Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Tutorial (2)
For a brief moment, his vision plunged into darkness.
Then, when it brightened again—
Hmm.
He was inside some eerie cave.
A nauseating fishy odor stung at the tip of his nose.
[To engage in Dungeon combat, you must form a team with your Summoner Beasts.]
[Maximum Summoner Beasts per team: 5!]
[Currently, 'Baek Jin-woo' only has 2 Summoner Beasts.]
[Would you like to designate 'Wind Fairy' (EX-Rank) and 'Shaggy Gorilla' (F-Rank) as Team 1?]
[Y/N]
Yes!
The moment he clicked, Lamba and the Shaggy Gorilla were automatically summoned before his eyes.
—Ewww, it stinks! Wolf smell!
—Grwoaarrr……!
The moment they automatically readied themselves for battle—
[A Starving Gray Wolf is prowling the area.]
[Defeat the wolf and escape the cave.]
Grrrrr.
The wolf's low growl rumbled through the cave.
At the same time—
Wheeeeen!
A golden energy surged up from beneath Baek Jin-woo's feet and gently enveloped him.
['Shield' is generated for the Player.]
[The 'Shield' persists until the Player's Summoner Beasts are reverse-summoned.]
['Shield' nullifies all damage.]
Ah.
It was the system from Battle of Summoners.
A setting designed to protect the Player so that Summoner Beasts could fight each other.
But this place is reality, so……
[Caution.]
[If attacked by a Summoner Beast without a 'Shield', you will die.]
Right.
Baek Jin-woo let out a hollow laugh.
No matter how identical the setting was to the game, this was no longer a game.
This was reality.
In other words, he couldn't learn by throwing himself headfirst into difficult dungeons the way he used to.
Because the moment he failed, he would die.
Climbing the Tower is going to be a lot more grueling too.
Still, well.
He could manage.
He had already tried thousands, tens of thousands of times, and every strategy was organized neatly inside his head.
Grrrrr.
The sound of the wolf growling in the distance gradually drew closer.
"Lamba."
—Yeah!
"Start swinging your staff from now on."
—Okie! Here I go, yahyahyahyah!
Whoosh, whoosh!
Lamba began lazily swinging her tiny staff.
[Possessed Skills]— Wind Pressure: Each time the staff is swung, raises a single target Summoner Beast's attack speed by 3%.
Lamba's Wind Pressure was an attack speed buff.
The more she swung, the faster the Shaggy Gorilla's (F-Rank) attack speed would become.
—Grwo?
The gorilla tilted its head.
Welcome.
First time getting a buff, isn't it?
—Grwoaaaarrrr!
Feeling itself fill with power, the gorilla's eyes flashed.
Before it—
Grrrr.
There was a single wolf ambling forward, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth.
Wow.
That thing.
For starters, its build was incredibly massive.
On top of that—vicious fangs, bloodshot eyes.
And uneven, bristling fur all over……
It's real.
Right, that was a real wolf.
If our gorilla and Lamba lost?
Then those fangs would undoubtedly tear his body to shreds.
"Ha."
A sigh escaped him on its own.
He hadn't noticed, but his legs were already trembling.
His heart was beating fast, and his head felt hot—as if his blood was boiling.
Could the gorilla actually lose?
In the game, that would never happen, but……
That wolf is real!
—Grrrrr, bark! Bark!
It was then that the wolf leaped.
"Gorilla!"
Baek Jin-woo shouted reflexively, and—
—Grwo!
The Shaggy Gorilla also charged at the wolf.
—Gorilla! Fighting!
Whoosh, whoosh!
Lamba swung her staff behind it.
For reference, Lamba had absolutely no combat ability whatsoever.
Meaning the moment the gorilla died, it was over for Lamba too.
Crunch!
The wolf's fangs sank into the gorilla's shoulder.
Thwack!
Blood splattered.
—Waaaaah! Gorilla! Are you okay? You can't diiiie!
But our gorilla didn't stay still either.
—Grwoaaaarr!
With one hand wrapped around the wolf's neck, it hammered the wolf's abdomen furiously with the other.
—Khack, khrrk!
—Grwo, grwoaaarr!
A brawl between the wolf and the gorilla had begun.
Every time the gorilla threw a punch?
The wolf raked the gorilla's belly with its hind claws.
There was only one thing to rely on now.
"Lamba!"
—I know! I'm swinging as hard as I can!
Whoosh, whoosh!
Making the gorilla's punches faster—that was exactly it!
This was Lamba's overpowered ability.
Truthfully, it seemed a little pathetic right now.
But once it properly grew, it would become an absurdly simple yet ridiculous buff.
—Grwoaaaaaaarrrr!
How much time had passed since the fight began?
