Chapter 1. Anything Wrong With Being a Newbie?

That was it. Thanks to four days of running himself half to death, his Vitality and Speed had each climbed by one point. Better than he'd expected. On top of that, he'd broken through the instructor's back passage the night before and racked up thirty coupons. Even after spending ten on lotion, that was still a net gain of twenty. Tallying up the occasional one or two he'd picked up here and there, he was sitting on a total of forty-two coupons. Between the hundred-coupon trait, the ten-coupon Thousand-Li Fragrance, and the ten-coupon lotion, he'd collected a staggering one hundred and sixty-two coupons during the tutorial alone. This wasn't just success — it was a resounding triumph.

'And there's still the first-place prize on top of all that.'

Of course, that was a given — he'd already factored it in as mandatory and hadn't counted it among his coupons. The elixir, meanwhile, he still hadn't consumed; it sat untouched in his item window. Since stats got harder to raise the higher they climbed, it made far more sense to delay taking it as long as possible rather than applying it immediately.

Having squeezed most of the benefit he could from Vitality training, Kang-jun adjusted his schedule. From now on, he'd do Vitality drills only in the mornings and devote his afternoons to mana cultivation. He was determined to push his mana as high as possible in the remaining three days.

'When it comes to handling mana — or qi — nothing beats the martial arts world.'

Kang-jun focused on circulating his qi. Every dungeon except the second one called it mana circulation, but Dungeon 2 referred to it as a mind method. And as the author of this very novel, he was already intimately familiar with the greatest mind method in the entire world.

It was also the signature mind method of Cheonma Jozu, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Dungeon 2. It boasted the highest efficiency in qi circulation, outperforming the most basic White Tiger Mind Method by dozens of times. In other words, a single cycle of qi using the Heavenly Demon Mind Method produced the same effect as dozens of cycles using the White Tiger Mind Method.

Widening and smoothing the pathways through which mana flowed meant more mana could circulate faster — which directly translated to greater skill efficiency. Qi circulation, or mana circulation, was essentially the repetitive act of widening those pathways while flushing out impurities. An increase in mana stats was a natural consequence.

As expected of the Heavenly Demon Mind Method — that was the kind of pace it warranted. He'd managed to raise his mana by one point in a single day, faster than anticipated. Since he hadn't yet undergone his first Awakening, the effects seemed even more pronounced. If this continued, he could reasonably expect another point over the remaining two days.

Of course, he never forgot to take on the instructor every night while all this was happening. At this point, it was less about collecting coupons and more of an investment — a calculated effort to trigger a trait and squeeze out even one stat point. He'd spent a hundred coupons on that trait, so he was determined to milk every drop of value from it.

"Wha— Vitality—. Hnh. Hhh."

She no longer distinguished between front and back. Anywhere he struck brought pleasure. Part of it was the lotion's effect, but most of it was simply Kang-jun's extraordinary skill. The instructor had long since been tamed by him. She'd already awakened to the joys of sex. …She was spending more and more days worrying inside herself about what would happen if Kang-jun just left her behind. This was why pure-hearted women were so dangerous.

The count had already blown past forty times, yet the trait remained stubbornly silent. Kang-jun was once again experiencing the brutal reality ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of extremely low probability. A faint worry crept in that it might never trigger at all. The intensity with which he tormented the instructor only increased.

She grew increasingly clingy with kisses. In those moments, her eyes transformed from the fierce glare of a lioness into the docile gaze of a house cat. Kang-jun, enjoying her far more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠responsive reactions, made frequent use of kissing. She wrapped both arms around his neck and reveled in it. There was no trace of resistance left anywhere. Whatever he asked, she did without a word of complaint.

"You're enjoying it now, aren't you?"

"You're only doing this because you're blackmailing me."

Still, she refused to concede even in words. Kang-jun made no effort to break her on this point — there was a certain pleasure to be had in letting her keep that last shred of defiance.

