I faintly heard some notices.
[Innate Ability 'Eye of Perception' has been successfully fused.]
[Innate Ability 'Eye of Perception' has awakened.]
I began to see the world around me again, and I also heard notices. It seemed, without a doubt, that I was alive. My ears picked up a voice.
"What was a fellow who went to study doing instead of studying?"
That truly blunt voice… was my older sister's, the same idiotic sister of mine who worked herself ragged in a superconductor factory trying to support me and ended up developing leukemia.
"Noona…?"
TN: Noona is a familiar term used by a male to refer to an older female.
My sister whipped around. As usual, she was the epitome of bluntness.
"It's fine as long as you're not dead."
And then, she left the hospital room. I focused on the sounds around me, and as if to prove that clearing the Tutorial wasn't a dream, I clearly heard a notice.
['Eye of Perception' is active.]
'Innate ability. Eye of Perception.'
'Calm Observer's Eye' and 'Sixth Sense' fused and were reborn into a new ability called 'Eye of Perception'. I had the feeling it was the biggest boon I'd gotten from the Tutorial Field.
'Eye of Perception is…'
I hadn't heard of it ten years ago. There was no 'Eye of Perception' among the prominent Rankers and the countless innate abilities they boasted. The innate ability latent within my body had awakened.
'First of all, I think it's enhancing my senses to their limits.'
I could hear every minute sound from outside the hospital room. They were really tiny sounds, but my ears picked them up. That had to be the power of 'Eye of Perception'. I focused and listened.
"Shoulda just gone and died if he was gonna die. Why make a person worry?" someone said, before crying in full force. Outside the room door, my older sister was crouching and crying. It seemed she had left quickly on purpose so she could hide her crying face. She was making muffled uwahh, uwahhhh sounds, but the sobs went from rather pitiable to bordering on funny. I could only guess she was crying with tears and snot all over her face.
'Noona. Sorry, but… I can hear everything.'
Thanks to Eye of Perception, I could hear every single thing. But the fascination about the fact I could hear such a minute sound came second. For some reason, my eyes began to redden.
After hearing my sister's sharp voice, it finally struck me.
'She's really alive.'
I had returned to the past, with my knowledge of the future intact, plus an innate ability of the highest level called 'Eye of Perception'. Enhancing my senses wasn't the only thing 'Eye of Perception' could do.
[Unawakened]
Name: Kim Ahyoung
Age: 24
State: Relieved / Happy / Worried
Disposition: Self-Sacrificing / Brusque / Loving
Summary: Devoted tsundere
Is unawakened.
The state/disposition/summary only show the most representative and can change according to the situation.
Because Eye of Perception's proficiency is not high enough, viewing more detailed information is impossible.
The summary seemed a little strange, but it wasn't really wrong. Devoted tsundere… was right, after all.
'Noona. You don't have to go to the superconductor factory anymore.'
No, it wasn't that she didn't have to go, but that I wouldn't let her go. Supporting her foolish little brother… was something she didn't have to do anymore.
'I'll make it so you can live in comfort.'
I couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but there was no doubt that my talent wasn't the same as before. I saw with my own eyes that I had talent and skills even greater than So Yoohyun's. As long as nothing happened, as long as there weren't any unexpected variables, there was a high chance that I could even become a Ranker. If that happened, our family would certainly be able to live well, without worries.
I filled my lungs, then belted out, "Noona! Buy me a lot of honey! I want to eat honey! A ton of it!"
My sister, crying outside, muttered, "What's that idiot going on about…?" She got to her feet. Eye of Perception captured every sound she made.
"Honey my ass. Does he wanna get beat up with honey, seriously."
She walked off, probably to buy me honey. I said I wanted to eat a lot of it, so she would probably go all out buying it.
I heard the sound of someone other than my sister sobbing.
"Mom." That one word made my eyes well with tears, too. "Don't cry. Your son isn't dead."
Mom wasn't able to stop her tears. Even though I was a son without a single redeeming feature, an eternal civil servant student, I was still her son.
My mom wasn't the only one next to my bed. There was also the kid who had helped me to the very end and called emergency services for me as soon as the Tutorial Field dissipated, Kang Sunhwa.
"Oppaaaaaaaa!!!"
Crying loudly, Sunhwa came bounding over to me as I laid on the hospital bed. She squeezed me tightly with her small body, which I found rather uncomfortable.
"Oi, oi, hurry and get off me."
"I'm so glad. I thought you died."
I snorted to myself, looking at the girl who had no intention of getting off me. Telling her to get off just made her stick even closer. She must have really thought that I had died, and that must have scared her. We'd only known each other for a few days, but she was already this fond of me.
'Though, well, we did save each other's lives.'
As far as relationships went, ours was indeed rather special. We'd gone through life and death together, so it wasn't surprising we'd be fond of each other. Of course, I wasn't seeing her as a woman or anything like that. It was more like looking at a dear niece.
"Hey, you smell like sweat."
Only then did the clingy Sunhwa scramble backwards. I felt like I could breathe again.
"I-I-I showered yesterday!"
"But you still smell?"
"I-I-I don't smell, okay?!"
"Eww, the smell."
I squeezed my nose shut. Sunhwa's face reddened, and she bolted out the door that my sister had left through.
'In any case…'
However things turned out, I had returned to the past. Here, in this place that had become my 'reality', my mom was here, and so was my sister. There was also Sunhwa, who had saved my life and had likewise been saved by me.
'This time…'
I would live well.
So Yoohyun, who received the 'Tutorial Ender' title and was registered in the 'Hall of Fame', became a famous figure overnight. He appeared multiple times on TV and was even called the Tutorial's Strongest. He was introduced as the most talented man in Korea.
–That's not true. I was simply lucky.
