Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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"Hello. People of Earth AL-401. I am the Star Spirit of Earth AL-401. Feel free to call me Ael."
I was in a vast space. It was pure white.
In this space where it was impossible to distinguish between floor and sky, there were several hundred people including myself. Everyone wore a bewildered expression as they looked around. Their ages ranged from their twenties to forties.
"Wh-what the hell is this?"
"...Does anyone know what's going on?"
"Is this some hidden camera prank?"
"I was definitely sleeping at home..."
As everyone grew confused, I quietly scanned my surroundings.
'Everything's just a blank white background. Staying here too long would drive anyone insane.'
I spotted a man who stood out for maintaining his composure in this space. A young man in his twenties wearing jeans and a black hoodie. His outfit confirmed it. He was the protagonist.
'Kang Myung-jin. He's possessed the body of the protagonist from the novel his younger sibling wrote and enjoyed reading. That's his setup.'
God's Atlantis was a web novel serialized online. It had been quite popular.
'This is exactly the start of the original story. Kang Myung-jin is probably quietly piecing things together right now.'
Not just Kang Myung-jin either. Some people were subtly observing others, trying to gauge the situation. They had a high chance of surviving the tutorial.
'I'm only here to experience mana firsthand. I'll just do the tutorial and be done—no need to get involved.'
As a side goal, there was some spirit medicine hidden somewhere in the tutorial that increased the user's mana capacity.
"You have all been randomly selected and exiled to Atlantis. Please live diligently there."
It was the voice that had introduced herself as Ael at the start. A clear woman's voice. It wasn't Korean or any language I knew, but strangely, I could understand it perfectly.
'Atlantis common tongue, huh. Reading and writing should be fine too.'
Language barriers wouldn't cause any issues here.
"Exiled? Exiled?!"
"Let us out! I have work tomorrow."
"Why won't my phone work?!"
The space erupted in noise in an instant. Anxious voices overlapping turned it into a chaotic marketplace.
"Quiet."
At Ael's single word, infused with some unknown power, the space fell silent immediately. Ael wasn't visible, but she was clearly no ordinary being.
"You may feel this is unfair. But know this: you've been born on Earth without permission and lived there as you pleased. From my perspective as Earth's Star Spirit, you're all illegal aliens. Nothing more, nothing less."
This was a bit of a stretch. Having read the original, I knew Earthlings and Earth's Star Spirit Ael had a symbiotic relationship.
"You have been exiled from Earth. But it's not impossible to return forever. Once Atlantis ends, you can go back to the original Earth. David Taine, whom you all know well. He was an exile too, but returned as a hero."
David Taine.
America's S-rank hunter.
A man who grasped both wealth and fame.
"Atlantis is also a land of opportunity. David Taine wasn't originally an Awakener. He gained power in Atlantis and became America's hero with it. There's no reason you can't do the same."
I let out a scoff. David Taine was the only one to return from Atlantis.
Over 10,000 people get sent there, and just one came back.
For the record, none of the people here were hunters. Hunters hunt the monsters that appear on Earth. To Ael, Earth's Star Spirit, they're like white blood cells. No way she'd send valuable assets to Atlantis when Earth's lifespan wasn't even an issue.
"What... what are we supposed to do in that Atlantis place?"
"Live as you see fit. I don't expect anything from you."
"......"
Doesn't expect anything. Meaning, no hopes either. Of course, midway through the novel, the protagonist's exploits change Ael's attitude... but that's far in the future.
'Can't see Ael's appearance now, but the original described her as a stunning beauty with snow-white hair.'
Her voice alone told me she was undoubtedly a knockout.
'Screwing Earth's Star Spirit Ael means screwing Earth itself!'
Sung Yu-jin, the man who screwed Earth!
What a badass title!
"In 10 minutes, you will be sent to Atlantis's tutorial zone. The tutorial is a kind of test. You must pass it to enter Atlantis."
"...What happens if we don't pass?"
"You die. But no need to worry too much. Atlantis's system will apply to you, allowing you to use a status window."
"Status window...? Whoa! Wh-what the hell?!"
A man who muttered "status window" jumped in surprise. Something must have appeared before his eyes.
A few quick-witted people started shouting or mumbling "status window" themselves.
"This is where I leave you. Good luck."
Ael vanished. Though invisible, the massive presence in the space clearly faded away.
I pulled out my smartphone from my pocket. The Playful Life app was still working fine.
'Worldview penalty, huh. Different from growth penalty.'
Growth penalty showed negative values on stats, but worldview penalty had none. It said only some stats were applied, but I didn't know the extent.
'No wonder my body feels heavy.'
I didn't think much of it. I had a hunch why the worldview penalty occurred.
'Status window!'
