The Perks of Giving Up
"Yaaawn..."
A plush pillow, a soft blanket, and warm sunlight pouring in...
I couldn't remember the last time I had slept with such peace of mind.
It was strange. The moment I resolved to die, a profound sense of comfort had washed over me.
After a quick wash, I headed down to the cafeteria.
While official Hunters enjoyed various privileges, aspiring candidates like me had to endure communal living.
Since it was still early, the cafeteria was quiet. Only a handful of people were scattered around the room.
Every single one of them looked miserable.
It made sense. Unlike in the early days of the Tower, no one volunteered to climb out of genuine passion anymore.
It was common to see news reports claiming that the vast majority of applicants were breadwinners carrying the crushing weight of their family's debts.
Sure, a lucky few managed to become Hunters and rewrite their destinies, but they were the exception, not the rule.
Rewrite my destiny? Yeah, right.
I just wanted to live comfortably until my time came.
I piled my tray high with rice, soup, and side dishes.
Mmm, real freshly cooked rice is on a whole different level compared to instant microwave bowls!
Oh, these braised potatoes are incredible!
Wow, bulgogi for breakfast?!
While everyone else sat with long faces, picking at their food, I hummed a tune and cleared my plate.
"It's good to see a young man with such a healthy appetite," the server said warmly.
"Thank you! It's delicious!"
I went back for seconds. What luxury.
They say even a ghost looks better if it dies on a full stomach, so I intended to eat like a king until the very end.
After washing it all down with a cup of sweet rice punch and another of cinnamon ginger tea, it was finally time for training.
I had been slightly nervous, wondering if some hellish regime of running with tires tied to my waist awaited me.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
The morning session was dedicated to theory.
They gave us time to study the different types of tutorials and their mechanics.
"Ah, damn it. What is this crap?" someone grumbled.
"We're going to die anyway, why make us memorize this shit?"
While others complained, I had no objections.
Maybe it was because I had consumed so much of this kind of media growing up. Besides, I wasn't stupid.
The only reason I hadn't studied in school was because I knew I couldn't afford college anyway, not because I lacked the brains.
Unlike the other candidates, I hung on the instructor's every word.
I studied the textbook diligently and took thorough notes.
Since I was the only one actually paying attention, it practically turned into a one-on-one tutoring session.
I wondered if this was what private tutoring felt like.
"There are currently twenty-four confirmed types of tutorials," the instructor said, clicking a remote.
The screen changed, displaying a list of the twenty-four Babel Tower tutorials.
"Among these, the one with the highest entry rate is the Annihilation match."
Annihilation.
It was a tutorial where you had to eliminate every single monster that appeared within a set time limit.
Calling the entry rate 'high' was an understatement; nearly seventy percent of all candidates ended up in an Annihilation match.
Because so many entered, it also produced the highest number of survivors. Most Hunters were veterans of Annihilation matches.
This was also because combat traits were the most common type granted upon entering the Tower.
If you entered an Annihilation match and received a combat trait, your chances of survival skyrocketed.
Naturally, the instructor spent the most time explaining the details of Annihilation.
Aside from Annihilation, there were Siege, Adaptation, and Pursuit matches.
Siege was, as the name suggested, a base defense tutorial.
Adaptation required surviving in a rapidly changing environment.
Pursuit featured high-level monsters, but you didn't have to kill them—you just had to survive until the timer ran out.
Annihilation had ten variations.
Siege, Adaptation, and Pursuit had four variations each.
Finally, there were two variations of Survival matches.
"Since you have no way of knowing which tutorial you will face, it is in your best interest to memorize them all."
I nodded earnestly at the instructor's serious advice.
Getting a combat trait in Annihilation, a defense trait in Siege, or a stealth trait in Pursuit would at least give me a fighting chance.
But which tutorial you entered and what trait you received...
...was entirely up to luck.
So, the only thing I could control was how hard I studied.
Perhaps because I kept asking questions until the very end, the instructor took a liking to me and shared a few extra tips.
Like how you should always aim for a goblin's head first.
Or how you should stay away from water if a harpy appears.
After gathering these little nuggets of wisdom, lunchtime arrived.
Today's lunch menu was galbi-tang.
I'll definitely need two bowls of this.
The kitchen staff must have recognized the guy who cleared his tray twice this morning, because the server piled my bowl high with beef ribs.
Rich, savory meat, deep broth, and a bowl of glistening white rice.
The hot soup warmed me to the core, making me feel incredibly satisfied.
Even though I had eaten a massive breakfast, it seemed all that studying had burned right through it.
The moment I finished my first bowl, I stood up to get a second helping.
"Look at him shovel it in," someone muttered loudly enough for me to hear.
"How can you even swallow food when you're about to go die?"
I turned to look. It was the guy who had sat next to me during the lecture.
Come to think of it, he had looked annoyed during class too.
Did he think I was showing off when we were both in the same boat?
"You've got to eat," I replied casually.
"..."
"Like they say, even a ghost looks better on a full stomach."
"Tsk, you've ruined my appetite."
The man slammed his spoon down and stormed off, leaving his half-eaten bowl of galbi-tang behind.
Tsk, wasting food. He clearly didn't appreciate the value of a meal.
Clicking my tongue, I walked back to the counter for my second bowl.
"I love seeing someone eat so well! Have some more!" the server said.
"Thank you for the food!"
