The Hidden Piece of the Tutorial

[The ‘Lady of Scales’ starts watching you with interest.]

I paused for a moment.

‘The Lady of Scales?’

The name itself didn’t seem that impressive. However, I was already well aware of what kind of guardian ‘The Lady of Scales’ was.

‘Typhoon. Kwak Tae-woon’s guardian.’

One of the eight players representing South Korea. A guardian who prioritizes ‘impartiality’ and values players who can ‘exert a positive influence.’

‘A guardian whose nature is close to absolute goodness.’

Unlike the ‘Valiant Lion King,’ who doesn’t care whether the players they sponsor live or die, ‘The Lady of Scales’ is strict about ‘justice’ and prioritizes the welfare of her players.

‘She offers a fitting reward and generous support—one of those kinds of guardians.’

The fact that ‘The Lady of Scales’ was taking notice of me was undeniably good news.

‘The Lady of Scales responds strongly to fairness, justice, sacrifice, and devotion.’

I glanced back at Sun-hwa. Guardians are often described as ‘watching from above,’

‘Is it because from up high, it looks like I’m protecting Sun-hwa?’

That must be it. All the better for me. The fact that I, who was initially deemed ‘talentless,’ was now garnering the interest of three guardians and had even claimed some special perks meant I had made significant progress.

“Brother, what should we do now?”

Things had deviated a bit from my original plan.

‘Had things gone as planned… I would’ve escaped from here and hidden in a nearby safe zone, waiting for Kwon Wang Ma Sang-hyun to take down that creature on the second floor of D Tower.’

Once the ‘Goblin Soldier’ on the first floor is taken care of, there won’t be any more massive attacks like the ‘Goblin Assault.’ It means, from then on, safety is relatively guaranteed. Hence, I swiftly took down the Goblin Soldier.

‘For now, we’re safe.’

The creature on the second floor of D Tower, the boss mob. Claiming the title of ‘Finalizer of the Tutorial’ would’ve been great, but I wasn’t aiming that high.

‘Let’s make full use of the tutorial field’s perks.’

A goal emerged. A visible, immediate goal. First off, 1 billion in cash. That’s what I’ll obtain first.

‘And then…’

To be honest, I want to aim higher. I want to succeed like everyone else, to live well, to be happy with my family, to do all the things I want to do. It may be too early to say, but it seems I have a talent that could rival a ‘transcendent’ class. I don’t want to waste this talent. No more being a perennial student burden on my family.

I spoke up.

“I’m going to hunt monsters outside D Tower. As many as possible.”

“The Urban Foxes?”

“No.”

If we go a bit further toward Cheonggyecheon, we’ll find not ‘Urban Foxes’ but ‘Urban Wolves.’ Monsters that are far more vicious and move in packs. Although they’re only a little tougher than goblins.

“Their level is around 7. Sometimes there’s an alpha with a level around 9. We can definitely hunt them down together.”

“When did you see them?”

“I just know.”

“Of course.”

Sun-hwa didn’t express any doubt. She seemed to trust me completely. I didn’t talk to Senia about the ‘trade.’ I did it on purpose. And they hadn’t brought it up either. I smiled faintly.

‘Alright. Let’s do this. Flirting.’

Wondering who had the upper hand in this flirting game seemed like an interesting observation. Between a newbie BJ with no merits other than looks and a returnee who sees the future, it’s already too obvious who has the advantage. I’m not in a hurry.

‘Whoever gets desperate first will lose.’

* * *

Sun-hwa was indeed a remarkably talented tank.

───────────

Urban Wolf. LV 8

───────────

Awooooooo!

The Urban Wolves called out to their pack mates.

“Provocation!”

Without exception, the Urban Wolves charged toward Sun-hwa, and I struck them from behind. After a few fights, I realized that blunt weapons were more effective against them than blades, so I used a ‘Wooden Club’ I looted from the wolves to hunt them down.

[You have gained experience points.]

[You have obtained 8 coins.]

We hunted for about an hour, then took breaks at a nearby convenience store.

[Your level has increased.]

[Current level: 11]

Eventually, my level increased.

‘I’ve really reached level 11.’

