Chapter 23: Tutorial (23)

[Quest ending soon. Please prepare for transfer.]

The ten days after the fight with the Cerberus trio had passed quickly. With our new shelter and the threat eliminated, we had it easy.

Nothing much happened. Well, one thing did. Yoo Ha-na acquired a new class.

Avenger.

A rather on-the-nose name, it was the class she gained after her ordeal.

She called it the fruit of righteous vengeance. The abilities of her new class were incredibly powerful.

[All stats temporarily increase when fighting a target of vengeance.]

[Increased experience gain when tracking a target of vengeance.]

[Bonus skill/stat points awarded upon eliminating a target of vengeance.]

While the effects of the three abilities varied depending on the “Intensity of Resentment,” it was a class that boosted both combat power and growth potential.

And since our resident Tower of Proof expert, the regressor, had given it his seal of approval, its effectiveness was practically guaranteed.

A blue window suddenly appeared before me. The 30-day wilderness survival quest had ended.

[Quest Completed.]

[You selected the second condition.]

[Receiving quest rewards.]

[Due to ‘Curse: Proof of Beginner’s Mind’, acquisition of quest rewards is restricted.]

D@mn it! I’d been in the Tower of Proof for a while now, but this part never got any less annoying.

I was used to a life without a status window, inventory, or quest rewards, but the system messages still taunted me with their one-sided pronouncements of my limitations.

If I could reply, I would have flooded it with 5700-character hate mail.

“Another quest completed.”

“Indeed,” Yoo Ha-na said with a gentle smile. We’d completed our second quest.

Only 98 more to go before we reached the top of this cursed tower. And then, I would finally get to see the face of the author who sent me here.

[Transfer commencing. Brace for impact.]

“Everyone, remember the plan?”

“Yes!”

“…I remember.”

A blinding light engulfed me. A brief sensation of weightlessness.

Here we go. To the third floor.

“Whew…”

After the transfer, the first thing to do was survey the surroundings. The third floor resembled a residential area. I didn’t see Yoo Ha-na or Lee Han-seong, but there were other climbers around.

“So, what’s next?”

After assessing the situation, I checked the quest window.

If it told us to kill each other, I’d be ready.

[Tutorial Quest 3: Refinement]

[Complete the daily missions that reset every day.]

[Duration: 99 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 32 seconds]

[Daily Mission: Status (Incomplete) 23 hours, 59 minutes, 32 seconds remaining]

[Fulfill the following conditions:]
[Squats 0/100] [Push-ups 0/100]
[Sit-ups 0/100] [10km Run 0/10km]

[Daily Mission Reward: 1 Exchange Coupon (Unable to acquire), 1 stack of <Inertia>]

[Daily Mission Failure Penalty: 1 stack of <Inertia>]

[Quest Completion Rewards: Access to 4th Floor, Beginner Climber Set (Head) (Unable to acquire), Beginner Climber Set (Gloves) (Unable to acquire), Beginner Climber Set (Shoes) (Unable to acquire)]

“What… the…?”

The third-floor quest was absurdly simple. And that was strange.

My first impression of the first-floor quest was overwhelming dread. The second-floor quest evoked a sense of uncertainty.

Both quests had been difficult.

Hunting over 600 monsters in 21 days on the first floor and surviving for 30 days in the wilderness on the second.

We’d succeeded, but it hadn’t been easy.

This quest, however, felt… off.

“What is this, One Punch Man?”

The daily mission was identical to the training regimen from a certain hero manga. Even the duration was the same.

Would I go bald too? The thought of premature balding was terrifying.

“I need to find Ha-na and Han-seong.”

I needed to discuss this quest with them. I needed Yoo Ha-na’s sharp mind and Lee Han-seong’s experience.

“Excuse me, sir, could I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know where the church is?”

“Go straight down that road.”

“Thank you.”

We had agreed on meeting points in case we were separated during the transfer.

The highest mountain, the direction of the setting sun, and for towns, cities, or ruins, the church.

