Chapter 37
Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Tutorial - 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
< 튜토리얼 - 1 >
"Ughhh..."
I lay down on the mattress inside the cave, letting out a horrible groan.
There was an enormous pile of supplies scattered in the clearing, but I was too exhausted to care.
For now, I trusted that Yoon Hyung-chul's watchtower would hold the line...
"Just a short break..."
The moment my eyes were about to close, I bolted upright.
The tutorial was starting soon—falling asleep here would be a disaster.
Man, it was cold and I was starving.
Winter had turned the cave into a refrigerator.
"Ugh, it's freezing."
I bundled up in more clothes and lit the brazier.
After hours of hard work, I deserved something tasty.
As I was picking out a menu, Dingo let out a small bark.
"What is it? Something outside?"
If there was, the CCTV should have alerted me first...
I casually opened the door and froze in surprise.
There, right in front of the cave, were two hefty roots that looked just like deodeok.
Upon closer inspection, a pair of beetles were carrying them as a duo.
"Deodeok out of nowhere?"
Though these were awfully big for deodeok...
More importantly, weren't you guys the ones who stole and ran off?
The beetles hauled the deodeok over with grunts and smoothly offered it up.
"...Is this some kind of apology?"
Not that saying it would make them understand.
What was I even doing, trying to negotiate with beetles?
They set the deodeok on the ground and stepped back to either side.
Then the leader... or what seemed like the biggest one, fetched a stick and started drawing on the ground.
"Whoa."
A beetle drawing pictures!
I was so stunned I forgot to speak for a moment.
But this guy was pretty good at it?
It wasn't super detailed, but I could vaguely make out it was jelly packaging.
The leader beetle struck a pose mimicking grabbing the jelly with its front legs.
"Right, you guys stole this. And?"
It drew a single grape and backed away.
The gesture looked like, We left this behind, so we're even, right?
These guys were pushing it.
"Hey, if you want jelly, one grape isn't enough—you need a whole bunch."
I grabbed another stick and sketched a full cluster of grapes.
The beetles alternated glances between the grape drawing and me, then pointed at the deodeok with their front legs.
What about this, then?
"I wonder if something this big even tastes good."
I picked up the deodeok and sniffed it—whoa, the aroma was incredible.
They say wild deodeok like this rivals ginseng.
"This'll do... okay."
I drew the deodeok and a grape cluster next to the jelly the leader had sketched.
The beetles crowded around the drawing and nodded their heads.
What strange creatures.
The leader looked up at me one last time.
This really settles it?
"So, we're making a deal, right?"
I grabbed a few jellies and laid them out on the ground.
All four beetles pointed at the sweet potato flavor.
"Good. If you want this, bring something in return. Doesn't have to be food—just something interesting or unique."
I carefully brought out a clump of Emeras and showed it to them.
The leader beetle examined the Emeras closely, then nodded.
You want stuff like this?
If so, showing some goodwill now was smart.
I had plenty of jellies from the supermarket sweep to trade with.
I handed a sweet potato jelly to the leader.
"This one's a freebie. A gesture for bringing good stuff in the future."
The beetles' eyes sparkled.
They retreated, and I sank into thought.
Intelligent beetles in a magic-enchanted forest...
"This is straight out of a horror flick."
They wouldn't mess with me while I slept, right?
But if they had bad intentions, they could've done it ages ago.
Instead of pretending to be jelly thieves.
I decided to trust the beetles.
"Wonder if it tastes like deodeok."
Exaggerating a bit, it was as thick as a baby's arm.
If this didn't taste good, I'd feel cheated.
I washed the deodeok thoroughly, peeled it, and pounded it flat with a hammer.
The cave filled with its rich scent.
Mmm... perfect.
"Deodeok goes best with gochujang seasoning."
I slathered on the spicy sauce, grilled it on the rack, and pure bliss hit me.
People really do live to eat.
"This could go with two bowls of rice easy."
I boiled some retort rice in water and prepped Dingo's meal.
He was super interested in the sizzling deodeok skewers.
But when I smeared a bit of gochujang on his nose, he freaked out and bolted.
"It's spicy—you can't have any."
While eating with Dingo, I checked out the loot from the tattooed guy.
"Crossbow... a factory-made one."
Great piercing power compared to a bow, but slower to reload.
Still, its compact size made it perfect for shooting from cover.
"I'll make use of this."
About 30 bolts—enough for now.
What's in the backpack... I shook it out while munching deodeok, and junk spilled everywhere.
"Pretty well-prepared, huh?"
Food, water, ceramic knife, pottery, matches, toilet paper—essentials for survival.
Nothing fancy, but all must-haves.
"Forgot one thing, though. Don't play raider unless you mean it."
In the apocalypse, turning raider is easy.
But rationally, raiding slashes your survival odds.
It invites fights, and unless you're a min-maxer, you won't win every time.
Minor wounds accumulate, death creeps closer, and your mind breaks.
Plus, you make enemies like me.
"Once the tutorial's done, I'll kill you all. Just wait."
