Chapter 1. Tutorial
Kang Ji-hyuk and Lee Seong-han had kept themselves hidden from the other participants' eyes for two straight days. And so, on the evening of that final day...
If they could just hold out until midnight like this, they would pass the Tutorial safely.
Lee Seong-han thanked the heavens for getting this far without incident. Sure, it wasn't completely over yet, but if they stayed cautious like before, nothing would happen—he had no doubt.
"Thanks, Ji-hyuk. For helping me out."
Lee Seong-han bowed his head in gratitude to Ji-hyuk. But Ji-hyuk's response was somehow lukewarm.
"Eh, who knows."
"...Pardon?"
"The most important night is still ahead, isn't it?"
Lee Seong-han blinked in confusion. Ji-hyuk tilted his head toward the sky. The sunset that had been lazily dipping away was now far gone. From the opposite horizon where the sun had set, a flock of night crows was approaching. And to top it off, clouds were blotting out the night sky. It didn't look like they'd get much help from bright moonlight tonight.
...A perfect opportunity for participants without tokens.
"Can't let your guard down till the end."
"...Yeah, got it."
Ji-hyuk was prepared to pull an all-nighter. Without a single exception, the final night of the Tutorial was always a blood-soaked feast. Tokenless participants went all-out in their last hunt. Those with tokens, meanwhile, ran for their lives to escape them. And it wasn't just the participants going wild—the monsters in the forest charged like mad too. Even outside the forest wasn't safe. The pursuers already knew everyone with a token would flee into the woods. That's where the chase usually began.
And for this night, Ji-hyuk had conserved his stamina as much as possible. How long he could last in this pursuit was the key. He wondered just how long Lee Seong-han could hold out.
Before the sun fully set, Ji-hyuk started walking back to the spot where the Tutorial had begun on the first day. Lee Seong-han hurried after him. They'd gone into the forest that morning and drunk their fill of water to bulk up their stomachs. They'd even dug up and roasted some grubs from under trees... The two had made full preparations for tonight.
As night fell, participants naturally began trickling out of the forest one by one. No more need for water or food, so if you had a token, fleeing outside was the obvious move. No reason to risk your life in the dangerous woods.
Of course, the other races had far superior physical abilities to humans.
...Frankly, shaking them off if they really pursued would be damn near impossible.
To avoid suffering at the end, you kinda needed some luck.
Lee Seong-han kept glancing back periodically. Groups of participants were starting to appear in his sight.
Fuck...
His heart pounded like mad. It felt like all of them were charging straight for his token.
Ji-hyuk's pace quickened until it turned into a light jog. Lee Seong-han stuck close behind. But he was already panting hard. A body starved for a week couldn't recover from a few grubs. It gave out fast.
Hah... hah... huff... huff...
The two moved only to the sound of each other's ragged breaths. After running a good while, Lee Seong-han looked back again.
...Oh shit—!
What had been mere dots before were now clearly bigger. His legs went weak in an instant. Crushing terror slammed into his chest.
"Hah, hah, hah... huff... huff."
Ji-hyuk noticed Lee Seong-han's breathing suddenly turn rougher behind him.
This fucker... looked back.
The participants must've gotten pretty close. Ji-hyuk slowed his pace a bit and glanced back to gauge the group's distance and direction. Luckily, they weren't pursuing them. He veered his path slightly.
But the group didn't change course. Only then did Lee Seong-han let out a sigh of relief and pat his chest.
The moon hid behind clouds again. The world went pitch dark. Limited visibility made it hard to react— a dangerous moment.
A while later, the moon emerged from behind the clouds again. But the situation around them had completely changed.
"Those motherfu—!"
A group was approaching straight toward them. Their identity was obvious at a glance.
Those fucking orc bastards—!
It was the orc group that held a grudge against them. He didn't know how they'd sniffed them out and tracked them here, but the orcs were chasing like maniacs.
Ji-hyuk figured tokens weren't the issue. With Giranoshi's personality, they'd chase for revenge whether they had tokens or not.
Fuck, of all the goddamn luck...
Right at the end, cursed with this bullshit fate.
But they couldn't restart the Tutorial from scratch after coming this far. Especially not to those fucking orc bastards. That was a matter of pride.
Still, shaking them off with their stamina was damn near impossible. Getting caught was inevitable.
And it wasn't like time was short... Night had only just begun.
Better to fight now while they had some stamina left. They'd even ditched the wooden spear to lighten the load. No usable stones around for weapons either.
So, bare-handed brawl it was. Every bit of stamina counted.
Ji-hyuk abruptly halted. Lee Seong-han crashed into his back, unable to stop in time.
"Hah... why... hah... did you stop?"
Lee Seong-han whipped around reflexively, yelling they had to run. But Ji-hyuk silently cracked his neck, readying for battle. He'd warmed up plenty running here anyway.
"N-no way, you're gonna fight?"
"Yeah."
Fucking hell—
Lee Seong-han's face drained to ash. Even if Ji-hyuk was a natural fighter, taking on those monsters bare-handed was impossible, he thought. If Ji-hyuk died, he'd be next for sure.
"J-just run, okay? Let's run. We got no weapons—!"
