## Chapter 232 – 232. Tutorial Floor (4)
#232. Tutorial Floor (4)
Not long after, Lucifer returned.
Without a word, she sat near the bonfire and sipped the hot chocolate I had cooled down.
Ise-rin glanced at her, but Lucifer didn’t give her even a shred of attention.
I knew it was a kind of silent disapproval, so I didn’t say anything. Trying to soothe her anger with words would only backfire.
In the awkward silence, I planned for the future. First and foremost, the most urgent thing was securing WP.
Even though I was receiving sponsorship from a Constellation, I shouldn’t assume it would last forever.
Like how someone might sponsor a streamer they like, only to lose interest one day and stop watching. I had to be aware that sudden attention could disappear just as quickly.
Lucifer called Constellations the most capricious beings in the world.
I believed her.
‘Aim for a minimum of 1,500 WP per day. Target 10,000 WP per week.’
It was noon when we arrived in this forest.
Since then, for half a day, Lucifer and I had each earned about 700 WP purely on our own, excluding sponsorships.
At this pace, reaching 1,500 WP per day seemed possible.
I planned to add one more thing to the schedule.
“Ise-rin, did you check your status window?”
“Status window?”
That was to help Ise-rin grow.
To do that, there was one thing I needed to know.
“Try saying ‘Status window’ in your mind.”
Players chosen for the Tower each gained unique skills. Usually, they got one or two.
Only a few had unique traits.
To help Ise-rin grow, I first needed to know what unique trait or skill she possessed.
‘I hope it’s not something like handling swords or spears.’
It’s never easy for a beginner to wield weapons skillfully.
You have to swing the weapon until blisters form on your palms, burst, and turn into calluses.
Could Ise-rin, a woman, handle a process that even men find difficult?
There’s a reason for sayings like “A hundred days for a knife,” “A thousand days for a spear,” and “Ten thousand days for a sword.”
“Oh?! A screen just appeared in front of me?”
“This time, think of me and imagine showing the status window.”
“Just a moment…”
*Ding-*
「Name: Ise-rin
Age: 25
Contract Constellation: –
Affiliation: –
Authority: –
Unique Trait: Celestial Tone (S)
Unique Skills: Composition (C), Harmony of Life (D+), Echo of Purification (D), Resonance of Chaos (D), Mental Resistance (E)
Traits: –
Skills: -」
Looking at the screen, I was momentarily speechless.
‘…An S-rank unique trait?’
According to Lucifer, S-rank traits or skills were so rare that maybe one in 100,000 people had them.
And Ise-rin had one?
Judging by the composition of her traits and skills, she must have been working in a music-related field, but the system wasn’t kind enough to elevate mediocre talent into traits and skills.
‘…Is she a genius?’
For now, it seemed most reasonable to assume she had overwhelming talent.
Still, some doubts remained.
The rabbit doll had clearly called the people gathered in the plaza trash.
I could understand that for Lucifer and me, but why evaluate Ise-rin that way?
‘Maybe…’
Suddenly, a plausible hypothesis flashed through my mind.
If I thought that way, the rabbit’s reaction made sense. There was no clear evidence, but if I verified it in the future-
“U-um, excuse me…”
At that moment, a shy voice pierced my ears, breaking my train of thought.
Turning my head, I saw Ise-rin looking at me with slightly trembling eyes.
“Is there something wrong…?”
“Huh?”
“You… looked a little dark…”
She kept fidgeting with her fingers, as if anxious about something.
Suddenly, what Iris had told me came to mind.
-Hyun-woo, you frown more when you’re concentrating, you know?
I probably did it out of habit just now.
Only then did I understand Ise-rin’s reaction.
Without my help, she wouldn’t be able to survive in this monster-infested forest, so I effectively held her life in my hands.
In that situation, it was natural for her to be anxious and sensitive to my every reaction.
S-rank unique trait? Giving a gun to someone who’s never fired one doesn’t make them a hero on a medieval battlefield of swords and shields.
It’s more likely to cause panic.
There’s a reason why the mortality rate for high-level Awakened is highest during their apprenticeship.
“I meant it in a good way, so don’t worry about it, Ise-rin.”
“Really…?”
Only then did Ise-rin regain her bright smile, as if relieved.
I smiled lightly and got up.
“Shall we get going now?”
“Huh? W-where to…?”
“Where else?”
I pointed to the forest with my fingertip.
