Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: The Tutorial (2)
Translation: godtl
"Ghk—!"
A small death rattle.
The armored man collapsed limply without even managing to scream properly.
"Hehe. As expected, headshots are sweet~."
He couldn't have been more than 160 cm tall.
The small-statured man, Kim Min-hyeong, snickered as he pulled the arrow embedded in the corpse's neck.
"No wonder it's a major corporation. Even their expendables are of a different quality."
Despite having just pierced a player's throat, the arrowhead remained gleamingly intact.
At a glance, it was clearly crafted by at least a Gold-rank life-skill player.
And it wasn't just the arrowhead.
From the short bow he carried to the twin swords at his waist and the leather armor covering his entire body—none of this equipment suited someone who had just been invited to the tutorial at level 1.
"The guild just told me to come out alive, but..."
Kim Min-hyeong had absolutely no intention of doing just that.
Seongsam Guild, one of the most prominent guilds in the country.
Scouted by Seongsam for his B-rank Trait "Quick Movement," Kim Min-hyeong knew the inner workings of the guild all too well.
And it wasn't just Seongsam.
Most major guilds shared a common trait:
A ruthless meritocracy.
The better you performed, the more unreasonable levels of support you received.
The most representative example was the "Prospect System."
If you ranked within the top 10 in the tutorial, you were designated as a guild prospect.
And the support prospects received was unparalleled, to say the least.
Of course, merely surviving in this high-MMR tutorial would still earn him Seongsam's backing, but—
'That's not enough for me.'
Kim Min-hyeong gritted his teeth.
'After how I got expelled from that damn academy? I can't just settle for being a regular guild member.'
If he proved his worth, the Seongsam Guild—the guild that had scouted him—would handle most issues at the organizational level.
Hadn't a recent assault case involving a Seongsam guild member been swept under the rug just like that?
Kim Min-hyeong had no intention of letting go of that influence.
'I'll make them regret throwing away talent like me!'
Eyes burning with ambition, Kim Min-hyeong collected his arrows and stood up.
'This area has a lot of wildlife, so there shouldn't be any players here. If I set up an ambush over there...'
Every notable guild had their own tutorial strategies—so-called "cheat sheets."
Recalling this, Kim Min-hyeong was about to move to the next location.
Until, that is, a clueless idiot in jeans and a gray hoodie appeared.
"Oho~. A participant with no gear in this matchmaking pool? Now this is a jackpot!"
Kim Min-hyeong's eyes gleamed as he immediately nocked an arrow.
Had the opponent been holding even a worn-out sword, he might have assumed they had at least an A-grade Trait and been cautious.
'But a no-gear punk? Even if they have a decent Trait, so what?'
Jeans, a hoodie, and no weapon? That was crossing the line—no, vaulting over it.
And if he took them out with a surprise arrow?
"Thanks for the free kill."
'Pretty sure it was around here...'
Sharpening his senses to their utmost, Si-mun pushed through the underbrush.
Before long—
'Found it.'
He spotted a babbling brook.
Then—
Twang.
The sound of a bowstring releasing.
Thwack.
As if he'd been waiting for it, Si-mun channeled his Transmutation Power and flicked his finger.
Shooo—!
The stream at his feet erupted upward.
In an instant, it formed a razor-sharp edge that sliced horizontally through the air in front of him.
Snap.
Whatever had been flying toward him was cleanly bisected and fell to the ground.
'As I thought.'
Confirming it was an arrow, Si-mun immediately flicked his finger toward the direction it had come from.
Bang.
A small explosion.
But more than enough to knock someone down.
"Damn it! A Magic Class?!"
From the tree where the explosion had occurred, a small-statured man tumbled down along with a string of curses.
A combat-class with decent skills, perhaps?
"Take this!"
He executed a flowing breakfall and nocked another arrow, drawing the bowstring taut.
But.
Snap.
At the flick of Si-mun's finger once more.
Bang.
"Argh!"
The small-framed man, Kim Min-hyeong, tumbled across the ground.
'His movements are quite impressive.'
Si-mun was genuinely impressed.
The spatial explosion just now had been aimed at his head.
