Chapter 3: Tutorial (3)

After my brief conversation with Yoo Ha-na, I explored the town.

Most climbers, armed with their status windows and weapons, had rushed headlong into the field. A foolish move.

First, even with enhanced abilities from the status window and weapons, they were fundamentally ignorant.

They had the tools, but that was all.

They didn’t know how to wield their weapons effectively, how to process the spoils of the hunt, or how to fight against other people.

Second, the competition was fierce. The fairy had imposed a 20-day time limit on the first quest. Time limits bred desperation and hostility.

I could guarantee it: In the next five days, countless people would die. At least 20% would perish before even taking their first step.

Half of those would be killed by monsters in the field, half of the remaining half would starve due to poverty, and the rest would be killed by other people.

Ultimately, all these deaths stemmed from ignorance. We had lived our entire lives in well-structured societies.

Protected by laws and institutions, educated within those frameworks, and benefiting from the technological advancements that resulted from that education.

But the Tower of Proof… this place was different. It lacked the established structures of civilized society. All we had were the status windows bestowed upon us by the system.

Therefore, I had to remind myself constantly: Ignorance was the greatest danger. To survive, I had to learn and keep learning.

“This place looks promising.”

With that firm resolve, I arrived at the largest tavern in the area.

I wasn’t there for a midday drink, of course. Unable to venture outside, I needed to earn money within the town.

I needed money for living expenses and to learn useful skills within the next five days.

I planned to secure sufficient funds through some creative negotiation regarding part-time work.

“Excuse me.”

“Hey, we’re not even open yet! What brings you here?”

The tavern owner greeted me with a touch of annoyance. It was understandable; I had interrupted his preparations during a busy time.

However, his attitude was also a testament to his diligence. And diligent people were often easier to negotiate with.

“Owner, do you happen to need an extra pair of hands?”

“Oh? How did you know?”

“Heh, it’s not hard to see. You run the largest establishment in the area. But today, you’ll be even busier. The town is swarming with climbers. Just preparing the ingredients will take forever.”

“You have a keen eye, my friend. You’re right, I could use some help.”

“If the pay is right, I can help with ingredient preparation, errands, and kitchen assistance for the day.”

“Is that so? I can offer you twenty-one coins.”

Twenty-one coins. Not bad. A cheap inn cost three coins a night. A decent wage for a day’s work.

With this much, I could seek out an instructor tomorrow to learn combat and survival skills.

“Alright. I’ll work so hard you’ll feel compelled to give me a tip.”

“Hahaha! I like your spirit!”

The tavern owner, pleased with my enthusiasm, let out a hearty laugh.

A good start.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

The day flew by. As I predicted, the tavern was packed.

Regular locals, as well as climbers returning from successful hunts in the field, filled the place, eating and drinking.

I was worked to the bone, but the tavern owner was ecstatic. Thanks to my advice to stock up on ingredients, he had apparently made five times his usual earnings.

The important thing was that I was right, and he had profited handsomely. This laid the foundation of trust for my next negotiation.

“Hahahaha! You did great work! Thanks to you, I made a killing today! Enough to close shop for a week!”

As we finished cleaning up, the owner clapped me on the back. It stung, but I didn’t let on.

“Hehehe, congratulations. You’ll continue to rake it in with all these climbers around. Speaking of which, I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“These climbers… Did you know they all come from the same country?”

“Hmm… Come to think of it, they all look similar to you. Dark eyes, dark hair, and slightly yellowish skin. I see! You all come from the same land!”

“So, how would you like to learn some recipes from our homeland?”

That was right. I wasn’t just here for a part-time job. Tens of thousands of Koreans had been transported to the Tower of Proof.

They would remain in this starting town until the tutorial ended, and they would inevitably spend money here.

So, here’s the question: What would happen if someone sold soul food that tugged at their heartstrings?

It would be a goldmine, a money-printing machine like Bitcoin during a bull run.

“Please! Tell me! If I can get my hands on those recipes, I’ll make a fortune!”

“Huhuhu, then let’s negotiate. I’ll share three recipes. What are you willing to pay?”

Now, the tables had turned. Just a few hours ago, I was a foreigner in need of work. Now, I was a business partner with valuable information.

Look at the tavern owner, his eyes gleaming with greed, shaped like coins. My wallet was about to get very fat.

“Let’s see… I can offer four silver coins right now. One silver coin per recipe, and the remaining coin as a token of my trust in you. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good. And I’d like 1% of the weekly sales for the dishes made with my recipes.”

