The Shut-In's First Blood

Tap. Tap-tap.

In the pitch-black room, only the sound of fingers striking the keyboard echoed softly.

After finishing the task I'd been working on for a while, I stretched my arms overhead.

A project that had consumed six whole months.

I sent the completed files to the client and waited.

Ding!

- Looks good. Let's go with this. Thanks for all your hard work.

"Ugh, finally over."

For the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠past six months I'd lived buried in work, handling meals, sleep, and everything else right here in this room.

Freelance web designer. I'd originally planned to get a proper job, but somehow ended up as a freelancer instead.

Thanks to that, I'd become the ultimate shut-in who only left the house once a month—if that.

With the project finished, I was now a genuine unemployed bum.

"I really should find a job… but going outside is dangerous, you know."

A world filled with monsters and Awakeners.

Of course, the world had already changed by the time I was born, so things were much more stable now. Still, there were far more unknowns than knowns.

Who knows what might happen if I went out? Staying indoors was the best.

If I stayed home, the Awakeners would handle everything anyway.

With the money from this project, I could live comfortably for a while and just look for job openings online.

When I stood up to stretch, every joint in my body cracked in protest.

"Maybe I should exercise? Hmm… but where would I even put workout equipment in here…?"

The problem would be solved if I just went to a gym, but my iron will demanded I solve everything without leaving the house.

Unfortunately, the tiny apartment crushed that dream instantly.

If there was no space for equipment…

"Then I just won't do it."

Simple. No need to go to the gym if I don't want to.

I don't want to go out.

I picked up my phone and opened the delivery app.

Since I'd finally finished that six-month grind and my bank account was looking healthy, maybe I should order some meat?

Just as I placed the order and leaned back in my chair, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

"What the…?"

A strange cold sensation washed over me, and then—

Thud!

The chair vanished.

"What?! Where am I?"

I looked around. Endless fog stretched in every direction. Nearby stood a single dilapidated building, and beyond it, a faint blue light shimmered.

I recognized this phenomenon.

I'd never experienced it myself, but it was one of the most famous events in the world.

"T-Tutorial? What the hell—why me?!"

The so-called Tutorial.

The System's first trial. Pass it and you gain entry to the Labyrinth along with your own unique ability.

But I had been inside my house.

Weren't Tutorials supposed to happen outdoors or while walking down the street?

This is exactly why I never leave the house!! So why?!

While I stood frozen in shock, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠System window appeared before my eyes.

"I don't need this!!"

I was doing just fine without awakening or anything! Why me all of a sudden?

Countless people in this world cried out because they couldn't awaken.

Some even held rituals begging for an awakening.

But I had never wanted that.

I just wanted to stay in my room, comfortably writing code…

"Fine, fine! I get it!"

Seeing the timer flashing like a warning, I forced myself to stand.

When that timer hit zero, it was game over.

In this world, game over meant death.

I had to move.

Fortunately, the Tutorial was exactly what its name implied—its difficulty was far lower than the real Labyrinth.

I headed straight for the building in front of me.

It was little more than a ruin, but I needed to find something that could serve as a weapon.

This was the first Tutorial—teaching you how to explore the Labyrinth.

Creaaak. The door groaned loudly as I opened it, and right in front of me sat a drawer that practically screamed "Open me!"

Creak.

Inside the drawer lay a folded three-section staff.

Just like the stories I'd read online, a weapon had appeared.

Everything that dropped here was Normal-grade anyway.

No need to search further.

The moment I picked up the staff, another System window popped up.

Finding the exit wasn't difficult.

"Over there?"

The blue light I'd seen the moment I entered the Tutorial world.

That was where the blue gate leading back to reality would be.

It looked easy at first glance, but this was where the real challenge began.

I peered out the window.

The once-wide space had transformed into a straight corridor walled in on both sides, leading directly to the exit.

And right in the middle of the path between the house and the gate—

"Kerk! Kerrrk!"

Two goblins stood waiting.

The moment I saw them, my legs went weak.

Anyone else would think I was a coward for being scared of Level 1 goblins, but…

How the hell was I supposed to get past them?!

With my strength and stamina at rock bottom from living as a shut-in, I was supposed to fight two bloodthirsty monsters?

That was basically asking me to die.

I'd read about the Tutorial on the community boards, but the answers were useless.

Most of the posts were written by people who'd never actually done the Tutorial.

The ones who had experienced it said something different.

The hardest part after awakening was facing a goblin for the first time.

During an interview, a top-ranked American player once said:

"I almost pissed myself from the killing intent I'd never felt before in my life."

"Agh, seriously!"

I checked the timer.

While I'd been trembling and hesitating, ten minutes had already passed.

In twenty minutes, I'd die in the Tutorial without even trying anything.

I stayed inside because the outside was dangerous, and now the house itself was giving me this ordeal?

I unfolded the three-section staff and took a deep breath while staring out the window.

Goblins were only half the height of an adult male. Their strides were short, so my plan was to lure them, run a full circle around the house, and lose them.

Fighting both of them head-on was never an option.

I knew myself best.

"Hoo… Get it together, Park Hyun-gi! Even in a tiger's den, if you keep your wits—"

"Kyaaaaak!"

