상태창

Karina wasn't completely gullible either; she quickly noticed that I had lied to her. But she didn't have the personality to get angry.

[Ugh... It's really too much.]

[Karina, Karina, I was so scared that you might actually do it.]

"It wasn't a complete lie."

[Huh?]

"If you hadn't stopped me, it wouldn't have happened right away, but after securing stability over time, I would have done it somehow."

[Eeeek!]

[Ya, yabai...]

"Japanese?"

[Ah, I learned a bit because it's one of the popular languages in this world.]

Yeah, Karina's rich reactions were exactly the kind you'd see in Japanese anime or from Hololive fans who blew up years ago and still are.

[You are too scary.]

[Karina wanted to quit this job right away.]

"That's a shame."

[Huh?]

"I like Karina."

[Wah! If you say it like that, I have no choice. Karina will go into full power mode with you again!]

I thought to myself, hiding from Karina.

'This is the first time I've met such an easy woman.'

Without knowing I was thinking that, Karina explained with full tension.

[First, the assumption you made a moment ago was a perfect answer.]

[Indeed. By removing the elements of 'tower' and 'climbing' from the quest, the method for leveling up has become a bit simpler and clearer.]

[By directly taking the life of a living being.]

"The tower and climbing? Why remove them?"

[Balancing is incredibly difficult.]

[If it were a vast world, like an open world, it would be easy to adjust the overall balance. But in a limited space like the tower, specifying difficulty requires a lot of effort. Moreover, with beings like you popping up, it would completely destroy the balance that's already hard to maintain.]

[So, we removed it.]

"In the end, they removed it to favor themselves."

[Haha, if I say it that way, it could be, but isn't it the same in modern times?]

[There are law amendments.]

[To match the times, useless laws are abolished or changed, and many laws are created to improve quality of life. There's definitely a constitution in Korea...]

I let out a dry laugh.

"The problem is that the law isn't for everyone, but is abused for a tiny few."

[...]

"You don't deny it."

[Because Karina can't lie well.]

That was a pleasant sound to hear.

"I don't completely avoid lying either, but I'm not good at it. You saw earlier, right? I'm the kind of guy who does what he says."

[New, there are similar points in us!]

"Really."

[Haha...]

Karina's embarrassed reaction wasn't bad, but as someone without time, the current 1 minute 1 second was urgent.

"So, other methods for leveling up?"

[By using the 'tower' right away.]

[Ah, in this dimension, we can't use the 'tower' and 'climbing' system. As planned, if you awakened next year, we wouldn't be able to. But now, it's fully usable. Karina has that backup.]

[However, there's something I'm worried about.]

Perhaps this is why I can't help but develop some affection for Karina.

She was pure and kind.

When problems arose, and even after I lied to her, she had already forgotten it long ago and was genuinely worried about me.

If I didn't care about such goodwill, it wouldn't be coldness, but just trash.

I hate trash more than anyone, so I wouldn't become such trash.

[The place Karina will send you, the 'Forgotten Tutorial Tower', is probably not ordinary.]

[The difficulty is set high from the start, and the quests given in the tutorial differ depending on the awakener's abilities. Among them, 'Seed of the Devil' is a Unique trait, but it leads to situations far more brutal than Legendary.]

[That's why I'm even more worried.]

[Even now, worrying about how much more pain that person who looks so pained will suffer there.]

"It's okay."

[Ah...]

[You don't have to use honorifics. It feels awkward, hehe. Karina is more used to casual speech from the start.]

"Then it's good. I'm okay. It's familiar to receive pain, but more importantly, there are people I need to protect."

[You are strong.]

[Why you were chosen, I know. If you say that, I can send ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you right away!]

"Send me right away."

[...]

[Ya, yamero...]

The cutely resisting Karina eventually said in a defeated voice.

[Then, I'll enter.]

At the same time, the view flipped.

