Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Black Bread
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‘This game's lore is something like that, I guess.’
Ignoring the unpleasant feeling from the grandiose word "Savior," he pressed the 'Next' button in the bottom right of the window.
[The next is the Skill Window. You can check the skills you've learned in the Skill Window.]
He had no skills learned yet, so the Skill Window was completely empty.
There were no particular questions from this explanation. He immediately pressed the 'Next' button.
[The next is the Inventory Window. This virtual storage, which every player has one of, is affected by weight. Items fill up....]
His actions, which had been listening attentively to the explanations so far, came to a complete halt. His gaze fixed on one spot, as if pinned by the voice. What captured his attention was an item nestled in the corner of the translucent floating Inventory Window.
‘Br, bread?’
There was rye bread, also known as black bread. It looked extremely hard and dark, not exactly high-quality bread.
But to him, who had survived by tearing into contaminated beast meat, the very existence of bread was a fantastical food he'd only seen in photos.
He hurriedly reached out. But his hand passed right through the window. He swung his hand several more times, but it only sliced through empty air each time.
‘Damn it! How do you take this out!’
Frustrated, he stomped his foot. Then, he suddenly noticed that the other items in the Inventory Window were sparkling. Come to think of it, the black bread was relatively shaded in darkness.
‘Do I have to take these out first?’
The sparkling items were weapons. He took a deep breath to calm his chest.
There were cold weapons like swords, spears, axes, bows, and even a staff with a small crystal attached. There was also a gun that looked crude. His eyes darted to the small description window next to the Inventory Window.
[Executing mock battle. Please select a weapon.]
[Confirm]
While he was distracted by the black bread, it seemed the mock battle had progressed. He reached for the gun, the most familiar one.
Whoosh!
He felt its weight. Along with an unfamiliar grip, a gun was suddenly in his hand. At the same time, all the weapons in the inventory vanished.
It was shaped like a pistol, but its design differed from the ones he'd used before. It looked crude at first glance.
‘What's the power like? How many rounds does it hold? What's the range?’
As he examined the gun intently, a translucent window appeared above it.
[Basic Gun]
One of the weapons given by default to those starting Arc. Single-shot. No value.
Damage: 11
Durability: 3 (Invalid during tutorial)
Required Strength: 12 (Invalid during tutorial)
‘Single-shot, huh.’
He frowned at the unappealing description.
It was crude, but fortunately equipped with basic sights. Keeping his sight aligned within the front sight, he aimed the gun around and began inspecting it thoroughly.
Click!
The middle part of the gun broke open. The empty barrel inside was revealed.
‘Break-action, then. Bullets?’
Ten bullets had appeared in his inventory. He took one out and examined it.
[Standard Bullet]
A basic bullet with no special treatment.
‘Gunpowder-based, huh.’
Railgun bullets didn't look like this, and laser guns didn't need bullets at all. He loaded the bullet into the gun.
Click!
The sound of metal interlocking rang out as the barrel, now holding the bullet, snapped shut. He aimed the muzzle at a nearby tree.
Bang!
Tree bark splintered, leaving a hole. He reloaded and fired a few more times. Perhaps because it was a mock battle, the used bullets regenerated in the inventory. Once he got a bit familiar with it, he pressed the 'Confirm' button.
Whoosh!
The Inventory Window disappeared. He was startled.
‘It, it's just the Inventory Window closing, right? The, the bread didn't disappear, did it?’
More than the mock battle starting, he was worried about the bread vanishing before his eyes. The chances of it being fine were much higher, but he couldn't suppress the constant rising anxiety.
‘Mock battle or whatever, I'll end it as fast as possible!’
Flash!
A burst of light flared not far away.
[The monster you'll face is the Giant Sewer Rat, a beginner monster.]
A Giant Sewer Rat the size of a small dog appeared before him. It glared at him with beady eyes.
[In this battle, the player takes no damage. Good luck on your first battle.]
