Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Tutorial Boss
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And then, the girl opened her eyes.
The girl who had opened her eyes looked around, trying to figure out where she was.
She had no idea where this place was.
It was just a forest filled with an enormous number of trees—nothing more, nothing less, no matter which way she looked.
"This place is... Huh?"
As she pushed herself up, something clattered to the ground.
It was a strange necklace she had no memory of.
A pretty accessory embedded with a blue-glowing gem. As she examined it from different angles, she suddenly felt the ground rumble.
-Thud!
Could it be an earthquake? She glanced around.
But there were no more tremors.
She could only confirm that the surroundings had suddenly grown darker, as if rain was about to fall.
"Ah."
The sky was clear.
So why was there such a heavy shadow cast over everything?
-Thud!
The ground shook again.
A foreboding feeling washed over her, and the girl turned around.
There, something enormous loomed.
"?"
It must feel like this to see a giant monster from the movies right in front of your face—a guardian of overwhelming size, dozens of meters tall. The girl collapsed on the spot.
Why had she ended up in a place like this?
One thing was clear: recalling the memories leading up to this didn't bring any good feelings.
The girl had been crossing the crosswalk.
Then a traffic accident happened on the other side. The wreckage of a car slightly larger than her came flying, smashing straight into her... That was the memory.
"Urk!"
Thinking back on it made her feel nauseous for no reason.
But she had no time to sob over the horrific nightmare.
-Thud!
The ground shook.
The giant, terrifying just to look at, took a step forward.
A mysterious giant made of white stone.
The giant began glaring at the girl with eyes glowing red.
—Intruder... Eliminate...
"P-Please... spare me."
Facing a monster she'd never seen before in her life, the girl trembled and spoke.
Her tiny voice would never reach the giant.
Even if that desperate cry did reach the giant, the mindless guardian wouldn't understand it.
It simply carried out its creator's command, removing everything that intruded into its master's garden.
"P-Please..."
She pleaded desperately.
But the giant lifted its massive foot.
It intended to crush and kill her outright.
"Ah."
Running away was futile now.
No matter how fast the girl ran, the giant would catch up in a single step.
Above all, her legs wouldn't move from sheer terror.
In the end, the girl squeezed her eyes shut.
'Please... don't let it hurt.'
She resigned herself with that wish.
-Boom!
Suddenly, that sound rang out.
It was like the sound of a massive boulder being shattered.
—Groooaaarrrgh!
"...Huh?"
Sensing something off, the girl cautiously opened her eyes. Half of the giant's massive body had been smashed.
She didn't know what did it, but the giant's body had been halved in one blow, and debris began raining down.
And toward where the girl was, the giant's head came falling.
Its size was bigger than even a large truck.
Being crushed under that would mean instant death.
Someone or something had apparently defeated the monster in front of her, but it looked like she'd die anyway.
The outcome hadn't changed.
-Crunch!
"...That was close."
If that silver-haired woman hadn't appeared for the girl.
The woman, with a slender frame as delicate as the girl's, caught the giant's head—far larger than herself—with one hand.
Then she casually set the debris down.
It was clearly dozens of tons, yet the silver-haired woman showed no strain.
"Ah... Um, who are you?"
Witnessing the scene, the girl backed away and asked.
But no answer came.
'Who is that woman? And... are those horns?'
She seemed incredibly beautiful, but the horns on her head sparked wariness.
She didn't feel human at all.
Was this woman the same as that monster? Was she competing for prey? As those thoughts crossed her mind...
-Rustle
"?"
The woman silently embraced the girl.
"Wha—huh?"
The girl panicked at the sudden situation, but accepting that she'd woken in an unfamiliar forest, been attacked by an unfamiliar monster, and was now held by an unfamiliar person took time—though she didn't push her away.
"...A person. A living human, at that."
She simply couldn't bring herself to shove the woman away.
The woman looked incredibly strong, but right now, she was shedding silent tears.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 1.
One hour later.
I walked quietly through the forest with the 'girl' I'd met there.
Our destination was wherever the Guiding Crystal now in my hand pointed.
⚔ ITEM ⚔ Guiding Crystal Wearing it prevents you from getting lost. A necklace made from a soulstone. Soulstone—one of the key materials for crafting major equipment in Novel Online.
To make enchanted weapons—ones with added effects—you absolutely needed soulstones.
Think of them as reinforcement materials.
They were pretty expensive in-game, too.
"Um, who are you?"
Anyway, putting that aside.
I think I messed up a bit just now.
In the joy of meeting another person after half a year, I hugged her without thinking.
When I came to my senses, I worried if I'd hugged too hard and broken her spine.
Fortunately, I controlled my strength well, but...
"Call me Cyan."
It was still rude behavior.
If I'd done that in the real world, I'd get reported immediately. For the first time, I was grateful to be here.
Of course, that's a joke.
For now, it was awkward to give my real name, so I went with Cyan.
I really am Cyan right now, after all.
"...Then, Cyan. Do you know where this is?"
"Twilight Forest, a space severed from the world. They say once you enter, you can never leave—the forest of exile."
