Tutorial (2)
A heavy silence descended.
Seo A-ra and Kim Gil-su stared at Yeong-sik with dumbfounded expressions. Kim Gil-su shook his head vigorously, as if he couldn't comprehend what had just unfolded before his eyes.
"Wh-what the hell is..."
He asked Yeong-sik in a voice more startled than when the orcs had appeared.
But Yeong-sik was just as stunned. He examined the cross-section of his right arm, which had launched forward, with a blank look on his face. What he saw there wasn't flesh and blood, but cold metal. Even a glance revealed intricate metal components intertwined in complex patterns.
"Wh-what are you?"
Seo A-ra looked at him with eyes full of bewilderment. It was only natural for her to regard him warily after witnessing his arm detach and fire off right in front of her.
"I don't really..."
Yeong-sik trailed off, his expression showing even he didn't know what to say. He had no memories of himself to begin with. There was no way he could explain this bizarre phenomenon.
"You don't know, but you just launched your arm?"
Seo A-ra said to him, her face the picture of disbelief. Kim Gil-su let out a sigh and spoke up.
"Yeong-sik here said he hasn't remembered anything about himself since he first opened his eyes."
"Even so, this is..."
Seo A-ra frowned, glancing back and forth between his right arm embedded in the ground and Yeong-sik himself. It was far too shocking an event to brush off with "I don't remember."
Yeong-sik was equally confused. He slowly walked over, pulled his right arm free from where it had pierced the orc's skull and embedded in the dirt, and lifted it up. Covered in dark red blood, he turned his arm this way and that, inspecting it. Aside from the mechanical cross-section, the texture and even the warmth felt utterly human—no matter how he looked at it, it was a person's arm.
Yeong-sik brought the cross-section of his arm to his elbow.
Click.
With the sound of gears meshing, his right arm reattached to his elbow. It moved naturally, as if it had never detached.
"Holy..."
Yeong-sik clenched and unclenched his right fist in disbelief. Seo A-ra and Kim Gil-su wore equally absurd expressions as they watched.
"Are you... even human?"
Kim Gil-su asked, rubbing his aching head. Yeong-sik couldn't answer. After displaying something so irrational, it was hard to insist he was human. He didn't even know who he was.
"I don't know."
Yeong-sik gave a wry smile and looked at his right arm.
Perhaps because he'd already used Rocket Punch once, knowledge on how to wield it naturally filled his mind.
'Can't recall the fist automatically, it seems.'
Yeong-sik thought, recalling the information about Rocket Punch that had entered his head. It only worked on his right arm, and once fired, the detached arm didn't return on its own.
In other words, after one shot, he'd have to go pick it up himself.
'Way more trash than I thought...'
Yeong-sik's face twisted after calmly assessing Rocket Punch. Its single strike had enough power to kill a monstrous orc in one blow, but the drawbacks were fatal. Even two or three monsters together would make fighting impossible.
"...So we're just gonna stand here forever?"
Seo A-ra stood up from the ground and said, looking at Yeong-sik and Gil-su. She hadn't fully dropped her wary gaze toward him, but staying put and doing nothing felt too dangerous. Who knew when or where those monsters might reappear?
"Hmm. Let's find a safe spot first. Worrying won't solve anything right now."
Kim Gil-su said calmly. He had plenty more to say about Yeong-sik's arm being made of mechanical parts like some android, but the situation was dire. And it wasn't just the arm that was unbelievable—the sudden drop into this world and the emergence of mystery monsters were equally absurd. Pondering it all wouldn't yield immediate answers.
"Got it."
Snapping out of it, Yeong-sik nodded. And so, Yeong-sik, Gil-su, and A-ra moved to find a safer location.
"We have to survive three weeks, right...?"
Gil-su recalled the message window he'd seen earlier and asked.
Yeong-sik nodded gravely.
"Yeah. Unless someone takes down the chieftain before then."
"Haha... Probably best not to count on that."
Even a single orc was a monster too tough for humans. Dealing with their chieftain was unimaginable.
Seo A-ra, who'd been listening, stared pointedly at Yeong-sik's back and spoke up.
"That arm-launching ability. Couldn't you take it down with just that?"
She said wearily. There was no guarantee they'd return home even after the tutorial ended, but for now, she desperately wanted out of this hellish forest.
Yeong-sik shook his head.
"No. After one use, I have to retrieve the arm myself. The chieftain won't be alone."
"...For someone who lost their memories, you sure know a lot about it."
Seo A-ra narrowed her eyes and asked sharply.
Yeong-sik replied flatly.
"The knowledge came naturally the first time I used it."
"Hmm. Once your memories fully return, will we learn the secret of that mechanical arm?"
Gil-su asked curiously.
"Who knows."
