'Level 15.'
From level 15 onwards, it was possible to use the 'Item Shop'. Sure enough, I got a notice telling me that.
[You can now use the Item Shop.]
[The Item Shop is Tutorial-Grade.]
[The Tutorial-Grade Item Shop can be used through an 'Intermediate Administrator'.]
Intermediate Administrator was System lingo for what we called Streamer, so Senia. She had been continuously trailing me, observing me the whole time, just as I wanted. It was because I made for pretty great quality material.
"Senia."
Senia appeared, seemingly knowing why I called her.
"I will give you an explanation of the Item Shop."
Originally, the Shop hadn't been opened in the Tutorial, so even though I was already very familiar with it, I decided to listen to Senia's explanation anyway.
"We are currently in the Tutorial Field. The Item Shop's grade has been set to 'Tutorial', and as such, only four items can be purchased."
There wasn't anything all that special in her explanation. I opened up the Item Shop.
[Item Shop – Tutorial-Grade]
Low Constitution Potion 100 Coins
Low Mana Potion 100 Coins
Low Cure Potion 200 Coins
Low Safe Zone Return Scroll 3000 Coins
Like Senia said, the Tutorial-grade Item Shop had a lot of limitations.
'There are only four things I can buy, but…'
In the Tutorial, this was already plenty. Plus, I had 8,000 Coins in my possession.
"I ask Player Kim Hyukjin once again. Do you really not have a True Name?"
"You don't need to know."
I didn't even know what a True Name was. At my response, Senia's wings trembled again. She was as expressionless as ever, but when she spoke to me again, her voice was at least half a pitch higher.
"I am not very curious about it either."
It looked like she was lying through her teeth and was actually very curious, but I didn't pay much attention to her. I looked once again in the direction the Fist King, So Yoohyun, and the others had gone. At the end of that path was the D-Tower.
'If I have these…'
With the potions, it was doable. I didn't have to use the level up trick like I did when hunting the miniboss, the Goblin Soldier, because I could definitely handle it by using the Constitution and Cure Potions.
"Player Kim Hyukjin."
"What?"
"You haven't checked the Excellent Hunter title."
There could only be one reason why she was saying such a thing. She wanted to make it public to the Guardians. She wanted to tell them the Player she was broadcasting earned this and that kind of title, by doing A, B, C. I was sure the Guardians were also on the edge of their seats.
"Yeah. I'll check it now."
"Will you check the Excellent Hunter title?"
"But I'll do it on my own."
"…"
Senia's face was as flat as usual.
"You don't look so happy? Did you think I would open up a public window and let you take a look?"
"As I have emphasized time and time again, I am not curious about you in the least."
After saying so, Senia returned to her opaque state, as if to say she wouldn't meddle with me anymore.
'She's a total newb.'
I saw how cleverly the Streamers handled Rankers ten years later, and in my eyes, Senia seemed like a true beginner of beginners. In other words…
'She's easy for me to handle.'
It was good for me. To become an 'amazing Player', it would be best not to publicize my information to the Guardians too much. It was most advantageous for the Player to maintain a certain level of mystery. That would stimulate the curiosity of the Guardians, and it was my job right now to slowly sate their desire.
'Let's see here.'
What kind of title did I get from killing the Hidden Monster, a Lycanthrope, that appeared on the Hidden Field? Normally, it was an impossible monster for someone of my level to hunt. I turned my attention to checking what kind of reward I had received from it.
'Check.'
I opened the title description.
[Excellent Hunter]
A special title only given on the Tutorial Field.
Applies only to creatures recognized by the System as 'non-sentient beings'.
20% additional damage.
+10% movement speed.
Ability to use the skill 'Hunter's Strike'—a low chance to ignore the prey's unique trait.
'Non-sentient beings means…'
That would include the Lycanthrope I had just hunted, the City Wolves, the City Foxes, and other monsters of that nature. Goblins probably fell under the umbrella as well. It applied to most low-level monsters.
