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Chapter Text

As I sat on the corner chair, my coach spoke “his defense is weak- then- finally put him on his ass” his voice came in and out as I looked at my opponent beaten and bruised with his left eye swollen shut. I barely came to when the announcer spoke “Fifth round BEGIN!”

I quickly rushed forward sending a jab hook combo which he dodged via a Dempsey roll and sending a counter-hand cross aimed at my chin I quickly weaved under and landed an uppercut on him in the chin he was dazed and all I needed was one more hit I came in clearing the void in between us with a flying knee.

“John Doe wins via flying knee knockout on Abel Jaeger!” the colors around me mixed and before I knew it tears flowed down my face. Soon boos resounded around me and the judge grabbed both my hand and Abel’s hand before raising Abel’s hand as high as his short arms could let him I shot my head towards my couch and ran over to him “Judges ruled it unfair knockout John.” Out of anger, I punch the cage around me bending it in a few places “FUCK!”
A Few Days later as I was relaxing on my new couch with trash all around me I looked at the newest games available and one caught my eye “Simulacrum: the greatest simulated RPG game ever. Made by Sorcerers of the Coast.”
Not long after that, I started playing it rigorously I was hooked after the beginning.
The first time I logged in I saw a tavern appear it seemed so life-like when suddenly the tavern owner ran over “Quickly close your eyes!” I followed his command after a moment of shock and was startled to hear the sound of stone scaring against the floor but when I looked up I saw everyone including the tavern owner had become statues with a disfigured monster looking at me with its open hand inches from my face but completely still I quickly ran backward suddenly the light above its head flickered for a moment and its hand had moved showing four fingers followed by another flicker.
This time it’s finger showed three I quickly ran towards the nearest exit but I never got there as the moment I looked away my neck was snapped and I was signed out I quickly took off the vr headset and got off the omni directional treadmill I was then greeted by the news “Breaking News thousands of people have disappeared in broad daylight even more have been reported missing since Including Brad put, Hunky Castle, and Abel Jaeger.”
For some reason, a smile broke out on my face
Pov Lee Kiyoung
[The tutorial will begin.]
“What the...”
Just as I was going to swear, I looked around and saw the interiors of a dark building. I saw unknown patterns through the faint light. The interior was completely different from the buildings that were on Earth. My mouth naturally widened because of the things I’d never seen before. While I’ve never seen the inside of a pyramid before, it probably looked like this.
I rolled my eyes because of the extremely unrealistic situation I was in. The last thing I remembered doing was eating with my little sister.
‘What in the world happened...’
This was what I remember. I had received an unknown text through my phone.
- Will you participate in the game? -
I had pressed the button without thinking because I thought it was a game invitation from a friend. That was it. That was all I remember.
My chin and legs began trembling because I couldn’t understand this situation. I was suddenly at a place I had never seen before; it was only natural that I was confused.
The atmosphere here was eerie. Maybe it was because the surroundings were similar to a scene from a horror movie, but all the people here were terrified.
Before I could start thinking of anything else, I heard many whispers around me.
“Wh, what is this place?”
“Don’t ask me. I, I don’t know either.”
“I… is there anyone else here? What is this place… and why are there swords and weapons here?”
“Would we be standing here like this if we knew? Everyone seems to be in the same situation as us. Do you remember anything?”
“Excuse me! Is anyone there? Excuse me!”
“Well this will be entertaining!”
Everyone started talking and acting in their own way. A person was even sitting on the floor, another was pinching their cheeks to see if they were dreaming and a giant man standing at least 6’9” was even stretching.
‘It’s not a dream.’
It wasn’t a dream and I am not alone here. Nothing felt out of place; everything felt real.
Just as I gulped, the small cave echoed with the system’s voice.
[Players, you have been invited to this world. We sent out invitations and the players accepted. You have all been chosen as warriors to save the dying Continent.]
“Damn it! We’re not warriors!”
“Stop joking around and come out, you jerks!”
“I, I’m going to call the police. I, I’m going to call the police.”
“Are you doing a hidden camera prank? You can get sued. Sued!”
“Y’all are so fucking loud.”
[However, not everyone can go to the Continent. Only a handful of people who survived the tutorial are qualified to go.]
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
[Please pay attention to what I am about to say. It is directly tied to your survival.]
When I heard the word ‘survival’ within this strange room, I suddenly came back to my senses.
[I will say it once more. Only a handful of people who survived the tutorial are qualified to go to the Continent.]
“What… are you saying that you’re going to kill us or something?”
[That’s all up to you. What I am about to tell you is related to your survival. They are going to be necessary elements moving forward. This is not a dream. This is the reality that you’re facing. I do not recommend being in denial. As the guide of this tutorial, my job is to help all of you.]
“Stop playing around! Damn it!”
“P, please let me out. Please!”
“What do we do then?”
I heard many voices, but the woman continued to calmly explain.
[I will begin the guide. Number one, you are all standing at the starting point that has been created to wait before the tutorial starts. You can think of this place as a waiting room. At the starting point, you will find essential items you will need - water, food and the weapons you will be using from now on. The weapons are ranked as such - average, rare, epic, legendary. The weapons here are below average.]
A few items caught my attention. In the corner of the room, there was a canteen made out of leather and not a plastic bottle like the ones frequently seen on Earth.
But that wasn’t the only thing that caught my attention.. The strange weapons drew my attention the most. Bow and arrow, sword and shield, spear and mace, etc - they were all weapons often used in the Middle Ages and the way they were lined up was strange and unfamiliar.
It’s real.
They weren’t fake. A majority of the weapons were either chipped or old, but they looked sharp.
The reality of my predicament started to sink in.
[With these weapons, you will be able to protect yourselves. For your information, the goal of the tutorial is survival and attack. Besides you, the residents of the Continent are also here; they are called monsters. They will target you and you will have to fight against them.]
It was like a fantasy novel.
The funny thing was that people started screaming less and less as they focused on the voice that resounded through this place. But there were a few that started retching. Once again the giant man moved this time over to the weapons slowly and sneakily grabbing an axe.
[Your strength will probably not be enough to fight against them. But please do not worry. This is not the only thing that has been prepared for you.”]
“What in the world is going on...”
“…”
[You are all chosen players. You arrived here from different places with different characteristics. This place maximizes those characteristics and helps you grow. If you say ‘status window,’ you will understand what I am saying.]
I didn’t say the phrase ‘status window.’ I thought it would be best to move cautiously in an unknown situation like this.
Fortunately, at that moment, someone mumbled.
“Status window.”
“Status window? Oh? What’s this?”
“Status Window. It even shows gear?”
“Kyah!”
I saw a woman screaming towards the sky and people looking at something invisible with surprised looks.
[The status window is an indicator that displays your condition. Based on your efforts, your stats will either go up or down. Next is your job. Generally, they are classified into warriors, wizards, priests and archers and depending on your achievements, the jobs will be divided even further. For example, a warrior can become a savage warrior and then they can become a berserker. There are many different ways to grow and the direction of your growth solely depends on your decision.]
“Oh...”
[The job’s ranks are average, rare, epic and legendary. For wizards and priests, they must have an affinity for either holy power or magic. Please understand that you won’t be able to choose some of the jobs. When you have assigned missions, hidden quests or experience, you will be able to select your job.]
‘A job.’
The more I listened, the more it sounded similar to a story I’ve heard. It was similar to an online game. I guess priests and wizards were rare here too.
If there really were monsters and those monsters targeted this place, then the majority of the people here would probably avoid becoming warriors. I’m sure no one would be willing to fight for others.
I immediately spoke.
“Status window.”
[Name - Lee Ki-Young]
[Title - None. Please work harder.]
[Age - 25]
[Tendency - Cautious Strategist]
[Job - Unemployed]
[Stats]
[Strength - 10]
[Agility - 11]
[Stamina - 11]
[Intelligence - 19]
[Endurance - 12]
[Luck - 21]
[Magic - 00]
[Gear - None]
The screen that suddenly appeared in front of me was unfamiliar.
It felt like I was in a game and just as I quietly opened my mouth, I heard the woman’s voice again.
[The last thing is the attribute. Whenever you reach a certain level, an attribute will open up. Each player has different attributes and just like the jobs, it’ll be based on the player’s individual characteristics. The player’s unique characteristic is the most important. Like jobs, the ranks are average, rare, epic and legendary and the higher you go, the better.]
“Uh...”
[Attributes also open up in a similar way as your jobs. Attributes also have a big effect in your growth direction, so please pay attention to the choices.]
I couldn’t focus on the last part because I saw shining letters at the bottom of the status window.
[Attribute - Epic Rank - Do you want to read it?]
‘Huh?’
The words ‘Epic Rank’ shone in purple.
The ranks of the attributes were average, rare, epic and legendary. She also mentioned that depending on the player’s characteristics, the attribute might only be revealed later.
‘Great.’
I wasn’t sure how I started out with this or whether the current situation was real, but it wasn’t bad.
[Attribute]
[Mind’s Eye - Epic]
[Allows you to read yours and other people’s status window and hidden talent rank.]
I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad, but obtaining something from the start was a big advantage.
The woman said that survival was the goal.
‘Survival.’
I needed to survive. Whether the current situation was fake or real, I would try my best.
‘What about Yul-Ha...’
When I recalled my younger sister being alone at home, I bit my lips hard.
Everyone had different reactions. Those that obtained attributes were discussing it with others and some of the men were either fiddling with their swords or looking for shields. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it seemed like they were looking for ways to survive since danger was nigh. There was a woman crying on the floor, a middle-aged man that was continuously yelling, and even a child that looked like a student.
I wanted to drop to the floor and yell too, but I didn’t have the time to do that.
‘Talent?’
I wasn’t really sure what it was, but I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. After all, obtaining an attribute was already a big achievement and it meant that I would have a different start over the others. I had a strange expectation that maybe I would become the main character in a situation that only happened in shonens or fantasy novels, but I immediately shook my head.
That’s impossible.’
[Checking Player Lee Ki-Young’s Talent Stats]
[Name - Lee Ki-Young]
[Strength - Below average growth limit]
[Agility - Below average growth limit]
[Stamina - Below average growth limit]
[Intelligence - Above epic growth limit]
[Endurance - Below average growth limit]
[Luck - Above epic growth limit]
[Overall Review - Your talent level is at its lowest. Working hard will not work. No matter how hard you work, it will be difficult for you to get out of the third-rate level. Almost all the stats are abysmal. Not only are you physically challenged, but it will also be difficult for you to develop your magic stats. Your intelligence and luck are fine, but…I’m worried about your future. You don’t need to wield a sword or try something else. The results are predetermined anyways.]
I did not expect my talent to be the best, but it was really different from my expectations.
I rubbed my eyes, but the result remained unchanging.
“Huh?”
Survival was the final goal.
I didn’t think that I was going to be the main character and since reality was different from comics, I couldn’t help but gasp after seeing my depressing stats.
“Damn it...”
My talent stats were below average.

