Chapter 242: The Tutorial Floor (14)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 242: The Tutorial Floor (14)
Ting—
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ is pleased with your unrelenting actions.」
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ sponsors you 1,000 WP.」
「“A hero must show mercy. But all heroes who showed mercy to their enemies are dead.”」
Watching Yoo Ah-rin, who looked relieved, Baek Jihyuk wore a complicated expression.
The only reason Baek Jihyuk had tried to stop me was to prevent any further loss of personnel for the sake of his plan.
He must have wanted to keep Lee Gyuho alive and get him to participate, no matter what.
But Lee Gyuho was dead.
Killed by none other than his own comrade, Yoo Ah-rin.
Still, he couldn't blame her. Lee Gyuho was the one who had caused the problem in the first place.
No, in a way, it was also Baek Jihyuk's fault for failing to resolve the conflict between his comrades.
Ting—
「Yoo Ah-rin has proposed a trade.」
「Trade Item: 2,175 WP」
“What's this?”
“It's the WP I got from killing Lee Gyuho.”
Yoo Ah-rin, who had looked so relieved just moments ago, had already returned to her usual calm demeanor and was watching me quietly.
I couldn't tell if she was skilled at controlling her emotions depending on the situation, or if her emotions were naturally faint.
“Just keep it.”
“What?”
2,175 WP.
It was an amount that would make other player candidates gasp, but to me, it was nothing more than a bit of side income.
“...Are you serious?”
Yoo Ah-rin's eyes wavered.
I was showing her favor through the WP to win her over, but I didn't just mean in a romantic sense.
Putting her looks aside, Yoo Ah-rin was an intriguing person in many ways.
Her grip on the sword was one example.
‘She must have held a sword for at least ten years.’
And that wasn't all.
Exclusive traits and skills are generally divided into two types: innate and acquired.
A prime example of an acquired one was me obtaining the ‘Incomplete Moon's Eye’ after clearing a dungeon. On the other hand, residents sublimate their innate talents, while players sublimate the talents and experiences they've accumulated before entering the Tower into exclusive traits and skills.
Of course, that didn't mean just anyone could obtain them.
You had to be acknowledged by the system, just as Baek Jihyuk, a higher-ranked hunter than Yoo Ah-rin, hadn't obtained a swordsmanship trait.
‘Was she born into a martial family?’
The possibility was high.
A swordsmanship trait meant she had received systematic training, while a close-quarters combat trait meant she had accumulated countless experiences in interpersonal combat.
Of course, someone with overwhelming talent could acquire such traits without going through that process.
But Yoo Ah-rin's talent wasn't that exceptional. If it were, she would have had at least one B-grade or higher trait or skill.
The calluses and scars I glimpsed on her palm were proof that she was a hard worker.
That made her even more interesting.
“If you don't need it, just gi—”
「Yoo Ah-rin has canceled the trade.」
Yoo Ah-rin closed the trade window with incredible speed and smiled with satisfaction.
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at the sight.
She seems greedy and quick-witted, so why is she still in this camp?
If she had no choice but to stay for survival until now, that was no longer the case. Now, staying in the camp had become the more dangerous option.
“You're Yoo Ah-rin, right?”
At my call, Yoo Ah-rin simply nodded without a word.
Her reaction created a strange sense of distance.
“Are you planning to join that reckless plan too?”
“Yes.”
Her answer came without a hint of hesitation.
“Even though you might die?”
Just a short while ago, the majority of the camp's main combatants had been killed.
At this rate, they should be worried about surviving the night, let alone carrying out any plan.
As long as she was part of the camp, the same applied to Yoo Ah-rin.
“How about you follow me instead?”
Of course, Yoo Ah-rin's talent wasn't as outstanding as Lee Serin's.
But just because she was weak now didn't mean she would be weak forever. If that were the case, I'd still be living in that studio apartment, worrying about tomorrow.
There's a saying that life is seventy percent luck and thirty percent skill.
I could be her luck.
