Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The End of the Tutorial

Kang Hyeon and Kang A-hyun.

The siblings went out for grocery shopping after a long time.

“Didn’t they say this was the final stage?”

“Yeah. We have to finish it.”

Two months have passed since the day when dungeons were opened simultaneously.

Kang Hyeon still had not graduated from the tutorial.

“Ah, it was long. Really.”

“You’re talking like someone who already finished it.”

“If it wasn’t for that damn 5th stage, I would have finished it a long time ago.”

Kang Hyeon had just completed the 7th stage yesterday, and now only the final 8th stage remained.

Most of the two months had been spent trying to get through the 5th stage, delaying his completion.

“Even now, I can’t believe it.”

The content of the tutorial kept changing daily.

No matter how much Kang Hyeon racked his brain, he couldn’t find a breakthrough.

So he simply decided to get stronger.

When he entered the dungeon, he gave up on the idea of clearing it and focused solely on training and hunting.

And then, the opportunity came.

[Fifth Stage (Stage 5)]

[Prove your wisdom that can overcome any difficulty]

[Clear Condition: Completely clear the nest of the F-grade dungeon Raindrock]

[Failure Condition: Death]

[Tip. The Raindrock guarding the main core of the dungeon is the boss monster. Target its weaknesses]

Finally, a hunt with a clear clearing objective had come.

-Weaknesses? Shit! What’s that!?

Kang Hyeon charged at the boss recklessly.

After a few hours of fierce battle, he was able to thrust his sword into the beast’s head.

It was like forcibly breaking down the door instead of turning the doorknob.

Fortunately, the 6th and 7th stages, which had themes of ruthlessness and dedication, did not pose much difficulty.

He broke through the remaining stages in about ten days.

“Tsk tsk. You should have lived wisely all along.”

“Hey! That wisdom is just talk. It didn’t really matter in the end, did it? If it were you, it would have taken more than a year, man.”

It was just Kang Hyeon’s own thoughts.

“Anyway, it’s really over now.”

“But, by the way...”

“What?”

“When you finish the tutorial, will you go to the Ability User Cultivation School too?”

Kang Hyeon pondered at Kang A-hyun’s question.

“Of course. I’ve worked so hard, I have to make a big score in the dungeon, right?”

“I see... I guess so.”

The world had quickly accepted the reality and changed in just two months.

After the day when more than 1 million people were sacrificed in Korea alone.

The government had established the ‘Ability User Cultivation School’ and offered rewards for clearing dungeons.

They decided to actively utilize the fact that about half of the adult population were ability users.

-Isn’t it unreasonable to dump the government’s responsibilities on civilians!?

-The government is pushing people to their deaths with peanuts!

At first, there was a strong social backlash.

But surprisingly, when the system actually started, an enormous number of people applied to the Ability User Cultivation School.

They wanted to graduate from the school, get their ability user certificates, and enter the dungeons.

“Are you sure you won’t die in the dungeon?”

“Probably.”

“Aren’t you being too carefree about your own life?”

Kung A-hyun’s eyebrow raised slightly at the indifferent response.

“You’ll become like this after dying around 100 times.”

“Hey, even so... You’ll suffer the same way, won’t you?”

Kang Hyeon turned to look at Kang A-hyun.

“Are you worried about me now?”

“How can I not be worried? People are dying so much in the dungeons!”

While a systematic system was gradually being established, many still perished in the dungeons.

The dungeons were that dangerous.

“Ugh, whatever. Do as you please.”

“Wait, do you know that there are only two people in the whole country who have graduated from the tutorial (passed the 8th stage)? With this big brother appearing, the top star position is already secured.”

“Bullshit. Do you think the elite who finished the tutorial in a week is the same as the failure who took over 3 months?”

“Failure? You’ve got some nerve talking to your big brother like that!”

“What, you wanna fight? Come at me!”

The siblings grabbed each other’s collars and shook.

“Huh?”

At that moment, the surroundings started to get noisy.

As Kang Hyeon peeked out, he saw a huge crowd gathered in front.

“Hey, hey! Choi Dong-woo has come, they say he’s going to tackle the boss of the Death Castle!”

“Wow! He’s going for the boss when he couldn’t even clear the regular core?”

Choi Dong-woo.

He was one of the only two who finished the tutorial in South Korea.

Despite his not-so-young age in the late 30s, he was currently the most famous ability user in the country.

