Chapter 1: Prologue

Kim Kangchul, the PR department head for the Korean Players Association, let out a sigh.

'Looks like you were very unlucky this time, Mr. Kim Hyukjin.'

There was no other way to put it. Looking at the free government-sponsored 'Player aptitude test results', he let out a sigh.

_____________

Name: Kim Hyukjin

Talent Plates: □■■■■ ... ■■■■■

Talent Type: Cannot be determined

_____________

Here, the '□' indicated active talent plates. '■' were inactive plates. Talent plates were pretty similar to growth plates for bones. Much like how growth plates determined how tall someone would become, talent plates determined one's aptitude. The more talent plates a Player had, the higher their chances were of having their talent bloom.

'So this was the test result five years ago.'

He got into his car, having decided on personally delivering the result to the involved party. This was the last gesture of goodwill he could perform.

As a matter of fact, if this testee had been born in a different era, he would have definitely succeeded at becoming an amazing Player. He had an internationally unprecedented 67 talent plates, after all.

'If you take into account the fact that Korea's talent test can only measure up to 67 plates…'

It was possible he had far more plates than that. To put it in words, this man was a natural genius.

It was to the point that the chairman of the Players Association, Shin Hyungseok, looked at the results and groaned. "Ah… How did we only just find this person?"

It was more of an enraged exclamation than a groan. Why did they only just now discover such a person? In all actuality, he wasn't actually discovered just now. This man with an unbelievable number of talent plates was found five years ago.

'He was a genius, a total genius… There's no point in talking about it now, though.'

Through some awful luck, this man took the test at the same time as the youngest grandson of Sungshin, Korea's greatest chaebol family. That was five years ago. The test results weren't seen by Kim Hyukjin, the test taker himself, but by the youngest member of Sungshin, Song Jinchul. Sungshin checked all test results before any agency could. It was illogical, but that was the custom.

TN: A chaebol is a large industrial conglomerate in South Korea controlled by one person or one family, through family members controlling companies and subsidiaries under them. Think old money. Sungshin is a parody of the chaebol company Samsung.

Back then, Song Jinchul said this:

— 67 talent plates? Talk about bullshit.

Song Jinchul had 44 talent plates. It was quite an outstanding amount of talent, but the chaebol's youngest still felt bad.

— Don't let this piece of trash do anything.

At that time, Kim Kangchul inwardly lamented, 'This moron will once again…'

A person with incredible aptitude that could be Korea's, no, the world's greatest Player would be left to rot. For a brief moment, he thought it was unfair. It was unfair, but nothing could be done about it.

'Is this supposed to make sense?'

He shook his head. It didn't make sense. But it did. This was Korea—no, in other words, this was the Republic of Sungshin. It was a place where this kind of nonsensical thing happened every once in a while, so he decided to just accept it.

'You were unlucky, Mr. Kim Hyukjin. Your opponent is Song Jinchul.'

Song Jinchul was the youngest grandson of the Sungshin family. Kim Hyukjin was an ordinary, perhaps slightly underprivileged, citizen with nothing. From the start, their circumstances of birth were different. Because they were born in different circumstances, there was no other way to put it than 'you were unlucky'.

The results had already been determined five years ago. But recently, he was re-examined under the pretext of a reinspection. Done for free, like an act of benevolence. It definitely wasn't benevolence, but to check his talent plates.

'Only one talent plate is still active.'

Kim Hyukjin was thirty years old. In the latter half of your twenties, your talent plates rapidly close off. It was confirmed that all of his talent plates were closed off. It wouldn't be a lie to say that he was talentless.

As the last act of his conscience, Kim Kangchul went to Kim Hyukjin's semi-basement room and personally handed him his results.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. We performed your re-examination, but it was determined that you had no talent."

Inwardly he thought, 'I'm sorry.'

This 'dead genius' happened to anger Song Jinchul. Kim Kangchul gave him a box of luxury drinks as a measure of consolation and apology. Call him a hypocrite, but this was the best he could do.

"I heard you were studying to take the civil servant exam. Stay strong."

"Thank you."

Again, he thought to himself, "You won't… ever pass the exam."

Because he angered Song Jinchul, of all people. There was no grandiose reason why he never passed the exam despite getting high marks for three years. It could all be boiled down to one phrase.

"You. Were. Unlucky. Mr. Kim Hyukjin."

In many ways, including being born in Korea.

