Chapter 2: Tutorial (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: Tutorial (1)
I closed my eyes and asked myself: If this were the beginning of a very, very tough game, what should I be doing right now?
First, I needed to get a grasp of the situation and collect some information.
Phew. I could feel my thoughts slowly clearing up. With this first task I set for myself in mind, I slowly opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings again. Unfortunately, they were the same as before.
The fact that I was in a clearing in the woods, that the light illuminating my dark surroundings was not an LED streetlight but a flickering torch, and that there were muscular brutes everywhere I looked... Fuck, my eyes definitely weren't deceiving me. I didn't know what these people were doing here in the middle of the night, but they seemed pretty devoted to whatever it was.
"Congratulations! Young warriors!" shouted one of the savages in the middle of the tribe.
Is that man in the middle the chief of the tribe? I thought.
Well, that wasn't important.
The chieftain continued. "As of today, you will leave this sacred land and be reborn as true warriors!"
I closed my eyes, filtering the chieftain's words out. I wasn't a doctor, but if I were to self-diagnose, I was probably experiencing symptoms of dissociation at the moment.
"Now, step forward one by one and choose the weapon that best suits you!"
So, let's think through it again... What had I been doing just before this?
As I looked back on the events that had just taken place, a realization suddenly came to mind. I had been playing a game. The final boss's lair had been in front of me, and I had activated the portal while bursting with excitement. Then, suddenly, a message saying that the tutorial had been completed and something about a transmission appeared, and a bright light flooded the screen. And then... When I came to, I was here. Somehow, I was even more confused now...
"Step forward, Karak, third son of Fanun!"
First, I needed to check the condition of my body. I wasn't feeling any pain, but you never knew. With that thought in mind, I looked down and immediately froze.
...What's this?
"A two-handed axe! Excellent!"
The hands that I saw were so large that they were almost obscene. And surprisingly, they moved according to my will. While at it, I scanned the other parts of my body and found that they were all truly a sight to behold. In addition to having no shirt on, tattoos of all shapes were drawn on my powerful muscles, and I was at eye level with these other giant people. I tried to make sense of all this information. No, actually, there was nothing to make sense of. For some reason, I had become a savage.
"Karak, third son of Fanun! You are now a warrior!"
Kidnapping, a hidden camera show, or perhaps a psychological experiment—I immediately erased these possibilities from my mind. It would be foolish in this situation to create false hope by trying to push theories that did not make sense. It would be more productive to accept reality and move on. What was happening to me right now was something that modern science or common knowledge could not explain. Even aside from this large body, there were plenty of other things that supported that assertion.
"Next!"
First of all, the language that the brutes were speaking was not Korean, English, or even Spanish. It was a language I had never encountered in any media in my entire life. However, I could somehow understand this language as naturally as my mother tongue. It was as if this knowledge had been inscribed on my brain.
"Come up, Ainar, second daughter of Fenelin!"
Second, I had been in this situation before. That might sound ridiculous, but it was true. At first, everything had felt unfamiliar, but now that I had come to my senses, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"You chose a sword! A good choice for an intelligent warrior like you!"
The way these young barbarians were all choosing their weapons one after another... I had seen this before. This was reminiscent of the intro to Dungeon and Stone. To be precise, when 'Barbarian' was selected from among the various possible classes, the game always started out this way. But was this just a coincidence? The game I had been playing when the mysterious light swallowed me was Dungeon and Stone, and the character I had been playing was a barbarian.
"Ainar, second daughter of Fenelin! You have become a warrior. May the blessing of Rafdonia be with you!"
What the...
I didn't bother running through the remaining theories. Rafdonia, the name the chieftain had just mentioned, made them all meaningless. I now knew where I was. I was inside the game I'd been playing for nearly ten years.
"D-Dungeon and Stone."
"Eh? What is this? Why is he speaking for me?"
As I glanced at the barbarian next to me, I froze. Even at a glance, he was different from the other barbarians.
"What—what is this? Why am I here?"
His breathing was rough, and his eyes were full of confusion. And he knew about Dungeon and Stone. Could it be that he was in the same situation? I felt the need to investigate, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to even attempt it.
"Who just opened their mouth?!"
The voice was so loud that it pierced my eardrums, and my mind went blank for a moment. But that didn't last long. I didn't know when he had arrived, but the sight of the chieftain looking down at me woke me up.
