My Talent Is Below Normal (1)
[Tutorial will begin.]
“What the hell….”
I was about to spit out a curse when I glanced around. What filled my vision was the interior of some dark, unfamiliar structure.
Through the faint light, I could make out strange patterns etched into the walls—designs I couldn’t identify no matter how hard I looked.
It was nothing like the inside of any building on Earth. It looked as if I’d stumbled into the heart of a pyramid, though I’d never actually seen one from the inside.
The situation was so absurd that for a moment I could only let my eyes dart around in confusion.
The last thing I remembered was eating with my younger sister.
What the hell happened? What in the world…?
If I tried to piece it together, it went something like this.
Some unknown KakaoTalk message had come through on my phone.
-Would you like to participate in the game?-
I’d assumed it was an invitation from a friend and, without thinking, hit the button.
That was it.
That was all I remembered.
My jaw and legs started trembling for no good reason. It was just that I couldn’t make sense of any of this.
One second I’m eating dinner, and the next I’m in some place I’ve never seen before.
Of course I can’t understand it.
What stood out most was the mood of this place.
The atmosphere practically screamed horror movie, and most of the people here were already petrified.
Before I could even think further, voices broke out all around me.
“W-where are we?”
“Don’t ask me. I-I have no idea either.”
“A-are there other people here? What on earth is this place… and why are there swords and weapons here?”
“If we knew that, do you think we’d be standing around like this? It seems like everyone’s in the same situation—does anyone remember anything?”
“H-hello? Is anyone there? Hello!”
People had started talking to one another.
Some were sitting on the floor; some were pinching their cheeks, apparently convinced this was a dream.
Everyone was different.
This isn’t a dream.
And I hadn’t been dropped here alone, either.
There was no damn sense of unreality to it.
The moment I swallowed, the small cavern echoed again.
[Players have been invited to another world. We sent invitations to the players, and the players accepted them. You have been chosen as heroes to save a dying continent.]
“Damn it! What hero?!”
“Quit this crappy prank and get out here, you bastard!”
“I-I’m calling the police. I-I’m calling the police.”
“Are you filming a hidden camera gag? This is a lawsuit. A lawsuit!”
[However, not everyone can journey to the continent. Only a select few who pass the tutorial will be granted the right to go there.]
“What the hell are you talking about!”
[Please pay attention to what I am about to say. It concerns your survival directly.]
I snapped awake.
That one word—survival—had cut through the strange atmosphere and lodged itself in my ears.
[I repeat. Only the handful of survivors who live through this tutorial will qualify to go to the continent.]
“So… you’re saying this is a killing game?”
[That is for you to determine as well. What I am about to tell you are the elements essential to your survival and future life. This situation is not a dream. Strictly speaking, it is the reality you now face. I would not recommend denying it. I, too, have a duty to help guide you through this tutorial as your instructor.]
“Quit messing around! Damn it!”
“P-please, let us out. Please.”
People were shouting all kinds of things, but the accursed woman’s explanation went on calmly regardless.
[Allow me to begin the briefing. First, this place is the Start Point, a waiting area created so that you can remain here before the tutorial begins. You may think of it as a waiting room. The Start Point contains the items you will need to survive: drinking water, food, and the weapons you will use going forward. The grades of weapons are Normal, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary, and all the weapons here are Normal grade or lower.]
Sure enough, several things stood out. There was a water container in one corner—not the plastic bottles I was used to seeing on Earth, but one made of leather.
That wasn’t all.
The most eye-catching things were the unfamiliar weapons.
Bows and arrows, swords and shields, spears and maces.
Rows upon rows of weapons that looked like they belonged in the Middle Ages gave the place an unmistakable sense of unreality.
It’s real.
It wasn’t fake.
Most of the weapons looked chipped or old, but they still seemed sharp.
Slowly, the situation began to feel real.
[With the weapons here, you will be able to protect yourselves. As for the tutorial’s objective, it is survival and conquest. This place contains not only you, but also the residents of the continent and lifeforms you would call monsters. They will target you, and you will have to oppose them.]
It was like something out of a fantasy novel.
What was interesting was that the number of people screaming was slowly, slowly dwindling.
They’d started paying attention to the voice echoing through the chamber.
Of course, an occasional curse still slipped out, but that was about it.
[Of course, facing them with your own strength may be impossible. But please, do not worry. What has been prepared for you is not limited to this.]
“What on earth is this….”
[You are chosen players. You have come here from different places, each with your own distinct individuality. This place will maximize that individuality and help you grow. If I say “status window,” you will understand what I mean.]
For the time being, I didn’t say the words out loud.
I thought it would be wise to move cautiously in this bizarre situation.
As if on cue, someone muttered nearby.
“Status window.”
“Status window? Huh? What is this?”
“Aaaah!”
