Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: 0. Tutorial
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People can be divided into various types.
Starting from male and female, then by skin color into white, black, or yellow, by country of birth, by date, by region, by blood type, by weight, by job, by blood relations, school ties, regional ties, and even by whether they ate at a certain restaurant or not.
It's possible to divide them in all these ways, but if I had to categorize them my way, people fall into just three kinds.
Heroes, ordinary folks, and villains.
It's not some grand philosophical distinction.
Heroes don't necessarily mean great historical figures. Ordinary folks don't exclusively mean average people. And villains aren't always outright bad guys. Of course, it aligns somewhat with common perceptions.
It's all based on my own standards.
...So, which one am I?
Isn't it obvious?
Without a shred of doubt, I was unmistakably a villain.
"Ughhh..."
A groan escaped, accompanied by excruciating pain flooding into his head.
The agony, so intense he couldn't move an inch, began to subside after a moment. Only after a long while could the man finally open his eyes. And in the wave of confusion that followed, he could only tilt his head.
He had no choice. The scene before him was utterly detached from his everyday life.
Inside what seemed to be an abandoned building, surrounded by dilapidated walls, a dimly lit bulb casting faint light, and in the messy, cluttered room, four people.
Three men and one woman.
First, he needed to wake these four. Only then could things proceed.
Waking them wasn't too difficult.
Though, like him, they seemed to suffer splitting headaches, grimacing midway through rising.
"Ah... what the fuck."
"Wh-what is this?"
"Wh-where are we?!"
The three rose, each voicing their shock differently.
Their actions varied wildly. The blond-dyed guy spat curses, forehead furrowed, eyes squeezed shut as if still grasping the situation. The high school girl in uniform huddled in the corner. The last man to rise jumped in surprise, frantically scanning around.
Thinking he needed to calm this chaos, the man clapped loudly.
"Everyone, look here!"
Not-friendly gazes poured in—even hostile—but as if accustomed to such situations, he raised his voice once their attention focused.
"First off, regardless of why we're here, we need to stay calm and think rationally."
"Rational? What fucking rational! Shit! You got something to do with this, don't you?!"
"Kuh!"
Suddenly, the blond charged like a bull, grabbing him and slamming him against the wall. Amid the sudden brawl, the girl screamed loud enough to shake the room, while the other man fidgeted helplessly. Finally, pinned against the wall, the man sighed softly, grabbed the blond's back, and delivered a knee strike to his chest.
A single blow, but the blond clutched his chest, staggering back. Before things worsened, the man spoke first.
"My name is Kim Chang-seok! I woke up here just like you all!"
"Bullshit. You expect us to buy that? I don't know what's going on, but..."
"M-my name is Yoo Sung-hoon!"
At the sudden introduction from the man, the girl followed suit.
"I'm Yoo Mi-na!"
Out of nowhere, but with names exchanged, the mood shifted oddly. Following Chang-seok, Sung-hoon and Mi-na had spoken, so the lone blond causing trouble couldn't avoid it either.
"Damn it. What the hell happened. My name's Shin Pil-seop."
Knowing each other's names seemed to cool tempers a bit. Just as someone was about to speak, a small window appeared before their eyes.
Self-Introduction! (In Progress)
📍 Grade: Tutorial
⏰ Knowing a name is the first step to getting close to someone. Overcoming awkwardness and revealing your own name takes considerable courage.
🎁 Reward: Fame +5
"What the hell is this?"
Sung-hoon's voice, laced with despair, came first. He began swiping at the air. Not just him—Chang-seok shook his head, Mi-na blinked repeatedly—it seemed this bizarre hallucination was visible to all.
After blinking several times, Mi-na raised her hand first.
"...This weird thing in front of me isn't just me, right?"
"Ha, fuck. Did I drink too much yesterday? What kind of hallucination is this?"
"Pl-please calm down. I don't know what's happening, but a basic quest window appeared for everyone, right?"
"Yes. Unless we're all hallucinating together, it's a 'Self-Introduction' window."
"What the hell is going on... Anyway, everyone gather. We need to talk."
"Old fart. Why try to take charge all of a sudden?!"
"Hey! Is that important right now?! Figuring out the situation is!"
"Ha, fuck, this high school brat's got balls?"
It was utter chaos, perfectly fitting the phrase "five minutes before the shit hits the fan."
Chang-seok trying to mediate, Pil-seop cursing, Mi-na restraining Pil-seop—and Sung-hoon calmed it all.
"You all need to quiet down."
"What? What the fuck are you on about?"
"Over there..."
All three gazes followed Sung-hoon's pointing finger—to the half-broken door. The problem? Beyond it, a blood-soaked man twisted grotesquely, breakdancing like a possessed demon.
Dancer-shaming—no, more like a horror movie exorcism victim.
"Grraaahhh..."
As the man groaned and entered, another window popped up before the room's occupants.
Survival, Massacre, Escape
📍 Grade: Tutorial
⏰ You've grasped the basics of The Mission's world! As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Now it's time for action over explanation. Survive against people possessed by evil spirits.
📍 Conditions:
1. Survival: Survive inside the building. Complete after one day or if you're the last one standing.
2. Massacre: Eliminate all possessed in the building.
3. Escape: Find and use the possible escape route.
"Fuck."
Pil-seop's curse slipped out, but no one called him on it. "The Mission" piqued curiosity, but the terrifying possessed freak before them overshadowed it. Want to watch a horror movie?
With a live, blood-dripping breakdancing monster in your face, you'd never think it again.
Screeech.
"Kraaaah!"
"Everyone, back up!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
"W-weapon, weapon!"
In the panic, Chang-seok moved first. Shockingly, he raised his arms to shield his face and charged, smashing a fist into the monster's face. Boxing training?
After a few jabs, the evil spirit staggered back. Turning to the panicking others, Chang-seok shouted.
"Everyone, grab anything! It's just one! Four of us can take it!"
At his cry, the three scrambled for makeshift weapons.
"Has it started?"
"Yes. The tutorial just began."
"Ho. These folks are unusual."
The old man with the goatee flicked his fingers lightly, summoning a massive screen. It showed the room with Chang-seok, Pil-seop, Sung-hoon, and Mi-na. His interest stemmed from the tutorial starting too fast.
Thousands of screens around showed similar rooms with others, but theirs was the only one with a monster.
"I skipped ahead, so I'm lost. Why so quick?"
"See the blond? Shin Pil-seop. He woke early."
"Early riser?"
"Yes. Notably, upon waking, he grasped most of the system first."
The first to rise among four earns the title "Early Bird Gets the Worm".
Spotting that oddity, he acted. But crucially, he understood the status window, skills, etc.
"Moreover, after figuring the system, Pil-seop pretended to be unconscious among the others."
"Hahaha! Sly one."
Now the old man understood.
Tutorial quests trigger based on basic system comprehension.
"Completing the quest fulfilled the start condition. It just launched."
"Intriguing. Very intriguing."
Grasping the system alone while others woke and roused each other.
"This needs fixing. His actions are fascinating, but unfair to others. How about triggering after all four wake and some time passes?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Main quests aside, this is tutorial. Starts should be fair."
The man nodded, waving his hand. But the old man couldn't look away.
"Oho, these guys have guts!"