"Was it you?"
As soon as the question was asked, I shook my head. And naturally, I looked at the barbarian sitting next to me. It was a swift movement that surprised even me. The chieftain also moved his gaze to the barbarian instead of asking me any more questions.
I'm sorry, but you were the one who spoke.
"Was it you?" the chieftain asked the barbarian next to me.
"Pardon?"
"I asked if it was you who just mumbled."
I was only just now noticing it, but the chieftain's expression was strange. He couldn't be reacting like this just because of the noise...
"Oh, you mean about Dungeon and Stone? What about it?"
This guy didn't seem to understand the situation he was in here.
"So, it was you..."
A brief flash of pity passed through the chieftain's eyes as he clenched his jaw. Feeling a sense of foreboding for some unknown reason, I unconsciously took a step to the side.
Then, the man next to me tilted his head and asked:
"Is this like an event? Oh, did I notice it too soon?"
I could not see what happened with my naked eye. Something flashed, followed by a horrifying sound.
Slice—
That was all there was to it. The fleeting moment passed, and a head fell to the ground with a dull thud. The head continued to roll. It was a gruesome sight that seemed almost unreal.
"Come up, Ainar, second daughter of Fenelin!"
Second, I had been in this situation before. That might sound ridiculous, but it was true. At first, everything had felt unfamiliar, but now that I had come to my senses, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"You chose a sword! A good choice for an intelligent warrior like you!"
The way these young barbarians were all choosing their weapons one after another... I had seen this before. This was reminiscent of the intro to Dungeon and Stone. To be precise, when 'Barbarian' was selected from among the various possible classes, the game always started out this way. But was this just a coincidence? The game I had been playing when the mysterious light swallowed me was Dungeon and Stone, and the character I had been playing was a barbarian.
"Ainar, second daughter of Fenelin! You have become a warrior. May the blessing of Rafdonia be with you!"
What the...
I didn't bother running through the remaining theories. Rafdonia, the name the chieftain had just mentioned, made them all meaningless. I now knew where I was. I was inside the game I'd been playing for nearly ten years.
"D-Dungeon and Stone."
"Eh? What is this? Why is he speaking for me?"
As I glanced at the barbarian next to me, I froze. Even at a glance, he was different from the other barbarians.
"What—what is this? Why am I here?"
His breathing was rough, and his eyes were full of confusion. And he knew about Dungeon and Stone. Could it be that he was in the same situation? I felt the need to investigate, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to even attempt it.
"Who just opened their mouth?!"
The voice was so loud that it pierced my eardrums, and my mind went blank for a moment. But that didn't last long. I didn't know when he had arrived, but the sight of the chieftain looking down at me woke me up.
"Was it you?"
As soon as the question was asked, I shook my head. And naturally, I looked at the barbarian sitting next to me. It was a swift movement that surprised even me. The chieftain also moved his gaze to the barbarian instead of asking me any more questions.
I'm sorry, but you were the one who spoke.
"Was it you?" the chieftain asked the barbarian next to me.
"Pardon?"
"I asked if it was you who just mumbled."
I was only just now noticing it, but the chieftain's expression was strange. He couldn't be reacting like this just because of the noise...
"Oh, you mean about Dungeon and Stone? What about it?"
This guy didn't seem to understand the situation he was in here.
"So, it was you..."
A brief flash of pity passed through the chieftain's eyes as he clenched his jaw. Feeling a sense of foreboding for some unknown reason, I unconsciously took a step to the side.
Then, the man next to me tilted his head and asked:
"Is this like an event? Oh, did I notice it too soon?"
I could not see what happened with my naked eye. Something flashed, followed by a horrifying sound.
Slice—
That was all there was to it. The fleeting moment passed, and a head fell to the ground with a dull thud. The head continued to roll. It was a gruesome sight that seemed almost unreal.
A man's neck had been cut off right in front of my eyes. The bones and the cross-sections of the muscles were visible. Something white splattered on my face, along with blood and flesh.
What is this? Is it fat?
Mm, I couldn't be sure. It was not as shocking as I thought it would be, though. There was no feeling of nausea or mental collapse like there always was in the movies, and I didn't lose my sanity either.
Squirt!
