Kim Soo-hyun Begins the Rite of Passage
The Preparation Room. It had been a while since he had seen this space. The room resembled an ordinary bedroom so closely that anyone unaware of its purpose might mistake it for a cozy private space on Earth.
Suddenly, he felt that angels were unnecessarily considerate in certain aspects. He remembered trying to step outside through what looked like a front door due to the familiar environment when he first arrived here. The door didn't open, and he floundered in despair. He wondered if the angels had planned this intentionally.
[ Time remaining until the Rite of Passage: 03:27 ]
"3 minutes and 27 seconds. I should hurry."
He approached a large box in the center of the room. Sitting down near a corner, he opened the box, which contained various items needed for the Rite of Passage. There was no nostalgic fragrance, nothing he was interested in except quickly getting dressed. Even though he was okay with Seraph, he couldn't afford to be sent to the rite almost naked; it would instantly label him as a pervert.
After examining the items, he found that the skintight suit had the best performance but hesitated to wear it. Eventually, he opted for a simple outfit. He chose dark colors, avoiding anything too flashy, as he disliked getting dirty.
Honestly, he could pass the Rite of Passage in his current state within a day, or even destroy everything if he wanted to. But he didn't plan to reveal his full strength from the beginning. One of the main reasons he survived for ten years in Hall Plain was by hiding 30% of his abilities. He only exposed himself when his life was truly at risk.
'Which weapon should I choose...'
He pondered a bit while choosing a weapon. Even with bare hands, he could defeat the rite's boss monster, but it was better to carry at least one weapon for convenience. He planned something specific for this rite, so he packed a long sword and a detachable crossbow with plenty of bolts before closing the box.
He looked up at the sky, seeing the remaining time converge to zero.
"The preparation room time is over. We will now summon Kim Soo-hyun to the Rite of Passage space."
"Okay. Was I the last?"
"Yes. Anyway, we wish Kim Soo-hyun good luck. We will now proceed with the transmission."
It was then that he felt a tug around his navel as the summoning magic unfolded in the air. The summoning had begun.
"Transmission complete. The Rite of Passage is a test to determine if one is qualified to enter Hall Plain. Survive for seven days or reach the central warp gate within seven days to pass. Good luck to all participants."
The transmission was complete. He took in the fresh air and looked around. The air felt subtly different, and the sight of grass, trees, and soil indicated they were in a clearing in the forest. While the air was fresh and the breeze cool, there was a slightly unpleasant stickiness in the atmosphere.
'Let's see who else is here.'
The Rite of Passage was crucial for him. Hall Plain was a place where one couldn't survive alone. Even if just for exploitation, one needed companions.
The rite was a space where modern people, accustomed to their daily lives, experienced the extraordinary for the first time, with survival as a condition. The key was to achieve the goal by uniting with others who knew nothing. (Except for the special case of myself in my second run.) Therefore, those who survived together in the rite often formed strong bonds in Hall Plain. He planned to find such companions during this rite.
'Of course, I shouldn't accept just anyone as a companion.'
The place where he was summoned was the starting point of the rite. Ten years ago, he felt nothing entering this place, but the first time he entered the rite, knowing nothing, it was a nightmare. It even left him with trauma after entering Hall Plain.
He calmed his mind and observed his surroundings. As expected, he wasn't the only one transported. He saw people sitting around the clearing, looking anxious, some even whispering while glancing at him.
"Oppa... did you see that person just now?"
"Sola, be quiet."
"What do we do... it seems like we're not the only ones..."
"Stay still. That person is probably in the same situation as us."
Listening to their conversation, he guessed they were siblings. He walked towards the group of people. The atmosphere was quiet and subdued. It was understandable, considering they had just been thrust into the Rite of Passage and told to survive on their own. Everyone here must have received some explanation from the angels, just as he had.
'This is the starting point. Since I've returned to the past, it means I also met these users in the first run... What happened to them afterward...?'
He counted eight people in total. Would they be able to work together for the next seven days? He was confident in answering "no."
He struggled internally. This wasn't Hall Plain yet, just a space one would never return to after passing through. With his current power, saving everyone here would be easy, but he had no intention or desire to do so.
Revealing his abilities to save everyone here was something he must avoid. In Hall Plain, rumors spread rapidly, and those who maintained the status quo would quickly target anyone demonstrating overwhelming power. If word spread about a user using magic or defeating monsters with ease during the rite, it would cause trouble and could even lead to being murdered by "vagrants" out of jealousy or fear.
He wasn't a saint. Though he had done good deeds in Hall Plain, he had also committed bad ones when necessary, including robbery, looting, rape, and even murder. In Hall Plain, such acts were considered normal, and no one blamed anyone for them.
In any case, the most important thing here was to be selective. If he found someone worth making a companion, he would have to discreetly look after them for at least a year until they became a proper user.
His first plan after entering Hall Plain was to gather companions. The Rite of Passage was an ideal place for this. He set three criteria for selecting companions: first, ability and potential; second, disposition; and third, connection. Despite all the words, the main point was to save those who met his standards and leave the rest to their fate.
'Should I use the third eye?'
Except for the siblings, everyone was keeping a distance from each other. He chose a suitable spot, sat down, and calmly observed the people. If luck was on his side, he might see a familiar face.
The first person he noticed was a woman in a bank clerk's uniform. Though her features were unremarkable, her large eyes were trembling, and her lips quivered, suggesting she hadn't fully grasped the reality. He could sympathize with her feelings but decided to activate the third eye to get necessary information.