Chapter Text

Pov Lee Kiyoung
“Damn it…”
[The tutorial has finished. The starting point will open soon. Please be careful of the monster’s attack.]
“Damn it…”
It was chaotic.
Before I could be disappointed in myself about my stats, one thing led to another and I heard the sound of unknown beasts from outside the starting point.
I began to see terrified people moving towards the walls while others geared up as if they were determined to at least protect themselves. It was the same for me.
There were enough weapons so I immediately ran and grabbed a spear. Although there were enough swords, I didn’t want to see the monster’s face up close and I can’t shoot a bow and arrow.
‘What should I do?’
‘What should I do?’
I had a lot on my mind.
Obviously enough, I wasn’t the only one panicking. Shouts that were more like screams rang out from all over the place as the combination of the monsters’ cries and being trapped in an enclosed space instilled fear into the hearts of everyone. “Please save us!”
“P-Please let us out. Please…”
“Stop joking around and open the door! I’m going to sue all of you! I’m going to sue! Hurry up and open the door!”
“Sob sob…please save us. Please…”
“I’m going to call the police! The police!”
“Grab a weapon! Don’t you hear the noise that’s coming from outside? Get a weapon!”
“You! Grab a weapon! You do it! Everyone, quickly grab a shield. Hurry!”
“What are you doing? Stop making things weird and end this sick joke!”
“It’s not a joke! Didn’t you all see the status window? Hurry up and grab a weapon! Hey mister! Do you think this is a joke?”
The large man that had been shouting desperately grabbed a wooden shield. He wasn’t the only one that suggested fighting, but he was a little more aggressive than the others except for the giant of a man who rushed ahead of everyone clearing meters with ease and he waited staring. Quickly activated mind’s eye on him
[Name - Abel von Jaeger]
[Title - None. Please work harder.]
[Age - 19]
[Tendency - Apathetic strategist]
[Job - Unemployed]
[Stats]
[Strength - 30] (legendary)
[Agility - 19](below epic)
[Stamina - 18](above epic)
[Intelligence - 32](legendary)
[Endurance - 28](above epic)
[Luck - 20](below epic)
[Magic - 06](above epic)
[Holy power - 3] (above rare)
[Overall review- Overall stats lean toward damage dealer and melee mage combo. The player’s strength and intelligence stats are insane. So growing into a close-quarters combatant is recommended but the player will be among the greatest no matter what they do except for a priest but even that is better than anything Lee Kiyoung could ever do]
‘Piece of shit reviewers need to balance this fucking game
After checking the giant’s stats, I looked at the large man’s general information.
[Checking Player Park Deok-Gu’s status window and talent stats.]
[Name - Park Deok-Gu]
[Title - None. Please work harder.]
[Age - 23]
[Nature - A simple, ignorant and ardent person]
[Job - Unemployed]
[Stats]
[Strength - 21/Above epic growth limit]
[Agility - 16/Below rare growth limit]
[Stamina - 21/Above epic growth limit]
[Intelligence - 10/Below rare growth limit]
[Endurance - 30/Above epic growth limit]
[Luck - 11/Below average growth limit]
[Magic - 00/Above average growth limit]
[Overall Review - Overall, the stats are balanced. The player’s strength and endurance are high, so growing into a warrior won’t be a bad idea. Their endurance and stamina stats are amazing. Having low magic and agility stats are a flaw, but it can be made up with other stats, right? Compared to Lee Ki-Young, the player has great potential.]
‘You didn’t have to tell me that again…’
Park Deok-Gu didn’t look 23-years-old. He looked heavy, tall, and bulky, yet he didn’t look like he was fat. It actually seemed like his entire body was covered with muscles.
Unlike me who’s strength and endurance points were 10, his strength was 20 and his endurance was 30 and theres no need to compare me to the German giant. I soon realized that my talent and basic stats were the worst.
Just like what was displayed through the Mind’s Eye, it seemed like he would be useful as a warrior and meatshield and probably easier to get close to compared to the giant.
If I pretended to be friendly now, he’d surely be wary of me. I should wield a spear first and stand near him. Sure enough, when I showed that I was going to fight with a spear, Park Deok-Gu spoke as if he was happy to see me.
“Are you going to fight too, dude?”
“Yes. I think that’s the best thing to do. There seems to be something outside…it’s best to do something rather than to stand idle.”
‘Honestly the murderous tree over there has it handled in the west’
“Dude, you look like a timid person but you speak my language. ”
“Thank you. Let’s get ready.”
He had a satisfied look; it seemed like he didn’t realize he had said something rude. A simple conversation like this was effective.
I spoke up again, this time, towards the group. “Nothing will change if you keep denying this situation. Shouldn’t we first handle the issue that we’re about to face? The beasts are roaring outside. Whether this is reality, a hidden camera prank, or a dream, we need to do something. Everyone, grab a weapon. We must fight back.”
“Stop joking around!”
“It’s not a joke. I don’t want to joke around like this either and I rather wish that this was a joke. Everyone, please grab a weapon. If it’s a joke, then we can deal with it then.”
There needed to be a lot of people who could fight since we didn’t know how many and what type of monsters were outside.
“He’s right you know and even if you can hide from the monsters then what? You’ll either starve or be used as a meat shield.”
Someone mumbled.
“O-Okay, let’s grab a weapon. T-Taking care of those things first and then assessing the situation would be best. W-We were told that we could win, s-so I’m sure we will.”
“Y-You’re right!”
“Let’s fight!”
Of course, no one was used to fighting but people started grabbing weapons. Some did it because others were doing it and others did it in order to protect themselves.
The atmosphere was getting better.
‘Not bad. Murder tree helped too’
This mood wasn’t bad.
“You guys should grab a weapon too.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not telling you to fight but we don’t know what will happen so you should at least have a weapon. You can’t expect someone to protect you. This is reality.”
“Oh. O-Okay…”
I’m sure they understood what I said. They looked unsatisfied as they grabbed a weapon, but that was it.
Of course, there were still a few distasteful people who were lingering in the back, but I couldn’t say that openly in a place like this. I gulped and waited for the approaching enemies.
‘Can we win?’
Of course, it was impossible, but we could probably survive through it.
A lot of us might die, but this base must be of grave importance. We must protect it.
I looked at the figure towering above everyone. ‘Now that he’s fully stood up he has to be at least 7’. I have to have him’ I smiled
‘Tutorial. She definitely said this was a tutorial.’
The mood felt good and everyone seemed willing to fight. Their eyes were filled with the desire to live..
‘We can do it.’
[The starting point will open momentarily. Five, four, three, two, one.]
[The starting point will now open. I wish you all the best.]
But it was my mistake to think that we could do something—that we could win—that if we endured, a miracle would happen.
“Kyahhhh!”
It wasn’t the stone gate in front of us that opened, it was the one behind us. As soon as it opened, a human-like monster appeared and viciously bit off the head of a retreating woman to the point that her blood splattered on everyone around her.
Before the others could feel terrified, however, monsters rushed in from all directions.
“Ahhhhh! Save me!”
“Run!”
‘Damn it!’
In an instant, the base was filled with screams.
It was hell.
Park Deok-Gu was the one who first shouted that we should fight, but he most likely never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that we would fight against these kinds of monsters because he was staring absent-mindedly at the fight unfolding before him with his sword and shield.
We were ordinary people that never once wielded a sword and to make things worse, we weren’t used to fighting. There was no way we would be able to endure a situation like this. No one could believe the reality that was in front of them.
The only one seemingly unfazed was Abel Jaeger who used the axe and mace combo he had to crush and destroy the human-like monsters heads. His actions snapped me back to reality and without realizing it, I shouted towards Park Deok-Gu, who was staring at the fight in a daze.
“What are you doing? Do you want to die?!”
“D-Dude!”
My legs and hand that was holding the spear were shaking but I bit my lips and threw the spear. Luckily, the spear pierced through a monster’s head.
Park Deok-Gu aggressively pushed back the monsters with his shield.
The formation was destroyed in an instant as allies and monsters became indistinguishable from one another. There were even some that started running to an open space.
‘I need to run.’
Staying here meant that I would die.
‘Die.’
A definite annihilation.
‘I’m going to die.’
I had no time to waste thinking about anything else.
“Run!”
“Huh? Huh? Huh?”
“You damn pig! Run! Can’t you hear me?!”
I yelled towards the man that I’ve been eyeing. He must’ve returned to his senses because he immediately raised his shield and started running away. I also threw myself through the narrow gap in order to escape.
‘Oh!’
While moving, I remembered the provisions.
They were relatively close by.
I needed to grab those since I didn’t know if there were other shelters aside from this base.
“D-Dude! Where?!”
“Grab the water!”
“O-Okay!”
Amidst the cacophony of voices, I could clearly distinguish the screams.
I made eye contact with a woman whose shoulder was bitten by a zombie.
“S-Save…”
“Damn it.”
I contemplated for a moment but my hands that were holding the spear betrayed the woman’s hope. The woman’s eyes were filled with despair but I didn’t look at her. After grabbing three leather bags that were sitting on the floor, I looked behind and saw how the monster rushed to the woman and attacked her.
I lived thanks to her, so it was only right to express my gratitude.
‘I’m sorry.’
After muttering an apology that I would never hear an answer to, I immediately walked away.
“Dude!”
When I turned my attention to where Park Deok-Gu was yelling from, I saw a monster charging towards me and simultaneously the monster attacking the woman had it’s head gored by a mace and axe combo.
“Sh…”
Stab!
“Screech!”
A sword flew from somewhere and landed on the monster’s head. I wasn’t sure if it was related to my luck stats, but I considered myself lucky at this moment.
I thought I made eye contact with the man that threw the sword, but I didn’t have the luxury to check his stats. One thing I was sure of, however, was that I felt something strange.
‘What is it?’
That man didn’t seem terrified nor was he trembling in fear. He seemed desperate, but it wasn’t an obsession with life.
‘Was I seeing things?’
He had a very memorable face.
When I suddenly passed him, I saw Park Deok-Gu waiting for me while holding his shield.
“Did you grab the water?!”
I didn’t hear his answer but seeing the leather pouch in his right hand, it seemed like he did grab it. He was good at doing what he was told.
“I-I think there’s still someone inside!”
“Shut up and run if you don’t want to die! You damn pig! Don’t you see the monsters?”
“Ah! Okay, d-dude!”
It only took a moment for us to escape to an open area.
I saw people getting caught while running and those that hadn’t been able to escape in the first place. When I looked back, I didn’t see any monsters following us. They were focused on the prey that was inside the base. But I did see the giant following behind us with water and extra weapons in his hand
The people inside must’ve been resisting because I heard screams from all over the place, but I covered my eyes and pretended not to hear anything.
“S-Save me!”
“Fight baaaack!”
“Screech!”
“Kyahhhh!”
“Please save me. Sob sob…save me. Sob…”
“Ahhhhh!”
Seeing how Park Deok-Gu closed his eyes tightly, I guess he couldn’t get the people we left out of his head either.
“Don’t feel guilty. We had no choice.”
“B-But…”
“There was nothing we could do. There was nothing we could do…”
There was nothing we could do in that situation.
I’m sure he knew this as well.
“Damn it….”
But there wasn’t a way to stop the curses that were coming out of Park Deok-Gu’s mouth.
“Calm down” a calm and quite voice sounded behind me I didn’t even need to look back to see the shadow of the giant suddenly the weapons and water I saw him holding moments ago were at my feet.
“I’m Abel von Jaeger and y’all made the right decision. They outnumbered us twenty to one easily and we don’t know if they came in waves” for some reason his voice was soothing when I snapped back to reality he was already talking to Park Deok-Gu “-call me by my first name and leave the attacking to me” he clanged his bloody mace together splatting black blood on his face “Ew” even if small Deok-Gu smiled
‘seems he’s good comedic relief too’

