Tutorial Boss Room

The Apocalypse Difficulty. Even if you scoured every dimension climbing the Tower, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the situation most of the tutorial community imagined for this so-called "newbie" should have ended with nothing more than plain bad luck. Bad luck got him awakened, and bad luck dropped him alone into an Apocalypse-tier tutorial. That was the extent of it.

「- So why isn't he dead?

ㄴ He's not just alive—he's already cleared several stages, hasn't he?

ㄴ FrostbiteBeast) Looks like a straight-up bug lol

ㄴ That guy's probably seething with envy right now ㅋㅋ

ㄴ Whoa, if he gets the solo bonus on top of Apocalypse rewards, his stomach's gonna burst

ㄴ For real ㅋㅋ」

Yet the newbie had just made his second survival announcement, loud and clear.

「- Anyone know what stage the newbie's on right now?

ㄴ CintamaniDragon) When he first showed up it was stage 1, so now it's probably 2 or 3

ㄴ Think he's reached 3 already?

ㄴ Plausible」

"...."

The hunter who had been scrolling through the community window turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"...Phew! Clear successful!"

"With a team leader like ours, we just keep climbing...!"

His teammates—fellow rookies running the tutorial together—were gathered there, flushed with accomplishment and drenched in sweat as they reviewed the fight. At the center stood a woman with crimson hair and two proud black horns rising from her head, quietly observing the scene.

Earlier he had been a pitiful soul. Now he was simply strange. Logically, she knew it was impossible for that user to clear an Apocalypse tutorial. Yet every time she thought about the results, an inexplicable sense of dissonance kept gnawing at her.

.. ... ....

"Kere-rerek!"

A swarm of goblins rushed in. I'd already fought these things several times, but seeing them charge in a pack was genuinely disgusting.

"Huu..."

I took a deep breath and scanned my surroundings. Five goblins already lay sprawled across the ground—victims of my domain. They had charged in without a clue and been sliced apart on the spot.

"Krererek!"

The goblins, lacking the intelligence to learn, kept blindly stepping into my domain.

- Shaaaak...!

"Kek."

A goblin whose neck was half-severed by Shadow Slash staggered in place.

"Get lost."

I kicked its stomach, breaking its balance, then immediately searched for the next safe spot.

Keep moving. With this many enemies, staying in one place was suicide. I had to keep finding positions that wouldn't get me surrounded.

"This actually comes in handy at times like this."

The self-defense techniques Se-ah had drilled into me against my will were proving useful. Thanks to that knowledge, the fight was unfolding almost too smoothly.

- Shuuak!

The shield-bearers pressed forward, clearly intent on pinning me down. In that moment, my eyes caught a gap in their crude formation.

Five of them advancing in a line, yet there was a strangely conspicuous opening.

Can I make it? The space was tight, but if I succeeded, I could tear straight through their ranks.

So—

"Se-ah!! Give me strength, you bastard!"

I shouted my reliable friend's name like a battle cry and charged.

- Tuung!

The power stored in Shadow Boots boosted my speed once more.

- Hwaaak...!

As the scenery blurred past, I saw the shield-bearers' faces twist in surprise.

"Kkuk...!"

"Kek!"

The shield-bearers collapsed where they stood, their bodies carved apart in an instant.

"...!"

The vanguard attackers reacted late, but they were already within range. The moment they entered my domain—

- Shuuak!

.. ... ....

"Oh."

"What?"

A chill ran down my spine at the sudden message. What the hell was happening?

While I waited anxiously, another familiar chime rang out—this time a normal notification.

"Oh."

"Ooh...!"

Looking around, the radius of the black blades circling me had visibly expanded. What once required enemies to come right up to me now reached them from a short distance away.

"Sexy."

No better word for it. Reaching level 10 in the tutorial and upgrading a skill this much? Any other new hunters out there were probably losing sleep just from the thought of my existence.

"Can't stop here."

"A real fight."

I'd been nervous at first, but not anymore.

Six. From the reactions, even among newbies, that level already put someone in the upper ranks.

"This dopamine rush is insane."

I couldn't hold back any longer.

"They don't believe me."

Of course they wouldn't. The feeling of your entire world collapsing was probably more horrifying than I could imagine.

"So just clear it, huh."

A sudden question occurred to me. How far along were the other community users in their respective difficulty zones?

"Oho."

The guy on the other end seemed genuinely excited about our upcoming fan meeting.

I'm looking forward to it.

Whatever happened, my body was already itching with anticipation. Only one stage remained.

"Boss monster, then?"

It would be a boss. Since a mid-boss had appeared in round 3, the next one was obvious.

Just one more round.

It would be the toughest yet, but the reward waiting at the end was incredibly tempting. The path of a hunter would open up, and more importantly, I could finally return to the life I missed so much.

"Chief Choi, drinks are on me when I get back."

His startled face was still vivid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in my memory. Of course, I'd been just as shocked. Who could have predicted I'd suddenly awaken out of nowhere?

"Whoa... four people?"

Four people would be reassuring—enough to pub-stomp the tutorial.

"That's more than the goblins in round 1."

I'd only faced three at the very beginning. The difference in numbers was absurdly unfair.

"Now that I think about it, yeah."

Who would ever expect to die in the tutorial?

So this is why they keep saying Apocalypse, Apocalypse.

Surviving a difficulty where death was possible—alone?

"Wow, I'm actually insane, aren't I?"

I was only now realizing just how unreasonable my situation was.

"Agreed."

I really wanted to meet that "FrostbiteBeast" guy face-to-face in the lobby.

"Just wait for me."

With that thought in mind, I finally headed toward the boss room.