< Tutorial Stage >
- Clear Condition 1: Somewhere within the forest, a 'Golden Bead' is hidden. If you swallow it, you can move on to the next stage. However, there are only 50 beads in total.
- Clear Condition 2: If you defeat the boss, Goblin Shaman, a portal will appear that allows you to advance to the next stage.
"Everyone! I'm not sure who's playing a prank on us, but in times of crisis like this, we need to stick together!"
"...Who is that guy?"
"...I don't know."
Soft murmurs are heard. I know it's unexpected.
However, the momentum is already with me. Whether by choice or not, an atmosphere has been created where people are willing to hear me out.
"There are clearly more than 50 people gathered in this area, meaning not everyone can swallow a Golden Bead and advance. This tower is trying to sow discord among us."
I continued passionately with clenched fists,
"But the notice says if we defeat the boss, a portal will appear. It means there's a way for all of us to survive together. Of course, defeating a boss won't be easy, but if we combine our strength, we can surely take it down!"
I finished my fervent speech, almost worried that I might regress due to the strain on my voice.
The reaction from the crowd was surprisingly consistent.
"...What's he blabbering about, idiot?"
Complete disregard.
But the reasons for this were twofold.
Firstly, those who didn't believe me.
"Let's think realistically. A boss? A portal? Do you think this isn't real? Just because there are status screens and fairies, doesn't mean we should believe everything. Instead of wandering around, let's stay put and wait for rescue."
"...But something did appear in front of our eyes just now..."
"Maybe they secretly inserted lenses in our eyes. Are you going to believe everything you see?"
The firefighter who was trying to comfort the crowd... was his name Choi Cheol-soon? Anyway, the old firefighter. Having not seen the goblin with his own eyes, he seemed to deny the reality of the tower.
And secondly,
"...Combine our strength? For whose sake?"
"Who will take the lead when fighting the boss? Are you willing to be the meat shield?"
"Hasn't he read the webtoons? Everyone dies when they stick together here. Don't you know you need to act selfishly to survive?"
People who didn't want to cooperate at all.
Their perspective was valid. The tower is a survival of the fittest environment, and altruists get consumed by the selfish.
In the end, nobody sided with me. I sat down, defeated.
I took a moment to look up at the sky, then buried my head in my hands, struggling to hide my grin.
Why did I suddenly act out of character? I was playing the role of a righteous man with no power to back up his convictions. My proposal to combine forces and defeat the boss was the first step in this act. Of course, I didn't expect it to succeed. Unless someone's incredibly naive, they wouldn't accept such a proposal in a situation like this.
The 'Golden Bead' offers hope, whereas the 'Goblin Shaman' sounds menacing. What if, while trying to defeat the boss, others escape using the golden beads? The risk of death would be high. Any rational person would focus on finding the bead. My proposal's failure was somewhat expected.
However, this failure was also part of the show for the ponytailed woman. In my mind, a genuinely good and somewhat foolish person would act recklessly like this. Essentially, I'm playing a pre-superpowers Captain America. What if the ponytailed woman disapproves? If I regress, so be it.
I have an infinite number of attempts, so there's no need to risk my life.
Now, returning to the current moment.
How would the brave commoner, who suggested defeating the boss together and was rejected, act next?
I pretended to ponder for about 30 minutes, waiting for enough time to pass.
That should be sufficient.
I wobbly stood up and started walking.
My destination was the pile of weapons in the center of the plaza. From the now sparse weapon heap, since many had already taken their pick, I casually grabbed a random sword.
I held the sword in the most ridiculous manner possible.
The stance was off, the weight distribution was all over the place, and the grip was extremely uncomfortable.
To anyone watching, I looked like a complete novice. I swung the sword with all my might.
"Oomph."
It was a weak sound, especially compared to the ponytailed woman's "Whoom!"
But I nodded slightly, suggesting that it was enough, and then moved towards the grass where the others had gone.
One step.
Two steps.
Someone should grab me soon. If I enter the grass, I might mistakenly regress.
Although I was pretending to be calm, my heart raced as I neared the grass.
Finally, just as I was about to step into the grass,
"Wait."
The ponytailed woman blocked my path.
"You... where are you going?"
The fish took the bait.
"You. What are you trying to do?"
The woman Kim Junho casually named 'ponytailed woman', Choi Ji-won, was visibly irritated.
For a simple reason.
"...Huh?"
The man in front of her was acting dense.
Right after the 'notice' appeared, he loudly suggested they all join forces to defeat the boss.
But when no one responded, he looked dejected and retreated to a corner.
She couldn't just watch as he picked up a sword and started walking with a determined look.
"With that sword... what were you trying to do?"
He gave an awkward smile, pointing to the sword.
"...I was going to try defeating the boss."
"Alone?"
"It's called a Goblin Shaman, right? Maybe it's surprisingly weak. After all, it's just a goblin."
His reason was exactly as Choi Ji-won had imagined.
This fool was recklessly planning to challenge the boss alone, even though it would be a pointless death. Did he not realize that?
'I don't like it.'
A surge of irritation welled up.
'Ji-won, just let him be. You can't save everyone. You've done your duty by deciding to guard this plaza.'
The voice trying to hold her back was 'BoongBoong', the sword. The somewhat childish name was because she received the sword at the age of 7.
It might be odd for a sword to speak, but it's one of Choi Ji-won's unique abilities.
- Divine Sword Fusion [SSS]
- The person becomes the sword and the sword becomes the person. The person gains the sharpness and strength of the sword, while the sword gains human wisdom.
Though the term "Divine Sword Fusion" is often used in martial arts novels to describe someone who can handle a sword as if it's part of their body, Choi Ji-won's case was a bit different.
The sword had truly become a part of her, with its own consciousness.
Choi Ji-won could feel what the sword felt, and the sword could feel her emotions.
They had truly become one, their essences intertwined.
The heightened senses and strength were all due to this unique ability.
The reason she recognized Kim Junho's acting in the previous episode was also due to the sword.
'He's a good person, but there are many good people out there. You can't save them all. Right now, you should focus on getting used to your enhanced abilities. You haven't fully adapted yet, right?'
The sword 'BoongBoong' seemed to understand what Choi Ji-won was thinking and tried to persuade her.
Logically, she agreed. Her physical abilities had drastically increased due to the status window, but she hadn't fully adapted to her new performance level.
This meant she couldn't control her body freely, and a significant portion of her power was diminished.
And that's not all... Thanks to the effects of the trait, my senses have become sharper, allowing me to detect things more acutely.
From a distance, I could feel the overwhelming presence of an incredibly powerful monster.
If that's the "boss", then Choi Ji-won would also have to give up on defeating it and instead search for the golden bead.
However...
"You. You'll die doing that."
"Haha... I'll be fine. Probably."
How could I just escape and leave this man, who's laughing cluelessly right in front of me?
Is he thoughtless or just excessively brave?
Due to him constantly reminding her of someone else, she felt extremely uncomfortable.
'...Sigh. You've made up your mind, haven't you?'
BoongBoong sighed. Being able to read Choi Ji-won's thoughts, it understood what she was contemplating.
"... Sword."
"Yes?"
"I'll teach you for a bit. Follow me."
It's a simple whim. Pure hypocrisy stemming from her discomfort.
It's akin to tossing a coin to a beggar on the street – a minor act of kindness.
However, even such a small gesture...
"...Really? You'll teach me swordsmanship?"
For some, it might be the kindness of a lifetime.