I staggered to my feet.
I couldn't go back. Couldn't go sideways. The only path was forward.
Does that mean I have to fight that monster?
['Han (★)' has recovered from Panic!]
Alright!
I'll fight. And whether this is a dream or whatever, I swear I'll smash the face of whoever sent me here.
I took deep breaths, again and again. When my insides still wouldn't calm down, I bit my tongue hard. The sharp, metallic taste of blood spread.
Situation assessment.
Assess the situation.
Where am I? What do I need to do? I can think about the reasons later. I can slowly look around after waking up from this dream.
"If that's the case..."
I scanned my surroundings.
Burning houses. Collapsed homes. Fleeing residents. Goblins chasing after them. I had seen this scene somewhere before. More than just seen; I could still recall it vividly.
Pick Me Up.
This was Pick Me Up's prologue stage.
The burning village field. It was far more realistic and detailed, but this was the 'background.' Like a backdrop in a play. They couldn't interfere with me here, and I couldn't interfere with them over there.
Why me!
I suppressed the negative thoughts slowly creeping up.
I can vent my anger after I wake up.
I gave the iron sword in my right hand a quick twirl.
My right shoulder felt stiff from the weight.
One enemy.
Contextually, there were hundreds of goblins in the village background, but in the actual 'field', there was only one goblin. I could treat the rest as non-existent.
Below the hill, a single goblin wearing a crude iron helmet glared, its eyes flashing wildly. Blood dripped steadily from its blade.
"Kerk!"
"If you were going to make it, couldn't you have made it a bit... cruder?"
The graphics weren't just good. Pick Me Up is a mobile game. It absolutely does not have graphics like this. The fangs visible near its mouth, the red eyes, the rough bumps on its skin. Bright red blood.
Why is it so realistic?
['Han (★)' feels Fear! All stats decrease by 30%.]
[Tips/ Heroes with low Fear Resistance often feel Fear. Be careful.]
Even the bravest person would surely be terrified if suddenly dropped into a place like this, handed a single sword, and told to fight a monster.
Couldn't they at least give me a K-2 rifle? Let me fire a gun, dammit!
My legs trembled just from standing.
My vision started to go dark, and my breath caught in my throat.
Hot breath escaped my mouth.
Would it hurt if I got hit by that sword?
If I die here, do I die in reality?
Or do I just wake up from the dream?
"Damn it..."
I had no intention of testing it. It would hurt like hell.
I spat out bloody saliva. Ptooey.
The goblin was smaller than me. About the size of a middle schooler at best. Its limbs were thin and slender too. Muscle-wise, it probably wasn't that strong. Although, whether you're an elementary or middle schooler, getting stabbed with a blade likely means going down in one hit.
Furthermore, I was on the upper part of the slope, and the goblin was below.
The terrain favors me!
"You son of a bitch!"
I charged down the hill and kicked out.
The goblin at the front took the kick to its chest and tumbled downward.
As it tumbled, the goblin swung its blade.
Don't tense up. Don't blink. Watch it to the very end! If you look away, you die!
I took a step back, and the blade sliced through the air right in front of my nose. A cold lump of ice settled in my chest. If I'd been just a bit slower...
"This goddamn thing!"
I threw the iron sword. The hilt struck the iron helmet with a ting. The goblin staggered. I immediately dove in and tackled it.
The goblin and I fell in a tangle.
"Die, you bastard!"
I got into a mount position and rained blows down on the goblin's face.
Pinning its shoulders with my knees, I hammered its nose with my fist. There was a sickening crack as the goblin's nose collapsed. Blood spurted wildly.
It felt like my head was on fire. Astride the goblin, I punched like a madman. I completely forgot about the iron sword. Putting all my strength into every single blow. Punching as if trying to break my own fists.
After several minutes of this.
"Haah, haah..."
I fell off the goblin and collapsed face down, arms and legs spread wide.
The blood-soaked goblin twitched slightly, then stopped moving.
[Stage Clear!]
