Chapter 2

"Right, anyway, it's all or nothing now. I have nowhere to go."

Even if I escape from here, where could I go?

I gripped the frying pan given by my mother tightly with both hands.

My whole body trembled with fear.

Flash.

Thud.

The crystal at the top of the tower glowed for a moment, and then the body of the leading monster began to explode.

Green blood splattered in all directions, and shredded flesh flew everywhere.

Shudder.

"Right, that's it!"

The monsters that were charging forward paused for a moment and then rushed towards me.

"I need to drive them away."

I hurriedly turned to the back of the tower.

Clang, clang, clang!

I struck the frying pan to make a noise.

Thud!

The monsters near me started to explode, one every second.

"Hey! Over here! You bastards! Over here!"

Flash!

Thud!

All the monsters except one were dead.

It was the first monster that gave the command.

The one that was far away stood still, alternating its gaze between me and the tower.

"Hey, you little bastard! Come here! Why are you scared?"

I tried to draw the monster's attention with my angry words, but it only glared at me without moving.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed from a distance.

Squawk! Squawk!

The monster let out a cry and turned to run towards the Sujeong Station intersection.

There were no more monsters around.

My legs gave out.

Thud.

I collapsed on the ground, and the monster's green blood stained my pants.

Messages started to scroll up on the status window.

I focused on the initial achievement in the middle.

"An initial achievement... "

It probably refers to so-called awakened individuals who have a status window like me.

The message about early achievements improved my mood.

I clicked on the word 'Information' on one side of the status window.

- Level: 2

- Rank: Pioneer

- Points: 1

- Developable: [Upgrade Defense Tower: 3 Points] [Build Food Storage: 1 Point] [Build Sanitation Facilities: 1 Point] [...]

- Registered Residents: None

The cost to upgrade the defense tower increased.

A new option, sanitation facilities, appeared due to the level up.

The news on TV continued with the anchor's screams.

- It's incredible. A person suddenly appeared from somewhere, wielding a giant sword and repelled the monsters.

- According to military experts, the monsters seem to be resistant to modern weapons...

- The monsters in the video from another country, which remained unharmed even after being hit by an RPG, are a hot topic.

"Huh, let's take a break for now."

I returned to the container and sat on the bed.

The vivid image of the monsters.

The sight of their bodies exploding from the defense tower made me feel sick to my stomach.

If I had been a little slower, I would have been mutilated by that sword.

"Ugh. Ugh."

I quickly ran outside the container and vomited.

The squid I had eaten earlier came up.

"There's no choice. To survive... "

I steadied myself and searched the internet on my phone.

The community I often visited was filled with posts about awakening and status windows.

What did you awaken to?

- I watched a wild show and fell asleep. After awakening, I only got a combat knife and survival skills. Damn.

┗ Haha, just the skills you needed.

┗ I think I hit a normal attack. I was playing as a mage.

┗ I was under the covers and got a pistol. Is that real?

┗ I'm satisfied. I fell asleep while watching a romance, and my hair grew like the main character. Thank you, Status Window, for the luxurious hair.

┗ What did you use to kill the monsters?

┗ Is there a skill like seduction?

┗ Haha, stay alive.

┗ Anyone watch a superhero movie? I should have fallen asleep after watching Aionman the other day!

The internet was in chaos.

Various information and rumors were shared, but the conclusion was one.

The reason is unknown.

The monsters will continue to appear.

We need to level up and repel the monsters.

- The government has convened an emergency inter-ministerial meeting to identify so-called awakened individuals.

- The Ministry of National Defense and the National Intelligence Service are expected to form a temporary organization by selecting some personnel...

- The government is urging the voluntary reporting and registration of awakened individuals. The phone number is...

The status window flashed, and a new message appeared.

'Register residents, seal the portal.'

I clicked on the new resident registration menu in the status window.

A virtual cursor appeared in the air.

I selected the defense tower outside.

I then selected a tree far away.

The error message provided useful information.

'I need to select a human who has entered the territory.'

The task of registering residents is difficult to complete immediately.

I looked at the portal sealing task.

'How am I supposed to seal it?'

To confirm, I have to go to Sujeong Station.

'If I stay here, I won't level up for life.'

The purpose of the task is unclear.

However, it won't harm me.

There will be a reward for completing the task, so I need to register a resident.

I put the frying pan in my bag and slowly walked towards Sujeong Station.

The area was deserted due to the people who had already fled from the monster attacks.

I didn't see a single police officer.

'Why hasn't the military come?'

Indeed, with the portals appearing simultaneously, they must be overwhelmed.

'The government must be busy dealing with the monsters and searching for awakened individuals...'

When I arrived at Sujeong Station, I saw the portal standing alone in the middle of the intersection.

The portal, which emitted a rainbow of natural colors, was so beautiful that it was hard to imagine it spewing out monsters.

'How am I supposed to seal it?'

Pressing various buttons on the status window yielded no response.

'Do I need to get closer?'

I approached the portal while maintaining my tension.

'Enter?'

I stared blankly at the status window.

'Isn't the portal just spewing out monsters?'

I thought it was a one-way spout of monsters.

