NOVPUB
Chapter 5
[Translator – Zain]
Chapter 5
* * *
“Leveling up in the middle of the game.”
Upon seeing the message, Seong Jihan was quite surprised. Originally, the most experience would come in after the game ended, so leveling up usually occurred all at once after the battles were over.
“Is it because I’m a lower level after all?”
It wasn’t unreasonable since he had managed to defeat monsters that a typical level 2 wouldn’t be able to handle. So, it wasn’t that surprising.
Seong Jihan opened his status window and looked at the attributes.
[Strength – 5]
[Mana – 5]
[Remaining Attribute Points – 1]
Seong Jihan invested the remaining attribute point into Strength.
“Once Strength reaches 30, the path to the Nameless Divine Arts will open.”
The Nameless Divine Arts was an SSS-rank skill that had placed him at the pinnacle of the world. Thus, his current top priority was to increase his Strength, the prerequisite for acquiring the skill.
However, even as he approached such a goal, Seong Jihan’s expression remained grave.
“Strength probably won’t go up, but… I should allocate it anyway.”
Allocating points to stats didn’t necessarily mean the stats would increase.
Strength stat.
This unique stat encompassed strength, agility, and stamina, the three main attributes.
“But that’s not all.”
Strength 5 and Mana 5.
Considering these two attributes, you might think that they would be similar in terms of the force they can exert since the numerical values are the same. However, in reality, the strength side was overwhelmingly more powerful.
In terms of ratio, it was at least twice as strong.
In other words, Strength was a crazy stat that not only combined the three attributes but also exhibited an efficiency of more than double.
“But it has a weakness.”
It was damn difficult to raise.
In his previous life, he had initially thought it was a bug. Clearly, he had invested attribute points, but Strength hadn’t increased.
Later on, he had come to realize that attribute point investment merely extended the threshold for Strength’s growth.
After participating in leagues, engaging in numerous battles, and undergoing intense personal training, his attributes had gradually increased.
Ultimately, Strength was a stat that had to be built up through relentless effort.
“But why…”
Seong Jihan furrowed his brow, and checked his status window.
“Why is that?”
The numbers looked oddly different.
[Strength – 6]
Why did ‘5’ appear as ‘6’?
No matter how many times Seong Jihan blinked, he belatedly felt a surge of strength in his body.
Only then did reality sink in.
“Did my Strength… just increase?” He had never experienced something like this before.
For a moment, he was taken aback by the unexpected stroke of luck.
“This is great, isn’t it?”
Since it increased his attributes directly, he should be grateful.
He formed a deep smile on his lips and looked around.
Strength 6.
He wanted to test this newfound power immediately.
[There are 60 survivors.]
[Tutorial will end soon.]
At that moment, the voice of the system resonated.
Suddenly, there were only 60 survivors left in the tutorial.
Perhaps because the map was a confined arena with nowhere to hide, the game’s pace was remarkably fast.
Seong Jihan opened the scoreboard to check the rankings.
1st: Seong Jihan – 4 kills – No affiliation 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
2nd: Lim Gayeong – 3 kills – Divergent Guid
…
Seong Jihan, with 30 orc kills counted as 3 kills, was in the lead.
And behind him, a player named Im Gayoung was closely chasing.
“Lim Gayoung?”
It sounded like a name he had heard somewhere before.
Seong Jihan tried to recall for a moment, but he couldn’t figure out who it was.
It was understandable, considering he had been living in exile in the United States for quite some time.
Apart from the distinctive name, he couldn’t remember much.
“More importantly, it’s a 3-kill score. If I make a small mistake, I might lose the top spot.”
Seong Jihan postponed his thoughts about Im Gayoung for later.
What mattered most now was securing the top spot in the tutorial.
He needed to get at least one more kill to solidify his position.
As he made up his mind like that.
Swoosh!
An arrow flew from the left.
Seong Jihan, who easily dodged it, looked to the side.
“I missed!”
“Lucky, aren’t you?”
Two individuals approached, clad in armor with hexagonal patterns reminiscent of a turtle’s shell.
“Are they from the same guild?”
Survival map.
While the original concept of this map was for solo play, there weren’t any rules against cooperation.
The system had mechanisms to prevent the simultaneous summoning of guild members on the same map, though.
“Figured out how to join, huh?”
In places like Gangnam 1, where there weren’t many participants, such instances of joining forces were quite common.
“Combination is good there.”
A male warrior with a sword and shield, accompanied by a female archer.
Simple yet effective synergy.
The two approached with determined expressions.
“Let’s take out some foes and raise our rank.”
“Sure thing. Anyone’s kill will do.”
“Sounds good.”
Seong Jihan was in a messy state, covered in orc blood. While he looked odd carrying multiple weapons, dressed in tracksuit attire, he appeared to be a prime target.
“Summoned the wrong guy, huh?”
“He probably can’t log out due to the absence of a log-out button… This is a chance to achieve a kill.”
These two individuals were from one of Korea’s teenage guilds, originating from Turtle Guild. When they noticed they were summoned in close proximity during the tutorial, they quickly joined forces to gain an advantage.
A warrior and an archer. Close-range damage and long-range damage.
With this combination, survival was practically guaranteed.
“I intended to hold back a bit to pass the tutorial, but…”
“I can’t ignore such a newbie.”
Perhaps they already considered Seong Jihan a helpless rat trapped in a hole.
“If you personally treat me to a meal, I might be willing to show some mercy.”
“Hehe, it’s settled then.”
Rather than being wary of him, they approached with mischievous grins. Ironically, it was Seong Jihan who was smiling.
“They’re getting complacent. That’s actually good.”
And there’s no time, but it’s going well.
Seong Jihan hurled the hand ax like a beam of light.
Swoosh!
The hand axe, faster than when he slaughtered the orcs, flew even more swiftly.
“Huh…?”
The archer momentarily lost focus at the terrifying speed, attempting to dodge.
Thud!
Her right arm, holding the arrow, was cleanly severed, falling to the ground.
“Ah…!”
The archer grimaced in pain, clutching her heavily bleeding forehead.
Seeing her reaction, Seong Jihan snorted.
“She’s using Battle Net Connector for connection, yet she’s being so dramatic.”
[Translator – Zain]
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