Chapter 8: Starting Life in Another World
Chapter 8: Starting Life in Another World
The next morning, Guwon woke up early.
He checked the time in the corner of his vision. 6:00 AM.
No matter how tired he was, waking up sharp at 6 AM was one of Guwon’s many strengths.
While waiting for breakfast in the dining hall, he decided to test the skills he’d learned before bed on the young waitress.
A number ‘8’ appeared above her head, and parts of her body—the tips of both breasts, the backs of her ears, and her toes—began to glow pink. The brightness varied for each part, which probably meant the brighter the glow, the more sensitive the area.
Breasts and the backs of her ears were normal enough, but toes…
With that innocent-looking face, her toes…
…For some reason, I started to get turned on.
Is this skill really something you should be able to learn at such a low level? The applications are endless.
Heheheh. With this, I’ll never have to worry about fap material again.
After that, Guwon continued to raise his skill proficiency by using Analyze on the other guests scattered around the dining hall as he ate his breakfast.
However, he had no choice but to give up on leveling Sex Analyze and seal it away, having realized the skill was far too risky to use indiscriminately.
First, if he spammed it to raise his proficiency and accidentally used it on some grimy dude, an old lady, or a little kid, his brain would be contaminated with information he never wanted to know, and his mental state would be at risk of shattering.
Even if he was careful and only used it on young, pretty women, that presented its own problem.
As much pride as Guwon took in his own equipment, he wasn't enough of a pervert to walk around in public with a hard-on.
For that reason, Guwon had to swallow his tears and seal away Sex Analyze.
Even on his way to the Guild after his meal, he continued to spam Analyze on every person he passed, raising his proficiency.
Of course, raising his proficiency wasn't his only goal. The main objective was to find a party member.
In this world, if a man and a woman became party members, they would naturally become sex partners as well, which could lead to a deeper relationship.
Since he was looking for that kind of party member, Guwon didn't want to compromise.
If possible, he wanted a woman of considerable beauty.
Of course, given this world’s nature where prettier people found it easier to level up, finding a beautiful adventurer whose level was also similar to his wouldn't be easy.
Still, he didn't want his monumental first party member to be some compromise he made to fit the situation. This was a battle of patience.
Even as he saw the skill fail on every beautiful woman who caught his eye, Guwon didn't give up, constantly using Analyze all the way to the Guild.
Should I just head into the dungeon first?
Finding a party member was important, but right now, money was the most urgent issue.
Unless he wanted to sleep on the streets, he had to earn enough for the inn tonight. And while he was at it, he wanted to buy at least one set of normal cloth clothes.
I’ll just satisfy this one question that’s been bugging me since last night, then head straight for the dungeon.
“Oh, welcome. You’re here early. What can I help you with today?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing in particular. I just had a quick question.”
Guwon stood before the kind receptionist and opened his eyes as wide as they could go.
Take this! My ultimate move! Seeeex! Analyze!
“A question? I believe I gave you all the basic explanations yesterday. Did I miss something?”
Skill activation failed.
Dammit! Of course, someone this beautiful couldn't be low-level!
Why the hell are you working as a receptionist and getting my hopes up?!
“No… It’s nothing. I’ll be on my way, then.”
“Oh, you will? Ah, yes. Take care.”
Leaving the puzzled receptionist behind him, Guwon walked away with lonely steps.
He arrived at the area where the Wolfdogs lived.
Guwon still had something he wanted to test, so first, he needed to find a guinea pig.
According to the information he got from the receptionist yesterday, Wolfdogs typically moved in groups of two or three. If a member of their group died, they had a habit of using their distinctive howl to call other groups for backup. The key was to finish them off quickly before they could call for reinforcements. As long as he was careful about that, they were monsters that were very easy for someone with his stats to handle.
Still, it would be a pain if he experimented on a group and they called their friends, so for now, he looked for one that was alone.
After taking care of a few packs of Wolfdogs, he finally encountered one wandering by itself. There was no sign of any other packs nearby; it was the perfect chance to experiment.
