My level was back to 1, but the remaining points stayed the same. It was a gracious setup since level 1 was where you could quickly rack up experience points. The slower the level-up process, the faster I would collect points compared to other players.
So then, which stat was I going to boost? I took another good look at my status window.
Profession: Gladiator
Level: 1
HP: 100%
MP: 10
Stamina: 14
Strength: 11
Agility: 7
Senses: 8
Skills:
While I wanted to boost my MP the most, it wasn't possible to do so with points. My options were limited to stamina, strength, agility, and senses.
In most games, strength and agility were often the most appealing choices. Strength guaranteed greater striking power, while agility enhanced speed and dodging ability. These attributes were critical for a gladiator, who often took on the role of a front-line dealer. Different ideas raced through my mind when suddenly, my attention turned to the Wiseman's Status Window.
[Strategy Guide: Spend all 60 minutes of the tutorial hunting as many creatures as possible.]
A strategy guide only I could see…
"So, to hunt the most creatures…"
Realizing I was wasting time, I quickly spent my points.
[Your senses have increased by 2.]
My final choice was senses. I had decided that to hunt as many creatures as possible, I first needed to find them. Senses directly influenced the ability to search, and since the tutorial creatures weren't that strong, I was confident I could handle them without boosting other stats.
Sure, I could've been wrong. If that turned out to be the case, I would boost strength and agility with the next points. After all, I was still at level 1, where points accumulated quickly.
A strange coincidence or not, my heightened senses soon spotted a wandering one-horn raccoon at my 10 o'clock, approximately 54 yards away. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but my vision seemed sharper.
[Player's level is being adjusted. Level 1.]
Another level-up. It was my fourth, but my level remained at 1. Somewhere along the way, my senses had increased to 16, as I kept investing every point I earned into the stat. The +8 effect was impossible to ignore. My vision and hearing had improved, and I felt like I could sense energy at times. That might have explained how I easily spotted one-horn raccoons everywhere I went.
"Ack!"
Once again, a one-horn raccoon fell to my sword. Hunting these creatures became easier with time, even without boosting my other attributes. Although combat experience wasn't a stat, I could feel it piling up with each fight. Experience like that wasn't something you could ignore.
[Time Remaining: 26 minutes]
As I continued the tutorial, a problem arose. There was still a lot of time remaining, but I couldn't find any more creatures. With my significantly heightened senses failing to locate anything, I wondered if I had killed them all. Maybe it was time to give up.
I turned my attention to the other option for clearing the tutorial:
"Run to the end of the forest."
It might be better to end this than wander around aimlessly.
At that moment, the strategy guide popped up again:
[Strategy Guide: Spend all 60 minutes of the tutorial hunting as many creatures as possible.]
The strategy guide was trying to tell me something by sending the same message again.
You want me to keep going?
I went back and thought about the meaning of the message.
" …as many creatures as possible… "
The message would not have popped up again for no
reason, and it was telling me there were still creatures left in
the forest. The bits of advice proved to be nothing but
helpful every time, so there was no reason to ignore them.
And to be frank, I wouldn't have missed much, even if I wandered around that forest for the remaining 26 minutes.
With that in mind, I wandered the forest aimlessly while expanding all my senses to comb through each area.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As time passed, frustration set in, and I took it out on the grass. Still, no one-horn raccoons appeared, even with a minute remaining.
[Time Remaining: 1 minute]
[There are no existing creatures.]
"What? So there really are none!"
For the first time, I felt betrayed by the strategy guide. But the resentment was short-lived as new messages began to appear:
[A hidden quest has been generated.]
[Defeat the boss creature within 60 seconds.]
[Reward: Gold.]
A hidden quest?
Hidden quests were definitely not something you could find
often in actual games. And this situation was no different. I
knew if it wasn't for the strategy guide I would've left the tutorial a while ago.
The hidden quest was a rare opportunity quite hard to
come by unless it was an actual computer game. But there
weren't many whackjobs that would endure 60 minutes in
this forest to hunt more creatures all the while when the world we knew had ended.
"A boss monster…"
By that time, there was already a giant raccoon before me.
And it could have been the effects of the game system, but I
wasn't scared. If anything, my heart was on the gold that I
would receive after killing that thing.
Boss or not, a raccoon was still a raccoon. Sixty seconds was plenty of time to take down this level 2 creature.
[Displaying Beginner's Swordsmanship.]
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It only took a few swings before blood splattered, and the giant raccoon fell. As expected, trusting the strategy guide had been the right decision. I felt like I could see the gold already.
[You have completed the tutorial.]
I had used all 60 minutes of the tutorial effectively. My level still showed 1, but in reality, I had leveled up six times and completed the hidden quest. My actual level was 7.
When the tutorial ended, the setting abruptly changed. Messages appeared before me once again:
[Welcome. You have successfully completed the tutorial.]
[You are currently at the tower's lobby and are now members of District C-2567.]
What did any of that even mean?
