Bricks and Mysterious Eggs

Jeonghun, who had just seen the notification window, exclaimed with a startled look on his face.

"Whoa! Cheonma-nim! Did you see that? It's the all-time record!"

-Yeah, I saw it. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The notification you see shows up for me too. And don't call me Cheonma-nim— just call me hyung.

"Whoa! Cheonma-hyung!"

-You little shit... Hoo.

Cheonma—no, Jinho—let out a sigh before looking at Jeonghun with an unexpectedly intrigued glint in his eyes.

-Tutorial all-time record, huh.

It wasn't an unfamiliar alert. This was the second time in his current life that he'd witnessed the tutorial record title. The previous record holder had been none other than Jinho himself.

-Anyway, good job. You missed the hidden piece in the forest, though.

"Huh? Hidden piece? Can't we go grab it now?"

-Didn't you see the tutorial end notification, you greedy bastard? What, you wanna leech everything for free?

"Nah, any gamer's eyes go wide at 'hidden piece.' Can't help it. Ah, what a shame."

-No need to regret it. It's buried pretty deep anyway, so grabbing it would've blown your fastest clear anyway.

Hidden piece or fastest clear.

If he had to pick one, the fastest clear reward was way better. A 0-star Patron Spirit couldn't make much use of that forest hidden piece to begin with.

Still, he'd suggested heading into the forest because he'd figured Jeonghun couldn't pull off a fastest clear with his skills anyway.

-Your moves are way smoother than I expected.

The stat total of 'All Stats +22' was insanely high. Land a clean hit, and it could burst a monster's head in one shot.

But that was only if he landed a clean hit.

Even with the title bonus, could a total newbie to RaSe massacre tutorial monsters like that?

No matter how bold someone was, facing a lifelike monster for the first time would freeze them up. Even if it was just a game.

-You do any martial arts in real life? Like, were you a high school fighter or something?

"Me? Nah. Only sport I've done is soccer, and even that I sucked at—stuck to goalie or defense."

-Hmm. Then have you played any other VR games besides RaSe?

"Yeah, about half a year."

-What? You have? The only other one is Real Fantasia, and you grinded that trash game for half a year?

"Graphics were dogshit and no content, so I just spammed the arena. Got bored after half a year and quit."

-Aha.

Jinho nodded as if it all made sense. The Real Fantasia arena covered both PvP and PvE, so of course battles with monsters would feel familiar.

-...Even accounting for that, you fight damn well.

It was right then, as Jinho tilted his head and was about to ask more, that it happened.

"Ooh, finally!"

Three boxes appeared before Jeonghun's eyes alongside the alert. Each had a big question mark drawn on it, reminiscent of classic game item boxes.

"What's this? Looks like mushrooms or stars'll pop out if I smack it."

-Kinda. Except items come out instead.

Jinho grinned and continued.

-Pay attention. This is RaSe's ultimate weapon that makes hundreds of millions of users cry and laugh: the completely random gacha box. Nicknamed 'brick.'"

Just as the name implied: 'completely random.'

No one knew what would come out until you cracked it open.

Weapons, armor, accessories.

Even eggs of ultra-rare divine beasts you couldn't buy for a fortune, or starters for hidden quests!

-Obviously, most are junk, and higher-grade or high-performance items have super low drop rates.

"Yeah, well, that's how most games work."

-Right. Random boxes are all the same. No dragging it out—let's rip 'em open.

"How?"

-Like I said before, punch the box with your fist. An item pops out, pick one.

"Huh? Just one? Not all three? This is the record clear."

-I wanna tell you to quit being so greedy, but...

Jinho let out a deep sigh.

-You're right this time.

"Ooh, buy one get one."

-Yeah, BOGO. So hurry up and crack those boxes. You wanna spend all day in the tutorial?

"Fair. Gotta wrap it up quick. You said you'd make me a legend, Cheonma-hyung."

-That was the plan, but after seeing your personality, I'm not sure if you'll end up a legend or a total scrub.

Jeonghun ignored Jinho's grumbling and stepped up to the boxes. He took a short, deep breath.

"Hup!"

He smashed the first random box with his fist. The question mark glowed brilliantly, then spat out an item.

"A sword?"

-Sword it is. This guy's got some real luck.

"Huh? Good stuff?"

-Can't tell till we check the info. But it's gear at least. Dodging junk is lucky enough.

"Ah, got it. Thought it was god-tier for a sec."

-First guy in over 10 years of RaSe who's this leechy. Hoo... Check the info.

Jeonghun picked up the crudely shaped sword. An info window popped up in front of him.

Jeonghun shot Jinho a baffled look after reading the text.

