[First Kill!]
[You have achieved the first kill in the EF739 Tutorial Zone.]
[You have been awarded the title 'First Killer'.]
[Your Strength has permanently increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 bonus stat point.]
[You have earned 100 AP.]
[The Clocktower Killer has taken an interest in you.]
I already knew about the First Kill.
In the original story, Kim Myungjin had killed someone nearby to achieve it, earning the title and bonus stat points.
I hadn't really intended to go for the First Kill.
I certainly hadn't expected it to be this easy.
And the Clocktower Killer... For a Divine Seat to notice me so early on. Is this good luck...? Or bad?
Divine Seats.
These are the transcendent beings that exist in this world. They include not only the commonly known gods but also heroes and great figures. However, even among Divine Seats, there are different tiers.
The Clocktower Killer, Jack the Ripper, appeared in the original story too. If you make a contract with him, the Divine Seat's Unique Trait you receive is Night Mist (B), right?
Night Mist (B) is a trait that generates a night mist around the user and allows them to see through it.
The Clocktower Killer is a low-tier Divine Seat.
Divine Seats are essentially patrons, sponsors, and benefactors. Ideally, it's best to contract with a Divine Seat who is a god by birth.
Speaking of which, this woman's luck is absolutely terrible.
I glanced at the dead woman's corpse before turning away.
No, that's not right. Considering the hell she's likely to face in the future... dying now might actually be better for her.
Atlantis isn't a good place. It's a world of "might makes right" and "survival of the fittest" a place where those phrases perfectly apply. Though a semblance of social order exists, it ultimately serves the strong.
Where could Hader be?
Hader.
A monster currently residing in the Tutorial area. Killing it yields 50 AP. These creatures tend to lurk near food sources, so you have to kill Hader to obtain provisions.
My goal is the High Hader.
I aim to defeat the D-Rank High Hader using Mana. By hunting these creatures, I plan to hone my practical skills in Mana manipulation.
I can die here. I have no attachment to this world anyway.
I channeled Mana to execute the Eternal Flow footwork, my steps becoming swift and silent. But I soon ceased using Mana.
Why is my Mana so low?
[Worldview Penalty.]
Currently, only a fraction of my stats are active.
Status Window.
[Name: Sung Yujin]
[Class: -]
[Title: First Killer]
[Divine Seat: -]
[Affiliation: AL 401 Earth]
[Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Stamina: 11 Vitality: 9 Luck: 17]
[Bonus Stat Points: 1]
[Unique Trait: Deception (A)]
Should I use the bonus stat point on Mana?
After a moment's hesitation, I allocated the bonus stat point to Luck.
Bonus stat points, which allow you to freely increase your stats, are exceedingly rare.
Mana can be increased through training and relatively easily boosted with items and potions. Luck, on the other hand, is a rare stat that cannot be raised through conventional methods like training. Even if it doesn't provide immediate benefits, its scarcity makes increasing Luck the right choice.
Luck influences various aspects of this world.
Luck is an unexpectedly powerful ability, operating subtly yet profoundly.
The woman's proximity to me earlier might have been due to this Luck stat.
I can raise Mana with potions. Let's start by finding a Mana Potion.
After wandering through the forest for a while, I discovered a stream.
The structure of the Tutorial is identical across all instances. Even the number of trees and the amount of food available are the same as in other Tutorial areas.
I followed the stream downstream and discovered a lake. I scanned the area for any signs of people.
Confirming that no one was around, I stripped off my clothes, stored them in my inventory, and plunged into the lake with only the Fire Lotus Flying Dagger in hand.
Activate Gill Breathing.
[Gill Breathing activated. Duration: 1 hour.]
I could breathe comfortably underwater. I clumsily swam around the lake, exploring its depths.
It's supposed to be somewhere on the lakebed.
The Tutorial contained quite a few hidden secrets, including Hidden Classes that could only be obtained there. Though they weren't overwhelmingly powerful, they were still worth pursuing.
A massive shark swam toward me.
Why is there a shark in this lake...? No, don't overthink it.
After all, this is just a world within a novel. Obsessing over details would only put me at a disadvantage.
I began circulating the Mana within my body using the Youngcheon Qi Technique.
The key to manipulating Mana lies in balance: neither too much nor too little. Excess Mana can trigger a backlash, endangering my body, while insufficient Mana might yield no reaction at all. Jin Seyoung had advised that erring on the side of deficiency was preferable to excess.
Channeling Mana, I activated my entire body. My senses sharpened, and my body felt lighter, as if floating.
The shark before me opened its jaws wide, revealing rows of menacing teeth and a throat as dark as the abyss.
Eternal Flow Practical Combat Technique: Dawn's Light.
My blade moved like a ray of light. Though underwater, I was channeling Mana.
The blade sliced through the shark's mouth from top to bottom. Without pausing, I swung my sword again, cleaving through the shark's body.
Having harpooned a shark, I trembled with exhilaration.
[You have gained 20 AP.]
Kyah! This is it!
The sensation of wielding the sword with Mana was completely different from using it without. The Mana-enhanced strikes were overwhelmingly superior. It felt like upgrading from a decade-old computer to a brand-new, custom-built machine.
Now I don't even want to swing my sword without Mana.
Another shark appeared.
The shark seemed uninterested in me, perhaps because it was full. But I was very interested in the shark. I approached it and sliced it to death.
Heh heh heh.
The thrill of Mana was irresistible.
I scanned my surroundings for more sharks, but soon spotted a hole at the bottom of the lake and headed toward it.
Entering the hole, I was surprised to find a waterless cave filled with air. I pulled a lantern from my inventory to illuminate the surroundings.
"Found it. The Mana Tree."
A deep blue tree stood against one wall, its branches bare of leaves but adorned with faintly glowing blue fruits that resembled plums.