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Bob

Proofreader – Ash

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb

* * *

A semi-basement room. In the past, it was a place where my family welcomed me home, but now, no one was left. It was dark. It attracted humidity. I had become used to this.

The test result I received from Kim Kangchul was short and simple.

[No Talent.]

I didn't really expect anything else. In the first place, I only went to get re-tested because they told me they would do it for free. I looked at the paper again.

[No Talent.]

I simply chuckled. If I had any talent, I would've already awakened as a Player, gotten chosen by a 'Guardian', and be living an extravagant lifestyle.

'Let's focus on studying instead.'

I entertained my vain hope for only a brief moment, only a few seconds. In any case, as a 30-year-old, I was too old to start Playing. At the latest, it was the norm to start Playing in your early 20s.

'Yep, I have to work hard.'

I couldn't think of anything else I could do other than work hard. I had no talent, no connections, and no money. I had already failed the civil servant exam three times. Five years ago, my mother passed away from illness. My older sister said she would take care of me, went to work at a semiconductor factory, and developed leukemia.

'Work hard…'

Somehow, the words 'no talent' stung a little more today than usual. Was I lacking in effort, or talent? Or maybe I was lacking in both? Was it my fault that I was living like this, or society's fault?

I laid down on the bed.

"The world sure is a bitch."

Everything felt like my fault. Because I wasn't good at studying. Because I couldn't earn a lot of money. Because I didn't have rich parents. Because I didn't put in the effort. Because I didn't overcome the competition. Because I didn't have any talent as a Player.

I looked at the one photo I had left of my mother on my desk. On her final night, she said to me:

"I'm sorry I wanted to be your mother."

The mother in the photo was smiling, like she was telling me, the only person left in the family, that everything would be fine.

'Don't worry, mom. I'll live well. I'm still doing alright.'

It was the night of April 26, 2028. The day drew to a close with an especially humid evening, without knowing that tomorrow, a completely different day would begin.

____

April 27, 2028.

As usual, I headed to the study room with my book bag in hand. Even if we lived in an era where game concepts like 'dungeons' and 'fields' were the norm and people were running wild with their new careers as 'players', it was all a world completely detached from me.

'I should just study hard.'

Earning my keep as a civil servant was perfectly fine for an incredibly ordinary person like me. And to become a civil servant, I had to study.

"Ugh, it's cold."

It was 5:20 in the morning. The early morning breeze from a spring not yet touched by summer was especially chilly today. As if they hadn't expected the cold, the people who had woken up at 5 am fastened their lapels as they strode towards their destination.

The study room was located in Jongno, about five bus stops away. Looking at the electronic display, the 702A bus was going to arrive in two minutes.

'But something feels off…'

It wasn't like I was deliberately looking at my surroundings, but something felt different from usual. If someone asked me what was wrong, I wouldn't be able to give an exact answer, but in any case, something was strangely different today.

'Come to think of it.'

The bus stop's billboard was featuring makeup being sold by 'Pink Velvet', an idol group that had enjoyed their heydays in the past.

'Did they get back together?'

I wouldn't know, since I hadn't been watching TV lately. Of all the idol groups, Pink Velvet was probably old enough to almost be considered ancients from the previous generation.

'It's been ten years, but they look exactly the same.'

Their faces were exactly the same as I remembered them being ten years ago. I had heard the expression that celebrities have 'preservative complexions' many times before, but this made me wonder if they were actually slathering preservatives all over themselves. Their faces hadn't changed even a little bit.

I rummaged through my bag.

'Where's the study sheet… Ah, here it is.'

__________

Ten years ago. Jongno. The beginning of the Cataclysm.

__________

I read through the notepad in my hand again and again. Modern history was the most important subject in the current civil servant exam, and these notes organized the approximate timeline of the 'Ten Years' History'.

The bus arrived. Its doors opened and I climbed up the stairs.

[The Tutorial began with the Primordial Fog.]

This bus was going to Jongno, the same place that was at the center of the Cataclysm ten years ago.

[Out of 150,000 people, around 145,000 died.]

While I was focusing on my notes, I started hearing murmurs.

"Huh? What's with the sudden fog?"

"What?"

"You can't see a thing out there."

My concentration broke when a bunch of people started making a fuss about something. I looked around, wondering what was going on.

'Huh?'

For a moment, I was struck speechless.

'What… is this?'

Was it fog?

'I can hardly see anything out there.'

It was the first time I had seen fog so thick in downtown Seoul. The Primordial Fog from ten years ago might have been this dense, maybe?

