Chapter 20: Tutorial (20)

“We took the first strike.”

While the effectiveness of our preemptive attack was debatable, at least we hadn’t been hit first. That in itself deserved praise.

“Three targets. One axe. The others are unarmed.”

Before any battle, assessing the number and type of opponents was crucial. Only the blond, tanned punk had a visible weapon.

“I’ll take the blond one. Ha-na, you take the narrow-eyed creep. Han-seong, you handle the fat one.”

A Dane Axe. A dangerous, heavy weapon with a long reach and devastating power. He was also wearing armor, making him a tough opponent.

The narrow-eyed creep, on the other hand, was lightly dressed. He wasn’t showing any weapons, meaning he likely had something easily concealed, making him a suitable opponent for Yoo Ha-na.

As for the fat one… I couldn’t tell. What kind of confidence did that 150kg behemoth have, walking around without armor or weapons? He was armed with unpredictability.

[TL Note: Behemoth = a huge or monstrous creature]

So, I assigned him to Lee Han-seong. Unpredictability was best countered with certainty. And Lee Han-seong was the embodiment of certainty.

“Let’s go!”

We charged towards our respective targets. I faced the blond punk, Yoo Ha-na the narrow-eyed creep, and Lee Han-seong the fat one.

“Hey, Blondie, how’s that little greeting? Like the new scar?”

“You little…”

I taunted the blond punk as we clashed. Yoo Ha-na’s knife had missed his throat, leaving a red line across his face.

I pressed the point. The d@mn Tutorial Fairy on the first floor had said that class selection was based on weapon choice. So, his class would follow his weapon.

He wielded a Dane Axe, a weapon favored by Norse Vikings. And Vikings were known for their aggression, often associated with Berserkers or Barbarians.

He likely had a skill like Berserk or Rage, a temporary stat boost.

Against such opponents, the key was to bait out their core skill.

“I’ll kill you!”

My taunt worked. He swung his axe in a wide arc.

But his movements were telegraphed. I easily dodged, retreating out of his reach and preparing my next attack.

Jikbusongseo (Direct Courier to the West).

A swift, precise thrust.

He reacted quickly, parrying my attack with his axe. But that was exactly what I wanted.

Heavy Sword, Landslide.

The thrust had forced him into a defensive stance. And what countered defense? Offense. I hammered him relentlessly with Heavy Sword strikes, giving him no time to breathe.

Heavy Sword, Dragon’s Gate.

After the relentless downward strikes, I pulled the sword back and swung it upwards from a low stance.

His guard broke, exposing his vulnerable abdomen. I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

I slashed across his waist as I moved past him. A heavy but shallow cut. I’d probably only grazed him through his leather armor.

“Gah!”

He clutched his wound and groaned. A pity. Without the armor, his guts would have been spilling out.

“What, already whining? If you’re tired now, you’ll lose your head. Focus, Blondie.”

“You b@stard… I’ll kill you!”

“Sure, sure. But you’ll have to try harder than that.”

“Raaaagh!”

He roared, his body enveloped in a red aura.

It was a predictable development. How could he not deviate from the script even slightly?

Now, all I had to do was dodge and wait for his skill to wear off.

“Raaaagh! Prepare to die!”

“Weeeee! Pwepawe to die!”

Here’s a little tip: mocking your opponent’s enraged pronouncements by mimicking them with exaggerated baby talk is a highly effective, albeit childish, taunt.

“Raaaagh! Die! Die!”

Taunts worked even better on enraged opponents. But rage, like berserker states, dulled the senses and clouded judgment.

He was swinging his axe wildly, without any finesse or strategy.

“Hee hee, so slow! My grandma’s faster than you!”

“I’ll tear you limb from limb and make you suffer!”

“Ha! Shut up and take this, Jet Kick!”

I dodged his attack and kicked him in the a**. Against a Berserker, it was best to avoid attacking unless you could kill them in one hit.

Enraged Berserkers didn’t feel pain. A poorly timed attack could easily get you killed.

The best strategy was to annoy them until their rage subsided.

“Ugh… Raaagh!”

After a few more well-placed kicks to his backside, the effects of his rage started to wear off. He was deflating like a punctured balloon.

“It’s over. You weren’t even entertaining.”

He could barely stand. The fight was over.

I closed in, ready to end it.

“Oppa! Look out!”

Yoo Ha-na’s voice cried out.

Three black arrows flew towards me. I tried to dodge, but they were too fast. They pierced my body.

I didn’t feel pain. Just a sudden narrowing of my vision, followed by darkness.

I opened my eyes to a familiar scene.

Just moments ago, I’d been fighting in a forest. Now, I was back in the concrete jungle of modern society.

