Chapter 8

Tutorial stage.

h.e.l.l difficulty, 1st floor.

I walked through an empty dark corridor.

Step by step very slowly.

I kept myself curled up like a grub worm and slowly, very slowly went forward while keeping my shield in front of me.

Like, how long is this going to be?

[1st attempt, Day 1. 1 hour 26 minutes]

Around 5 minutes after I started, I was thinking ‘surely something will come out now?’

So I shortened my steps by half.

After 15 minutes, I was thinking ‘Something will definitely come out now.’

So I shortened my steps by half.

After 30 minutes, I was thinking ‘Something’s coming out, something’s really coming out!’

So I walked slowly as if I was dragging my feet along the ground.

And, now.

Nothing has come after all this time.

Am I being crazy?

That nice message, the message telling me the time kept bugging me.

Am I wasting this precious time? Is this something like a time-attack mission?

The anxiety and horror in my heart grew and grew.

My body is feeling tired also.

Due to the sword and shield I held in both hands, my arms and shoulders felt stiff.

My back, arms and shoulders were all shaking uncontrollably. It felt like I could hear my muscles making sounds whenever I moved. Sweat was dripping everywhere and I could smell alcohol in my breath.

f.u.c.k. It was already hard enough to keep my sword and shield at shoulder level. With my legs squatting, my back bent forward and my shoulders and neck curled inwards I kept myself behind the shield as much as possible.

I felt like I was dying walking in this position constantly.

I was thinking of just giving all this up and having a rest.

Straightening my back, no, should I just sit down somewhere and have a rest?

No. I still don’t have any information of this place. I shouldn’t brush off this tension, I must stay alert.

I can’t stay at ease at this time.

I’m not sure if I can react to a dangerous situation even if I’m alert and nervous.

Although it’s hard…

I must withstand this for as long as I can.

With a determined mind, I went forward as slow as a turtle.

But then,

[You have learned: Battle concentration Lv.1]

[You have learned: Will Lv.1]

‘Uh?’

As the dazed sound came out of my mouth independent of will I stood still.

Although I was determined to not stop, I should probably think a little bit about that new message.

I straightened my back and walked back a few steps.

‘Status bar’

[Lee Ho Jae (Human)]

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 13

Endurance: 11

Intelligence: 21

Skills: Battle concentration Level1.

Will Level1.

… So I got some skills.

[Battle Concentration (Lv.1)]

Description: Your concentration rises in battle. Allows you to stay focused for longer periods of time.

[Will (Lv.1)]

Description: Increases your will.

They’re both pa.s.sive skills.

Battle concentration and will. They’re both skills related to the situation I’m experiencing right now.

It feels like I learn new skills dependent on certain situations.

I thought you would naturally learn new skills by levelling up or by getting new items; I guess I was wrong.

If what I’m thinking is right, to learn as many skills I must try more diverse things.

Let’s try different things when I’m in a safer place.

I wonder if Min Sik, Kyung Min and Su Ah found this out by now?

I shook my head as I thought of the other three.

I can’t think of others right now. Let’s focus.

I curled up again and went forward. Slowly.

Thinking danger could come out in any moment, I walked forward for roughly an hour as slow as a snail. Finally, the danger found me.

The reason I could respond to the danger wasn’t because I was alert.

It was because of the shield I held up with my left arm.

Ting!

An arrow flew through the dark and got stuck on my shield.

Not until I felt the recoil from when the arrow hit my shield and gave a shock to my left arm, did I realise an arrow was shot towards me.

Ting!

Once again, an arrow got stuck on my shield.

Where is it coming from?

At that moment, I saw a silver flash in front of my eyes.

Instinctively I held the shield over my head

Ting!

That was close.

Phew…

I didn’t realise the first two arrows, but I definitely saw and dodged the last one.

Lucklily…

Pick!

?? Another arrow…

Pook!

‘AARRRRGGHHHHH!’

The last arrow shot pierced my ankle.

More than half of the arrow had pierced through.

It hurts, it hurts!

‘Aaaaaahhhhhhh…’

For a moment I saw my right ankle with an arrow pierced through it with my shaky vision.

