"The King of the Demonic Heavens is watching you with a smile."
What the hell is this guy again?
I don't know every God Seat in God's Atlantis. Officially, there are so many God Seats in this world that they're considered countless. Even the author probably doesn't know exactly how many there are.
King of the Demonic Heavens? Never heard of him before.
I don't know his true name.
But based on my gut feeling, he doesn't seem like a good guy. He's likely an evil-aligned God Seat. The fact that I got a message saying he's watching me with a smile even after I just killed someone proves it.
The fact that I got a message at all means he's interested in me.
I'm a little surprised that two God Seats are already watching me.
Tutorials are conducted simultaneously in hundreds of spaces at regular intervals. Since the environments and situations are nearly identical across all instances, the God Seats see no need to actively monitor them.
To them, the tutorials are merely reality shows featuring clueless rookies.
A God Seat who watches the tutorials is either crazy or trying to scout talented exiles early.
Whether this is good or bad depends on the perspective. If a God Seat is watching me, it means viewership fees are accruing, which I can later claim.
I don't need to worry about the God Seats right now.
Just then, a new notification window popped up before my eyes:
[The King of the Demonic Heavens has proposed a mission for you.]
[Mission Condition 1: kill her and feed her corpse to the man.]
[Mission Time Limit: 1 hour]
[Mission Success Reward: 10,000 AP]
[Mission Failure Penalty: None]
[Do you accept the mission?]
I was certain: this bastard was definitely aligned with the evil faction.
But only 10,000 AP? He's really trying to rip me off.
In the tutorial, 10,000 AP might seem like a lot. But once you reach Atlantis, it's practically nothing. In the original story, mission rewards start at a minimum of 300,000 AP.
The mission itself was relatively simple, but his intention to exploit me was clear. More importantly, I had no intention of killing the woman right now.
"I'm not doing it."
[Mission rejected.]
The King of the Demonic Heavens has revised the mission success reward to 20,000 AP.
"Do you accept the mission?"
"No."
[Mission declined.]
I suppressed the urge to curse.
God Seats can use their AP to curse exiles.
Currently, I have no contracted God Seat. Without a patron to protect me, I'm vulnerable to curses cast by God Seats.
This is a crucial consideration when contracting with a God Seat. Weaker God Seats can't even properly protest against stronger ones. Conversely, contracting with a top-tier God Seat offers protection from other God Seats.
[The King of the Demonic Heavens has donated 1,000 AP.]
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The laughter I heard was a deep, malevolent voice.
It could be the true voice of the King of the Demonic Heavens, or a voice altered through magic.
This bastard is definitely insane.
I couldn't understand why he suddenly donated 1,000 AP and then split it.
The only good thing was that he didn't curse me for refusing the mission. Though even if he had, I would have just used Complete Recovery to remove it.
I banished the King of the Demonic Heavens from my thoughts and turned to the man and woman who were staring at me strangely.
"We can introduce ourselves later. Let's move from here first. This isn't a safe place."
I led them away from the lakeside. Hader frequently appeared there, and there was a high chance others would come as well.
We settled down in a suitable spot as the sky began to darken. We lit a campfire and huddled around it.
"Let's start with introductions. Tell me your names and unique traits."
The man's name was Yu Inha. He was twenty years old and had just graduated from high school yesterday.
His unique trait was Mana Sensitivity (B), which allowed him to spread mana to survey his surroundings, essentially using it like a radar.
However, I suspected Mana Sensitivity was more than just that. It was a skill related to Mana Control, suggesting Yu Inha would likely excel at manipulating mana.
Not immediately useful, but this skill will be highly valued in Atlantis.
Think of it as a talent for Mana Control. The problem was Yu Inha's timid personality.
Well, I don't care about this bastard's talents or personality.
What mattered was the woman.
The woman's name was Yu Seohee.
At 25 years old, she was a new employee working in an office job at a small-to-medium-sized company.
She was banished from Earth while on her way home from work to have dinner with her younger brother.
Her home planet was STQ 81 Earth.
Her unique trait was Silence (C), the ability to suppress sound for a limited time. Compared to her younger brother's Mana Sensitivity (B), it was a practically useless trait.
"I'm Sung Yujin. Back on Earth, I was an F-Rank Hunter. My unique trait is the S-Rank Equivalent Exchange."
"Hunter... I knew it."
"..."
Yu Seohee immediately accepted my explanation. The fact that I was so calm and strong was enough to convince her, given my status as a Hunter. Her younger brother, Yu Inhane, simply listened quietly, seemingly not one for many words.
"Um... what exactly does the unique trait 'Equivalent Exchange' do?"
"Curious, are you? Well, it's a power like this."
I subtly hid my smartphone under my wrist and retrieved a warm hamburger from my inventory.
"It's the ability to obtain items by consuming AP."
A complete lie.
My unique trait is Deception (A).
Deception is the ability to deceive others. If this were revealed, its effectiveness would plummet to less than garbage. I have no intention of telling anyone about my true unique trait.
"..."
Their gazes fixed on the hamburger in my hand. They dared not ask for it, merely staring.
I deliberately ate the hamburger in front of them, making a show of it.
Show them generosity? Bullshit.
I've never helped the less fortunate in my life, except when the school forced us to donate to charity.