'It'll definitely be good in the lower-level period.'
Most sentient monsters were high-level and tricky to fight. That meant it would be a long time before I came in contact with them, and in the lower-level period, this title would be extremely useful.
'Can't believe I got two titles in the Tutorial.'
It was a boon I hadn't even dreamt of. That was something no one in the past had ever achieved. Even the Fist King So Yoohyun only ever got the 'Tutorial Ender' title.
'I even got a skill.'
The skill came with an additional effect.
'A low chance to ignore the prey's unique trait.'
This was pretty good in its own way, too, though it was unfortunate it was only a 'low chance'. Whenever a monster had some kind of unique defense ability, I could pierce through it.
After hunting the Lycanthrope, I was lost in thought for a moment. It was obscured by buildings, but it felt like I could see it clearly—the D-Tower.
"Sunhwa."
"Yes?"
"We're going to D-Tower."
"That's the place where we killed the Goblin Soldier, right? The Tutorial Dungeon."
"Yes."
To be precise, we were heading to the 2nd floor of the D-Tower. So Yoohyun and his group had likely already gone that way. By now…
'They're probably looking around the 1st floor.'
I didn't think they had gone up to the 2nd floor yet.
"Oppa, are you thinking about the 2nd floor over there?"
"Yeah."
"You said it was extremely dangerous."
That was definitely true. That thing on the 2nd floor wasn't something that could be hunted by normal means. Even the Fist King So Yoohyun said later that going in there was the thing he regretted most.
"Think about when we first met."
The very first time we had met, this child was hardly a match for a baby Goblin. All she could do was beg for help, shaking in fear.
"It hasn't even been one week, but what do you think will happen if you meet a baby Goblin now?"
Even if a Goblin swarm were to appear, with this kid's physical ability, she would be fine. Sunhwa quickly picked up on what I was trying to say.
"That oppa has become that much stronger? Way more than you expected?"
"…"
I didn't respond. At that, Sunhwa crossed her arms and nodded, her expression incredibly serious. Then, she mumbled like a sage who had uncovered all of the hidden truths and principles of the world. "Figures, oppa is an outstanding ultra genius, after all."
"Right. I'm also a little confused."
By my original standards, Sunhwa was the real genius, but it seemed like I was even more of a genius than her. Or rather, considering the current situation, that was a fact.
I thought of the D-Tower, the 2nd floor.
'There's no chance of winning with a direct confrontation.'
But there were also no tricks that worked on it, like with the Lycanthrope. It was actually a very tricky opponent. That was why I wanted to avoid it, if at all possible, but the situation had changed. I knew that monster very well, and I came to the conclusion that with my current skills, I could definitely kill it.
'I have a plan.'
I outlined the plan from start to finish in my head. It would be a lie to say it wouldn't be dangerous, but…
'I can definitely do it.'
I could do it. I had the confidence to make it happen.
'No. I want to make it happen.'
The desire to accomplish and succeed was growing and swirling within my chest, a feeling that was almost a first for me in my entire life. During my days as a civil servant student, I didn't feel anything like this. One thing was for sure—the current me was different from the past me.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to. Go to a Safe Zone and hide."
If everything went as planned, as I imagined, I would go far beyond simply surviving the Tutorial and would be able to gain something far greater.
How many times had I seized such opportunities in my life? Never.
I hadn't had any opportunities. My mom passed early, my sister became sick with leukemia, and I was stuck being a civil servant.
But now, it was time for me to seize my chance.
So Yoohyun's group entered the D-Tower and heard the notice saying it was the Tutorial Dungeon. At the word 'dungeon', So Yoohyun brought his guard up.
"What's going on? There's nothing here?"
"Yeah, I was nervous for nothing."
They flattered themselves for having adapted fairly well to the System.
"But it's a tutorial anyway, right? How strong could something possibly be?"
Meanwhile, So Yoohyun discovered something.
'That's…'
He approached an ATM. The ATM screen had been completely torn apart. It looked like something with tremendous torque had punched through it.