But there was something that caused more confusion than
those messages. I wasn't alone. These strangers that seemed to be in the same position as me, were standing next to me.
There were 11 women and 13 men, including me—24 faces in total, all wearing similar expressions of utter shock.
Breaking the silence wasn't easy for anyone. We all stood there, staring blankly at one another.
And just like that, silence persisted for another brief moment.
[Starting now, players can check each other's information at all times.]
"Huh?"
"What the hell?"
Suddenly, captions with names and levels appeared above everyone's heads. For example, one read:
"Has everyone gone through the tutorial?"
It was Junseong Kim, a level 4 archer, who broke the silence. He had impressive stats and a solid balance between his attributes.
"I… don't know!"
"Honestly, I can't even tell if this is real or not."
Chaos rippled through the crowd.
We had completed the tutorial, but this new situation would take much longer to adjust to. Strangely, I felt calm. While I was aware of what was happening to the world, I found myself wondering: Why am I so composed right now?
"Please! I want to go home!"
Some people were already close to tears. But it was pointless. We had only just completed the tutorial—the actual game hadn't even started yet.
"Welcome to the Tower of the End!"
A strange voice greeted us from behind. Turning around, I saw it: a 4ft 2 translucent figure standing on two feet, wearing a bunny mask. Though its appearance was bizarre—almost holographic—what struck me most was how long it might have been listening to us.
"Hey! Who are you?"
The voice came from Junho Seo, another level 4 player, and a gladiator.
"Me? Let's just say I'm the low-level manager of this tower," it replied, its tone unsettlingly cheerful.
"Wait… are you saying we're actually inside the tower right now?"
"Let me repeat myself since there seems to be some deafness going around: Welcome to the Tower of the End."
The so-called low-level manager grinned at us before continuing.
"There's no need to be so wary of me. I wouldn't hurt a soul! I'm just here to greet you all. Hehe!" It giggled, the sound grating.
"How did we end up here all of a sudden? The last thing I remember, I was at work!"
And I was working out at the gym…
The lobby swirled with confusion and chaos, though that was only natural. Who could have imagined being thrown into the apocalypse like this?
"Before I answer, let me ask you all a question: Do you believe this is the end?"
"Yeah," I answered without hesitation.
The rest of the crowd struggled to snap out of their confusion, though a few nodded hesitantly.
"Wow! Mr. Hoyeong Lee! Outstanding! Then, I'll pass the floor to you. You may ask anything your curious mind desires," the manager smiled, its tone condescending.
I had only one question: Was the rest of the world in the same situation as us?
"Is the entire world inside this tower right now?" I asked, seeking confirmation for what I already suspected.
"Yes, that's correct. Not a single person left behind. The entire world is inside this tower."
So it was true…
I remembered the strange, towering structures that had appeared worldwide before all this began. The laws of nature clearly didn't apply here, so it was no surprise that the tower could accommodate the whole of humankind.
"As I said before, this is the Tower of the End. You are players in a game. Hunt, level up, and climb the tower to survive. FYI: many of your kind didn't make it past the tutorial."
Those words hit me hard, bringing flashes of faces I cared about. Though I had no family—I was an orphan—I was still human. And it was only natural to wonder about the fate of people I adored.
"And what happens if we get to the top? Is that where the game ends?" I asked another question.
"That's a secret. Hehe. You'll have to focus on surviving if you want to find out. Who knows? You may discover the answer while climbing the tower. Also, you should know there's a different theme on
every tower floor. Oh, and about the number of floors? That's a secret too!"
Could this thing be any more irritating? I stayed quiet, reminding myself this was the manager of the tower.
"Okay then! I've done my part welcoming you all, so it's time for me to disappear. Anyone willing to lend me a hand?"
"Disappear? What do you mean?"
"Oh, I forgot! Lending me a hand means killing me. That way, I can disappear faster. Hehe. And who knows? You might get a special reward for helping!"
Though the manager was the size of a fourth-grader, its title was intimidating. Unsurprisingly, no one volunteered. But I could read it—its stats, displayed clearly in my status window.
[
Profession: Manager (Low-Level)
Level: 55
HP: 100%
MP: 0
Stamina: 0
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Senses: 0
[*As a hologram of the actual form, its combat power is nonexistent.]
"I'll do it," I said without hesitation.
The rabbit had mentioned a special reward, and there was no reason to turn down an opportunity like that.
The crowd erupted in shock at my declaration, and I couldn't blame them. They were fixated on the number 55, thinking it meant certain death. But I knew better. Levels didn't matter this time. Anyone here could defeat the manager easily.
With a sly grin, the rabbit turned to me.
"But you're only level 1?"
It was trying to test me. But I knew levels didn't matter
this time, and anyone in the crowd could go up against him and easily win.
"Is there a level requirement for good deeds?" I countered.
"Well, of course not! Hehe!"
Could this rabbit possibly be more annoying?
TL Note: I dont know if you'll notice but i changed the way some information are shown. Should i keep up with that format or the old one?
https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com