Chapter Text

“W-What should we do now, dude?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Would we be standing here like this if I knew?” I answered.
I was still in shock about what just happened maybe even if it was less than before Abel came.
When I answered him angrily, Park Deok-Gu started walking on eggshells around me and confided more in Abel. Not that I mind my two meat shields being close
After the incident at the starting point, I continued talking to him casually but seeing how Park Deok-Gu didn’t say anything about it, I guess he didn’t mind.
“Since we don’t know exactly what this place is, we should first look around,” I suggested mostly to Abel. “You’re probably right Kiyoung-sie”
{Sie is the german way to say -oppa or -ssi}
“A-Are you going to go outside?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Not right now,” I answered.
“T-Then are you saying that you’re going to go outside eventually?” he asked again.
“I said not right now,” I answered.
We barely managed to find a hiding place within the maze-like interior. It was a bit cramped, but it wasn’t bad since we were safe here at the very least.
‘Water, food, and weapons.’
I didn’t know when the end was going to be, but we could endure it. The problem was how long and whether this place was really safe.
I had a lot on my mind.
“I didn’t think something like this would actually happen…” Park Deok-Gu said.
“You saw the status window and those monsters. They’re neither holograms nor from a game. It’s definitely reality… I wish all of this was a dream too.”
“Ugh…”
“Kiyoung-sie we are actually doing pretty good. Our food and water are good and we have backup weapons in case ours break.” Even though no one responded we still became a little more hopeful
The situation we were in was definitely really bad. Even though we weren’t talking about what happened at the starting point, we actually saw people dying and encountered monsters we couldn’t describe with words. Denying reality wasn’t going to change anything.
“D-Didn’t she say that the goal of this tutorial was survival or something? T-That strange lady d-definitely said that… then, i-if we continue hiding here…” Park Deok-Gu didn’t finish his sentence.
“It’s not as simple as you think,” I said, interrupting him.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“The problem is that we don’t know how long this situation will last. We managed to obtain food and water, but it’ll be difficult to last a week with this… and there’s no guarantee that this place is safe. This place might even be the shelter for the monsters,” I explained to him.
“Really?” he looked at Abel who nodded along ‘useful bastard’
“I’m just saying that it’s a possibility, and even if we finish the tutorial now… how are we going to survive afterward?” I asked Park Deok-Gu.
“Wh-What do you mean?”
“I’m not certain about this, but when the tutorial ends, we’ll be going to a place called the Continent. That means that we might get into a situation where the dungeon we’re currently in may feel like heaven. There’s no guarantee that the place we’ll be heading next is going to be safer than here. Simply enduring this isn’t everything…” I explained to him.
He remained silent because what I said was true. Of course, no one knew what was going to happen in the future. But as the woman mentioned, if we really were the players that were chosen to save the Continent, this wouldn’t be the end.
We may encounter the same monsters as before, and there may be a time when we need to fight people instead of monsters. We could also encounter something worse than these in the future.
“Whether we stay or leave this place, we’ll get attacked either way,” I told him.
“Then, d-do you have something in mind?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“We need to fight.” Me and Abel said in unison
“With those monsters?”
“Have you played video games before?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“I-Is there a person that has never played video games before?” he asked back.
“Status window, stat, title, gear, job. Haven’t you seen these words before? Think about it as if we’re currently in a game. What should we do?” I asked, hoping he would figure it out.
“I don’t…”
“It’s leveling up. We need to get stronger so that we can at least protect ourselves. If we move and kill monsters, our stats will increase, and like that woman mentioned, we can even get jobs. Our attributes will open up and it may be difficult, but when that time comes, we’ll no longer have to avoid those monsters,” I answered, cutting him off.
“After I killed a few of those zombies I realized I was getting exp” responded Abel groaning as he lurched forward
“Oh…” Park Deok-Gu could only squeeze out this reply.
“When we escaped earlier, we managed to obtain some weapons. Not only that, but we also have food and water.. We’re in a better situation than the others,” I explained.
“B-But…”
As expected, Park Deok-Gu wasn’t happy about going outside. Honestly, everyone was probably the same. There wasn’t a person alive who would want to encounter man-eating monsters.
However, we had no choice. Falling behind meant death and being eaten alive.
“Hunt or die Deok-Gu-du pick”
{-Du is the informal version of -Sie typically used by someone of younger age and weaker status}
“Let’s think about leveling up too,” I suggested.
“How can we win against man-eating monsters…” he questioned.
If you think about it, we have a chance.
“Deok-Gu-du when I hit them it felt like I was cutting through bread not that I remember it that well
I too had no clear memories of my first encounter with the monsters. Back then, the monsters swarmed us and everyone had been scared out of their wits. However, the sensation still lingered in my hands. The goosebumps I got when I stabbed my spear into them. I hadn’t even put a lot of strength into it, but my spear had easily penetrated the monster’s skin.
At that moment, I was filled with fear. I panicked in that situation because I’ve never seen those monsters before and I lost my will to fight. Next to me, Park Deok-Gu and the others felt the same way.
‘We can defeat them.’
But if we think about it objectively, we should be able to win.
“We need to think simple. As simple as possible,” I suggested.
“What are you talking about?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“What I’m saying is that we need to look at them as-is instead of getting scared of them. Of course, it won’t be easy. I don’t even know what to do right now since my body is still trembling. All of us are. But as long as we don’t suddenly get surrounded or get raided, we have a chance. Their skins are thin, and they lack stamina. When we were running away, none of them chased after us. They left while we were running. The reason why so many people died at the starting point was because there were so many of them. And we couldn’t deal with them properly because everyone was terrified,” I explained in detail supported by a nod from Abel.
Until I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn’t be certain about anything. However, I believed that my assumptions were correct.
Compared to a human’s physical capabilities, those monsters only had their jaw strength and claws as their advantages. We may have the upper hand when comparing physical capabilities. Unlike the monsters that charged in bare, we had spears and swords. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that we had the advantage in everything.
“If we think objectively, we can win,” I told him.
The problem was that Park Deok-Gu was easily scared. After my spiel, he gulped anxiously.
‘How frustrating.’
Just then.
“Screech.”
I heard a voice from somewhere. I naturally took a deep breath and Park Deok-Gu, who was next to me, did the same.
“Screech!”
I wasn’t sure if it traveled alone or if it got separated from the group. However, I could hear it.
“Is this really where they live?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
‘Shit… can we really do it?’ I asked myself.
We would inevitably encounter them at least once.
It felt like someone was squeezing my heart, but I bit my lips hard. If we left this place, then our efforts would’ve been for nothing.
[Checking the Gluttonous Mouth’s Status Window.]
[Name - None]
[Title - None. Please work harder.]
[Age - 5]
[Nature - Instinct]
[Job - Unemployed]
[Stats]
[Strength - 11]
[Agility - 15]
[Stamina - 14]
[Endurance - 12]
[Luck - 10]
[Magic - 00]
I was able to see the monster’s information through the narrow gap.
‘It works.’
I can use this ability against monsters too. This was slightly good news.
‘We can win.’
We needed to overcome our fears.
I couldn’t see it clearly before, but it definitely looked horrendous. Its entire body was bare, but its green eyes, jaws, and teeth that were sticking out were unpleasant to look at. The moment when a monster used the same jaw and teeth to bite the neck of the woman whose name I didn’t even know continuously replayed in my head.
‘But.’
Their stats were terrible. I couldn’t say that we had good stats, but the monster’s stats were worse than I imagined. With their stats, defeating them was possible. I tightened my grip around my spear for no reason.
Park Deok-Gu looked at me nervously, but he wasn’t thinking about backing out. Still, I needed to show him that we could win.
“I-I thought we can’t go out?” he asked nervously.
“...”
I didn’t bother answering. It was because my back was covered in sweat and my hands and legs were trembling.
‘Damn it…’
A single mistake meant death. We would most likely die, but we had to do something. We would definitely encounter them sooner or later, I simply had no idea when.
“We’ll die even if we don’t go outside,” I told him.
I took a deep breath and immediately went out.
“Screech!”
‘Damn it!’
I knew that the monster would notice me once I got close to it, but it noticed me sooner than I anticipated.
It was natural for me to think that I needed to swing my spear while moving. However, my hands didn’t move the way I wanted. My body froze in fear.
“Ahhh!”
As I screamed with all my might, I had no choice but to attack its head with my spear as it approached me. It must’ve realized that I was attacking because the monster immediately ducked. Changing the rotation of the spear wasn’t easy. I put strength into my trembling hands and when I lowered my spear, it happened to pierce into its shoulder.
“Screech!”
Stab!
I almost let go because of the hair-raising feedback from its flesh, but I didn’t have the time to space out.
“Ahh!”
When I pushed my spear into a wall, the monster got stuck on the wall. I unknowingly frowned as I watched it struggle, but I grabbed a rock that was next to it and started beating its head with it. The monster’s claws injured me, but I didn’t feel any pain.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
Crack!
I got goosebumps when the monster’s strange mucus and blood landed on my hands and body. Yet, I couldn’t stop beating its head.
“Damn it!”
Crack!
“Die!”
Crack!
“Screech…”
Crack!
“Whew…” I started panting.
I was able to put the large rock down after the monster’s face was completely destroyed.
“Whew… whew…” I continued panting.
My heart was beating fast and it wouldn’t calm down. I wasn’t sure if it was the monster’s saliva or blood, but my arm was covered in the mysterious liquid.
This was my first time killing a living being.
My eyes met Park Deok-Gu’s as he narrowed his eyes with chattering teeth. He looked surprised. He probably thought that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I also couldn’t believe what I had done. But Abel’s eyes were mostly calm even if a little surprised on the inside.
[Strength increased by one point.]
My assumption was correct. When the corner of my lips went up, Park Deok-Gu spoke cautiously.
“Would it be okay if I called you hyung-nim?” he asked cautiously.
I gave a slight nod instead of answering.
As he looked at me with a strange gaze, I looked straight into his eyes and continued talking.
“If I can do it, you can do it too. No, you can do better than me,” I encouraged him.
“I think I understand what you’re saying. Hyung-nim, leave it to me. What should I do now?” Park Deok-Gu asked confidently.
I think I picked a decent guy. We had a lot of things to do, so I spoke while looking at him.
“First, let’s get a job,” I suggested.
Getting a job was our first task.

