Tutorial (2): Record-Breaking Clear and the Legendary Jackpot
I alternated my gaze between the gray ashes scattering in the wind and the rainbow-hued sword gripped in my hand. A single thought rose up.
...Am I actually talented?
I'd heard the other climbers took anywhere from three days to a full month just to manifest their abilities. Yet the moment I tried, I succeeded. The realization sent a pleasant shiver down my spine.
The Constellation, 'Goddess of War and Iron' is taking an interest in you.
Whoever they were, these big shots were clearly paying attention to me. The corner of my mouth curled up on its own as a thrilling rush shot down my back.
"...Man, I'm getting high off this."
Swordsmanship Training Lv.1
My grip tightened around the sword. My eyes locked onto a General Skeleton charging from behind the drifting ashes. It wore ornate armor and a golden crown atop its skull.
...Does that thing not slip off? I thought crowns always slide around on bald heads.
I stamped my right foot into the ground. The impact sent dirt spraying upward with a solid thud. My twisted waist drew back like a bowstring, then released all that power in one smooth motion. A trail of rainbow light left afterimages along the blade's path as it sliced clean through the skeleton, separating its upper and lower body.
Shhk—!
The skeleton let out a grotesque groan before crumbling apart. I carefully reached out and lifted the golden crown from its skull. It came off without any resistance. Looking at that vivid, rich gold, it had to be 99.99% pure.
The armor had turned to ash along with the bones, but the crown in my hand remained perfectly intact. I offered the dissolving skeleton a brief moment of silence.
"Don't get reborn as a bald guy next time. I'll be taking this."
Free loot. Absolute jackpot.
"Inventory."
The crown vanished into the game-like window floating before me, and a crown-shaped icon appeared in the inventory UI. Every awakened being had access to this privilege—an near-infinite subspace storage. In other words, pretty much everything I farmed here could come with me.
My eyes swept across the dozen or so remaining General Skeletons. Or, more accurately, across the jewels and golden ornaments decorating their heads, necks, and arms.
The Constellation, 'Lord of Eternal Life' is in awe of your greed.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Alright then... time to feast.
Trails of starlight began sweeping across the undead. The General Skeletons that had been charging at me with monstrous shrieks crumbled into piles of ash, leaving only their golden ornaments behind.
Final enemy defeated.
Level increased.
Tutorial cleared.
Difficulty: Extreme
Achievement Score: 24030
As reward for clearing the Extreme difficulty tutorial, all stats have increased by 10.
"That was easy."
Standing alone in the desolate plain, I pulled out my phone and snapped a selfie, throwing up a V-sign next to my right eye. The photo showed a silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty staring expressionlessly at the camera.
I brushed the dirt off my pure white skin and thought, ...I really am something else, huh?
No matter how many times I looked at it, that dazzlingly beautiful face never got old. It was clearly me, yet it felt like someone else entirely—which only made it better. And on top of that, I was strong.
The Constellation, 'Goddess of War and Iron' applauds your achievement.
The Constellation, 'Seeker of Swords' is taking an interest in you.
The Constellation, 'God of Fury and War' is puzzled by your existence.
How impressive did you have to be for the stars in the sky above to take notice? As I pondered that, another window appeared before me.
You have broken the highest record in the tutorial.
Having achieved 1st place in the rankings, all stats increase by 20.
Achievement Score: 24030 (Previous 1st place: 4320)
Please enter the name that will be registered in the rankings.
[Name: ]
"Name... name, huh..."
You're not supposed to overthink these things. I let my mind flow freely and typed the first thing that came to me.
Name: HeavenlyShatteringSwordMaiden
It combined Heavenly Shattering Star Sword with Sword Maiden, the term for a beautiful woman who wields a blade. I even added the hanja in parentheses to make it look cooler.
"Pretty stylish, right?"
Satisfied, I watched my nickname climb the rankings.
The score made me nod in approval. Time to brag about it in the gallery. And finally...
Obtained Common Skill Book from the random skill book.
"A common skill book?"
I recalled that common ones usually gave decent attack techniques or passive skills that raised your stats a bit.
"I wonder what I'll get..."
The moment I moved to open the book—
Fwaaah—!
The plain brown leather cover suddenly blazed with light and turned green.
First clear of Extreme difficulty!
As reward, the skill book's grade has risen from Common to Advanced.
"Oh."
But it didn't stop there.
You have achieved 1st place in tutorial stage clear score.
As reward, the skill book's grade has risen from Advanced to Rare.
The cover turned blue. Then it shone again.