The gorilla's punch speed had become considerably faster.
The wolf's sounds gradually diminished, and its strength was waning more and more.
After several minutes of this—
—Grwo, grwoaaarr!
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The Shaggy Gorilla, having turned the wolf into a bloody pulp, let out a roar of victory.
[Dungeon Clear!]
['Shaggy Gorilla' (F-Rank) levels up to Level 2.]
['Shaggy Gorilla' (F-Rank)'s Strength increases by 1.]
['Wind Fairy' (EX-Rank) levels up to Level 2.]
['Wind Fairy' (EX-Rank)'s Intelligence increases by 1.]
[Rewards have arrived.]
[Low-grade 'Strength' Rune x 2.]
"Haaa."
The tension drained away.
At the same time, he realized.
If you just win, it's nothing much.
If you lose, your life is over, but if you win, you can just watch and walk away.
Whether that was as easy as it sounded, he wasn't sure.
[The Dungeon disappears.]
Whoosh!
His vision flipped, and he was back in the vacant lot.
What he had gained was 2 low-grade Runes.
For now.
Should he look into things a bit more?
How he would need to go about entering Dungeons.
Where the Tower and the Fusion Hall were.
Let him figure that out first.
***
Baek Jin-woo's younger sister, 22-year-old Baek A-jin, was a Rune-farming Player.
She mainly visited low-grade Dungeons and sold Runes to fairly promising Players—that was her trade.
She had originally been quite a good student attending university, but when her brother's accident caused the family's finances to completely collapse, she decided to become a Player.
"Thank you again for today, bosses!"
At dusk, with the evening glow painting the sky, Baek A-jin stepped out of the Jamsil Tower in Seoul having earned a tidy sum once again.
Normally, when only low-grade Runes dropped, she would take home about 100,000 won a day, but today a mid-grade Rune had dropped.
The price of mid-grade Runes at the Player Headquarters was 100,000 won per piece.
Meaning she had earned 200,000 won in just this one day.
"Heheh."
She hummed a little tune and walked toward the bus stop.
She could have taken a taxi, but she was armed with a spirit of frugality.
Rent for her studio, the family's living expenses, her brother's hospital bills, and so on.
There was simply too much she had to cover.
I was lucky today.
In truth, she was a Player possessing a rarely seen C-Rank Summoner Beast.
Its name—Shadow Elf (C-Rank)!
It never appeared from 'Low-grade Summoning Scrolls', and it came out at a 1% chance when a hard-to-obtain 'Mid-grade Summoning Scroll' was used.
[E-Rank: 94%]
[D-Rank: 5%]
[C-Rank: 1%]
These were the appearance rates of the 'Mid-grade Summoning Scroll'.
In the beginning, she had to pour every penny she earned just to raise this one Summoner Beast, but now it had grown considerably.
It had become possible to continue solo Rune farming on her own.
Come to think of it.
Had her brother made it home okay after being discharged?
La la la.
Humming her tune, she clicked on his number.
Ring, ring—
The call tone rang, and shortly after—
—Hello?
"Ah, Oppa! Did you get home alright? I should've gone to pick you up, but I was working, so I'm only calling now."
—Yeah, you called just in time.
"Hm?"
—Dad mentioned it. You've been selling Runes, right?
"What?"
Baek A-jin made a dumbfounded expression.
Selling Runes—what kind of lowly way to put it was that?!
"That sounds awful! Can't you call it the Rune Retail Business?"
—Rune Retail Business, trade, whatever! Anyway, is the Fusion Hall there? At the Jamsil Tower in Seoul?
"Uhh……"
That was right.
The total number of ‘Player Zones’ established across South Korea was 2.
The Jamsil Tower in Seoul and the Haeundae Tower in Busan.
None existed in other regions.
You had to go to one of those 2 places no matter what, in order to handle anything related to Summoner Beasts.
"That's true, but why? Oppa, haven't you not even done the Tutorial yet?"
—What do you mean, not done it. I already did it.
"What?!"
Baek A-jin snapped at the top of her voice.
The citizens near the bus stop were startled and frowned, but she paid them no mind.
"Oppa! I sent you a text message! Saying it was dangerous! Saying to listen carefully to the precautions before going in!"
It was called a Tutorial, sure.
But the number of people who had died inside from not being able to handle it properly was not just 1 or 2.
These days, information had spread so widely that people went in well-prepared, but 3 years ago, it was nothing short of absolute hell.
The entire nation of South Korea had been plunged into a wave of deaths.
"Did you at least gather all 5 Summoner Beasts first? Don't tell me you only pulled 2 in the beginning and went in like that?"
1 team held 5 Summoner Beasts.
That was why the standard was to form a proper team before hunting the wolf.
