The Spectacular Rank F Hero

---

Rin woke up with a splitting headache. Sunlight poured in through his tiny apartment's window, illuminating the chaos around him. Clothes were strewn across the floor, a half-eaten bag of chips lay on the nightstand, and his new Rank F uniform was draped over a chair.

He groaned, pulling a pillow over his head. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe I'm not actually a hero. But the ache in his legs from yesterday's "battle" reminded him it was very, very real.

There was a sharp knock on his door, and before he could answer, it swung open. Taemin barged in, grinning ear to ear. "Rise and shine, superstar!"

Rin groaned louder. "What do you want, Taemin?"

"What do I want?!" Taemin laughed, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him out of bed. "I came to congratulate the village's new hero! Dude, everyone's talking about you. They're saying you took down a mana beast all by yourself!"

Rin rolled his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "It wasn't exactly like that… I just got lucky."

"Lucky?" Taemin snorted. "They said you dodged all its attacks with some insane technique and hit it right in the eye with a rock!"

"Total accident." Rin muttered, though his friend barely heard him over his own excitement.

"Well, accidental or not, people believe it," Taemin said, plopping down on the chair. "You know what that means? You're going to be famous! Rank F won't even matter once they start promoting you. Everyone will be looking up to Rin Park, the Legendary Hero!"

Rin shivered at the word "legendary." This is a nightmare.

Suddenly, another knock sounded at the door. This one was heavier, official-sounding. Taemin and Rin exchanged glances. Rin slowly stood and opened the door.

Standing there was a stern-looking woman with a crisp guild uniform and a clipboard in hand. She adjusted her glasses, looking Rin up and down with a frown. "Rin Park, I presume?"

Rin gulped. "Yes?"

"I'm here from the Hero Guild. There have been… reports of your actions in the village yesterday." She clicked her pen, eyeing him like he was a puzzle she couldn't quite solve. "As a Rank F hero, we had certain… expectations. But your performance against the mana beast has caused some, shall we say, unusual interest from higher ranks."

Rin felt his stomach twist. "Um… unusual interest?"

The guild official nodded. "Yes. Our records show that Rank F heroes aren't generally capable of defeating mana beasts solo. Some within the guild are wondering if your abilities have been… miscategorized."

"Oh, no. There's definitely no mistake," Rin said, trying to smile innocently. "I'm absolutely Rank F material."

Taemin, still sitting nearby, whispered under his breath, "Yeah, he's about as Rank F as they come."

The official raised an eyebrow. "Nevertheless, the Hero Guild has decided to monitor your progress. From now on, you will be assigned regular missions to assess your true capabilities."

Rin's heart sank. "Regular… missions?"

"Yes. You'll receive assignments with progressively higher risks to determine if you're more suited to Rank E or above. Your first mission is today at noon. I suggest you prepare yourself."

Rin's jaw dropped. "Wait, today?! I just became a hero yesterday!"

The official shrugged, clearly unmoved. "You wanted to be a hero. This is part of the job." She handed him a piece of paper. "Report to the village square at noon. Dismissed."

With that, she turned and strode off, leaving Rin staring after her, stunned.

---

A New Mission

At noon, Rin found himself standing awkwardly in the village square, clutching the mission paper the official had handed him. A small crowd had gathered around, some villagers pointing and whispering excitedly.

He glanced at the paper again, reading the details for what felt like the hundredth time.

Mission Objective: Subdue a rogue slime infestation in the eastern forest.

Danger Level: Low

Rin sighed, mentally preparing himself. Slimes. Okay, how hard could that be?

Just as he was about to head out, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find an older man from the village, grinning widely.

"You must be the new hero everyone's talking about!" the man said, clapping him on the back so hard Rin nearly stumbled. "Good luck with the slimes, son. We're all rooting for you!"

"Uh… thanks," Rin managed, though the man was already shouting his praise to a nearby vendor. The onlookers began clapping and cheering as he set off, and Rin couldn't help but feel like he was being sent to his doom.

---

The Eastern Forest

The forest was quiet as Rin trudged along, his thoughts drifting. A rogue slime infestation, he thought bitterly. Can't believe this is my life now.

As he wandered deeper into the woods, a faint squelching noise caught his attention. He turned, spotting a faint trail of slime leading toward a grove. His eyes narrowed. He wasn't thrilled about fighting, but slimes were technically one of the lowest-ranked monsters, hardly dangerous.

"Okay," he muttered, trying to psych himself up. "Just a few slimes. I can do this."

He followed the trail cautiously, keeping his eyes peeled. Sure enough, as he entered the grove, he saw them—a dozen or so small, wobbly creatures with translucent bodies and big, round eyes.

One of them turned and made a soft "blorp" sound, its eyes widening as it spotted him.

Rin's heart pounded, and he took a shaky breath. "Alright, slimes," he said, voice trembling a bit. "It's… it's time to… um, be defeated!"

One of the slimes gave a little hop toward him, and Rin instinctively stepped back. Another one joined it, then another, until he realized all twelve were now bouncing his way.

"Oh, no," he muttered. "Oh no, no, no…"

The slimes advanced, and in a panic, Rin grabbed the nearest stick he could find. He swung it, whacking one of the slimes, but instead of being defeated, it split into two smaller slimes, both now glaring at him with what he could swear was annoyance.

Rin stared in horror. "What? They multiply?!"

The slimes wobbled closer, their "blorp" sounds turning more insistent. Rin swung wildly, trying to fend them off, but every hit seemed to just divide them further. Soon, he was surrounded by dozens of tiny, furious slimes.

"This isn't happening," he muttered, swinging the stick in every direction. But it was happening, and it was getting worse by the second.

Just as he was considering a strategic retreat (i.e., running away screaming), he felt his foot slip on a particularly slimy patch of ground. He tumbled backward, flailing, and landed on his back with a loud splat.

The slimes immediately surrounded him, closing in from all sides.

"No! Get away!" he yelped, scrambling to his feet and stumbling backward. He swung his stick again, managing to knock a few of them away, but for every slime he hit, it felt like two more popped up to take its place.

---

A Lucky Accident

Desperate, Rin stumbled back, flinging his arms in every direction. His hand brushed against something hard and rough—a large, dead branch hanging from a nearby tree. Acting on pure instinct, he grabbed it and gave it a sharp tug.

The branch snapped free, swinging down and crashing into the slimes with a loud crack, sending goo flying everywhere. The slimy remnants quivered, then slowly oozed away, defeated at last.

Rin dropped the branch, panting. His clothes were covered in slime, and his hair was sticking up in every direction. But somehow, miraculously, he'd done it.

He staggered back to the village, every step squishing as the slime seeped into his shoes. When he finally reached the village square, the villagers broke into applause, cheering and calling him "The Unstoppable Slime-Slayer."

Rin tried to protest, tried to explain how it was all a giant accident, but no one would listen. He was hoisted onto someone's shoulders, carried around as they celebrated his "victory."

By the time they let him go, he was exhausted, sticky, and utterly defeated. He trudged back to his apartment, collapsing onto his bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, he muttered, "This can't be happening… I just wanted a quiet life…"

But something told him his days of peace were over.