After thoroughly loosening her back passage with lotion, Kang-jun made her lie face-down like a dog and took his pleasure freely. With every thrust, the instructor breathed in and out like she was swimming — hup, hup, hup.

When he bottomed out, she tightened around him slightly, as if it hurt a little. Kang-jun swayed his hips and opened the chat window. He was giving her orders left and right, completely unhinged.

As expected, there were no missions and no coupons. It was like throwing bait at a fish you'd already caught. Instead, he just got called a coupons-chasing bastard. What a bunch of damn assholes.

Anyway, they'd gone at it five or six more times, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but no notification sound came. This round was a bust too.

Kang-jun started the next day just like any other. Morning Vitality drills, afternoon meditation. After running the Heavenly Demon Mind Method about four times, he finally heard the notification he'd been waiting for.

That was it. He was still benefiting from having low base stats, it seemed. At this rate, he could max out his mana to twenty within a month. This was the power of an S-rank ability, he thought.

Kang-jun opened his status window.

Strength, Speed, and Vitality all sat at a base of seven, reaching eleven with bonuses added. Mana, including bonuses, was at twelve. And with the elixir still in reserve, his projected numbers were even higher.

'Training is less efficient than actual combat, as expected.'

Truthfully, expecting much from the tutorial was a fool's errand, but for Kang-jun, who was in a hurry, it was still a little disappointing.

Anyway, as the fourth week drew to a close, the instructors had softened somewhat compared to before. Random beatings and verbal abuse had nearly disappeared. They probably figured the trainees were people who'd be leaving soon.

Perhaps for that reason, the Team 4 instructor no longer raised her voice in that sharp, grating tone. She wasn't exactly gentle, but she wasn't temperamental either.

…And on the night before departure, Kang-jun enjoyed one last intimate night with the instructor. She was especially clingy that night — sweeter kisses, more intense sex.

Kang-jun didn't say a single word as he left her room. He had no lingering feelings. Between her and all the other women he'd parted with in the same way, they'd fill several trucks.

And then, finally, the last morning dawned. All the trainees who had survived to the end gathered in the parade ground. Many had bloodshot eyes from restless nights of anticipation and anxiety.

They stared straight up at Supervisor Jax, who had taken the podium. Compared to their first day, they all carried a sharper edge — they wouldn't die easily once they reached the dungeon.

Jax swept his gaze over their hardened eyes, smiled with satisfaction, and began to speak.

"You've all developed some real eyes now. At this rate, you'll be able to hold your own in the dungeon."

The trainees, still clueless about what lay ahead, felt a swell of pride at his words. Like green recruits at a graduation ceremony, thinking they'd earned their stripes and that everything was over.

"It's the last day, so I don't want to waste time with a long speech. A hundred words are no match for seeing it once. …When you get to the dungeon, you'll think back to this training center. You'll realize what a paradise this place was."

That was true. There was no place in the dungeons as peaceful as the training center.

"You will soon be sent to the dungeons. I assume you're all prepared. Of course, I'll give you time to say your final goodbyes to the comrades you've spent four weeks with. And finally, congratulations on completing the entire process with distinction."

That was the end of the speech. He clearly knew that dragging it out would be meaningless. After a few rounds of half-hearted applause, Jax stepped down from the podium.

Team 4 exchanged brief farewells. Yoko, the Japanese girl, told Kang-jun to take care of himself.

"I believe you'll adapt well anywhere, oppa! Yoko will cheer for you!"

"Yeah, you take care of yourself there too."

Kang-jun turned his gaze to the Team 4 instructor. He walked straight up to her.

"It's been enjoyable, Instructor."

"…Yeah."

That was the entirety of their farewell. Neither of them had any lingering feelings for the other. After all, how many people were there who met and parted in exactly this way?

Once everyone's business was done, the trainees followed the instructors' directions and descended into the training center's basement. There, a portal to the dungeons awaited them. It looked like a vast, rippling mirror — more than enough to stir tension. Everyone swallowed dryly, again and again.

