’s level is quite high.”
“You have an eye for it.”
“Are you perhaps selecting battalion commanders here?”
“No. It’s a place to select troops.”
“Yes…?”
What kind of Demon King’s army unit is made up of such brutal guys?
The moment Choi Hyun-seok was wondering.
Motem clapped exaggeratedly.
The way he looked was so different from his usual weighty self that it felt awkward.
“Ah, I forgot to tell you.”
He said, turning to Choi Hyun-seok.
“You are officially a battalion commander, but your unit will be organized a little differently.”
“Specially?”
“You could say it’s a kind of special forces. I’m thinking of a company-sized unit. We’ll operate it on a trial basis and *paegi* [discard] it if it’s not good, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“Ah, that’s a great idea! Hahaha…!”
Great idea my ass.
I already have a bad feeling.
A feeling that I’m going to be rolled around in a bad place!
“Who came up with this wonderful plan?”
“I did. It’s a plan that came out of *gomin* [worrying] about how to roll you, no, how to utilize your strength.”
“I see…”
There are many things I want to say, but I *chamatta* [held back].
Choi Hyun-seok vowed to *hurigo* [strike] Motem in the back of the head someday when he became stronger than him.
“Let’s stop with the useless talk and start slowly.”
Motem went up on the platform.
“Everyone, pay attention. From now on, we will begin the interview to select special mission members directly under the 3rd Corps.”
A threatening magic emanates from him.
It wasn’t a large amount, but everyone couldn’t help but be overwhelmed.
A refined magic that is qualitatively different from the demons of this era.
The magic that was chilling just by touching it felt like a sharp blade hanging under the neck.
“This human here is Choi Hyun-seok, who will be the unit commander. Choi Hyun-seok, come forward.”
At Motem’s words, Choi Hyun-seok took a step forward.
“Uh… I’m Choi Hyun-seok, who will be the unit commander this time.”
As soon as he opened his mouth, rough magic began to rush in from all directions.
Applicants spewing out magic with the momentum to jump out at any moment.
It felt like a battle was imminent.
“They’re very aggressive friends. Haha…”
Choi Hyun-seok said, turning to Motem.
“I searched the neighborhood and brought all the demons who use a little strength. They’re rough, but their strength is certain.”
“I see.”
“The demon world is a world where strength represents everything. If you make them aware that you are strong, they will follow you.”
“Yes?”
The sudden flow is strange.
Make them aware that you are strong and make them follow you.
Isn’t it natural for the guys who came for an interview to become subordinates to follow the commander?
“Get ready. We’ll start the interview right away. When the interview is over, you can accept only the guys you want as unit members.”
“Motem-nim. Is the interview perhaps?”
“Of course, it’s a sparring match. What’s with that look like you didn’t know?”
“Yes… uh… Of course, I knew… I was just asking to confirm. Haha!”
“It’s a waste of time, so let’s do five at a time. I guess we only need to do about sixty or seventy times.”
“…”
“I think you, who were so relaxed with me, can handle it easily.”
There was laughter in Motem’s voice as he spoke.
Choi Hyun-seok closed his eyes for a moment.
‘You petty bastard…’
He’s *goerophida* [bullying] me like this just because I flipped him off once.
I will definitely repay him someday.
The day he becomes stronger than Motem, he will mercilessly hit him in the back of the head.
At that moment when he was determined.
‘Wait a minute… I don’t have to wait…’
Choi Hyun-seok’s head flashed.
He opened his eyes and looked back at Motem.
“Can I ask you just one thing?”
“Speak.”
“What happens to the people who get hurt or die in the middle?”
At Choi Hyun-seok’s question, Motem snorted.
“This is the Demon King’s army. Don’t worry about getting hurt. Just don’t die. Even if you die, I won’t hold you responsible unless it’s intentional.”
“Ah… I understand.”
Choi Hyun-seok turned his head again and looked at the applicants.
The direction where Motem is not visible.
His face had a thicker smile than ever before.