Ring. Congratulations on Surviving!

A clear ring echoed from the system. After it came the sound of Seo Seyeong’s voice, and one question rose in my mind.

“Siin, are you all right?”

Just when was this woman planning to put me down?

“Hiiik! Ahjussi! What is all this blood? Don’t tell me you got bitten?”

Han Gamin stared at the wounds I’d gotten from rolling across the ground at the end, her eyes full of genuine worry. I wanted to tell her not to make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a fuss, but the sincerity in her gaze made me settle for a light shake of my head. While still being held in someone’s arms, of course.

I could feel countless eyes watching me now that I had stepped into the Tower’s domain. Even the other survivors who had reached Gwanghwamun were staring, and for a moment I thought a person really could die of embarrassment.

“Let’s get some potions in him first!”

At Park Jocheol’s shout, people frantically opened their shops. Seo Seyeong, who had been gazing at my face, carefully lowered me to the ground. Soon the cool rim of a potion bottle touched my lips. A refreshing liquid slid down my throat, and I swallowed without resistance.

The potions kept coming, replaced the instant one ran dry. It seemed the group had pooled everything they had; the flow continued for a long while. By the time my body had recovered and my stomach felt bloated with liquid, a new message appeared.

A welcome message, but unlike after Tutorial #1, far more notifications followed.

Soft gasps of admiration rose from the crowd.

“My stats went up five whole levels,” Seo Seyeong said beside me, voice bright with surprise. Saving me at the end must have counted for a lot. Park Jocheol, who had led the group, received the base three levels plus one more. Even those who hadn’t done much still gained three levels, which showed just how difficult this trial had been.

“They gave out a ton of coins, huh?”

“How many did you get? I received two thousand…!”

“Yeah, me too, two thousand…”

The people who had reached the Tower before us began chattering about their own rewards. Yet among the noise, rewards meant only for me continued to arrive.

An endless stream of sponsorships that the others were not allowed to receive. The constellations chattered about my feats, and the moment the donations ended, the achievement calculation messages rose again.

I stared, slightly dumbfounded. Showing a miracle and transcending limits were one thing, but choosing sacrifice? That hadn’t exactly been my decision. The final message put a cap on the entire display.

As expected. The previous rewards had been the privilege of using the Tutorial #2 shop early and an unknown stat called Magic Power. Potential had been a lucky accident, so those two were the real prizes. Since this ordeal had been particularly brutal, I had been hoping for something decent.

Then the new reward appeared.

Three small black pills rested inside the red pouch. The rank was high, but the functionality was the problem.

“What the hell is this…”

I couldn’t figure out how to use it. Resetting memory or physical state by twenty-four hours. The state-reset could save your life in a fatal crisis—one coin for a life, essentially. A good effect. But the memory loss…

If I ate one while on the verge of death and only lost my memories, wouldn’t that be a loss? It was the gamble of a lifetime. Should I swallow all three at once? If my memories rewound seventy-two hours, I’d just become an idiot who couldn’t grasp the situation. And what on earth was that final ??? anyway?

The reward felt completely different from anything I had received before. My disappointment lasted only a moment before a notification only I could see appeared.

Thirty-five out of thirty. I looked around. The crowd did seem larger than expected. I scanned their faces slowly.

“Ah…?”

The five survivors I had met when I first entered Gwanghwamun Station were waving at me with awkward little smiles.

A unique skill? The feeling was slightly different from when I had gained skills through potential. As if to confirm my suspicion, a dazzling new window I had never seen before unfolded, followed by a long explanation.

It was a reward similar in nature to the potential I had received. The difference was that potential created skills according to my actions and will, whereas this unique skill seemed to require filling a specific experience gauge before it would awaken.

I didn’t know how to fill the experience, but… my senses told me this unique skill would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠become a great help on the road ahead.

While everyone was busy checking their own rewards, a familiar blue flame began to form in front of us as if it had been waiting.

“Heave-ho!”

The creature wriggled, revealing two long ears. The rabbit we had grown used to walked out slowly, clapping for us.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

“Hehehehe…”

The rabbit grinned from ear to ear, clearly delighted. By now I could vaguely sense why. It had sucked up a massive amount of sponsorships thanks to me.

