Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Return
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A satisfied smile crept across Kang Hyun-soo's lips.
The tutorial had only just ended.
'Five EX-Rank achievements already.'
Thanks to the effects of his titles, all his stats had increased by a whopping 250.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Kang Hyun-soo had claimed every title available before the tutorial wrapped up.
Combine all those title effects?
It put him on par with players in the 300-level range.
'Before the regression, it took me dying struggles just to reach this level.'
For typical players, even the fastest took over three years to hit level 300.
The slower ones? Five years or more.
Before his regression, Kang Hyun-soo had reached level 300 in just two years.
Meaning he'd been far ahead of average.
But...
'Not like this time.'
The moment the tutorial ended, he'd grabbed the stats it'd taken him two years of suffering to earn in his previous life.
However...
'This is just the beginning.'
For perfect revenge, he needed to grow even stronger than this.
"Hyun-soo."
Song Ha-na called his name in a trembling voice.
Like the other players, she was flustered by the sudden shift in circumstances.
What worried her most was the armed forces surrounding the players who'd just cleared the tutorial.
"For now, let's quietly observe the situation."
Kang Hyun-soo flashed a faint smile and took Song Ha-na's hand.
The warmth from his hand quickly calmed the tension in her eyes.
Song Ha-na.
She was one of the new strengths Kang Hyun-soo had gained after his regression.
At that moment, a man stepped up onto the platform.
"Everyone, quiet!"
He shouted a single command.
In an instant, the noisy open space—bustling like a flea market—fell silent.
The immense mana in the man's voice had transformed into a skill, pressing down on the bodies of the players fresh out of the tutorial.
Overwhelm.
It was the easiest skill for a high-level player to suppress a low-level one.
But...
[You have been hit by the mental attack skill Overwhelm.]
[You have perfectly resisted the Overwhelm skill.]
It had no effect on Kang Hyun-soo.
Song Ha-na was wiggling her fingers too, so it clearly hadn't worked on her either.
'Since it didn't affect Song Ha-na either, the skill must be low-rank.'
But there was no need to show that it hadn't worked.
"I'll now briefly explain why you've ended up in this situation."
The man began his explanation.
It was straightforward.
The Earth and Atlantis dimensions were allies and shared a common fate, fighting the same enemy.
If Atlantis was the front line, Earth served as the rear supply base.
"You've been sent from Earth to the Atlantis dimension as reinforcements."
The supply base called Earth.
Had drafted some of its people as recruits.
Sent them to the tutorial as a training camp.
And now...
The recruits who'd passed training.
Had arrived in the Atlantis dimension as support troops.
This was the harsh reality laid bare before Kang Hyun-soo and the other players.
'The most fucked-up part is that I didn't choose this myself.'
The method of gathering reinforcements?
Not volunteers, but forced conscription.
No consideration for personal circumstances.
No compensation for families left behind on Earth.
"If Atlantis falls, Earth's next. Do your best to fight the enemy here. That's how you protect your families and loved ones back on Earth."
With that, the man stepped down from the platform.
Thud! Thud!
As he descended, the armed forces surrounding the open space moved in on the tutorial freshmen.
"We're starting the headcount! Cooperate quietly!"
At the shout from the armed troops, most players shrank back.
But not everyone.
"What headcount! Send me back home!"
"I don't want to fight in any war!"
"You can't just drag people here without consent!"
The moment the Overwhelm skill wore off, a few hot-tempered players started protesting the armed forces.
But...
"Subdue anyone showing bad attitudes!"
Thwack! Thwack!
What came back at them?
Brutal violence.
Players who'd gained some grit from clearing the tutorial were mercilessly crushed.
The levels of these fresh tutorial graduates topped out at 20.
Meanwhile, the average level of the players encircling them was 300 to 400.
No chance of fighting back.
The subduing ended in seconds.
Bloodied players were dragged away by the armed forces.
Then the investigation began for those who'd stayed quiet.
"State your name, level, class, and unique skill honestly. The investigators have skills that detect lies. Lie, and you'll face worse punishment than those guys."
At those words, the compliant players froze solid.
Lie-detection skills.
The bloodied ones being dragged off.
Cowed players obediently reported their names, levels, classes, and unique skills to the investigators.
'Lies.'
Kang Hyun-soo smirked bitterly and used his index finger to write on the palm of Song Ha-na's hand, which he was holding.
The message was simple.
Hide your level, class, and unique skill.
Song Ha-na looked startled for a moment but nodded firmly after meeting Kang Hyun-soo's confident eyes.
The people ahead finished their checks, and it was Kang Hyun-soo's turn.
"Name, level, class, unique skill."
"Kang Hyun-soo, level 17, Swordsman, Growing Dunce."
Kang Hyun-soo's turn ended.
Next was Song Ha-na.
