Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: So This Was Just the Tutorial?
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***
*Click.*
After finishing dinner at the cadet cafeteria and returning to my dorm, I felt a rare sense of genuine satisfaction.
“Training really is a must.”
It felt like training had become an inseparable, essential part of my life.
I never thought training for the first time in a week would bring me this much joy. Moreover, the fact that I trained under Kalli's guidance brought me even greater satisfaction.
*Rustle.*
As I took off my cadet uniform, a thought suddenly struck me.
“Come to think of it, I wonder if my stats have gone up.”
I'd been so focused on Karite that I couldn't recall opening my status window for several weeks.
Since it was on my mind, I focused my gaze on the empty air and moved my lips.
“Status window.”
A pale blue hologram immediately appeared in my vision, displaying my status.
*
ㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Name: Han Cheon-seong
Gender: Male (20)
Title: None
Height · Weight: 178cm 68kg
Current Continental Influence: 1271.
[A great change has occurred due to the significant increase in your influence!]
(Confirmation required)
*Stats.
[Strength 16]
[Agility 23]
[Stamina 24]
[Magic 16]
[Luck 5]
*Traits [1]
[Spearmanship Lv.4 Growth Rate - □□%]
*Skills [0]
- □□□ Spear [Unacquired] - (Acquisition Rate: □□%)
ㅡㅡㅡㅡ
*
“Wait. What in the world... happened?”
I, who had only expected a few stats to have increased, was momentarily stunned.
There wasn't just one or two changes.
The first thing that stood out was 'Continental Influence'.
This was something that never appeared in the story of *Groa*. The status window was only ever used by Leonhardt as a concept to show his measure of growth.
But I had no idea why I had this additional feature.
It hadn't had any effect so far, so I'd dismissed it as nothing important...
“Confirmation required?”
Just as I mumbled dazedly.
*Ting!*
Along with a chime that sounded like an unlock, a part of the status window was engulfed in a pure white light.
The updated 'Continental Influence' section now had a strange phrase inscribed on it.
*
ㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Current Continental Influence: 1271.
[Your Continental Influence has surpassed one thousand, allowing you to approach the truth of the world! The path you will walk shall be revealed.]
ㅡㅡㅡㅡ
*
“The truth of the world...? My path will be revealed?”
As I blinked at the incomprehensible text, a pure white light suddenly erupted.
...!
*Ting!*
[All status window information will now display additional information!]
The first golden text that appeared asserted its presence amidst the brilliant light. As the light that filled my vision slowly faded.
*Ting!*
[Escape Death!]
Two of the nine apostles who possess absolute power have begun to act. You must first survive amidst great danger.
—Expand for detailed conditions.
Once again, the golden text appeared as if engraved in my vision, making its presence known.
“...”
The moment I saw it, I was at a loss for words.
After I fell into this world, the world—which had been so unkind as to tell me nothing about what I should do—suddenly began to show me a path.
“Now of all times...”
As various thoughts flooded my mind, a dry laugh escaped me. Because it had started telling me things that made no sense.
My head suddenly felt dizzy.
“The first thing it tells me is to ‘Escape Death’... really...”
I was so flabbergasted I couldn't speak.
Originally, the status window was always an indicator of growth. It showed only that. And I knew that everyone could only see their 'own status window'.
But my status window had just undergone a massive, sudden change.
“...”
I clutched my throbbing head, threw the cadet uniform I was taking off aside, and caught my breath.
I needed to organize my thoughts, so I spoke again.
“...Status window.”
The pale blue hologram once again filled my vision.
*
ㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Name: Han Cheon-seong
Gender: Male (20)
Title: The One Who Advances.
Height · Weight: 178cm 68kg
Current Continental Influence: 1271
[Your influence has surpassed one thousand, allowing you to take one step closer to the truth of the world! The path you will walk shall be revealed.]
*[All status window information will now be displayed with additional information!]
*Path to Follow [Currently progressing 'Escape Death']
-[Escape Death!]
Two of the nine apostles who possess absolute power have begun to act. You must first survive amidst great danger.
—Expand for detailed conditions.
*Stats.
[Strength 16]
[Agility 23]
[Stamina 24]
[Magic 16]
[Luck 5]
*Traits [1]
[Spearmanship Lv.4 Growth Rate - 87%]
(Keyword for reaching Trait Level 5: The 'Sacrifice' condition has been met.)
*Skills [0]
- Spiral Spear [Unacquired] - (Acquisition Rate: 98%)
(Acquisition rate is extremely limited due to stats being too low)
ㅡㅡㅡㅡ
*
“...How very flashy.”
Foolishly marveling at how colorful a status window could be, I began to examine it piece by piece.
Everything about the status window had changed, so much so that my previous belief that Continental Influence was nothing seemed foolish.
Even the fact that my stats had risen evenly now seemed trivial to me.
“Trait growth rate, skill acquisition rate...”
I felt a little excited as I quickly checked the information besides the 'Path to Follow'.
