The Spectacular Rank F Hero

Rin woke up the next morning with his muscles aching, his clothes still faintly smelling of slime, and his mind buzzing with disbelief. He replayed the events of yesterday in his head as he rolled over in bed, groaning. Why do they think I'm some kind of legendary hero? He'd only survived the rogue slime attack by accident, and yet, here he was, the village's supposed hero-in-the-making.

Suddenly, his front door swung open, and Taemin burst in, his face beaming. He held up a newspaper in one hand and an apple in the other. "Morning, hero!"

Rin groaned. "You need to stop letting yourself in here. And I'm not a hero."

"Not according to this!" Taemin said, waving the newspaper in front of his face. Rin squinted at the headline:

"Rank F Hero Defeats Rogue Slime Horde Single-Handedly!"

Beneath the headline was a blurry photo of Rin standing in the village square, covered in slime, looking absolutely miserable. Villagers surrounded him, clapping and cheering as if he'd slain a dragon instead of fending off a few slimy blobs.

"This… this isn't real," Rin muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I'm not even a good Rank F hero."

"Doesn't matter," Taemin said, grinning ear to ear. "The village is convinced you're amazing. They've even started calling you the 'Slime Slayer.' And the Hero Guild caught wind of it. Look at this." He pulled out an official letter bearing the Hero Guild's seal.

Rin hesitantly took the letter and opened it. His eyes widened as he read:

---

Dear Hero Rin Park,

Due to your recent accomplishments in the field, the Hero Guild has decided to place you under review for potential ranking advancement. Your next mission will be assigned shortly.

Thank you for your dedicated service.

---

Rin blinked, reading the letter twice just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "They're… considering promoting me?"

Taemin slapped him on the back. "See? You're not Rank F anymore! You're on your way up. You'll be like those famous heroes soon. Maybe they'll even give you an official nickname."

Rin's face fell. "I don't want an official nickname. I just want… normalcy."

But Taemin was already hyping himself up, listing all the cool names he thought Rin might get, while Rin sank back into his bed, wishing for his quiet, uneventful life to return.

---

The Next Mission

That afternoon, Rin found himself summoned back to the Hero Guild's local office. It was a small building, modestly decorated, with the typical posters of famous heroes gracing the walls. Rin tried not to look at them; every time he did, he felt like they were watching him, judging him for his completely accidental "heroics."

The same stern guild official from the previous day greeted him, holding yet another clipboard.

"Rin Park," she said without looking up, "we have a new mission for you. The Guild is keen to assess your abilities further."

Rin tried to keep his voice steady. "Um… okay. What's the mission?"

"Simple. We've had complaints about a group of goblins setting up camp just outside the village. They've been raiding supplies and causing minor trouble. We need you to handle it."

Rin's heart sank. Goblins. Even a lowly Rank F hero like him knew that goblins weren't as harmless as slimes. They were sneaky, organized, and could get aggressive if provoked. But he knew there was no point in arguing.

"Understood," he mumbled, gripping the mission form with sweaty hands.

The official glanced up, her gaze sharp. "Given your last mission's… results, we're optimistic. But remember, hero work is dangerous, and Rank F heroes don't often get a second chance."

Rin nodded, barely able to keep from shivering under her piercing stare. Why did I ever agree to this?

---

Into the Goblin Camp

Later that day, Rin found himself trudging through the dense forest on the outskirts of the village, armed with nothing but a rusty sword he'd borrowed from the village's blacksmith. He didn't know how to use it, but it was better than nothing.

As he neared the goblin camp, he could hear their shrill voices chattering, arguing over food scraps and shiny trinkets. Rin crouched behind a bush, peeking through the leaves. There were at least five goblins, maybe more, gathered around a makeshift fire, laughing as they tossed stolen food to each other.

Rin's heart hammered. What am I supposed to do? He looked down at his sword, feeling the weight of it, wishing he knew even the basics of sword fighting.

Maybe… maybe I can scare them off? he thought, glancing around for anything that could help him. His eyes landed on a stack of dry leaves nearby. An idea started forming—a bad one, but he didn't have much choice.

---

The "Plan"

Rin crept over to the leaves, gathering a pile of them in his arms. He placed them close to the goblin campfire, hoping the goblins wouldn't notice him sneaking around in the shadows.

With a deep breath, he pulled out a small matchbox he'd brought from his apartment, struck a match, and dropped it on the pile of leaves. They quickly caught fire, sending up a cloud of thick, black smoke.

The goblins jumped to their feet, screeching in alarm as the smoke billowed into the air. They stumbled back, coughing and waving their arms to clear the smoke. Rin seized the moment, charging in with his sword raised, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Get out of here, you goblins!"

The goblins, disoriented by the smoke and the sudden yelling, panicked. They scrambled over each other, grabbing their stolen goods and fleeing into the forest, too frightened to put up a fight. Rin barely had to swing his sword; the sight of him alone was enough to send them running.

He blinked, looking around in amazement as the goblin camp emptied in seconds. "It… it actually worked?" he muttered to himself, staring at the trail of smoke left behind.

Just as he was starting to feel relief, he heard a new noise—a rustling in the bushes nearby. His stomach dropped. Please don't be more goblins…

But it wasn't goblins. A low growl filled the air as a wolf, larger than any Rin had ever seen, stepped out of the shadows, its eyes locked onto him with a hungry gleam.

"Oh no," Rin whispered, gripping his sword tighter, though he wasn't sure it would help.

---

A Lucky Break

The wolf circled him, its sharp fangs glinting in the fading light. Rin took a shaky step back, his mind racing. Why did it have to be a wolf? He wasn't sure how to fend off a goblin, let alone a wild animal.

The wolf lunged at him, and Rin yelped, ducking out of the way just in time. He stumbled backward, tripping over a fallen branch. As he fell, his sword flew from his hand and landed a few feet away.

The wolf growled again, advancing on him, its eyes fixed on its prey. Desperate, Rin scrambled to his feet, looking around for anything he could use. His gaze fell on the campfire, which was still smoldering.

Without thinking, he grabbed a half-burned stick from the fire, brandishing it like a weapon. The wolf stopped, sniffing the air, its nose wrinkling at the scent of smoke. Rin waved the stick wildly, hoping the smoke and flames would keep the wolf at bay.

"Stay back!" he shouted, his voice trembling. "I—I'm warning you!"

To his surprise, the wolf hesitated, eyeing the smoldering stick warily. Rin took a shaky step forward, waving the stick in its face. The wolf growled but backed away, its instincts telling it to avoid the fire.

Seizing the opportunity, Rin took a few more steps, each one making the wolf retreat until it finally turned and bolted back into the forest.

Rin let out a long, shaky breath, dropping the stick and collapsing to his knees. "I can't believe that actually worked," he muttered, his heart still pounding. "I just… scared off a wolf."

As he gathered his things and made his way back to the village, he couldn't help but smile, despite himself. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be a hero, but somehow, he kept stumbling his way through these "missions."

---

A Surprising Reward

When he returned to the village, Rin found the townsfolk waiting for him in the square, their faces filled with anticipation. When they saw him, they erupted into cheers, congratulating him on another successful mission.

"Did you really drive off the goblins and a wolf?" one of the villagers asked, eyes wide with admiration.

Rin opened his mouth to explain, but Taemin jumped in, clapping him on the back. "Of course he did! Rin Park, the fearless Slime Slayer, is also the hero of the forest now!"

Rin tried to protest, to explain that it had been another series of accidents, but the villagers wouldn't listen. They handed him a small pouch of coins as a reward, their cheers ringing in his ears as he was once again hoisted onto someone's shoulders and paraded