Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer - Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Facing the Black Keroberos whose lower jaw had been blown off, Tenji, fully equipped with forty Goblins, stood tall and glared at it with a commanding demeanor.

The newly summoned Second Goblin Squad.

Led by the second summoned “Goblins,” they have built a squad. The Goblins are always equipped with the Hell Weapon “Red Demon Great Sword” which she obtained by reaching level 4.

Tenji already has 78 Goblins under his command, which he calls in groups of 20 for three squads and 18 for one squad.

This is also one way to save time when summoning.

Mina, Chaewon, Pyne, and George, who were watching the quiet battle nearby, were so surprised that they were left speechless.

The weak swordsman they thought Tenji was is now overwhelming the Black Keroberos in front of them.

He is holding a dagger that can be felt ominous even from a distance, not a cheap iron sword that was Tenji’s symbol. He is equipped with weapons like fingerless gloves on both fists, and a small sword like a tiny accessory is attached to the fingertips of his right hand.

Forty humanoid creatures protect and surround Tenji like they admire him.

Among them, the two individuals holding the red-black weapons emitted an especially ominous aura like Tenji.

There was no trace of the clumsy swordsman they knew in their reliable back view.

“…What’s going on? Tenji wasn’t a swordsman!?”

“I don’t know even if you ask me. But… even if he’s called a swordsman now, no one will believe it. No, they can’t believe it. And it’s not an inanimate object… It’s a natural talent for summoning living creatures. I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”

To Mina’s confusion, Chaewon answered calmly.

Mina had never questioned that Tenji was just a clumsy swordsman. It was because she lived by her intuition.

On the other hand, Chaewon had often felt uncomfortable with Tenji’s strangely bold behavior and speech. That’s why she may have been able to accept this situation earlier than expected.

The two of them dragged their feet and moved to a safe place where George was, so as not to interfere with the battle.

The red blood dripping from their thighs did not stop and drew a red line on the ground.

As the two fled, Pyne joined them, calmly walking with a hole in her thigh.

‘Why didn’t she feel any pain?’

The two briefly showed their confusion at Pyne’s abnormal endurance, but quickly swallowed their questioning words.

Still, they wanted to ask about Tenji.

Mina desperately turned her strong gaze to Pyne as they left the scene.

“Pyne, did you know? About Tenji. How is he able to overwhelm the Black Keroberos? Wasn’t he a first-year student like us, a swordsman?”

A barrage of questions was thrown at once.

But Pyne tilted her head and slowly opened her mouth.

“I don’t really know either. I knew Tenji was hiding something all along, but I was a little surprised that it was a different calling instead of a swordsman.”

“Pyne, you weren’t told either? Even though you’re always together.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t told. Maybe only Chigo and Fuyuki knew about Tenji’s secret. And maybe President Limey too.”

“Why… Why did he keep it a secret?”

“Well… with such a creepy calling, if I were in Tenji’s shoes, I might have chosen to keep it secret too. Summoning is such a valuable ability… I’ve never heard of the ability to summon living creatures before. Well, as another possibility, maybe he was told to hide it by his mentors.”

“That’s right, Tenji was… studying abroad as an individual, not as part of the country’s quota.”

Mina closed her mouth, seemingly satisfied with Pyne’s explanation.

Perhaps the conversation with Pyne had dispelled her confusion, and Mina quickly switched her focus and hurried away to George.

As Mina’s pace slightly increased, Chaewon and Pyne’s speed also increased to match hers.

“In this world, the existence of ‘calling’ can easily influence a person’s life. Just being a summoner, even if the ability is useless, can make one a renowned explorer at a level that becomes a topic of conversation in the world. Summoning is that valuable, and it has the potential to cause a commotion in the media.

Whether it was because mentors disliked that trend or whether it was Tenji’s own choice, Tenji had pretended to be a swordsman despite not being one. Even though he was often ridiculed by his classmates, he always smiled and remained unfazed. Some students thought that was just how Japanese people were.

Serious, intelligent, and kind… Many students felt sorry for him being the fifth grade. But if one looks at the truth, they would be stunned.

Despite being a first-year student, he had physical abilities close to those of a professional first-grade explorer, and he was currently holding his own against Black Keroberos. He had several ominous weapons that he had summoned in his hands. He could summon nearly twenty creatures that could act independently without using his hands.

The weakest swordsman? What a joke. That young man undoubtedly had more talent than anyone here.

“Amazing…” Chaewon watched Tenji’s battle while frequently looking back. Without hesitation, Mina and Pyne nodded in agreement with Chaewon’s thoughts that had unconsciously escaped from the bottom of her heart.

To the three of them, Tenji was like a demon.

And so, the three of them arrived at George’s location. Perhaps Pyne’s bleeding and pain had reached their limit because Mina and Chaewon sat down on the spot as if collapsing, and Pyne sat down on a nearby tree in the same way.

The three of them immediately tore their sleeves to apply first aid by pressing their thighs to stop the bleeding. Part of their uniforms was designed to be easily ripped for such situations.

At that moment, George couldn’t bear it anymore and muttered, “Was Swordsman a lie?” George, too, was surprised at Tenji’s transformation. He never imagined that the person he always bullied and called Weakling Swordsman was a better explorer than himself.

As he watched Tenji’s fight, George began to feel a sense of guilt. He felt a hot, murky emotion swirling in his heart, realizing that his previous actions toward Tenji were wrong. It wasn’t surprise, admiration, or respect that he felt, but a fear of his own insignificance for not knowing the ‘truth.’

Pyne, who was sitting nearby, laughed and asked George, who couldn’t find the right words to say, how he was feeling. “Why were you bullying Tenji?”

After Pyne’s honest question, George fell silent for a while. Then, Pyne spoke up, pressing the issue further.

“Hey, why?”

“I couldn’t stand having a swordsman in the same class as me. I thought he should hurry up and go back to his country. I fought tooth and nail for this seat, but what makes a swordsman so special?… But it seems like I was just being arrogant. My eyes were wide shut.”

“Well, that’s just how it is. For better or worse, George and the others were selected by the country. They probably don’t like individual students like us, do they?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. But now I might understand… or perhaps I’ve just finally come to understand. That the country’s selection and individual slots don’t really matter… It’s frustrating, but Tenji made me see it.”

“I see.”

Pyne quickly switched her interest back to Tenji, as if she were looking at something boring. Her expression was like the sun, shining so brightly that a mentor Mushtafa might be watching.

The four of them watched every move intently, not wanting to miss a single moment of the extraordinary battle unfolding before them.