The densely grown trees blocked out the sunlight, making it as dark as night. An ordinary person would probably get lost quickly.
The undergrowth, shorter than waist-high, was the perfect environment for small monsters like goblins to ambush.
Snakes and spiders crawling around were also silent assassins.
“We need to get some practical experience before it gets too late. What do you think, Lucy?”
For the record, Lucy was Lucifer’s alias.
“…”
She didn’t answer. She quietly grabbed her sword and headed into the forest.
I didn’t bother stopping her. I was planning to explore the forest with Ise-rin anyway.
There was no point in the three of us going together, as it would only increase Lucifer’s animosity.
“…I’m sorry.”
After Lucifer left, Ise-rin glanced at me and looked in the direction Lucifer had gone.
“What for?”
“I made you fight with your girlfriend.”
“Ah.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. Girlfriend? If Lucifer heard that, she would have thrown a fit.
I had a rough idea of what she was misunderstanding.
“Or… is she not your girlfriend?”
“No, she’s my girlfriend. She’s just jealous, so please understand.”
Feeling Lucifer’s presence growing more distant, I opened her status window.
「Name: Lucy
Age: 21
Contract Constellation: –
Affiliation: –
Authority: –
Unique Trait: Swordsman (C)
Unique Skills: Swordsmanship (C), Close Combat (D+)
Traits: –
Skills: -」
For the record, this was a fake status window created with the Mask of Illusion.
Even though it was temporary, we could check each other’s status windows at any time since we were bound by a contract. Of course, that wouldn’t have been possible if she hadn’t become a Player Candidate.
‘By the way, isn’t writing her age as 21 a bit much?’
Still, it felt cute that she set it to the same age as me.
「Name: Lucifer
Age: ???
Contract Constellation: –
Affiliation: –
Authority: Black Flames (C)
Unique Trait: Fallen Angel (S), Master of Black Flames (A-)
Unique Skills: Celestial Sword (A), Black Wings (B+), Flower of the Battlefield (B+), Eye of Observation (B), Offense and Defense Unity (C)…
Traits: –
Skills: Sixth Sense (B), Lie Detection (B), Target Acquisition (C+), Mental Barrier (E)」
As a former Constellation, her status window was spectacular.
But even this was the result of being stripped of most of her power when she was deprived of her Constellation status.
According to the system, her rank had fallen to its limit, so it wouldn’t even be a speck of the power she originally possessed.
Moreover, her physical abilities had deteriorated as much as possible.
The sense of alienation she must be feeling would be considerable.
I decided to soothe her anger after the hunt that night and grabbed Ise-rin’s wrist.
“Let’s get going too, we need to come back before it gets too late.”
There was no need to waste time. I knew what Ise-rin needed right now.
“W-wait a minute…! I’m not ready yet…!”
I dragged her, who had stiffened, into the forest.
***
Entering the forest, I immediately used magic detection to check the location of the monsters.
“H-Hyun-woo…? Isn’t… isn’t practical experience too soon…?”
“Seeing is believing. And I’ll protect you no matter what, so don’t jump to conclusions and get scared.”
“…”
Ise-rin reluctantly nodded.
Judging by the fact that the trembling in her hands had subsided, she seemed to have relaxed a bit.
“But how long are you going to hold my hand…?”
“Shh.”
Found them.
60 meters to the southeast, a goblin pack.
‘Six goblins and one hobgoblin.’
Suitable for the first practical experience.
*Whoosh!*
I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it in that direction. The stone flew at a considerable speed and soon collided with something.
– *Kieeeeek!*
Soon after, a cry of agony and rage echoed through the forest.
As expected of goblins, they had an amazing sense of smell and were running straight towards us.
“W-what was that just now…”
Ise-rin turned pale at the cry that pierced her ears. She probably remembered being chased by the goblin pack.
I grabbed her cheeks. They were so soft.
“Ise-rin, snap out of it.”
I met her eyes at a distance close enough to feel her breath.
Her face was a little red, but some tension was necessary in battle.
“In a little while, goblins will jump out of that thicket. You remember the green-skinned monsters that chased you, right?”
“…”
Her shoulders began to tremble slightly.
Well, it would be a bit difficult for an ordinary person to overcome the fear of death right away.
But now was the most important moment for her.
“Ise-rin!”
“H-huh?!”
Perhaps because of the loud voice calling her, the ripples spreading in her eyes subsided for a moment.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you get hurt. You saw the unique skills in your status window earlier, right?”