['Han (★)', Level Up!]
[Rewards 지급됨 (distributed). Please check your Mailbox.]
Once again, my vision spun sharply.
When I opened my eyes, I was in the white room.
The fatigue had vanished without a trace. The minor cuts and scrapes all over my body were gone too. I stood up awkwardly. Instead of fatigue, a sense of hollowness washed over me.
[Master, before proceeding to the next stage, shall we summon a companion? Please tap the 'Summon' tab in the Menu! A special first-time service! We'll give you 500 Gems for 1 High-Grade Summon.]
[Clack, Dururururu.]
[Clatter-ka-kang!]
[Isel: Huh, this feeling?!]
[!★!Super!★!Rare!★!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired the hero 'Shea (★★★★)'!]
What's this message now?
No way.
I opened the room door and stepped out into the plaza. Among the firmly locked iron gates, the door labeled 'Summoning Chamber' was now open.
Cr-crazy.
Was a hero really summoned?
[Master, you are quite lucky! Let's check the hero you summoned. Please tap the 'Hero' tab in the Menu.]
With trembling steps, I entered the Summoning Chamber.
In the center of the wide room, a black magic circle was inscribed.
A female knight stood upon it. After a moment, a part of my vision shimmered, and a status window appeared.
[Shea Ladastelli (★★★★) Lv. 1 (Exp 0/10)]
[Class: Knight]
[STR: 18/18]
[INT: 10/10]
[VIT: 16/16]
[AGI: 20/20]
[Skills Owned: Combat Logic (Lv.1), Intermediate Rapier Arts (Lv.1), Knight's Mindset (Lv.1)]
The knight stood with her eyes closed, clad in splendid plate armor that looked like something out of a movie. A silver rapier hanging at her waist gleamed as it caught the light.
The female knight opened her eyes.
"Summoned?"
Muttering in a low voice, she stepped purposefully off the magic circle. She cast a glance at me, standing there blankly.
"And you are?"
"H-Han Seo-jin."
"Han Seo-jin? A strange name. I am Shea Ladastelli. A knight."
Shea replied indifferently and walked out of the Summoning Chamber.
This isn't the time for this. I shook my head roughly and followed Shea. She was standing in the center of the plaza, looking around.
"Hmm, so this is the kind of place it is. Understood."
Shea nodded as if she understood something.
Every time she walked, the joints of her armor made a clanking sound. She showed not even the slightest interest in me.
[Shall we form a party with the summoned hero? Drag and drop the hero from the Hero Box into the party formation slot. Create your own unique party, Master!]
['Han (★)' and 'Shea (★★★★)' have become a party!]
My mind raced.
Everything was incomprehensible, but a few things were clear.
This window constantly appearing before my eyes was the message output by Isel, the fairy who guides the 'Pick Me Up' tutorial. It was a long time ago, but I remembered that much. Also, the entity controlling the current waiting room wasn't me. The holographic cursor moved on its own, selecting menu options.
And the battle with the goblin I just experienced was the very first combat encounter signaling the start of Pick Me Up's tutorial. Each floor of the tower is a random stage, but if there's one fixed setting, it's the tutorial. The burning village and goblins always appear in the tutorial.
Then this place is...
Damn it.
It was the worst possible scenario.
[If the party is formed, let's sortie!]
[Second Mission, Start!]
Once again, my vision flipped.
When I opened my eyes, a familiar landscape met my retina.
The burning village. The fleeing people. The mobs of goblins swarming up from below the hill.
Reaching behind me, I felt the invisible wall. I still couldn't leave.
The only difference was—
"Vermin!"
Shea drew her rapier from her waist. Its awl-like tip shone sharply.
There wasn't just one goblin.
"Kerk, Kerrrrrek!"
Below the hill, a whopping five goblins were approaching.
Their blood-red eyes flickered between me and the female knight. In my hand was the blunt, worn-out iron sword. Furthermore, unlike Shea, smartly dressed in leather-padded plate armor, I was wearing a shabby shirt and pants.