Upon entering the Tutorial Tower, the feeling was indescribable awkwardness and foreignness. It felt like my body wasn't my own.

'Wait, really not my body.'

The moment I looked down, the hand that entered immediately wasn't mine. It was much thinner ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and more gaunt.

Moreover...

"Oh, brother."

Hearing a voice calling me from behind, I hurriedly turned around. Maybe Han Suhui had entered this dangerous tower. But the first thing that caught my eye was blonde hair and blue eyes, which definitely weren't Han Suhui's. The face was different to begin with.

Nevertheless, she was a woman as beautiful as Han Suhui.

'What is this?'

It was the moment to figure out what situation this was.

「Kkiik!」

At that moment.

Suddenly, blinding light emanated, and a chilling voice was heard.

"If you want to live... kill."

Simultaneously.

「Dulgeuk!」

It sounded like a mechanism moving from the ceiling, and an unseen lid opened, pouring out enormous numbers of weapons from the ceiling.

'I have to get them!'

In this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠situation, tools to protect myself or kill others were essential.

After making a cold judgment, I was about to throw my body and grab the most suspiciously looking sword. But it was already too late.

「Puk!」

"Keuk!"

"Get out of the way, you brat!"

The powerful elbow from middle school and high school bullying that came to mind after a long time, I shamefully fell backward.

'Damn it!'

I underestimated too much.

Everything was a new world. The mistake was not expecting that the people living in this world weren't pampered sissies from modern peace.

Even if I tried to pick up a weapon late, it was already too late.

In front of me, a guy holding a huge axe was smiling with blood on his lips after slicing someone.

"You bastard. If you're weak, you die, right? Don't worry. I'll happily impregnate your sister, kuhahahaha!"

"Shit!"

Looking at the axe falling exactly on my forehead, I tried not to blink and somehow, but from the first button, I was tangled, and there was nothing I could do.

Was I going to die like this? Pointlessly?

"Brother!"

「Puuuuk!」

A pretty blonde entered my vision, and a eerie sound echoed. The head of the axe digging deep into Lin's slender body was visible.

"Lin!"

At that moment, I lost my usual coldness, felt my eyes rolling back, and threw my body faster than expected.

"Kyaaaaak!"

I clung to the body of the guy who attacked Lin and bit his neck with my teeth. My teeth broke and hurt, but it didn't matter.

I had the mindset to kill this guy no matter what.

It was probably an achievement I couldn't have done with my original self. Biting the neck of a much larger body with my teeth.

But...

[Demonic Energy affects all stats.]

"Kruruk, kruk! Kkuruk!"

I felt something clinging to my teeth, and with a thud, the big body of the guy who killed Lin fell forward.

But that was it.

"......"

Lin, who had already become ice-cold corpse, couldn't be revived, and moreover.

"Die!"

「Puk, puuk!」

Even I with no strength in my fingers couldn't survive. Powerless, I had to face death while vomiting blood from the cool steel pain digging into my body.

[You have died.]

And.

[Revive from save point.]

[You will not die in the Tutorial 1st floor.]

Facing the mismatched messages, I returned to 'first' again.

"Huhk, uek! Uek!"

But the vivid sensation of biting a human neck with my teeth, the experience of killing someone, and the pain that took my life were still vividly there.

'Damn it.'

It was terrifying.

Did I have to repeat this pain? Until I broke the quest? And it was the very first quest I started?

"Brother, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠brother! Are you okay?"

"......"

A gentle hand patting my back and a warm voice.

The moment I saw the noble blonde slightly entering my vision, the pain from before vanished.

My thoughts changed instantly.

"It's okay. It's okay."

"O... brother?"

I hugged Lin tightly and cried.

Yeah, what if I feel pain.

What if I puke from shock, and what if I die dozens of times.

As long as I could save my sister, as long as I could protect the crying sister and make her happy, I could smile even in eternal pain.

'Moreover, this time is different.'

It wasn't self-congratulation.