Chapter Text

“Let’s get a job first,” I suggested.
Finding a job was the first step.
“How do we get a job?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
Park Deok-Gu looked at me with a bewildered look.
“I’m not someone who knows it all, and I’m not that smart either,” I told him.
“You’re pretty smart, hyung-nim. You look like a teacher, but you seem more reliable than a knowledgeable teacher,” he complimented me.
He was partially correct. The problem was that I was never good at studying.
“Then how do we get a job?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“We don’t have a choice but to hunt those monsters. That woman explained that our jobs would be determined based on our efforts,” I answered him.
“I-I think I heard that too…” he commented.
Abel tried to speak but I inadvertently interrupted him. ‘Whelp to late now’
“We have to do something if we want things to change. We either need to keep training with our swords or continue fighting those monsters for a chance at getting a job. If we stay here, we’ll end up dying before we even get the chance to try anything,” I explained.
As I spoke, I poured out all the items that were inside the leather bag. Park Deok-Gu looked at me as if he was questioning my action, but when I weaved my shoelace into the leather and wrapped it around his body, he must’ve noticed something because he looked a bit touched.
“It looks like armor…don’t you need one hyung-nim and Abel-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
I didn’t need one since he was the one who would be fighting in front. A veil to cover my neck was all I needed. It wasn’t like I would be going out there to make a fuss. However, there wasn’t a need to explain that to him. And Abel sure as hell doesn’t need armor
“You have a bigger frame than I do,” I answered.
“I’m afraid that I won’t meet your expectations, but I’ll do my best one step at a time,” Park Deok-Gu said.
I nodded in agreement.
“Hey I forgot to say this but we need to set up a formation”
Both me and Park Deok-Gu nodded at that, I then piped up “how about Park Deok-Gu as the tank Abel as the attacker and me as support?
* * *
Park Deok-Gu met my expectations. Abel surpassed my expectations
To be honest, I knew he would be strong after I saw his basic stats. I didn’t understand how stats affected our bodies, but still, his stats were double compared to mine. I was particularly surprised by his endurance - 30 points.
He had his shield, sword, and strength, which came from his large frame. With the shabby leather armor, he looked like a gladiator in a movie.
My expectations for him were naturally high, and I was sure that he was going to leave a good impression on me. But after he gained some confidence, he greatly exceeded my expectations.
And Abel was a demon he once picked up a zombie and ripped off it’s arms so I could get the xp.
“Hyung-nim!” Deok-Gu called out to me.
“Got it,” I answered.
I saw his back as he was pushing back two monsters with his shield. While he must still be terrified because he looked pale, the monsters that got hit with his shield didn’t seem to feel the same way.
Park Deok-Gu was using his pure brute strength to push one of them back and while being pushed into a wall, the only thing the monsters could do was to attack with their claws. When I threw my spear through the narrow gap between them, I felt something strange as the spear pierced into the monster’s face.
‘Bullseye.’
“Ha!”
Park Deok-Gu also swung his sword as the monster released a bizarre scream. Even though he frowned, he tightened his grip around his sword because he knew from experience that if he let his guard down, he could get hurt.
“Screeech…”
After the monster’s body became lifeless, I pierced my spear into the monster’s face one more time.
“Pant…pant…”
‘I’m tired.’
It looked easy, but nothing about it was easy. My job was easier compared to Park Deok-Gu’s job, but there was a difference between our stamina. We only spent a few minutes dealing with the monsters, but my entire body was already covered in sweat.
“Here, have some water,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“Thanks,” I said looking back to see Abel cracking open the skulls of two zombies by himself.
‘Mind’s eye’
[Name - Abel von Jaeger]
[Title - Undead Brutalizer]
[Age - 20- Happy birthday!]
[Tendency - Apathetic strategist]
[Job - Unemployed]
[Stats]
[Strength - 40] (legendary)
[Agility - 21](below epic)
[Stamina - 21](above epic)
[Intelligence - 43](legendary)
[Endurance - 32](above epic)
[Luck -21](below epic)
[Magic - 06](above epic)
[Holy power - 3] (above rare)
‘Fucking monster’ his stats all went up except magic and holy power but they don’t matter right now.
When I released a light sigh, Park Deok-Gu asked worriedly.
“Why do I feel like you’re too weak?”
“It’s because I’ve never exercised before,” I answered.
My Stamina stat did increase though.
‘By one point.’
Park Deok-Gu was a bit different. He originally started with 30 points, and he now has 33 points. Compared to me, he had a great result. I wasn’t sure if our talent affected our stat growth, but it must be the case. I once again looked at Abel before quickly looking away.
The rank of Deok-Gu’s endurance stat was above epic and if he wanted, he had the potential to reach above legendary, so growing this fast wouldn’t be considered as pushing his limits.
‘Damn it.’
Every jealousy has a reason and I have two.
What I was worried about was being no longer needed by Park Deok-Gu, but looking at his innocent-looking face, it didn’t seem like that was what he was thinking. Even so, he needed to rely on me so that I could have an advantage in surviving this place. He and Abel both.
“Hyung-nim, how about we go a bit farther today? ” Park Deok-Gu suggested.
“Let’s look around some more…and lower your voice when you’re talking,” I told him.
“Do we still need to be cautious?” he asked.
“What do you think was the reason those monsters gathered at the starting point?” I asked instead of answering.
“That female guide…” he didn’t finish his sentence.
“That’s a possibility, but I think there’s a different reason. The monsters may be slow, but they’re sensitive to sound. Since people were yelling for a long time in one area, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the monsters came from different directions. If we started the tutorial quietly, I’m sure half of the group would’ve survived,” I explained to him.
“I-Is that so?” Park Deok-Gu questioned.
“Yeah and stop going ‘Heup!’ and shouting so much when you’re fighting. It’s not that bad right now since we’re only dealing with one or two monsters that have been separated from the group, but when there’s a group of six or seven monsters, we’ll be the prey instead of the hunters,” I warned him.
It was strange how he was looking at me with respect. If he thought about it more objectively, he would’ve realized this himself. But this innocent guy didn’t think badly of me, which I found hilarious.
After nodding my head, I continued talking.
“This place around us doesn’t have that much monster foot traffic because the monsters that were originally here have gathered at the starting point. I’m sure the people that ran away during that time are in a similar situation to us right now.”
I thought it would be best to share with him the Intel that I had one by one.
“Let’s eat something,” I suggested.
“Good idea,” Park Deok-Gu said in agreement.
Just as we quietly sat on the ground and took out the dry food that even a dog wouldn’t eat...
“...”
I heard a faint voice from somewhere and it seems Abel heard it to
I wanted to pretend that I didn’t hear it, but Park Deok-Gu asked while listening closely.
“Isn’t that a person’s voice?”
“No way.”
“Kyaaah…please save me,” someone screamed.
To make things worse, the voice was getting closer.
‘Oh…’
They knew that we were here.
‘It was a mistake.’
Leaving sword marks on the wall so that we wouldn’t get lost was a mistake. I hoped that someone would come and find us, but I never imagined someone would approach us while screaming like a maniac.
“H-hyung-nim,” Park Deok-Gu called out.
“Grab your sword,” I told him.
It was too late to avoid them.
“Screech!”
Luckily, there didn’t seem to be a lot of monsters chasing the person. Having a new person join us was exciting, but at the same time, it was depressing.
‘It would be a different story if they had food and water, though…’
Having limited resources was the problem. We weren’t philanthropists so we needed someone to fight with us, not hold us back. To join us, they must have the will to fight, food rations, and their group must also be small. The screaming person definitely did not meet these conditions. They did not deserve to travel with us.
“How annoying…” I commented.
“I don’t think we need to worry so much hyung-nim. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of them,” Park Deok-Gu said.
‘Easy for you to say.’
While holding his sword and shield, he ran out first. I immediately followed behind him while holding my spear.
When we arrived at a slightly open area, we saw a woman running with six monsters chasing after her. Half of her clothes were torn and even though she was beautiful overall, I wasn’t interested in her physical appearance.
‘Damn it.’
She must’ve seen us because the way she ran towards us was a sight to behold. She had neither weapon nor food on her.
After checking the stats of the monsters behind her, I immediately activated my eyes and looked at the woman.
[Checking Jung Ha-Yan’s Status Window and Potential.]
[Name - Jung Ha-Yan]
[Title - None. Please work harder.]
[Age - 21]
[Nature - Innocent Supporter]
[Job - Unemployed.]
[Stats]
[Strength - 10/Below rare growth limit]
[Agility - 11/Below rare growth limit]
[Stamina - 12/Below epic growth limit]
[Intelligence - 22/Above epic growth limit]
[Endurance - 14/Below rare growth limit]
[Luck - 23/Above epic growth limit]
[Magic - 10/Above legendary growth limit]
[Overall Review - Jung Ha-Yan possesses above legendary growth limit. Her overall physical stats may be low, but she’ll be able to grow a lot later as a mage or a priest. Currently, Jung Ha-Yan isn’t aware of the fact that she is able to feel magic. Compared to this woman, it’s not an exaggeration to say that player Lee Ki-Young is like the dirt that’s on an ant’s pincer.]
‘What the hell.’
I couldn’t believe the stats of the woman that was running while panting. It was my first time seeing someone with an above legendary stat rank. Unlike Me, who didn’t possess any magic points, she already possessed 10 points.
“We’ve never fought against six monsters,” Park Deok-Gu said.
I could already imagine the scene of us abandoning the woman, but after checking her stats, everything changed.
“We’re going to fight,” I said.
“Can we even win?” Park Deok-Gu questioned.
“We’ll lure them to a narrow area,” I suggested.
“I understand,” he said.
Fighting while leaning against a wall was more advantageous than being surrounded. The downside was that we wouldn’t have an escape route, but I believed that we weren’t going to lose so easily. I tightened my grip around my spear.
She must’ve realized where we were because she started running as fast as she could. Seeing as how she nodded her head when I waved to her to come this way, I guess she wasn’t dull-witted at all.
“We’ll stand by at the corner,” I suggested.
“G-Got it,” Park Deok-Gu stuttered.
When the woman reached us, the monsters turned around the corner, and Park Deok-Gu swung his shield with all his might.
“Now!” I yelled.
“Ha!”
The monster was pushed back for a moment, but as it charged towards Park Deok-Gu again, I attacked with my spear.
“Hyung-nim!”
When another monster grabbed my spear, my mind went blank, but thanks to Park Deok-Gu’s swinging of his sword, the monster was destroyed. But as a result, he lost his posture.
Abel was dealing with the other three quite swiftly
As expected, dealing with three monsters wasn’t easy. The only thing I could do for Park Deok-Gu, who was crouching while holding his shield, was to swing my spear.
The moment I bit my lips again, I suddenly saw a sword coming out from the monster’s back.
“T-Thank you,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“It’s nothing,” someone said.
Someone helped us. After the monster was taken out, the person standing behind it was a face that I had seen before. He was the same man that helped us back at the starting point.
I remembered his slightly desperate face.
“What the…” I whispered.
[Checking Player Kim Hyun-Sung’s Status Window and Potential.]
[Name - Kim Hyun-Sung]
[Title - Regressor of Altanus, Swordsman that Starts the Second Round, One Who Couldn’t Overcome, One Who Sacrifices, The Awakened.]
[Age - 22?]
[Nature - Kind-hearted Mediator]
[Job - Swordsman-Average rank]
[Stats]
[Strength - 19/Above legendary growth limit]
[Agility - 28/Above legendary growth limit]
[Stamina - 23/Above legendary growth limit]
[Intelligence - 18/Below epic growth limit]
[Endurance - 22/Below epic growth limit]
[Luck - 23/Above epic growth limit]
[Magic - 11/Above legendary growth limit]
‘What is this… He beat Abel’s legendaries by double?’
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the unknown status window.
‘A Regressor? Time reversal?’
From the looks of it, this didn’t seem to be his first time.

