Chapter 4: Tutorial (2)

[Severe pain dominates the body. Enters a stunned state.]

[‘Cold-Blooded’ trait maintains sanity.]

[Stunned state has been lifted. Developed resistance to pain.]

It feels like my arm is about to tear off. It feels like I can't breathe.

Yeonwoo knew exactly what those sensations were.

But he gritted his teeth and didn't lose his composure.

He had endured this level of pain several times in Africa. Compared to the times he was shot and his life was in danger, this was nothing.

He quickly checked his body.

‘Arrows are embedded in my left shoulder, upper arm, and calf. My side was grazed. The wound is torn, but I can still move.’

As soon as he made his judgment, he acted immediately.

He lifted the now tattered backpack high and quickly retreated to the back as much as possible.

‘The trap must have been triggered when I passed a certain point.’

That means there is a separate area where traps are densely concentrated.

He had to take refuge there as much as possible.

Even as he retreated, iron arrows continued to fly.

At first, only one or two would fly at a time, but at a certain point, four or five would fly simultaneously.

Still, he moved while minimizing exposure.

Blood from his wounds spread along the wall. In the meantime, two more iron arrows embedded themselves in his calf.

Then, at a certain point.

The iron arrows stopped pouring.

Yeonwoo leaned against the wall, leaning his back against it, and threw the backpack, now almost entirely covered in arrows, to the ground.

His vision spun.

A hot, metallic smell lingered around his mouth.

[Severe bleeding. Enters a stunned state.]

[‘Cold-Blooded’ trait maintains sanity.]

[Stunned state has been lifted. Developed resistance to bleeding.]

Yeonwoo barely managed to hold on to his fading consciousness.

Dragging his body to this point was almost an instinctive movement.

If he lost consciousness here, it would be instant death.

Yeonwoo suddenly thrust his hand into the torn backpack.

The items that had been piled up inside spilled out and rolled around on the floor, and the iron arrows took their place.

Fortunately, the emergency kit didn't spill out and was quickly grabbed.

Yeonwoo opened the kit and took out the disinfectant, bandages, pre-threaded medical needle and thread, and the oiled cotton and lighter.

Because he could barely use his left arm, it took a long time to pick up the items.

Once all the preparations were complete, Yeonwoo immediately reached for the iron arrow embedded in his left shoulder.

And he pulled it out.

“Grit!”

As expected, the pain was so intense it felt like his arm was about to fall off.

The hand that held the arrow trembled violently. Blood gushed out.

Yeonwoo, with bloodshot eyes, set fire to the cotton and applied it to the wound.

Sizzle.

The smell of burning spread in all directions.

[Burned. Enters a stunned state.]

[‘Cold-Blooded’ trait maintains sanity.]

[Stunned state has been lifted. Developed resistance to burns.]

The wound quickly healed, leaving a scar.

Yeonwoo used the same method to pull out the iron arrows embedded in his legs and stop the bleeding. He then applied the disinfectant.

Fortunately, his bones were not broken, a result of his instinctive movements.

Only after all the first aid was completed could he finally catch his breath.

“Haa… Haa… Haa…!”

He felt all the strength drain from his body.

His left arm and leg were difficult to move.

“To start off like this… It’s driving me crazy.”

Yeonwoo was so exasperated that he almost swore.

He knew it was dangerous, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.

Indeed, there is a big difference between knowing something in theory and experiencing it in reality.

‘At least I’m lucky to have the trait.’

The trait, Cold-Blooded, which allows him to maintain his sanity in any situation.

Yeonwoo was truly benefiting from the effects of Cold-Blooded.

Although he was originally strong-willed, he felt much more solid than before.

He could make quick judgments and decisions even in terrifying situations.

Additionally, the ‘resistance’ granted by the trait also had the effect of slightly reducing the pain.

Whether the trait was being strengthened or his body was adapting, he couldn't tell.

But what was clear was that it was a huge help to Yeonwoo.

And.

Keen reasoning followed.

Yeonwoo cast his gaze toward the passage still shrouded in darkness.

It felt like a ferocious beast's maw, but there was definitely a weakness.

‘There was a certain timing when the arrows flew. And there was a very subtle signal.’

Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes.

‘I need to find the timing.’

The arrow trap was a complex system of multiple mechanisms.

It detected movement with sensors, gauged direction with gears, and finally fired the iron arrows.

‘It’s impossible to find the arrows with the naked eye in the darkness. First, the gears. I need to listen for the sound of the gears turning. That’s the only time I can determine the position and direction of the arrows.’

However, the time it took for the gears to turn and the arrows to fire was no more than 2-3 seconds. The sound was also very faint.

In that short moment, he had to accurately capture the small sound.

It might sound easy, but it was impossible without very sensitive senses and reflexes.

But fortunately, Yeonwoo had a new weapon.

‘The skill… Sensory Enhancement.’

With this skill, which allows him to freely control his senses, there must be a way.

