Chapter 630: Continent’s Real Darkness (6)

Raphael had definitely changed.

I was worried that his resolution would falter in three days, but his crazy concentration on training proved that I didn’t make the wrong choice.

His growth rate was unrivaled.

‘Hey, isn’t he getting stronger too fast?’

It was much faster than expected. Of course, Raphael was undeniably in the prime of his career, but he showed an incredible growth rate, even considering that.

Even Cha Hee-ra couldn’t help but click her tongue.

Kim Hyunsung had high standards and still didn’t seem to like him, but I thought it was inevitable. His style was far from his, after all.

Raphael wasn’t born with a talent for swordsmanship like Hyunsung.

Of course, if other third-rate swordsmen had heard that, they would have bitten their tongues and jumped into the mirror lake, but the reality was that he was too disappointing to even be considered top-class.

Based on the huge mana he received from the gray-colored sword, his position could be described as a position similar to a close-range and medium-range hybrid or a knight.

Since his abilities revolved around that mana, it was ambiguous to call him a swordsman, but it was undeniable that he had a wide range of uses. Even recently, after learning advanced mana operational knowledge, he had concluded how he could become stronger.

To maximize his strengths, we decided to invest a little more in the knowledge of advanced magic operations.

I was worried about the importance of growing in a balanced manner, but he seemed to be determined to take care of his shortcomings later and focus on becoming more powerful for the time being.

As a result, his durability stat became embarrassingly low for an avant-garde…

‘You can use the gray light to increase your defensive capability. It should fill up your lack of physical endurance. Even though many stats are lacking, I don’t think this choice is wrong. We should proceed with this.’

Cha Hee-ra’s thoughts about it weren’t negative. The same went for Park Yeon-joo.

‘I think he’ll be difficult for me to deal with.’

Her most daunting opponent as an assassin were holy knights or warriors, and judging him to that extent was proof that Raphael was becoming stronger.

If he had grown at a normal pace, she wouldn’t have used that expression.

As things went on like that, I couldn’t help but appreciate the Holy Sword Coin, which suddenly was skyrocketing. I even thought his growth was faster than Jung Hayan during her heyday.

The problem was that even if I tried to let him go and focus on other things, he couldn’t.

Parents could do nothing in a situation where their child was praised as a genius because they weren’t good enough to win first place in school. Considering that many people quit their jobs and took care of their children, their behavior didn’t feel that strange.

“So… you want to concentrate here for a while? What about the Angels?”

“I’m not going to abandon that project completely. Even right at this moment, Han Sora and Hayan are doing great work in making the rest of the Named Angels. I don’t know if I can fill all the supplies, but I think I can make it somewhat work out.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but you’re speaking so confidently. You must be so sure. You don’t even need a fairy, do you, Oppa?”

“I don’t think I need one right now.”

“That’s too bad.”

“…”

“…”

“What?”

“It’s just a shame. I was expecting that you’d feel a bit different about it. There’s been a lot of stress lately. Since we’re so drained, don’t you think it would be okay to switch roles with each other? These unique activities are the condiments that make you endure a long relationship. Oh, I’m not saying I’m tired of you, so don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I want to try something new…”

‘What’s wrong with you, Noona? Your eyes look scary…’

“Don’t be ridiculous. Once it’s changed, it’ll last at least three days, and I don’t have that luxury. There are a lot of things that might come up.”

“Then I’ll hold you to it for now. We’ll probably do it someday.”

“…”

“Oh! Come to think of it, how’s Tactic Raphael? Didn’t you say you were going to try him out?”

“Well…”

Even though I only tried the strategy in practice situations, it wasn’t that satisfactory.

Raphael looked very surprised and excited, but the problem was that I kept comparing him with Tactic Kim Hyunsung.

‘How was it for you? I thought it was perfect. Was it okay?’

‘Yes, me too… I think it was okay.’

‘You’re amazing. You’re really… great.’

“Raphael as well, yes…’

That was what I told him, but it wasn’t enough. It was painful to list the differences between him and Kim Hyunsung.

Considering that his stats were subpar, there were so many disadvantages.

As I thought before, he couldn’t make up for his lack of experience. The engine itself wasn’t bad, but everything else was lacking.

The steering wheel was stiff, and the fuel consumption wasn’t good. Whenever I drove over a speed bump, I would feel rattled, and I didn’t like gear change speed.

His power to push forward was the only praiseworthy factor.

‘How can efficiency be achieved if we only utilize brute strength?’

If Raphael were put into Kim Hyunsung’s position during the Republican War, he would’ve been exhausted himself in less than 10 minutes.

That was because Kim Hyunsung’s roots were different from him. Raphael had to gather more experience and eliminate his deficiencies.

As if she realized that my expression wasn’t that bright, Lee Jihye spoke quietly.

“You don’t look satisfied.”

“Yeah, actually, it’s a little weird to be judging him at this point. The speed he processes and executes my orders is too slow. There are a lot more issues other than that, but I don’t need to list them. He’s developing well, but I don’t know if I can use him in the way I want. I told Hyunsung about it, but I don’t think there’s a clear solution. I guess there’s nothing I can do except to increase the intensity of his training.”