The experiment wasn't anything grand. He had just noticed yesterday that, unlike in the game, damage seemed to be applied realistically, and he wanted to quantify it.
It’s better to figure this stuff out while I’m still at a safe, low level, right?
First, he used his overwhelming physical abilities to subdue it without injury, then bound its four limbs with the leftover sleeves and legs of his tracksuit. To stop it from calling its allies, he clamped his hand firmly over its snout.
Alright, let the experiment begin.
First, he deliberately offered his arm and let the Wolfdog bite it.
His experience yesterday had given him confidence that his defense was sufficient, and perhaps because he was prepared to be bitten this time, it didn't feel painful enough to send him into a panic like before.
Of course, it was incomparably more painful than in a virtual reality with sensory limiters, but this was still bearable.
Looking closely, the Wolfdog’s teeth had pierced his skin and blood was seeping out, but that was it. They couldn't sink in any deeper, so they weren't causing any critical damage.
After checking his health gauge, he pulled the Wolfdog off and offered his leg this time.
He felt a sharp pain and checked his health gauge again. There didn't seem to be much difference in damage compared to when his arm was bitten.
Is it because they’re both limbs? Would a vital spot be different?
Guwon forced the Wolfdog’s mouth open and brought it near his neck.
CRUNCH!
“Gah! Fuck!”
Even though he had braced for the pain, the gruesome sensation of teeth digging into his neck made him scream and throw a punch without thinking.
No. No. I can kill it after the experiment is over.
He still had more to test. He couldn't waste a good opportunity that he might not get again.
He glanced at his health gauge. It had still only gone down a little, but compared to when his arm or leg was bitten, his health had definitely dropped more.
The next experiment was to see what would happen if a part of the body, like an extremity, accumulated more damage than his maximum health.
For example, let’s say the tip of his finger took more damage than his max HP.
Would he die?
Logically, you couldn't die just from losing the tip of your finger.
But in a game system, you die when your HP hits 0.
How would this contradiction be resolved?
Based on yesterday’s events, he was confident he wouldn't die.
During that dogfight, the Wolfdog that had taken more than its max HP in damage to its leg had only lost the leg and was still alive.
So, when a part of the body is lost like that, how does it appear on the status window? If you recover your health, does the body part grow back?
A corner of his mind knew that experimenting on his own body was insane, but the gamer’s instinct to understand the system precisely won out.
First, he let the Wolfdog bite the tip of his pinky finger and held a lowest-grade potion in his other hand, just in case.
Alright, what’s going to happen?
How much time passed? His health gauge was slowly being chipped away, but that was all.
Just as his health gauge had dropped quite a bit and he was about to stop, he heard a crack! and a searing pain shot through his finger.
“Aaaargh! Fuck! Fuck!”
He quickly beat the wolf to death and chugged the potion to refill his health, but the pain in his finger didn't disappear.
A phrase he had never seen before was written on his status window, which he glimpsed out of the corner of his eye.
Status: Body Loss
A part of your body has sustained a critical injury. If not treated within 24 hours, your maximum health will be permanently reduced by 50.
Fuck! What do I do? Do I have to find a temple or something? Should I try pouring a potion on it first?
As an immediate first aid measure, he took out all the lowest-grade potions from his inventory and poured them onto his finger. Only then did the pain subside and the status window return to normal.
Phew… That was almost a disaster. Fucking gamer instincts. What experiment? What verification?
If I ever do some crazy shit like this with my own body again, I’m not human.
Come to think of it, I must have lost my mind for a moment.
This isn't a game. This is a reality where I could actually die. What was I thinking?
Do I still think I’m playing a game?
It felt like I’d been possessed by something and then had a bucket of cold water thrown on me.
I have to be really careful from now on. This world is not a game.
Still, I learned everything I wanted to find out by using my own body.
I guess I should be glad I learned this lesson while I was still low-level and it was relatively safe.
Getting hit in a vital spot could kill me, and refilling my health doesn't mean a lost limb will grow back.