Breaking past the maximum level of 10. Being able to reach level 11 in the tutorial field was something even I, who had the past decade’s records memorized, didn’t know. Probably, Kwon Wang Ma Sang-hyun didn’t know either.

Notifications continued.

[Congratulations!]

[You have achieved level 11 for the first time.]

[It is acknowledged as an achievement.]

[You have been granted the title of ‘First Pioneer.’]

For a moment, I had to doubt my ears.

‘Title?’

Titles exist in the system. Depending on the title, a player’s abilities can drastically change. It can be seen as a perk that gives special settings.

‘There are titles in the tutorial field too? Besides the Finalizer of the Tutorial?’

I had never heard of such a thing. Normally, you wouldn’t be able to get a title until you’re at least level 30. I didn’t receive a title even after hunting the Goblin Soldier, a sub-boss monster in the tutorial field. But now, they’re saying there’s a title for reaching level 11.

“Did you receive a title?”

Oh wow. I was taken aback. Senia suddenly appeared behind me. Her wings fluttered as she showed an expressionless face. Maybe the guardians are clamoring, ‘What title did you get? Find out!’

“I did get a title.”

“What title did you receive?”

She asked very naturally, but Senia’s expression was very unnatural. She has always been expressionless, but now there was something mechanical about it.

“I won’t tell.”

Unless the player discloses it themselves, they’re not obliged to tell. Titles cannot be scanned. For now, I decided to check the title.

───────────

[First Pioneer]

An honorable title given to those who open new territories.

1. Experience points +20%

2. Can be applied in conjunction with other titles.

───────────

Sun-hwa tugged at my sleeve.

“Brother? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.”

I must’ve been lost in thought without realizing it.

[The ‘Nameless Observer’ is very curious about your reward.]

[The ‘Lady of Scales’ is interested in your reward.]

The guardians seemed to have no clue what I had obtained. There’s no need to reveal everything to the guardians. I need to take what I can and discard what’s unnecessary while keeping some things hidden.

‘An extra 20% experience points.’

That’s among the highest quality titles. Especially in the early stages, an additional experience point option will have an enormous butterfly effect. I will be able to claim everything for myself.

‘If I can just keep progressing like this…’

I could potentially become a top-ranked player. Wealth, honor, power. I could grasp all of it. And if not that grand, at least successful enough to make my family live well.

‘No.’

There were no other options for me but to keep working on the common civil service exam that everyone takes for the sake of success. But now, it’s different. I can live a different life than I did in the past.

I told Sun-hwa.

“Let’s keep hunting. We will level up for two more days.”

* * *

“Hyaah!”

Ma Sang-hyun threw a punch.

Crack!

The Urban Wolf yelped in pain.

[Your level has increased.]

[Current level: 8]

Ma Sang-hyun rubbed his nose. The people following him cheered.

“Another one-hit wonder?”

“What? A one-punch finish?”

“Level 8 isn’t that big of a deal after all.”

Urban Wolf. They sound like wolves, but they seem weaker than stray dogs. Over the past five days, Ma Sang-hyun learned a lot. He levels up faster than other people. He’s much more powerful. He doesn’t know why, but that’s how it was.

Almost no monster could withstand his only skill, ‘Powerful Punch.’ As a result, quite a few people followed Ma Sang-hyun. People thought they were smart to follow him. About ten people were with Ma Sang-hyun.

“As expected, you’re amazing.”

“Did you count that?”

“Of course. You are the strongest player in the tutorial field, Ma Sang-hyun, right?”

“Eh, it’s not that big of a deal.”

Although he pretended to be humble by saying, ‘It’s not that big of a deal!’ his earlobes were slightly red. Ma Sang-hyun was clearly feeling bashful at the moment. Despite looking like the friendly-idiot type, his muscles told a different story. Extraordinary muscles writhed on his body. Then suddenly, Ma Sang-hyun noticed someone.

“Huh?”

Near Cheonggyecheon, another team was hunting Urban Wolves. A young man and a young girl. The girl seemed to be acting as the tank, and the man was apparently the damage dealer.

“There are more survivors!”

Ma Sang-hyun strode toward them.