'The fog is too thick.'

I really couldn't see a single inch in front of me. Suddenly, I remembered the notes I just read.

__________

Ten years ago. Jongno. The beginning of the Cataclysm.

The Tutorial began with the Primordial Fog.

__________

The bus slowed down considerably since the driver couldn't see the cars a few meters ahead. The fog was so dense a traffic accident could happen at any time.

'A smell…?'

I could smell something weird. It was a bit like a sewer, or if someone let a particularly smelly one rip. It was enough to make me nauseous. I wanted to plug my nose, but endured it.

'A sewer smell?'

I looked back down at my study sheet.

__________

With a disgusting sewer smell—

__________

Beep—! Beep—!

My phone was ringing. An emergency alert had been sent. The contents were approximately:

[Seoul Jongno district. Thick fog in the area. High risk of traffic accidents.]

I couldn't peel my eyes away from the study sheet.

__________

—and the issuing of an emergency alert to the Seoul area…

__________

I instantly came to my senses. I looked at my surroundings again.

Jongno.

A rotten sewer smell.

Thick fog.

An emergency text.

It felt like I'd seen this all before. Was it from a movie? Or a novel? I was getting goosebumps on my arms. No. It wasn't from a movie or a novel. It wasn't, but this was a scene that I was definitely familiar with.

'No way.'

My body began to shiver. My thoughts were turning blank.

'No. It can't be.'

I looked back at the study sheet. At the very bottom of the notepad I was holding was information that I had organized.

__________

April 27, 2018. The Cataclysm began with the thick fog that had covered the Jongno/Gwanghwamun districts.

__________

My limbs were shaking. The other people were still saying things like "What's going on?" or "I've never seen fog like this before" in fascination. But if this was the 'Cataclysm' I knew, it was definitely not something to be sitting around being amazed about.

'This… makes no sense.'

I couldn't believe it.

'Am I dreaming?'

There was no other option than to explain it as a dream. I had no idea why the events from the first part of the 'Ten Years' History' were suddenly happening right before my eyes. It was baffling. Why? How? How come? How could any of this be explained?

'Wh-What date… What date is it?'

I needed to sort things out.

'My phone. Right, l-let's look at my phone.'

I glanced at my cell phone, hastily checking the date.

'April 27th.'

I couldn't help but be flabbergasted.

"Heuk!"

I gasped unconsciously.

'2018?'

I definitely left my house when it was 2028, and was on my way to Jongno in 2028. I definitely rode the bus. But the date on my cellphone was definitely saying that it was '2018'. Since when did it start saying that? I had no idea. At some point, the phone in my hand changed to the 'S8' phone model that I was using back in 2018. But it wasn't the time to be thinking about why this was the case.

'I'm going to go insane.'

It wasn't enough to just say that I was going to go insane. I was having one of those so-called mental breakdowns.

'I'm really ten years in the past?'

It seemed like the me of ten years ago went onto the Jongno-route bus of ten years ago. I didn't, no, couldn't, know why, but that was the conclusion I came to. It was absurd, but that was the conclusion I reached.

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Bob

Proofreader – Ash

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb

* * *

'This is insane…!'

My heart was pounding like crazy. Something unbelievable had happened. I was really going to lose it. I left the house like usual, and walked to the study room like usual. So how could I suddenly be ten years in the past? What kind of crazy situation was this? Faced with such an incomprehensible phenomenon, my head was pounding and throbbing.

'If I really went back in time to 2018…'

If by some chance, I was going to Jongno on April 27…

'Shit…!'

If I wasn't careful, I could die. April 27, 2018: That was the day that marked the beginning of the Cataclysm. 150,000 people died during the first week, the period called the 'Open Beta' or the 'Tutorial'. Only 5,000 survived. The survival rate was absolutely brutal.

'Proportionally, that's only 3 percent.'

97 percent died and 3 percent survived—that was the Jongno of 2018. I decided to try and calm down for now.

'If I don't get it together, I'll die.'

I couldn't die so pathetically. I decided I would think about why all of this had happened to me later. Because if this was the Jongno of 2018, there was a 97 percent chance I would die.

When I reached that point in my thoughts, an alert appeared.

[The Tutorial will soon begin.]

[Players, please prepare at your current position.]

This was pretty much a confirmation.

'Even the alert happened.'