So Yoohyun replied with those words. Everyone thought he was just being modest, but So Yoohyun was dead serious.
'The true Tutorial Ender isn't me.'
The moment his consciousness began to trickle back, he saw the back of two people. One young girl, and one man. His eyesight was fuzzy, so he didn't get a clear look, but he was sure of it in his mind.
'It's the man I saw in Cheonggyecheon.'
There was no doubt. It was that man.
'Come to think of it, what was his name again?'
They hadn't exchanged names.
'Did that man… die?'
That man had come up to the 2nd floor of the Gwanghwamun D-Tower and tried to save the others, ultimately saving only Yoohyun before fleeing. The Magic Troll had gone off in hot pursuit. Yoohyun didn't think there was much of a chance he'd survived.
To the press, he said the following:
–There was a true hero in the Tutorial. I simply benefited from his kindness.
Yoohyun only said that much, no more and no less. He judged that if that man was alive, he would show himself on his own initiative. It could be disrespectful to run his mouth off when that person hadn't stepped forward yet.
'Could he be alive?'
Of course, he didn't know if that hero was alive, or if he was dead.
'If he's alive…'
If he was alive, then he was Yoohyun's life savior. Yoohyun owed that man his life, owed that man a favor that he absolutely had to repay.
"I hope you're alive, somewhere," thought Yoohyun from the bottom of his heart. He hoped there would be a chance for him to repay the favor.
* * *
One month passed.
'Slimes', neutral monsters that even civilians could kill if they put their minds to it, were a common sight along the road. It became daily life for local kids to play around with slimes. Within one month, the world became prepared to accept the existence of monsters, and concepts like 'Player' and 'Playing' began to take root.
'Difficulty: low."
For the time being, it would be safe… other than the 'dungeons' or 'gates'. At most, only monsters like 'City Foxes' or 'City Wolves' would show up. That being said, even City Foxes and City Wolves could be pretty dangerous for civilians.
–Two injuries and one death have come about from City Wolves…
Incidents caused by City Foxes or City Wolves occurred nearly every day. They were conditionally passive monsters, so they wouldn't attack if they weren't messed with, but people dying or getting injured because they provoked them for no good reason was commonplace.
–The authorities immediately sent police to suppress the City Wolves…
Foxes and wolves didn't have 'shields' because they were such elementary monsters.
'In time, monsters that can't be killed with scientific technology will start showing up.'
That would happen in one year. By then, the Players Association would be established, Players would have formed guilds among themselves, and the world would be more or less used to the 'System'. From that point on, the world would begin to change again, little by little.
'Until that happens, I'll make full preparations.'
I would use my knowledge of the future to the fullest, in order to live differently from the past. To live not as an eternal civil servant student, but as an upright and successful person.
Today's date was the 7th of June.
'Seoul Station.'
I took Sunhwa with me to Seoul Station. It was around 6 in the evening. Because people were getting off work and heading home, Seoul Station was extremely crowded.
'Seoul Station, Exit 2.'
Here, a small gate would form, a gate connected to the 'Seoul Station Dungeon'. The grade would be indicated as '—'. In other words, it had no grade. For convenience's sake, I called it a beginner dungeon.
People began to murmur.
"Huh? What's that?"
Some people even screamed. No wonder, because near Exit 2, something akin to a blackish red shimmer began to spread out in the air. The gate was around 2 meters large, at most—it wasn't a very big one. People kept their distance from it.
"Monsters won't pop out, will they?"
People hadn't yet forgotten that day in Jongno, the fateful beginning of the Cataclysm. It was the site of a terrible disaster where only 5,000 out of 150,000 people survived. Normal life was just beginning to resume, but another strange thing appeared before they could even fully get past the trauma of that day. It was only natural they would be apprehensive.
'But the world will change too much for you to be surprised by something like this.'
These people would also have to adapt in the future, to the new System and the new world. Those who weren't able to adapt would be eliminated. Just like me in the past.
"Let's go."
I headed towards the gate with Sunhwa. The gate was clickable.
[Seoul Station Dungeon Gate]
The gate to Seoul Station Dungeon.
There was no particular explanation. Perhaps because a gate had appeared, I heard the sirens of police cars coming from afar. The police were probably coming over to check the situation.
'It'll be troublesome if the police come.'
It would be best to go in quickly.
[Only Players can utilize the gate.]
[At least seven Players are recommended for this dungeon.]
[Required level: 10]
Both Sunhwa and I were Players, and we were over level 10.
'We're going in.'
I moved a few steps forward, and then, the world around me changed.
[You have entered Seoul Station Dungeon.]
[Channel #19207 has been opened.]
[Guardians have begun to enter.]
There, I was greeted with a familiar face, an Intermediate Administrator so beautiful it couldn't be put into words, with a pair of wings behind her back. It was, in our world's terms, Streamer Senia.
With an expressionless face, Senia said, "At least seven Players are recommended for this dungeon."
I ignored her, starting to walk forward.
"Player Kim Hyukjin. I offer this warning as an Intermediate Administrator. At least seven Players should enter. Do not leave the Safe Zone."
"How come?"
"Tackling this dungeon with two people is dangerous."
"…"
"The manual encourages this dungeon be Played by at least seven Players."
"…"
For a very brief moment, I waited. During this time, there were probably many Guardians streaming into Senia's Channel #19207.
'This should be long enough.'
After waiting a moment, I spoke to Senia. Or rather, I spoke to the Guardians watching down on us for their amusement.
"I said it before, didn't I?"
"Said what?"
"That I would show you how I Play."
If that was the way one had to adapt to this world, if that was the path to my success…
'I'll show you.'
I walked forward.
'How I adapt to this world.'
At the same time, I heard a new notice.
____