NOVEL WEB Chapter 4 - Tutorial (2)
Chapter 4 Tutorial (2)
For a brief moment, my vision was engulfed in darkness.
And when the light returned.
‘Hmm.’
I found myself inside a creepy cave.
A strong, fishy smell assaulted my nose.
[In order to engage in dungeon combat, you must form a team with your summons.]
[You can assign up to five summons per team!]
[Currently, ‘Jin-woo Baek’ only has two summons.]
[Would you like to assign ‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank) and ‘Furry Gorilla’ (F-rank) to Team 1?]
[Y/N]
Yes!
As soon as I clicked, Lamba and the Furry Gorilla were automatically summoned in front of me.
– Ew, it stinks! Wolf smell!
– Grrrooooar…
As soon as they were summoned, they both readied for battle.
[A hungry gray wolf is prowling nearby.]
[Defeat the wolf and escape the cave.]
Grrrrr.
The low growl of the wolf echoed throughout the cave.
At the same time.
Whiiiiing!
A golden aura surged up from beneath my feet, gently enveloping me.
[A ‘Shield’ has been generated for the player.]
[The ‘Shield’ will remain until your summons are unsummoned.]
[The ‘Shield’ nullifies all damage.]
‘Ah.’
This was the system from 「Battle of Summoners」.
The premise that players were protected in battles between summons.
‘But since this is reality…’
[Warning.]
[If you are attacked without the ‘Shield,’ you will die.]
‘Of course.’
I let out a dry laugh.
Even if the mechanics resembled a game, this was no longer a game.
It was reality.
In other words, I couldn’t just throw myself recklessly into a tough dungeon like I used to.
If I failed, I would die.
‘Climbing the tower is going to be a lot tougher.’
Still.
It was something I could manage.
I had already tried thousands, even tens of thousands of times, and I had all the strategies organized in my head.
Grrrrrrr.
The sound of the wolf’s growling, which had been distant, grew closer and closer.
“Lamba.”
– Yep!
“Start swinging your staff.”
– Okay! Here we go, ujah, ujah, ujah!
Whoosh, whoosh!
Lamba began lazily swinging her tiny staff.
[Skill]
– Wind Pressure: Increases the attack speed of a single allied summon by 3% with every swing of the staff.
Lamba’s ‘Wind Pressure’ gave an attack speed buff.
The more she swung her staff, the faster the Furry Gorilla’s (F-rank) attack speed would become.
– Gruh?
The gorilla tilted its head in confusion.
Welcome.
First time getting buffed, huh?
– Grrrooooar!
Feeling the surge of power, the gorilla’s eyes gleamed.
In front of it.
Grrrr.
A wolf, drooling from its mouth, was slowly prowling forward.
‘Wow.’
That thing…
Its size was massive.
On top of that, it had sharp teeth, bloodshot eyes, and rough, bristling fur…
‘It’s real.’
Yeah, that was a real wolf.
If my gorilla and Lamba lost?
Then my body would undoubtedly be torn apart by those teeth.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escaped my lips.
I hadn’t realized it, but my legs were already shaking.
My heart was pounding, and my head felt hot as if my blood was boiling.
Surely, the gorilla wouldn’t lose, right?
In the game, there was no way it could, but…
That wolf is real!
– Grrrr, bark! Bark!
The wolf leaped forward at that moment.
“Gorilla!”
I instinctively shouted.
– Gruh!
The Furry Gorilla rushed toward the wolf in response.
– Go, Furry! Fight!
Whoosh, whoosh!
Lamba continued to swing her staff behind them.
By the way, Lamba had zero combat ability.
If the gorilla died, Lamba would be finished too.
Crunch!
The wolf’s sharp teeth sank into the gorilla’s shoulder.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed out.
– Aaaaah! Furry! Are you okay? You can’t dieee!
But my gorilla didn’t just stand there and take it.
– Grrrooooar!
With one hand, it grabbed the wolf’s neck and began pounding the wolf’s belly with its other hand.
– Gahk, gaaaaah!
– Gruh, grrrrroooar!
A vicious brawl between the wolf and the gorilla erupted.
When the gorilla punched?
The wolf raked the gorilla’s belly with its hind claws.
There was only one thing left to rely on.
“Lamba!”
– I know! I’m swinging as hard as I can!
Whoosh, whoosh!
All that mattered was speeding up the gorilla’s punches!
