Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Tantrum at the Gates
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To raise her to a level where she could take on quests, Dun dragged Lee Yu-hyun to the training grounds.
Dun hated the clichéd training grounds content—it felt like it hammered home that she was just a game character.
But there was no better place around here to boost early stats without leveling up.
Plus, with all the good gear available, solid training here could lead to overwhelming power later on, even at the same level.
This girl’s stats were lagging behind her level, so she needed these basics to pull them up to average.
The problem was getting past the training grounds manager, Jonathan, to sneak a player like Lee Yu-hyun inside. It wasn’t easy.
But Dun had chatted with Jonathan enough times to feel confident she could persuade him.
Well, confident in herself, anyway.
“An adventurer?”
Jonathan’s lips tightened at the word.
I figured this old man would hate it that much.
As he rolled his eyes awkwardly, searching for a refusal, Dun pulled out her prepared line.
“I get your deep-seated adventurer phobia, old timer, but this one’s different from the rest. She’s exceptional. She owes our empire a personal debt and is on a pilgrimage to repay it somehow. Really... uh, what’s the word? Mentee—no, mentor material. Could you just look the other way this once and let her in?”
Blah blah blah. The words flowed smoothly, zero sincerity. The content was decent, but his face screamed annoyance, like “Why not let her in already, you smug jerk.”
“...”
Jonathan stroked his chin through her spiel. It was obvious he wasn’t buying it.
“Sorry, but no.”
“Aaaugh, why not? Lately, discriminating against adventurers is a big deal! The royals are pushing them hard these days. What if she reports you? I get the empire folk are pissed about jobs being snatched, but adventurers handle most of the monster kills everyone else dodges.”
“...You little brat, parroting stuff you overheard at the tavern like a mimic bird.”
“How can I not when you’re yapping headache-inducing nonsense right in front of me? I’m still just a kid without opinions of my own.”
A brief back-and-forth ensued between Dun and Jonathan. Dun believed she had a talent for persuasion, but in truth, her curt tone made her better at provocation.
When Jonathan refused to budge an inch, a sudden surge of defiance welled up in Dun.
She’d planned to just leave if rejected, but his stonewalling pissed her off.
She knew her tone was the issue but had no intention of changing it. She kept trying lines that fell flat, getting shot down every time.
Finally, Dun twitched her eyebrows and plopped down on the ground. She had one last resort.
“Old timer, you’re scaaary!! I’m telling Mom, waaah!!”
“If you’re gonna cry, at least make your face match.”
“Waaah!! Let her in too, let her in, leeeet her in!! Mooom!!!”
Sitting on the floor, throwing a fit and summoning Mom until he listened. Total scumbag move Dun never would’ve pulled in her past life.
Jonathan stared at the tantrum-throwing Dun like she was some grotesque creature, then sighed and nodded.
“Fine, whatever. You annoying little creep.”
[Obtained Genesis Training Grounds Pass.]
“It worked?”
Dun, who’d been desperately wailing, crossed her arms and went back to her deadpan expression.
Lee Yu-hyun, who’d been crouching nearby, exhausted from their bickering, alternated glances between Dun and the notification window in front of her.
“You’re going this far for me?”
“What’re you on about? I just got competitive bantering with Jonathan.”
Dun scowled, irked by Lee Yu-hyun’s touched reaction.
“Anyway, thanks, Gramps.”
“I’m not grandpa age yet!”
Dun snickered and hustled Lee Yu-hyun inside the training grounds. Better move quick before that stubborn coot changed his mind.
Jonathan bristled at being called grandpa, but once Dun vanished from sight, he relaxed his furrowed brow and let out a short chuckle.
“Eh, she was cute at first. But once settled in, the real sly fox shows.”
Jonathan recalled when Dun and Rihaowel first arrived in the village. Back then, wary villagers prompted Dun to play innocent and win them over with feigned kindness.
Years after settling in Genesis Village, those two had become full-fledged parts of it.
No—more like indispensable mascots now. The adventurer portal opened near the village fountain, and folks flocked to Rihaowel’s general store.
Naturally, adventurers’ maps marked Rihaowel’s store prominently, turning it into Genesis Village’s signature landmark.
Thinking of the recent adventurer boom at Rihaowel’s made the image of Dun hanging with one swirl in his head again.
“Is it really all good having hordes of adventurers at the store? Those types treat this world like a joke. Hate ’em.”
Jonathan found adventurers repulsive for viewing locals as mere tools.
