Chapter 3

Chapter 2 of A Former Ranker's Newbie Life (3/271)

2

The tutorial zone where users who have completed character creation gather.

Dohjin, who had just opened his eyes there, was approached by a woman in a navy uniform.

"Welcome to Rosania. This is the 'Gateway,' where we help brave souls who have crossed the boundary to quickly adapt to Rosania. I am Instructor Rami, and I will assist you in completing the tutorial smoothly so you can become a full-fledged adventurer."

Rami, with a stiff and disciplined attitude like a military officer, bowed and pointed to one side.

"Let me explain the training process without further ado. If you go over there, you can receive a training weapon. Choose the weapon you want, receive it, and then head to the training ground according to the instructions. Your first training task, or 'quest,' is to knock down the three training dummies there."

As Rami finished speaking, a quest window appeared in front of Dohjin.

Knock down the dummies!

Level: Tutorial

Objective: Defeat the three training dummies in the Gateway training ground

Reward: Experience, 3 Beginner Healing Potions, 1 Beginner Weapon

Seeing Dohjin's focus fixed on the floating window, Rami continued.

"What you see in front of you is a 'quest.' It's a mission given to those who can hear the whispers of the world. By completing it and contributing to the world, you can receive appropriate rewards."

Do you have any other questions? Dohjin briefly replied to the follow-up question.

"No, that's enough."

There was no reason for him to have any questions.

The knowledge and information he could gain here were useless to Dohjin.

What Dohjin was interested in was quickly executing the growth plan he had laid out in his mind.

To do that, he needed to complete the tutorial as quickly as possible.

So, Dohjin headed in the direction Rami had pointed without hesitation.

"First come, first served for weapon distribution! No pushing! Hey, causing a disturbance in the Gateway can result in penalties! Let go of each other!"

However, the place was already bustling with users who were already in the middle of the tutorial.

Users were grabbing each other by the collars, arguing over who cut in line, while an NPC in the same uniform as Rami tried to control them with a tired expression.

It was so chaotic that it made Dohjin think a store with a banner advertising a limited 99% discount on 100 ○○Pads would be more orderly.

"Back in my day, it wasn't this bad..."

Faced with the overwhelming chaos, Dohjin instinctively took a step back.

Judging by the scene, it would take at least 30 minutes to even touch a training weapon if he joined the fray.

'What should I do?'

Dohjin pondered, wanting to complete the tutorial as quickly as possible.

Is there a better way?

'The tutorial process is clearly... '

Receive a training weapon, knock down the dummies.

Return the used training weapon to the instructor.

Receive the quest reward.

Then listen to additional explanations and go to the instructor in charge of the final test, the Forest of Trials.

'Since I have to return the weapon anyway...'

In other words, the training weapon is a means, not the end.

The goal is to defeat the dummies and complete the quest.

If he could handle the dummies with his bare hands, there was no need to waste time in the chaos.

Having made his decision, Dohjin changed his direction.

Toward the portal leading to the training ground where the dummies were.

At that moment.

"Let me explain the training process without further ado. If you go to the soldiers over there, you can receive a training weapon..."

Rami, who was repeating the same lines to another trainee, noticed Dohjin.

Her eyes widened.

She couldn't help it.

Seeing someone running, or rather sprinting, to the training ground with dummies without a weapon, how could she not be shocked?

'Crazy!'

The responsible instructor Rami reflexively ran over and grabbed Dohjin.

"What are you doing! Trying to enter the training ground without a training weapon! Just because they're called dummies doesn't mean they're harmless; they're a kind of golem animated by magic!"

Rami scolded him, but Dohjin looked annoyed.

"Do I really need a weapon to enter?"

"Of course you do!"

Rami exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"Then why did you stop me? I can't enter anyway."

"That's not what I meant! Oh... Entering the training ground unarmed is dangerous. The dummies are not easy opponents."

"Anyway, it's possible to enter, right? Then I'll just go in. You said to try different weapons to help choose a class, didn't you?"

That's right. Rami had definitely said that.

But how did that connect to entering the training ground unarmed?

However.

"I plan to become a martial artist."

Dohjin made the connection.

"Martial artist...?"

"Yes."

"What are you talking about! Even martial artists and martial arts practitioners here use weapons. Go stand in line and ask for brass knuckles!"

Rami pointed at the chaotic scene Dohjin had just escaped.

She pointed so forcefully that a gust of wind blew past Dohjin's face.

It showed how frustrated she was.