Ise-rin slowly nodded.
“When I signal, all you have to do is use the skill.”
“B-but how?”
“Just imagine using the skill in your mind.”
I wanted to tell her more, but there was no time.
*Flash!*
“Kiek!”
“Kit!”
“Keeeek!!”
The goblin pack jumped out from beyond the thicket.
I drew my sword and blocked their path.
In fact, I didn’t even need to draw my sword to deal with a few goblins. They would be dead with a few kicks, so why bother?
But there was no choice, as practical experience wouldn’t work without some sense of crisis.
One of the things Ise-rin needed right now was practical experience, i.e., combat experience.
I pretended to be in a tense situation against the goblin pack.
Of course, I didn’t get hit once.
Even if I were cut by the blades they were wielding, I wouldn’t even get a scratch, but it was a matter of principle.
I shuddered at the thought of rusty knives or axes touching my body. Besides, I didn’t want my clothes to get torn.
*Clang!*
I toyed with them, pretending to exchange a few sword blows.
Perhaps they realized they were being played with, as their expressions twisted hideously.
I created some distance at the right time.
“Now!”
I shouted at Ise-rin and looked at her.
I could feel an unusual flow of magic from her, who had her eyes tightly closed.
[Ise-rin uses ‘Harmony of Life (D+)’.]
At that moment, a soft, green wave spread in all directions, and a beautiful tone enveloped the surroundings.
– ♩♪♬
It was such an attractive voice that I couldn’t help but look away for a moment.
And so did the goblins.
They stopped attacking as if they were possessed by something. Goblins were known for being ferocious among low-level monsters.
‘…But is that it?’
It was definitely a good song, but that was all.
It didn’t seem to have any particular effect.
“H-Hyun-woo…?”
No, if I focused my senses, I could feel the effect of the skill.
Very slightly, my health was being restored. It was a skill that restored the health of allies.
But I was close to full health right now. So I probably didn’t see much of an effect.
“Try using another skill this time!”
“A-ah, okay!”
[Ise-rin uses ‘Resonance of Chaos (D)’.]
This time, an even more intense melody spread in all directions.
It was a song that elevated emotions, but I didn’t feel any other changes.
“Kieek?!”
“Keeeek!!”
“K-Kieeek…!!”
But the goblins were different.
They sat down or staggered as if they had been drinking. None of them seemed to be in a normal state.
‘Is it a skill that debuffs multiple enemies?’
Heal and debuff, her position was becoming clear.
I slowly walked over and severed their tendons. Perhaps awakened by the pain, they began to writhe again, screaming.
“Ise-rin.”
I handed Ise-rin a sword.
She was panting heavily, probably because she had used a considerable amount of magic.
“You probably have a sense of it by now, but in game terms, your position is a healer or support. A role that supports the party from the rear.”
Healers and supporters, like mages, were classified as nobles.
They were so few in number that they were treated well wherever they went.
I didn’t know if that was true in the Tower, but where people lived was all the same, so it would be similar.
“But the rear isn’t always safe. And you might not always be able to stay in the rear.”
I was also a mage, a rear-line class, but I had hardly ever had the experience of just casting spells from behind and having an easy time.
Just as no one could predict what would happen in the world, there would come a time when she would have to kill an enemy with her own hands.
Of course, even if that wasn’t the case, this was an essential process to maintain composure at all times.
“You kill them.”
“…”
What was more important to her now than practical experience was the experience of killing living things.
The more you see blood, the more used to it you become.
The same was true of the feeling of killing an opponent with a weapon, whether it was a sword or an axe.
Of course, there were ways to kill enemies without having to touch them by using skills, but you had to abandon the idea that you could always use magic.
*Gulp.*
Ise-rin received the sword with trembling hands.
They were hands that had a few calluses, but looked like they had never cooked a proper meal in their life.
You could tell she had been raised with love and care.
But even she had to learn how to take someone else’s life with her own hands in order to adapt to this world.
I carefully reached out and touched her face.
It was small, soft, and warm.
Only then did Ise-rin’s gaze turn to me.
“You trust me, right?”
“…Yes.”
The trembling in her eyes subsided.
She had a look on her face as if she had made up her mind and walked towards the goblins who were writhing on the ground.
“Kieeeeek!!”
“…I’m sorry.”
She raised the sword.
It was a clumsy posture, but there was no trembling.
*Thwack-*