"Five in total. Just like the original."
These were Mana Fruits, exactly as described in the original work. Eating them would increase my Mana.
Does this have a Mana Awakening effect too?
Probably not. The original work never mentioned such an effect. That's what I wanted to believe.
'This Game World opened the moment I reached Level 35. If it had opened sooner than the Hundred Transformations World, I could have experimented, but...'
I had already awakened my Mana. There was no need to dwell on regrets. I decided to be content with the fact that my Mana had increased.
After some deliberation, I realized that Mana Fruits weren't exclusive to the Tutorial. Though rare in Atlantis, they could still be obtained there. Moreover, they could be purchased using AP.
'Come to think of it, there are quite a few items I can acquire in this world. If I consider beyond the Tutorial...'
After weighing the potential benefits, I decided to invest in the world of God's Atlantis.
'I'll consume two Mana Fruits here.'
I popped one Mana Fruit into my mouth.
[You have consumed a Mana Fruit. Your Mana has increased by 5.]
[I ate another one. The taste was sweet and tangy.]
[You have consumed a Mana Fruit. Mana increased by 3.]
[Name: Sung Yujin]
[Class: -]
[Title: First Killer]
[Divine Seat: -]
[Affiliation: AL 401 Earth]
[Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Vitality: 11 Vitality: 17 Luck: 18]
[Unique Trait: Deception (A)]
I checked my Status Window and nodded. My Mana had nearly doubled.
If I eat another one now, it'll probably only increase by 1. The effect diminishes with each fruit.
In the original story, Kang Myungjin ate three Mana Fruits and saved two.
I'll eat two when I get back to reality... and give one to Yuria.
Back in reality, I ate two Mana Fruits, and my Mana increased by 2. It wasn't a simple +1 per fruit. The first Mana Fruit had boosted my Mana stat by 2, but the second one had no effect at all.
I never imagined the effect would be so minimal.
Still, it went up, right? Let's be satisfied. Be satisfied.
I decided to focus on the positive.
Before leaving, I glanced at the Mana Tree where the fruit had grown. It was slowly crumbling, and it seemed impossible for it to bear fruit again.
Time to let go of any lingering attachments.
I slipped back into the lake, keeping only my head above water to observe the outside world.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Don't run! We have to fight! They have the fruit! It's our food!"
"Throw rocks at them!"
A group of six survivors had encountered three Haders, the tutorial's monsters. I held my breath and quietly watched the scene unfold.
These guys are hopeless. They're even more pathetic than I was before my awakening.
Hader is a humanoid monster with crimson skin. Its arms and legs are unnaturally long and slender, and its razor-sharp claws and talons serve as its primary weapons. It possesses physical capabilities far exceeding those of ordinary humans.
For these newly exiled individuals to defeat Hader, they would need to devise a tactical strategy or actively exploit their combat-oriented Unique Traits.
They're all going to die against Hader. It's obvious without even watching. Rest in peace, you fools!
Did I intend to save them? Not at all. Their deaths wouldn't particularly upset me, nor would their survival improve my mood.
I observed the situation with detached indifference, like watching a fire across the river.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Mr. Ohjun!"
"Fucking... shit."
The scene was gruesome. The two men wielding wooden sticks were helpless against Hader and quickly met their end. The third man, seemingly activating a Unique Trait, bolted away at incredible speed.
But Hader was an agile monster. One of them latched onto the fleeing man's back and tore him apart with its claws.
One is severely injured, another is too terrified to fight, and the only woman is clinging to the man... What's going on here?
Upon closer inspection, the woman was quite attractive. Dressed in office attire, her face was surprisingly pretty exactly my type.
And she's got a nice chest too.
I swam swiftly toward the shore.
Hader was about to move in to finish off the remaining survivors. I roared loudly to draw its attention.
"Wait! Wait!! Stop!"
The aggro was successfully drawn. Three Haders spotted me and charged. As soon as I reached land, I activated my Mana.
I could kill these guys without using Mana, but... I came to this world for the Mana rush.
The Haders' movements seemed sluggish. It wasn't that they had slowed down; I had become faster.
I swung my sword smoothly, slicing through the Haders' bodies like butter. It took less than three seconds to kill all three.
[You have gained 50 AP.]
[You have gained 50 AP.]
[You have gained 50 AP.]
I flicked the blood off my sword and approached the three survivors.
"Th-thank you!"
A man with a deep wound on his right thigh thanked me. Blood was gushing out, and he didn't even seem to know how to stop the bleeding properly.
"With a wound like that on your first day, you're as good as dead anyway."
"Huh?"
"Just die."
I slashed his neck. His head rolled across the floor.
[100 AP acquired.]
I preferred slashing to stabbing. The reason was simple: it was a hassle to pull the blade out after stabbing.
Sister Seyoung said there are times in battle when you stab a monster and can't immediately swing the blade.
If you can't guarantee a kill, slashing is better than stabbing.
I turned my gaze to the remaining man and woman. Up close, the woman was strikingly beautiful, and the man was quite handsome himself.
"They look quite alike. Are they siblings?"
The man seemed to be the younger brother, a fresh-faced newcomer who looked barely out of his teens. He still carried a hint of childishness, and his pampered upbringing was evident as he trembled and broke into a cold sweat at the sight of me.
I took a step toward them.
"P-please spare us! Inha, you too, hurry...!"
The long-haired woman immediately dropped to her knees, begging for her life. The man belatedly followed suit.
"Please spare us! I'll do anything!"
"Spare us! Spare us!"
The woman was quick-witted, making the best choice she could in the situation.
I grinned.
"Anything, huh? Perfect. I just needed some errand boys."
The King of the Demonic Heavens is watching you with a smile.
Who the hell is this guy now?