The Interface Appears
As if the sync process for vision had completed, the familiar prompt text entered my view.
It seemed this game activated only the visuals first, before entering character settings in earnest.
Since it was my first time playing, I figured it would be best to read the tutorial, so I immediately reached toward the NO button.
The system message vanished, replaced by a new window that popped up.
First, the player’s rank was being determined. The player would be assigned to a company suitable for their stats and skills, and each rank had specific tasks to complete within set periods. Failure meant demotion or, in the worst case, game over.
Executioner -100pt A rare elite group that existed only to confront monsters emerging from dungeons, operating outside normal company rules and supplied with the highest-grade equipment.
Team Leader -60pt Starting as a company team leader. Depending on the scale of the company, up to six members could be assigned.
New Employee 0pt Starting as a company new hire. The initial task difficulty was set to the lowest level.
Dispatched Part-Time +10pt Considered a non-regular member, receiving only minimal basic equipment.
Debt Defaulter +30pt Forced into the company after accumulating massive debt.
Lab Test Guinea Pig +50pt A guinea pig tossed deep into the dungeon for testing its danger level.
Additional options existed to earn extra points, it seemed.
The fact that they were designed to heavily influence early play made perfect sense.
Choosing the Executioner to spend all 100 points would earn extraordinary treatment from the company, but poor stats and skills would create significant risks. Conversely, choosing the guinea pig for an extra 50 points would start in dire situations but allow richer stats and skills.
If I could preview the stats and skills, choosing the starting rank would be easier, but...
To prevent that, once selected, you couldn’t return to the previous stage.
Well... since it was the first choice, something safe would be best.
After thinking it over, I selected New Employee without spending any points, as it had the lowest initial difficulty.
Next, the player’s initial stats were being set. All initial stat values started at the average human level of 3, and raising any stat by 1 required 10 points. Lowering it by 1 earned 10 points. Initial stats could be raised to a maximum of 10, with further growth possible later.
Strength (3) Affects physical attack power and inventory weight limit.
Agility (3) Affects movement speed and reaction time.
Endurance (3) Affects maximum HP and physical defense.
Mental (3) Affects maximum MP and magical defense.
Sensitivity (3) Affects the ability to detect hidden targets for exploration and trap detection.
Following the tutorial instructions, the classic game stat list appeared.
The only unusual point was the addition of Sensitivity, specialized for resources and trap detection.
With a basic stat setup like this, I could become a pure DPS by pouring into Strength, a tank by pouring into Endurance, or a pure explorer by pouring into Sensitivity.
The problem was that the most important skill was placed at the very bottom.
Since no points had been spent on the rank, a full 100 points remained, but I wanted to leave enough for the upcoming skills.
Strength (3)
Agility (3)
Endurance (3)
Mental (3)
Sensitivity (5)
In the end, my choice was to spend all 20 points on Sensitivity.
The rank instructions had clearly stated that stats determined the company, so I was betting that raising Sensitivity would land me in an exploration-focused place rather than combat.
Even if the other stats felt a bit low...
The New Employee rank had the lowest difficulty, so it should be fine, right?
With my mind made up, I pressed the confirmation button to proceed to the next stage.
Next, the player’s possessed skills were being set. Skills were divided into two types: public skills visible to company employees that influenced which company you joined, and private skills known only to the player that had no influence on company assignment. Each skill had active, passive, and penalty subtypes. Penalty skills could only be removed through special means, so be careful.
Public Skills
Active Skills
Detection -10pt Displays hidden traps present in your line of sight. (Consumes 5 MP)
Overclock -10pt For 3 minutes, agility stat doubles, but afterward agility stat is fixed at 1 for 5 minutes. (Consumes 20 MP)
Emergency Treatment -20pt Instantly heals half the maximum HP of yourself or a target. (Consumes 10 MP)
Barrier -20pt Creates a transparent wall that blocks any single physical attack. (Consumes 15 MP)
Forced Return -30pt Instantly teleports out of the dungeon. All resources obtained are lost. (Consumes 0 MP)
Foreknowledge -30pt Allows viewing the future at any desired time within 3 minutes of activation. (Consumes 5 MP)
Fairy’s Guidance -70pt Fairies inform you of low-risk routes inside the dungeon. (Consumes 30 MP)
Passive Skills
Luck -10pt When a trap activates, it has a 50% chance of being nullified.
Loyalty -20pt All stats of party members in your party rise by 5%.
Super Strength -20pt Physical attack power rises by 20%.
Sensitivity -20pt The player’s detection range for monsters doubles.
Iron Wall -30pt Physical and magical defense rise by 20%.
Regeneration -50pt Automatically recovers 1% of maximum HP every 5 seconds.
Absolute Perception Inhibition -100pt System and dungeon perception are disturbed. Males can enter the “women-only dungeon” with no restrictions, and all traps and monsters inside cannot detect the player as an intruder.
Penalty Skills
Coward +10pt For 10 seconds after encountering a monster, the body becomes unable to move.
Lack of Social Skills +10pt Starting with 20 lower favorability from other people.
Bad Navigator +20pt The minimap appears to have errors when checked.
Monster Inducing Constitution +20pt Pheromones flow from the player’s body, making monsters recognize the player more easily and track the player’s path obsessively.
Glass Body +30pt Physical and magical defense decrease by 20%.
Private Skills
Active Skills
Status Window -10pt Displays the target’s status window in sight. (Consumes 0 MP)
Four-Dimensional Pocket -20pt Calls a separate personal inventory with no weight limit. (Consumes 0 MP)
Absorb -30pt When engaging in relations with the opposite sex, the target’s MP is completely drained, restoring the player’s MP by that amount, and all stats rise by 10% for 24 hours.
Suggestion -40pt When eyes meet for 3 seconds or more with the target, a shallow suggestion can be cast. (Consumes 10 MP)
Passive Skills
Favorability Cheat -10pt Starting with 20 higher favorability from other people.
Pinnacle -20pt The player’s male organ never becomes tired.
Extreme -20pt The player’s male organ changes to extreme.
Translation Cheat -30pt Perfectly understands monster languages, and can voluntarily convey the player’s own language as monster language.
Female Heat Pheromone -30pt Pheromones flow from the player’s body, bringing nearby women into heat.
Penalty Skills
Lure +20pt The player’s male organ changes to lure. Cannot be selected together with Extreme.
Insensitivity Factory +30pt When engaging in relations with the opposite sex, the target feels only half the pleasure.
Premature Ejaculation +30pt When the player’s male organ is stimulated, the speed of reaching climax rises extremely fast.
Erectile Dysfunction +60pt The player’s male organ can never become erect again. Cannot be selected together with Lure or Premature Ejaculation.
I’m insane...
A instinctive groan escaped my lips as I scanned the entire list from the bottom.
Every skill in the list was bizarre and stimulating, but what truly seized my eyes was not the stimulating text.
-100pt.
The name at the very bottom of the public passive skills: Absolute Perception Inhibition.
The crazy price tag attached behind it made me doubt my eyes.
Males can enter the women-only dungeon with no restrictions, and all traps and monsters cannot detect the player as an intruder...?
In an instant, I understood.
This wasn’t a simple utility skill.
It was a “cheat key” for rule-breaking, denying the game’s system itself.
If traps and monsters couldn’t recognize me, I could roam the entire dungeon like my own living room, no matter how low my stats were.
And with a special stage called “women-only dungeon” to boot...
But there was one important problem left.
I had 80 points remaining.