Chapter Text

I carefully read his stats again and realized that I wasn’t seeing things.
[Checking Player Kim Hyun-Sung’s Status Window and Potential.]
[Name - Kim Hyun-Sung]
[Title - Regressor of Altanus, Swordsman that Starts the Second Round, One Who Couldn’t Overcome, One Who Sacrifices, The Awakened.]
[Age - 22?]
[Nature - Kind-hearted Mediator]
[Job - Swordsman - Average rank]
[Stats]
[Strength - 19/Above legendary growth limit]
[Agility - 28/Above legendary growth limit]
[Stamina - 23/Above legendary growth limit]
[Intelligence - 18/Below epic growth limit]
[Endurance - 22/Below epic growth limit]
[Luck - 23/Above epic growth limit]
[Magic - 11/Above legendary growth limit]
[Talent - Sword Expert-Epic]
[Overall Review - Amazing. It’s understandable if you can’t believe it even after seeing it with your own eyes. It’s impossible to accurately measure Kim Hyun-Sung’s potential strength, agility, and stamina. The other stats have amazing potential as well. He has an enormous amount of potential to grow as a mage, but he has better potential as a close-range warrior. Even though he has an average-ranked job, he has more opportunities to grow. Compared to Lee Ki-Young…no, comparing you to him insults Kim Hyun-Sung. Consider it an honor to be able to talk to him.]
‘No way…’
Even after rubbing my eyes, the Regressor title was still there.
‘He really went back in time?’
Of course, I couldn’t believe it. Although the monsters that had attacked us were very much real, I would still believe it if someone told me that they had pulled a hidden camera prank on me.
Swordsman that Starts the Second Round. I was so dumbfounded that I didn’t know what to say. Unless my talent, Mind’s Eye, was lying to me, it meant that the man in front of me had already experienced this situation once. When I thought about it, he didn’t look scared when we were at the starting point.
‘Damn it…’
I cursed. I knew my world was somewhat unfair, but I didn’t expect to experience that same unfairness here. High stats, high potential ability, job, and legendary attributes.
‘Will I be able to read his attributes?’
The moment I thought about it, his information popped up.
[Attribute, Swordsmanship Expert]
[Additional points will be awarded for every action that uses a sword. Attack power will increase at a fixed rate in proportion to the time the sword is swinging.]
‘Good.’
I didn’t know the formula for calculating attack power, but I felt like obtaining definite results based on practice time was a really good attribute. I wasn’t sure what kind of attributes I would see in the future, but as a swordsman, it was useful for building one’s foundation.
I bit my lips because it seemed unfair, but if he really arrived here after going back in time, then I could understand how he had those legendary stats.
“You are?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“My name is Kim Hyun-Sung,” he answered.
“I’m Park Deok-Gu.”
“And he’s?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.
“That’s Ki-Young Hyung-nim, and the guy…” Park Deok-Gu suddenly looked at Abel who was comforting the girl but was failing miserably as he was covered in blood. “Ignore him”
“I guess…this isn’t your first time fighting,” Kim Hyun-Sung commented.
“Well, as you can see. Ki-Young made this leather armor and even though we haven’t fought a lot, we’ve gotten slightly used to hunting. He destroyed the head of a monster first using his spear and after seeing that, I gained a bit of confidence,” Park Deok-Gu explained.
“Despite that…you seem pretty experienced,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Well, everything is thanks to Hyung-nim here. You look more experienced than him though. Didn’t you kill that monster with one shot?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“I was just lucky,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered. The man turned his attention to me after hearing what Park Deok-Gu said.
‘He’s talking nonsense…’
It wasn’t easy to act like nothing was wrong since I had all sorts of thoughts in my head. The moment our eyes met, it felt like he was looking through me. I felt like I was naked and I found it uncomfortable, but more than that, a strange feeling caused my body to tremble.
‘Bloodthirstiness? Magic?’
Since I didn’t know what it was, it didn’t matter either way, but I felt something strange.
“What…” I didn’t finish my sentence.
‘Did he catch on to the fact that…I was reading this status window?’
I posed as if I was reading something and I obviously looked out of place.
On Kim Hyun-Sung’s status window, kind-hearted was what was shown under nature, but it didn’t mean that he was just a good-natured person.
He returned to the past for a reason and even though it was only a slight possibility, if he believed that we were enemies, he might swing his sword at us without hesitation. No, I must not be suspicious in his eyes. I couldn’t let anything untoward happen.
Just then, Park Deok-Gu spoke while quietly chuckling. “Hyung-nim, can you stop looking at your status window? Did you get a job or something?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
‘Nice, Park Deok-Gu.’
“It’s similar to that but I’ll tell you later,” I told him.
I felt like I hadn’t calmed down yet. Rather than talking to Kim Hyun-Sung first, I decided to walk towards the woman named Park Ha-Yan who had managed to escape Abel.
She must’ve been surprised because while catching her breath, she eventually looked up at me and then spoke, “Thanks I guess.”
‘Bitch what?’
“It’s nothing. We were in the middle of finding survivors anyway,” I explained to her.
“I see…” she said quietly.
“I’ll help you stand up,” I offered to her.
“Oh, it’s okay. I don’t want to cause any more trouble…” Park Ha-Yan didn’t finish her sentence, staring at Abel with odd eyes. ‘Fucking dimwit probably scared her
She was already at her limit. When I quietly offered her my hand, she grabbed it as if she had no choice.
Because Kim Hyun-Sung was looking towards us, I felt like I was walking on eggshells. I spoke quietly towards him. “Thank you for your help and my name is Lee Ki-Young by the way. This was our first time handling six of them at the same time…we would’ve been in trouble if it wasn’t for your help,” I said, thanking Kim Hyun-Sung.
“My name is Kim Hyun-Sung. Now that I think about it, I think I’ve seen you before,” he said.
“I remember you helping me back at the starting point. Thank you very much for helping me,” I said, thanking him again.
“Oh…right…” he said, not finishing his sentence.
“Yes. Things were so chaotic that I ended up running away…” I explained to him.
He didn’t really remember. Thinking about the situation back then, it was understandable that he couldn’t remember every detail. For some reason, I recalled the moment where the woman I couldn’t save was getting eaten by the monsters.
After shaking my head, I continued talking. “Are you by yourself? It must be hard…”