“Hmm… 1% of the sales for specific dishes. Alright! I’ll get the contract ready, and we can make this official!”

“Excellent. I’ll share the recipes as soon as the contract is signed.”

With the negotiation concluded on a positive note, the owner quickly prepared the contract, brought in a priest from the church as a witness, and we signed the agreement.

“Alright, now that the contract is signed, tell me the recipes!”

“Huhuhu, then allow me to introduce you to the soul food of our homeland: Gukbap (Korean soup with rice).”

“Ah… Three silver coins in my hand. This is the life.”

The next morning, I woke up in a decent inn with a bed and a bathroom.

The first thing I did was retrieve the three silver coins I had stashed under my pillow and roll them between my fingers.

I had earned a fortune of four silver coins overnight. It usually took a thousand copper coins to equal one silver coin, meaning I had effectively earned four thousand copper coins in a single day.

Moreover, I would continue to receive a portion of the tavern’s profits for the duration of my stay in town, ensuring I wouldn’t be short on money.

Of course, I had shared the recipes for Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), Seolleongtang (ox bone soup), and Dwaeji Gukbap (pork and rice soup), and even helped adapt the recipes to local ingredients. A fair trade, all things considered.

Surprisingly, rice was considered a luxury in this region, where wheat was the staple grain. I advised the owner to charge a premium for the rice dishes.

Even though Gukbap was generally considered affordable, in this other world, it could command a “kimchi premium.”

“Look at all those suckers toiling away.”

I stood by the window, striking a victorious pose, and looked down at the climbers below. Their shabby and pitiful appearance was quite a sight.

They had probably spent the entire day struggling with quests and competitors, earning meager rewards. Even if they hunted monsters, the value of their spoils would diminish if they couldn’t properly process them.

All that effort for paltry returns. Subpar meals and inadequate rest would follow.

And that wasn’t the end of it. Lack of proper rest would lead to fatigue, further reducing their productivity.

“A vicious cycle.”

The negative snowball effect would continue to build until it became insurmountable.

And the end result? Ending up destitute on the streets or as a cold corpse in the field.

“It’s truly malicious, no matter how you look at it.”

This was why I disliked the status window. It stifled human potential and fostered a rigid mindset.

The goal was fixed: Level up. Everyone with a status window focused solely on that, hindering any other kind of thinking.

“That must be true for Lee Han-seong as well. Actually, his case is probably even worse.”

Lee Han-seong, the protagonist, was not only a regressor but also someone who had used the status window for the longest time.

To put it bluntly, he was “rigid” and the “king of fixed ideas.”

“Good. I’ve found my role.”

Regressors didn’t bother with unnecessary baggage. That was probably something he had learned from his past life.

However, a regressor’s thinking was also shortsighted.

If he had to choose between an immediately available hidden piece and a future asset requiring time and investment, he would choose the hidden piece without a moment’s hesitation.

So, to survive in this world, I had to become the regressor’s think tank and guide, his advisor or counselor.

Having grown thoroughly sick of the status window and regressor clichés, I already had dozens of innovative plans. With the regressor’s backing, my climb up the tower would be smooth sailing.

“Then let’s go.”

Of course, I needed to improve my own combat abilities, so it was time to move on to the next phase of my plan.

“Hmm… This is problematic.”

Early in the morning, I headed to the vocational training center. As expected, the town had a facility that trained locals in weapon handling.

I went there hoping to learn swordsmanship and combat techniques, but the swordsmanship instructor seemed hesitant.

“W-why? Is it because I’m a climber?”

“No, being a climber isn’t the issue. In fact, it’s commendable that you’re eager to learn. However, that sword… I don’t teach that kind.”

The instructor pointed at the hwando I was carrying. Now that I looked, the training center only had swords with broad blades and two edges, like one-handed swords and bastard swords.

In other words, they only taught swordsmanship, not do (knife/sword) techniques.

“Is there… no other way?”

My mind racing, I slipped a handful of coins into the instructor’s hand. This was enough to buy a round of drinks at the tavern.

My sincerity seemed to have worked, as the instructor gave me a knowing smile, discreetly wiping his nose with a finger.

“There might be a way. By the lake on the northwestern outskirts of town, there’s a warrior who wields a sword similar to yours. We call him the Eastern Swordsman. Try visiting him. If you bring him a bottle of the distilled liquor sold at the tavern called ‘The Crooked Nose,’ you might earn some brownie points.”