[ User Information (Player Status) ]
• Name: Lee Borim (0 years)
• Gender: Female (27)
• Height & Weight: 164.7cm, 58.3kg
• Alignment: Neutral Evil
[Strength 5] [Endurance 8] [Agility 11]
[Stamina 7] [Magic 9] [Luck 11]
(No remaining attribute points.)
'Wow.'
He chuckled and closed her status window. Initial stats were influenced by the user's potential, not just their physical condition. In other words, a woman didn't automatically have lower physical stats than a man.
But Lee Borim's potential was exceptionally low. Even if she entered Hall Plain, she would be useless according to his standards.
On a side note, stats increase rapidly in the early stages when training in Hall Plain. While his body was at its limit and couldn't improve much through training, regular users had no such restrictions. Even with these considerations, those who were destined to reach a certain level showed promise. But this person...
He clicked his tongue and turned his attention to another group. Next, he looked at the siblings sitting close together. The young man appeared young but had a sharp look, with furrowed brows and a hardened expression. He seemed younger than Kim Soo-hyun and had a somewhat arrogant demeanor, suggesting he was used to getting his way. On the ground near them were a long sword and a shield, a decent choice.
The woman next to him stayed close, resting her head on his shoulder. Her face wasn't visible as she kept her head down, but she appeared much calmer than her brother.
[ User Information (Player Status) ]
• Name: Ahn Hyun (0 years)
• Gender: Male (22)
• Height & Weight: 178.8cm, 73.2kg
Alignment: True · Neutral
[Strength 48] [Endurance 47] [Agility 52]
[Stamina 51] [Magic 35] [Luck 56]
(No remaining attribute points.)
[ User Information (Player Status) ]
• Name: Ahn Sol (0 years)
• Gender: Female (19)
• Height & Weight: 160.1cm, 45.2kg
• Alignment: Lawful Good
[Strength 8] [Endurance 17] [Agility 15]
[Stamina 21] [Magic 75] [Luck 100]
(No remaining attribute points.)
'What the... Is this girl a monster? Starting with 75 magic and 100 luck?'
The stats were beyond comprehension. He almost gasped but kept his lips tightly sealed to prevent any sound from escaping.
Strictly speaking, Ahn Hyun was a talent. Given no unusual circumstances, he could easily pass the Rite of Passage and survive in Hall Plain, possessing enough potential to do so. It was frustrating to admit, but his starting stats were even higher than Kim Soo-hyun's.
The real shock came from Ahn Sol's stats. Her strength, endurance, agility, and Stamine were negligible, but starting with 75 points in magic and 100 in luck was unheard of in Hall Plain. He tried to recall any memory of someone like her.
'The name Sol... Was there someone with that name...?'
As the name Sol came to mind, he remembered a secret class titled "Priest of Light" that appeared in the first timeline of Hall Plain. It was known as the ultimate priest class, and a user named "Sol" was known to have obtained it, later joining the Odin clan, one of the top user groups.
Ahn Sol and Sol. Just the same name, but Ahn Sol's stats alone suggested she had great potential. If they were siblings, it was likely that he would have to consider saving both. Given their abilities, they were more than worthy of becoming his companions, unlike the banker Lee Borim.
The impact of Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol's stats was so strong that he decided to continue observing the others in a counterclockwise direction. The next two men he focused on were quite different from each other.
The first was a short, older man with a reasonably strong build. His slightly hooked nose and rough skin gave him a sly appearance, and he seemed to be assessing the situation with a keen gaze.
The second was a student in a school uniform, with a pale face and a tear mole under his eye, looking very young and scared, hugging his knees tightly as if trying to protect himself.
'Neither seems familiar... Let's check their user information.'
[ User Information (Player Status) ]
• Name: Park Dong-gul (0 years)
• Gender: Male (39)
• Height & Weight: 173.4cm, 73.2kg
• Disposition: Chaotic Evil
[Strength 31] [Endurance 26] [Agility 39]
[Vitality 29] [Magic 29] [Luck 7]
(No remaining attribute points.)
[ User Information (Player Status) ]
• Name: Lee Shin-woo (0 years)
• Gender: Male (18)
• Height & Weight: 170.7cm, 58.4kg
• Alignment: Lawful Good
[Strength 25] [Endurance 23] [Agility 21]
[Vitality 27] [Magic 35] [Luck 57]
(No remaining attribute points.)
Although Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol's stats were surprising, Park Dong-gul and Lee Shin-woo's stats weren't bad (though not particularly good either).
Park Dong-gul had stats sufficient to survive the Rite of Passage, but his disposition was concerning. A disposition labeled as both "Chaotic" and "Evil" suggested he might have been a criminal in his previous life, and likely to become a "vagrant" in Hall Plain.
Conversely, Lee Shin-woo's stats were slightly below average for passing the Rite of Passage, but his magic stat was decent, and his luck showed high potential. His dual disposition of "Lawful" and "Good" indicated a fundamentally good nature.
Everyone, except Park Dong-gul, seemed lost in their thoughts or focused only on themselves or their companions. Park Dong-gul's eyes were filled with an unpleasant greed, his gaze lingering on the women in the group. Kim Soo-hyun had seen those eyes many times before, and he had worn that look himself at one point. He could roughly guess the nature of Park Dong-gul's desires. Though only a suspicion, he felt confident in guessing what crimes Park Dong-gul might have committed if he were a criminal.
Particularly disturbing was the way Park Dong-gul looked at Ahn Sol, licking his lips. This solidified Kim Soo-hyun's thoughts. He didn't particularly condemn the man but couldn't help but feel disdain.
Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Kim Soo-hyun prepared to use the third eye on the remaining two women.
"Ah, damn it."
At that moment, Park Dong-gul's coarse voice resonated loudly in the clearing.