My talent level is below average (1)
[Start the tutorial.]
“What is this….”
I spat out curses while I looked around at the interior of a darkened structure.
In the dim light, I could see some unknown patterns.
It was a completely different shape than any building on Earth. It was the first time I’d ever seen anything like it, so naturally, my mouth fell open.
I’ve never been inside a pyramid, but I’m sure it would look like this.
In this unrealistic situation, I took a moment to roll my eyes.
My last memory was of eating with my sister.
‘What happened? What the hell….’
If I recall, it was like this.
I got an unfamiliar Kakaotalk message on my phone.1
-Do you want to join the game?-
I thought it was a game invitation from a friend, and I just clicked the button without thinking about it.
That was it.
That was the only thing I could remember.
My legs were trembling. I couldn’t comprehend the situation.
Suddenly, I found myself somewhere I’d never seen before in my life.
It was no wonder that I couldn’t understand it.
What stood out was the atmosphere here.
It was like a horror movie that would terrify most people.
Before I could think of anything else, I heard several voices around me.
“Hey, where are we?”
“Don’t ask me. I don’t know.”
“Well, is anyone else here? What the hell is this place… And why are there swords and weapons here?”
“If I knew that, would we be doing this? I think we’re all in the same situation. Do you remember anything?”
“Hey! Is anyone there? Hey!”
People started talking.
Someone was sitting on the floor, pinching their cheek to see if this was a dream.
They were all different.
‘It’s not a dream.’
It wasn’t a dream, and I wasn’t alone.
It seemed ridiculously smooth.
When I swallowed for a moment, a sound rang in the small cave.
[Players are invited to this world. We sent an invitation to the player, and the player accepted it. You were chosen as a hero to save the dying continent.]
“My god! What a hero!”
“Quit messing around in there and come out, you bastards!”
“Sir, I’ll call the police. Sir, I’m calling the police.”
“Is there a hidden camera? I’ll sue. This is a complaint!”
[But not everyone can head to the continent. The only people eligible to go are those few who passed the tutorial.]
“What nonsense!”
[Please pay attention to what I say next. It’s directly related to your survival.]
I suddenly sobered up.
Because in this weird atmosphere, I heard the word “survival”.
[Let me repeat that. Only those who survive this tutorial will be allowed to go to the continent.]
“What… Are you saying you’ll kill me?”
[It’s up to you, too. What I’m talking about now is your survival. It’s essential if you want to keep living. This is not a dream. This is reality you’re faced with. I wouldn’t recommend denying it. Because I have an obligation to help you as your guide in this tutorial.]
“Don’t mess with me! Christ!”
“Please let me out of here. I’m begging you.”
I heard a number of voices, but that damn woman’s explanation kept going calmly.
[The guide will now begin. Firstly, where you are now is a starting point where you can wait before you begin the tutorial. You can think of it as a waiting room. The starting point contains essential items for you. Water, food, and the weapons you’ll be using later. Weapon rarities can range from common, rare, heroic, and legendary, but all of the ones here are inferior to common weapons.]2
Some things definitely stood out. The water bottle placed in the corner was made out of leather, rather than plastic like it would be on Earth.
That wasn’t all.
Of course, having never seen them before, the weapons were the most conspicuous.
Bows and arrows, swords and shields, spears and maces.
The presence of a wide variety of weapons that would be used in the Middle Ages was certainly alien.
‘These are the real deal.’
They weren’t fake.
For the most part, the swords were dull and the weapons were old, but there were a few sharp ones.
A sense of reality began to set in.
[You can protect yourself with the weapons here. The goal of this tutorial is to survive and attack. Besides you, there will also be monsters, the inhabitants of the continent. They will be targeting you, and you’ll have to fight them.]
It was just like a fantasy novel.
What was interesting was that fewer and fewer people were shouting.
I began to focus on the sound of that voice.
Well, I felt nauseous occasionally, but that was all.
[Of course, it might be difficult to face them with your own power. But don’t worry. This is not the only thing prepared for you.]
“What the hell is this….”
[You are the chosen players. You came here with different personalities and from different places. This place will make your characteristics stronger and help you grow. You’ll understand what I’m talking about if you say status window.]
For now, I didn’t say “status window”.
I felt like I should proceed carefully in situations where I didn’t know what would happen.
As expected, someone was muttering it in a timely manner.
“Status window.”
“Status window? Huh? What’s this?”
“Kyaak!”
A woman screamed, shocked by what she saw in the air.