"Aaaagh!"

The two goblins that had locked eyes with me from inside the house charged straight at me.

I scrambled outside in a panic.

Seeing them turn left to chase me, I sprinted in the opposite direction.

"Kyaaaaak! Kieeeek!"

The monsters' killing intent screamed that they would kill me.

For someone who'd lived his entire life indoors, it was overwhelming.

But I ran.

I circled the house once, shook them off, and didn't look back.

My heart pounded like it would burst. My breathing grew ragged.

"Please… just a little more!"

The oval blue gate came into view.

That was the only way back to reality from the Labyrinth—the escape gate.

If I could just reach it, I'd return to my room!

Just a little more!

But after six months of no exercise, my first all-out sprint made my weak ankles scream "Yeah, I'm done."

Twist.

Thud!

I crashed hard and instinctively swung the staff behind me.

Thwack!

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heavy impact traveled up my arm as one goblin tumbled sideways. The problem was there were still two of them.

"Kyaaaaak! Kieeeek!"

"Aaaagh! Get off! Get the hell off me, you bastard!!"

They were the size and strength of middle-schoolers, but their killing intent was real.

The goblin clawed and bit at me, clinging on desperately.

Crunch!

"Graaagh!"

After struggling for a while, the goblin sank its teeth into my shoulder.

Swinging the staff was useless against something already in my arms.

Acting on pure survival instinct, I bit down on the goblin's shoulder with everything I had.

Human dignity? I could worry about that after surviving.

I clamped my jaw shut with the force of someone trying to tear flesh off.

Something hot flooded my mouth. Goblin blood?

Feeling the goblin's strength weaken from the pain, I shoved it away and sprinted straight for the gate.

I could feel the other goblin grabbing at my clothes, but—

Vwoom—

The moment my fingertips touched the gate, the world warped and my room appeared.

Thud!

"Haa… haa… haa…"

The relief of survival lasted only a moment. As the pain from the bite spread, a System window appeared.

"I'm not going! I'm never going back! I can live just fine without it!!"

I'd barely survived, and now it wanted me to go back in?

No matter how much money the Labyrinth made, nothing was more precious than my life.

I was never setting foot in there again.

But the System, oblivious to my feelings, began tallying my results.

"…Well, that tracks."

Even I had to admit calling my disposition "Shut-in" was a bit much, but the next trait was even more ridiculous.

Probably because I'd bitten the goblin to survive.

Not that it mattered. Shut-in or bloodsucking, I had zero intention of entering the Labyrinth again.

Still, I was a little curious.

What kind of ability would I get?

Shut-in and bloodsucking? That was a weird combination.

"…Huh?"

While I was still reeling from the unfamiliar rank, light burst from my body.

Flash!

My wounds healed and vitality surged through me.

Vampire? As in the vampires I knew?

Still confused, more System windows appeared one after another.

Flash!

Light burst forth again, and something appeared before me.

The silhouette was about waist height—humanoid.

But what actually appeared was—

"Kerk?"

"W-What?!"

It was the goblin I'd just fought to the death with.

It wasn't a different goblin. The clear bite mark on its shoulder proved it.

"…Familiar? This guy? Also, how did a goblin get outside the Labyrinth?"

I looked back at the information the System had provided.

So I'd cleared the Tutorial and awakened as a Vampire.

An EX-rank I'd never seen or heard of before.

And the first thing that appeared was this goblin.

A familiar—meaning it became my subordinate after I bit it as a vampire?

The goblin quietly tilted its head and stared at me.

Having a monster outside the Labyrinth was shocking enough, but according to the messages, this thing was now my subordinate.

"…Hey."

"Kerk?"

"You're not going to attack me, right…?"

"Kerrrgh!!"

The moment it heard me, the goblin dropped flat to the floor as if to say "How could I possibly?!"

Its actions made its thoughts obvious.

'H-How could I dare?!'

It kept glancing up at me nervously.

Even without looking at the System window, I could feel it instinctively.

This goblin could never harm me now, even if it died trying.

"…The rank and trait aren't bad, but I really have no intention of going into the Labyrinth."

The ability to create familiars, an unprecedented EX-rank, and the fact that I could use that power even outside the Labyrinth.

Normally, Awakeners were no different from regular humans outside the Labyrinth.

Anyone could see this was a huge deal, but… I wasn't the kind of person who would risk my life exploring the Labyrinth.

Of course, if I hit the jackpot I'd be set for life.

Just then, the goblin looked up at me.

"Kerk?"

"What are you looking at… Anyway, go back to the Labyrinth."

If you stay here, I'll have to feed you. I can barely feed myself as it is.

The goblin, hearing my words, jumped up and nodded vigorously.

"Kerrrk!"

Flash!

With a bright light, the goblin vanished from sight.

Had it returned?

While I stood there confused—

"…?"

A screen appeared before my eyes.

The ruined cityscape of the Labyrinth's first floor, along with the goblin looking around curiously.

-Kerruuk!

The goblin picked something up from the roadside and raised its hand to the sky in delight.

"???"

The goblin had started farming in the Labyrinth all by itself.

End