"Greetings, citizens of Earth AL-401. I am the Star Spirit of Earth AL-401. You may call me A.I."
I found myself in a vast, pristine white space.
In this realm where the boundary between floor and sky was indistinguishable, hundreds of people, including myself, were gathered. They looked around with bewildered expressions, their ages ranging from their twenties to forties.
"W-what's going on?"
"...Does anyone know what's happening?"
"Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?"
"I was definitely asleep at home..."
As the crowd descended into confusion, I quietly scanned my surroundings.
"Why is everything so blindingly white? I'll go insane if I stay here too long."
Amidst the chaos, I spotted a man who remained remarkably calm. A young man in his twenties, dressed in jeans and a black hoodie. His attire confirmed my suspicion: he was the protagonist.
Kang Myungjin. He's got the whole "transmigrated into the protagonist of a novel written by his younger brother, whom he used to enjoy reading" backstory, right?
God's Atlantis was a web novel serialized online and quite popular.
We're right at the beginning of the original story. Kang Myungjin must be quietly analyzing the situation, trying to figure out what's going on.
It wasn't just Kang Myungjin. Some others were also quietly observing their surroundings, trying to grasp the situation. They had a higher chance of surviving the Tutorial.
"I'm only here to experience Mana. I'll just do the Tutorial, so don't worry about me."
A secondary objective was to find the Elixir hidden somewhere within the Tutorial. This Elixir could increase the user's Mana capacity.
"You have been randomly selected and exiled to Atlantis. We hope you will thrive there."
It was the voice that had initially introduced itself as A.I., a clear, feminine voice. Though the language was completely unfamiliar neither Korean nor anything else he recognized he could understand it perfectly.
Ah, the common language of Atlantis. Reading and writing shouldn't be a problem either.
It seemed unlikely that language barriers would cause any major incidents.
"Exiled? Exiled?!"
"Let me out of here! I have to go to work tomorrow!"
"Why isn't the phone working?!"
The space instantly erupted into chaos. Everyone, gripped by anxiety, began shouting at once, creating a scene no different from a bustling marketplace.
"Silence."
A.I.'s single word, imbued with an unknown power, instantly silenced the room. Though A.I. remained unseen, it was clear this was no ordinary being.
"You may feel this is unjust. But remember this: you were born on Earth without permission, and you have lived here without permission. As Earth's Star Spirit, I consider you illegal residents nothing more, nothing less."
This was a rather extreme leap in logic. Having read the original story, I knew that humans and Earth's Star Spirit A.I. had a mutually beneficial relationship.
"You have been exiled from Earth. But this doesn't mean you can never return. Once Atlantis falls, you can return to your original Earth. You all know David Thane well. He was also an exile, but he returned to Earth as a hero."
David Thane.
America's S-Class Hunter.
A man who has seized both wealth and glory.
"Atlantis is also a land of opportunity. David Thane wasn't originally an Awakened. He gained his power in Atlantis, and with that power, he became America's hero. There's no reason why any of you can't follow in his footsteps."
I let out a dry chuckle. David Thane is the only person who has ever returned from Atlantis.
Over 10,000 people were deployed to Atlantis, yet only one returned.
For the record, none of the people here are Hunters. Hunters are those who hunt monsters that appear on Earth. From the perspective of A.I., Earth's Star Spirit, Hunters are like white blood cells. There's no reason to send such valuable personnel to Atlantis, especially since Earth's lifespan isn't in danger.
"What... what are we supposed to do in Atlantis?"
"Live as you please there. I expect nothing from you."
"..."
Expects nothing. That means she has no expectations. Of course, by the middle of the novel, the protagonist's actions will change A.I.'s attitude, but that's a story for the distant future.
"We can't see A.I.'s current appearance, but according to the original description, she's supposed to be an incredibly beautiful woman with snow-white hair."
Even just hearing her voice, it was clear she must be quite the beauty.
"To defile A.I., the Star Spirit of Earth, wouldn't that be the same as defiling Earth itself?!"
Sung Yujin, the man who defiled Earth!
What a magnificent title!
"In ten minutes, you will depart for Atlantis's Tutorial Zone. The Tutorial is a kind of test. You must pass it to enter Atlantis."
"...What happens if we fail?"
"You die. But don't worry too much. Atlantis's system will be applied to you, allowing you to use the Status Window."
"Status Window...? Gasp! What, what's happening suddenly?!"
The man who muttered "Status Window" was startled. Something had clearly appeared before his eyes.
Soon, several quick-witted individuals began shouting or murmuring "Status Window."
"This is where I part ways with you all. I wish you the best of luck."
Eriel vanished. Though she was no longer visible, the colossal presence that had filled this space had unmistakably disappeared.
I pulled my smartphone from my pocket. The Pleasure World App was still functioning perfectly.
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 35]
[Strength: 23 Stamina: 23 Agility: 22 Intelligence: 20 Vitality: 30 Mana:25]
[Due to the Worldview Penalty, only a portion of your attributes are being applied.]
A Worldview Penalty? That's different from a Growth Penalty.
Growth Penalties showed negative signs on the stats, but the Worldview Penalty had none. It said only a portion of the stats were being applied, but it didn't specify how much.
No wonder my body felt so heavy.
I didn't think much of it. I had a hunch about why the Worldview Penalty had occurred.
Status Window!
As I mentally commanded, a holographic window appeared before my eyes.
***
[Name: Sung Yujin]
[Class: -]
[Title: -]
[Divine Seat: -]
[Affiliation: AL 401 Earth]
[Strength: 7 Agility: 8 Stamina: 11 Vitality: 9 Luck: 17]
[Unique Trait: Deception (A)]
***
The Worldview Penalty applied to the Pleasure World App's stats was likely due to the existence of a separate Status Window in this world.