That was Lamba’s OP ability.
Sure, right now, it wasn’t much.
But once she was fully developed, this would be a ridiculously broken buff.
– Grrrrroooooooar!
How much time passed as they fought?
The gorilla’s punches were getting significantly faster.
The wolf’s growls gradually weakened, and it seemed to be losing strength.
After a few minutes.
– Grrrrooooar! Grrrroooooar!
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
The Furry Gorilla, having turned the wolf into a bloody pulp, roared in victory.
[Dungeon Cleared!]
[‘Furry Gorilla’ (F-rank) has leveled up to 2.]
[‘Furry Gorilla’ (F-rank) has gained +1 Strength.]
[‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank) has leveled up to 2.]
[‘Wind Fairy’ (EX-rank) has gained +1 Intelligence.]
[You have received rewards.]
[2x Low-grade ‘Strength’ Rune.]
“Hah.”
The tension melted away.
At the same time, I realized.
‘As long as I win, it’s no big deal.’
Sure, if I lost, it’d be the end of my life, but if I won, I’d just be watching from the sidelines.
Whether it was as easy as it sounded was a different matter.
[The dungeon is disappearing.]
Whoosh!
My vision flipped, and I was back in the clearing.
I had obtained two low-grade runes.
‘First.’
Let’s figure out more details.
How to enter dungeons.
Where the tower and synthesis stations were.
That would be the next thing to find out.
***
Baek Ah-jin, Jin-woo’s younger sister, was 22 years old and a rune-farming player.
She mainly roamed low-level dungeons and made a living by selling runes to promising players.
She had been doing well in school, attending university, but after her brother’s accident, their family’s situation collapsed, and she became a player instead.
“Thank you for today, everyone!”
It was evening, and the sky was painted with the colors of the sunset.
Leaving the Jamsil Tower in Seoul, Ah-jin had earned a decent sum of money today as well.
Normally, she made around 100,000 won a day just from low-grade runes, but today, she had picked up a mid-grade rune.
The price of a mid-grade rune handled by the Player Headquarters was 100,000 won per piece.
In other words, she had earned 200,000 won in a single day.
“Hehe.”
She hummed a tune as she headed toward the bus stop.
She could have taken a taxi, but she was frugal to the core.
The cost of rent, family expenses, and her brother’s hospital bills weighed heavily on her shoulders.
‘I got lucky.’
In fact, she was a rare player with a C-rank summon.
Her summon was none other than the Shadow Elf (C-rank)!
It never appeared from a ‘low-grade scroll.’
It could only be summoned with the rare ‘mid-grade scroll,’ and even then, the chance was just 1%.
[E-rank: 94%]
[D-rank: 5%]
[C-rank: 1%]
That was the probability for the ‘mid-grade scroll.’
At first, she had to pour all the money she made into raising her summon, but now it had grown significantly.
She could farm runes steadily on her own now.
‘By the way…’
I wonder if my brother has been discharged from the hospital.
Humming, she clicked her brother’s number on her phone.
Ring, ring—
After a few rings, she heard a voice.
– Hello?
“Ah, Oppa! Did you get home okay? I should’ve picked you up, but I’m just now calling because of work.”
– Yeah, perfect timing.
“Huh?”
– Dad told me something. He said you’ve been selling runes?
“Eh?”
Ah-jin’s face twisted in confusion.
Selling runes?
What kind of lowly expression was that?!
“Ugh, that’s a terrible way to put it! Can’t you call it retail rune trading?”
– Whether it’s trading or selling! Either way, is there a synthesis station in Jamsil Tower?
“Well…”
Yes.
There were two Player Zones in Korea.
The Jamsil Tower in Seoul and the Haeundae Tower in
Busan.
None in the provinces.
If you wanted to do anything summon-related, you had to visit one of these two places.
“That’s right, but why? You haven’t even done the tutorial yet, have you?”
– Haven’t done it? I already finished it.
“What?!”
Ah-jin’s loud shout startled the people waiting at the bus stop, making them frown, but she didn’t care.
“Oppa! I texted you! I told you it’s dangerous! That you have to listen to the safety instructions carefully!”
Though it was called a tutorial, many people had died because they weren’t prepared.
Nowadays, with so much information out there, people were more cautious, but three years ago, it was a literal hellgate.
Back then, Korea saw mass casualties.
“Did you at least summon all five summons? You didn’t go in with just two, right?”