"...What the hell is going on?"
I stared at the purple cover. Written on the violet skill book were words I could hardly believe.
You have cleared the tutorial alone without any party members.
As reward, the skill book's grade has risen from Rare to Hero.
"I give up at this point."
Good is good. Would it go up again? At this point I felt like nothing could surprise me anymore. Sure enough, the skill book began shining once more. This time the light was on a completely different level—pure white, almost rainbow. A massive radiance burst forth, illuminating the entire Hall of Stars.
All abilities increased by 30.
As reward, the skill book's grade has risen from Hero to Legendary.
"...I haven't even cleared the first floor yet and I got a legendary skill?"
Even the climbers tackling the Hard difficulty tower only got legendary skills after passing the 30th floor. I didn't even know what to say anymore. Might as well just enjoy it.
Exiting the tutorial.
Crack—!
The space shattered like breaking glass. Through the cracks I saw the night sky filled with twinkling starlight. For some reason, I felt like they were speaking to me in that moment.
The Constellation, 'Seeker of Swords' looks forward to your journey.
The Constellation, 'Lord of Eternal Life' watches your back.
The Constellation, 'Goddess of War and Iron' blesses you.
The Constellation, 'Lord of Cards and Chips' grants you luck.
Fwaah—!
A green light shot from one of the stars and engraved a four-leaf clover symbol on my right shoulder. Then—
Crash—!
The space itself completely shattered into fragments and poured down toward the ground.
Title: Where the hell did that bitch go?
I called her out and the damn girl ran straight into the tower. I even came fully geared to bury her. There's no way she finished the tutorial and bounced in that short amount of time, right?
If I catch her, she's dead. Prepare yourself, you fucking cunt.
"Hmm."
I opened the gallery on my phone and the first thing I saw was someone screaming about how badly they wanted to kill me. Just how angry was this person?
Still...
"Sorry, but that's impossible."
I was already home. I hugged the cozy blanket on my bed, moved my fingers across the screen, and started a new post.
Title: Newbie just cleared the tutorial and came back.
[Photo of skeletons bursting out of the ground]
I got dragged into a difficulty I'd never seen before and thought I was gonna die, but I managed to handle it. These are some of the things I got in the process—if anyone knows what to do with them or wants to buy, please comment.
[Photo of various gold ornaments spread across the bed]
Oh, the bracelet and necklace on the far right aren't for sale. I'm keeping those for myself.
And to the people who came out to see me—it's cold outside, so stop waiting and go home. I'm not the kind of girl you can meet that easily. Thanks.
[Ranking 1st verification shot taken with a V-sign]
"Oh, right."
I realized I'd forgotten to post one more thing. I quickly made another post.
Title: Forgot to post this earlier—is this any good?
I got it after clearing the tutorial but I'm not sure if it's good or not.
[Photo of a book gleaming with golden light on the bed]
They said it's a legendary-grade skill book. Will something good come out if I open it? Still, since I got it in the tutorial it probably isn't that amazing, right?
"Heh..."
Trolling was always fun. I felt that familiar thrilling rush down my spine as I kept refreshing. The number of dislikes kept climbing noticeably with every refresh, but that was just more attention. As I shivered with delight and continued refreshing, one particular comment caught my eye.
— So what did you get?
I immediately replied.
— OP: Haven't opened it yet... Hold on. I'll open it now.
Without hesitation I opened the book lying on the bed.
Flip flip flip—!
The pages radiated brilliant golden light. They flipped at high speed before one by one detaching from the book and floating into the air. They gathered together in midair, forming a golden orb. Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed it.
Consuming Blessing of Luck.
Fate smiles upon you.
A burning pain suddenly flared near my right shoulder.
Sizzle—!
"Kyaaak...!"
I let out a high-pitched scream without meaning to. In the next instant—
Fwaaaaaah—!
The golden orb dissolved into pure light and seeped into my entire body.
Legendary Skill — Heavenly Martial Body
Passive skill. Maximizes talent in all forms of martial arts. Increases attack power by 100% when attacking by non-magical means. Harmonizes all types of energy and grants immunity to mental attacks.
"...?"
— OP: It's called Heavenly Martial Body. Is this good?
This time I was genuinely asking because I had no idea. Was this good? The comment section instantly flipped upside down.
"Hmm..."
I typed another reply.
— OP: Hmm... so it's that good?
Right after I posted it—
New message has arrived!
New message has arrived!
New message has arrived!
New message has arrived!
New message has arrived!
Private messages began pouring into the anonymous account I was using.