“Well, do you really need to be nervous already? It’s not good to expect too much from someone who just recently got momentum. Isn’t that why you asked me to get you a good dungeon?”

“If I want to use him like I use Hyunsung, he’ll need experience. Have you already prepared the dungeon?”

“It’s going to work. I’ve picked out some dungeons for sale. Maybe they’ll satisfy you enough…”

“Well done, Noona. You’ve sorted out the list for Raphael, haven’t you?”

“I sent it a few days ago, as you instructed. Are you leaving everything to him?”

“That’s the best way for him to learn. We can’t treat him the same way as normal rookies…”

“Hmm…”

“I feel sorry for the other rookies, but they’re doing a noncommissioned officer’s course. Raphael won’t just be an officer. He’s going to be an officer from a military academy, and he’s responsible for the Northwest. Do you think I shouldn’t have him trained that much? That’s why we have to consider everything from the selection of dungeons to the target. Even if he fails, he still needs to try.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“He has to figure out how to make his own party. If he puts what he learned so far in his head, he won’t fail.”

“I guess that’s true. I don’t know because I’ve never run around this kind of field, but he indeed has to face his own trials. We can’t babysit him forever. It’s certainly unusual to go into a heroic-grade dungeon from the Tutorial Dungeon, though…”

“It’ll probably go well.”

He would be able to raid it without a hitch.

Based on his current specification, he would need to clear a heroic-grade dungeon first.

It was then that the Goddess’s Mirror rang. Ignoring Jung Hayan’s message, which accumulated to about 200, I checked Raphael’s message.

[Hyung, I’ve picked a new member. We’re all set. I’ll be right back. I’ll send you more information after I get back. I roughly arranged some of it in the file below, so please check it out. I’ll head off then. You have to take good care of yourself. I’ll be back as soon as possible.]

Short and compact, even fast in action.

‘Huh, is he gonna be alright?’

I thought it would be a good idea to send him to a heroic-class dungeon alone, but he was told to take care of everything. Still, when I considered that there was no guardian, I felt like I was looking at a child who was on the water’s edge.

His stats weren’t bad, and I judged that his level was enough to clear the dungeon quickly… But since it’s a dungeon raid, nobody could know what’s going to happen.

If he didn’t have a stroke of good luck, the party could be wiped out, and the child, whom I raised, could become a Dungeon orphan.

Lee Jihye had said everything would be fine, but she still felt anxious since she invested a lot. That feeling went away exactly three days later, however.

As if my worries were nothing but groundless, he managed to clear a dungeon with ease.

“That’s normal. I mean, Raphael is the chosen warrior.”

“Of course.”

I even thought the video I watched wasn’t that bad.

His party members were unbelievably good, and even the way they dealt with the Dungeon Boss was perfect. Of course, it was impossible to say that there was no crisis at all, but I could tell that he was familiar with what he had to do.

A week, two days, a month, then two months passed.

My routine was simple, and the same went for Raphael’s. He was constantly clearing dungeons as if his growth gained even more momentum, and in the meantime, he seemed to have established his own network.

I thought it was time for him to find a good partner, so Kim Hyunsung and I led some of the first-round war heroes who were secretly hoping to support Raphael, and that was how the Holy Sword Party was created.

He had grown so much that I could say that he had become a great adventurer with pride.

It was also beneficial to me since I could concentrate on my work whenever he went to a dungeon or a front full of monsters. At that time, Raphael told me that he wanted to make an appointment, and of course, I accepted his offer.

Of course, there was opposition from Kim Hyunsung. Still, Cho Hyejin and Park Li-ahn were able to get tickets to the dungeon without difficulty on the condition that he accompanied them.

‘I’m nervous for some reason. I don’t feel good about this. I’ll have to go with you too.’

Unlike Kim Hyunsung’s worries, the dungeon was completed in a very simple way.

Although he didn’t say much after a few more trips, Kim Hyunsung still seemed to feel uncomfortable. I thought he might not have caught something that Kim Hyunsung did, so I looked at Raphael a little more, but nothing was detected.

The way he looked was still full of goodwill, and he had an image of an honor student who listened intently.

Why would they doubt him, him who burst into tears in the first place?

When I grabbed my head for a test, he dropped tears like chicken poo and held my hand, praying sincerely to Benignore.

All the dirty devil contractors seemed to have been removed, so there weren’t any accidents.

“Are you getting ready?”

“I already am, Hyung. Are you going with Cho Hyejin and Park Li-ahn today?”

“Maybe we’ll go together. You don’t have to worry too much. I think most of us will just be watching like last time. We won’t participate in the fight itself. Of course, I want to, but…”

“I’m sure the Blue Guild Master wouldn’t let you.”

“Haha…”

“But going to the dungeon with Hyung is still helpful to me. I can bear that much. Then, shall we leave?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve got a lot of spirit in you today.’

He looked more nervous than usual, but that was natural, considering the evaluation of his recent dungeon trip wasn’t that good.