“Hello!”

Kim Hyukjin, who had just finished hunting an Urban Wolf, looked at Ma Sang-hyun. He recognized him immediately.

‘The Fist King.’

Fist King (拳王) Ma Sang-hyun. He was actually meeting him in person. Behind him were many followers. He must have saved all those people. Unlike himself, who had ignored many, Ma Sang-hyun saved them.

‘To actually see the Fist King.’

One of the eight most famous players in Korea. He seemed to be about 190cm tall. His build was also quite large, but his eyes looked incredibly naive. As they said, kind and friendly. Before undergoing the trials and tribulations and becoming refined ten years later, his current state was even more naive. The dark circles under his eyes gave him a large panda-like image.

After a brief conversation, Ma Sang-hyun made an offer.

“Why don’t you join us? It’s good for survivors to stick together, isn’t it?”

Kim Hyukjin looked straight at Ma Sang-hyun.

‘If the past I know flows in the same way.’

All those people behind him will die. At Gwanghwamun D Tower. On the second floor, the only one who survived hunting ‘that creature’ was Ma Sang-hyun alone. According to Ma Sang-hyun’s recollections, he regrets going to the 2nd floor of D Tower with those people most.

“No.”

He rejected Ma Sang-hyun’s offer. I have no intention of taking down ‘that creature.’ It is much more dangerous than the Goblin Soldier, and the chance of death is high. It’s a rare opportunity, and I can’t afford to waste it.

Kim Hyukjin said.

“If you survive for 7 days, the tutorial field will be over.”

Kim Hyukjin’s primary goal is to earn 1 billion won, and to do that, he must survive this tutorial field. There’s no need to take excessive risks to go after the boss mob of the tutorial field. Once the Goblin Soldier is taken down, there are no more ‘raids’ or ‘waves.’ There’s no need to push too hard.

Ma Sang-hyun said.

“Hmm, there’s nothing we can do, then.”

Ma Sang-hyun didn’t seem too hung up on it. That was just his nature. Whatever happens, it happens, kind of attitude. However, the people following Ma Sang-hyun thought Kim Hyukjin seemed a little arrogant.

‘He doesn’t know the power of Ma Sang-hyun yet…’

‘Tsk, he just kicked away a great offer.’

They were doing fairly well, but they figured they wouldn’t match up to the monstrous strength of Ma Sang-hyun, who could one-shot Urban Wolves.

‘What can you do? Karma…’

They didn’t openly show any discomfort, but Kim Hyukjin generally sensed their feelings. Kim Hyukjin said.

“Survive. Good luck. If you encounter a really powerful monster and find yourself in a dire situation… Aim for the left eye.”

Ma Sang-hyun to Ma Sang-hyun. I have to figure out the best way to escape from here. History will flow on its own. In that history, within the current of events flowing as they should, Kim Hyukjin was resolved to gain the maximum benefit possible.

The hunt for the wolf pack continued.

[You have obtained ‘Mutant Wolf Fang.’]

[Your level has increased.]

[Current level: 12]

Considering it was the early stages of leveling up, and with the ‘First Pioneer’ buff, the leveling speed was much faster than I had expected. I gained plenty of experience even from hunting the relatively weak ‘Urban Wolves.’ As time went on, I got better at it, hunting faster than they could respawn.

‘I’ve hunted down all of them here.’

The pack of wolves had been wiped out. But then, a new notification arrived.

[You have hunted more than 500 ‘Urban Wolves.’]

[Hidden Piece eligibility is being confirmed.]

[Hidden Piece eligibility requirements have been met.]

‘Hidden Piece eligibility?’

That notification sounded just like the one I had heard in ‘D Tower 1st floor.’

‘It’s the same alert I heard when I downed the Goblin Soldier, right?’

I didn’t know what it meant then, but now it’s come into play.

[You meet the three conditions of ‘Hidden Piece eligibility & Limit Level Breakthrough & 500 Urban Wolves hunted.’]

Three conditions no one else had achieved. Kim Hyukjin had met all three.

[You have completed the Hidden Piece.]

In the past, an alert that never existed in the game guide kept coming.