“For now…I’m currently gathering survivors. There are people traveling together,” he explained.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“I’m gathering survivors. I heard a scream while passing by…let’s stick together for now. I’ve prepared a base at an appropriate location,” Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.
I saw Park Deok-Gu quietly looking at me. The look on his face seemed to ask me as to what I was going to do. It seems Abel shared that same look.
Kim Hyun-Sung must’ve realized that he was being a bit rude because he asked Park Deok-Gu. “Oh, my apologies. Would you like to come with me?”
That was when Deok-Gu nodded his head. However, there was a need to think about it.
“How many survivors are there?” I asked.
“About 30 people,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.
“And how many people can fight?” I asked again.
“There aren’t that many. If you and Deok-Gu join us, we’ll be in a better situation than before. It would be great if you two could join us,” he explained.
‘I’m worried…’
It was just as I expected. I wasn’t sure how accurate his nature was on the status window, but his nature, kind-hearted mediator, seemed to be the truth.
‘A pushover.’
Calling him an angel was putting it nicely and calling him a pushover was putting it badly. If screaming was the only thing that the majority of the people at his survival base could do, then the situation would only get worse. I was sure the people there weren’t eating properly and were living in constant fear.
Having a lot of people wasn’t necessarily advantageous. If five people gathered, there was at least one idiot in the group. Based on that, if 30 people gathered, I believed that the situation would only get worse.
I’m sure people were going to start talking. The group might be strong enough to deal with emergencies, but if there were too many things they had to protect, then it would make things more chaotic.
However, the reality was that I had no choice but to nod since I had a lot of questions. I wanted to know what exactly was a regressor. How he got a job, and how he was able to start in a different way from others. I also wanted to know how to use magic. Most importantly, I wanted to know the secret behind this tutorial.
Kim Hyun-Sung knew the strategy for this place and not only that, he had information about the Continent. Regardless of what happened, following him was the right thing to do.
“We’ll go with you,” I told him.
“Thank you for agreeing. Let’s head out soon since more of those monsters will be coming here,” Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Oh, you are…” Kim Hyun-Sung turned his attention towards Jung Ha-Yan and Abel.
“My name is Jung Ha-Yan. And I…”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Ms. Jung Ha-Yan. My name is Kim Hyun-Sung,” he said, interrupting her.
They exchanged quick introductions.
While supporting Jung Ha-Yan, I slowly started looking at Kim Hyun-Sung’s face. He looked a bit different from when he was looking at me or Park Deok-Gu. It was because he was staring at Jung Ha-Yan for a long time.
He seemed a bit surprised. A strange sense of accomplishment appeared on his face. I wasn’t sure if this was the correct comparison, but it was as if he had found an oasis in a desert or he met his family that he got separated from.
Jung Ha-Yan also must’ve noticed the fact that Kim Hyun-Sung was staring at her because she looked at him warily. Anyone would become wary if someone stared at them for that long she also hid behind the nearest person/Abel.
It was to the point that I asked myself, ‘Was he looking for her?’ No, it was highly probable that she was the person that he was looking for.
“Are you okay?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked her.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she answered.
“If you feel uncomfortable, please let me know anytime,” he told her.
“I-I’m really okay,” she said, stuttering.
He then looked at Abel slightly confused “and you are?”
“Abel von Jaeger”
“Like the famous mma fighter?”said Jung Ha-Yan. To which Abel nodded “I do enjoy being called famous but being a fighter means nothing here.”
Kim Hyungsung smiled “ always good to have a helping hand.”
Abel shook his hand “ah I also have some experience with management if that will help”
“YES it wou-“
Ignoring their conversation for a moment, I was deep into my thoughts.
‘Let’s assume.’
It was a bit funny, but let’s assume.
Let’s assume that I regressed.
I didn’t know how Kim Hyun-Sung’s life ended, but it could’ve been either sad or happy. Unless he intentionally started this life over, it was possible that he had regrets in his past life.
‘One Who Couldn’t Overcome.’
This was one of his titles. Even if he didn’t acquire this title intentionally, the fact that it belonged to him remained the same.
Humans were animals that often regret. Even if it was just me, I thought about what would’ve happened if I saved the woman I saw at the starting point. If I had power, then I would have had the option to save the woman and run away with Park Deok-Gu.
What if I knew everything that was going to happen in the future and knew all the talented people who were going to play an important role?
In my case, I would try to change the things that I regretted, but of course, that wasn’t the only thing. I would strive to acquire everything so that I would have the advantage from the start, such as talented people, treasures, jobs, as well as goods.
I would also eliminate any threats and enemies that we would encounter in the future.
‘Although it’s funny to think about…’
In that sense, seeing as how Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t really show any reaction towards me and Park Deok-Gu, it was safe to assume that we weren’t going to block Kim Hyun-Sung’s path in the future or become villains that would shift the balance of the world. As a result, it meant that we weren’t characters with important roles. I’m certain we were one of those people that could simply be considered as passers-by, and by that thought then people like Abel and Jung Ha-Yan would be allies or maybe villains?.
“Will it be okay if I call you Ha-Yan?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.
“Oh…yes! You are helping us it’d be rude other wise.” Jung Ha-Yan answered, stuttering.
Jung Ha-Yan.
She had enormous potential as a mage or a priestess. Corroborating the information that I saw through my Mind’s Eyes, I immediately understood.
‘She’s valuable.’
Of course, this was just an assumption. However, if I put together all the small information and use deductive reasoning, I could obtain a reasonable result. This woman was going to change the world in the future. I wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she would be in a very important position.
However, it could also be a simple delusion of my own. Jung Ha-Yan could’ve been Kim Hyun-Sung’s lifesaver and was a comrade that he regretted not saving. She could also be like me or Park Deok-Gu who would die before doing anything.
But it was worth trying…
‘This woman.’
She was no longer a burden, but a precious treasure that had fallen into our hands.
My third shield… I looked at Abel who was planing with Kim Hyung-Sung.
‘I’ll use all of you to the fullest!’