[The status window shows your current condition. Depending on how much you try, your stats may go up or down. Next is your class. You can be a warrior, mage, priest, or archer, and there are branches based on your later achievements. For example, a warrior can become a barbarian, and a barbarian can advance into a berserker. There are countless paths, and it’s up to you which one to take.]
“Ah….”
[Class grades are common, rare, heroic, and legendary. However, if you are a mage or priest, you will inevitably need an affinity for holy power or magic. Please also understand that some classes cannot be selected. You’ll be able to choose a class when you get missions, hidden quests, or enough experience.]
‘A class.’
The more I listened, the more similar it was to a story I’ve heard somewhere. It would be best to call it a system similar to a video game.
It could be said that priests and wizards were uncommon here.
If there really were monsters heading to this side, I thought most would avoid warriors.
No one would want to fight on behalf of everyone else.
I opened my mouth right away.
“Status window.”
[Name: Lee Ki-young]
[Title: None. You should try a little harder.]
[Age: 25]
[Disposition: Careful strategist]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 11]
[Stamina: 11]
[Intelligence: 19]
[Endurance: 12]
[Luck: 21]
[Magic: 00]
[Equipment: None]
I wasn’t used to seeing the sudden floating screen.
When I quietly opened my mouth, feeling like I was in a game, I heard a woman’s voice again.
[The last thing is your attributes. Every time you get to a certain level, you get a new attribute. Attributes will vary from player to player and, like your class, are determined by your personality. The most important thing is the player’s personality. As with classes, there are four grades: common, rare, heroic, and legendary, and as you go up, you get better performance.]
“Uh….”
[Attributes are also gained similarly to classes. As with your class, your attributes can also have a huge impact on your growth, so please choose carefully.]
In fact, I couldn’t concentrate on the last part.
Because I could see the letters displayed on the bottom of the status window.
[Attribute: Heroic grade: Do you want to read it?]
‘Huh?’
The words “Heroic grade” were shining in purple.
The attributes were clearly categorized into common, rare, heroic, and legendary grade. It was an attribute that could be developed later, depending on the player’s personality.
‘Okay.’
I didn’t know why I had this in the beginning, or if this was even real, but it wasn’t a bad start.
[Attribute]
[Mind’s Eye: Heroic]
[You can view statuses for yourself and others and see hidden talent ratings.]
I didn’t know if this was good or not, but getting something at the start gave me a big advantage.
The woman clearly said the goal was to survive.
‘Survival.’
We had to survive.
You absolutely must survive.
It was natural that I felt I had to do whatever I could, regardless of whether this was a lie.
‘Yulha….’
When I thought of my sister who would be left at home alone, I bit my lip.
All the reactions around me were different.
Some people talked about their attributes with others, and I saw men touching swords or looking for shields.
We didn’t know what was going on, but the fact that there was a threat approaching meant we had to look for a way to survive.
There was a woman sitting down and crying.
A middle aged man who kept yelling.
I even saw a kid who still looked like a student.
I also wanted to sit down and scream. But there was no time to sit down.
‘Talent?’
I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but it couldn’t be a bad idea to check.
It was a great achievement just to have an attribute.
You were standing at a different starting point than the others.
I had a strange expectation I’d be like the hero in a shonen anime or a fantasy novel, but I quickly shook my head.
‘That’s ridiculous.’
[Check the talent levels of the player Lee Ki-young.]
[Name: Lee Ki-young]
[Strength: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Agility: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Stamina: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Intelligence: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Endurance: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Luck: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Magic: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Overview: The player has the lowest talent levels. There’s no point in making an effort. No matter how hard you work, you’ll never become more than third-rate. Almost all the numbers are hopeless. It will be hard to develop when it comes to strength or magic power. At least intelligence and luck are fine, but I don’t know… The player’s future is deeply concerning. You don’t have to wield a sword or try anything else. It’s obvious what will happen anyway.]
I had felt a little anticipation, but this wasn’t at all what I expected.
The results didn’t change when I rubbed my eyes and looked at them again.
“Huh?”
The ultimate goal was to survive.
I never expected to be the main character anyway, and I made a clear distinction from fiction and reality, but those wretched figures still made me disappointed.
“Damn it.”
My talent levels were below average.
Notes:
1. Kakaotalk is a messaging app for smartphones.
2. It’s pretty common in video games to have item tiers like this. See https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ColorCodedItemTiers for examples. Basically, the tutorial weapons are weaker than the worst weapons you’d find in the wild.