So the six of us stepped outside. There was no need to mention Seo Yu-ju, and even the kids and I had somewhat adjusted, though we were still nervous. Compared to the first time, we were definitely more composed.

The two who were stepping out of the camp for the first time looked incredibly tense, their expressions stiff. Seo Yu-ju seemed to notice their unease and spoke up to ease their nerves.

"There’s no need to be so tense. As long as you don’t scream in the middle of a monster-infested area, most situations can be handled."

"Haha… Thank you for saying that. Still, stepping outside the camp makes me nervous."

"I understand, Tae-woo. Ha-eun, are you okay?"

"...Y-Yes…"

This woman, Song Ha-eun, seemed to have a rather timid personality.

'...Being timid might be frustrating, but it could actually work in my favor. Raising her favorability should be easy.'

I needed to start making moves now. I glanced at Ahn Tae-woo and saw that his attention was solely focused on Seo Yu-ju. It seemed like he didn’t care about this woman at all.

To others who couldn’t see the Status Window, she probably just looked like a timid and frustrating person. But I was different—I knew her value.

I licked my lips slightly and immediately started talking.

"There’s no need to worry, Ha-eun. Everyone gets nervous at first, I did, and so did everyone here."

"...Yes."

'...She’s definitely very timid. She doesn’t seem to have much confidence either. How did she even muster the courage to volunteer?'

"Now that I think about it, I’m curious. What made you decide to volunteer, Ha-eun?"

"Ah… S-Sorry. Should I not have? Did I do something wrong?"

'I can’t say anything at this rate.'

"No, that’s not it. I just think it’s impressive. Honestly, mustering up the courage in that situation isn’t easy."

"...I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but… how should I say this… sometimes, something talks to me… It told me to raise my hand..."

Others started staring at her as if she were talking nonsense. I also wondered for a moment if she was crazy, but then I remembered her traits from the Status Window. If I recalled correctly, one of them was:

Blessing of the Spirits (Grade Evaluation in Progress) - Spirits have an incredible fondness for you. They are always watching over you.

'Could this voice be related to that?'

As if unable to endure the stares directed at her, Song Ha-eun hurriedly tried to explain herself.

"P-Please don’t look at me like that. You don’t think I’m crazy, do you? It’s true, something really helps me sometimes… Even at the starting point, this voice saved me..."

Seo Yu-ju seemed to be deep in thought after hearing her words. While everyone else was silent, unsure of what to say, I spoke to her.

"Of course, I believe you, Ha-eun. After all, in this world, there are powers and abilities we never even imagined on Earth. Just look at me..."

To show her, I created a small black flame in my palm and held it out for her to see.

"Even I can use something unthinkable back on Earth—magic."

Seeing magic for the first time, both Ahn Tae-woo and Song Ha-eun widened their eyes in shock. Song Ha-eun, in particular, looked incredibly fascinated.

"As you can see, the voice you hear is most likely a special ability of yours."

"That would be nice... Hehe..."

She seemed to be feeling better and began speaking more comfortably.

I suddenly felt someone watching me. When I turned my eyes slightly, I saw Seo Yu-ju glancing at me from time to time.

'Is she glaring at Ha-eun? No way, I’ve got to be overthinking it.'

Regardless, Seo Yu-ju continued looking in my direction while I chatted with Song Ha-eun. This odd situation continued for about ten minutes until Seo Yu-ju, who was walking at the front, signaled us to stop.

"Stop for a moment. Everyone, stay quiet."

We all held our breaths.

"I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully there are four monsters ahead. I’ll take down one, and Yun-seong, you handle one with magic. Yu-rim and Yu-hyun will restrain another without killing it. The last one will be dealt with by Tae-woo and Ha-eun together. It doesn’t matter which of you lands the final blow."

Everyone nodded.

"I’ll count down. When the count reaches zero, attack. Three… two… one… Zero!"

The moment she finished counting, she thrust her spear through the neck of one monster in an instant.

I immediately activated the magic I had prepared. The monster that was hit let out a scream and burst into flames.

"KIEEEEEEEK!"

Yu-hyun readied a protective barrier in case anything went wrong, while Yu-rim charged at another monster.

Yu-rim seemed to have become quite familiar with handling a dagger, as she slashed at the monster’s leg, preventing it from standing.

'As expected, these monsters are weak. If someone has already changed their job, taking down one each shouldn’t be an issue.'

Three of the four monsters were dealt with, so I turned to check the last one’s situation.

"Ugh… Damn it!"

Ahn Tae-woo thrust his spear, but it only grazed the monster’s side. The monster let out a cry and lunged at him, swinging its claws, but Song Ha-eun managed to slash its wrist with her dagger.

She looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected to actually wound it. She must have swung on instinct and gotten lucky.

"KREEEEK!"

"Die, you bastard!"

Thud!

Since he wasn’t yet skilled with the spear, he accidentally struck the monster with the shaft instead of the blade, sending it rolling to the ground. Ahn Tae-woo quickly ran forward and plunged his spear into its face.