No, but even with the penalty, these stats are remarkably high!
They were more than twice as high as the protagonist Kang Myungjin's starting stats. In other words, I was starting with stats twice as high as an average person.
But why is my Luck so high?
I remembered Kang Myungjin's initial Luck stat being only 2. Luck was notoriously difficult to raise.
While other stats could be improved through training or items, Luck couldn't be raised through training, and items that boosted Luck were extremely rare.
Well, I've always been pretty lucky, I guess.
Just awakening the Pleasure World App makes me the luckiest person in the universe, right?
Plus, I've always had this weird streak of good luck. Like finding a thousand won on the street or getting decent prizes from gacha pulls. Except when it comes to exams, of course.
An A-rank Unique Trait from the start? That's incredibly good. Is this also thanks to my Luck stat?
A Unique Trait is an innate ability everyone possesses. It's like a natural talent. Since everyone has at least one, I'm not exactly special.
[Deception]
[Allows manipulation of information, including the Status Window.]
[Provides bonuses to actions involving deceiving others.]
[Type: Unique Trait]
[Rank: A]
A smirk crept across my lips. At first glance, this might seem like a useless trait, but as the protagonist Kim Myungjin, I possessed the unique ability to view others' Status Windows.
So, by using Deception, I can manipulate my own Status Window.
[Name: Wang Jaji]
[Class: SSS-Class Virgin Hunter]
[Title: The Man Who Conquered a Thousand Virgins]
[Divine Seat: Power Sex]
[Affiliation: SexNet]
[Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Stamina: 1 Vitality: 1 Luck: 1]
[Unique Trait: Cunt Licking (SSSSS)]
(Deception Applied)
It actually works! Heh heh heh.
I chuckled gleefully. I could manipulate my Status Window at will. Of course, the altered stats weren't actually applied.
After playing around with the Status Window a few times, I began to use Deception in earnest.
[Name: Sung Yujin]
[Class: -]
[Title: ]
[Divine Seat: -]
[Affiliation: AL 401 Earth]
[Strength: 2 Agility: 2 Stamina: 2 Vitality: 1 Luck: 17]
[Unique Trait: Equivalent Exchange (S)]
(Deception Applied)
I had modified my Status Window to make it plausible, knowing Kim Myungjin might accidentally glimpse it.
I deliberately left my Luck stat unchanged, as it wasn't affected by physical attributes. Moreover, if Kim Myungjin saw my Luck, he might try to exploit it in various ways.
This doesn't seem limited to just the Status Window.
I experimented with Deception in different ways.
The results showed I could also apply Deception to my body. Using it, I concealed one of my fingers. My right hand now had only four fingers, the middle one vanished.
"I've made my appearance transparent. Unlike the Status Window, using it on my body drains Mana continuously."
I could make myself invisible or change the shape of my fingers, but only visually. In reality, nothing changed. Touching them revealed their true form.
"This Trait... I love it!"
It was exactly my style.
I experimented with Deception on various objects. It seemed to work on items as well, though the Mana consumption was quite high.
"Could I use it to make my entire body transparent, like the Illusionist?"
I considered trying but decided against it. There were people around, and I had no reason to reveal my abilities to them.
"I also need to consider the possibility that it might not work on Kim Myungjin."
This ability offers countless possibilities for experimentation.
You will be transported to the Tutorial Zone in 1 minute.
A notification window popped up before my eyes.
I stared at the window in fascination, reaching out to touch it, but my hand passed right through.
"Everyone, calm down! Calm down and let's gather together!"
"This is a common trope in manga and novels! There's no need to panic!"
The surroundings were chaotic. I shoved my hands into my pants pockets.
The Tutorial will take place in separate zones for each individual.
There's also a way to complete the Tutorial together. If you hold hands, up to three people can be transported to the same Tutorial Zone.
But there's no reason for me to tell them that.
Kim Myungjin remained silent, his expression grave. The cold-blooded bastard had likely already grasped that he'd become the protagonist of his younger brother's favorite novel and was now calculating his next moves.
I had no intention of contacting Kim Myungjin. My sole objective was to complete the Tutorial.
Initiating transfer to the Tutorial Zone.
Light enveloped my body.
I felt myself being sucked into something, and then the light vanished without a trace. Instead of a pristine white space, I found myself in a dense forest teeming with trees.
[You have entered Tutorial Zone EF739
[There are three conditions for clearing the Tutorial Zone.]
[Condition 1: Survive for 7 days.]
[Condition 2: Collect 1,000 AP to purchase an Atlantis entry ticket.]
[Clear Condition 3: Travel to Atlantis through the gate that opens in seven days. The gate will remain open for three days.]
[You currently have 0 AP.]
[Failure to complete the tutorial will result in death.]
"If this is the EF739 Tutorial... it's a different Tutorial Zone than Kim Myungjin's. Well, I expected as much."
I retrieved the Fire Lotus Flying Dagger from my inventory.
Rustle, rustle.
A figure emerged from the bushes ahead a woman with blonde hair, short stature, and a small mole beside her nose. She appeared to be in her early to mid-thirties, not particularly beautiful.
"...Ah."
The woman hesitated upon seeing me, likely because I was holding a knife.
Without a word, I approached her and swung the blade, severing her neck. Her head fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
[First Kill!]
[You have achieved the first kill in the EF739 Tutorial Zone.]
[You have been awarded the Title 'First Killer'.]
[Your Strength stat has permanently increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 bonus Attribute Point.]
[You have earned 100 AP.]
[The Clocktower Killer has taken an interest in you.]