Though part of it might be because he still wasn't fully accustomed to performing transmutations with just his fingers.
This player seemed to possess not only good equipment but also considerable fundamental skills.
"As expected. Dying to someone like you is somewhat satisfying."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
Swish.
Before anyone realized, Kim Min-hyeong had drawn the twin swords from his waist and charged.
Observing his fluid movements, Si-mun instantly discerned his trait.
"A B-rank trait. Quick Movement, is it?"
"Wha—? How did you...?"
Kim Min-hyeong's eyes widened in shock.
And how could they not?
They had never met before in their lives.
And in that fleeting moment of vulnerability—
"But getting flustered like this proves you're still just level one."
Snap.
The finger snap rang out like a death sentence.
"Guhk!"
Before he knew it, a sharp earthen spike erupted from the ground, piercing through Kim Min-hyeong's abdomen.
The shock must have been immense.
Trembling violently, Kim Min-hyeong spat blood, his eyes bloodshot as he forced out words.
"Cough! You... Cadet... Acad...—"
"Hm? Ah! Are you asking if I'm from the Awakened Academy?"
Understanding his words, Si-mun smiled bitterly and stretched out his hand.
"There's no way a place like that would accept someone like me."
Snap.
Sitting atop a boulder to rest, Si-mun gazed with sunken eyes at Kim Min-hyeong's lifeless body sprawled on the ground.
'If this were the regular Arena, he'd be dead for good.'
Elimination in the regular Arena meant true death.
Not merely being logged out back to reality like now, but facing actual death in the real world.
Moreover, the regular Arena didn't end with just the deaths of the eliminated.
'Any uncompleted Arenas manifest as Outbreaks in their respective countries.'
In dungeons or raids, the monsters that weren't defeated would be unleashed upon Earth as they were.
For this reason, after the regular Arenas began, the number of Rankers a nation possessed directly translated to national power.
Unfortunately, after 'that incident,' South Korea—
Like the minor nations that had already vanished—failed to prevent the Outbreaks and was destroyed.
"Sigh, no point worrying about what hasn't happened yet. Focus on the present for now."
Brushing off his clothes as he stood, Si-mun glanced at Kim Min-hyeong's equipment, which was gradually disintegrating into particles.
Even a cursory glance showed they were at least C-rank or higher.
'Given how loaded he was with gear, he must've been a rookie from some famous guild.'
Well.
In the MMR bracket where the tutorial was a territory battle, there wouldn't be any mediocre players.
And if he was a rookie from a famous guild, he'd likely be using a high-performance connection device.
Meaning the real-world shock from this battle would be minimal.
"Come to think of it, I joined without any connection device at all."
The current Galaxy Arena was essentially a kind of virtual reality game.
Naturally, functions like sensory synchronization adjustment were essential, but Si-mun was more interested in another feature.
The broadcasting function.
'Si-hyeok and Mal-suk mentioned it. They said the Achievement Points earned from broadcasting were surprisingly lucrative.'
Both of them were the types who shunned attention.
Yet, until the media outlets disappeared—
They had persistently continued broadcasting purely for the sake of Achievement Points.
'So that's why other high-rankers kept broadcasting for so long too.'
A question he once had—why were high-rankers so desperate for attention?—naturally resolved itself.
Si-mun stretched vigorously and stood up.
"Alright! My Transmutation Power's fully recovered. Time to get moving."
Whether it was due to the Philosopher's Stone's influence—
Or simply the innate ability of the unique Transmutation Power stat, he didn't know.
The speed at which his Transmutation Power recovered was bizarrely fast.
'Not having to meditate separately to recover Transmutation Power is incredibly convenient.'
The same went for performing transmutations instantly with a Finger Snap without any preparation.
In his current state, most of the weaknesses inherent to the Magic Class had virtually disappeared.
'First, let's check how things are progressing.'
Si-mun opened the Arena Board.
1st Place - Kang Ho-yeong [2 Kills]. [Occupation Points 4%]
2nd Place - Lee Se-yun [1 Kill]. [Occupation Points 4%]
3rd Place - Kim Si-mun [1 Kill].
