Chapter 11. Tutorial (2)
〚You have entered Tutorial Zone 7!〛
〚This is your first entry! A Tutorial Quest has been assigned!〛
〚Tutorial Quest: The Ember of the Unextinguished Sun
Type: Special-Tutorial
Rank: Special-Tutorial
Description: For an unknown reason, a part of the sun that never extinguishes has fallen to the earth, becoming an ember. Collect the embers!
Objective: Collect 7 or more embers (0/7)
Success: Move to the Abyss, rewards based on achievement level.
Failure: X〛
I quickly glanced at the simple description before closing the message. I already knew from studying the 15 tutorial strategies that the embers drop from monsters at a very low probability.
“Damn it! It’s so freaking hot. Why did we have to start in Zone 7, the place no one picks, and make everything so difficult? I didn’t even put on sunscreen! My skin!”
As I listened to Lee Ji-hyung grumbling, even though he followed along of his own accord, I briefly considered cutting him down right then and there. But after taking a deep breath, I managed to suppress my killing intent and looked off into the distance.
“Is there something here…? Well, aiming for the highest difficulty is never a bad choice if you’re aiming to be the top. But still, why here? Other high-difficulty zones have more monsters and better rewards.”
For a moment, I thought he was coming up with something deep, but his surprisingly sharp observation caught me off guard. I didn’t really want to stick around with them, so I kicked off the ground and sprinted toward the desert, passing them by.
‘I don’t plan to deal with Seo Mina’s awakening, Lee Ji-hyung, or the hidden stage today anyway.’
Since the examiner was waiting outside, I planned to start handling those important matters tomorrow. After all, it would take at least a week to fully conquer the hidden stage called the “Ruins.”
“Tsk! You want to hunt alone, huh? Fine! Let’s see who can succeed in hunting first!”
“Wait for me!”
Lee Ji-hyung, filled with competitiveness, raced off in a different direction, and Seo Mina, her eyes gleaming with unwanted interest, started following me.
“Yeah, let’s finish this quickly and rest.”
How long had I been running with my sword hanging loosely in my hand?
In the vast expanse of endless yellow sand, I finally spotted something odd. Small bulges sticking out of the ground.
“Found it!”
There are three types of monsters in the desert terrain of Tutorial Zone 7:
- Desert Scorpions [F-] rank: These appear throughout the desert.
- Sand Lizards [F-] rank: These only appear in the desert’s central area.
- Bomb Cacti [F-] rank: Rarely found near oases.
True to Zone 7’s notorious reputation, all three of these monsters are tricky to deal with. Even if you know their weaknesses, without overwhelming power or skill, hunting them would be difficult.
And the monster I just discovered was a Desert Scorpion.
These sneaky and quick creatures hide in the desert’s sand, waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey.
‘Of course, no way I’m getting caught by that.’
As long as you’re not stupid enough to approach those suspicious bulges out of curiosity, you won’t be ambushed. Any hunter with half a brain who can think would immediately be wary of suspicious spots like that…
“Argh!”
Before I could even finish my thought, Lee Ji-hyung’s scream echoed from the distance, making me scowl.
“How annoying.”
The Desert Scorpions hunt by using the paralyzing venom in their tails to subdue their prey after ambushing them from hiding.
Since Lee Ji-hyung has fire magic, which grants him a minor cleansing effect, he shouldn’t be paralyzed just from one sting.
“Die! Die! Die!”
Sure enough, I could hear the sound of flames exploding repeatedly.
‘Idiot. The monsters here all have high resistance to fire.’
They live under the blazing sun, after all. Some of the stronger ones even consume the sun’s embers, making them almost immune to weaker fire attacks like Lee Ji-hyung’s.
I still couldn’t fully understand why he, filled with such petty reasons like his rivalry with me and wanting to impress Seo Mina, chose Zone 7, a tutorial with the worst match for his abilities.
He essentially chose the tutorial that had the worst compatibility with his skills.
“Ugh. Why do I even bother thinking about him? Let’s just finish what I need to do and get out of here.”
I turned to Seo Mina, who was standing behind me, and began explaining the strategy.
“Those creatures are Desert Scorpions. The strategy is simple: attack from outside their range and kill them in one blow.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done. You need both the power and skill to kill them in one hit.
“Also, if you fail to kill them with the first strike, things are going to get a lot more complicated.”
I shook my head, listening to the screams and chaos continuing in the distance.
“When one of them is attacked, the others interpret it as their camouflage being exposed and begin hunting as a group.”
I approached the slightly raised sand slowly, and when I was about 3 meters away, I threw my sword without hesitation.
Whizz! Thud!
The sword, shot like a bullet, pierced into something.
〚A faint and minor stroke of luck is bestowed upon you as Heavenly Fortune stirs in its deep slumber!〛
〚Critical Hit!〛
〚Item Effect: Frozen Fire Sword activates, inflicting a freezing effect!〛
Heavenly Fortune also lent me a hand. Ice, foreign to the desert, spread from the sword I threw, freezing everything around it. The Scorpion, which had high fire resistance but abysmally low ice resistance, perished without even resisting.
〚Common-Rank [F-] LV 4 Monster – Desert Scorpion is dead〛
〚Contribution: 100%〛
〚EXP +10〛
〚Reward: Purple Coin ×1〛
A message popped up, and I felt something welling up inside me.
〚Level UP〛
〚You have gained 1 extra stat point!〛
I leveled up. However, I wasn’t excited. What truly mattered was what would happen next.
‘What will it be this time?’
〚By defeating your first monster in a single strike, your stature has risen!〛
〚Something dormant within your core begins to awaken!〛
When you kill your first enemy and reach level 1, the system always awakens one stat.
