A faint glow rippled in the air, static crackling softly before a familiar voice echoed from it.
["You're interfering again, Ravon. I went to check on the other players, how dare you kill my players and my precious zombies."]
Ravon spun his dagger through the air and stretched lazily.
"They were boring to watch."
The Geon Lizard whipped his tiny tail in frustration.
["That doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want, you cocky contractors. I absolutely despise it."]
I figured this would happen. Geon Lizard would show up eventually—Ravon being here messes up the whole tutorial structure. It actually ruined the setup and progression the Eternals were supposed to watch. I didn't say a word. Just watched them go back and forth.
"Annoying little talking lizard. What can you do about it? Gonna cry and complain to the Eternals?"
["Shut up! Ravon, you spoiled my tutorial! Because of you, the Eternals almost stopped watching this building."]
Ravon frowned and waved him off.
"Doesn't matter. Not my problem. Just get out of here—I've got business to take care of."
Geon Lizard might be strong, but he couldn't do anything to Ravon. Not when he was a Contractor and had protection. Even if the Geon Lizard somehow beat him, the Eternal of the Olympian Clan wouldn't let that slide.
Honestly? I pitied the guy. He was genuinely fuming, tail puffed up, mouth twitching like a balloon.
Kinda cute.
Then Geon Lizard flashed a mocking smile and pointed at Ravon.
["Check your system, you bastard. The Eternal of the Olympian Clan has ordered you to leave. Now."]
"Tch. Whatever."
A glowing black portal opened in front of Ravon. He stepped toward it, but before entering, he turned and shot me a glare.
"We'll meet again."
I gave him a faint smile.
"We will."
He disappeared through the portal, and I shifted my attention back to the lizard his golden eyes still glowing with irritation.
["My apologies for what just happened. The tutorial did not proceed as expected. Only a handful of you survived. No further interference will occur."]
I let out a sigh and raised my hand, feigning disappointment.
"I didn't think this would happen. I was expecting a proper tutorial. This was unfair for us. Not a great look for a host, is it?"
The Geon Lizard tapped his chin like he was genuinely thinking about it.
["...True. It was unfair. What do you want as compensation?"]
There it was. Geon Lizard, as a system manager, had way too much pride. And I was counting on that. I couldn't ask for the poison-nullifying item directly—it'd be too obvious, but this was the perfect roundabout.
"How about 2000 Eten Coins?"
He mulled it over, tail twitching.
["No. Too much. How about 1000?"]
I let out a breath and waved him off.
"Ah, I see. You don't think it was anything major. Sad, really. My people died without even a chance to fight back."
["I can... offer 1500. How about it? Not a small amount. You could get a decent dagger—or something better, in the Eten Shop."]
"Hmm. Just forget it. Doesn't seem like you care about your players anyway. It's fine—we survived, at least. Thanks to you."
I knew he could blow my head off with a thought. But I also knew he wouldn't. His pride was bigger than his power.
I let out a disappointed sigh.
"It's fine. I thought you played it fair well, there's nothing I can do either."
["Okay, 1500. Final. It's actually too much, but I play fair."]
"Ahh! It's okay. I don't need it. I got a notification earlier that an Eternal something..."
The Geon Lizard swallowed as he stared at me.
["Heaha, what did it say?"]
"Would you give me the 2000 coins? I'll tell you if you do."
["1700! Take it."]
I knew he would be interested after I mentioned the Eternals. He was actually easy.
"Nah! 2000. Final."
["Sigh... okay, 2000! Now tell me what it said. You know if you lie, I'll blow off your head."]
He grinned, his sharp pointy teeth showing.
[You have received 2000 Eten Coins]
Now I had a total of 2200 coins. Not yet enough to buy that item.
"Yes, why would I lie? The Eternal of the Demon Clan was interested in me."
He frowned.
["Just that? Nothing more?"]
I nodded.
"Yes, it was written only that. Nothing more."
["Hmm. Okay. Great doing business with you. I have somewhere to go. You're interesting indeed show me what you can do on the further floors."]
Then he vanished into thin air.
I sat down and let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding in. I glanced around. Han Seoyeon was lying on the ground, unmoving. I was too focused on what was happening—I almost forgot about her.
I trudged toward her and checked her breathing. She was alive, just fainted. I sat beside her for a while. It was time to clear the tutorial.
I never felt bad for anything, but…a small urge lingered in my chest. We could have cleared the tutorial early. But I risked her life for an item. I would pay her back someday.
[High-tier Grunto Zombies have spawned.]
I let out a breath. So they weren't going to let me rest, not even for a minute.
I shook Han Seoyeon several times, but she didn't respond. And I had no idea where the Grunto would come from.
Grrr. Grrr.
The sound echoed. They were climbing the stairs. But something was off—their movements were sharper, faster. Their eyes glowed blood-red, skin pale and cracking like dried mud.
They evolved?
I didn't have time to think. I grabbed Han Seoyeon with my right arm and slid toward the office window. Without hesitation, I slammed into it—glass cracked and tore through my face as I held my breath and grabbed the dangling rope I'd seen earlier. It had been used to paint the walls, so I knew it was strong enough to hold the weight of two people.
The moment I looked down, my head spun. The building was taller than it looked. Wind whipped past my ears, but I tightened my grip and pressed my feet against the wall, and slowly slid down.
Han Seoyeon was still unconscious, she wasn't as heavy I'd expected her to be.
After a few tense seconds, I bent my knees and kicked against the wall, swinging through the air—then smashed into the 7th floor hallway window.
We slammed the ground hard. My shoulder ached, but there was no time to complain.
The Grunto were already flooding the stairways.
I'd planned for this. Earlier, I poured petrol over the stairs, just in case.
Grunto feared fire. Like wild animals.
I was hoping Seoyeon could use a skill to light it… but she was still out cold.
What now?
I fumbled through my pocket. Something clicked against my fingers. I yanked it out.
My lighter.
Guess I wasn't as unlucky as I thought. Almost everything that meant nothing before this game turned real was suddenly useful.
I grinned. With a single flick—click—the flame lit, and I tossed it down the stairs.
A fiery ring burst to life, curling into a semi-circle across the steps. The Grunto howled in rage but didn't cross it.
Cling. Cling...
I hoisted Seoyeon and dashed toward the kitchen. The sprinkler system would trigger any second.
I was almost there, just a few more steps. The sprinklers activated just as I reached the doorway. Water hissed from the ceiling, steam rising behind me.
I kicked the door open and slammed it shut behind us.
Only then did I breathe.
I stumbled toward the glowing circular sigil at the wall, holding Han Seoyeon. I placed her hand on it first, then pressed mine over hers and tapped the sigil. I didn't have the strength to move anymore.
I slammed onto the floor.
[You have cleared the Tutorial.]
[You have received 200 Eten Coins.]
[The Tutorial is Complete.]
[Mana has increased by 2%.]
[Strength: 6 | Agility: 4]
It's… over?
[First Floor - Etopia begins in: 6 hours.]