Others hailed them as heroes, pioneers—but in reality, they were just thrill-seekers wreaking havoc in someone else’s world.
Adventurers.
They started appearing at the village fountain in bursts of light, dubbed heroes from another realm.
Jonathan treated them like low-rent high-end mercenaries.
Their handles were all trash too. ‘QyuIngQyuIng’ or ‘RedChickenSauceCookie’ or whatever.
Worried for a moment that Dun might get hurt being used by adventurers, Jonathan recalled the seemingly mild one and the fierce Dun, then set his concerns aside.
* * *
“Does he hate adventurers?”
“Why ask what’s plain as day?”
“Why? Some backstory... or incident?”
Dun smirked at “backstory,” then scanned for a practice spot.
“Some adventurers go nuts ’cause it’s not their world.”
Whoa... she even notices that?
Lee Yu-hyun quietly marveled at modern AI tech. Thinking and reacting almost like a real person was mind-blowing.
“And I caught that your words bugged me.”
“Y-Yes...? Gasp, sorry!”
Lee Yu-hyun apologized a beat late.
Fair enough—adventurers’ attitudes would grate on any NPC. Thinking about game characters’ feelings was silly anyway.
Most gamers treated the game as entertainment, ditching NPC ties once goals were met. Profit-driven, they’d do anything cruel without hesitation.
Not all, though. Some immersed so deep in the hyper-real setup that they lived in-game like reality.
It varied by situation, by person.
Jonathan’s cranky personality probably drew extra rude players, souring his view worse.
“You hate adventurers too, Dun?”
Strolling the vast training grounds interior, Lee Yu-hyun piped up. She seemed fascinated that NPCs had stances and feelings toward players.
Dun eyed Lee Yu-hyun’s face in her vision for a moment, then scoffed.
“Free labor? Why hate that.”
Affinity rewards as legal passion pay. Dun, fully embedded in game systems, replied.
“Uh... but is it okay saying that to my face?”
“What’s it matter? You said ‘backstory’ yourself.”
* * *
After locking Lee Yu-hyun in a private training room first, Dun opened her inventory outside.
She hadn’t cleared after boss hunts, so it brimmed with items.
[Normal] Locknut Wooden Sword
[Rare] Gray’s Venom
[Epic] Yenz’s Wing
[Unique] Soul Contract (9/10)
[Unique] Blade of Growth
Confirming the essentials, Dun pocketed them.
Prep done, she entered the private room and handed him the Locknut Wooden Sword.
Lee Yu-hyun nodded gratefully and spoke up.
“Leveling up first?”
“I know basic adventurer lingo like that.”
Some NPCs didn’t know terms like ‘level’ or ‘stats.’
Dun, hanging with adventurers often, seemed well-versed in game lore.
Lee Yu-hyun did national exercises and stretches while eyeing Dun.
Dun rattled items in her pocket, lost in thought.
‘Lee Yu-hyun... Lee Yu-hyun... Who was that again?’
Time as a game character here had blurred memories of people from her past life.
Lee Yu-hyun. Super familiar name. Argh, it’s right on the tip of my tongue.
Fueled by pointless rivalry, Dun stared at his face to jog her memory.
Deep purple-tinged hair, dark eyes with a purple hue. Hunter pods tweaked appearances slightly, but not drastically.
Sharp-featured overall, but his meek personality softened the impression. Probably similar IRL.
Feels like I knew a face like that...
“...!”
Wait— wasn’t the Hunter Association President named Lee Yu-hyun?
Dun’s pupils trembled faintly.
Thinking of the president stirred sudden nostalgia.
‘No way it’s him. Too young-looking for president.’
The one Dun knew was a 30-something man; this Lee Yu-hyun looked early-mid 20s.
While observing his face, the warmed-up Lee Yu-hyun clumsily gripped and swung the Locknut Wooden Sword.
“Ugh, so awkward.”
Even knowing basics, his goofy form made Dun click her tongue softly.
“Never caught a monster with a sword?”
“Nope... Mostly traps.”
“You wanna be a warrior, right? Skipped the warrior tutorial?”
“Tutorial? This game doesn’t have...”
Lee Yu-hyun had never seen a user get a tutorial in all her playtime.
Missing at launch? Forums griped about no structure—maybe tutorials weren’t auto? High freedom could explain, but it felt off.
As Lee Yu-hyun pondered tutorials, Dun spun the wooden sword on her palm, then gripped it two-handed to avoid snapping.