Whatever the reason may be, I had to acknowledge that I had returned to the past. Sitting on the bus seat, I organized my thoughts. My limbs were shaking, but I tried to stay as composed as possible. I knew the future. In fact, I knew it very well, because I had been memorizing the events of the past ten years for the past three years.

'You have to calm down. Calm down, Kim Hyukjin.'

Biting my lips hard, I closed my eyes for just a moment. I had to brace myself.

As soon as the fog cleared, I would be seeing hell. I would see pools of blood and people being eaten alive by Goblins. Many people might have already died. To be honest, I was scared and afraid.

'Right. Even so, I have an advantage. I have to believe that. Shit. Shit. Shit.'

I have a huge advantage. I can do it. I can do it. I can survive. I braced myself by repeating this several times.

'For now… let's focus on surviving.'

I can do it. I can survive. If I really did return to the past, I could save my mother who we couldn't afford treatment for, and my sister wouldn't have to quit school to work at a factory to pay for my education.

My sister, who developed leukemia while working at a semiconductor factory to try and take care of me… This time, I had the chance to be the one helping her.

'I just have to do it.'

Although I only ever experienced dungeons in VR, I had read Tutorial strategy guides a thousand times over, and watched Youtube videos on the subject ten thousand times over. There were countless dungeons that emulated the Jongno of ten years ago, and strategy guides showing the contents of those dungeons were widespread all over the market.

I was one of the people memorizing all of that information by rote.

'I will definitely survive.'

I had to check to be sure, but if I had actually gone into the past, my mother would still be alive, and my sister wouldn't be working at the semiconductor factory yet. At the very least, I could undo a large number of things that had gone wrong in my life. It could be that this was an opportunity.

'I have to live.'

Still sitting, I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and organized my thoughts on the current situation.

What did I have to do to live through this? What did I have to do from here on out?

My limbs were shaking, but I made an effort to keep as calm as possible.

'I can do this.'

My will to survive was stronger than the shock I was feeling at the occurrence of this improbable situation.

'The Primordial Fog. And the 1st wave of Goblin attacks.'

How should I get through the Goblin attack? My talent diagnosis showed me that it was close to 'zero'. What could someone with as little talent to be a Player as I do to survive?

'There were definitely people without talent who lived through this before.'

How did they survive? The survival rate was 3 percent. I had to be in that 3 percent. I took another deep breath and sketched out an approximate plan of what I had to do in my head.

'The Tutorial. Since I'm inside the bus right now, a conditional safe zone will probably be announced.'

I laid out the actions I was going to take, piece by piece. I was surprised at how good my concentration was. It seemed that my desire to live was stronger than I thought. I was a lot more composed and quick to adapt than I thought I could be.

So composed that it was almost unbelievable that I was someone who had an evaluation of [No Talent].

Suddenly, another message appeared. In a very short amount of time, I had planned many things in my mind, detailing ways I could raise my survival rate by even a small amount, but I never considered the following message.

[The 'Nameless Observer' is carefully watching your actions.]

[The 'Nameless Observer' has begun to take an interest in you.]

My thoughts ground to a halt for a split second.

'The Nameless Observer…?'

A Guardian had started taking interest in me.

'But I heard that Guardians put an utmost importance on talent.'

They even had nicknames like 'talent leeches'. Didn't Guardians hunt for talented Players early on so that they could invest in them? They were known for treating talentless people as less than human. So why were they interested in me?

That wasn't the end of the incomprehensible messages.

____

Ten years ago, the 'System' spread across the world, starting from Korea. This phenomenon breathed new life into our civilization and gave birth to countless celebrities, like the Tutorial Ender 'Fist King' So Yoohyun and the 'Flame Lord' Choi Sung-gu.

Behind every famous Player was a 'Guardian'. Not much was known about 'Guardians', just that they supported Players or requested something from them. Some Guardians made their Players strong, while others led their players to ruin. Guardians were regarded as beings who 'observed' our Playing.

'I've never heard of the 'Nameless Observer.'

I didn't know a thing about the Nameless Observer. It seemed he was a Guardian who revealed himself at the beginning of the Playing. Considering that he wasn't famous, the 'nameless' moniker suited him well.

[The 'Nameless Observer' wishes to bestow upon you an 'Open Beta Bonus'.]

[You have received an 'Open Beta Bonus'.]

'Suddenly?'

I didn't even do anything, but I was given a bonus. Usually, you had to do something to a Guardian's liking in order to receive such a thing.