'What the heck could it have been? I haven't seen such destructive force outside.'
Goosebumps rose on his arms. That was how terrifying the destructive force appeared to be.
'Not even I could have survived that.' So Yoohyun had a hunch. 'Someone… was already here.'
He believed someone had come here, cleared it, and left. At least the 1st floor, that is.
'Who could it have been?'
For some reason, one person appeared in his mind. He recalled that man with the powerful presence, the man who had been with the young girl. Why that was the case, he didn't know, but that was the face that came to mind. That very ordinary-looking person had left a strong impression on Yoohyun.
Just then, someone shouted, "Over here! You can click the escalator over here!"
It was like an RPG game. It went without saying that it wasn't like moving your mouse to actually click on a button. Looking at the escalator with your eyes was enough to know that it was a clickable 'object'.
[Escalator Going to the 2nd Floor]
An escalator going to the Main Field of D-Tower, the 2nd Floor. Can transport fifteen people at once.
Cooldown: Twenty minutes
Several people buzzed in excitement.
"What should we do? Should we try going up to the 2nd floor?"
These people had already felt that Playing was rather fun. In other words, they were people with the right personality to become 'Rankers'. Someone who didn't think Playing was fun could not become a Ranker. After all, thinking of Playing in that way was a type of talent in itself. They felt themselves grow hot with excitement.
"Won't it be dangerous?"
"Other than the 1st and 2nd waves, it wasn't that dangerous."
"But it's still a dungeon… and the Tutorial Field will end in a little bit. I have the feeling we shouldn't overdo it…"
So Yoohyun fell into deep contemplation.
'Do we have to go up?'
If surviving was his goal, then it would probably be fine to stay here. Did they really have to raid the 2nd floor? It also seemed like monsters didn't really respawn here, making it a comparatively safe place.
"What do you think, Mr. So Yoohyun?"
Just then, he heard a notice.
[The Tutorial Field will be open for 24 more hours.]
For some unknown reason, the contents of the quest were altered.
[The contents of the Tutorial Quest have been altered.]
[If Players fail to clear the Tutorial Dungeon, all people within the Tutorial Field will die.]
This was a 'Tutorial Field-wide notice'. The answer was predetermined. So Yoohyun made his decision.
"We're going in."
"Sounds good. Well, with you around, everything'll die in one hit."
Everyone other than So Yoohyun was full of confidence. They activated the escalator heading to the 2nd floor.
Completely unaware of what was waiting for them, they teleported to the 'Tutorial Dungeon 2nd Floor Raid' that the Fist King So Yoohyun would later consider his 'greatest regret'.
* * *
A few minutes prior
We saw the D-Tower in the distance.
"We ended up coming back," she said.
Kang Sunhwa had followed before, saying, "I just want to Play. I think I can be of help, too." She didn't have the pros and cons calculations or complicated thoughts adults commonly entertained. She simply followed, all for the vague reason that she might be helpful.
"Yeah."
I hadn't expected we'd be coming back here, either. Gwanghwamun D-Tower, the place with the miniboss monster, the Goblin Soldier. We had come back.
We heard a notice, a field-wide notice that rang out in the entirety of the Tutorial Field.
[The contents of the Tutorial Quest have been altered.]
[Please clear the Tutorial Dungeon.]
[If Players fail to clear the Tutorial Dungeon, all people within the Tutorial Field will die.]
Such a notice hadn't existed in the history I had studied. It was devastating. If the Tutorial Dungeon wasn't cleared, all 150,000 people on the field would die.
I didn't panic.
'The quest is different.'
The situation had changed. However—
'Me being here is also different.'
Two people who hadn't existed in the events from ten years ago were here. I didn't feel all that bothered by the fact the quest had changed. As sudden as it was, I accepted it without a fuss.
[Entering the Tutorial Dungeon, D-Tower.]
Two people who hadn't existed here ten years ago, me and Kang Sunhwa, entered the Tutorial Dungeon.
____