Chapter Text

Honestly, it wasn’t just Jung Ha-Yan, but Kim Hyun-Sung as well. Whatever the reason was, there was a good possibility that this strong man once saw the end of the world. He knew everything that was going to happen and he seemed to have the will to change and use that future for his own agenda.
If I were to borrow the words from a fantasy novel, he was like a chosen warrior. There wasn’t a reason for me to maintain a bad relationship with him.
‘Lucky bastard.’
I wasn’t jealous of the burdens he carried on his back but the things that he was going to obtain and use from now on. It was a rather clear fact that he would be climbing up in the future.
I thought it would be best for us to obtain as much as we could, while we had the chance.
“How much farther do we have to go? Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Yes, we’re almost there,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered while having a conversation with Abel.
“So Hyungsung in the most respectful way I can your whole infrastructure is Scheisse your lucky it made it this far with a lack of proper training and administrative positions.” Abel said while completely ignoring Park Deok-Gu
Park Deok-Gu mumbled with dissatisfaction and Kim Hyun-Sung gave a small nod to show that they could keep moving. It was strangely interesting that he was cautious while looking around. He was definitely watching out for the monsters.
His stats right now weren’t that high. While it was true that he was in an advantageous position because he had attributes, a job, and magic stats, I doubt that he would be able to do anything much if monsters swarmed us from all directions.
‘That’s probably why he couldn’t protect everyone then.’
If that was possible, then no one would’ve died at the starting point.
“More than that, it seems like a lot more people survived than I expected. I thought the majority of them died…” Park Deok Gu said.
“Honestly, we could’ve saved more. I lost my composure too at first, so I had a difficult time facing them. If there were more people that could fight…” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.
“Well, I was in the same situation. All I did was run away…if it wasn’t for hyung-nim and Abel-nim, I would’ve died already. Are all 30 people from the starting point?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Oh! Not really. It seemed like there was a starting point at a different location as well. The place was a bit far from where we were…” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.
“Ugh…I guess we weren’t the only ones that came here,” Park Deok-Gu commented.
“Yes, but if we broaden our search scope, I’m sure we’ll receive good news. The search party has been finding traces of people little by little,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by good news.
“Are you thinking about finding more survivors?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“I believe we definitely should if circumstances allow us to,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered confidently.
Abel just sighed and seemingly gave up.
I guess it wasn’t a lie when the word, kind-hearted, was included in his nature. There was no way I could know the details, but it seemed like he wanted to save and survive with everyone, which made my head hurt.
‘This guy…’
I had an idea how the survivor camp was being managed mostly from his conversations with Abel.
“You don’t look so good. I-Is something the matter?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.
I must’ve looked slightly unwell because Jung Ha-Yan asked while studying my face.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about something…” I answered her.
“I-If you’re uncomfortable, then.”
“I’m fine,” I said, interrupting her.
“Oh…I…well…” she said nervously.
“Sorry?” I asked.
“I-I know I’m late, but…thank you for saving me,” she said.
A small smile appeared on her face as she thanked me. Thankfully I used Abel as a human pack mule so I didn’t have to lug her to wherever we are going.
When we walked a bit farther, we saw a very open space.
‘Not bad.’
The space wasn’t that bad. Having one entrance wasn’t a bad thing. It seemed like they installed barricades to block the monsters that would come in through the entrance. I also couldn’t see the inside from out here.
“Amazing. How did you find this place?” Park Deok-Gu asked in amazement.
‘He probably knew about this place already.’
“I found it by accident. I found this place while the survivors and I were trying to find a decent place to settle,” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.
“You were really lucky,” Park Deok-Gu commented.
It was possible that he used this place in his past life. This place was different from the starting point where monsters were able to come from all directions. It was a bit crude, but having this as the base in a place like this was like having a strong castle.
It was unlikely that he actually found this place by accident when it was very far from the starting point. It was only a little bit, but I was starting to become certain that he really regressed and went back in time.
“It’s really amazing. Don’t you think so, hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked me.
I nodded lightly.
“Even if 100 of those monsters come charging in, I’m sure we’ll be able to block them with a place like this,” Park Deok-Gu said excitedly.
“I don’t think so,” I said, disagreeing with him.
“I-I guess I was over-exaggerating a bit,” he said.
If there were enough people, we could indeed stop them. But not having a way out apart from the one and only entrance was this base’s weakness. If the number of monsters that invade this place became unbearable, then we would definitely be annihilated. Excluding the few lucky ones, everyone would die.
I opened my mouth slowly as I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung. “All the sides are blocked. If a large number of monsters come in through the entrance…”
“That’s why we’re moving with utmost caution. We’ve also been diligently taking care of the monsters that appear nearby,” he explained, interrupting me.
“Do you go out to hunt regularly?” I asked.
“Yes. At least until we find another clue…” he answered.
I was starting to get curious as to who did the hunting. When we walked slowly to the entrance, I saw a woman coming out to greet us. She was a bit short and had a charming look.
“You’re back, Hyun-Sung oppa? Oh, you’ve brought new people,” she said, greeting him.
She flinched a bit when she looked at the large-framed Park Deok-Gu walking towards her while holding a sword and shield. I was surprised by how she talked to us while maintaining her smile.
‘She’s friendly.’
“Lee Jihee,” Kim Hyun-Sung called out.
“I was worried because you were getting a bit late,” she explained.
[Checking player Lee Jihee’s Status Window and Potential.]
[Name - Lee Jihee]
[Title - None. Please work harder.]
[Age - 29]
[Nature - Selfish and ambitious person]
[Job - Unemployed.]
[Stats]
[Strength - 05/Below average growth limit]
[Agility - 09/Below average growth limit]
[Stamina - 09/Below average growth limit]
[Intelligence - 18/Above rare growth limit]
[Endurance - 08/Below average growth limit]
[Luck - 12/Below average growth limit]
[Magic - 00/Below average growth limit]
‘Trash.’
I couldn’t help but mumble to myself at the appearance of the trash that was more hopeless than me, but truthfully she wasn’t that different from me.
[Overall Review - Congratulations, Lee Ki-Young. You’ve finally met your soulmate. There’s a good chance that she’ll be a good match for you. Not only does she have low stats, but she has bad potential. Wielding a sword or staff is not recommended. It may be different if she wants to use them to end her own life because of her horrible talent. I won’t wish for you two to get together because I’ll feel really bad for the baby that’ll be born.]
I was about to curse, but I suppressed it. It seemed like the message that appeared on the status window was taunting me.
After quickly turning off the status window, I recalled the information about the woman. Her nature stood out more than her lousy talent and stats.
‘Selfish and ambitious person.’
I guess I could say that she was similar to me.
Unlike the others that were inside, she came out to greet Kim Hyun-Sung because she was conscious of the gazes of other people. She was sucking up to Kim Hyun-Sung in order to live.
“Hehe, can I get your names?” Lee Jihee asked.
“I’m Park Deok-Gu,” he answered first.
“I’m Lee Ki-Young.”
“I’m J-Jung Ha-Yan. Nice to meet you,” she said.
“Abel.” Said Abel obviously annoyed
“Nice to meet you all. I’ll first take you to where you can rest. Is that okay, Hyun-Sung oppa?” Lee Jihee asked.
“Of course, I’ll leave it up to you, Jihee…ah and Abel will be taking over some of the administration” he answered.
“…Yes, just leave it to me, Hyun-Sung oppa,” she said begrudgingly only accepting after a death glare from Abel.
The way she clenched her fists looked cute, but after recalling her nature, she didn’t seem so sweet anymore. Seeing as how she was studying me, Jung Ha-Yan, Park Deok-Gu and Abel, it seemed like she was guessing how we happened to collaborate with Kim Hyun-Sung.
Park Deok-Gu must’ve passed her assessment because he had a large frame and was holding a shield and sword and Abel well… He probably passed. Jung Ha-Yan and I on the other hand must’ve failed because Jung Ha-Yan was limping and I looked weak despite the multiple weapons.
The way she intentionally went to Park Deok-Gu’s side and started talking to him after being blown off by Abel was a funny sight.
“Have you encountered any monsters?” Lee Ji-Hye asked Park Deok-Gu.
“Not only did we encounter them, but we killed a few already,” he answered her.
“Oh my…wasn’t it scary?” she asked again. Her slightly surprised expression was an act.
“O-Of course it was scary, but…hm. If it wasn’t for hyung-nim, I would’ve been in big trouble,” Park Deok-Gu explained.
The moment he gave her an unnecessary answer, Lee Ji-Hye looked at me again. I wasn’t sure if it was because we were similar, but I knew what she was doing right now. She was revising her evaluation of me.
I probably went from a liability to Park Deok-Gu’s hyung-nim.
“Oh, so Ki-Young fought with you,” she said.
“Of course, we fought together! Every time he attacked with his spear, the monsters started falling one by one, ane then Abel would-” Park Deok-Gu rambled.
‘Shut up, you pig…’
I wanted to cover Park Deok-Gu’s mouth. I thought I had shown him a slightly impressive side of me, but his affection towards me was excessive. I felt relieved because I didn’t have to worry about him backstabbing me, but those actions of his caught me off guard.
“Oh, I see. That’s a relief. At least the base will become a bit safer now,” Lee Ji-Hye commented. She spoke as if she was looking forward to it.
However, I didn’t feel happy about it after I read the expression of the survivors that looked at us as we entered. I activated Mind’s Eye and checked everyone, but no one really caught my attention. But I completely understood the looks they gave us.
‘Relief.’
They all looked relieved. They released sighs of relief when they saw us enter with weapons.
“Sigh…”
I expected something like this to happen, but after seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t help but sigh. This place that Kim Hyun-Sung created was a very safe place indeed. Not to us, but for them.
Let’s hope Abel can work some magic
Side STORY!!!!!
Jung Hayan pov: woooo baby!!! Timeline- on the way to the base’s medical ward.
“Hey, Mister I can walk,” I said mostly because he had me slumped over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. “No.” All I got as a response was one shitty letter “at least let me walk while leaning on you.” He didn’t even speak this time only shushing me I got so frustrated I accidentally said “fuck you”
I quickly covered my mouth but all he did was ignore me for a second and then say “don’t make friends here or else I’ll kill them.”
“Huh?” my only response was a shushing sound. “Asshole”