4th Place - Park Ho-cheol [1 Kill].
5th Place - Kim Jae-won [0 Kills].
.......
"Huh?"
Si-mun's eyes widened comically as he stared at the Arena Board.
"What the hell? Why are the kill counts so low?"
A considerable amount of time had passed since the tutorial began.
Sure, he'd gotten his 1 kill by encountering Kim Min-hyeong—a player equipped with good gear, traits, and skills—but...
Above him in 3rd place, there was only a single kill difference.
And below 4th place, zero kills were rampant.
This didn't make sense.
"Ah. I see."
Soon, Si-mun nodded in understanding.
"Since it's the early phase, everyone's just playing it safe, huh?"
It wasn't hard to comprehend.
Despite being a tutorial, the MMR had matched them for a Gold-tier occupation battle.
Given that, the players likely had high-level traits, stats, and equipment for Level 1.
'The more you have, the scarier it is to lose.'
Most of them had probably been scouted by prominent factions already.
So their mindset would be to survive at all costs, even if it meant only halfway succeeding.
Si-mun's gaze lingered on the entry for 2nd place, Lee Se-yun.
More precisely, on the Occupation Points beside the kill count.
'Someone's already entered the occupation zone. With 4% Occupation Points, they must've just gotten in.'
Occupation Points increased the longer someone stayed in the occupation zone.
The fact that 1st and 2nd place had the same Occupation Points meant...
A fierce battle was undoubtedly raging in the occupation zone.
'Given the nature of the event, Occupation Points take priority over kills if you want to rank first, but...'
Contrary to that thought.
Si-mun's eyes weren't fixed on the blue outline marking the occupation zone—but on the jungle opposite it.
'First, let's rack up more kills.'
No matter how many Occupation Points you accumulated, dying would still leave you worse off than the zero-kill campers.
That was why the occupation zone was a constant battlefield, especially with hyenas—
Players looking to capitalize on others' fights—lurking around.
So thinning the numbers before entering the occupation zone was the safer move.
Of course, that was just a secondary reason.
'First, I need to get more accustomed to this transmutation method.'
The primary reason was his new transmutation technique.
Sure, he'd overwhelmingly defeated Kim Min-hyeong, a skilled player, earlier, but...
'I wasted too much Transmutation Power inefficiently.'
In his past life, when the regular Arena had begun.
Even as a Level 1 survivor, this victory wasn't entirely satisfying for Si-mun.
'As Mal-suk said, proficiency only comes from real combat.'
Taking to heart the wisdom of the high-ranker Mal-suk, who claimed that real combat was the only way to improve proficiency.
"First, let's sweep up all the campers."
Si-mun began moving toward the outskirts of the occupation zone.
"Huff! Huff!"
Ragged breaths echoed incessantly.
Clank.
Despite wearing well-forged plate armor.
The man sprinting as fast as a wild animal had a face drained of color.
"H-he's insane! Absolutely insane...!"
Muttering rapidly with a voice trembling as fast as his speed, the man—
Snap.
"Ghk!"
The moment the sound of fingers snapping reached him, he threw himself sideways with all his might.
His prior experience had taught him just how terrifying the consequences of that sound could be.
But.
"T-this way?!"
As if his movements had been predicted perfectly.
Crunch.
A sharp earthen spike erupted from where he'd thrown himself, piercing his throat clean through.
Instant death.
Before the man's limp body could even let out a scream.
A hooded figure in casual wear stepped forward from behind.
"Even in plate armor, he was ridiculously fast. Must've had a speed-related trait too."
Si-mun wiped the sweat from his brow as he stared at the slumped figure in plate armor.
"If he'd charged at me first, I might've missed him."
After securing his first kill by eliminating Kim Min-hyeong,
Si-mun had been systematically hunting down players who were camping instead of participating in the occupation battle.
The plate-armored man had been a hyena—one who'd heard the sounds of Si-mun's battles with other campers and come to scavenge the spoils.
Of course.
Upon witnessing Si-mun's one-sided slaughter, he'd immediately chosen to flee.