I recited what I'd read in the book.
Honestly, my head was a bit complicated right now.
What I'd realized just before was that this girl wasn't the 'player' I'd been waiting for.
'Novel Online? What's that?'
Of course, she had the Guiding Crystal.
But strangely, she knew nothing about the game called Novel Online.
And she spoke so freely like that? An in-game character couldn't talk so independently on their own.
In other words, she was dragged here just like me.
There seemed to be some difference in how, but...
"So, you mean we can't get out of here?"
"Normally, yes. But there is a way."
The Guiding Crystal.
In the game, it was an item that showed the path to the next stage.
Its effect was nullified in mazes, and it had no other bonuses, but it was great for navigating massive fields like this Twilight Forest that you couldn't possibly handle alone.
There was a map, but seeing it flat on a screen versus having the direction right in front of you was a huge difference.
That's why you couldn't discard this accessory in the tutorial, but apparently, you could hand it over.
Then maybe this would work too...
-Crackle!
"Here."
I created a 'Demon's Blessing' in my hand.
I didn't know the exact method, but by picturing the 'real' Demon's Blessing I was wearing and concentrating my mana, I could mass-produce them easily.
It must be some tutorial boss ability.
Items that couldn't normally be traded could be given like this, so it was definite.
In fact, the tutorial boss Cyan would hand over this Demon's Blessing with a simple word of encouragement if a player survived her merciless attacks.
I already had something better, so I never planned to, but I ended up clearing it as a penalty after losing a bet with another player.
"Huh? What's this?"
"Same as what I'm wearing. It'll help with wound recovery or fatigue. Sell it or toss it if you don't need it."
"N-No! It's really pretty... And making it out of thin air like magic is amazing..."
...Yeah, she's just a regular human.
An ordinary human.
Not someone who entered through the game like me—just a victim pulled in while living her everyday life.
Honestly, if she went out like that, she'd die right away.
If this place was another world separate from the game Novel Online, surviving would be incredibly hard.
She'd probably end up as monster fodder or get caught by bandits and sold into slavery or a brothel.
And considering what I had to do ahead, I couldn't stick by her side all day.
Still, since she was the benefactor who let me escape this place, I gave her that to save her once in a crisis.
Plus, the Demon's Blessing I made was hardly different from the original, so she'd be stronger than most Earth humans.
"If you ever get into real danger, break it. It'll shatter easily if you want it to. But it'll only help once, so use it wisely."
"Huh? Oh, got it. It'd be a shame to break it, though."
"If it's more precious than your life, then sure."
"Understood! I'll break it right away if it's really dangerous!"
Cute.
From her looks, high school or college—mid-teens to early twenties at best.
Above all, when I hugged her earlier, she smelled nice. Not in a perverted way—just shampoo or soap.
I'd been washing only in streams this whole time.
I missed scrubbing with soap and shampoo.
First thing when I get out: a good bath somewhere nice.
"Hm."
Anyway, looks like we've arrived.
It's been a while since I last saw one of those.
"Huh? What's that?"
"A transfer gate. The only way out of this rotten forest. But it's closed right now."
Transfer gate.
In Novel Story, portals that let you move between stages.
But to open the one in the tutorial stage, you needed this Guiding Crystal.
It was a kind of qualification.
The transfer gate looked like it had been ripped straight from the entrance of some mythical temple.
To open a temple's entrance, you needed qualifications—and that was the Guiding Crystal.
Insert it into the pillar beside the gate, and the portal activates. Then step through.
But first.
"We'll be able to leave soon."
"Does that mean I can go home now?"
"No. The world beyond this gate won't be the one you know. It'll probably be full of horrors you can't even imagine—monsters and filthy humans everywhere."
"R-Really?"
"That giant you saw earlier? That's on the cute side."
"No way..."
The girl's expression darkened.
Inevitable.
She couldn't return to her world, and outside was crawling with monsters and scheming humans.
For her, this place might even be safer. Level 100 guardians roamed around, but avoid the tower and incidents like that wouldn't happen.
Speaking of which, why was that guardian there...?
Hm, think about it later.
"Anyway, this is goodbye. I have my goals, and you have yours."
I bid her farewell.
It was brief, but seeing a living human made me happy.
Thanks to her, I could leave, so learning her name wouldn't hurt.
"...Yeah."
"So before we part, tell me: What's your name? I know you're a traveler from another world."
Her clothes screamed Earth, and that black hair color wasn't common here.
"Oh, my name's Lee Se-eun. Come to think of it, I only heard yours and didn't tell you mine."
Lee Se-eun, huh...
Definitely from Earth.
That means 'Earth' exists in every world.
My home, where my parents and friends are—it's out there somewhere.
"Lee Se-eun... Got it. I'll head out first. You can stay here as long as you want, but don't linger too long or the portal closes."
I handed the Guiding Crystal back to Lee Se-eun.
It'd be a huge help navigating the harsh world out there.
It was for me, so I believe it'll be for her too.
"Thank you for worrying about me. Take care, Cyan."
I exchanged simple goodbyes and stepped forward.
Finally, farewell to this damn tutorial.