This world is, in every sense, reality.
Grrrrr!
As Guwon extracted the Magic Stone from the Wolfdog that had mangled his finger and stood up to leave, he saw that a new Wolfdog had approached at some point.
Another one. I’m lucky.
Ah, maybe it’s this one’s companion?
Whatever. There was one last thing I wanted to find out, so this is perfect.
After going through that much pain, what more could I possibly want to find out? you ask.
This time, I’m not using my own body.
I’m using that Wolfdog as the guinea pig.
What happens if a monster’s Magic Stone is extracted while it’s still alive?
For the monsters near the dungeon entrance whose Magic Stones are inside their stomachs, you can't find out because they die the moment you cut them open to get the stone.
In that respect, the Wolfdog is the perfect test subject. Normally, you don't die from having your balls ripped off, right?
Of course, it would hurt like hell, and the physical and mental damage would be so great you wouldn't want to live, but you wouldn't die.
As one man to another, I’m truly sorry, but this is an unavoidable sacrifice. I’ll at least make it so quick you won’t even feel the pain.
The creature hesitated for a moment, then charged fiercely toward Guwon.
When it leaped into the air about two meters away, Guwon, who had been standing still, finally began to move.
Its back! I need to see its back!
First, he slipped past the airborne creature, got behind it, and grabbed its defenselessly dangling testicles.
Then, praying for its soul, he closed his eyes and ripped with all his might.
The creature, rendered unable to have children by this fluid series of movements without even letting out a scream, shriveled as if decaying and vanished into dust.
All that remained was the Wolfdog’s leather on the ground and the Magic Stone clutched in Guwon’s hand.
“Kukuku. Just as I thought. My prediction was spot on.”
Guwon’s eyes gleamed ominously as he stared at the Magic Stone in his hand.
“In that case, it’s showtime.”
From that point on, Guwon’s progress was unstoppable.
Whenever he met a Wolfdog, he would slip past the charging beast, get behind it, and extract its testicles.
He moved from one victim to the next, neutering them with movements so natural they seemed choreographed.
Any sense of manly sympathy Guwon might have felt was long gone.
His mind was filled with only one thought: to kill as many Wolfdogs as he could, to milk this sweet exploit for all it was worth.
Come to think of it, all of these guys are male. Are there no females at all?
The question briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Well, who cares.
Even the Guild doesn't understand the ecology of monsters—where they come from, what their life cycles are like. The adventurers who go in and out of the dungeon aren't biologists; there’s no way they’d know stuff like that.
Right now, it’s all about the grind.
There are tons of adventurers, so I don't know why this sweet exploit hasn't been discovered yet, but someone could find out at any time. An adventurer passing by could see me and copy it.
So, before the information spreads, I have to hunt as many Wolfdogs as possible.
That day, Guwon earned over 10 Silver from Wolfdog Magic Stones alone.
For some reason, when you’re grinding, you always end up thinking, just one more, just one more, and keep going.
According to his original plan, he was going to hunt just enough to pay for the inn and buy some clothes, then wander around the Guild using Analyze to find a party member.
But he got unexpectedly hooked on the grind and hunted far too late, so he decided to put off the party search until tomorrow.
I guess I can consider it a good result, since I have money left over even after buying clothes.
He bought a set of simple, ordinary cloth clothes.
Looking at the clothes alone, you could mistake him for Villager A instead of an adventurer, but he planned on hunting only Wolfdogs for a while anyway and wouldn't be taking any damage, so he didn't need armor yet.
Ending his day like that, Guwon returned to the inn. Lying in bed, he habitually opened his game windows one by one to check them before sleeping.
Even after killing all those Wolfdogs, his level hadn't gone up at all. It seemed it was best not to expect to level up through combat.
At this rate, could a high-level virgin character, like the ones mentioned on the official blog, even exist in this world?
It’s not that I’m obsessed with virgins, but it would be nice to have at least one person with that attribute.
He fell asleep with such useless worries on his mind.