Arrival on the Continent (2)
-Fwaaah.
"Huh... 9?"
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the light that entered Yeong-sik's body was so faint it was hard to even call it light.
Yeong-sik himself looked slightly flustered, as if he hadn't anticipated such a dim glow entering him.
You have been granted a level and class. Detailed information can be confirmed through the status window.
◈ [Structure Analysis: Lv 1]
◈ [Decomposition: Lv 1]
◈ [Extraction: Lv 1]
◈ [Manufacture: Lv 1]
"Hmm."
Checking his status window, Yeong-sik swallowed a subtle groan with a complicated expression.
He had indeed received a hidden class, but the level cap was only 15, and it seemed like a production job rather than a combat one, which felt a bit ambiguous.
'How good is 15?'
Yeong-sik tilted his head, staring intently at his status window.
The numbers didn't look particularly high, but he had no sense of how they compared to others.
"Ahem... The light wasn't as strong as expected."
Kim Gil-su, who had been watching with eager eyes, cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke.
Seo A-ra gave an awkward smile as she looked at Yeong-sik.
Yeong-sik gave a wry smile and opened his mouth.
"Looks like I didn't get much talent."
"Don't say that. You don't really need that stuff anyway, Yeong-sik."
A-ra shook her head in response.
She didn't yet know exactly how much power levels granted, but she doubted it could match the ridiculous abilities Yeong-sik had shown back then.
Kim Gil-su nodded, about to say something.
Before he could speak, a bright light flowed into his body.
-Fwaaah!
"Hm? My turn."
Kim Gil-su watched the light entering him with a faintly expectant expression.
Life had been tough, so he had little experience with actual games, but he could understand why people got so hooked on them.
He carefully checked his status window and spoke.
"Hmm. Max level 45, class is Warrior."
"45?"
Yeong-sik looked surprised at his words.
It was more than double his own 15.
"What about the other stats?"
Yeong-sik asked curiously.
Kim Gil-su glanced at his status window again and replied.
"Strength and Toughness are over 20, the rest are around 15."
"Tch."
A short groan escaped Yeong-sik's lips at Kim Gil-su's answer.
He was far behind in both level cap and base stats.
Dexterity was comparable, but it didn't seem directly useful in combat.
"Am I the only one left?"
A-ra said in a slightly trembling voice.
Yeong-sik and Kim Gil-su's gazes turned to her.
-Fwaaaaah!
At that moment, an intense light poured toward A-ra.
It wasn't on Cheon Tae-hwang's level, but among the thousand people gathered here, it was one of the brightest.
"Ooh?"
The eyes of those who saw the light focused on her.
Admiration spilled from their mouths.
Yeong-sik and Kim Gil-su also watched A-ra, enveloped in the intense light, with sparkling eyes.
"Ah?"
After absorbing all the light, A-ra checked the status window floating before her.
With an expression like she could hardly believe it herself, she spoke.
"Level cap 91... and I got a hidden class, Frost Mage."
Exclamations burst from Yeong-sik and Kim Gil-su simultaneously.
Level cap 91. In terms of growth potential, it was incomparably higher than theirs.
Yeong-sik had a hidden class too, but honestly, it felt ambiguous.
A Mechanical Engineer seemed like a blacksmith-type focused on crafting.
'But more than that, does that world even have machines?'
He hadn't been there yet, but given typical fantasy progression, the Ernoir Continent was likely a place of swords and magic.
In such a world, not even a blacksmith but a Mechanical Engineer? He had no clue what to do.
By contrast, Frost Mage just screamed "strong" from the name alone.
"What about your stats?"
"Hmm... The others are around 15, Intelligence and Wisdom a bit over 30."
"30?"
Yeong-sik looked shocked again.
At the same level 1, the stat difference felt like several levels apart.
"Hmm. I never imagined A-ra had such talent."
Kim Gil-su looked at her in surprise.
A-ra gave a wry smile and replied.
"Honestly, I can't really feel it yet."
"Well, yeah."
Kim Gil-su nodded in agreement.
Talking about max levels and stats right now wouldn't make it feel real anyway.
All summoners have adapted.
As the 61st wave of summoners, you will be transferred to the eastern part of the continent.
"61st wave...?"
"Does that mean 60 waves of people have come to this world before?"
Murmurs grew among the crowd.
They stared at the orb of light in disbelief.
The Ernoir Continent's eastern, western, and southern heroes are bravely fighting the monsters from the north. However, the monsters' power is so overwhelming that they can barely hold the front lines.
We hope the power of the summoners will save the continent in crisis.
"Bullshit! You drag us here against our will and expect us to save the continent? What crap is this?! Send us back home! Send us back!"
A man shouted, his face twisted in rage.
His words spread unrest through the crowd.
He wasn't wrong at all.
"Yeah! We don't need this—send us back!"
"If you don't, we'll kill every native on this damn continent!"
Threats, curses, and desperate pleas poured from all directions.
But the orb of light ignored the chaos completely and continued in a flat tone.
Summoners transferring to the mainland will receive 1 gold. 1 gold is equivalent to about 1 million KRW.