"Shit! Die! Die, you crazy monster bastard!"

He had completely lost his composure in his first battle, continuing to stab the corpse even though the monster was already dead.

Tap.

"That’s enough, Tae-woo. You too, Ha-eun, good job. You both did well."

Seo Yu-ju placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. After a moment, he took deep breaths and spoke.

"Haa... Haa... I showed an embarrassing side of myself... I’m sorry..."

"It’s fine, Tae-woo. Everyone goes through that at first, you did great. By the way, did you see a job selection window?"

"Ah... Yes. I see it now."

Seo Yu-ju nodded and then turned to Song Ha-eun.

"Ha-eun, you need to change your job too. You can finish off the monster Yu-rim and Yu-hyun restrained."

"Okay..."

Song Ha-eun hesitated as she approached the subdued monster. Her body trembled at the thought of actually killing it.

Seeing that she was hesitating too much and that this would take forever if left alone, I spoke to her.

"Just think of it as killing a bug, it's only hard the first time. Just close your eyes tightly and do it."

Hearing my words, she tightly shut her eyes and gripped her dagger with more strength.

Thud

"...Well done, it's always hard for everyone at first. You don't need to blame yourself too much."

She seemed to be feeling self-reproach for struggling to kill a subdued monster, so I tried to comfort her.

"T-Thank you, Yun-seong."

"It's nothing."

"You both did well. If you don’t mind, could you tell me what job options appeared in your selection list?"

"Hmm... I have Spearman, Swordsman, and Thief."

"Uh... I only see one job... It says Spirit Mage..."

Hearing the word "Spirit Mage," Seo Yu-ju's eyes widened. It seemed to be a very rare job.

"Hmm... My personal recommendation would be for Tae-woo to choose Spearman. Since I also use a spear, I think I can help guide you. And as for Ha-eun, since you only have one job option, you should just go with it."

After hearing Seo Yu-ju's words, the two of them made their selections, and their bodies began to glow. It seemed they had completed their job changes, so I checked their status windows.

[ Name: Ahn Tae-woo ]

[ Age: 28 ]

[ Job: Spearman (Common Grade) ]

[ Title: None ]

[ Unique Trait ]

Situational Awareness (Updated from Survival Tactics (Grade Evaluation in Progress) - Provides a slight advantage when conversing with others.

[ Traits ]

Basic Spearmanship (Common Grade) - Slightly increases comprehension of spearmanship.

[ Stats ]

Strength - 14 Agility - 11

Stamina - 12 Luck - 18

Mana - 00 Resistance - 09

[ Name: Song Ha-eun ]

[ Age: 22 ]

[ Job: Spirit Mage (Rare Grade) ]

[ Title: None ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Blessing of the Spirits (Grade Evaluation in Progress) - Spirits have an incredible fondness for you. They are always watching over you.

Perfect Mana Organ (Grade Evaluation in Progress) - Your mana organ is astonishingly pure. You receive bonuses for all mana-related actions.

[ Traits ]

Spirit Contract (Rare Grade) - Allows you to form contracts with spirits. Spirits are shy, so make sure to form contracts when alone.

[ Stats ]

Strength - 07 Agility - 10

Stamina - 10 Luck - 11

Mana - 13 Resistance - 06

Ahn Tae-woo had stats similar to mine. To put it bluntly, he had below-average stats.

On the other hand, Song Ha-eun had a rare-grade job.

Her traits were impressive, and her mana stat of 13 stood out. Considering that the regressor’s mana stat was 19, it was clear how monstrous a mana stat of 13 was at this stage.

'A person starting from a completely different level.'

Of course, Yu-hyun’s job was Hero Grade, but the fact that Song Ha-eun had a higher mana stat than Yu-hyun was noteworthy.

Ultimately, both Yu-hyun and this woman were indispensable members of the regressor’s party. Yu-rim also had decent stats, and being Yu-hyun’s older sister, she was essentially guaranteed a spot.

In contrast, Ahn Tae-woo and I were expendable.

The only saving grace was that it seemed like Seo Yu-ju had some connection with me in the first timeline. Still, I couldn't be too complacent.

'I have to prove my usefulness in some way other than combat.'

People discard what is useless. That was a truth I learned bitterly in my life on Earth. No matter my abilities or appearance, the only person who stayed by my side was my sister.

I started to reminisce about Earth. I worried about my sister, who was left alone, but she was strong enough to take care of herself.

'I just hope she isn’t too sad...'

Comparing myself to others had led me to unnecessary thoughts. In any case, my memories of Earth were irrelevant now, so I locked them away in the back of my mind.

Seo Yu-ju nodded with satisfaction, seemingly pleased with the results.

“Now that Tae-woo and Ha-eun have obtained jobs, I plan to head to the western starting point. If there are any remaining survivors, we’ll assess their situation. Even if there aren’t any, there might still be food left."

"That sounds like a good idea, Yu-ju."

"Then let’s move."