Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 005
Chapter Title: The Tutorial Begins (4)
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Alice had predicted that Kang Mu-hyuk would lose. The reason was simple: he was still a greenhorn.
A total novice who couldn't even dream of touching the Swordmaster's level.
'No matter how strong his will is, you can't win without the skills to back it up. In that sense, this defeat will be good medicine for him.'
Transcending humanity or being chosen didn't magically create skills out of thin air. Skills had to be forged through personal effort and talent.
That was why special classes like Swordmaster were rated at difficulty level 5—they were brutally hard to master due to the sheer challenge of perfecting those techniques.
So Alice had expected Kang Mu-hyuk to lose.
Well, there was no death penalty, so she figured he'd put up a decent fight at least...
"Huh?"
What was this? Kang Mu-hyuk had beaten the orc. He'd claimed victory against an orc that was impossible to defeat at his current level.
"Grraaaah...!!"
Even if it was a victory born of ignoring death itself... it was still an undeniable win.
Alice shouted in utter excitement.
"Nine out of ten! Nine points!! I can't give anything lower than nine!! Extra points plus three to Kang Mu-hyuk for that brilliant victory!!"
It would've been ten if his right arm hadn't been severed and his guts hadn't spilled out, but nine was more than enough.
Because love calls were pouring in from countless constellations.
No one else after Kang Mu-hyuk managed to beat the orc. They put up a better fight by referencing his battle, but that was it.
"D-Damn... it...!"
Choi Tae-seong had at least inflicted a major wound on the orc's side, but it was far from victory.
Thud.
Choi Tae-seong collapsed, his greatsword piercing his heart.
"Krahahaha!!"
The orc, having taken down the remaining eight besides Kang Mu-hyuk, laughed arrogantly to proclaim itself the victor.
Now it was the final turn.
"......"
Lee Sang-hyun, who had watched everything so far, stepped forward and stood before Alice.
Alice spoke up.
"You're up now, Lee Sang-hyun. Give it your all. Who knows? You might take down the orc."
Alice held no great expectations for him. Honestly, she'd be grateful if he just held out a bit.
So she brushed him off indifferently, and the reactions from the revived players matched hers.
'Nothing to see here.'
'Couldn't win with a spear— what'll he do with a sword?'
'Won't last a minute.'
'Think he can make ten seconds? Looks doubtful.'
'Try your best. Gotta contract with a constellation anyway.'
'Three-second cut, easy.'
No one thought Lee Sang-hyun could beat the orc.
And sure enough, he was scrambling just to survive. No, he dodged so precariously that it was almost impressive.
"Gotta give him credit for the dodging."
"For real."
"He's dodging like a pro. Or is it just luck?"
"Survival's a skill too."
"Dunno about anything else... but he ain't dying to some random hit."
"Thief class?"
"But he's got a sword. Probably just a regular Warrior. Though his survival stats are high."
Precarious, but five minutes had already passed. Considering most fights ended in about two, his survival skills were top-notch.
Of course, rolling on the ground and flailing around unsightly wasn't exactly "fighting well."
Even Kang Mu-hyuk, the sole victor, saw nothing noteworthy. Sure, great survival, but that was it.
'No idea what class he picked... but it's no Warrior. Nothing special. Not my rival. Just filler at best.'
Kang Mu-hyuk completely removed Lee Sang-hyun from his list of competitors. He was that pathetic.
What about Alice? Did the guide see him the same way?
'Boring. Just die already. Or self-destruct like the others.'
Alice wasn't much different. His tenacious survival was praiseworthy, but not enough for a powerful constellation's favor.
Whoosh! Swish! Slash!
"Graaaah!!"
As everyone predicted, was Lee Sang-hyun just good at surviving? No.
Because from start to finish, he'd been gauging the distance to the orc while dodging attacks.
Boom!!
And he was gradually closing that distance. So subtly that no one else noticed.
In the end, the orc tired first. Chasing Lee Sang-hyun, who slipped away like an eel just out of reach, had drained more energy than necessary.
Huff! Haaah...!
As the orc panted roughly and realized something was wrong, Lee Sang-hyun—who had only dodged until now—suddenly hurled his sword.
"?!?"
The orc never saw it coming; its reaction was a beat too slow.
Squelch!
