Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Imperfect Soul
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"......"
I opened my eyes.
The musty-smelling chapel held only him.
And that made sense—deaths in beginner areas were exceedingly rare.
The [Revival Chapel] sat behind the Adventurer's Guild.
Its function was simple.
Those without resurrection items would awaken here after a set time following death.
As levels rose, revival wait times grew longer, stats could drop, and players might lose experience or gear.
That was why higher levels meant treading more carefully around death.
'But this is the beginner area—no penalties no matter how many times you die.'
As Woojin rose, a throbbing headache plagued him, but he grinned defiantly anyway.
A death with nothing lost.
It was a pretty extreme stunt, but in terms of cost-performance, not a bad call.
That self-mocking thought drew a wry smile from Woojin as he prodded his temple.
"Status window."
A new stat line had appeared at the bottom of the status window.
Click—
Touching it brought up another window.
Woojin nodded.
Woojin let out an involuntary chuckle at the effects of the engraved essence.
Regen traits weren't easy to come by, and stealth on top?...
But the real jackpot came next.
'Living being means I can mark monsters too.'
That opened up endless uses for the mark.
Especially on dungeon bosses— the gains would be massive.
'And that's not all.'
It worked beyond hunting, too.
Maybe that was the mark's true purpose.
Not hunting—murder.
'Past the beginner area, it's a lawless zone where PK is always possible.'
You never knew when trouble might strike.
Best to prepare with whatever you could.
Evil Tail wasn't just some hopeful game of monster-slaying, tower-climbing, and heroic tales.
Still, the last trait eluded him.
That was the entire, succinct description.
"Hmm... See what, exactly?"
He couldn't quite grasp it, but it didn't matter.
The first two traits were value enough.
"Whew..."
Woojin exhaled deeply to calm his racing heart.
"First things first, I need to look into Sarbandin."
Crunch—
As he left the chapel, Woojin made one vow.
'This is the last time I come here.'
The pain that had wracked his body...
It wasn't mere flavor— it was clear intent.
'The will to steal my body.'
And it still lurked within him.
His death had only stalled it, buying a little time.
"That was close."
To think something like that had followed him into this world.
It would strike again whenever it could.
"Bring it. This body's mine."
Crunch—
He thumped his chest in warning.
"Whoever you are, you won't take it."
"Sarbandin?"
The guild staffer tilted their head at Woojin's question.
"Beats me. First time hearing the name."
"I see."
The staffer checked the pouch Woojin handed over.
"All 10 goblin teeth received."
The modest 1-silver reward triggered an overly flashy golden alert.
"Good work. Here's your rank-9 adventurer token. It lets you travel freely between Moretti Village and the Dark Forest villages."
"What villages are there?"
"Westward lies Ogal, a supply outpost in the desert region. North takes you to Parta, a mid-tier city."
"......A city?"
"Yes. The only one in the beginner area. Oh, if you're looking for something, try Parta—they have a library."
"A library?"
"Yep. 'What humans forget, books remember.' Books don't forget."
The staffer grinned proudly at their own words.
'Still feels uncanny no matter how I look at it...'
They felt too human.
Maybe because he'd lived the real thing, just like this place.
Watching them, he even wondered if they were really programs.
"Thanks."
Woojin took his adventurer registration and left the guild.
"Parta, huh..."
The city at the northernmost tip of the Dark Forest, home to hunting grounds averaging level 25.
'Where the Orc Citadel is. Probably.'
Not a bad destination.
He'd have to go there eventually to break dungeon board records anyway.
Click—
Woojin pulled up the community window.
The in-game board covered not just game talk but all sorts of gossip.
In a way, it was his only link to the real world.
One catch: usable only in villages, not fields or dungeons.
"......Huh?"
The community was flooded with posts about a new [Goblin Nest] ranker.
"Everyone's got too much time on their hands. Go hunt instead."
He said that, but the hype made him smirk as he scrolled quickly.
'Yeah, post away. The devs' eyes will spin.'
Tap—
Then his finger stopped.
"......Hm?"
One flooded post caught his eye.
They practically dictated Evil Tail's meta.
'Top 10 clans...'
Woojin recalled the man recruiting party members before entering the [Goblin Nest].
A member of the Jaina Clan, one of the top 10.
'Beginner dungeon, tons of entrants—should be fine, but...'
Someone might remember his face.
Better safe than sorry.
'Still a safe zone, no PK, but endless ways to grief hunts.'
You wouldn't die, but losing limbs? Possible even here.
'Gotta be careful with the rest of the dungeons.'
Click— click—
Hitting the search icon brought up a virtual keyboard.
It clashed with the fantasy vibe, but this wasn't [real].
No big deal.
He'd held faint hope, but the empty results drew a tsk from Woojin.
'What the hell is it?'
The nagging feeling lingered, but as the guilder said, Parta's library was his only lead now.
"I'll figure it out playing eventually."
He was still a noob who hadn't even set foot on the central continent.
"LFG tank for Wolf Den!"
"Buying herbs!"
"Anyone wanna farm slime cores?!"
The square bustled with party recruiters and traders pre-hunt.
"......"
Watching them enjoy the game normally stirred a bitter pang in him, unlike himself.
'Get it together, Kim Woojin. We're in the same place, but worlds apart.'
They had homes to return to.
'Time to prep my exit.'
Time to push forward.
"Can you craft armor?"
Woojin had come to a small shop next to the Adventurer's Guild.
A general store for armor and weapons.
No proper forge in beginner lands, but they could craft from hunt materials.
"What materials?"
The old craftsman emerged from the back.
"......How'd you get this?"
Eyes widening at the leather in Woojin's pouch, he asked.
"Luck, I guess."
"This ain't luck... But I lack the skill to handle it."
The pouch held leather from the Goblin Lord.
"Thought you handled any beginner-area materials."
Woojin recalled community info.
This was the area's sole crafter.
Even materials from later zones had to come back here for crafting.
Why the hassle?
Early complaints abounded, but years later, village-wide auction houses made it moot.
Just a lingering curiosity.
'Evil Tail's creator, [Ethan], was called the pinnacle A.I.'
Had even that A.I slipped up?
Who knew...
"Goblin Lord ain't top-tier, but this is different."
The shopkeep eyed Woojin after inspecting it.
"This is magical material, not mundane. Lived in Moretti my whole life— you're the first with magic stuff."
'Hmm?'
Woojin narrowed his eyes at the old man's words.
Evil Tail had run for years; beginner guides covered everything.
Search the community, and you'd find Dark Forest dungeon and field strats galore.
Latecomers missed first-mover perks but gained info advantages.
Yet...
'First time.'
That flagged potential events.
Pretty intriguing for a latecomer like him.
"I'd just make sturdier leather armor. If that's fine, sure... but why not a specialist?"
The refusal surprised, but the suggestion intrigued.
"Someone who can handle it? Heard you're the only craftsman in town."
"Craftsmen don't have to be human."
He flashed a cryptic smile.
"Wanna meet one?"
Ding—
The sound rang in Woojin's ear.
"Ah."
In that moment, he understood.
Why drag materials back to Moretti.
Not an A.I flub.
[Quest Discovered]
'This was the reason.'