Well, it would be a lie to say I didn't consider her looks at all, but what I liked most was her personality—the kind that would work until not just her palms but the backs of her hands were covered in scars.
Hard work doesn't lie. It's luck, not effort, that betrays you.
I was planning to establish a clan soon. I had already decided on its operating policy.
A small group of elites.
In that respect, Yoo Ah-rin was quite a decent talent. If she were too talented, she might become arrogant and act on her own whims.
“I'll give you anything you want. WP, weapons, martial arts, you name it.”
This wasn't an offer just for her sake.
The moment I first saw Yoo Ah-rin, I felt an inexplicable urge to teach her.
Perhaps I might even find a clue to reaching the Transcendent Realm.
“...Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”
After a moment of thought, Yoo Ah-rin finally bowed her head.
I was a little shocked. Honestly, I never thought I'd be rejected.
I became curious why she, who wasn't the captain, refused to leave a sinking ship.
“Why?”
“I can't leave the camp. If I'm not here, everyone will die.”
That was another answer I hadn't expected.
She didn't seem like a philanthropist like Baek Jihyuk.
“You're going to sacrifice yourself for others?”
Yoo Ah-rin nodded with a calm expression.
“If everyone dies just because you're gone, that's not your fault. It's the fault of the idealist who made the reckless plan.”
At my words, Baek Jihyuk lowered his head.
He knew it himself.
He was forcing his comrades to sacrifice themselves for the camp's survivors.
That guilt was probably why he was just watching quietly as I tried to recruit Yoo Ah-rin.
“I'm just repaying a debt. If it weren't for Jihyuk-oppa, I would have been dead long ago.”
“Not everyone who gets saved by a firefighter repays the debt with their life.”
Yoo Ah-rin fell silent.
I sighed inwardly. I didn't know whether to call this naive or stubborn.
But it was a shame to back down here. It wasn't easy to find a talent who was both pretty and worth developing.
“Then what about after you leave the Tutorial Floor?”
“...What?”
“Are you going to keep repaying that debt even after this?”
“That's...”
There was no need to ask any more questions.
Just knowing that she was hesitating was enough.
I bought an item from the shop.
「You have purchased a ‘Contract Scroll’.」
「Contract Scroll
Category: Item
Rank: C
A contract scroll that can form a soul-binding agreement.
A penalty will be imposed for breaching the terms of the contract.」
1,000 WP. It was the most expensive item in the tutorial shop.
I hadn't planned on using something like this, but it was a necessary expense to recruit the talent I wanted.
“This is...?”
「Contract Scroll
Kang Hyun-woo (hereinafter referred to as 'Party A') and Yoo Ah-rin (hereinafter referred to as 'Party B') hereby enter into the following agreement.
1. After clearing the Tutorial Floor, Party B shall belong to Party A's party and subsequently join their clan.
2. Party A shall not spare any support for Party B. However, the nature of the support must be within the bounds of common sense and can be adjusted through mutual agreement.
3. Party A shall not subject Party B to unfair treatment. A clear definition of unfair treatment will be determined through legal dispute.
˙
˙
˙
15. This contract shall be concluded upon Party A fulfilling Party B's request.」
I handed the contract scroll to Yoo Ah-rin.
It was probably full of loopholes since I'd written it in a hurry, but there were plenty of ways to nullify a C-rank contract anyway.
“Sign the contract, and I'll help with the camp's situation. How about it?”
Of course, I had no intention of being a sucker and just handing out WP.
If Yoo Ah-rin made an unreasonable demand, I would give up on her without a second thought.
This was the absolute limit of the goodwill I could show her.
“What will you do?”
“...”
After hesitating for a long time, Yoo Ah-rin bit her finger.
A name written in blood filled the space next to mine on the contract.
*
That evening, the camp's survivors were gathered in one place. Every single one of them looked tense.
A total of 27 people.
They were all the survivors currently left on the Tutorial Floor.
‘A lot of them died.’