The sword flew straight and pierced the orc's throat precisely. It happened in the blink of an eye.
"Gr... uh... huh...?!"
The orc belatedly realized it'd been hit, eyes bulging in shock.
Disbelief filled its pupils—it couldn't accept it.
"What the..."
The onlookers, Kang Mu-hyuk, even Alice—all wore similar stunned expressions.
"He... won?"
"For real...?"
"What is this...?"
"What just happened?"
"Did that... hit?"
"N-No way..."
"Insane luck..."
No one could believe the result.
"Whoa. It actually worked?"
Even Lee Sang-hyun couldn't hide his surprise at the unbelievable outcome.
Though it was hard to tell if he meant it or was joking—his tone felt a bit off.
Rumble!
Either way, the orc collapsed. Throat impaled by the sword, it hit the cold ground.
Meanwhile, Lee Sang-hyun was unscathed. Considering even Kang Mu-hyuk, the previous sole victor, had suffered major wounds and respawned, this was hard to fathom.
"...Eight points. Eight points. A lucky punch is still skill. Congrats, Lee Sang-hyun! You pulled off something big this time!"
Thanks to that, Lee Sang-hyun's score saw a big jump. Though the gap to 9th place remained.
After battling the orc, they were told to rest up for a while.
"Take it easy. You've all experienced death once, so your minds must be a mess."
At Alice's words, people slumped or lay down on the warm white sand. Some ate the food she'd prepared to ease their hunger.
Munch munch gulp!
"......"
The fear of being dragged to an unknown place had mostly subsided. No one was crying or showing weakness.
Well, after hearing they could return to Earth once they got chosen by a constellation and passed the final test (bonus round), there was no reason to feel down.
'Back on Earth, a new life starts. So let's do our best to get picked by a strong constellation. Can't go back to scraping by.'
'The world won't be the same. A changed one awaits us.'
'Must be chaos out there. Yeah, it'd be weirder if nothing happened with people vanishing.'
Above all, they'd realized this moment marked the complete change of their lives.
So no one let weakness creep in.
"What're you doing?"
Unexpectedly, someone sought out Lee Sang-hyun: number one, Kang Mu-hyuk.
Kang Mu-hyuk sidled up, gauging Lee Sang-hyun's mood like he had something to say. Lee finished what he was doing without a care.
Whoosh. Thunk!
The sword spun through the air and embedded in a tree—but too high, a miss.
Tsk.
Lee Sang-hyun clicked his tongue openly before turning to Kang Mu-hyuk.
"Got something to say?"
"Just wondered what you were up to."
An obvious ploy. But Lee Sang-hyun played along.
"Took down that orc earlier, right? Got a feeling then. They call it throwing. Practicing to recapture it."
"......"
Kang Mu-hyuk's face twisted oddly at the casual answer—clearly not what he'd expected.
"Harder than I thought. Back then and now... tsk. Feels like it should work, but it doesn't. There was definitely this tingly sensation..."
Lee Sang-hyun drew his sword and offered it to Kang Mu-hyuk.
"Wanna try? Sounds weird coming from me, but practicing throws is useful. Powerful enough to drop an orc."
"...No thanks. Bit tired. Why don't you rest too? Things'll get busy tomorrow."
"Gotta practice when the feeling hits. Grab it then, make it yours."
"Mm, got it. Practice hard then."
Interest gone, Kang Mu-hyuk returned to his spot without looking back.
Lee Sang-hyun watched him go, then threw the sword. It hit exactly where it had before.
Thunk!
Of course, only he knew.
Night had deepened.
The blue sky turned pitch black, and the white sand beach donned a dark shroud. Waves quieted, but their invisibility made them eerier than their roar.
People slept in their own spots, careful not to stray too far.
"......"
Lee Sang-hyun lay on the sand, gazing at the night sky dotted with unfamiliar stars.
Sleep wouldn't come.
Not from fear of this strange place—just excitement.
'What is it... No. What does my constellation want?'
He'd pegged it as his 'constellation.' Now he wondered what it desired, its purpose.
'What exactly...'
But it stayed silent, only fanning his curiosity.
'Doesn't matter if it has a goal or not. That's not important. What matters is that I'm here.'
Lee Sang-hyun didn't mind. Change had come to his boring life.
'Right here.'
For now, that was enough.