Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Into Nina Pinta
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Lee Saebyeok couldn't contain his trembling excitement.
He was finally able to awaken!
His physical abilities and combat skills had always overwhelmed his peers, but for some reason, his awakening was the only thing lagging behind.
He'd wanted to awaken as soon as possible, but gates weren't something you could just dive into whenever you felt like it. It had been so frustrating.
The simulation awakening, though, let him attempt it until he collapsed from exhaustion, which put his mind at ease.
'Fuck, this is insane.'
As he entered the Hunter Capsule, his consciousness faded, and he arrived in an all-white space. It was a sensation he'd never felt before in his life, so Lee Saebyeok muttered curses under his breath, marveling nonstop.
[Welcome to Nina Pinta.]
[Reading biometric data.]
[Unregistered biometric data detected. Would you like to create a new account?]
"Yeah."
Lee Saebyeok gave a short reply, just like he'd seen in the Hunter account tutorial video.
[Analyzing user's body.]
[Virtual body frame created!]
[What pain tolerance percentage would you like to set?]
"One hundred percent."
The higher the pain tolerance, the closer the simulated pain felt to real life, but it also sped up awakening and sharpened senses faster.
He was good at enduring physical pain anyway, and he could dodge most attacks without issue, so there was no need to lower it.
Most people set it to 30-40%, but Lee Saebyeok boldly cranked it to 100%.
[Inputting body-matched stats into the virtual body.]
[Account creation successful!]
[You can log in with iris and fingerprint.]
[What is the name of the created user?]
"Lee Saebyeok."
Lee Saebyeok spelled out his three-syllable name clearly.
[Linking the created virtual body, 'Adventurer Lee Saebyeok,' to the user. Please wait a moment.]
[Success!]
[We hope you enjoy your adventures in this new world filled with things unseen in reality, Adventurer Lee Saebyeok.]
[May the blessings of Illitia be with you on your journey!]
The opening lines were straight out of a fantasy game. Lee Saebyeok snorted in amusement and waited for the world to load.
Soon, an unfamiliar space unfolded before his eyes. The sunlight piercing in made him squint and grimace for a moment.
Whoosh.
The first sound that reached him was the roaring water of the massive fountain, the symbol of Genesis Village.
Lee Saebyeok looked around slowly and let out a low whistle.
"Fuck, this is crazy. Seriously crazy. Feels just like the real world, right?"
Now in his game body, Lee Saebyeok clenched and unclenched his hand. With pain tolerance at 100%, gripping it tight let him feel the grip strength in fine detail.
'Where'd Seol Doyun go?'
Having successfully logged into Nina Pinta, Lee Saebyeok turned to look for Seol Doyun. Amid the other first-time kids, he spotted a familiar face staring blankly into space.
She seemed to have opened her status window right away to check her stats. Lee Saebyeok strode over to her.
"Hey, hand over the Tigo you were supposed to exchange."
Before logging in, Lee Saebyeok had asked Seol Doyun to handle his Tigo exchange. You needed money first to buy items and weapons to run dungeons.
"Got it. I'll transfer it."
"But why are your eyes like that?"
"Like what?"
Seol Doyun's eyes, originally a deep black, had turned a bright blue.
"They're all blue now."
"Oh? They said some body parts change color during character creation. Guess it's just our eye colors for both of us."
"Mine changed too?"
Seol Doyun looked at Lee Saebyeok.
His appearance hadn't changed much overall, but his irises had turned red.
"Yours are red."
"Yeah?"
"Yep."
"I see."
"Right?"
The two pondered for a moment. Red and blue.
"There's nothing specific I have to do in Nina Pinta, right?"
"Nope."
"Then let's split up."
"Sure, thanks for saying so first."
"No big deal."
She was already clinging whenever she got the chance, and with black hair plus red and blue eyes, the kids would go nuts calling them the Taegukgi flag.
Their eye colors were especially vivid, making them stand out even more.
"Whoa, check out their eye colors!"
"They look like decals of each other."
"Taegukgi couple?"
See? Totally predictable.