More than half of the arrow had pierced through

I laid on the ground screaming and squirming in pain, but the pain didn’t stop.

The blood gushing out of my ankle pooled the floor and reached my face to coat it.

Even with my chaotic mind due to the pain, as I saw my bright red blood my brain functioned to get me out of this.

The waiting room!

I need to get back to the waiting room!

Following my brains’ final decision made through the excruciating pain, I went back, tracing the steps I took to come here, back to the waiting room.

I tried whatever I could to get back on both feet; however, without being able to stay balanced, I fell.

AARRRRGGGGHHHH! f.u.c.k!

The arrow must’ve grazed the floor as I fell; the pain arose again.

Tears were flowing from my eyes.

I stayed on all fours, and using the sword in my hand like a hook I stuck it in the floor as I dragged myself forward.

My muscles screamed as I crawled with my two hands and one usable leg.

They screamed in pain. Agony.

At the same time, the ankle with the arrow pierced through it screamed as if it were experiencing the most pain.

[You have learned: Pain Tolerance: Lv.1]

It took me a long, gruelling hour to get to where I was.

Crawling like a lizard with one of my r.e.t.a.r.ded legs, I could see no end to this path.

The crazy speed of my desperate pain-induced crawling was slowing down.

‘Pant, pant, pant.’

The pain subsided from a fresh deep piercing pain to a more compressed and controlled pain.

It must’ve been adrenaline or some s.h.i.t, but it felt like my brain was finally functioning.

I kept moving forward, even as I was moving forward I kept checking my body status.

I didn’t know if the leg with the arrow pierced through it became paralyzed or something, other than the pain I didn’t feel anything. I tried moving my toes but they didn’t move. No, I didn’t even know if they moved or not, because I couldn’t feel them.

[You have learned: Pain Tolerance Lv.2]

[You have learned: Haemorrhage Tolerance Lv.1]

f.u.c.king tolerance my a.s.s. I felt no effect.

My normal leg and both my arms and shoulders were trembling all over.

‘Pant. Pant. Pant.’

My lungs warned me to stop the physical exercise and demanded more air.

I could hear a high pitched ringing in my ear, maybe due to excessive haemorrhage.

I could feel a chill on my head of ever-rising temperature.

I stole the sweat drops of my arm and laid them on my face. It was still as hot as a bonfire.

Then, the chill I felt on my face was…

At that moment, I felt a growing dizziness and my vision started to fade.

The word ‘Death’ flashed in my head.

Think of this as a game? You f.u.c.king idiot!

This pain, this feeling. It’s real!

Death will be real too.

I couldn’t see anything anymore.

I tried rubbing my eyes, pushing on my eyelids and opening my eyes again, but I saw nothing.

In this pitch black place, relying on the faint senses on my arms and legs, I moved.

Luckily the corridor was a straight line.

If I ignored the stone floor I felt on my arms and legs, the only thing I could feel were my own tears rolling down my face.

I thought my tears had all dried up as I crawled my way through this misery, but the pressure of death let my tears flow once more.

Still, I didn’t give up and allowed my arms and legs to play in this darkness.

I didn’t want to die here in misery.

I don’t want to die.

Even if I die I shouldn’t die like this.

Never will I die like this.

How long has it been since I started crawling,

I wonder how far I’ve crawled.

Am I even crawling forward?

A flood of drowsiness filled my head.

I couldn’t feel any part of my body anymore.

It is said that the most extreme feeling of pleasure a human can experience is the feeling right before death.

I’ve seen some perverts on the internet actually die by strangling themselves in attempt to feel this extreme pleasure.

f.u.c.k, sure as h.e.l.l do I understand them. I want to rely on this drowsiness. Instead of denying and struggling, I just want to stay relaxed.

Is it going to end like this?

Because of a moment of carelessness?

No. I won’t become careless. I’ll stay aware of my surroundings and slowly…

It was an attack I couldn’t detect or even block with my skills.

If I didn’t have a shield, the first arrow would’ve pierced through my heart and I would’ve died there in an instant.

Just why…

(voooooommmm)

[Travel to 1st floor waiting room?]

End