I looked in the mirror. Staring back at me was Go Hyun-joon, a salaryman with dark circles under his eyes, dressed in a suit.

Had I returned? Before I could process the thought, my body started moving on its own.

I went to work, completed my tasks, worked overtime, and returned home exhausted. It was the typical life of a corporate drone. But he had one source of joy.

A female colleague. Go Hyun-joon had a crush on her, stealing glances whenever he could.

His feelings grew, and he finally mustered the courage to ask her out. She was single and accepted his invitation.

For the first time, a glimmer of pink appeared in his gray life. He enjoyed their date.

They watched a recently released romantic movie, dined at a trendy restaurant, and strolled through a lakeside park.

Time passed, and they became a couple. His once tedious work life was now filled with joy.

But happiness was fleeting. One day, he found her crying on the office fire escape. She confessed to making a mistake.

Exhausted from constant overtime, she’d entered the wrong numbers on an important document, causing a significant loss for the company.

All Go Hyun-joon could offer was a few words of comfort.

After that, she became increasingly depressed. She was reprimanded by her superiors and spent her days agonizing over how to fix her mistake.

One rainy day, Go Hyun-joon left work early, planning a surprise for his girlfriend, who was working late.

As he approached the office, he overheard a conversation.

His girlfriend’s voice and the voice of a junior colleague, rumored to be a chaebol heir.

The junior colleague offered to cover her losses. But what he said next made Go Hyun-joon’s blood run cold.

Sxual favors. He was demanding sx in exchange for covering her mistake.

Go Hyun-joon burst into the office and attacked the junior colleague.

The aftermath was predictable. A lowly employee assaulting a chaebol heir resulted in an assault charge.

He was fired and forced to pay a hefty settlement to avoid criminal charges.

He lost his job and his savings. But the worst part was the damage to his reputation.

He’d acted impulsively, defending his girlfriend, but now, everyone saw him as a violent criminal and a s*x offender.

He denied the accusations, but no one believed him. Desperate, he turned to his girlfriend for support.

But she chose to remain silent.

Her silence turned him from victim to perpetrator, solidifying the false accusations.

His life fell apart. He lost his home, his job, everything. He ended up in a moldy basement apartment.

He drank himself into oblivion, escaping into the virtual world of his computer.

It was inevitable that he would turn to web novels for solace.

He devoured power fantasies, stories of revenge and wish fulfillment.

Stories of downtrodden protagonists, burdened by sick relatives and abusive bosses, suddenly gaining power through a status window.

He reveled in their triumphs, their rise to power, their revenge against those who wronged them.

Regression stories were particularly appealing. Protagonists betrayed and killed, returning to the past for a second chance, using their knowledge to hoard power and exact revenge.

They would become invincible, avenging their past selves, saving the world, and becoming heroes.

Regression, possession, reincarnation, status window awakenings. The protagonists always found a way to change their unfortunate destinies.

But these stories only amplified Go Hyun-joon’s despair.

He no longer found joy in them. He felt resentment and frustration.

Here he was, trapped in a moldy basement, his life in ruins.

Why couldn’t something like that happen to him?

Why couldn’t he see a status window? Why couldn’t he regress?

The disconnect between fiction and reality became unbearable.

He screamed in his basement, like a madman.

Status Window! Status Window! Status Window! Status Window! Status Wiiiiiiindow!

Desperate and frustrated, he pleaded for a status window. He cried until his voice was hoarse.

He cried until his eyes were bloodshot, until he collapsed from exhaustion.

But the status window never appeared. Silence. Nothing happened.

Then, a thought struck him. Regression. His current situation fit the criteria.

A miserable life, death, and a new beginning.

As if possessed, he went to the roof of his apartment building. A strong wind greeted him as he reached the dizzying height.

He looked down.

Terrified, but desperate, he took a step forward, into the void.

Seriously? That’s ridiculous. There’s no way.

Yes, I was an idiot. I made stupid decisions, I was betrayed by my girlfriend.

I was falsely accused of s*xual harassment.

I drank myself silly in a moldy basement apartment, finding solace in wish-fulfillment web novels.

And yes, I got so frustrated that I screamed for a status window.

I even considered regression and went to the roof of my apartment building.

But, but…

I, Go Hyun-joon, didn’t take that final step.

Why? Because I was terrified! Terrified of the deadly fall. I p*ssed myself and went back home.

I continued my pathetic existence. But things didn’t stay that way.

While browsing through countless web novels about status windows and regression, I stumbled upon a particular story.

The debut novel of the author who sent me here.

The one that made me weep and wail.

That story gave me the courage to get back on my feet.