[Transmutation Power has increased by 1 through repeated transmutations.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's level has increased.]
"Huh?"
A message window abruptly appeared before his eyes.
Si-mun's eyes sparkled as he checked his Status Window.
"It really went up?"
His Transmutation Power, previously at 10, was now 11.
The Philosopher's Stone, which had been at 'Level: 1,' had changed to 'Level: 2.'
'Stats increasing is common at low levels, but for the Philosopher's Stone to level up...'
With a satisfied expression, Si-mun patted the center of his chest and raised his head.
"Good. At this rate, I shouldn't have to worry about getting stabbed in the back, right?"
There was a reason Si-mun had been hunting down campers.
In an occupation battle, the occupation zone was the most fiercely contested area.
Even while preoccupied with enemies ahead, how dangerous would it be to get ambushed from behind?
After catching his breath for a moment, Si-mun gazed at the blue outline visible not far away.
"Perfect, the occupation zone is close. Might as well head in now."
So far, he'd racked up 10 kills.
Including the player he'd just eliminated, that made 11 kills total—enough that he likely wouldn't have to worry about backstabbing at this point.
Brushing himself off, Si-mun stood and walked toward the occupation zone.
But he couldn't walk for long.
Why?
'What the hell is this?'
Because corpses littered the surroundings.
'This isn't even inside the occupation zone—why are there so many dead bodies?'
As if someone had drawn a line, the corpses lay in a neat, uniform row.
Instinctively, Si-mun hid behind a tree.
'What the hell happened here?'
He immediately pulled up the Arena Board.
1st - Kang Ho-yeong: 7 kills. [Occupation Points: 60%]
2nd - Lee Se-yun: 5 kills. [Occupation Points: 60%]
3rd - Park Ho-cheol: 5 kills. [Occupation Points: 59%]
4th - Kim Jae-won: 3 kills. [Occupation Points: 59%]
5th - Kim Si-mun: 11 kills.
......
'This is...'
His eyes widened at the unfolding scoreboard.
It wasn't just that he was only in 5th place despite having 11 kills.
Even with his overwhelming kill count, the tutorial's objective was ultimately the occupation battle.
Without occupation points, there was a limit to how high he could rank.
The problem was—
'From 1st to 4th place, the top ranks' occupation points are almost identical?'
Normally, occupation zones were the most fiercely contested areas, filled with strong players confident in their skills and hyenas looking to exploit openings.
Unless you were a powerhouse destined to become a Ranker,
it wasn't a place you could set foot in from the start of the tutorial until now.
Yet here they were, surviving long enough to reach nearly 60% occupation points?
And not just one or two, but four of them?
It defied common sense.
On top of that—
'From 1st to 4th place—all of them have been in the top ranks since the beginning of the tutorial.'
Which could only mean one thing.
"Teaming...?"
A tacit agreement to form teams and cooperate, even in an individual competition.
It was a blatant violation of the rules, but—
Perhaps because this wasn't a formal Arena match?
At this stage, the Galaxy Arena didn't impose strict penalties for teaming.
'Ha! No matter how badly you want to rank, teaming in the tutorial?'
No—
Actually, it made sense precisely because it was the tutorial.
With the first step being so crucial, everyone would want to secure their position as a guild's rising star.
Si-mun cautiously peeked out to assess the situation inside the occupation zone.
As expected—
'They've completely secured their positions inside the zone.'
One shield-bearing tank, one archer,
and two sword-wielding warriors.
The only thing missing was a rare Magic Class user, but otherwise, their four-man party composition was flawless.
'A tank at the front, an archer at the rear, and warriors on both flanks. With that setup, even hyenas would have a hard time.'
Even as a hyena, you were still just one person.
There was no way a lone individual could break through the coordinated formation of a four-man team.
But.
"Tch."
Human affairs always had exceptions.
"I was trying to conserve my mission rewards as much as possible since they'd be halved..."
Si-mun's expression turned icy as he stared at the occupation zone.
"But if you're going to pull something like this..."
Then I'll just have to become the bully instead.
As Si-mun flexed his right hand—
Crackle!
A small spark flew.