Unfortunately, no matter how frustrated Rami got, Dohjin had no intention of wasting precious time in that chaos.

"Actually, I can't hold weapons. It's due to religious beliefs."

"......!"

Rami was taken aback by the absurdity of the statement.

"Surely Rosania isn't a place that persecutes people for their religious beliefs?"

Seizing the opportunity while Rami was flustered, Dohjin continued, nodding his head.

"I know it's not. Well, then."

Rami's brain had momentarily stopped processing the nonsense, and she tried to grab Dohjin, but soon let her hand drop slowly.

'Maybe it's better for this type to get a harsh lesson.'

If he had to have a tough experience, it might be helpful for him to have it here.

Rami thought.

If a few bones were broken, she could drag him to the weapon distribution area.

* * *

The inside of the training ground was just as chaotic.

Many users were scattered around, swinging the weapons they had chosen.

Their opponents were moving dummies.

"Haah!"

A man swung his sword with poor form.

Losing his balance, he was hit by the dummy's shield and fainted.

"Kyaaah!"

A woman, despite her small stature, swung a double-bladed axe and lost her balance, falling over.

The dummy didn't miss the opportunity and struck her on the back of the head with a wooden sword.

The woman slowly dissipated into light and was ejected from the training ground.

"Ugh! What kind of dummies are these! Gah!"

The dummies, armed with wooden swords and shields, were mercilessly beating the fresh newbies who entered the training ground.

Dohjin watched the scene with satisfaction.

'The dummies are a bit tough for newbies. I had to retry a few times when I first started, right?'

As visible, the dummies in the tutorial training ground were not simple dummies.

They were essentially wooden golems, only called dummies.

They had the same strength and agility as a level 1 player but were more skilled with swords and shields.

Being golems, they were also quite durable.

For someone used to virtual reality games where damage is automatically applied with a simple swing, they were far from easy opponents.

But that was only true for 'newbies' who were new to LOST.

'Even if I was a mage, I wouldn't have any trouble with these guys.'

In his previous life, Dohjin was a mage.

A deformed mage who had been forced to max out his offensive and destructive power.

As a result, he had to live with various penalties and even earned the nickname "glass cannon."

Despite those worst conditions, Dohjin was a well-known player.

Not just in PVE, but also in PVP.

One of the reasons for this was that.

'I was the most agile among the spellcasters.'

His close combat abilities, developed without the help of any martial skills.

In short, he overcame his weaknesses not through the game system but through his physical abilities and control.

Dohjin took a deep breath and approached the nearest dummy.

The dummy glared with red eyes and raised its wooden sword and shield.

The wooden sword, still glistening with the blood of the last user it had struck, looked menacing.

"What's with that guy? Is he crazy?"

"Why is he going in without a weapon?"

"Is he insane?"

The surrounding users murmured as they saw Dohjin approach the dummy unarmed.

But it was something he didn't need to worry about.

Whether these people mocked him or looked at him with hopeful eyes, expecting him to get beaten up, it didn't matter.

What was important to Dohjin now was not the users struggling with the dummies but the quest monster in front of him.

Creak.

As the distance between them narrowed, an unpleasant sound came from the dummy's joints.

The direction was the right arm and knee.

Dohjin reacted immediately.

"Whoosh!"

He twisted his body to dodge the dummy's straightforward attack and closed the distance even further.

The dummy's counterattack came with a shield.

Dohjin grabbed the shield that was trying to push him and pulled it hard.

The dummy, which had been pushing forward with all its might, couldn't resist and fell forward.

Crash. Dohjin climbed onto the fallen dummy, which made a loud noise.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

The dummy tried to escape, but the cheap wooden golem had clear limits to its range of motion.

The relentless beating followed.

Dohjin skillfully controlled the dummy's flailing and delivered one-sided attacks.

However, without a weapon, his attacks lacked power.

But that wasn't a problem. He could easily compensate for the lack of power by using the environment.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dohjin grabbed the dummy's head with both hands and repeatedly slammed it into the ground.

With a steady rhythm, the wooden doll's face collided with the ground.

Creak. Creak.

The dummy's limbs convulsed, and an unnatural sound came from inside its body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each time the dummy's face hit the ground and lifted, the red eyes dimmed.

Drip.

A mysterious, dark liquid flowed from the dummy's eyes.

The surrounding people, who had been watching from the beginning, shared the same thought.

'He's completely crazy.'

'I shouldn't make eye contact.'

'He probably didn't hear what I said earlier...'

The mockery of Dohjin in their minds had been completely erased.