I needed to wipe out those villa punks to feel at ease.
Clock said 7 PM.
No exact tutorial start time, but it was definitely pitch-black night.
Rest an hour, then head home.
I blew on a slightly charred deodeok skewer and chomped down.
Damn, this hits the spot.
.
.
.
"Shop window."
A blue screen popped up in front of me, listing items in a cascade.
It differed from what I'd seen in the game...
"In some ways?"
Why were the item prices so jacked up?
More precisely, early-game items had gotten cheaper.
Like ebony clubs or healing bandages.
But the expensive weapons were even pricier now.
"Mithril knife, 150 points? Are you kidding?"
Did they stealth-nerf it?
While checking videos on the laptop, I spotted a notice I'd glossed over before.
Pause here.
"You crazy bastards."
The curse slipped out.
New balance approach my ass—they just hiked prices to nerf it.
They announced it, so not a stealth patch, I guess.
Such devious jerks.
"They never did the keyboard-mouse patch even if it killed them..."
Grumbling wouldn't help.
I checked the notices in detail.
They probably didn't fix the tutorial bug, right?
"Looks like they don't do stealth patches..."
At least they clearly announce changes.
Problem was, no one saw them.
"That bug's still there, at least."
The early-game attack weapon that respawns near players at tutorial start.
Patched to ebony club, with a bug: quick-loot during the light respawn for an extra one.
A tutorial-exclusive glitch, absent from other events.
Only a handful of veterans like me knew.
Extra durable weapon for early game—huge win.
I taught the gym folks and Soo-yeon too.
As Kimbap Lover's golden tip.
Instructed to narrow respawn spots and watch like hawks—shouldn't fail.
"Even if they do, difficulty's nerfed now..."
No big issue.
Tutorial's hellish difficulty came from unprepared players facing dozens of zombies.
Even pros panic and get swarmed.
But nerfed zombie organic tracking gives escape windows.
"Point acquisition diversification... still clueless."
Tutorial would reveal it.
I packed survival gear into the backpack.
Lots needed for fleeing zombies in the dark.
Distance-based judgment—hiding in dimension gate might reset it.
"Tutorial boss was an enhanced zombie."
Not your standard one—special abilities.
Varied each run; wonder what this time.
I bought glowstones and potions from the shop.
"Number 6, number 11."
After a wait, items appeared on the ground.
Taken for granted in-game, but real-life? Kinda eerie.
"Who's making and respawning this stuff?"
No way to know without grilling the devs.
Items over 100 points? Useless now.
Draws attention; ebony club handles early game.
"All good so far."
I checked the new trait effect.
Dimension Slot
How do I even activate this...
"Dimension, slot."
Tried some words, but nothing changed.
Wait.
In Survival Life, inventory used numbers.
Mixing numbers and slots maybe?
"Slot 1."
A translucent box appeared bottom-left.
"Ah... so this is like a quick slot?"
Placed a potion; box vanished.
Said "Slot 1" again; back it came.
"Handy."
Basically a pocket subspace.
Not as good as invisibility or projection, but super useful for item access.
Opens up to 5; rest need more levels, probably.
"No more fumbling with dimension gates."
Remember what's where, pull instantly.
"Slot 1 for the bow, then..."
I stored up to slot 5.
Too bad no double-stacking per slot.
"Strict, huh."
I opened the dimension gate to check outside.
Dusk, not full night.
Could head out soon; decided to inspect the looted PC.
"NAS means he hoarded top-shelf stuff, right?"
Unscrewed the case: six hard drives.
Three in the main rig, three in NAS.
Pulled from other PCs too: total 80.
"Six are 3TB each. Guy ran a server or what?"
Popped into externals one by one; fist pumped.
"Jackpot."
Movies, dramas, music, novels—everything I wanted.
Plus guy stuff.
Tons of high-res idol group and dance team fancams.
I absentmindedly clicked a "pale skin" titled one.
Not on purpose—total accident.
The video loaded, and I recoiled.
The focused girl was none other than Mi-kyung.
"Whoa."
Face a bit unfamiliar, but petite build and fair skin matched.
Now bob-cut, but back then long hair.
She smiled at the camera, dancing joyfully throughout.
"She said she used to dance..."
But it was way too sexy.
Hips shaking wildly—I was embarrassed for her.
I stared blankly, then snapped out.
"Tutorial soon—what am I doing?"
Push-ups help refocus.
Slap the cheeks too.
Slap slap!
Good, let's go.
I petted Dingo and stepped through the dimension gate.
The stranger's home was plunged in deep darkness.
So silent it felt like a swamp of stillness.
Hard to believe people were causing a ruckus here just this morning.
"Too damn dark."
Time for shade grapes.
Ate a few; message popped.
Night Vision ↑
Shade Grape effect slightly enhances night vision.
After a bit, surroundings faintly emerged.
Groooaaan—
Zombie groans echoed.
Clearly distant, yet felt right in my face.
Tutorial starting.
< 튜토리얼 - 1 > 끝