Not long ago, there had been about 40 people in the camp.
Apparently, they couldn't handle the sudden increase in monsters, and the camp collapsed, resulting in numerous casualties.
The combat team had suffered significant losses in the process, and now, only 10 people could be considered combatants.
And that number included me, Lucifer, and Lee Serin.
A heavy tension hung in the silence.
They knew it too. They knew they might not survive the night.
And even if they did, they also knew that if they didn't fight, they would die the moment the seventh sun set.
“...Hyun-woo. We're ready.”
Baek Jihyuk, who had just returned to the camp, was drenched in a cold sweat.
Well, he had no idea how many people would die tonight because of the plan he had devised.
His reaction was only natural.
Of course, it was none of my business. All I had to do was make a killing in WP.
“Begin.”
The moment the words left my mouth, Baek Jihyuk took all the combat team members and dashed out of the camp.
Of course, Lucifer, Lee Serin, and Yoo Ah-rin were exceptions. I couldn't let my women and my prospective clan member get hurt.
“Hyun-woo, will it be okay?”
“Who knows. He's the one who came up with this plan, so he'll figure it out.”
Although I had modified it slightly, the gist of the plan was simple.
Four people would escort the one with the taunt skill, drawing in monsters from an even wider area.
Then, they would return to the camp and deal with the swarming monsters.
In other words, the five of them, including Baek Jihyuk, were fishermen who had to run through a forest full of obstacles to catch the fish known as monsters.
It was obviously dangerous. They could all be wiped out.
But I hadn't sent them off without any countermeasures.
I had given them the vitality potions I'd made while practicing alchemy a while back. They would tire out faster than usual, but they'd also be able to move much faster.
There were some side effects, but it was better than dying.
Bang!
A moment later, a green flare shot up from the middle of the forest.
It was a signal that the plan had succeeded.
It also meant that the fishermen were less than 200 meters away from the camp.
“I guess it's time to start.”
As I've said before, I don't do free service.
But I had to endure this much to scout the talent I wanted.
Well, strictly speaking, it wasn't that I wasn't getting anything, even if I wasn't getting paid by them.
A prospective clan member and the massive amount of WP that would soon flow to me were the rewards for this service.
“Since ancient times, books on warfare have said that a fire attack is the best, as long as the timing and weather are right.”
The trees in this forest were naturally fire-resistant, but they had a peculiar property of burning well once they were cut down for firewood.
In other words, it was impossible to hunt monsters by setting the forest on fire.
However, even non-combustible materials like stone and metal, while not spreading the flames, will burn for a certain period if set on fire.
Likewise, it didn't matter that these unique trees lacked flammable gas.
I could just substitute it with magic power.
Ting—
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ watches the dawn that lights up the night sky.」
「The ‘Dancing Destroyer’ takes an interest in the black flames engulfing the forest.」
「The ‘Dweller of the Swamp’ bursts into laughter.」
[Black Rain]
Flames that seemed to have swallowed the darkness rained down like teardrops. It was a magic that utilized Lucifer's authority, ‘Black Flame’.
The magic power consumption was high, but its power had increased proportionally. Enough that I no longer had to insist on using lightning magic for its destructive force.
Under the ceaseless shower of embers, the forest and the monsters could do nothing but burn.
The flames that engulfed the forest roared and swelled as if delighted by the spectacle.
WP was accumulating at an incredible rate.
Just then, the fishermen returned to the camp, collapsing to the ground and gasping for breath. But there was no time to rest.
The monsters that had survived the inferno were now flocking here.
The non-combatants in the camp also grabbed their weapons and charged toward the monsters.
They were desperate.
Baek Jihyuk had said he would share the WP he collected with them, but realistically, he couldn't pay the entry fee for all 17 of them.
To survive, each of them had to fight their hardest.
How much time passed like that?
“Wh-what is this?!!!”
The unexpected campfire had drawn out a rabbit that had been hiding in its burrow.
Its wide-eyed stare was quite a sight.