"Can't shake 'em anyway. ...And shut the fuck up, you're loud."
Ji-hyuk glared fiercely at the useless Lee Seong-han and growled. Lee clamped his mouth shut in shock. He was scared out of his mind. Staying here meant certain death. Terror had already devoured him.
Fuck, we're dead. Totally fucking dead—!
No weapons, how the hell do we fight those guys—!
He stamped his feet, frozen in panic. ...Then it hit him: if this guy acted as bait to buy time, he could escape them.
A vile, selfish thought.
No... no, can't do that.
But as the orcs closed in, the fear of death swelled. It felt like waiting to die.
Lee Seong-han backed away, putting distance between him and Ji-hyuk.
In the end... he couldn't hold out and bolted.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...!
Lee Seong-han muttered excuses to shake off the guilt. He'd clearly told the guy to run. And he'd be no help anyway.
Ji-hyuk glanced sideways at the fleeing Lee Seong-han. The corner of his mouth twisted up.
Coward bitch.
Running wouldn't solve it. Humans were physically inferior to other races anyway. From Lee Seong-han's view, it might've been his best choice—use him as bait, buy time.
Anyway, Ji-hyuk and Lee Seong-han were now on separate paths. No reason to protect the guy anymore. He betrayed first.
Soon, the orc group closed in right before Ji-hyuk. Giranoshi glared murderously, panting roughly.
"That fucking bastard—!"
Luckily, only two orcs. The one with the spear through its eye must've died after all. Makes sense—if the spear pierced its brain, even a troll regen king wouldn't survive.
Giranoshi stomped forward step by step, snorting. His bulging, veiny muscles exuded intimidation. A true warrior's build.
Nice to see a familiar face after so long, but still a total asshole—
Some guys were just eternally shitty no matter when you saw them. Giranoshi was the poster boy.
If that thick-skulled god had spooned in one bit of brains, he'd be a great friend.
—GRRRRAAAAHHH—!!!
The orc roared again. Ji-hyuk hated that shit. He casually tossed his token from his side to the ground nearby. No way a "warrior's blood" orc would shamelessly grab a token and run.
Ji-hyuk clenched his fists and assumed stance. Crude fist technique he'd half-learned—unsure how effective, but from a pro, so it'd work.
—Fists, or fist techniques, y'know, distance from the opponent is key. All weapons are like that, but especially fists. Distance control is life.
All martial arts boiled down to that. Lives decided by a finger joint's difference countless times. Especially among the strong—shorter distances, lives on the line.
Ji-hyuk reaching the continent's peak as a human? Largely his mastery of that distance. Talent in martial arts was good, but his distance sense was unmatched.
...Anyone panics when what should've hit doesn't.
A week had passed. He'd grown somewhat accustomed to this pathetic body. Not hero-level, but roasting one orc was no big deal now.
The "warrior's blood" orc shamelessly grabbed a wooden club against unarmed Ji-hyuk. Guess it wasn't cowardly to them.
Fuck, then what's the difference between warrior cunts and thief cunts—
Of course, a club didn't change win/loss. Sword or club—extensions of the arm. That's why Cheonma conquered with fists alone.
That guy's a beast.
"GRRRAAAAH—!"
The orc charged with a yell, club whistling fast at his head. Ji-hyuk read the arc perfectly and dodged flawlessly. With minimal motion, he slammed a fist into the orc's gut.
Thud—!!
Flesh rippled from the impact. But orcs had tough hides. It tanked fine and swung follow-up.
But no matter how it flailed the club, Ji-hyuk didn't get hit. It grazed like a mosquito—threading the needle.
"Grr, you... grr... fuck—!"
Giranoshi fumed. He was eating hits while the opponent took none. First couple were bearable, but damage piled up.
Finally, a gut punch dropped him to one knee.
"Urk, you goddamn rat plague—!"
His eyes bloodshot. Rage boiling over. Naturally, attacks grew simpler. Ji-hyuk dodged easier.
But unarmed, Ji-hyuk couldn't land a finisher. Fists weren't his specialty—inefficient. Untrained punches didn't hit hard anyway.
After a while, Ji-hyuk panted too. At this rate, the puncher would tire first.
Luckily, Giranoshi hit his limit too. Third kneel.
"I'll kill you. Hah... hah. Gonna fucking kill you—!"
But unlike his yells, he could barely stand. Gut punches must've mangled his insides. Maybe ruptured.
Unable to bear it, he forced up and charged. But the final gut shot sent him crashing back, down for good.
"Kill... hah... you... kill... fucking... hah... kill you—!!"
Ji-hyuk shot a sharp glare at the subordinate orc.
"You coming too?"
But the already cowed orc didn't dare. If it couldn't beat the leader...
Ji-hyuk glared hard, then slowly backed away. Picked up his dropped token and headed the way Lee Seong-han fled.
"Stay right there... stay, you fucking human shit—!!"
The screaming voice faded soon. Ji-hyuk knew they'd given up.
He walked, panting, stamina bottomed out. Kept going.
Then spotted Lee Seong-han far ahead.
Ji-hyuk stopped before him.
...An arrow through the head, sprawled on the ground. No token in sight.