“Does anyone here happen to know me?”

The rabbit lowered its voice dramatically and spoke with a nasal tone, striking a pose. The new survivors who had just entered the Tower’s domain shrank back.

They don’t know, I thought. The players who had started their tutorial in other coordinates had no idea that helpers could not directly harm players.

“The reason I have come to the Tower is—!”

Every time the rabbit spoke, it changed poses with exaggerated flair. The whole thing looked ridiculous, but it paid no attention and continued.

“Because the players of the coordinate I am in charge of had the highest survival rate! Kiya! What an honor! Truly!”

So that was it. I glanced at the small groups scattered around. The largest group had maybe ten people. A gathering of over thirty survivors like ours was clearly not common.

So that’s why the constellations gave standing ovations and made such a fuss.

“Anyway! The coordinate… Ah, never mind! Since you all performed so well, I shall speak in terms you can understand!”

The rabbit continued in a boastful tone.

“From now on, I will be solely in charge of the players in the Gyeongbokgung coordinate! Please treat me well! I am now your ally!”

The rabbit glanced at me. Its eyes were full of suspicion, but when I stared back calmly it gave me a quick wink.

How ridiculous.

Our ally? No matter how it tried to dress it up, I could not trust the creature. It was a merchant that acted purely for its own profit. A calculating being that seated the guests called constellations and sold the product called players—nothing more, nothing less.

“Then shall we move on to the explanation?”

The rabbit looked over the crowd and snapped its fingers with a crisp sound. No matter how many times I saw it, I still wondered how a rabbit’s finger could make that noise.

Tssst.

At the same time as the system alert, a giant blue flame bloomed in the air. It was large enough to swallow Gwanghwamun whole. The rabbit smiled at the flames for a moment, then turned to us.

“The tutorial is now over. You have completed the minimum preparations to enter the Tower and have earned the right to climb it in order to become something greater.”

“……”

“You will face many trials. Through the stories the constellations have prepared, you will grow stronger and wiser step by step. However…!”

The rabbit turned to me again and flashed a wide grin.

“Do you perhaps remember what the helpers said when we first appeared before you?”

I didn’t recall the exact lines, but one sentence flashed through my mind.

The results would match the achievements we had made.

“I don’t know how many coins you have gathered so far, but from now on they will play a very, very important role!”

The other survivors began talking about how many coins they held. The highest I heard was around four thousand. After listening to them, I naturally opened my status window and checked my total.

More than three times what the others had—an overwhelming amount.

“Once you enter the Tower, you will be able to use the shop and also strengthen your own stats with coins! It means you are no longer ordinary humans but have taken your place as incarnations! Of course, the higher your stats, the more coins you will need to level up! Ohohoho!”

The rabbit spread both arms wide, smiling brightly as if the important part was coming.

A strange feeling came over me as I realized all the suffering I had endured until now was finally being rewarded. We were climbing the Tower. I still did not know the exact purpose of those beings called constellations, but my own goal was simply to avoid dying. That made the whole situation feel even stranger.

“That is all for the explanation. Then, players, I wish you luck.”

The rabbit took one step closer and bowed deeply, just as it had when it first appeared. Then, as usual, it vanished leisurely.

“……”

The people hesitated to step ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into the portal. They had finally caught their breath, and the thought of stepping into another unknown territory filled them with reluctance. The anxiety of being devoured by the blue flame, the fear of meeting yet another monster. But they all knew by now. There was no other choice.

Step.

I did not hesitate any longer. Refusing would only leave us with the absurd penalty of death. If it could not be avoided, then like in the tutorial, the right choice was to pile up as many achievements as possible and become strong enough that no one would dare challenge me.

Step. Step.

As if drawing courage from my footsteps, the people who had come here with me—Seo Seyeong at the front—began to walk forward as well.

Tssst.

We stood before the flames.

“I sincerely wish you all the best of luck! See you in the Tower—!”

The rabbit waved a white handkerchief at us. I took a deep breath and stepped into the blue flame.