Chapter Text

I wasn’t a philanthropist. I was actually the opposite and was similar to Lee Ji-Hee, who was smiling like an idiot in front of me.
When we walked in with our weapons and armor, a few survivors nodded at us as if they were happy to see veteran warriors join them.
‘This wasn’t what I wanted…’
At this rate, I will end up being the meat shield.
“I said guide to make it sound impressive, but there isn’t much I can show you. Besides the fact that the males and females have separate rooms, there isn’t much to see here,” Lee Ji-Hee explained.
“We’re still thankful for this,” Park Deok-Gu commented.
“Thank you for your understanding. I was a bit worried…” she said.
“There’s no need to worry. We’re thankful that we were even invited here,” he told her.
“Hehe, you’re very nice. Would it be okay if I called you Deok-Gu oppa?” Lee Ji-Hee asked.
“Well… do as you please…” he answered.
“You’re reliable,” she complimented him.
The innocent Park Deok-Gu was kind of getting fooled by Lee Ji-Hee. Although she was six years older than him, I guess he liked it when she called him Oppa.
“Is that alright for you, Mr. Ki-Young?” she asked me.
“I don’t care about titles, so do as you please,” I answered.
I noticed her not looking in Jung Ha-Yan’s general direction.
“Then I’ll call you Ki-Young oppa from now on. Hehe. Oh! Please come this way Ms. Ha-Yan. There aren't any particular rules about living here, but Hyun-Sung will explain the details about this place to the rest of you. As for you, Ms. Ha-Yan. I’ll be the one to explain the details to you, so you should just rest for today,” Lee Ji-Hye suggested.
“Oh… okay! Abel-Oppa, I’ll see you in a bit. Thank you for bringing me all the way here,” Jung Ha-Yan thanked Abel.
“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit,” He told her.
“Okay!” she responded energetically.
Jung Ha-Yan bowed her head before entering the women’s section with Lee Ji-Hye. I was sure she was being told of the various rules about this place, but I honestly wasn’t really interested in what they were doing.
I was more interested in what we should be doing moving forward but when I looked back Abel had disappeared.
‘Ass hat’
“Hyung-nim, don’t you think this place is somewhat a good place to live?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“It is, but…” I said, not finishing my sentence.
“Something wrong?” he asked curiously.
“It’s not a big problem, but,” I answered.
“But?”
“It’s nothing,” I said.
“How lame…” Park Deok-Gu commented.
I frowned a bit at the thought that I could become a meat shield that would protect this safe shelter, but after thinking about it more, I realized that it wasn’t a bad deal.
‘All I need to do is get what I need.’
There were so many things I could obtain from this place. After safely hunting with Kim Hyun-Sung, I could obtain a job through the hunt, and then I would bring Jung Ha-Yan to our side. I’m sure there would be a few problems along the way, but it was none of our concern.
As expected, Kim Hyun-Sung called for both Park Deok-Gu and me the next morning.
“Did you sleep well?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.
“I did, thanks to you,” Park Deok-Gu responded briefly.
I hadn’t been able to sleep well when it was just Deok-Gu and me. Compared to when we had to take turns taking short naps, this was an amazing respite.
I had an idea about what Kim Hyun-Sung was going to talk about today so I spoke up first when I saw him hesitating a bit. “I don’t see a lot of people that can fight. The majority of them are either women or injured and if not those, then they just don’t have the will to fight,” I said.
“Yes. Unfortunately, that’s the case,” Kim Hyun-Sung agreed.
“How are you maintaining this place?” I asked.
I decided to be straightforward about it since it was something I had been curious about. After staying silent for a moment, Kim Hyun-Sung slowly opened his mouth.
“Honestly, the situation isn’t that great, but it’s been getting better since y’all arived” he started.
That was what I expected. I stroked my chin as I took over.
“You don’t have food and water and there aren’t enough people that can fight. And yet, you have 30 children you need to look after, maybe even more. It looks like that number is going to be increasing.”
“…”
“You may have been able to endure it up until now with the food and water that you obtained before this, but the supplies that you put together ran out faster than you thought and now it’s time for you to find a solution again. Am I right? Bringing supplies from the other starting points is impossible now. As of right now, taking care of the monsters that are in front of this building has been overwhelming, and yet, the number of dead-weights that can’t fight has been steadily increasing,” I explained.
“They’re not deadweights,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Perhaps they’ll stop being deadweights later on, but they are deadweights right now,” I told him.
Kim Hyun-Sung remained quiet. It was probably because he somewhat agreed to what I said.
“To be honest, considering the current situation, I think leaving this place may not be such a bad idea,” I suggested.
“Are you going to leave hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
I spoke as I shook my head.
“I’m not, but all I’m saying is that staying here won’t be beneficial for us,” I told him.
“Oh…”
“Mr. Hyun-Sung, I can’t say that Park Deok-Gu and I are amazing people. While he may be helpful, I may not be. The only thing that I did was stand by while holding my spear,” I explained to him.
“...”
“However, we can still fight together and be your strength,” I said.
“Thank you,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
He pretended like nothing was wrong, but I was sure he was having a hard time. Not only was he exhausted physically and mentally, but he was probably at his limits. I’m sure he was really glad when Park Deok-Gu and I appeared.
“I’m not a philanthropist,” I said bluntly.
“Oh…” was all Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“I have a basic idea of what you’re thinking about, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I’m sure you want everyone to survive so that we can all return. I also agree and understand, but I’m different from you. I can’t sacrifice myself for other people and I don’t really think about returning with everyone. I have nothing to say if you tell me that I’m being a bit selfish but…” I explained to him.
“No, I understand. I’m sure there’s something that you want,” he told me.
He was easier to talk to than I thought. I had been worried that he would say it wasn’t right and then he would draw his sword against me. But seeing how he responded, I was rather grateful to him.
“Then I’ll tell you. First is having ownership to a portion of the supplies that we find from now on,” I started.
He nodded slightly. I guess this didn’t really matter to him.
“And…”
“...”
“We would like to take part in your future plans, far than one of our party members helping with administration” I said.
Kim Hyun-Sung’s face stiffened slightly, then looked at us with a strange expression. He looked a bit surprised, but he gradually gave a faint smile.
“I guess you knew,” he said.
“At the starting point, the strange woman gave us two choices. Attack and survive. I personally think that the latter is impossible, no, it may be possible if a few people possessed a large number of supplies. However, I don’t recall hearing exactly how long we were supposed to survive for,” I explained.
“...”
“If we run into a situation where our second task was setting a goal, then gathering survivors isn’t the best thing to do. If we don’t get eaten by the monsters, we’ll end up dying from starvation. Anyone can make this deduction,” I told him.
Since I knew that he was a regressor, I just mixed and matched whatever deduction I could come up with. However, he seemed deeply impressed by me putting together the small pieces and coming up with a story. I could see him slightly bowing his head towards me. My assumptions were correct.
“I look forward to working with you,” he said.
“Me too…” I said.
As I grabbed Kim Hyun-Sung’s hand, I saw a sense of trust in his eyes.
He probably already knew that I wasn’t that strong, but in Kim Hyun-Sung’s head, he should have thought of me as a useful, competent person. For example, someone like a strategist or an administrator.
* * *
Jung Hayan pov
As I said good bye to lee Jihee I turned away from the girls quarters and ran to the forest and I stopped at an intersection where the trees cleared out “Are you here?” I was startled by a wooden spike holding a piece of tree bark with letters carved into it “play your role and your oppa and you get your happy life” I quickly read it and angrily said “Is Oppa safe.” After about a minute a response message came “no”
* * *
“Hyung-nim!” Park Deok-Gu called out.
“I know,” I told him.
Together with Kim Hyun-Sung, the hunt for monsters became easier. Not only that, but I was starting to thoroughly believe what I had seen in the status window through the Mind’s Eye. The regressor and murder murder hobo combo is quite amazing throughout the day I had to fight at most three zombies and even then they were injured
“Deok-Gu,” I called out to him.
“I’m going,” he answered.
Seeing the way he wielded his sword, Deok-Gu definitely seemed familiar with it but it looked like he wanted to hide his skills because he would intentionally make mistakes sometimes. However, when one of us was in trouble, the reaction he showed didn’t belong to someone that was wielding a sword for the first time.
‘Good.’
While Park Deok-Gu was handling a few monsters, Kim Hyun-Sung and I took care of the monsters in our line of sight. Since the monsters were sensitive to sound, Park Deok-Gu would hit his shield using his sword in their direction, and while he was getting aggroed, we would quickly take care of the monsters. Since there were so few zombies In this group Abel got to take a break
I guess I wasn’t used to fighting because my spear was shaking. When I attacked a monster that was charging towards Park Deok-Gu, it fell with my spear stuck to it. During that time, Park Deok-Gu used his shield to hit it.
“Ha!”
“I think there’s a few more coming. I’ll block them for a little bit, so you two…”
“Got it. Deok-Gu, grab the supplies, Abel will fill In as a tank for now” I said, interrupting Kim Hyun-Sung.
“That’s what I’ve been doing, hyung-nim. Did he take kendo or something while he was on Earth?” Park Deok-Gu asked me.
“I don’t know either. Maybe he did a similar sport or maybe it’s the effect of the job that he obtained,” I answered.
“He sure is fierce when fighting,” Park Deok-Gu commented.
Kim Hyun-Sung was using his high agility stats to dodge and attack. The movement looked easy but it was definitely not simple.
Park Deok-Gu finally knew why Kim Hyun-Sung was so far ahead of him, and it was because Kim Hyun-Sung revealed that he had a job. Park Deok-Gu seemed a bit anxious after knowing that. He was feeling stressed because he was in a situation where the job he had been waiting for seemed to never arrived and it seems Abel getting one in the last fight was quite the confidence blow.
“Ha!”
When I eventually killed the last one, Park Deok-Gu quietly nodded. He looked really surprised.
“This starting point has fewer monsters than I thought,” Park Deok-Gu commented.
“I’m sure he’s already cleaning up the area nearby,” I said.
“Are you talking about Kim Hyun-Sung?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Yeah. There’s a lot of supplies, but no survivors…no, if there was a survivor, then I’m sure all the supplies would’ve already run out,” I explained.
“I seriously didn’t think that the three of us would be able to obtain the supplies that were at the starting point,” he said.
“It’s all thanks to you,” I said, complimenting him.
“I didn’t do anything. It’s all on Kim Hyun-Sung,” he said.
“That’s not true. If it weren’t for you, it would’ve been difficult for us to even arrive here,” I told him.
They weren’t just empty words. We were able to come here because of Park Deok-Gu. No matter how efficient Kim Hyun-Sung was in taking down the monsters, it would be impossible for him to handle all monsters from every direction. He was still in the midst of development, and I was sure that having someone reliable to block the front lessened the burden that was on his shoulders.
Just then, I checked the status window to see if my stats increased.
“Oh? Hyung-nim,” Park Deok-Gu called out.
Park Deok-Gu’s voice sounded surprised and at the same time, I saw something pop out in my vision.
[A few jobs have opened. Please select the job that you think you’ll need.]
‘Great.’
It happened faster than I thought. I felt eager to clean up the area with Kim Hyun-Sung.
[Reading the available jobs.]
[Warrior - Average Rank]
[Archer - Average Rank]
[Mage - Average Rank]
[Leader - Average Rank]
I saw a job that I really wanted.
Wait somethings wrong didn’t abel have twelve options?
[Name - Abel von Jaeger]
[Title - Undead Brutalizer]
[Age - 20]
[Tendency - Apathetic strategist]
[Job - Magic axe user: class effect basic axe skills plus three to strength and magic grants basic magic. grade: Below rare]
[Stats]
[Strength - 45] (legendary)
[Agility - 27](below epic)
[Stamina - 29](above epic)
[Intelligence - 62](legendary)
[Endurance - 39](above epic)
[Luck -23](below epic)
[Magic - 16](above epic)
[Holy power - 9] (above rare)
[Overall: A rare class for your first class amazing job]