"Dude, no info at all? Says I gotta appraise it."

-...Unidentified item?

"Yeah."

-Whoa. Total freeloader. Some of us regressed and slaved away, others get titles and gear raining from the start. This country's rigged?

"Why? What's an unidentified item?"

According to the excited Jinho's explanation, it went like this.

Items dropped in RaSe came in two states for the same item: 'appraised' or 'unappraised.'

For example, if you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠got 'Goblin Chieftain's Sword' from a goblin chieftain, it could be appraised or unappraised.

"Aha... Got it."

RaSe might be new to him, but Jeonghun had spent half his life gaming. He instantly got what this self-proclaimed regressor gamer ghost meant.

"Unlike appraised ones, unappraised items give bonus options on appraisal, right?"

-Bingo. Gamers make this easy.

In Last Savior, appraising unappraised items had a low chance of adding extra options.

Added damage, elemental damage, crit rate, damage reduction, etc.

Or rare stat boosts. If you were cursed with bad luck, it might slap on a penalty option.

-Could be one option, two... If you're super lucky, more, upgrading the item's unique grade.

"What game's like this? Even item options are gacha."

-That's why RaSe's popular. In society, money and status mean jack. Just luck and skill decide everything.

"But can't rich folks just P2W buy gear?"

-P2W items have limits. The best stuff's usually soulbound. Gotta earn your way up.

Capitalism means no equal starts. Born winners and losers differ.

But RaSe was different. Gold spoon or dirt spoon, everyone starts the same.

-...Or so they think.

Cheonma suddenly sighed.

-No one dreams of a 10-year veteran’s strategy guide shadowing them from the very start... Damn. Is this even a country? Is this even a game?!

"Whoa, why yell all sudden?"

-'Cause slaving my past life pisses me off!

"Not my fault..."

Jeonghun ignored the fired-up Jinho and cracked the second box.

That's when he got it. Why they called these 'bricks.'

"......"

A gray hexahedron: 20cm wide, 10cm tall, 6cm thick.

A literal brick!

Cheonma nodded contentedly at the brick.

-There we go, normal at last. Now the last box...

"No, wait! How you just gloss over this?! It's a real brick!"

-What, fake brick? Don't dream of quests or skills inside. Pure brick.

"What the fu..."

Jinho chuckled at Jeonghun's reaction.

-Bricks drop often, hence the name. About 70% chance? Even from million-won cash items. That's RaSe class. What, not cracking the next?

"...Hearing that makes me scared."

-Gotta crack anyway. Can't sell tutorial rewards.

"Hoo. Deep breath first."

Brick shook him— a lot—but he was fine. As long as the last wasn't a brick!

"BOGO from record clear—no bricks!"

-Ah, 70% brick rate? You just jinxed it.

"Shut up, here goes!"

Jeonghun yelled pumped and smacked the box.

Pop!

The lid flew open. A short whoosh, light burst, revealing a palm-sized black silhouette.

Size said no way it was gear.

-It's here! Brick!

"Argh, whose side you on, Cheonma-hyung?!"

-All freeloaders are my enemies!

As they bickered, the light faded, and an item tumbled out. Not gear, as expected.

But not a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠brick either.

"...An egg?"

-Egg it is.

What emerged was a pure white egg a bit bigger than an adult man's fist.

-First time seeing this shape... Hey, you shaking?

"...Eat it."

-What? That? Why sudden?

"Eat for legend status!!!"

-...Dead? What nonsense?

"Tsk tsk. Mr. 10-year vet regressor novel protag still missing the vibe?"

Tutorial record hidden reward.

Mysterious egg from it.

Plus, unknown to a 10+ year gamer?

Perfect cliché.

"Hidden pet."

Divine beast or legendary magic beast. Or spirit king seed!

Had to be a unique entity's egg no one else even knew existed!

-Wanna call bullshit, but...

Zero chance? Terrifying. Cheonma shuddered.

-No way? Your luck's nuts, but for real?

Tutorial: 10-year guide, bonus stats, unappraised sword, divine beast?

World's unfair, but this crossed the line. If real, his gut would ache him to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ascension.

-Hoo.

"Why sigh? Me succeeding helps you too, right?"

-Logically yes, emotionally no. Anyway, pick. Not the brick, yeah?

"Duh."

Jeonghun grabbed the unappraised sword and egg from the boxes. A notification appeared.

"Hoo. Finally over."

-Yeah, dragged on forever. Three times longer than most.

"But rewards thirty times better."

-This luck-trash game needs to die. Argh.

"Skill-god-balanced-game. Long live..."

But their chat cut short. As he stowed the sword in inventory, thinking tutorial done, an unexpected alert hit.