As I watched the blood spurt out of the man's throat, only one question remained in my mind. Why the hell had the chieftain killed him?
"An evil spirit resided in the soul of Oreum, son of Kadua. Young warriors, erase from your memory the words the evil spirit has just uttered!"
The moment I heard the chief's words, everything came together in my head.
Number one: I am an evil spirit.
Number two: If this is revealed, I will die.
Number three: That head on the ground could've been mine.
When I came to that conclusion, a chill ran down my spine, something that hadn't even happened while I was watching someone's head get cut off.
"Vulcan! Hurry and report this to the temple with the corpse!"
"What should we do about the coming-of-age ceremony?"
"I will proceed!"
A pool of blood had been shed, but the coming-of-age ceremony resumed. This must have been a common occurrence because, after looking around, I noticed no one had even batted an eye. This was also true of the young warriors. Maybe it was because I'd played so many hostile games, but even though no one told me what to do, I was certain of what my objective was now.
[Safely complete your coming-of-age ceremony without anyone finding out that you are an evil spirit.]
If this had been a friendly game, a message like that would have appeared. Committing this new task to memory, I forced my body to stop shaking. Using the behavior of the people around me as a guideline, I copied their facial expressions. No one would be able to detect anything out of the ordinary about me, because, to them, I would be nothing more than an "evil spirit" that had possessed someone's body.
"Next!"
But then I realized something, and my heart sank.
"Kenick's fourth son, Serum, step forward!"
I don't know my name.
This was a serious matter with my life hanging in the balance. If I didn't step forward even after my name was called, I would definitely look suspicious.
"Next!"
Well, I guess I could say that I misheard him. Obviously, that was much more likely than me being an evil spirit. But if you asked if I was confident about that, that was a different story altogether. What if it didn't work? What if the chieftain became suspicious and questioned me? I wouldn't be able to stand up under scrutiny.
"Next!"
The anxiety triggered the adrenaline in my brain. Naïve thoughts began to come to mind. Cowardly thoughts such as, If I'm the last one called forward, it won't matter if I don't know my name, right?
"Next!"
I felt pathetic. Depending on luck? When I'd never been lucky a day in my life? The fact that I had been summoned to this place while gaming just drove that home. For a guy like me to get through a crisis like this, I needed a more definitive plan. So, I kept looking around.
A man's neck had been cut off right in front of my eyes. The bones and the cross-sections of the muscles were visible. Something white splattered on my face, along with blood and flesh.
What is this? Is it fat?
Mm, I couldn't be sure. It was not as shocking as I thought it would be, though. There was no feeling of nausea or mental collapse like there always was in the movies, and I didn't lose my sanity either.
Squirt!
As I watched the blood spurt out of the man's throat, only one question remained in my mind. Why the hell had the chieftain killed him?
"An evil spirit resided in the soul of Oreum, son of Kadua. Young warriors, erase from your memory the words the evil spirit has just uttered!"
The moment I heard the chief's words, everything came together in my head.
Number one: I am an evil spirit.
Number two: If this is revealed, I will die.
Number three: That head on the ground could've been mine.
When I came to that conclusion, a chill ran down my spine, something that hadn't even happened while I was watching someone's head get cut off.
"Vulcan! Hurry and report this to the temple with the corpse!"
"What should we do about the coming-of-age ceremony?"
"I will proceed!"
A pool of blood had been shed, but the coming-of-age ceremony resumed. This must have been a common occurrence because, after looking around, I noticed no one had even batted an eye. This was also true of the young warriors. Maybe it was because I'd played so many hostile games, but even though no one told me what to do, I was certain of what my objective was now.
[Safely complete your coming-of-age ceremony without anyone finding out that you are an evil spirit.]
If this had been a friendly game, a message like that would have appeared. Committing this new task to memory, I forced my body to stop shaking. Using the behavior of the people around me as a guideline, I copied their facial expressions. No one would be able to detect anything out of the ordinary about me, because, to them, I would be nothing more than an "evil spirit" that had possessed someone's body.
"Next!"
But then I realized something, and my heart sank.
"Kenick's fourth son, Serum, step forward!"
I don't know my name.
This was a serious matter with my life hanging in the balance. If I didn't step forward even after my name was called, I would definitely look suspicious.
"Next!"
