Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 011
Chapter Title: The Tutorial Begins (10)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It wasn't a bloodbath or anything of the sort.
It was a one-sided battle. A one-sided victory.
"Ha, haha! Hahaha!!"
Choi Tae-seong, who had overwhelmed and crushed the number one ranked Kang Mu-hyuk with an insurmountable gap, felt an irresistible thrill surging through him.
Zing zing!!
The adrenaline exploding wildly surpassed any drug, and the intoxicating high of standing at the pinnacle turned Choi Tae-seong into the hero of his own movie.
"I... I'm number one...! I'm number one!! I'm the real number one!! The true number one that can't even be compared to trash like Kang Mu-hyuk!! The Magic Swordsman chosen by the Magic Sword King!!"
Defeating Kang Mu-hyuk went beyond mere symbolism—it implanted rock-solid certainty in Choi Tae-seong's heart. The certainty that he was number one.
And it cleared the path to claiming that top spot.
⚔ SURVIVAL GAME ⚔
👤 Player: Choi Tae-seong
👹 Monsters: 25 (/)
🧑 Humans: 1
💀 Deaths: 1 time
⭐ Score: 37 points
⏰ Time Left: 131 hours
His score had been 17 points after slaying 25 monsters. But the moment he took down Kang Mu-hyuk, it shot up by 20 points in one go.
What else could that mean?
"Kuk! Kukuk! Kehahaha!!"
It meant Kang Mu-hyuk's plummet and his own ascent.
"I'm number one!!"
So Choi Tae-seong was convinced.
That he was number one.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
From the third day onward, everything changed.
Originally, players only clashed with others when unavoidable friction arose. After all, they could rack up points without ever fighting fellow players.
'What the hell? Who's that bastard?'
But some hot-headed players forced fights, leading to deaths or survival in the chaos.
"My, my God! It gives way more points than hunting monsters...? This can't be real?"
"15 points...? 15 points? You couldn't even get that from 30 orcs..."
"This is... a whole different league. Just drop a few players... and boom, you're number one!!"
And so, the players realized it. Hunting other players was far more efficient.
"Me... number one...?"
That realization shattered the fragile atmosphere of morals and ethics.
"...It's not like dying here means you're really dead, right? Just treat it like an online game."
"...It's fine. That's how these games work."
"...Alice would want this too."
For points, players began turning their blades on one another.
"...This is my chance."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Kim Sung-jin had vowed to do whatever it took for points, but killing humans still turned his stomach.
Instinctively, the very notion of 'murder' repulsed him.
So he'd sworn not to kill fellow players unless absolutely necessary...
Slash!
But when another player struck first, he realized his naivety. He'd been too soft.
"Yeah, this is how it is. I knew damn well it was like this... but I was too naive. Acted like a goddamn idiot. Kuk. Kukuk... Haa. What a moronic mistake."
Kim Sung-jin's eyes, revived from the brink, were frozen solid. So cold they gleamed with self-directed fury.
"No more screw-ups like this. Screw pity—feed it to the dogs... From now on, it's just me. This is a warzone. No allies."
Having shed his last shred of goodwill, Kim Sung-jin became the perfect player.
Crunch!!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Every time monsters lumbered past, every time they bellowed taunts, Lee Sang-hyun felt the slaughter urge clawing at him.
Thump!
Thump...! Thump...!
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Slaughter them. Slaughter every last one. Leave none alive...!!
Twitch twitch!!
The impulse was inhumanly intense. Even crushed with every ounce of will, it seeped through—and an unidentified devil whispered sweetly in his ear.
"Kill." "Slaughter them all!" "Why hesitate?" "Holding back right now?" "Foolish! Why hold back?" "Don't. Show your power." "Teach the idiots." "That you're the best." "That you're chosen." "Not scared, are you?" "Break free! Trust yourself!"
⟨ You're strong ⟩
The devil's voice was velvet-smooth and honey-sweet, enough to haze the mind just listening.
Yet Lee Sang-hyun refused to yield.
'Get lost.'
He banished the inciting devil and forced his heart to still.
Thump... Thump...!
The devil clung stubbornly, of course. It yammered endlessly, prodding without cease.
"Don't lie to yourself!" "You're craving it." "The moment to unleash your true power." "The new you." "Another dull life?" "Run wild now. You've got that special power." "Fight. Prove it." "That you've changed."
When Kang Mu-hyuk and Choi Tae-seong crossed paths by chance in his zone, it even mocked him.