'Whatever. For now, it must be a good thing.'

It was known that the world's countless rankers received the 'Open Beta Bonus'. You could call it a sort of extra boon for the advance party that began first.

'A 3 percent chance. This is a gift for surviving those odds.'

It was easier to think about it that way. Regardless of the reasoning as to why this Guardian was eyeing a talentless Player like myself, there was no downside to it.

[Due to the Open Beta Advantage, you have received 'Calm Observer's Eye'.]

['Calm Observer's Eye' has taken effect.]

My wildly thumping heart began to settle down.

'Huh…?'

My chest felt as hot as ever, but it felt like my head was cooling down, and much of my fear was subsiding.

'What a strange feeling.'

It felt like I was standing at the eye of a fierce battlefield.

'This is the power of the system.'

I was scared, but also excited. Everything around me felt muted. Even though my surroundings were ringing with cries like 'What's going on?', it felt like those noises were getting naturally filtered away.

'Calm Observer's Eye, huh.'

That was a befitting title. It almost felt like I was watching over the situation with a third-person view.

[The Tutorial is beginning.]

[Conditional Safe Zones will be announced.]

'It's really starting.'

In the end, I heard a notice that the 'Tutorial' was starting.

[In ten seconds, the Tutorial Quest will begin.]

[10]

[9]

The bus was stuck in place, perhaps because an accident had occurred.

"To all passengers, I apologize. There is no way I can drive in this situation. I will open the door, so if anyone is willing to walk, please do so."

This level of fog could be regarded as a natural disaster. The cars were completely unable to budge.

"Shit! What a way to start the day!"

Two men wearing aviator-style glasses walked towards the exit. It seemed they hadn't received the 'Tutorial Notice', which meant they hadn't been selected as Players.

[6]

[5]

The timer counted down. I couldn't just do nothing. I knew all too well what was about to happen. I jumped up and yelled at the two men.

"Don't move!"

And then, I shouted at the bus driver, "Close the door right now!"

"W-What?"

"Close it right now!"

Startled by the strength of my demand, the driver reflexively closed the door. Although I felt a little sorry for the driver, ten seconds was not enough time to explain everything. I then directed a loud voice to the eight or so people on the bus.

"Don't speak, don't move, don't even keep your eyes open. Just remain still."

I spoke quickly, unsure if my words would have any effect. To them, I probably looked like a psycho, but I decided to give it my best.

"From now on, something unbelievable will happen. Everyone here could die. So please do your best to survive. First of all, staying still is your ticket to survival."

That was the best I could do. There was no more time. I couldn't risk causing a panic. I had done everything I could.

[The 'Nameless Observer' looks at you with interest.]

The clock ticked on.

[2]

[1]

The events I had only seen in history books and textbooks unfolded before my eyes.

[The Tutorial Quest is beginning.]

[ The 'Intermediate Administrator' is appearing.]

The space near the driver's seat in the bus began to distort, and something took form from within.

'The Intermediate Administrator.'

That was their official name, but the name most commonly used to describe them was 'Streamer', beings that acted as intermediaries between the 'Guardians' observing us and the 'Players'.

The crowd's first reaction was to be unsettled by the human-like shape coming from the distortion, and their second was to be astonished by that being's incredible beauty.

'Because most female Streamers are beautiful.'

The Streamer who appeared before us could be said to be so beautiful that she could contend for the top position among other Streamers. With her unnaturally silky silver hair and porcelain white skin, she transcended beauty into pure nobility, and the pair of white wings behind her back almost made her look like a real angel.

'She really is extremely beautiful.'

I wasn't that drawn in. However, one guy on the bus was unable to take his eyes off her, his expression screaming that he had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life.

"Wow…"

I saw him swallow his drool.

'There's more to them than their beautiful appearance.'

I didn't know about this Streamer, but Streamers never stayed friendly to Players forever. They were obsessed with how they could connect Players and Guardians and how they could earn more 'COIN'. Not all of them were that way, but most of them were.

The woman began to speak.

"My name is Senia. Everyone here will be participating in the Tutorial Quest."

[Survive the Tutorial Field for seven days.]

[You cannot leave the Tutorial Field.]

[Subsequent difficulty will be determined by the number of survivors.]

Senia. A Streamer of such beauty should be memorable, but I had no recollection of her. I guessed she was one of the Streamers from very, very early on in the Tutorial. After all, I knew the famous Streamers in the future.