“Oh, Oppa!”

“…”

“You’re both here already.”

“Hee hee, you’re late, Oppa!”

They were waiting for me at the church. Perhaps due to the seemingly easy quest, Yoo Ha-na looked relaxed. Lee Han-seong, however, was expressionless, probably recalling his past experiences on the third floor.

Oh, Regressor-nim, I’m counting on you again!

After regrouping, we checked into an inn, unpacked, washed up, and met at a restaurant for a proper meal.

“So, has everyone checked the quest?”

“Yes, it seems easy.”

“It does seem rather straightforward.”

The quest was our main topic of conversation. Its simplicity was suspicious. We needed to understand its true purpose.

“Ha-na, did you notice anything strange?”

“Strange…? Oh! I thought the <Inertia> part was suspicious. What does it even mean? It’s odd that the reward and the penalty for the daily mission are the same.”

Yoo Ha-na focused on the word “Inertia.” She was right. The reward and penalty for the relatively simple daily mission were identical.

The reward also included an “Exchange Coupon,” but the presence of <Inertia> was concerning.

“I find the ‘Exchange Coupon’ strange. It gives you 40 coins when you use it.”

Lee Han-seong, on the other hand, pointed out the Exchange Coupon. An item that gave you 40 coins. I didn’t see anything strange about it.

“Ah! I get it!”

“What? What is it?”

While I was still trying to figure it out, Yoo Ha-na slapped her knee. As always, she was quicker than me when it came to these things.

“Oppa, how much did we spend on lodging?”

“It was 50 coins per night, right? Plus meals and bath, so around 70 coins.”

“Exactly. And this inn is quite luxurious, isn’t it?”

“Of course. It has private rooms with bathrooms and beds… Ah!”

40 coins. Its meaning was simple. It was the average amount a person needed to survive for a day.

Seeing that I’d caught on, Yoo Ha-na continued.

“We chose this luxurious inn because we can afford it. But there are others who can’t. For them, the daily mission reward would be very appealing. However…”

“They’ll become complacent.”

“Exactly. That’s why <Inertia> is both the reward and the penalty. Whether you succeed or fail, you’re affected by inertia.”

It was a d@mned clever design. I suddenly remembered something I’d heard before. The third floor is where climbers go to die. Not from monsters or other climbers, but from themselves.

The third-floor quest fit that description perfectly.

100 days, ridiculously easy daily missions, generous rewards, and inertia. This combination would weaken the climbers.

“I predict three types of people will emerge after the third floor: failures, the dominated, and the dominators.”

Lee Han-seong added his analysis. Failures, the dominated, and the dominators. Harsh, but accurate labels.

Failures would be crushed by inertia. They wouldn’t even complete the bare minimum, becoming increasingly lazy, eventually ending up as destitute vagrants.

The dominated would be controlled by inertia. Unlike the failures, they would complete the daily missions, but nothing more. They would be content with the bare minimum, unwilling to push themselves further.

Finally, the dominators would control inertia. They would complete the daily missions and use the remaining time efficiently, rising above the failures and the dominated, accumulating power and influence.

“Our goal is clear. We must become dominators of inertia.”

Lee Han-seong stated our objective.

In physics, inertia meant that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by an external force.

But inertia wasn’t limited to the realm of physics. It applied to human behavior as well. People tended to stick to their routines.

“Hee hee, that’s nothing new. We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. Hunting monsters, training at the vocational training center… Just add a bit of exercise to the mix.”

“A good mindset, Ha-na. That’s all it takes. On the third floor, and beyond.”

Lee Han-seong and Yoo Ha-na continued their discussion while I was lost in thought. But I caught Lee Han-seong’s slip of the tongue.

And beyond.

The d@mn Tutorial Fairy had specifically stated that the tutorial consisted of floors one through four. So, the fourth floor was the final stage.

Could climbers, lulled into complacency by inertia, even handle the fourth-floor quest?

A chill ran down my spine.