Why does she get plate mail and a rapier, while I get a worn-out iron sword?!
"A novice, I see. Your stance is improper."
"It's my first time!"
Couldn't be helped.
Shea was different from me standing awkwardly. She placed her left hand behind her back and aimed the rapier held in her right hand at the goblins. Her slightly lowered body held potent elasticity. Even to my novice eyes, it was a clean stance.
The goblins spread out in a scattered formation as they approached, looking ready to swing their swords the instant they were in range.
If it were just one, maybe I could manage like last time, but with five... what should I do? No good plan came to mind.
"Kyao!"
One goblin at the front charged forward. Its skinny but muscular arm twitched. The blood-stained blade swung.
Dashing out like lightning, Shea deflected the blade and plunged her rapier into the goblin's throat. Blood immediately spurted from the pierced hole.
The thick smell of blood hitting my nose made my head spin.
"Kyarrrrek!"
"Weak!"
Shea parried the goblins' blades and pierced their throats with her rapier. One kill per exchange. Not the limbs or the torso. She precisely thrust the rapier into the narrow gap of the throat, less than 5cm wide.
It was an astonishingly terrifying display of skill.
Wait, is it okay for me to just stand here spacing out?
Already, three goblins lay crumpled on the ground.
The only thing I had done here was watch.
When this battle ends...
You piece of shit!
I charged forward, holding my iron sword out. Shea, having just dispatched the fourth goblin, stepped aside.
"I'll leave the last one to you."
Leave it to me my ass!
When this fight ends, the final stage of the tutorial awaits.
And what happens in the final stage? Hero Synthesis. The very process where you consume a hero to raise another hero's experience points.
And right now, the only people in the waiting room are me and Shea.
My breath hitched.
It felt like every muscle in my body was screaming. More terrifying than the goblin's sword currently swinging towards my face was the outcome that would occur immediately after this battle ended.
A dream?
What kind of dream is this realistic?!
I ducked, and a few strands of my hair fluttered away, cut clean. I lunged into the goblin's reach and stabbed deeply with the iron sword. The dull sensation of piercing flesh traveled up my arm.
A foul stench assaulted my nose.
The heat radiating from the surroundings felt like it was searing the sensory nerves beneath my skin.
The pulsing throb of organs beyond my sword's tip, the realization that I had just killed a living being – it all felt faint and blurry.
[Stage Clear!]
['Shea (★★★★)', Level Up!]
[Rewards 지급됨. Please check your Mailbox.]
[MVP - 'Shea (★★★★)']
I returned to the plaza.
[Master, the heroes fought excellently. The final tutorial awaits. The method to strengthen heroes, Synthesis! Opening the door!]
[Please tap the 'Synthesis' tab in the Menu.]
Clunk.
The door to the Synthesis Lab opened.
'I'm fucked.'
Think calmly.
Except for the fact that the graphics have become real, this place is identical to the initial structure of Pick Me Up's waiting room. Somehow, I woke up in a place like this. The game got installed, and the tutorial started.
[Hey, you!]
A voice seemed to drill directly into my brain.
I looked up. A girl, about the size of my forearm, was flying in the air. Two pairs of dragonfly-like wings fluttered behind the back of the girl dressed in a black one-piece dress.
[Aren't you gonna hurry up and go in? The Master is waiting!]
The girl pointed an accusing finger at me.
A girl with black hair braided down on both sides. Round features and cheeks still plump with baby fat. I had seen this appearance before.
"...Isel?"
[Yes, I am Isel... wait, no, you, you, how do you know my name?]
Of course, I knew.
Because I'd done this tutorial before.
[Anyway, go to the Synthesis Lab! There's a limit to how long I can wait.]
"What happens if I go?"
[We're going to do Synthesis.]
Shea must have already gone inside, as she was nowhere to be seen. I stood alone, blankly, in the plaza.
I shouted.
"Not going, fuck!"