In my previous life, my Health stat was awakened. After that, I went through a hellish time focusing on strength until I finally awakened the Strength stat.
But now, I wondered which stat would awaken.
‘Or maybe it won’t, since I already have the Mugeuk stat.’
It could happen. I already possessed the pinnacle of physical stats.
〚Your perseverance and hard work awaken the Health (Common) stat!〛
〚Error! You already possess the highest-tier physical stat!〛
〚Health stat is absorbed by the Mugeuk stat!〛
〚Mugeuk stat increases by 1.〛
I briefly frowned, then relaxed.
‘Tsk, as expected.’
I had predicted this, but that didn’t make it any less disappointing.
Awakening any stat, even a common one, was one of the three most important milestones for a hunter.
Was this system responding to my frustration?
〚Heavenly Fortune awakens reluctantly, stirred by your intense desire, and calls forth a miracle!〛
〚The full might of Heavenly Fortune gathers around you!〛
This was the first time Heavenly Fortune had truly revealed its power, except for the time it awakened and returned all the suppressed luck.
It had previously only blocked misfortune or bestowed faint luck while dormant, but now it was showing its true ability.
〚An unknown miracle intervenes, bringing unforeseen variables!〛
〚The stat fusion is canceled, and the awakening stat undergoes changes!〛
“What the…?”
As the Mugeuk stat dropped back by 1, the Health stat on my stat window flickered and began to change.
〚Despite countless misfortunes testing and tormenting you, you have stood up and pushed forward, ultimately claiming a miracle!〛
〚Your core reacts to an unknown stimulus, awakening the Unyielding (Legendary) stat!〛
〚The Unyielding stat interacts with the Unique Ability: Ultimate Soul!〛
The Health stat completely vanished from my status window, replaced by a new stat called “Unyielding,” which I had never seen before.
“Check stat: Unyielding.”
〚Stat: Unyielding (Legendary)
Grade: F- (1/99)
Description: An absolute will that will never yield before anything.
Abilities:
- When overcoming misfortune, the Unyielding stat grows, and additional free stat points are granted.
- Adds an extra bonus to all status ailment resistances. (Stacks with the effect of Ultimate Soul.)〛
“This is insane!”
I barely restrained myself from jumping up and down in joy and shouting out loud.
If it weren’t for those two leeches, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hold back.
However, that joy was soon shattered by some damn thing that seemed to have waited for this moment.
【Heavenly Fortune, having exhausted all its power, warns you to be cautious as it falls into a deep slumber!】
【The ill fortune that has been quietly observing this situation gains immense power as a counterbalance to overwhelming good fortune.】
【Ill fortune predicts great misfortune for you!】
“Damn it!”
Somehow, it seemed that this troublesome ill fortune, which must always interfere with things, had been quietly watching while Heavenly Fortune helped me.
“It must have been gathering power.”
Did it think that small misfortune wouldn’t be able to torment me?
It had been accumulating power, and now that Heavenly Fortune had exhausted its tremendous strength and fallen asleep, it started to move.
“I knew that when Heavenly Fortune uses its power, ill fortune gains strength, but…”
I didn’t expect it to be this cunning!
I clenched my fists and glared at the damn ill fortune stats. It was precisely 1 point higher than Heavenly Fortune, despite never having invested a single point in it.
I clicked my tongue and closed the status window.
“Anyway, as long as I can’t resolve this curse disguised as that damn unique ability, this will continue.”
Once again, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and endure!
As long as I can overcome it, I would gain immense stats, so it wasn’t all that bad.
Thinking this, I looked at Seo Mina, who had fried a scorpion with immense electric current, before moving on.
After the regression, the first tutorial had come to an end like this.
***
“Total of 26 people, all returned!”
“Good work. You have all been recognized for your qualifications from the Abyss. However, countless trials await you ahead. I hope you all proceed with caution. That will be all; you may disperse now!”
The examiner delivered a customary final remark and immediately returned to the association, while the aspiring hunters, now officially hunters, gathered in groups to celebrate.
“Well then, time to cough up the rewards, right?”
I approached Seo Mina, who seemed to have anticipated my move, and she motioned for me to follow her.
By the way, that idiot Fire Demon was rushed to the hospital after being hit by scorpion’s paralysis venom three times.
“Seriously, who told him to pick Area 7?”
From what I heard, he had shown off trying to catch a scorpion first but ended up getting ambushed by one hiding without leaving a trace. He even panicked against the scorpions, who barely took damage from his magic.
It was quite pathetic and miserable for a kid who would later be known as an A-rank monster.
In the end, he managed to catch one and level up, but looking at his swollen leg, it didn’t seem like he was in a normal condition.
“I’ve come to pick you up, miss.”
“Let’s go.”
I got into a car that looked expensive at first glance.
“Here’s the list you asked for. Shall we move to ‘that place’?”
“Yeah, take me there.”
“Understood.”
She took a tablet PC from the driver, who was also her secretary, and handed it to me.
“Choose, just one.”
“Oh! You’re well-prepared.”
I looked over the list with a satisfied smile.
“What should I choose?”
Her list contained many items, from those I remembered to ones I had never heard of before.
“Tsk, I guess this is the limit, huh?”
No matter how much of a chaebol heir she was, it seemed she had difficulty collecting high-grade items as a hobby, as there were no items above the narrative grade.
But even those of narrative grade were precious items.
Just selling a single item of narrative grade would make tens of billions.
As I examined the list for a while, I was taken aback by one item.
“This was here!”
The item that immediately captured my attention was far more modest than the other dazzling items.
《→Wings of Lost Brilliance (Common-F)》
It was just a pair of wings that looked beautiful, added to Seo Ye-rin’s collection.
But without hesitation, I requested that item.
—
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