"Look at those morons." "Even weaklings like them fight to prove themselves." "So what're you doing?" "Wanna scrape the bottom like in society?" "Boring life forever?" "Think enduring changes shit? Pathetic!" "You're just a dumbass holding back!" "Enduring fixes nothing." "Don't. Jump in now—show 'em who God chose." "Those punks are small fry, right?"
Crunch! Crunches!!
At the devil's sneers, Lee Sang-hyun's eyes bled crimson.
Veins throbbed across his body, bloodlust and starvation surging up his throat.
Wriggle wriggle!!
By the next day, he reeked of a devil cloaked in human skin, ready to rip apart anyone in reach.
But Lee Sang-hyun held firm against the impulse. No matter what, he'd endure until day five—forcing his boiling blood to ice over.
'...48 hours to go.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
No word stings quite like "comeback." Win or lose, you claw desperately for what was lost.
'Damn it! DAMN IT!!'
Yet Kang Mu-hyuk had to make one. He'd lost too much.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
👤 Name: Kang Mu-hyuk
⚔ Job: Swordmaster
🌑 Attribute: Void (★)
⭐ Constellation: -
📊 Rank: ★☆☆☆☆☆
Special Notes:
'Edge of the Sword' is watching.
'Death Knight' is watching.
'The Twisted One' is watching.
His constellations had spiked from 5 to 9—now dwindled to 3.
Crunch!!
What else could it mean?
The constellations... were disappointed by his pathetic loss.
So Kang Mu-hyuk had to rally. No—surpass it. Prove who the true strongest was.
'...Calm down! Rage changes nothing. Stay cool... Assess rationally. No instincts. Plenty of time left.'
True to form as the long-time number one, he quelled his fury. Judged coldly.
'Killing Choi Tae-seong now... impossible. Physically, beyond talent. Swordmaster's a fifth-tier difficulty class. So... hunt monsters. No wasted time.'
He yearned to slaughter the one who'd shamed him—to sever that neck this instant.
But his current power fell short, and it'd squander precious time. So he endured.
'...Let's go.'
Kang Mu-hyuk swallowed his rage and marched on. His target: monsters, not players.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Day four.
Kang Mu-hyuk resolved to hunt something special: a Twin-Headed Troll. Bigger and bulkier than regulars, with two heads.
'Normal monsters won't cut it to hold first. Players yield way more points than beasts. So... go for the big one.'
He'd rolled the dice out of gnawing fear: he might already have lost first place.
Hell, maybe second, third, or fourth by now.
'No time to dawdle. Eighty hours 'til survival ends. Prove it before then. Who's the real number one.'
Above all, those turned backs from his constellations sealed it.
So he deemed the reckless hunt worthwhile—and found his mark.
'...There.'
The Twin-Headed Troll gnawed its prey atop a squelching mud heap, just like yesterday.
Crunch munch!
Flesh and bone pulverized whole—the sound alone drew cold sweat, chills racing down the spine.
"......"
But Kang Mu-hyuk felt no fear.
Falling into the gutter trumped death.
'...I'll kill you for sure.'
Killing intent blazing, he simulated the fight in his mind.
'...Around 30%.'
Win odds: roughly 30%. Even that assumed a lightning finish.
Prolong it even slightly? Certain defeat.
'Tough... but doable. No, I can pull it off. I'm the lord, after all.'
Like any cornered soul, he brainwashed himself.
'Go.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Objectively, Kang Mu-hyuk's call to hunt the Twin-Headed Troll was sound.
Few players had netted big scores from mutual slaughter—surprisingly.
More had lost points.
Survival games prioritize not getting hunted over hunting.
Kang's cohort mirrored this.
Choi Tae-seong, Kang's killer, got hunted himself and bled points. Shadow Archer Yeo Han-seol too.
The rest? Losers chased recovery; gainers pushed for more and slipped.
In this mess, bagging a boss monster like the Twin-Headed Troll to reclaim first wasn't a stretch.
Just one hitch.
Something Kang Mu-hyuk hadn't foreseen.
'You... knew from the start, didn't you? That surviving beats killing?'
Choi Tae-seong.
Crunch!!
After slaying Kang, Choi had crowed his unassailable first place.
But hunting others backfired—hunted in turn. That's when it hit him.
This game—survival—valued not dying over dealing death.
'Knew it... so that's why you ran?'
Realizing too late, Choi glared daggers at the fleeing Kang from that day, teeth grinding.
'...I'll kill you.'
Choi Tae-seong's irrational rage stemmed from terror: the dread he might not be number one after all. Pure resentment.