Adjusting strength made her muscles tingle.
“...Don’t skip tutorials next time. I’ll teach basics—copy me.”
Reborn as a character, she’d smashed everything barehanded lately, so the sword’s feel was refreshingly novel. Like gripping a pencil after years away from studying—unfamiliar hand sensation.
Dun drew out buried sword memories and swung casually.
Swish.
A mere swing, yet faint wind currents rippled around the blade.
Her upright, proper stance bore years of polish.
Back in early hunter training, Isaemae had gripped an oversized wooden sword unfit for her small hands, swinging till her body broke.
Ten times, hundred, thousand.
Skin peeled repeatedly, hands blistered bloody—she kept gripping.
Dun took a liking to Lee Yu-hyun. Seeing him teeter on the edge reaffirmed her hard-won peace.
“See? That was basic stance.”
“T-Too fast!”
“Focus more.”
Dun straightened her slouched back, lowered her sword hand.
“From here, raise your arm as-is.”
She moved her arm, conscious of shoulder muscles. Natural flow key for next move.
“Then back to start.”
Dun demoed basic sword forms; Lee Yu-hyun mimicked clumsily.
“Hyap.”
His sword arced weakly, dropping. Absurdly low strength, hefty sword weight.
Feeling his sloppy form post-swing, he drooped his mouth.
“Focus again. Exhale on downswing—don’t forget.”
Dun poked his slouched back with her sword.
“Straighten up, relax shoulders.”
He swung again; Dun frowned.
“Eyes.”
First real sword lesson? Everything awkward from square one. One plus: he followed without whining. She’d expected complaints leading to quest bail-out.
He kept swinging the wooden sword relentlessly.
Hours of same posture should exhaust anyone, yet he pushed on without breaks.
“Eyes, power. Back, eyes, power. Ugh, please—I said it. Shoulders relax. Argh... You’re hopeless. Even if talent were visible, yours’d be molecular.”
Dun nagged endlessly beside him till she tired, squatting for a nap.
Lee Yu-hyun, swinging mechanically, turned to see Dun curled asleep like a pillbug.
The constant chatter had gone quiet—deep sleep.
While Dun snoozed with steady breaths, Lee Yu-hyun trained nonstop.
By dusk, as sun dipped from midday, his form steadied, swings straighter.
Soon after,
[You’ve grasped Swordsmanship Basics!]
[Acquired skill, [Downward Strike lv.1].]
[Acquired passive skill, [Breathing lv.1].]
[The training grounds’ circulating energy strengthens you. All stats +1.]
“!!!”
Notifications flooded in. Mid-swing, Lee Yu-hyun collapsed in ecstatic joy.
The commotion roused Dun, who slowly lifted heavy eyelids.
She wiped drool from her mouth with her sleeve, glaring at him. Sleep-blurred vision made him fuzzy.
Pointing at the NPC-impossible notification, his face flushed crimson with extreme delight.
“I... I did it!”
First time facing so many at once? He looked thrilled, emotions overflowing into stuttery flailing—pretty comical.
“Yeah, yeah. Finally.”
Dun blinked sleepy eyes slowly, then popped the quest she’d planned.
[E-Grade Quest] Dun’s Swordsmanship Lesson
Content: Master swordsmanship basics completely.
Downward Strike: 0/1000
Diagonal Slash: 0/1000
Upward Slash: 0/1000
Rewards: 100 exp, [Unique] Blade of Growth, Dun Affinity
On Failure: None
“!!!”
Lee Yu-hyun gawked at the quest, expression turning dumbfounded. Elation from basics mastery neutralized into stunned hilarity.
This is... real, right?
He rubbed his eyes once, twice, thrice before accepting reality.
Worlds apart from yesterday’s player rewards.
“An E-grade quest with a Unique item...”
Unique gear—not even top rankers had it yet. Totally unexpected windfall.
As he muttered in disbelief, Dun started digging her nose. Dust from his swings meant booger duty while napping.
“Don’t bug me till you can swing decently.”
Neck stiff from weird sleep pose. As she rotated it, heading home, Lee Yu-hyun grabbed her.
“Wait! That... um.”
“What.”
He trembled briefly, then knelt cautiously before Dun.
“Please use me as a slave from now on.”
I’ve met my life NPC!
Lee Yu-hyun gazed at Dun with moved eyes, but got bug-eyed stare and middle finger in return.