...Indicators of how far I'd come or how much I'd grown weren't supposed to be displayed. But unlike before, everything was now clearly shown as a 'value'.
And even the 'conditions to reach' were explained in detail.
I figured this was something I gained from unlocking the 'Display Additional Information' through Continental Influence, but it was purely astonishing to me.
“If I can gauge my growth to this extent, it's truly unbelievable.”
...The fact that I was just about 13% away from Trait Level 5, and that my skill acquisition rate had reached an incredibly high 98%. I could actually see this information in a positive light.
Even the path I was to take was written out clearly, which was astounding.
Thinking about it simply, this kind of status window would be an absurdly huge help for my future growth.
Above all, it even gives hints about the evolution conditions for traits.
Until now, it felt like grasping at clouds. Honestly, even looking at the status window, I couldn't tell a thing about my traits and skills, aside from the stats.
All of that had changed from impossible to possible.
“So the reason I couldn't get the skill was because my stats were insufficient, just as I thought.”
I completely understood the situation with the skill now.
Originally, one had to reach the absolute level of Trait Level 7 to acquire a skill. But no matter how hard I pushed to get a skill at Level 4, I felt... I was lacking something.
And I had only suspected that it might be my stats that were lacking.
But now, the status window was showing me the answer, confirming I was right. It was incredibly relieving.
Nodding, I understood each part of the status window.
...And at the same time, I couldn't understand.
“Wait, does this mean this status window was given only to me?”
—Continental Influence.
Just thinking of Kalli, who helped me train today, I could easily guess her influence would be incomparably higher than mine.
But in all the time I'd spent with her, I had never once heard her mention the words 'Continental Influence'.
If she, who had sincerely helped me, wishing for my growth, had known about it, she would have told me long ago.
'...But the fact that Kalli didn't.'
Even the other instructor, Adelia, hadn't said anything to me about the status window.
Seeing the circumstances, I could be sure.
“This is a status window option unlocked only for me.”
It was reasonable to see it that way. After all, something like Continental Influence never appeared in the original story.
“This is insane...”
As I let out a small breath, I felt my own thoughts changing drastically with these new revelations.
This world I'm in now... it's clearly the same as the world of *Groa*, yet different.
I could be sure of that, at least.
Because things aren't proceeding according to the original story. And if you consider *Groa* the original, then this world was a different one, gradually diverging from it.
As I was thinking that, my eyes suddenly widened.
“Wait, could it be...”
It's a truly ridiculous thought, but...
Perhaps.
'Have I only just now cleared this world's tutorial?'
It was a thought that came to me out of the blue.
The things that unlocked only after my Continental Influence surpassed 1,000 were all nonsensical.
The additional information only allowed to me, the profound phrase about approaching the world's truth, and now it was even presenting the very path I should follow.
It was as if... this world was finally speaking to me directly.
Han Cheon-seong. You're just getting started... It felt like the world was acknowledging that I had finally reached the starting line.
“That sounds like a crazy idea.”
The thoughts filling my head right now were truly absurd. But I couldn't deny the feeling that I had just finished the tutorial.
A terribly, horribly unkind tutorial at that.
It was so unkind that if I hadn't checked my status window, I wouldn't have even known I'd finished the tutorial.
“Hah.”
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
‘First... let's look on the bright side.’
It was truly surprising and absurd, but there was plenty of room to view this situation positively.
At the very least, being able to see the growth values and keywords for my traits and skills was like a great truth revealed to me.
“...Escape Death.”
As I said aloud the words I'd been avoiding, the details appeared in my vision.
*Ting!*
*[Escape Death!]*
Two of the nine apostles who possess absolute power have begun to act. You must first survive amidst great danger.
Unlocked Information 1: In 10 days, an apostle's avatar will visit the academy.
Locked Information 2: Unlocks upon reaching Trait Level 5!
Locked Information 3: Unlocks upon acquiring a skill!
The contents that entered my eyes were all foreign.
And the 'nine apostles' who possessed absolute power were something I was hearing for the first time.
“It definitely seems to be referring to apostles... but.”
As far as I knew, the term 'nine apostles' never appeared in the story.
In the first place, Leonhardt's story in *Groa*, all the way to the end... he just resolves the numerous crises that arise and ends up with several heroines for a happy ending.
I actually thought the ending itself was bland, but it could still be called a decent happy ending.
There were more than one or two strong apostles, so even limiting the scope to nine apostles felt vague.
After pondering, I eventually focused on the unlocked information.
“First, an incident is going to happen in 10 days.”
It felt like I had just returned to the academy, yet the time I was given had become extremely short again.
And I had assumed I would be following the episodes from the original story, but it seemed that wasn't the case either.
“An apostle's avatar is coming...”
My brow furrowed on its own as I spoke.
'If I really am just getting started now...'
I have to overcome an absurdly difficult challenge right from the start.
And it's even about survival.
There was no other objective; simply surviving was presented as the first goal.
“...”
It was enough to send a chill down my spine.