We hope this initial gold helps you settle stably on the mainland.
With those words, an explosive burst of intense light poured from the floating orb in the center.
Yeong-sik, Kim Gil-su, and A-ra winced and closed their eyes.
-Shooooook.
As the light faded, a faint rippling sensation washed over them.
Yeong-sik swallowed a short groan and endured the queasiness.
When it stopped, he slowly opened his eyes.
"This place..."
Noisy voices echoed from all around.
With over a thousand people teleporting at once, chaos was inevitable.
Yeong-sik recovered from the disorientation faster than most and looked around.
A briny sea scent tickled his nose.
A wide harbor with ships, cute buildings like those in Europe—they stretched in rows.
The roads and houses were too clean for medieval times, yet the city felt a bit outdated for modern.
"...?"
"You okay?"
Yeong-sik asked A-ra, who was frowning from the spatial transfer nausea.
A-ra nodded with effort.
"Yeah. Feeling better now."
She turned to survey their surroundings.
"Where's this?"
"Must be that Ernoir Continent."
Kim Gil-su said with an intrigued expression.
Murmurs grew as people came to their senses one by one.
Chaos swelled naturally with a thousand suddenly displaced.
Amid the confusion, people in ornate armor, robed figures, burly brutes with fierce looks— all sorts mingled in.
"I'm Kim Jae-gang from the 49th wave. Do you know why the tutorial ended early this time?"
"Park Tae-su, 43rd wave. State your level cap and class."
They grabbed random people, firing questions relentlessly.
Like predators competing for juicy prey.
The summoners answered blankly.
"Y-you caught the boss monster?!"
The shout from Kim Jae-gang rang loud enough for all to hear.
He clapped a hand over his mouth in shock.
The summoners' eyes sharpened.
They pressed threateningly with fierce voices.
"Who killed the boss monster?"
"No time—spit it out."
Under their menacing pressure, people uttered "Cheon Tae-hwang."
As the name echoed everywhere, they scanned for him frantically.
Even among thousands, Cheon Tae-hwang's chiseled face stood out.
"Our guild has deep roots in the east since the 30th wave, a venerable—"
"Hey, handsome? Got a sec? There's a top guild perfect for new summoners."
People swarmed Cheon Tae-hwang, lavishing praise on their guilds.
Then—
-Thud!
"Move."
A low voice reverberated.
The ground shook like an earthquake.
The crowd around Cheon Tae-hwang flinched at the boom.
Clack, clack.
High heels clicked as a beautiful woman with shoulder-length hair appeared before the frozen group.
A ridiculously long sword was strapped to her back—could a person even wield it?
"White Sword Kang Ha-rin..."
"Why's a ranker here...?"
The guild recruiters gaped at her in disbelief.
The woman called White Sword approached Cheon Tae-hwang with haughty strides.
"You. Name?"
"...Cheon Tae-hwang."
Overwhelmed by her crushing aura, he replied formally without thinking.
She hummed appraisingly.
"Level cap and class?"
Even for Cheon Tae-hwang, blurting it out felt hesitant; he didn't answer immediately.
Her hand moved.
-Shing!
In an instant too fast to follow, the long sword whipped from her back.
A blade white as snow.
She swung.
The ground around Cheon Tae-hwang split like tofu.
"Better answer quick. Patience isn't my strong suit."
"...Level cap 103. Class is Sword Lord."
"...What?"
She stared in surprise, then a grin spread—like a fisherman landing a prize catch.
"Jackpot. Wanna join our guild?"
"Let me think..."
"Oh, refuse and I'll kill you. Can't right now 'cause of the pact, though."
Cheon Tae-hwang's face twisted horribly.
She burst into laughter, patting his shoulder.
"Kidding. Don't freak. We're one of the top three guilds in the east anyway. Promise insane support—lodging, gold, items, girls galore. Oh, not me, though. Pricey body, see."
Cheon Tae-hwang's expression stiffened as he clamped his mouth shut.
After some thought, he looked at her.
"Does your guild have lots of strong people?"
"Huh? Haha! Duh. Won't mean much now, but mention Leviathan Guild later—hilarious reactions."
She replied confidently.
Cheon Tae-hwang nodded.
"Got it. If I can fight strong people, I'll go there."
"...What? That's your reason?"
"Yes. Don't need anything else."
Kang Ha-rin clamped her mouth, bowing her head at his firm reply.
Her shoulders shook.
"Hahahaha! What the hell! You're hilarious!"
She licked her lips, sheathing the long sword.
"I like you. I'll raise you up big time!"
Grabbing his hand, she dragged him away at high speed through the crowd.
Like a storm passing, the onlookers stared blankly at their backs.
"...Damn it!"
"Top three guilds? Brutal!"
The recruiters sighed in regret at losing the premium catch right before them.
"...What a mess."
Yeong-sik let out a hollow laugh watching them.
He could vaguely picture the power structure in this eastern region.
As Yeong-sik turned away, ignoring them further—
"Got a moment?"
A fox-eyed man with a friendly smile approached Yeong-sik's group.