The Administrator's Warning

"Hey, wake up already."

Long hair, a scruffy beard, and a physique of solid, hardened muscle. There was something about him that strangely resembled the Jesus depicted in the Bible.

"Who are you?"

"Haha, look at this guy."

"What is this... am I dead?"

A blank, white void of a space, and a man who looked like Jesus. It was undeniably the afterlife.

"I'm one of the Administrators. I’m also the one who created humans."

He was quite different from the image of God that people usually talked about. The sheer air of arrogance radiating from him—in a word, he was a thug.

"A guy this dim-witted cleared the 10th floor? That shouldn't be possible..."

The Administrator scanned my body with suspicious eyes.

"The 10th floor you cleared. That wasn't made to be beaten."

"But it was the tutorial, wasn't it?"

"That's true, but it was designed specifically so you'd die. It was meant to break your spirit before we brought you over."

I don't know how a human could ever understand the mind of a god, but this man was definitely a psychopath. No, the other Administrators who designed the tutorial were just as bad.

"But you were the first to clear it. The first out of all the participants."

"Isn't that something to be praised for?"

"Of course. From my perspective, at least."

Ah. My brain started racing. The game's Administrators were the gods who created each race. The fact that a human like me cleared the tutorial was something he could be proud of. However...

"Am I screwed right now?"

"Yep. I took a quick look earlier, and the expressions on the others were not looking good."

I had earned the hatred of the Administrators before the game had even begun.

"Don't worry too much. I've already pulled some strings."

Hearing such words from a thug-like Administrator only amplified my anxiety.

"Now, I'll tell you what you need to do from here on out."

The rules of the game. As Ariel had explained, it was a game where the participant who conquered the Tower of Genesis first would win.

"This is the goal for the general participants."

"General participants?"

"Normally, I would have dropped you in a major city and left you to your own devices, but..."

He trailed off. It was clearly not going to be good news for me.

"If things go on like this, you'll die for sure. The fact that the tutorial was cleared will spread everywhere."

A human participant cleared the tutorial. And soon, that participant would join the game. It was the perfect setup to become prey.

"Wait, are the Administrators allowed to intervene?"

"We aren't. Not unless you're talking about the handlers. Those guys are obsessed with making sure the participants they brought in win."

"Why would the handlers do that?"

"Because if a winner emerges from the participants they brought, they receive equal benefits."

Being the center of attention anywhere is a huge penalty. Especially in a competitive game. It was clear as day what would happen if I entered in this state.

"So, we decided to hide you. The other Administrators agreed, too."

"That's good. I'll have enough time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to grow."

"But there's a condition. I agreed to reveal your location in one year."

"One year? That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all?"

"You'd be shocked if you knew what I had to do just to hide you."

I was given one year. Catching up to the other participants in just one year? It was impossible. A long time had already passed since the game began.

"In the meantime, your handler will stick with you, so ask her if you have any questions."

"By handler, do you mean Ariel?"

I didn't know the exact duties of a handler, but she was going to stick with me for a year?

"Oh, the participants she was handling have been handed over to others. From now on, she's exclusively yours."

I was secretly pleased. It wasn't often you got the chance to travel with a beautiful Elf like Ariel.

"Explanation over. The special treatment ends here."

He looked like a total thug. But with just one word, I realized exactly who he was.

"Die."

"Whoa!"

I scrambled to touch my throat the moment I woke up. The last thing I remembered was my face exploding at his single word. I had died without even a chance to react.

"I introduce myself once again. I am Ariel, Choi Suhyun's handler."

She was beautiful even when seen again. Truly beautiful. My eyes were pleased. Pale, jade-like skin and long white hair cascading down to her waist. She was the definition of an Elf. She was undoubtedly a beauty that stood out even compared to other Elves.

"This place is a village created ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for testing purposes, a place where no other participant has ever set foot."

"I can tell just by looking."

The village before my eyes reminded me of the Joseon Dynasty. Thatched-roof houses that looked like they would collapse at any moment, and villagers who looked like they hadn't eaten in days. They looked so frail that a mere touch might knock them over.

"I am the village chief. To what do we owe the pleasure in this humble place..."

The chief looked back and forth between me and Ariel, then broke into a bright smile.

"A-are you perhaps Awakeners?"

Awakeners? Now that I thought about it, my status window had my Awakener grade listed.

Nod.

Ariel gave a small nod. To the NPCs and residents of the game, it seemed the participants were called Awakeners.

"Please, I beg of you, help us! Because of the towers nearby, we haven't been able to farm or hunt for nearly a year!"

Tears began to well up in the chief's eyes. I could understand how desperate he must have been to cling to us.

