The Beta Tester's Secret Blessing

I confirmed the existence of the beta tester-exclusive perk. It wasn’t merely a modest bonus honoring veteran players. ‘Is this really okay?’ At least one thing I could say with confidence: no player from the previous game could exploit buffs as effectively as I could.

That was why doubt crept in. Why had Mason granted me this perk?

‘The warning that your character gets deleted the moment you’re caught.’ That alone would quickly snuff out any controversy. ‘It means enjoy it as long as you don’t get caught, right?’ I decided to rationalize it. After all, the perk wasn’t completely broken, and the minimum balance considerations made the justification possible.

Slurp. For a quick test, I scooped up some water from the fountain and drank it.

“Huh?” A message stating that the Eternal stat granted by the perk had suddenly risen. I hadn’t done anything else. It appeared simply from drinking water.

The hidden stat I had been cautiously hoping for had grown. Two buffs that would significantly influence character growth now persisted permanently. ‘Never-drying water. And beginner villages.’ Thanks to the intuitive clues, realization came instantly. My growth path was decided. ‘I’ll have to plan my route around the beginner villages.’

No matter which country’s players they were, everyone starting this game for the first time spawned at the fountain in a beginner village. According to Sung-chul hyung, there were a total of 150 beginner villages. Except for certain countries, players spawned in different villages. For example, users connecting from Korea started in Liam Village. ‘Next time, I should check out beginner villages from other countries too.’ I lacked information. Most of what I knew came from Kim, the former team leader—now Sung-chul hyung.

—Liam might be called a beginner village, but it’s basically a city. Just being sandwiched between China and Japan brings in an enormous amount of capital. It’s far more developed than most beginner villages.

—Thanks to that, the money I’ve made in-game has long since surpassed my salary. It’s just… because of that bastard Team Leader Park that I’m still here. Just watch a little longer.

I organized my thoughts and laid out my plans. Naturally, leveling was the top priority. No matter how permanently the buffs lasted, nothing was as certain as the gap in character levels. Near Liam, there was a hunting ground beyond the north gate that I could challenge using knowledge from the previous game.

“Oh. You already drank it? You should eat this bread right before hunting for maximum efficiency. The buff only lasts thirty minutes.”

“Hmm?” I must have caused a small commotion without realizing it. AndyTV’s owner—the veteran who had given me the bread earlier—started paying attention to me again.

“Here. Take one more bread. I’m giving it because you subscribed to the channel.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

“Since you’ve had the bread, head straight to the beginner training ground. You can get a small hidden reward by hitting the scarecrow with 10 Strength at level 1.”

“A hidden reward?”

“Yes. The wooden sword given directly by the training instructor NPC performs much better than a regular one. Its durability is also extremely high, so it lasts a long time.”

“Oh. Thank you. I’ll head to the training ground as you said.”

As expected, the bread from the veteran wasn’t ordinary. It was filled with arrangements to help newbies obtain the hidden reward by precisely raising Strength by 5.

“After you get the instructor’s special wooden sword, try hunting the rabbits in the forest east of the village. Quite a few people feel repulsed when killing living creatures. You’ll need time to adjust.”

This time, the advice even considered users who were experiencing virtual reality games for the first time.

“Can I earn money by catching rabbits?”

“Of course. Professional merchants are always waiting near the entrance of the eastern forest to buy various animal carcasses. Animals killed with a wooden sword without damaging the hide can be sold at full price.”

“I see. Thank you for the information.”

“Do you see the flag over there? That’s where the training ground is. Go on.”

After expressing additional thanks, I arrived at the beginner training ground. In front of a scarecrow in the corner, I encountered another newbie player I had briefly seen at the fountain.

“New recruit? Follow me.”

After receiving a training wooden sword from the training ground soldier NPC, I was guided to an unoccupied scarecrow.

“The red-painted parts are vital points. The color changes every time you strike them with precise force. Once all vital points turn white, report to the training instructor.”

“Understood.”

Aside from the magical processing applied to the scarecrow, it was quite an interesting one. Especially since it displayed all the vital points of humans and demi-humans I had faced in the previous game.

Thwack! Thwack!

“Strength isn’t everything! I told you to aim precisely!”

“Gah! Damn it!”

The newbie had probably eaten the bread as well. Information about the hidden wooden sword obtainable at level 1 seemed fairly well-known. Even so, he was struggling to subdue the scarecrow.

‘The grip method is the same as in the previous game. The center of gravity is dispersed, so of course it’s hard to hit accurately.’ I finished my own feedback. Now it was time for serious rehabilitation. The sense of disconnect with my previous body, which had been overflowing with strength, was so great that I needed time to adapt to my current physique. I had also been worn down by office work for a long time.

