Chapter 2

Chapter 2

One month later.

By now, Hyunseok had gotten used to this so-called “Tutorial Mode.” Not that there was much to get used to, basically, he had figured out the stat window, the quest window, and what each stat meant. That was when the world changed.

Creatures that had never existed on Earth suddenly began to appear, and it was revealed that these beings carried a deep hostility toward humans.

Unlike normal animals, these creatures had their names displayed in white letters above their heads, and health bars, like in video games, hovered there as well. It didn’t matter whether you looked with the naked eye, snapped a photo, or recorded a video, the same thing appeared.

Casualties spread across the world. They weren’t colossal like kaiju from monster movies, no Godzilla or King Kong showed up, but beasts shaped like mosquitoes, dogs, and cats began roaming about, killing people.

Mosquitoes and insects weren’t much of a threat. A normal person could kill one with a single slap. Just because the word “Mosquito” appeared over its head with an HP bar didn’t make it some kind of super-powered mosquito. It was still just a mosquito.

But dogs, that was a different story.

Even a small breed had enough power to kill a child. In fact, a large breed in South America had mauled seven adult men before the police finally shot it dead.

Unnatural creatures. People soon gave them a name, monsters.

Nations scrambled to minimize casualties caused by these monsters, while individuals also sought personal countermeasures.

In Korea, where firearms were illegal, stun guns sold like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hotcakes. After all, who knew when a crazed dog might suddenly attack?

Fortunately, the monsters weren’t overwhelmingly dangerous, at least, not yet. In Korea, most of the monsters were small ones like gnats, mayflies, and mosquitoes.

Statistics suggested that there was about one monster per person. Out of those, only about 0.001% were actually dangerous. That meant that on average, one in every 100,000 people might encounter a truly threatening monster. Small odds, but not that small either, given Korea’s population of roughly 50 million, about 500 people would eventually meet such monsters.

That was why the news frequently carried reports:

“In Muan County, South Jeolla Province, a Jindo Dog monster attacked two citizens, both sustaining injuries. The victims, Mr. Lee (62) and Mr. Kim (56), were attacked while returning home from work. Fortunately, thanks to the bravery of 26-year-old Mr. Park, who had a stun gun…”

As a result, monster-response organizations began forming.

In Korea, such groups hadn’t appeared yet, but in countries like the United States and Canada, where even bear-sized monsters emerged, governments had already established agencies, declared no-entry zones, and mobilized soldiers to create new units.

“Korea’s always behind,” Hyunseok muttered, frowning slightly as he switched off the news.

Yes, he had his own precautions in place, and strong monsters hadn’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shown up yet. But who knew when one might? Other advanced countries already had national-level monster response agencies. Some were newly founded, while others were formed by reassigning military personnel.

But Korea still hadn’t moved. Simply because no truly powerful monsters had appeared.

But isn’t it highly likely stronger ones will show up?

It had started with a tutorial. That implied there had to be something higher above it.

Hyunseok swung his electric mosquito racket hard.

Zap! Crack!

Something was caught. His skin itched, probably a mosquito. He checked the racket. Yes, a mosquito. But not an ordinary one.

Lucky break.

[You have slain a Low-Rank Monster: Mosquito. (3/100)]

A moment later, another alert chimed.

[You have slain a Low-Rank Monster: Mayfly. (100/100)]
[Quest Complete: Slay 100 Monsters. Reward: +1 Stat Point.]
[Current Title “Mosquito Slayer” is active. Agility +1.]
[Note: Title bonuses do not stack. “Mayfly Slayer” effect overrides “Mosquito Slayer.”]

Right now, he was in the middle of a quest, Tutorial Mode awarded 1 stat point for every 100 monsters killed.

He had been investing all his points into Vitality, following the tutorial system’s recommendation. So far, he had killed exactly 399 mosquitoes, meaning he had cleared the quest twice and was working on it again.

It took less than a day to clear a quest. Honestly, about two hours. There were swarms of gnat-monsters just behind his house in the hills.

The actual hunting took less than ten minutes. Most of the time was spent walking to the hills and buying more electric mosquito rackets.

Once, he had found a swarm of mayflies and wiped them out easily with a single sweep. Another time, he went home because of the heat, only to catch a mosquito indoors as a bonus.

[System Recommendation: Invest stat point into Vitality.]
[Vitality is a mandatory stat to raise.]
[Current Vitality: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠9.]

The requirement was 12…

He wasn’t sure, but it felt like once his Vitality hit 12, Tutorial Mode would end and the real game would begin.

Then, a thought struck him.

Wait a second…

❋ ❋ ❋

His hunch wasn’t wrong.

The constant alerts urging him to raise Vitality, that was the trap.

There had been moments when he nearly gave in, his finger hovering over the button to allocate points. But he resisted. Instead, he invested in other stats.

Good choice.

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠opened his stat window again.

<Stat Window>

His weight had increased by 5 kilograms, technically overweight by BMI, though it wasn’t really a problem. He had always been heavier due to strong bone and muscle mass.

What stood out most was how all his main stats had reached 99.

He hadn’t even planned it, just happened to raise everything evenly. But honestly, he didn’t notice much change.

Honestly, this is getting boring.

He had even gone down to the countryside to exterminate entire swarms of insect monsters. He burned out a wasp nest with bug spray and a lighter, then poured boiling water into an ant nest, committing massacres.

But grinding everything to 99 had been exhausting. At first it was novel, even fun. Now, it was a slog.

Stats this high should feel rewarding… but nothing’s changed.

He barely felt stronger. Maybe his stamina had improved slightly, but that was it.

Still, ignoring Vitality was the right move.

Tutorial Mode had been practically begging him to raise it. But he didn’t. His Vitality remained below half his max stats.

He had noticed a hidden mechanic: if Vitality was less than half of his highest stat, a penalty applied across the board. Currently, his stats were capped at 99, meaning Vitality should be at least 49. But it was only 40.

Thus, all his combat stats suffered a −9 penalty.

Let’s just push it to 100 and see.

The Tutorial Mode grind had become both his chore and his motivation.

Armed with bug spray + lighter (a makeshift flamethrower) and his trusty electric racket, he went out again. Soon, he cleared another quest, reaching 100 mayflies and earning another stat point.

This one goes into Strength.

No particular reason. It was just at the top of the list.

The alert about raising Vitality blared again. He ignored it. But then another alert rang:

[You have reached the Stat Limit within Tutorial Mode.]
[Condition Met: Tutorial Mode Cleared. Transitioning to Easy Mode.]
[Congratulations! You are the first Slayer to reach 100 Strength. Title Acquired: “Strongman.” This title stacks separately from Slayer titles.]
[Bonus: +3 Stat Points awarded for being the First Strongman.]

So normally, Tutorial Mode ended by raising Vitality. But he had cleared it through Strength instead.

So 100 points is the threshold…

[Easy Mode activated.]
[Warning: You ignored Tutorial advice and raised stats excessively. This will act as a handicap in Easy Mode. Penalties will apply.]

Alerts filled his head one after another.

Easy Mode? Now what the hell is that…?

(End of chapter 2)

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— Translated by Prime Works —