Lacking 'Low-grade Summoning Scrolls'?
Just wait 3 more days.
You got 1 per day as an attendance reward.
—I went in with only 2.
"What?!"
Eek!
Baek A-jin fumed.
—Either way, I'm alive. Don't worry too much. I finished and got out fine.
"……"
—If I want to properly raise them from here, I'll need Runes and the Fusion Hall too. Can you guide me?
"Oppa, hold on."
She steadied her ragged breathing.
This person.
Was he really someone who had woken up just yesterday?
Why was he in such a rush?
"What rank?"
—Hmm?
"You said you finished the Tutorial. You would've pulled Summoner Beasts. What rank? F? E? D?"
—……
This time, Baek Jin-woo deliberated.
Should he tell the truth?
The deliberation was brief.
No.
If he had decided to hide it, it was better to hide it properly.
Whether it was family or anyone else.
—E and F.
"Oh! E? You got an E? That's a 5% chance!"
—Is it? I guess I got lucky. Anyway, are you still there?
"Yeah, I am, but……"
—Then wait just a moment. Guide me a little.
"No, Oppa. Isn't this too much too soon—"
Ring, ring—
"Hey, Oppa? Oppa?"
Baek A-jin stared, utterly baffled.
This guy.
Had he always been this headstrong?
***
3 years ago.
The day the world changed.
Towers of Trials appeared in various places across every nation.
2 in South Korea, 4 in Japan, 13 in the United States, 57 in China.
Why the number differed by country remained unknown, but there was one prominent hypothesis.
The Population Theory.
The theory that approximately 1 appeared for every 25 million people.
Remainders were rounded down!
That was why small nations like Vatican City, Monaco, and Macau had no Tower of Trials.
In South Korea's case, the Jamsil Tower and the Haeundae Tower were reborn as Towers of Trials.
[Top-tier Tycoon Turned Instant Pauper!]
[Tower of Trials—Real Estate Headache Still a Mess.]
There were unfortunate incidents where all the residents living inside were evicted, but there was nothing anyone could do about that.
It was a natural disaster.
At any rate.
A ‘Player Zone’ formed around the Tower of Trials.
Weekly Dungeons, Raids, the Tower, Rune Dungeons, the Fusion Hall, the Enhancement Hall, and so on.
Everything had to be handled here.
Thanks to that, property prices in the surrounding area had risen even further.
They had already been sky-high, but they went up even beyond that.
Vroooom!
A bus arrived in Jamsil, and—
Baek Jin-woo stepped off, wearing a tracksuit with a hoodie pulled over his head.
Before him stood Baek A-jin, arms folded, wearing a pouty expression.
"Hey, good to see you. Sis."
Yesterday she had been crying with a bare face.
Now she had a fairly made-up face.
"No, Oppa. Isn't this too much pushing yourself? It's something you could do tomorrow, so why drag yourself out this evening on purpose."
"I'm in a bit of a rush."
Baek Jin-woo had always been crazy about Battle of Summoners even before all this.
A guy like that had spent 3 years doing nothing, and now everything had been reset to zero.
He had to grow fast.
He couldn't afford to rest for even a single day.
Even now, his body was itching with impatience.
"Help me out and I'll give you some spending money later."
"I earn way more than you, you know?"
Even today.
She had earned 200,000 won in a single day.
"Sis. You never know how life'll go. Who knows? Maybe I'll become the world's greatest Player."
"Pfft, as if."
Baek A-jin snorted.
"Everyone thinks that. I did, Dad did, the neighborhood guys all thought the same thing. But do you know what happened to most of them?"
"What happened?"
"They faced reality and either quit being a Player, or they're living like me, specializing in farming. The world's greatest Player? That's something only the truly chosen can do. The pulling mechanic is inherently packed with luck-dependent garbage to begin with."
Aah.
Is that right?
Baek Jin-woo smirked.
Our little sister is really getting ahead of herself in front of a caterpillar.
"Well, in theory, everyone's a Rachel and a Xenos."
Rachel from England, Xenos from America.
Both were part of the Five Emperors who used to follow him.
"Oppa wouldn't know, but anyone who's been in the industry even a little bit knows. That those guys are genuinely geniuses."
"Oh reaallly?"
Baek Jin-woo smiled.
But there's something you don't know, little sis.
For starters, I'm exempt from luck-dependent garbage.
I have an EX-Rank after all.
And.
Rachel, Xenos?
They're geniuses, you say?
Then, dear sis.
I suppose that makes me a genius flying above a sprinting genius.
Those guys would go to any lengths—even pretend to die—just for a single word of advice from me.
"Alright, so just guide me."
Let's go and see.
What the Player Zone turned reality would look like.