Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: First Level Up
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After the storm had passed, we settled into a safe zone in the corner of the passage.
Ragged breaths filled the cave.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
Lee Seo-ah leaned against the wall, catching her breath roughly.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her jawline.
She was definitely a Pilates instructor who ran her own studio—her recovery speed was impressive even in this mess.
Thanks to her firm thighs and core muscles, she showed less fatigue than Choi Hyun-sik, who had poor stamina.
But the ragged cloth clutched in her hand trembled faintly.
Her body was holding up, but her mind had reached its limit.
For someone who had lived gracefully her whole life shouting "One more, member!" to her clients, the sight of blood spraying and throats being slit right in front of her must have been too much to bear.
'Still, she's holding up better than most.'
I turned my gaze. Park Yumin had her knees pulled to her chest, curled up tight.
"Hic... Mom..."
A young college student.
She looked pitiful sniffling in fear, but oddly, Choi Hyun-sik sitting next to me had his eyes fixed elsewhere.
Every time she drew her knees together through the loose rags Lee Seo-ah had tossed her, her deep cleavage was blatantly exposed.
'Tch. I'm a guy too, but really...'
Choi Hyun-sik put on a serious face, but his eyes kept sneaking peeks at her chest.
"Ahem!"
I cleared my throat deliberately, and he flinched, snapping his gaze away.
'Damn, that guy's making me self-conscious.'
I opened my mouth to shake off the stray thoughts.
"Everyone calmed down a bit? Let's assess the situation."
"Uh, Big Brother..."
Choi Hyun-sik spoke up hesitantly.
As if to cover his earlier embarrassment, he shifted to a grave tone.
"Did you see it on the news? Those mass disappearances over the last six months."
"Disappearances?"
Park Yumin lifted her tear-streaked face.
Lee Seo-ah wiped her sweat, showing interest too.
"I read the articles. Stories about people vanishing into thin air like some urban legend... Is that what we're dealing with?"
"Exactly. I dig into communities... mysteries and such, so I looked deep. It matches what we saw there perfectly."
Choi Hyun-sik lit up and started rambling excitedly.
He must speed up whenever he hits a topic he knows.
"Survivors who came back from the disappearances posted testimonies online. They said they were dragged to some unknown space and had to kill monsters to return."
"Kill... monsters to go back. Sounds just like our situation."
"Yeah. It's like a death game. And... the more hopeless part."
Choi Hyun-sik swallowed dryly.
"It doesn't end after one time. Once you're taken, you're registered as a 'Player' and get summoned periodically. A quick search pulls up tons of cases."
"K-Keep getting summoned? No way..."
Park Yumin's face went pale.
Lee Seo-ah, as if she'd heard it somewhere too, quietly let despair settle on her features like she already knew.
Survive once, only to be dragged back to this hell again.
It was as good as a death sentence.
But.
'Periodic summons.'
My thinking differed slightly from theirs.
I stroked my chin absentmindedly and spoke.
"That means if we clear this place, they'll at least send us home once."
"Y-Yeah. But living in fear of when the next one hits..."
"No."
I chuckled.
My lips twisted upward without me realizing.
"Isn't it more like thanks?"
"Huh...?"
All three pairs of eyes locked on me.
Like they were staring at a madman.
Choi Hyun-sik especially seemed chilled by my smile, inching his butt back.
"B-Big Brother...? Why are you smiling...?"
Of course they wouldn't get it.
But for me, there couldn't be more perfect conditions.
Periodic summons.
That meant a wait time after clearing the tutorial and returning to reality before the next one.
'If I can preview the next stage with Dungeon Odyssey on my PC during that time.'
A test you could study for.
A gamble where you memorize the answers beforehand.
Russian roulette of unknown death for others, but for me, a bonus stage under total control.
"Not all bad. Means we get time to prepare if we survive and get out."
I glossed over it and stood up.
No more chit-chat. Time waste.
"Alright, up. Save the stories for home. Priority is getting out of here."
"R-Right now? Can't we rest a bit more?"
Park Yumin pleaded with a teary face, but I shook my head firmly.
"Rest alone if you want. Nah, scratch that. Everyone stay put here."
"Huh? Where are you going, Big Brother?"
"Hunting."
I answered curtly and plunged into the darkness.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kek! Kep!"
About three minutes later.
Dozens of goblins were chasing me through the darkness.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"D-Don't come here! Kyaaak!"
The three in the safe zone screamed in horror.
Choi Hyun-sik trembled with his knife out, while Lee Seo-ah shielded Park Yumin and backed away.
Natural reaction.
Too much for level 1 newbies.
But to me, they were just experience sacks.
'There.'
I slipped into a narrow gap in the map's corner—barely wide enough for one person—and waited.
No matter how many chased, only two could attack at once. Perfect natural fortress.
Using terrain is game basics.
"Line up, you EXP bags."
From the crevice, I impaled the lead goblin's throat with my spear.
Puuk-!
The next one got shoved aside with a side swing, then blinded with a shortsword slash.
I yanked the spear from the first's throat and jammed it into the second's heart.
Rinse and repeat.
One, two, three...
Each count filled my experience bar.
And finally, when it hit the threshold.
My body exploded with dazzling light.
'Good, same as the game.'
Kwaaang-!
The level-up mana shockwave.
The light wave swept through the goblins packing the narrow path.
They flew back or vanished without screaming.
"...Whoa."
The three watching from afar gaped.
The battlefield cleared in seconds.
I twisted my refreshed body, now leveled up, and checked the system message.
Lv.1 → Lv.2
Muscles tightened subtly, nerves sharpening.
Several choices popped up on my retina.
1. Power Up (Normal)
2. Stamina Up (Normal)
3. Speed Up (Normal)
I picked '3' without hesitation.
No point bulking tankiness in this tiny tutorial; couldn't tank the final boss anyway.
For me, who knew all patterns, only speed to execute brain commands instantly mattered.
You have selected Speed Up (Normal).
Instantaneous power slightly increases.
I twisted my lighter body, savoring the satisfaction, as the three approached cautiously from afar.
"Um... Did your body just glow...?"
Lee Seo-ah asked carefully.
I pondered briefly—leveling via kills wasn't some huge secret—so I answered honestly.
"Nothing special. Just leveled up."
But I didn't want more questions, so I deflected vaguely and nodded at the goblin corpses strewn about.
"More importantly, loot up. Unless you wanna keep going barehanded."
"Ah..."
They finally rushed to the bodies.
Rusty daggers, chipped axes.
Junk, but lifelines to the near-naked unarmed trio.
"Urk... Stinks."
Choi Hyun-sik pinched his nose but grinned picking up a rusty shortsword.
Park Yumin whimpered in disgust but clutched a small dagger for survival.
'They're scavenging hard.'
While they buried their faces in junk, I slipped back to the wall.
Plain rock wall, nothing special.
But goblin blood splattered everywhere trickled down, revealing subtle differences in one spot.
Tok.
I tapped it lightly with my index finger.
A small gap opened, and a faintly glowing ring rolled out.
Ring of Agility (Rare)
Slightly increases attack speed and movement speed when equipped.
'Bingo.'
I snatched the ring and slipped it on.
Glancing back, I saw only their backs, still fawning over rusty gear.
A sly smile crept across my lips.
'Mine. Jealous? Preview next time.'
"Alright, farming done. Let's move. No rescue squad's coming if we squat here."
At my word, the three followed without protest.
The fear in their eyes toward me had faded a bit, replaced by blind reliance for survival.