She packed my bowl with ribs once again.
I returned to my seat and happily devoured the hot soup.
Leaving behind something this delicious... he was definitely going to regret it later.
"Huff, puff, huff..."
"Fuck! I can't run anymore!"
"Let me out of here!"
The moment basic physical training began, people started dropping like flies.
"Ugh, urgh!"
"Bleeegh!"
It was a total mess.
The sound of retching echoed from all corners of the room.
Most of the candidates had collapsed onto the floor, looking like melted wax.
I, on the other hand, was doing perfectly fine.
It made sense. I didn't smoke, and I rarely drank.
On top of that, my hobbies were walking and running.
Ever since I was a kid, whenever my mind got cluttered, I would run.
I ran until I couldn't think. I ran until I couldn't breathe. Only then would my mind clear.
Since it was a hobby that didn't cost a single penny, I did it without hesitation.
Who would have thought a habit carried into adulthood would prove so useful here?
TRAINING GOAL ACHIEVED
The treadmill ground to a halt the moment the notification flashed on the monitor.
"Phew!"
I caught my breath and stepped off the machine.
Wiping away my sweat, I looked around. It seemed I was the only one who had completed the target training volume.
This is why you should have eaten a hearty lunch.
Tsk, tsk. I clicked my tongue inwardly and chugged the provided sports drink.
It tasted a hell of a lot better than tap water.
It was strange. Once I accepted my death, everything felt positive.
Chuckling to myself, I tossed the empty bottle into the bin and left the training room.
But basic physical training was just the beginning.
After a brief rest, combat training awaited us.
The mandatory subjects were hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship.
Unarmed combat was essential for when you had no weapon, and swordsmanship was taught because swords were the most common drops in the Babel Tower.
We could also sign up for archery, staff fighting, or spearmanship if we wanted, but no one bothered to request extra training.
I was no exception.
Even if swords were the most common weapon in the Babel Tower, whether I would actually get one in the tutorial was entirely up to luck.
That was why I planned to focus more on hand-to-hand combat.
Even if I ended up weaponless, it would give me a slightly better chance of survival.
"These things are just kids' toys," someone cackled, running a hand along a blunt training sword.
"You know, I used to handle blades back in the day."
"Whoa, as expected of Boss!"
"When it comes to living things, all you gotta do is hit the vitals. Bam. Bam. Bam. Right there."
A hulking man with a massive scar across his face swung the training sword around.
The group of sycophants surrounding him clapped, calling him "Boss" over and over.
He was putting on airs, trying to show off how dangerous he was, but... despite his dark insinuations, he probably wasn't a murderer.
The Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau didn't accept violent felons, only those with minor offenses.
Think about it. If a psycho on death row entered the Babel Tower and became an incredibly powerful Hunter, that wouldn't be a blessing.
No one could predict what kind of havoc they would wreak.
For the government, it would be like holding a ticking time bomb.
That was why they only drew the line at debt and minor crimes.
In short, the big guy was full of shit.
"Let me show you where the vitals are."
Whoosh.
With a dramatic swing, the giant pointed the tip of his sword right at me.
Right under my chin.
The blunt tip hovered just inches from my throat.
Since it wasn't sharp, getting poked would only leave a bruise, but still.
"This is the sweet spot!" the giant barked.
His lackeys gasped in awe. "Whoa!"
Seriously, they looked like a pack of gorillas.
"Scared?"
"Yes. Absolutely terrified."
I nodded, a faint smile playing on my lips.
I couldn't help but laugh.
After all, this was the very same guy who had barely run a few minutes during physical training before throwing up his guts.
"Watch your step, pal. The Tower is no joke."
"Understood!"
When I answered so readily, the giant's face contorted.
Did he think I was mocking him?
"Why you..."
He gritted his teeth and raised the sword high again.
"What do you think you're doing?"
A low, cold voice cut through the air.
It was the combat instructor.
"Did you come here to play games?"
The instructors had looked displeased since the start of basic training, and it seemed he was seizing this opportunity to whip everyone into shape.
"N-No, sir!"
The giant quickly lowered his sword.
"Say that again. What about the vitals?"
"Uh, no, I..."
Moving at a speed the giant couldn't hope to match, the combat instructor snatched the sword and pointed the tip directly under the giant's chin.
Combat instructors weren't Hunters.
However, they were highly trained martial artists. They were on a completely different level compared to ordinary citizens.
"You can't even run properly, yet you're lecturing people on vitals?"
"Gasp..."
"Someone like you would die before you could even swing this thing."
The instructor spoke in a quiet voice, but since I was standing right next to them, I heard every word.
The giant's face turned pale in real-time.
"Lee Taepyeong is the only candidate who completed the basic physical training."
"..."
"Everyone except Lee Taepyeong, return to the physical training room."
Groans and complaints erupted from the crowd, but the instructor's stance was absolute.
In the end, I was the only one left in the vast training hall.
Unintentionally, I ended up receiving private tutoring.
Hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship.
The vital points of monsters and how to strike them.
It was incomparably harder than basic training, and by the time it was over, I was on the verge of collapsing.
Still, this is better...
It kept my mind blank.
No worries, no sadness, no anger.
In a way, it was perfect.
I threw myself into training like a madman.
Eating, studying, training, and sleeping.
As if that was all that existed in my world.
And just like that, three months passed.