The tutorial doesn't give impossible tasks.

Each player is given a basic skill that fits them because it can be used to overcome any obstacles.

The key is how well they can do it.

Yeonwoo closed his eyes and focused on the surrounding sounds.

Focusing wasn't difficult.

This was something Yeonwoo was already familiar with.

[Senses are activated. Hearing is enhanced.]

[‘Sensory Enhancement’ skill proficiency has increased. 0.8%]

Yeonwoo tried to hear everything in the silent darkness.

But it wasn't easy to hear.

Finding what he wanted among dozens of small noises wasn't easy.

Drip.

Drip.

The sound of water dripping down a wall from somewhere.

Creak. Click.

The faint sound of the arrows being reloaded could also be heard.

There were also various other noises from far and near.

Still, he calmly tried to find what he wanted by carefully tracing each sound.

After a while.

Creak.

‘Found it!’

It was the creaking sound of an ungreased gear. It was definitely the gear.

Yeonwoo opened his eyes and threw the greatsword he was holding to one side with force.

Thud!

Clang.

The greatsword embedded itself deeply into the ceiling, and soon broken mechanical parts and iron arrows rained down.

‘Got it. I can find it.’

Yeonwoo's eyes sparkled.

Of course, the downside was that he had to suppress other senses and continue focusing on his hearing, but finding a way to pass through the passage was important.

Yeonwoo forced his creaking body to stand up. His body still screamed in pain.

His left arm was difficult to move, and one foot was limping.

Moving in this state was insane.

But even so, Yeonwoo slowly but steadily crossed the point where the trap was set.

Whoosh!

An iron arrow flew again.

‘Right shoulder!’

Yeonwoo, who had already heard the sound of the gears with his hearing, gauged the direction of the arrow and turned his body to the side.

Thud!

The arrow narrowly passed over his shoulder and embedded itself deeply into the wall.

‘Got it!’

Yeonwoo clenched his fist.

[‘Sensory Enhancement’ skill proficiency has increased. 1.5%]

With the confidence that it worked, Yeonwoo didn't hesitate and immediately moved to the next point.

Whoosh!

The arrows flew again.

‘Four of them.’

From top to bottom: temple, heart, abdomen, knee.

Yeonwoo turned his head to avoid and took a step forward.

The arrow aimed at his thigh narrowly hit the ground, and he deflected the arrow aimed at his abdomen with the flat of the greatsword.

Clang!

The greatsword vibrated with a satisfying sound.

His grip hurt as if it would slip, but the thrilling sensation caused a surge of adrenaline.

[‘Sensory Enhancement’ skill proficiency has increased. 2.1%]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Agility has increased by 1.]

A message filled his retina, indicating that his stats had also increased along with the skill proficiency.

‘If strength and agility have increased… Status screen.’

[Player: Cha Yeonwoo]

Trait: Cold-Blooded

Strength: 11 Agility: 16 Vitality: 12 Magic: 21

Skills: Dragon Eye (0.0%). Sensory Enhancement (2.1%). Time Prediction (0.0%).

‘As expected.’

Yeonwoo smiled contentedly.

His stats had increased.

In reality, it would take a considerable amount of time and intense training to improve his abilities, but it was different here.

‘The more records you accumulate, the more you level up. Where else can you find a place like this?’

His younger brother's rapid growth was all thanks to this interface system. Yeonwoo turned off the status screen and calmly assessed the situation.

‘Now I can detect it to some extent. But my reflexes are a bit slower.’

When deflecting the iron arrows. The greatsword was about half a beat late.

Even if he detected it with his senses, it was useless if his reaction was slow.

Yeonwoo divided his focus on his hearing to his right hand.

[Senses are activated. Touch is enhanced.]

[‘Sensory Enhancement’ skill proficiency has increased. 2.3%]

Yeonwoo took another step.

Whoosh!

An arrow flying toward his forehead.

He deflected it quickly to the side.

Neither too slow nor too fast.

‘It’s difficult to divide my senses into two at the same time. Focus only on hearing and my right arm.’

His eyes quickly scanned the darkness.

‘Slowly. But not too slowly.’

Yeonwoo started moving slowly again.

Whoosh!

Arrows poured down with each step.

Each time, Yeonwoo avoided the arrows with minimal movement or blocked them with the greatsword when it was difficult to avoid. Then he varied the blocking methods a bit more.

He deflected the arrows with the flat of the sword, ducked to avoid them, turned to the side, and even stepped forward to block them head-on.

Thud!

There were times when an arrow he couldn't defend in time embedded itself in his right back.

But Yeonwoo didn't even let out a groan and pulled out the iron arrow indifferently.

After stopping the bleeding, he immediately moved forward with a limping gait.

Yeonwoo walked silently and steadily like a machine.

[‘Sensory Enhancement’ skill proficiency has increased. 3.1%]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Vitality has increased by 1.]

...