"W-What? Do you know what's going on? Could it be that you're filming a movie here?"

"…"

Senia stared at the man who initiated a conversation with her, her expression utterly unchanged.

"All you must do is use your abilities to the utmost to survive."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

It would be best if he behaved himself. Our level was a pathetic 1, definitely not a position where one could be careless with a Streamer. Thankfully, this Streamer didn't seem violent. If he'd been unlucky, that man would have been a corpse by now.

Entries like [An Intermediate Administrator who introduced themselves as 'Leitra' cut anyone who asked them a question in half, saying 'I don't recall permitting questions?'] showed up frequently in people's narratives later. Personally, I wasn't very interested in Streamers, despite their otherworldly appearance. I didn't trust Streamers on a fundamental level, and that was because most of them only thought of us as their method of income.

'Most of all…'

I wanted to live. I peered through the window, finding everything still blanketed by thick fog.

'The Primordial Fog.'

This fog muffled sounds. According to the 'Fist King' So Yoohyun, the Tutorial Ender and later someone who became world-famous as a ranker, the fog inhibited sounds and simultaneously made you lose your sense of direction.

'A trap that commonly appears in many other dungeons.'

Before the great explorer 'Jackson' identified a method of dispelling this fog, the 'Primordial Fog' was one of the most annoying traps.

'Such thing appeared in a tutorial…'

It was different from what we typically associated as a tutorial. The purpose of a tutorial was to help adjust a new player to a game. In essence, it was there to help. However, the real-life Tutorial was different.

Ten years later, people believed that the true essence of the 'Tutorial' was this:

'An opening act shown to the Guardians.'

This place, Jongno's Tutorial Field, was the opening act shown to the higher beings reducing mankind to players inside a game so they could watch 'from above', the 'Guardians' that absolutely needed to be struck down one day.

Suddenly, a man next to me screamed. He must have seen something outside the window. "H-H-Holy shit!"

My eyes opened, and I bit my lips.

'It has begun.'

I could easily figure out why the man screamed. The windshield at the front of the bus was painted with a few lines of fresh red streaks. That was blood. Something covered in blood had crashed onto the windshield before falling to the ground.

"H-Heok…!"

"W-What's going on?"

"W-What was that just now? That's blood, isn't it?!"

In the meantime, Streamer Senia had disappeared. It seemed she was hustling from place to place around the Tutorial Field, striving to draw the attention of the Guardians.

I also hadn't seen what hit the windshield. It could've been a severed arm or leg, or even a head.

'Even after I told them to remain still.'

But I understood that it was easier said than done. Who in their right mind would be able to stay calm if someone's cut-up corpse flew over and struck the windshield of the bus they were in? They might have heard my warning to 'stay still', but how could they possibly adhere to that?

'Stay calm.'

['Calm Observer's Eye' is taking effect.]

The notification appeared as my heart became a little calmer. Due to the Open Beta Bonus, I was able to keep my cool. I continued to sketch out the situation in my head.

'The enemies that are coming now are Goblins.'

The first monster to appear was the 'Goblin', a small green humanoid monster. They were only 80-100 cm in size, but they were far stronger than an average male adult and more agile. Their distinctive features were their pointy ears and long tongues.

'Monsters with sickening hobbies.'

They had a sickening taste for dismembering humans. They were probably enjoying that hobby to their utmost outside, slaughtering the weak humans coming face to face with monsters for the first time.

[A great deal of noise and movement has been detected.]

[The Goblin Legion is starting to get excited.]

[The 1st wave of Goblin attacks is beginning.]

[The Goblin Legion has begun to invade Jongno.]

Thump! Thump! Thump!

I could hear them.

It was very faint, but my ears were even able to pick up a peculiar kind of laughter that went kikik, kikikik, kikik! I was very familiar with that sound—I had heard it often on Youtube.

'Goblin sounds.'

The thumping noises were probably from them clambering onto cars and stomping on them.

Another notification popped up.

[The 'Nameless Observer' is observing your actions with interest.]

Following the start of the Tutorial, even more information flooded into my head. Things like how to use the 'Status Window' to check my stats and how to open my inventory slotted into place in my head like they belonged there.

I opened up my Status Window as naturally as a person who had been Playing for a long time. Strangely enough, everything was too easy, like I was someone who already knew how to do this.

'Status Window.'

All I could do as of now was to find out exactly about myself. I had to use this precious time wisely.

I opened up my Status Window. There, something unbelievable was on display.

____