Lee Saebyeok and Seol Doyun naturally parted ways in opposite directions.
Pissed off, Lee Saebyeok stormed down the path opposite from Seol Doyun, only to hit a lake blocking the way. Cursing, he turned back toward the front.
"Why are you following me?"
Seol Doyun, walking ahead, furrowed her brow slightly.
"That way's the lakeside. Dead end."
"Following right behind me like that just looks weirder."
Lee Saebyeok shifted to her diagonal side. Keeping some distance improved his mood a bit.
"But that looks even weirder. Like I'm stalking you. Where you headed?"
"Training grounds."
"To hear Willie's sword tutorial?"
"Yeah, and to raise Willie's affinity while I'm at it. Or scout someone with high NPC affinity."
"Oh, that business you mentioned? Yeah, go seduce them all."
If Lee Saebyeok's goal was primary awakening, Seol Doyun's was making money and recruiting people.
She'd explained something about NPC quest brokerage, commissions, and whatever—it was so boring he fell asleep.
"Shit. I'm headed there too."
Lee Saebyeok had purely planned to hear Willie's tutorial.
"Why not mess around today and do the tutorial tomorrow? The other kids seem to plan on just enjoying their freedom on day one."
Seol Doyun suggested as she walked ahead.
"You're the one who brought it up—why not do it tomorrow?"
"I'm kinda busy."
"Just you?"
Lee Saebyeok caught up, striding quickly from behind.
"How about a race? First one there gives up the tutorial for today."
He didn't want to yield the tutorial, but he also didn't want to be stuck in the same space with her.
Confident in his running, Lee Saebyeok proposed it a step behind her.
"Who does that? I'm not some shonen manga protag doing childish races in a situation like this."
"Scared you'll lose?"
"No, it's childish."
"Then how about buying a chessboard and playing chess to decide who yields the tutorial?"
Since she called races childish, Lee Saebyeok tried betting on something she was good at.
"Sure, sounds good."
"You little shit."
She agreed instantly once it was something she could win. Where'd that 'childish' talk go?
As Lee Saebyeok glared, Seol Doyun replied shamelessly.
"Well, suggesting a race where you've never lost to me is unfair. I haven't made any mana skills yet."
"You said betting on matches like this is childish."
"When did I?"
"Two-faced much?"
"That's my specialty."
Seol Doyun quickened her pace slightly as she answered.
Their steps toward the training grounds mysteriously sped up together. They still kept a little distance.
Now it was on—he'd use any means to arrive first and shut the training grounds door.
Decided, Lee Saebyeok picked up his pace.
"You're thinking of getting there first and locking the training grounds door, aren't you?"
"Obviously. I'll hang a wooden sword on the handle to lock it."
"You think the training grounds NPC will allow that?"
"That's why you always lose to me in snap decisions—with all those overcomplicated thoughts."
"......"
Lee Saebyeok's words were plenty to provoke Seol Doyun. A vein bulged on her smooth forehead.
Then came the full sprint.
Unlike Lee Saebyeok, Seol Doyun hated drawing eyes, but she couldn't resist the taunt and finally ran.
Pathetic, falling for it even knowing it was a provocation. Anyone else, and she wouldn't bite, but Lee Saebyeok's taunts always got a reaction.
Losing to him lately in training—without even using mana—probably stung extra.
They poured on all their effort. Since real-world physical abilities carried over to the game, Lee Saebyeok was microscopically faster by a handspan.
In reality, Seol Doyun could use mana to outpace him, but in the simulation, without mana skills developed yet, it was pure footrace.
"Damn, those kids are fast."
"Trying to level agility? They're flying."
"What? Track athletes?"
"Real names, so maybe association kids? Whoa, those elite ones the association specially trains? Saw that gate recreation leak— their pre-awakening combat was nuts."
The sprinting duo drew flashy stares from the crowd.
The training grounds were right ahead.
Lee Saebyeok tried to squeeze out his reserved burst of speed.
If not for Seol Doyun's sudden tackle attempt from the side.
'What the, this childish trick.'
