An Unpleasant Flood of System Notifications
The tutorial (5) EP.5
A seemingly endless stream of system notifications stretched across my vision, each one more irritating than the last. My head was just starting to throb from the sudden barrage of screens when a familiar static crackled from the ceiling speaker in the break room.
- Click. Crrrrrrk.
It was the same noise I'd heard in the auditorium when everything first began. Only this time it wasn't a voice piercing directly into my mind. It sounded like an actual broadcast coming through modern audio equipment.
“A sudden announcement like this…”
Park Jocheol's body stiffened as memories of the auditorium replayed in his head. A faint groan escaped him.
Then, after the static died down, an unforgettable beastly voice flowed from the speaker.
“Ah, ah… Wow, this is really convenient. To be able to transmit sound so cleanly across an entire coordinate without even using magic! The rabbit monster who had introduced itself as a Helper.
“Hello everyone! I am your kind and friendly Helper ■■■! Oh, don't worry! I've made sure this sound doesn't reach the tutorial dummies!”
The rabbit must have been in a particularly good mood, because it spent a while giggling to itself and muttering.
'It sounds like some kind of internet streamer.'
I couldn't see the rabbit right now, but I remembered how it had rambled into thin air when it first appeared. It was exactly like someone doing an internet broadcast, explaining content to viewers and providing entertainment.
“Ahem, I got a bit carried away with the small talk! Yes, yes. We must proceed! Now, where should I start explaining…”
A brief silence followed. Then a voice so cheerfully bright it sent chills down my spine burst through the speaker.
“Dear players! We've decided to speed up the achievement settlement a little to help balance things out! It's all thanks to the other participants dying so quickly, so if you happen to meet them later, please be sure to thank—ah, they're dead, so I guess you can't. The rabbit casually spat out something horrifying without a hint of hesitation.
But the explanation that followed surprisingly contained information that would be useful to us.
“Anyway! Could everyone please bring up your status window?”
Status window? What the…
Ding.
“!!!”
The moment I thought of the status window, a new screen appeared before my eyes.
“Doesn't it look familiar? That's right! We based it on the information already inside the players' heads for this coordinate and made it as familiar as possible!”
Made it?
I stared blankly at the status window. The stats listed beneath my name looked exactly like something from a game character sheet. My eyes were drawn to the skill section at the very bottom.
'This is…'
I clicked on the skill labeled Quick Understanding (D+) and read its description. So this was why I could remain calm and respond rationally in such an unreal situation?
“And for those of you who already have some coins, why don't you try opening the shop once?”
Ding.
The status window disappeared, replaced by a shop interface that looked remarkably like an internet shopping mall.
“Here you can purchase various items necessary for survival, including food and daily necessities! Of course, nothing is free!”
The first thing that caught my eye was a small glass bottle filled with a sloshing red liquid.
◈ Effect: Restores a 'small' amount of stamina.
◈ Price: 100 C
“One hundred coins per bottle…”
With the coins I currently had, I could buy about ten of them. 'Just how much is 1,000 coins actually worth?'
I couldn't determine the exact value of the coins. But if the potion's effect was similar to the survivor recovery that happened every hour… it might be worth keeping at least one on hand for emergencies.
'What else…'
There weren't any other particularly special items. Just jerky and bottles of water that you could find anywhere. As the rabbit had said, aside from the red potion, there didn't seem to be anything beyond basic daily necessities.
“Coins can be earned by achieving accomplishments based on scenario participation rates, or through sponsorship from the ones above! So whether it's the former or the latter, just participate diligently…”
Once the rabbit had delivered all the information it wanted to convey, it immediately cut the broadcast.
“And that's all for the explanation! Good luck with the remaining time!”
Crrrrk.
Now that I knew how to obtain and use coins, I carefully turned to look at Park Jocheol and Seo Seyeong as the static faded. There was one question I'd been curious about ever since hearing about the shop.
“By any chance, how many do you two have?”
“You mean coins?”
At my question, the two of them checked their status windows before answering.
“I have 300 coins. An achievement called Savior or something appeared and gave me an extra 200.”
“What about you, Seyeong?”
“I have 100… It seems like the default amount given.”
A base of 100 coins… It made me think the potion's value might be far greater than I'd initially assumed. In a situation where simply surviving was the clear condition, just recovering stamina might be enough to escape a deadly crisis.
But.
I imagined the worst-case scenario in my head. What if a monster discovered this break room and we had to hold out here for the remaining time? In that case, would recovering stamina inside this enclosed space really make much difference?
“Should we start by reinforcing the barricade?”
I casually suggested it to the two of them. The immediate priority was strengthening the fragile entrance so monsters couldn't break through. And as for what I needed to do…
'Didn't it say I was ranked first in the interim tally?'
I recalled the notification that had appeared before the rabbit's broadcast. It was time to check the Tutorial #2 shop, which was only available to me now that I was no longer in Tutorial #1.
Tick. Tock.
[12:00:59]
[12:00:00]
Ding.
12 hours of survival have passed.
The remaining survivors recover a 'small' amount of health.
Remaining survivors: 98/401
It had already been about twelve hours since the incident began. Most of the people who had been running must have died, because after the sun went down, the number of survivors seemed to be decreasing much more slowly.
'Was I expecting too much from that special privilege?'
The bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment. As I fiddled with the crude club I'd made by breaking apart a desk leg, I recalled the only item available in the Tutorial #2 shop I'd checked earlier.
◈ Effect: Contains an item necessary for you who face the trial.
◈ Price: 1,000 C
The Tutorial #2 shop sold nothing but this vaguely described box. Staring at the box that supposedly gave you what you needed when used, I felt a strong urge to open it. But in a situation where the future was impossible to predict, spending 1,000 coins on something whose contents were unknown felt too risky.