Well, I guess I could say that I misheard him. Obviously, that was much more likely than me being an evil spirit. But if you asked if I was confident about that, that was a different story altogether. What if it didn't work? What if the chieftain became suspicious and questioned me? I wouldn't be able to stand up under scrutiny.
"Next!"
The anxiety triggered the adrenaline in my brain. Naïve thoughts began to come to mind. Cowardly thoughts such as, If I'm the last one called forward, it won't matter if I don't know my name, right?
"Next!"
I felt pathetic. Depending on luck? When I'd never been lucky a day in my life? The fact that I had been summoned to this place while gaming just drove that home. For a guy like me to get through a crisis like this, I needed a more definitive plan. So, I kept looking around.
"Next!"
With my chin facing forward, I examined the facial expressions, movements, and habits of the others in my peripheral vision. As I was doing this, a strategy came to my mind.
"Next!"
Of course, this strategy was not 100 percent foolproof either. However, I had little time, and I had to make a final decision. This was the most probable way to survive.
"Next!"
"Next!"
"Next!"
The summons continued. I counted about two seconds between each call and the respective warrior stepping forward. And then, after I had repeated this about eight times...
"Step forward, Bjorn, son of Yandel!"
Finally, the long-awaited moment had arrived. Even after two seconds, no one had stepped forward. Noticing this, I stepped forward. Proudly and with my shoulders squared, I walked toward the chief.
Thud.
It wasn't that I wasn't afraid. Even as I walked forward, I was not sure that the name was mine.
Thud.
If I misjudged, the crazy chieftain was going to be suspicious and immediately stop me. He was going to ask, "Who is your mother?" and I was not going to be able to answer. However...
Thud.
I didn't hesitate. Even as my heart pounded, I took measured breaths and continued to walk forward. The reason was simple. I had already decided that this was the most plausible time to step forward.
"Young warrior, choose your weapon!"
In the end, my hypothesis was proven correct. There was no suspicion in the chieftain's eyes as he looked at me. It was the same warm gaze he wore while dealing with the other young warriors. I held my breath, fighting back a strange feeling of excitement.
I had lived.
***
Not even ten minutes had passed since I opened my eyes, but I had accepted the reality I was now facing for what it was. It may have seemed strange to some, but refusing to accept it was pointless.
This was not a dream.
Bjorn Yandel.
From now on, I had to live by this name. No, not just the name—I had to truly be this barbarian for an indefinite amount of time. With no idea how I might be able to go back home, or if that was even possible, it hit me that as of that moment, I didn't know anything.
Well, I hypothesized that if the game's win conditions were met, I would be able to return. But it was still too early to draw any conclusions. And honestly, I hoped that wasn't the case. I hadn't even cleared the 2D version—how was I supposed to clear this game in real life? I might have to live here forever...
Because of that, weapon selection was important. Dragging it out might attract suspicion, but I still carefully examined each weapon one by one. There was a one-handed sword, a two-handed great sword, a mace, an iron club, a spear, a harpoon, a two-handed axe, a flail, a large hammer, and a few others. There were no bows or wands. These savage bastards didn't seem to care for bench-players like healers, wizards, or archers. Considering their massive builds, that was a given.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel! Quickly choose your weapon!"
As my selection time dragged on, the chief of the tribe began urging me to hurry. I finally gathered my thoughts. Barbarians had no natural talent for magic, but had strong physical capabilities. For that reason, when playing barbarians, I always gave them melee weapons and placed them in the vanguard. Out of curiosity, I once tried to play as a barbarian archer, but it was no good. Their true worth always shone in close combat.
And among those...
This.
After much deliberation, I chose a weapon.
"Hmm."
The chieftain, who had praised the other young warriors after every selection, reacted strangely this time. His feelings were fully understandable.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel! You are now a warrior!"
I had chosen a weapon that no one wanted.
***
At that same moment, inside a dark room with dim lights...
[Synchronization is complete.]
[Character information and journal have been logged and sent to the administrator.]
The fan on the main console, which had been turned off, started to spin, and the light from the monitor illuminated the empty room. However, the loading did not progress as expected.
Beep, beep, beep, beep—
The typing on the otherwise black DOS screen stopped. According to the beeping, there had been an error.
[The coming-of-age ceremony has been successfully completed.]