I saw a woman screaming toward empty air, and others looking around in shock.
[The status window is an indicator that expresses your condition exactly as it is. Depending on how much effort you exert, your abilities can rise or fall. Next is the class system. Broadly speaking, classes are divided into warrior, mage, priest, and archer, and from there they branch according to achievements. For example, warriors can become barbarians, and barbarians can branch further into berserkers. There are countless paths of growth, and the path you choose is entirely up to you.]
“Ah….”
[Class grades are Normal, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary. However, in the case of mages or priests, affinity for divine power or mana is essential. Please understand that some classes cannot be chosen by everyone. When you accumulate assigned mission progress, hidden quests, or invisible experience, you will be able to select a class.]
Class.
The more I listened, the more familiar it sounded with something I’d heard somewhere before. The best way to describe it was that it resembled an online game.
Even here, priests and mages seemed to be rare enough to call rare.
If monsters really existed and those things were targeting us, I figured most people would avoid becoming warriors.
Who would want to go first and fight on everyone else’s behalf?
I spoke up immediately.
“Status window.”
[Name - Lee Kiyoung]
[Title - None. You’ll have to work a little harder.]
[Age - 25]
[Disposition - Cautious Strategist]
[Class - Unemployed]
[Abilities]
[Strength - 10]
[Agility - 11]
[Stamina - 11]
[Intelligence - 19]
[Endurance - 12]
[Luck - 21]
[Mana - 00]
[Equipment - None]
The screen floating before my eyes felt unfamiliar.
When I opened my mouth in silence, as if I’d stepped into a game world, the woman’s voice came again.
[The last remaining thing is your traits. Traits will open once you reach a certain level. They differ from player to player, and like classes, they are determined by each player’s individuality. The most important thing is the player’s unique individuality. Their grade is also divided into four categories—Normal, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary—and the higher they are, the better they perform.]
“Uh….”
[Traits, too, are unlocked in ways similar to classes. Just like classes, they can have a huge influence on your growth direction, so please choose carefully.]
Honestly, I couldn’t focus on the last part.
There was a glowing line at the bottom of the status window.
[Trait - Heroic Grade - Would you like to inspect it?]
Huh?
The words “Heroic Grade” glowed purple.
It was clearly the trait the woman had said would be divided into Normal, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary. The very trait she’d said might later manifest according to each player’s individuality.
Nice.
I had no idea why this was included right from the start, or whether this situation was even real, but it certainly didn’t seem bad.
[Traits]
[Mind's Eye - Heroic]
[You can inspect your own and others’ status windows, as well as hidden talent grades.]
Whether it was good or not, starting out with even one useful thing was a major advantage.
The woman had clearly said the goal was survival.
Survival.
I had to live.
I had to survive no matter what.
Whether this situation was a lie or the truth, it only made sense to try whatever I could.
Yulha….
Thinking of my younger sister, left alone at home, made me bite my lip hard without realizing it.
Everyone around me was reacting differently.
Some had apparently acquired traits and were talking about them with one another, while men fiddled with swords or searched for shields.
Though nobody knew exactly what was going on, they were each trying to find their own way to live in response to the threat closing in on them.
There was a woman crouched on the floor and crying.
A middle-aged man who kept shouting.
There was even a child who still looked like a student.
I wanted to sit down and scream too. But I didn’t have time to sit down.
Talent?
I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but checking it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Just obtaining a trait was a major accomplishment.
I was standing at a different starting point from everyone else.
For a moment, I even felt a strange, absurd flicker of hope—like maybe I was the protagonist of some shonen manga or fantasy novel—but I shook my head almost immediately.
What nonsense.
[Checking the talent values of player Lee Kiyoung.]
[Name - Lee Kiyoung]
[Strength - Growth limit: Below Normal]
[Agility - Growth limit: Below Normal]
[Stamina - Growth limit: Below Normal]
[Intelligence - Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Endurance - Growth limit: Below Normal]
[Luck - Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Mana - Growth limit: Below Normal]
[Overall evaluation - The player’s talent values are the lowest of the low. Even if you work hard, it will be pointless. No matter how hard you try, you’ll struggle to rise above a third-rate level. Almost every stat is hopeless. You seem to have been born with two left feet, and you probably won’t develop well in terms of mana either. Intelligence and luck are decent, at least, but let’s see… I’m seriously worried about this player’s future. There’s no need for you to bother swinging a sword or trying anything else. The result is obvious anyway.]
I had expected some of it, but the numbers were still far from what I’d hoped for.
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the result was the same.
“Huh?”
My ultimate goal was to survive.
I never expected to become the protagonist, and I knew reality wasn’t the same as a comic book, but these utterly despairing numbers left my mouth hanging open before I knew it.
“Damn it.”
My talent values were below normal.