Calling it in my mind brought up a holographic window before my eyes.
Name:Sung Yu-jinClass:-Title:-Deity:-Affiliation:AL-401 Earth
Unique Trait:Deception (A)
The Playful Life app stats were penalized by this world's separate status system.
'No. Even so, these are pretty solid stats, right?'
More than twice the protagonist Kang Myung-jin's. Meaning I start with double the average person's stats.
'Why's my Luck so high, though?'
I recalled Kang Myung-jin's initial Luck being 2. And Luck was hard to raise. Other stats could be boosted through training or items, but Luck couldn't be trained up, and items that increased it were extremely rare.
'Well, I've always been pretty lucky.'
Just awakening the Playful Life app made me the luckiest guy in the universe. Plus, I'd had subtle luck since before—picking up 1,000 won on the street or getting decent pulls on gacha. Except during exams, that is.
'Unique Trait is A-rank. Starting with A-rank is amazing. Thanks to Luck again?'
Unique Traits were innate abilities everyone had at least one of, so I wasn't special.
A smile crept onto my lips. It might seem useless at a glance, but the protagonist Kang Myung-jin had a Unique Trait that let him view others' status windows.
'Deception lets me fake my status window.'
Name: Prince Dick Class: SSS-rank Virgin Hunter Title: The One Who Deflowered a Thousand Virgins Deity: Power Sex Affiliation: Sexnet Strength: 1 / Agility: 1 / Vitality: 1 / Mana: 1 / Luck: 1Unique Trait: God Blowjob (SSSSS)
(Deception active)
'It actually works. Heh heh heh.'
I chuckled. I could manipulate the status window however I wanted. Naturally, the faked stats didn't apply for real.
I messed around with it a few times before properly using Deception.
Name: Sung Yu-jin Class: - / Title: - / Deity: - / Affiliation: AL-401 Earth Strength: 2 / Agility: 2 / Vitality: 2 / Mana: 1 / Luck: 17Unique Trait: Equivalent Exchange (S)
(Deception active)
In case Kang Myung-jin happened to peek at my status, I made it plausible. I left Luck unchanged on purpose—it didn't affect physical prowess. If he saw it, I could leverage that in various ways.
'Doesn't seem limited to just the status window.'
I tested Deception everywhere.
I discovered it worked on my body too. I hid one finger with it. My right hand now had only four fingers, missing the middle one.
'Made the appearance invisible. Unlike the status window, using it on my body drains mana continuously.'
I could make it transparent or alter shapes. But only visually—nothing actually changed. Touch it, and the real form was felt.
'This trait... I love it!'
Perfectly my style.
I experimented more. It worked on objects too, though they consumed more mana.
'Could probably make my whole body invisible like an illusionist?'
I considered trying but held off. People were around. No reason to reveal my abilities.
'Also, might not work on Kang Myung-jin.'
Lots of experimentation potential.
An alert popped up before my eyes.
I stared at it curiously and reached out to grab it, but my hand passed through.
"Everyone! Let's calm down! Stay calm and let's talk among ourselves!"
"This is like something straight out of comics or novels! No need to panic!"
The surroundings grew noisy. I shoved both hands in my pants pockets.
'Tutorials take place in separate zones for each person.'
There was a way to do it together: hold hands. Up to three could transfer to the same zone.
'No reason for me to tell them that.'
Kang Myung-jin stood with a serious face, lips sealed. Cool-headed as expected, he'd already accepted becoming the protagonist from his sibling's novel and was planning his moves.
I had no intention of approaching him. My goal was solely the tutorial.
Light enveloped my body.
It felt like I was being sucked somewhere, then the light vanished without a trace. I was no longer in the white space but in a dense forest.
Clear Condition 1: Survive for 7 days.
Clear Condition 2: Collect 1,000 AP and purchase Atlantis Entry Ticket.
Clear Condition 3: Enter Atlantis through the gate that opens after 7 days. (Open for 3 days)
Sung Yu-jin's current AP: 0
Failure to clear tutorial results in death.
'EF739 tutorial... different zone from Kang Myung-jin. As expected.'
I pulled the Hwaryeon Blade from my inventory.
Rustle rustle.
Someone emerged from the bushes ahead.
A blonde woman. Short stature, small mole by her nose. Around early to mid-thirties. Not a beauty.
"......Ah."
She hesitated upon seeing me. Because I held a blade.
Without a word, I approached and swung, severing her neck. Her head hit the ground with a spray of blood.
Achieved first First Kill in EF739 Tutorial Zone.
'First Killer' title granted.
Strength permanently +1.
Bonus Stat Point +1 acquired.
100 AP acquired.
The Clock Tower Murder Ghost shows interest in you.