[New items have been equipped.]
[General Item Level has increased by +12...]
Almost as if someone were writing it down in real time, those were the only sounds ringing out quietly in the unoccupied room. Endlessly, continuously.
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 1
Physique: 25
Spirit: 35
Special Ability: 1
Item Level: 24 (New +24)
General Combat Power: 67 (New +6)]
"Next!"
With my chin facing forward, I examined the facial expressions, movements, and habits of the others in my peripheral vision. As I was doing this, a strategy came to my mind.
"Next!"
Of course, this strategy was not 100 percent foolproof either. However, I had little time, and I had to make a final decision. This was the most probable way to survive.
"Next!"
"Next!"
"Next!"
The summons continued. I counted about two seconds between each call and the respective warrior stepping forward. And then, after I had repeated this about eight times...
"Step forward, Bjorn, son of Yandel!"
Finally, the long-awaited moment had arrived. Even after two seconds, no one had stepped forward. Noticing this, I stepped forward. Proudly and with my shoulders squared, I walked toward the chief.
Thud.
It wasn't that I wasn't afraid. Even as I walked forward, I was not sure that the name was mine.
Thud.
If I misjudged, the crazy chieftain was going to be suspicious and immediately stop me. He was going to ask, "Who is your mother?" and I was not going to be able to answer. However...
Thud.
I didn't hesitate. Even as my heart pounded, I took measured breaths and continued to walk forward. The reason was simple. I had already decided that this was the most plausible time to step forward.
"Young warrior, choose your weapon!"
In the end, my hypothesis was proven correct. There was no suspicion in the chieftain's eyes as he looked at me. It was the same warm gaze he wore while dealing with the other young warriors. I held my breath, fighting back a strange feeling of excitement.
I had lived.
***
Not even ten minutes had passed since I opened my eyes, but I had accepted the reality I was now facing for what it was. It may have seemed strange to some, but refusing to accept it was pointless.
This was not a dream.
Bjorn Yandel.
From now on, I had to live by this name. No, not just the name—I had to truly be this barbarian for an indefinite amount of time. With no idea how I might be able to go back home, or if that was even possible, it hit me that as of that moment, I didn't know anything.
Well, I hypothesized that if the game's win conditions were met, I would be able to return. But it was still too early to draw any conclusions. And honestly, I hoped that wasn't the case. I hadn't even cleared the 2D version—how was I supposed to clear this game in real life? I might have to live here forever...
Because of that, weapon selection was important. Dragging it out might attract suspicion, but I still carefully examined each weapon one by one. There was a one-handed sword, a two-handed great sword, a mace, an iron club, a spear, a harpoon, a two-handed axe, a flail, a large hammer, and a few others. There were no bows or wands. These savage bastards didn't seem to care for bench-players like healers, wizards, or archers. Considering their massive builds, that was a given.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel! Quickly choose your weapon!"
As my selection time dragged on, the chief of the tribe began urging me to hurry. I finally gathered my thoughts. Barbarians had no natural talent for magic, but had strong physical capabilities. For that reason, when playing barbarians, I always gave them melee weapons and placed them in the vanguard. Out of curiosity, I once tried to play as a barbarian archer, but it was no good. Their true worth always shone in close combat.
And among those...
This.
After much deliberation, I chose a weapon.
"Hmm."
The chieftain, who had praised the other young warriors after every selection, reacted strangely this time. His feelings were fully understandable.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel! You are now a warrior!"
I had chosen a weapon that no one wanted.
***
At that same moment, inside a dark room with dim lights...
[Synchronization is complete.]
[Character information and journal have been logged and sent to the administrator.]
The fan on the main console, which had been turned off, started to spin, and the light from the monitor illuminated the empty room. However, the loading did not progress as expected.
Beep, beep, beep, beep—
The typing on the otherwise black DOS screen stopped. According to the beeping, there had been an error.
[The coming-of-age ceremony has been successfully completed.]
[New items have been equipped.]
[General Item Level has increased by +12...]
Almost as if someone were writing it down in real time, those were the only sounds ringing out quietly in the unoccupied room. Endlessly, continuously.
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 1
Physique: 25
Spirit: 35
Special Ability: 1
Item Level: 24 (New +24)
General Combat Power: 67 (New +6)]