You never knew. There might come a time when I'd need to chug ten low-grade health potions in a row.
Tick. Tock.
It was quiet. After the sun set, the building grew even more silent both inside and out. The only sounds were the indifferent ticking of the clock and the occasional screams echoing through the building.
“……Um.”
But the silence that had seemed eternal was shattered in an instant by Park Jocheol's whisper. He had been standing guard by the door.
“There's something outside.”
At his words, I moved to the door and asked, “Is it a monster?”
“The silhouette looks a bit small…”
I wondered if a monster might be crouching and approaching slowly, but I doubted the monsters had that level of intelligence.
“Just a moment…”
At my words, Park Jocheol stepped aside slightly. A single shadow was approaching us very slowly from the end of the hallway.
Was there such a small entity among the monsters?
Step.
'A survivor?'
It was the sound of human footsteps. They were so cautious that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been concentrating.
Step. Step.
Soon the silhouette reached exactly in front of the break room door where we were hiding. Then the doorknob in front of me began to turn carefully.
Click.
“E-excuse me… is anyone inside?”
A man's voice, trembling with anxiety, came from beyond the door. Fortunately, since we'd blocked the entrance, the door didn't suddenly swing open.
I turned to look at the other two in the break room. Deciding whether to let someone in here wasn't something I could decide alone. Hadn't everyone here experienced enough this morning, while endlessly fleeing, just how cowardly and ugly people could become?
Park Jocheol and Seo Seyeong, understanding the meaning of my gaze, looked at each other with stiff expressions. To ease their dilemma even a little, I asked the unfamiliar visitor a question.
“How many of you are there?”
“…J-just one.”
“Your name?”
“Cheonho. Namgung Cheonho. I'm an employee in the Game Development Team at Sky Games. My position is Assistant Manager. And also…”
He must have really wanted to come inside, because he began rattling off his personal information without being asked. But then.
Tap. Tap.
“Um…”
Seo Seyeong, who had been quietly listening to the uninvited guest's self-introduction, tapped my shoulder.
“I think I know him. He's not a dangerous person.”
At her words, I looked at Park Jocheol. Since she'd said that, it meant Seo Seyeong had agreed to let him in. If it were someone she didn't know, it might be different, but if they were acquainted, he probably wasn't that dangerous. And if monsters stormed this place, we'd be short one pair of hands to hold the entrance. Turning away a healthy adult male in that situation seemed like a waste.
I nodded.
“I think it's fine.”
With that unanimous decision made, I carefully moved aside the chairs and desk we'd used as a makeshift barricade and slowly opened the door without making a sound.
Creeeeak.
“Come in.”
“Th-thank you. Really.”
Though the gap was only slightly open, the person on the other side of the door kept expressing gratitude as he entered the break room. A man with curly hair that was starting to thin in places. Just as Seo Seyeong had said, he recognized her at a glance.
“S-Seo Seyeong?”
The man who introduced himself as Namgung Cheonho must have cried several times on his way here. He rubbed his eyes and adjusted his glasses.
An awkward meeting. We exchanged brief greetings and slowly began sharing what we'd each seen that day.
“So that's the situation.”
I tried my best to commit every detail of Namgung Cheonho's explanation to memory for information gathering. It had been about twelve hours since we'd hidden in the break room. Only now did I learn that this was the fifteenth floor. The reason Namgung Cheonho had come to the break room was simply that he'd been walking the quietest floor and naturally ended up at the end of the fifteenth-floor hallway. Could this also be called fate? Well, to be honest it was just a lucky coincidence, but it had a certain romantic feel to it, didn't it?
“Um… Assistant Manager, are you okay?”
Shiver.
At Seo Seyeong's question, Namgung Cheonho forced a smile as if to say he was fine. He seemed to be showing similar symptoms to when Seo Seyeong had first arrived at the break room. A trembling voice, a dazed expression as if frozen in fear. Even after quite a long conversation, it didn't seem easy for him to calm down.
“Hmm…”
To soothe him even a little, I headed for the refrigerator.
“Would you like something to drink?”
If talking wouldn't help, it was better to fill his stomach first. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. After exercise, grape juice is the best…
Crrrrk.
But.
“Ahem.”
Before he could even take the drink I offered, Namgung Cheonho had to shrink back again.
“Is everyone doing well?”
The broadcast static returned. But this time, there was an excited tone in the rabbit's voice that hadn't been there before.
“I've brought you all some good news!”
Good news. I'd clearly heard something positive, so why did a chill run down my spine?
“First, I'll share the message I received with all the players!”
Ding!
The Constellation Who Only Knows War and Battle is bored and wants to relieve its boredom.
A familiar sound effect rang out as a small message appeared before our eyes.
Boredom… So the brief peace we'd found was boredom to that thing.
The Constellation Who Only Knows War and Battle has sponsored a large amount of coins to this coordinate.
“Rejoice! This is the first sponsorship our coordinate has received! That means the rewards you'll receive from now on will be even greater!”
Up to this point, there was nothing to complain about. But the rabbit's next words were a shocking statement more than enough to turn anxiety into reality.
“However, the difficulty will increase a bit!”
The rabbit's laughter echoed through the speaker. And then.
The Tutorial Dummy's sense of smell has been created.
The Tutorial Dummy's hearing has been enhanced.
“Well then, shall we begin again?”
Our plan to stay put and endure the remaining time had gone up in smoke. The rabbit's unpleasant laughter continued from the speaker, and from outside the break room came a rough noise that hadn't been there before.
“S-something's coming!”
Park Jocheol, looking through the window in the door, shouted in panic.
At the end of the darkly shrouded hallway.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A single massive shadow was charging madly toward us.