You were supposed to form a proper team with five summons before fighting the wolves.
Didn’t have enough ‘low-grade scrolls’?
If you just waited three days, you’d get one as a login reward.
– I went in with just two.
“What?!”
Ah-jin nearly foamed at the mouth.
– Anyway, I’m alive. Don’t worry too much. I cleared it safely.
“……”
– Now I need runes and a synthesis station to properly raise my summons. Can you show me around?
“Oppa, wait a second.”
She took a deep breath to calm herself down.
This man.
Is he really the one who just woke up yesterday?
Why is he in such a hurry?
“What rank are they?”
– Huh?
“You said you finished the tutorial, right? You must’ve summoned something. What rank are your summons? F? E? D?”
– …
Now Jin-woo hesitated.
Should he tell her the truth?
His hesitation didn’t last long.
No.
If I’m going to keep it a secret, I might as well keep it completely hidden.
Even from family.
– E and F.
“Oh! An E-rank? You summoned an E-rank? That’s a 5% chance!”
– Is that so? I guess I was lucky. Anyway, are you still there?
“Yeah, but…”
– Then wait for me. I’ll need your help getting around.
“Oppa, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard already…?”
Beep, beep—
“Oppa? Oppa?”
Ah-jin stared at her phone in disbelief.
Was he always this bold?
***
Three years ago.
The day the world changed.
Towers of Trials appeared across the globe.
Two in Korea, four in Japan, thirteen in the United States, and fifty-seven in China.
Though no one knew why the number of towers differed by country, there was one popular theory.
The Population Hypothesis.
It proposed that for every 25 million people, one tower would appear.
Any fractions were rounded down!
So places like the Vatican, Monaco, and Macau, which had small populations, had no Tower of Trials.
In Korea’s case, the Jamsil Tower and the Haeundae Tower became the two Towers of Trials.
[Rich and powerful reduced to beggars overnight!]
[Real estate issues surrounding the Tower of Trials continue to cause headaches.]
Many people who had lived in those areas were forced out, but nothing could be done about it.
It was considered a natural disaster.
Anyway.
Around the Towers of Trials, Player Zones were established.
Monday dungeons, raids, towers, rune dungeons, synthesis stations, enhancement stations, and so on.
All summon-related activities had to be handled there.
As a result, the surrounding real estate values skyrocketed even further.
They were already high, but now they were through the roof.
Vroom!
The bus arrived in Jamsil.
Jin-woo, dressed in a tracksuit with his hoodie pulled up, got off.
Standing in front of him, arms crossed with a pout on her face, was Ah-jin.
“Hey, good to see you, sis.”
Yesterday, she had been tearfully makeup-free.
Now, her face was carefully made up.
“Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You could’ve waited until tomorrow. Why rush to do this tonight?”
“I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Jin-woo had always been obsessed with 「Battle of Summoners」.
Now, he had lost three years, and everything was reset.
He needed to grow fast.
There wasn’t a moment to waste.
His body was itching for action.
“If you help me out, I’ll treat you to something nice later.”
“I make way more money than you.”
Today alone.
She had earned 200,000 won.
“Little sis, you never know how things will turn out. What if I become the world’s greatest player?”
“Hmph, as if.”
Ah-jin snorted in disbelief.
“Everyone thinks like that. I used to, Dad did, and all the guys in the neighborhood thought they could do it too. But do you know what happened to most of them?”
“What happened?”
“They either gave up being players or became farming specialists like me. Becoming the world’s greatest player? That’s only for the truly chosen ones. The whole summoning system is full of absurd RNG mechanics.”
Ah.
So that’s how it was.
Jin-woo chuckled.
My little sister, trying to teach a slug how to crawl.
“Everyone talks big like they’re Rachel or Zenos.”
Rachel from the UK, and Zenos from the US.
They were two of the Five Emperors who had once followed him.
“You wouldn’t know, but anyone who’s been in this business knows. Those two are true geniuses.”
“Is that so?”
Jin-woo laughed.
But there was something she didn’t know.
‘I’m exempt from this RNG mess.’
I already have an EX-rank.
‘And.’
Rachel, Zenos?
Are those geniuses?
Then, little sister.
‘I must be a genius among geniuses.’
Those two would have done anything to get advice from me.
“Anyway, can you show me around now?”
Let’s see what the Player Zone looks like now that it’s become reality.