Yeong-sik shrugged. His memories of himself had been sliced away like with a knife, so even if they returned, he couldn't predict what would happen.
The group walked through the forest for hours without rest, searching for safety. They encountered orcs twice along the way, but each time it was just one, making them easy pickings for Yeong-sik's Rocket Punch.
Gil-su and A-ra watched in stunned silence as his fist rocketed out trailing flames, still unable to believe their eyes.
"Haa, haa..."
After several hours, rough breaths escaped A-ra's lips. Gil-su looked fatigued too, though not as badly.
He clutched his throat and muttered softly.
"Thirsty. A stream would be nice."
Gil-su grimaced at the worsening thirst. Yeong-sik nodded.
"Yeah, me too."
He wasn't suffering like the others, but he definitely felt parched. Gil-su almost asked if machines needed water too, but held back.
Just because his arm was mechanical didn't mean his whole body was. And what machine could move and converse so naturally?
Gil-su figured Yeong-sik had some incredibly advanced (and bizarre) prosthetic.
After walking another ten minutes or so, the sound of flowing water reached Yeong-sik's ears. He headed toward it.
Pushing through thick underbrush, they found a stream wide enough for a person to swim in.
"Whoa!"
A short exclamation burst from Seo A-ra at the sight of the clear, babbling water. Embarrassed by her own outburst, she covered her mouth, cheeks flushing slightly.
"Good, we can drink."
Gil-su approached the stream happily.
He dunked his whole face in and gulped down the water greedily. The cool liquid revitalized him from head to toe.
"Pwah! Feels like I can live now."
Yeong-sik and A-ra followed suit. A-ra, desperately thirsty, scooped handfuls and chugged. Yeong-sik took just two or three sips, and his thirst vanished completely.
"Let's rest here."
Yeong-sik scanned the surroundings and said. If they needed a hideout for three weeks, the streamside was ideal. Water was essential for survival.
Gurgle.
"Ah!"
Just then, relaxed from relief, a rumble echoed from A-ra's stomach. She clutched it, face turning beet red.
Hearing it, Gil-su chuckled lightly and nodded.
"First, let's forage something to eat."
"Mm... Think there's anything edible?"
Yeong-sik asked, swallowing. He felt a slight hunger, but nothing severe. He could probably last days more if he pushed.
'Am I really not human?'
Yeong-sik looked down at his body, which had too many inhuman traits. He hadn't tired despite hours of walking, needed minimal food and water, and his right arm was machinery, not flesh.
It was too anomalous for a human body.
"I saw some fruit on a tree earlier."
"...But eating random stuff could be dangerous."
A-ra said calmly to Gil-su's words. This world held too many unknowns. Indiscriminate eating could lead to irreversible disaster.
"How about eating those orc corpses?"
Yeong-sik tilted his head and asked. A-ra and Gil-su shook their heads in horror at the mere thought.
Yeong-sik smirked at their reactions.
"Kidding."
"Don't say creepy shit like that. Let's go pick those fruits."
The group headed to the fruit tree Gil-su mentioned. Yellow fruits the size of oranges hung in clusters.
Staring at the tree, Yeong-sik's eyes lit up.
"Gil-su, look over there."
"Huh...? Isn't that a cave?"
Gil-su looked behind the tree at the cave, his face brightening. It wasn't far from the stream, and fruit trees were nearby. Perfect hideout.
"Let's check inside."
Yeong-sik said, slowly entering the cave.
"This is...?"
Inside, Seo A-ra looked around in surprise.
Fist-sized blue stones studded the walls, emitting a soft light and warmth.
"Won't freeze to death here."
Yeong-sik stroked one of the warm blue stones. Nights in the forest were cold, but this cave would be fine.
Grrr.
Suddenly, a low beastly growl echoed from within. The group's faces hardened.
Roaaar!
A massive bear emerged—larger than the orcs. It bellowed ferociously and charged Yeong-sik.
Reflexively, Yeong-sik thrust his right arm forward.
Shoooo!
Bang!
Flames erupted from his right arm as it rocketed ahead. The bullet-like fist smashed precisely into the bear's crown.
Crack!
Hrrrngh!
The bear let out a dying screech and collapsed. Yeong-sik approached, retrieved his arm.
Gil-su gave a wry smile.
"Starting to get used to that sight."
Yeong-sik wryly nodded.
Click.
Gears meshed as his arm reattached, moving naturally, just as Gil-su said.
"We'll hold out here for the three weeks."
A-ra and Gil-su nodded at Yeong-sik's words.
Thanks to the power of his right arm, the group quickly stabilized. Compared to most who'd fled into the forest—dying to monsters or succumbing to thirst and starvation—they were incredibly lucky.
But they weren't the only ones adapting to the woods.
People with a knack for "survival" were beginning to emerge, one by one.