“……” The target doesn’t move. So I decided to adopt the most powerful striking stance I had learned through self-study.

“Hoo.” Feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, left foot pulled back at a 45-degree angle. Weight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠evenly distributed on both feet but slightly forward. Back straight but not rigid, gathering strength in the lower abdomen. Then I adjusted the distance to the first target.

BOOM! The scarecrow’s bright red crown instantly turned white.

“……What was that sound?” Without resisting the recoil, I brought it to a mid-level stance. I quickly corrected my slightly loosened grip and continued the barrage.

BOOM! The scarecrow’s neck turned pure white. That was one breath.

“Hup!” Changing my grip, I thrust the wooden sword into the still-bright-red heart of the scarecrow.

THUD! Then a follow-up strike to the bright-red solar plexus.

THUD!

“Hoo.” The scarecrow’s heart and solar plexus turned pure white. Exhaling, I quickly prepared the next strike.

“That newbie’s skill is unbelievable. Is he a knight?”

“More than that. He might be one of those special foreigners the instructor always compares us to during training. I heard there were a few such foreigners last year too.”

I changed my grip. The target was low. Lowering my waist and twisting to secure maximum range of motion, I drew kinetic energy from the tips of my toes upward.

BOOM! The scarecrow’s final vital point raised the white flag.

“……” I still felt that my current strength was lacking. Normally, the scarecrow should have split in half from the very first strike. My response to recoil was also insufficient. I should have controlled the wooden sword far more nimbly and struck with greater precision. Stamina was the same. After just a few breaths, my heart was pounding as if it would burst. ‘I need to get more of a feel for it.’ Thanks to the fountain buff persisting permanently, my stamina recovered at a rapid pace. Since my maximum stamina had been low to begin with, it happened in an instant.

“Huu……” There were still over a hundred bright-red scarecrows left. I judged that if I turned them all pure white, I could regain at least some sense of my former self.

“Stop, foreigner.” A dignified voice came from behind. Turning my head, I saw the training instructor who had been sitting far away.

“What is it?”

“That’s enough demonstrating your skill. You must have been an absurdly strong warrior in your homeland as well.”

“……Pardon?”

“These scarecrows are prepared for the weak. They are also an important asset of the kingdom.”

In short, it meant to stop touching the scarecrows. But the instructor was under a grave misunderstanding. I had to clear it up. “Instructor. I am weak.”

“……That doesn’t look like a joking expression.” I didn’t know what face I was making, but one thing was certain: the current situation was unfair. Objectively, level 1 was classified as a beginner. And this was a place where level 1 users received rewards through training.

“Look at this pathetic body. It’s no different from that person over there, is it?” I pointed at the newbie user beside me to state the facts. Even with the bread buff strengthening my strength, I was still the same level 1 with 10 Strength.

“And an absurdly strong warrior? That’s nothing but a story from long ago. Until recently, I lived as a weakling, Instructor.” My pathetic body with not a single muscle. At the instructor’s level, he should be able to tell instantly that the body doesn’t lie.

“……It seems you had your reasons. Your words are correct. I apologize for mistaking it as a demonstration of skill.”

“It’s fine. May I continue training?”

“As much as you like.”

The training instructor withdrew, and I was free to resume my rehabilitation training.

BOOM! CRASH! CRASH!

“I-Instructor? Is this really okay? All the scarecrows are being destroyed!”

“……Just watch. He’s someone with a story. He’s probably venting his frustrations. I’ll take responsibility for what happens next.”

BOOM! CRACK! THUD! THUD! THUD!

The training instructor was deep in thought while polishing the special wooden sword, a gift for the special foreigner.

‘There were plenty of people who produced even more certain results at the same level.’ There had been foreigners who received all sorts of blessings from priests and shattered the scarecrows, and peculiar foreigners who suddenly spewed fire from their hands to burn them. The instructor’s response here was always the same. By royal decree.

—You are a special foreigner. This wooden sword will aid you on your journey.

—Huh? You smashed the scarecrow in one hit. Isn’t there more? I raised my Strength over 30 at level 1.

—That’s all I can give.

—Aww. I spent over ten million won just on buffs. I don’t need the sword, so I’ll just go.

BOOM! This time was different. To be precise, this foreigner was fundamentally different.

—That’s nothing but a story from long ago. Until recently, I lived as a weakling. The foreigner’s expressionless words kept echoing in the instructor’s mind.

THUD! THUD! BOOM! This time, the entire scarecrow was destroyed. Yet there was still no satisfaction on the foreigner’s face. Rather, he looked sorrowful. ‘If it’s this foreigner, he might listen seriously to my personal story as well.’ With a bitter expression, the training instructor recalled his past.