Lee Saebyeok lightly hopped over the tackle, hesitating a split-second, as Seol Doyun swiftly grabbed his shoulder and vaulted over like a hurdle. Stepping on it for extra push was bonus.
With the door right there, Lee Saebyeok blanked out momentarily from the shoulder-step. Using a running partner for final propulsion was his own trick.
Never underestimate Seol Doyun—she'd strike if you slacked. Clicking his tongue, Lee Saebyeok snapped back and grabbed the ankle of the leaping Seol Doyun.
"!!!"
Seol Doyun, ankle caught, started falling face-first.
Thinking she'd crash right before the door, she thrust her hand out and rolled forward smoothly with a breakfall.
In the end, her breakfall tangled their paths, and they collided hard.
"......"
"......"
Everyone there for the tutorial stared at the two tangled on the ground.
Under countless eyes, the two who'd rolled embracing broke apart and dusted off quickly.
"Whoa, Taegukgi couple!"
"Pfft, what're you doing, Lee Saebyeok."
The other A-rank kids already there for the tutorial started teasing mercilessly.
"Ah, fuck."
"......"
"Ahh. Fuck. This sucks, for real."
"......"
Neither could look up.
* * *
Since they'd already gone full Taegukgi couple so dramatically, they decided to stick together until their paths split.
Avoiding awkwardly would look even more suspicious. Easier target for teasing too.
After breezing through the sword tutorial, they headed to the weapon shop next to the training grounds for starter essentials.
The shop had a surprising array: greatswords, rapiers, daggers, bows, axes, and more.
Lee Saebyeok picked and bought a standard-length sword.
"Hey, hurry up. Just grab anything."
Ignoring his urging, Seol Doyun deliberated and bought a bow and arrows displayed in the corner.
"Why a bow? Going archer?"
"Melee doesn't suit me."
"True, the you who hates getting close wouldn't tank."
Plucking the bowstring, Seol Doyun looked up and stared at Lee Saebyeok. He raised one eyebrow at her intense gaze.
"What? Spill it."
"Nah, just... hit me how we've known each other so long."
"What's with the random emo moment?"
Lee Saebyeok chuckled dryly, sheathing his sword at his waist.
"I've always been sensitive."
"Yeah, sure. All the sensitive types must've died off."
"You don't believe me."
The two bickered as they left the shop. Heading to the hunting grounds, Lee Saebyeok suddenly stopped.
Rumble.
"What?"
Seol Doyun halted and tilted her head.
Lee Saebyeok, who'd been fine, suddenly bent at the waist, breathing raggedly.
"Ugh, gonna puke. Like motion sickness, kinda."
"Motion sickness from VR? Now Nina Pinta sickness too?"
"Dunno, annoying as hell. Why's this happening?"
Barely swallowing down the nausea, Lee Saebyeok straightened up.
"Tch, let's go."
"You good?"
"Nope. But tolerable."
Coughing a few times to settle his stomach, Lee Saebyeok strode forward.
* * *
"So, what's the thing to grab from home?"
"Tiarin gave me a stamp engraved with a magic circle that lets her teleport to specific spots. Planning to test it today."
Dungeon wrapped up his tasks and was heading down to Prim and Genesis.
"Huh? Seems like more kids in Genesis today."
Prim spoke up, spotting groups of peer adventurers on the way to Genesis—one or two at first.
"Yeah. Wonder what's up."
Agreeing, Dungeon scrutinized the passing kids' faces.
The group that just brushed by felt familiar. And the current ones too.
Dungeon's pupils shook slightly.
There, in the distance—two very familiar kids. Nameplates above their heads read 'Adventurer Seol Doyun' and 'Adventurer Lee Saebyeok.'
"What's wrong, Dungeon."
"Nah. Let's grab the item quick. I'll explain later."
Dungeon elbowed Prim lightly and walked on casually.
Passing Lee Saebyeok—who had Seol Doyun beside her—he locked eyes with her for a notably long time as she supported his stumbling form.
Seol Doyun's eyes flickered with unease upon meeting Dungeon's gaze.