Supervisor Jax, who had arrived early and was waiting, pointed at it with his chin.

"One team at a time, in order."

Prepared teams stepped forward, and one by one, trainees entered the portal. Take care. See you next time. — promises with no guarantee of fulfillment flew everywhere. The portal swallowed the trainees and spat them out at random locations. …Only the gods knew which dungeon each would land in.

Soon it was Team 4's turn. Team members disappeared into the portal one by one. Before leaving, Kang-jun took one last sweeping look around. By chance, his eyes briefly met the instructor's. He turned his head back to normal, gave a faint chuckle, and stepped into the portal without hesitation.

It felt like stepping into thick mud. As his whole body went in, his stomach lurched. The precursor to spatial displacement.

'Please, let it be Dungeon 4.'

With his eyes closed, Kang-jun made that final prayer. …At least, he hoped it wouldn't be Dungeon 1.

……sir. …sir. Sir.

Kang-jun reflexively slapped away the hand shaking his shoulder and sat up. The hard texture of concrete pressed clearly against his palm. He first saw two police officers in uniform, then rolled his eyes around in every direction. He'd been unconscious and had just woken up — his mind was still foggy.

"We got a report that someone collapsed in the alley."

"…Ah, it's just dizziness. I have low blood pressure."

Having roughly grasped the context, Kang-jun didn't hesitate to play along. There was no benefit to arousing suspicion.

The officer asked once more if he was really okay.

"If you'd like, we can take you to the hospital…"

"No, I'm fine. I have somewhere I need to go. I'm really okay."

Kang-jun repeatedly affirmed that he was perfectly fine, even going so far as to claim he'd had episodes like this before because of his low blood pressure.

"Then could you show us some ID?"

"ID?"

"Yes. It's just a verification procedure, nothing major."

Of course, it might not be a big deal for them, but for Kang-jun it was more than enough of a big deal. He didn't have any ID, naturally. He pretended to pat his pockets, then acted flustered.

"My wallet. Uh, where's my wallet?"

The officer's eyes widened. Kang-jun kept tilting his head and patting his whole body with his palm.

"It's not here. My wallet's gone. Ah, this is really bad. I must have dropped it when I collapsed."

"Are you sure you didn't just forget it?"

"I really think so. Ah, there's important stuff in there. What do I do? …Could you maybe help me look around?"

At Kang-jun's troublesome request, the two officers exchanged a quick glance and their expressions shifted completely.

"Ah, but… we're pretty busy right now, we need to head back. We've had a lot of reports."

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll look for it myself."

"Yes. Things are tense these days, so please be careful, sir."

"Understood. Thank you for your hard work."

"We hope you find it."

The two officers fled the scene like they were dodging a landmine. Kang-jun let out a small sigh. For now, he'd managed to defuse the situation smoothly.

'If I get picked on right from the start, that'll be a problem.'

Just from looking around, Kang-jun immediately figured out which dungeon this was. There was no place like this except Dungeon 3, the Modern World. It was a little disappointing that Dungeon 4 hadn't come up, but Dungeon 3 wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bad option either.

Here, the concept of law was more firmly entrenched than in other dungeons, so you couldn't just run around causing chaos with brute force. Of course, if you got strong enough, that conversation changed — but for a newbie who'd just entered the dungeon, that was still a distant dream.

Kang-jun walked along the modern streets and, for the first time in a while, let himself sink into nostalgia. It wasn't exactly the same as his hometown, but he could at least feel like he was walking the streets of Earth.

…Except for the occasional girl or two dressed in magical girl costumes, like they were cosplaying.

'Is that the trend these days?'

In a world where ability users were the norm, their fashion trends spread easily. And every time he saw them, Kang-jun was reminded that he wasn't actually on Earth.

…He felt like someone flailing inside a dream that would never end.