They probably used my donation to feast on Korean beef.
I never understood why schools forced us to donate in the first place. Why did they even bother collecting donations at school?
I had no idea where my donations went. They demanded the money but never told us the results.
"Hey, do you guys know how to get AP?"
"Ah, no. We don't."
"You get AP by killing people or monsters. Humans are worth 100 AP each, and monsters are worth 50 AP."
This was only true for the tutorial. In Atlantis, there are individual differences between humans and monsters. The stronger the target you kill, the more AP you earn.
"Killing you two would net me at least 200 AP. So you'd better be worth at least 200 AP.
In other words, if you mess up even a little, I'll kill you and reclaim the 200 AP. Got it?"
"Ah, I understand!"
"We'll work hard!"
They nervously glanced at the thing beside me.
From their perspective, I was a murderer who could kill without hesitation. They had just witnessed it with their own eyes. It was only natural for them to fear me.
"If you work hard, I'll give you hamburgers."
"Really?!"
"Why would I lie to you?"
To get people to work for you, you need to feed them. Besides, there's a limit to how far you can push people with just the whip. With proper rewards, managing people becomes much easier.
I gave them orders: clean up the area and set up the tent. I sat on a flat rock and watched them work.
Yu Inhane surprised me with his efficiency. Though he lacked initiative, he was remarkably competent when given instructions, a passive but reliable worker.
And then there was Yu Seohee.
Her chest is a D-cup. I like her sturdy hips too.
Yu Seohee's erogenous zones: right nipple, buttocks.
The promise of hamburgers as a reward motivated them to work tirelessly. They even gathered firewood for the campfire without being asked.
Twenty minutes. That's all it took to set up the tent and clear the surrounding area.
I inspected the tent and nodded. It was properly erected.
"Good job. Here, eat."
I handed them the hamburgers.
"Thank you!"
They devoured the hamburgers in the blink of an eye. Normally, they wouldn't have given these burgers a second glance, but here, they were precious, unattainable sustenance.
I sat quietly by the campfire, mentally reviewing everything I'd learned from the tutorial.
To the east of the forest lay a rocky area. If you searched carefully among the rocks, you could find a hidden sword a mass-produced blade, but serviceable enough.
Weapons are hidden throughout the tutorial. Since I already have the Hwaryeonbidu, there's no need to go hunting for them.
Unfortunately, there were no special elixirs like Mana Fruits to be found.
Should I try to get a Hidden Class?
I wasn't drawn to it. A Hidden Class wasn't necessarily better.
Besides, I'd get another chance to choose a class right after the tutorial ended. It was a system where you picked one class from a few options.
If you were lucky, you might even get a Hidden Class.
"Um..."
"Hmm?"
I glanced at Yu Seohee.
"Do you... happen to know what's going on here? You seem so calm."
"I have no idea either. I was on my way to work at the Dungeon when I got dragged here."
"Ah."
"More importantly, shouldn't you guys be worrying about yourselves first?"
"Worrying about ourselves?"
"When you first arrived, a notification window probably popped up, right?
It said you need to survive here for a week and escape within the remaining three days to live. And to buy the Atlantis Entrance Ticket, you need 1,000 AP, right?"
The realization of their predicament drained the color from their faces.
"We need to gather 1,000 AP..."
Despair filled Yu Seohee's expression. They knew only two ways to obtain AP: killing people or monsters.
Either option seemed impossible.
"If Mr. Yu would help us..."
"Why would I help you? It would be easier to just kill you."
"..."
"Well, I'll give you a chance to earn AP, so don't worry. I'm not that strict."
"..."
For reference, I currently have 1,390 AP. Thanks to the King of the Demonic Heavens' 1,000 AP sponsorship, I was able to purchase an Atlantis Entrance Ticket.
[Pay 1,000 AP to purchase an Atlantis Entrance Ticket?]
I could purchase Atlantis Entrance Tickets whenever I wanted, and as many as I needed, as long as I had enough AP.
"Let's put out the campfire and get some sleep. You two take two-hour shifts for night watch."
Naturally, I had no intention of standing guard myself. With two slaves who obeyed my every command, it would be absurd for the master to stand watch.
I can't sleep soundly... a light doze is all I'll get.
As someone who could manipulate mana, my senses were far sharper than theirs. If they tried anything foolish, I could wake up and kill them instantly.
I'll sleep with my sword at the ready.
Yu Seohee and I entered the tent. Yu Inhane took the first watch, hiding beneath a tree some distance from the tent.
The tent was pitch-black, lacking even a common fire, but by focusing my mana into my eyes, I could pierce through the darkness. Of course, this had its limits; I could only see about a meter around me.
The weather outside wasn't cold, and with a blanket spread on the floor, the tent felt surprisingly cozy.
I grinned.
I've been waiting for this moment.
The instant I lay down, I reached out to Yu Seohee, wrapped my arm around her waist, and yanked her toward me.
"Ugh?!"
Her back pressed against my chest. I unbuttoned her jacket and slipped my hand inside her blouse, freely kneading her full D-cup breasts.
"M-Mr. Yu?!"
"I not gonna force you, but you're beautiful, how about we had some fun?"
"..."
Yu Seohee pressed her lips tightly together, the curled into a smile.
"And here I was wondering how long till you make your move."