-Squeeeeek!-
The Giant Sewer Rat let out a shrill cry and charged. It was large for a rat, but not that big a target. Plus, it moved, albeit slowly. Perfect situation to panic someone unfamiliar with guns.
But that didn't apply to him.
Bang!
Just one gunshot. No need for a second.
[A critical hit has landed.]
Thud!
The charging Giant Sewer Rat collapsed. A round hole pierced its forehead.
He stared at the smoking muzzle, then recalled the system voice from moments ago.
‘Critical hit? Like a critical strike? It pops up when damage is higher than normal, right? Because I nailed it right between the eyes?’
But his thoughts on the 'critical hit' stopped there.
‘Anyway, I took that guy down. Now can I get the bread? It should be there. It has to be!’
That's why he'd ignored scouting and just shot a hole through the Giant Sewer Rat's forehead.
Then, a sudden thought made him look back at the Giant Sewer Rat.
‘Can I eat that?’
But that hope vanished in an instant.
Whoosh!
The Giant Sewer Rat's corpse was enveloped in light and disappeared. Despair washed over him.
‘The bread's really fine, right?’
Losing meat right in front of him intensified his craving for bread. Fortunately, his worry proved unfounded.
[Mock battle ended. As you successfully completed the mock battle, here is a small reward. 5 Lowest Potions added to inventory. You can open the Status Window, Skill Window, and Inventory Window by calling their names.]
“In, Inventory Window!”
How long had it been since he last spoke aloud? He hadn't talked to anyone since his parents passed.
Right after they died, he used to talk to himself often, but over time, his words dwindled. It didn't take long for even that soliloquy to vanish.
And now, for the first time in years, he opened his mouth.
His pronunciation was slurred from lack of use, and his voice was hoarse. But it was enough.
The translucent Inventory Window appeared before him. Seeing the black bread still prominently in one slot, he broke into a wide grin.
It still couldn't be withdrawn, as the shading hadn't disappeared. But just knowing the black bread still existed brought immense relief.
[To store an item, drag it to the desired inventory slot.]
He tapped the inventory slot where the gun had been with the gun's tip. The gun vanished in an instant, replaced by its icon in the inventory.
[The method to close windows is....]
No need to listen to this. He pressed the prominent 'X' button, and the window closed.
[This concludes the tutorial.]
‘Yeah! End it quick!’
His mind was entirely filled with thoughts of black bread. But contrary to his wish, the voice continued.
[This device has a strategy guide for Arc installed. Would you like to activate the strategy guide?]
‘Huh?’
Strategy guide. A compilation of various methods and explanations to make games easier.
Originally referring to books or magazines, it soon expanded to files compiling game strategies.
Further along, it evolved into programs that intervene in the system itself, providing tips throughout the game.
‘Activate.’
No need to hesitate. Strategy guides contain all sorts of info—maybe even on beautiful scenery or delicious foods.
[Strategy guide activated. You can now receive help from the strategy guide.]
‘Is it over now? It has to be.’
Why the hell a tutorial, anyway? He'd have been lost without it, but resentment still bubbled up.
Fortunately, the strategy guide mention truly was the final step, much to his joy and relief.
[We will now begin the main game. Enjoy fun and exciting days in the beautiful, fantastical world of Arc!]
Vmmm!
With a faint buzz, his vision went dark again. Moments later, he stood in a plaza.
A clean fountain bubbled, lined by quaint wooden houses. The ground was neatly paved with flat stones, and merchants around the plaza had opened shops selling various goods.
And the people passing by. The first humans he'd seen since his parents. Even if they were NPCs.
It was the beautiful in-game scenery he'd longed for. But right now, he had no leisure to admire it.
“Inventory Window!”
He shouted loud enough to shake the village. He didn't care about the strange looks from others.
He wasn't delicate enough to react to every program movement. Even if he were, he wouldn't care now.