Choi Dong-woo, who had gathered like-minded people to form a dungeon assault team, had already perfectly cleared the dungeon five times.

Kang Hyeon swallowed a hollow laugh.

“What have I lived for... That’s a very sudden question.”

[Is that so?]

The voice seemed to hold back laughter.

“What’s the reason for asking a question like that?”

[Observing humans during this incident has piqued my interest, you see? All intelligences are fascinating, but humans especially so.]

Hearing the administrator’s words, Kang Hyeon felt unpleasantly irritated.

Kang Hyeon raised one corner of his mouth in a cynical expression.

“Your observation is still lacking.”

[Pardon?]

“At least in my country, there aren’t many people who live thinking like that.”

At Kang Hyeon’s self-deprecating words, the administrator fell silent.

“Just because we were born. We’re desperately trying to live a little more happily, but the reality is that most are just busy scraping by day by day.”

[I see.]

The administrator seemed a bit taken aback by Kang Hyeon’s overly honest and pessimistic response, unlike the other ability users.

[Is there anything you want to protect, Kang Hyeon?]

“My family, my rude younger sister and my parents. I have to protect my family.”

In a changing world, the only thing he could rely on would be his own powerlessness.

Kang Hyeon had endured those horrific times just to protect his family at the very least.

[Don’t you want to become a hero?]

“Haha! A hero?”

[Yes]

“Hero, huh? I used to deny it, but now I know my place well. I’m far from that kind of thing.”

In the past three months,Kang Hyeon had experienced numerous deaths and become rather twisted.

But he had also gained some wisdom.

“Go find that glorious, tiring job for someone else.”

[Based on my observations, heroes are those born with talent. You’re certainly closer to a dunce than a hero’s qualities.]

At the administrator’s words, Kang Hyeon’s brow furrowed deeply.

‘Damn. Are they joking?’

No matter how much of a foul mouth Kang Hyeon had, he couldn’t bring himself to directly curse at this divine being.

[But I’m personally a fan of yours,Kang Hyeon. You have no idea how intriguing and fun it was for me to watch you go through the tutorial.]

“Uh-huh...”

‘This administrator is a sadist. The future of the Earth looks bleak. Wait a minute, something’s off here...’

Suddenly, a hunch arose.

But Kang Hyeon decided to ask the last question.

[And based on my observations, you may become a hero, even though you deny it. You can bet on it with me if you’d like.]

“At least I’ll try not to become a villain.”

At Kang Hyeon’s response, the voice chuckled softly.

“Oh, I just suddenly had a question. Can I ask?”

[Yes]

“How many people have reached this point besides me?”

[You are the 62nd graduate, Kang Hyeon.]

“Huh?!”

The large number surprised Kang Hyeon.

Of course, there were already two people known in Korea.

But he didn’t know there would be so many worldwide.

“Why are there so many people who cleared it?”

[There are more people born with talent and luck in this world than you’d think. And even at this very moment, over 300,000 people are entering the tutorial every day.]

“Still, that’s a lot...”

[Numerically speaking, it’s close to one in a hundred million. And the really important thing is...]

“The important thing is...?”

The voice paused for a moment before answering with a chuckle.

[The tutorial is just a tutorial, that’s all.]

“What do you mean by that?”

[You’ll understand as time goes on. Well, shall we end it here? This conversation has been most enjoyable.]

“Isn’t there a reward?”

Kang Hyeon quickly asked as the voice was about to end the situation.

[You have acquired the title ‘Tutorial Graduate’.]

Tutorial Graduate: A title given to those who have completed all 8 stages of the tutorial.

Effect: All stats +2

Seeing the reward, the disappointment on Kang Hyeon’s face was evident.

“What kind of title is this, just all stats +2? Lack of imagination, isn’t it?”

[Don’t expect too much from the tutorial rewards.]

“Tch.”

Kang Hyeon clearly expressed his disappointment.

[Haha. It was a pleasure meeting you. If the opportunity arises, I’ll see you again. Well then...]

“Wait a moment! Just one more thing, really.”

[Yes, go ahead.]

Kang Hyeon hastily grabbed the departing administrator and suddenly adopted a serious expression.

“The 5th stage of the tutorial... The theme was ‘Wisdom’, right?”

[Yes]

“Does the content change every time?”

A moment of silence followed his words.

[It was a pleasure meeting you.]

“You son of a bitch...!”

Please rate the series here.