After the Geon Lizard disappeared, everyone instantly panicked, lurching away in a cacophony of screams. Some rushed toward the exit, only to slam into a translucent wall—the room was sealed shut by a transparent screen.
I was the only one who remained upright, assessing the situation. This was the game I had played for over nine years. I was ahead of the rest.
I had to think fast.
If the tutorial had started, and this was the checkpoint, then the 'item' had to be here somewhere, Something I needed to get my hands on.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my mind.
"Han Seoyeon-ssi, you understand what's happening, right?"
Her eyes darted around the room, panic written all over her face. I couldn't blame her—not after what we'd just witnessed.
I grabbed her shoulder and gave it a firm shake.
"Listen, Han Seoyeon-ssi. I need you to do one thing. Just do what I say, okay?"
She flinched before responding.
"Oka—"
"It's a game. We need to win it to survive. Stick with me."
"A… game?" she whispered, barely audible.
I nodded. "Yes."
"So… what should we do?"
I scanned the area.
There had to be a way out.
"For now, stay by my side."
She nodded slightly.
Just as I finished surveying the room, the Geon Lizard reappeared in a flicker of light.
All eyes snapped toward him.
["Ahem. Hello, humans. We meet again. I forgot to let you choose your class. Select as you like."]
A screen flickered into my line of sight.
[Choose your class]
[Arcanist, Artificer, Blade Welder, Warder]
There were five classes, each listed without a description. Once a class was chosen, it couldn't be changed.
But I knew what they all meant.
For once, playing games was actually helpful.
It was just like the game—the system didn't reveal what the specific classes could do. I had faced that same issue before, restarting the tutorial six times after realizing I'd chosen the wrong class.
Eventually, I found the most useful one.
Let's see...
First, Arcanist.
In simple terms, a long-range magic user. Good for dealing heavy damage from a distance. It was helpful when I first started the game. But it required a massive mana pool, which became a serious disadvantage early on.
Great but not for me.
Second, Artificer.
Basically, a craftsman. This class let you fuse objects to create new items. For example, you could combine a sword with a monster core to make a Core Blade. I picked this on my second try. But to actually use the class, I needed an item forge part—only found on the first floor.
Without it, the class was dead weight.
Third, Blade Welder. A swordsman, plain and simple. Choosing this class boosted my understanding of sword skills and scaled my strength over time. Extremely useful on most floors. But... I had to grind strength like crazy, which became a problem when I got to the ninth-floor boss.
I needed at least 5 points in agility—I had 2.
That was the end of that run.
I paused as I looked at the last one, Warder. That might be it.
A Warder, also known as a tanker. This class automatically boosted strength, let me absorb damage, and convert the impact into mana. I could then release it back as a shockwave, it didn't sound flashy or heroic. But it was more useful than all the others combined. Even better—it scaled with my current level.
A late-game class.
["Have you chosen your class, humans?"]
I followed the voice and glared at the Geon Lizard, frowning. He yawned in the air, looking completely bored.
["Don't be so picky. Pick one already. I have other humans to attend to I don't have time to waste."]
A few moments of silence passed.
["Ahh… you humans. Fine. You have 2 minutes left. Once time runs out, the class options will vanish."]
["Fast. Time is running out."]
There was something only the Geon Lizard and I knew.
Time was running out. I had to make a quick decision it wasn't a game anymore. If I messed up now, there was no button to restart.
I turned my head slightly. Han Seoyeon looked confused, eyes locked on the blank air. She must've been stuck in the same class selection screen. I couldn't interfere, there was an invisible wall in every player's space a neat little trick by the Geon Lizard to make sure no one could help each other.
I quickly glanced at my options and exhaled then took a deep breath, then tapped the screen. There was only one class that was useful early on.
["Time's up, humans. The door will open soon. Enjoy your classes and your sweet time with the zombies."]
Zombies?
...I didn't remember that part.
[You haven't selected a class.]
Choosing a class meant being bound to one specific skill set locked into a path that might not fit later. It would limit what weapons I could use, what abilities I could unlock, and how I'd grow.
I took the risk.
If my calculations were right, I could gain more freedom and profit later. But that was only if I survived the tutorial.
I gambled.
What I didn't expect… were zombies. In the game, the tutorial had traps, a simple escape puzzle.
This was different.
Well, let's see what happens to a player without a class.
Ding!
A soft notification sound came from my phone. My fingers trembled slightly as I typed in the password and opened the mail.
From Dev Hart?
[1 message]
(As a gratitude, here is the gift.)
A faint glow emerged from the screen, forcing my eyes shut for a moment. A voice echoed in my head.
[You have received a gift.]
[Item Finder: One-time use. Reveals any hidden item within 3 meters.]
I couldn't help but smile. I peeled my eyes open still a little blurry from the flash. So this was the gift Dev Hart wanted to send.
A unique, one-time-use skill. Normally only available on the 7th floor.
And I got it... in the tutorial.
I was lucky.
With this, finding that item wouldn't be difficult.
[Status Window now available.]
I stared at the message for a second, then muttered, "Status."
A screen flickered into my view.
[Status Window]
Title: Only Player
Name: Yang Jihan
Class: None
Level: 1
Mana: 1%
Strength: 2
Agility: 1
Skills: None
Inventory: Item Finder (1)
My Strength and Agility weren't bad, better than an average human. The "Only Player" title... was that because I'd played this game alone?
No skills. That was going to be a problem.
[Alert: First wave of zombies in 15 min]
...How the hell am I getting out of here?