Oh. The man's request immediately turned into a quest. There was no material reward. More than that, I doubted the chief could even hold out until I conquered all the towers.

"I should accept the quest, right?"

"What do you mean..."

Ariel looked at me with an expression that suggested she had no idea what I was talking about. It seemed it was only visible to me.

"I will help you."

Even if it weren't for the chief's request, I had intended to conquer the towers as I came across them. During this one year. If I wanted to survive, I had to grow. The problem was, I had no weapon. I had been dropped into the village empty-handed.

"Do you have any usable weapons?"

"Oh, dear, well... we do have one..."

The chief wore a troubled expression. It didn't seem likely that I could expect a weapon on par with the sword I had used in the tutorial.

"It's likely quite rusted. I'll try to polish it up somehow by the end of the day, so please, get some rest first. The sun is setting."

I checked Ariel's reaction. She gave a slight nod. It seemed impossible to conquer a tower empty-handed without a weapon.

"Then, we will depart as soon as the sun rises."

"I've never seen a straw bed before."

A single candle and a small bed. It was definitely not big enough for two people to lie down on.

"I'll sleep on the floor."

Before I could even refuse, Ariel didn't hesitate and lay down on the cold floor.

"No, please, come up and sleep. I'll..."

"The participant is the priority. And please, feel free to speak casually."

There wasn't a hint of emotion in her response or her actions. I wondered if all Elves were like this, but considering the Administrator I had met earlier, it was clear she was an exception.

"First, I would like to sincerely apologize."

"Apologize for what?"

"For doubting your potential and putting you through a temporary tutorial."

"A temporary tutorial... Ah."

No wonder it was strange. I had gone through the same tutorial twice. The difficulty of the first tutorial was definitely easier. It was as if it were a device to draw out my potential. Thanks to that, I had gained the ability called the Talent Shop.

"I wasn't the only one who went through a temporary tutorial, was I?"

"It's a very small minority, but we do put participants who appear to lack qualifications through it."

If I hadn't awakened during the temporary tutorial, would I have been kicked out?

"What will the other participants think of me?"

"There's a high probability they'll try to recruit you. Especially the Rankers. The mere fact that you cleared the tutorial is enough to make you a talent worth scouting."

"Rankers?"

There are indicators invisible to the participants. The Awakener grade and the number of towers conquered. The ranking of participants is calculated by adding both factors together. Rankers. In other words, they meant the participants closest to winning.

Scout offers from Rankers. I couldn't find a reason to refuse. If they were going to kill me anyway even if I refused, I thought it wouldn't be bad to cling to the Rankers and grow.

"Why did the Administrator insist on dumping me in a place like this, in the countryside?"

It was as if he wanted me to travel alone.

"Perhaps they want to see the birth of a human Ranker?"

Differences between races existed. The unique abilities of a race. If I had to define the ability of a human, it would be the adaptability to survive in any environment.

"The races you must be most careful of are Orcs and Elves."

"Those aren't races I want to get involved with."

"Orcs live by cooperating with their own kind. Except for special cases, they will try to kill other races without exception."

"Just as I expected. And the Elves?"

A brief silence followed my question. Was it a sensitive question? Ariel took a moment before opening her mouth again.

"Elves look down on other races. Especially humans, who share a similar appearance."

The ultimate narcissists. The only consolation was that they hated humans a bit more, but they looked down on other races just the same?

"Do you think so, too?"

Even if she was my handler, Ariel was an Elf herself.

"..."

No answer came back. I finally understood why she had been as cold as ice since the moment we met.

"Let's just get some sleep."

It was a painful night.

Being expected by others is a burden. Especially when everyone in the village is looking only at me, like now.

"This is the only sword in our village."

In weight and length, it was a normal weapon, perhaps the only asset the village possessed.

"P-please, defeat the monsters in the vicinity."

I could feel the sincerity in the chief's gaze. The other residents felt the same. The village was dying. I didn't have a sense of mission to save the village. However...

"Don't worry. I will take care of it."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

I couldn't let their expectations down. The village was located at the top of a mountain. The terrain was one thing, but there was another reason they were suffering from a food shortage.

"So this is a tower."

Cube-shaped, square buildings surrounded the village. Like a barrier meant to protect it.

"How do I destroy these towers?"

"You must find and destroy the Core hidden inside the tower."

The Core. The heart that protects the tower. All the monsters and traps within the tower operated through the Core. If you destroy the Core, the tower collapses.

"So I just need to destroy the Core."

The problem was...

"The monsters and traps are protecting the Core."

Since it was their heart, it seemed they wouldn't make the path easy.

"Then, I wish you luck."

Ariel didn't enter the tower. Even if she went in with me, she couldn't provide direct help, so she intended to wait outside.

"Yeah, see you in a bit."