"Song Ha-na, level 15, Swordsman, Hardworking Dunce."
Song Ha-na passed without issue.
'Act as low-key as possible.'
Stand out, and you draw attention.
Attention leads to scrutiny.
'Key is avoiding the eyes of the kingdom and big guilds.'
Once they notice you, the chances of getting a lifelong chain are high.
Fortunately, Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na finished without suspicion and received a brief rundown of what came next.
"Train diligently at the camp for five weeks. After that, join the kingdom army, a guild, go freelance—up to you. We won't interfere."
After the explanation, they were assigned barracks.
"See you later."
"Yeah, Hyun-soo."
The barracks were separated by gender, so Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na had to part.
"You'll live here for the next five weeks."
The barracks they were led to reminded him of South Korean army Quonset huts.
Over 50 people crammed into one space.
Kang Hyun-soo claimed a spot in the farthest corner.
'I need to find that bastard.'
The one who'd choked the life out of him before the regression.
Hwang So-wook.
The place he'd first met the guy was this very training camp.
Not as fellow recruits.
Hwang So-wook had come to the Atlantis dimension from Earth five years earlier than Kang Hyun-soo and was already established.
An instructor dispatched to the camp as an executive of the massive Balhae Guild.
That was his status.
'The problem before the regression was catching Hwang So-wook's eye.'
He couldn't hide his unique skill Replica.
Like most rookie players fresh from the tutorial.
He believed the investigators had lie-detection skills.
So during the investigation, Kang Hyun-soo honestly revealed his unique skill name.
'I only learned after leaving the camp that very few players actually have lie-detection skills.'
He'd fallen for the bluff.
That revealed unique skill Replica caught Hwang So-wook's interest.
After that, scouted by Hwang So-wook, he joined Balhae Guild.
'Back then, I thought it was a stroke of luck.'
Only a tiny fraction of recruits got into a massive guild.
Naturally, Kang Hyun-soo thought he'd grasped huge fortune.
But it was all an illusion.
Balhae Guild members openly shunned and despised him for having Replica.
Not only that—he lived under constant guild surveillance.
Inside Balhae Guild, Hwang So-wook was Kang Hyun-soo's only ally.
'I got proper gaslighted.'
Isolated from everyone, Hwang So-wook became his sole support, the most trustworthy friend.
Kang Hyun-soo had no choice but to lean on him.
Much later, when he saw through Hwang So-wook's true colors and went independent.
The only one who'd stood by him and given strength was Shin So-hee.
But even she...
Betrayed him at the final moment, siding with Hwang So-wook.
'Fuck.'
Maybe Hwang So-wook and Shin So-hee had been in cahoots from the start.
'This time, I won't fall for your schemes, you bastards.'
He'd hidden his unique skill Replica.
Growing Dunce was a fairly common unique skill.
Unique meant something inherently personal.
Every player received their unique skill at awakening, based on their past actions.
Duplicates happened plenty.
Though rarely, some got truly one-of-a-kind unique skills that no one else had.
'Replica was one of those unique unique skills.'
If he'd realized that sooner?
He wouldn't have suffered like that before the regression.
'This time, I'll use you instead.'
Hwang So-wook also had a one-of-a-kind unique skill.
Before the regression, he'd learned that fact far too late.
But...
'Not this time.'
This time, he'd copy Hwang So-wook's unique unique skill with Replica.
Then use that skill's power to punish him.
* * *
'What the hell?'
Hwang So-wook was quite flustered by the sudden change.
The rank of a title he held had dropped.
By a full two stages, no less.
[You have achieved a remarkable feat.]
[You cleared the tutorial in 5th place all-time.]
[As reward, you receive the title 'One Who Broke Title Limits' A-Rank.]
'Damn it all.'
Hwang So-wook's face twisted savagely.
He'd gotten an SS-Rank achievement for 3rd place all-time.
Then suddenly a system message popped up, and in a flash, his SS-Rank achievement downgraded to A-Rank.
'Does that mean 1st and 2nd place came out of this tutorial batch?'
Nothing else explained his rank dropping two stages.
'Which fucking bastards.'
His teeth ground together involuntarily.
'I need to find them.'
Find them and make them crawl under me.
Make them pay for dragging down my achievement rank.
One problem.
'Can I even find them? Hell, are they even at my camp?'
The training camp where Hwang So-wook was an instructor was just one of thousands.
Recruits from hundreds of countries on Earth entered different camps simultaneously on the same day.
And Earth wasn't the only dimension sending recruits.
Countless dimensions sent countless recruits to camps at the same time.
The odds of 1st and 2nd being at his camp were near zero.
'Still, gotta try.'
Hwang So-wook began meticulously reviewing the files on today's new arrivals.
And that work continued until dawn broke.
But unfortunately...
"Damn it!"
Hwang So-wook found nothing.