The Inventory Window opened. With trembling hands, he carefully placed them on the black bread icon.
And finally!
A fist-sized black bread was in his grasp.
[Black Bread]
The most basic food made with rye as the base and various grains added. Rough, hard, and tasteless.
HP Recovery: 5
The description for the black bread appeared, but he didn't even glance at it.
Chomp!
He shoved the black bread into his mouth. A rock-hard, rough texture scraped his mouth. But he somehow tore into the bread with his teeth.
It was called rock-hard, but compared to the beast meat he ate, it was nothing. That meat was so tough no human jaw could tear it without Nano Machine power.
Munch! Munch!
He frantically chewed the bread now in his mouth. Being low-quality, it didn't chew easily, but he kept working his jaw.
A thudding, cloying taste spread. Anyone accustomed to oily, abundant food would grimace and spit it out. But to him, it was a heart-wrenching delight.
He found nuttiness in the blandness, fragrance in the thudding texture.
Drip!
A single tear fell from the感動. He devoured the bread until it was completely gone from his hand.
Swallowing it down his throat felt so regrettable; the fantastical time flew by. When the black bread in his hand was gone, he unhesitatingly reached for the Inventory Window again without hesitation.
There had been five black breads total. One eaten, four left. Standing there, he devoured them all in an instant.
“Haa~!”
A satisfying time. Lost in ecstasy, he ran his tongue over his mouth. Lingering flavors stimulated his tongue here and there.
At the same time, deep regret surged. Staring at the now-empty inventory slot where the black bread had been, he smacked his lips.
‘It's a game, so there must be ways to get more. It was given right at the start, so it should be easy to obtain.’
Only after reassuring himself like that did he finally turn his attention elsewhere.
With his hunger sated, he focused on the situation before him, revealing a whole new world. Unlike the crumbling, ruined gray city of reality, vibrant energy bounced throughout the village.
But even now, his attention went not to the village panorama, but elsewhere first.
‘Water!’
Seeing the fountain ahead, Yuseong's eyes lit up. Unlike the yellowish water of reality mixed with who-knows-what, the fountain water was crystal clear, like something from a book.
He walked to the fountain and plunged his face in. Cool water filled his mouth. He gulped it down deeply.
“Pha!”
Lifting his head, water splashed out. He wiped the water from his eyes.
‘My god!’
He was moved by the water's taste. It was flavorless, but compared to reality's stench-filled water, nothing was tastier.
He dunked his face in the fountain several more times, drinking greedily.
Only after satisfying his immediate thirst could he finally move properly.
First, he needed to check out the village. He began wandering it. Water dripped from his wet clothes and hair, but he paid it no mind.
‘It’s not that big.’
The village was small enough to tour entirely in about 30 minutes. Walking the streets, Yuseong suddenly halted before a shop, rooted in place.
‘It’s here after all!’
A savory aroma tickled his nose. A beautiful sight he couldn’t tear his eyes from. It was a bakery selling black bread. Besides black bread, it had a few other breads too.
‘Ar, are they tastier than black bread? They must be?’
Food tastier than black bread. Unimaginable. His heart pounded with anticipation.
But with heroic self-restraint, he held back from rushing in. Eating five black breads had helped prevent that. Without it, he’d have grabbed the display foods immediately.
Still, his lingering attachment to food, including black bread, overflowed; he had to keep chiding himself until he left the shop front.
After touring the entire village, he returned to the fountain.
‘To buy food, I need to trade.’
He knew the concept of trade. While he’d been drooling over the display foods, he’d seen someone hand over round metals and take food.
‘They said you use money, right?’
Exchanging processed metal you can’t eat for precious food—an incomprehensible act. But he had to follow it.
‘Taking items without trading is a crime, and committing crimes as a criminal brings various penalties, they said.’
If village access got banned. If that cut him off from those delicious foods.
Shiver!
A chill ran down his spine, making him tremble.