However, the status window in front of me was displaying a message like in a game.

'There's no guarantee I can return... '

Even if I could return like in a real game, I don't have the ability to kill the monsters.

"Student! It's dangerous there! Monsters will come out!"

"Oh, you'll die if you stay there! Get out quickly!"

A few people passing through the deserted street shouted at me.

A setup and progression completely different from a real game.

The defense tower, which should only be available in the mid-game, can be built from level 1.

Clearly, there is some kind of adjustment.

"Hey, hey!"

"Danger! Is it a monster?"

People pointed behind me and shouted.

'What?'

I trembled and quickly turned around.

Thud.

My leg caught on a pothole in the asphalt.

I fell towards the portal.

"There's nothing! What the hell!"

The sound of people's voices quickly faded away.

I felt a dizzying sensation, like a roller coaster descending, and my field of vision spun.

Before I could regain my senses, messages started to scroll up on the status window.

In front of me was a dense forest, like the Amazon.

I didn't want to enter.

I just came to scout.

Unfortunately, I ended up entering the portal.

The environment changed as soon as I entered the portal.

I felt the humid, warm air and hid in a corner to avoid any goblins that might appear.

'It feels real. Or is it real? The way back... is gone, of course.'

The portal I entered from had disappeared.

I turned my head and confirmed the messages that decorated the status window.

- Level: 3

- Rank: Pioneer

- Points: 4

- Developable: [Upgrade Defense Tower: 3 Points] [Build Food Storage: 1 Point] [Build Sanitation Facilities: 1 Point] [Build Research Facility: 3 Points]

- Registered Residents: None

'A research facility? No way.'

A research facility is the foundation of civilization-level development that determines the outcome of the game.

All players developed their own build orders to efficiently construct research facilities.

However, it was a building that only appeared in the mid-game.

I smiled.

'For some reason, the status window is really helpful.'

It seemed to provide all the support as if encouraging me to fight the monsters.

Whoever created this didn't expect me to be a veteran player.

I touched the research facility construction in the status window.

A map appeared on the screen, like a navigation system.

I could see the defense tower near the container.

'A mouse would be better.'

I scrolled around the container and zoomed in and out.

'The research facility is important... I should build it nearby first.'

I hesitated to build it right next to the defense tower.

It was a gamer's instinct honed over years.

'I need to leave a space for passage.'

Feeling satisfied, I touched the side of the defense tower.

A concrete single-story building appeared next to the defense tower.

It was a proper building with a door and windows, a common gray structure.

'The building has a default skin. No gacha?'

A research menu was added to the top of the status window.

- Researchable: [Flame Arrow] [Ice Arrow] [Healing] [Strength Increase] [Archery] [Swordsmanship] [Territory Development] [...]

Some of the items in the list were active.

It seemed that new research options appeared as the level increased, and they were deactivated if the points were insufficient.

'Territory development increases the buildable area... '

To kill a goblin shaman, I need skills.

'Healer is out. Warrior... this is also a pass.'

Healing is useless in combat.

Safety is the best.

'Should I be a mage or an archer? What's strength increase?'

- Strength Increase: Temporarily increases strength and accelerates movement.

- Cannot be distributed and can only be used individually.

- Required Points: 1

- Do you want to acquire it? Y/N

'Simple. Like a stimpack? What's distribution?'

Rustle.

At that moment, I heard someone rustling through the bushes.

Any good performance can be a weapon.

Terrified, I crouched in the bushes.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

After a moment, the rustling sound faded away.

'... What? Damn it.'

It seems I accidentally touched Y while hiding.

I stared blankly at the status window, feeling defeated.

'Well, maybe it's for the best. Let's think of it as fate.'

I calmed myself and carefully moved to a quiet place.

No matter how I looked, I couldn't find a touch-based skill.

I looked around once more and whispered.

"Strength Increase!"

'Whoa.'

Suddenly, I felt a surge of energy throughout my body.

I felt like I could destroy anything.

I took a small step forward.

'...!'

I ran as usual, but the tree was suddenly right in front of me.

Thud.

I hit my head on the tree and fell to the ground.

'Ugh... killing acceleration! Like a haste spell.'

The movement was faster than I expected.

After looking around and confirming that no one was there, I aimed a straight punch at the tree.

Crack!

Crack!

The large tree split, and the impact point was indented.

'Wow, this is... '

I opened my bag and took out the frying pan.

'At least I have this, so I feel more secure.'

The strength quickly drained from me.

"Ugh."

A groan involuntarily escaped my lips.

I leaned against the tree and sat down, taking deep breaths.

Rumble.

'I... I'm so hungry.'

It didn't seem to use mana or energy.

The skill used my physical strength.

'I wish they had set up some mana... The developers are really... '

Since it's a simulation game, these small details are lacking.

The lack of mana and energy data for non-combat NPCs led to third-party programs.

'My stamina naturally decreases, and the skill is automatically deactivated.'

Rustle.

Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound from a distance.

I cautiously moved in the direction of the sound.

I hid behind a large tree, probably several meters in diameter, and scouted ahead.

'Two goblins.'

Two monsters were slowly passing through the forest with swords and shields.