Chapter 6: Tutorial (4)

The Mysterious Merchant was an enigmatic being, impossible to fathom.

Peek-a-boo, or so it seemed.

Draped in a robe, his expression was unreadable, but he was clearly enjoying the situation.

Yeonwoo frowned slightly.

'I was too complacent.'

The Mysterious Merchant, like the Administrator, was strictly prohibited from interfering with players.

So, it made sense that he hadn't caused any harm while Yeonwoo was asleep.

'Still, it was my mistake. No matter how exhausted I was, I shouldn't have fallen asleep like this.'

[503:20:19 53]

Checking the time, he realized about 12 hours had passed.

It took roughly 34 hours to pass through the entire A-Section, and with the 12 hours of sleep, he had been in the tutorial for about 46 hours.

For a solo player, this was an incredibly fast pace.

And considering he had barely managed to push through several times when his body was on the verge of collapse, it was no wonder he was exhausted.

However,

Yeonwoo was not satisfied with this situation.

Of course, he knew that after intense training, adequate rest was essential for growth.

The body was not a machine.

In fact, even machines needed sufficient downtime after intense use.

But Yeonwoo couldn't afford to rest right now.

To him, the tower was a battlefield, and there was no safe place to rest on a battlefield.

He had to remain vigilant, knowing that enemies could appear at any time and place.

And,

the same applied to the terminal area.

Even though no more iron arrows were flying, it was a place where other players could freely enter and exit.

Even if it wasn't the Mysterious Merchant, it wouldn't be strange for other players to cause trouble while he was sleeping.

'No matter how exhausted I was,'

Yeonwoo steeled his resolve.

He acknowledged that his sharpness had dulled compared to before because he hadn't experienced a proper battlefield recently.

So, he decided to regain his former sharpness.

'Cain.'

Yeonwoo opened his eyes, recalling the call sign he used to use but had long since forgotten.

A cold determination flickered in his eyes.

The Mysterious Merchant, who had been watching him, wore a peculiar expression.

Though hidden by his robe, he had noticed that Yeonwoo had undergone a significant change in mindset after a period of inner conflict.

He chuckled and asked,

"During your journey here, was there anything you really needed, sir? I am a merchant who sells everything in this world. If you need anything, just let me know. From slaves to artifacts, and even information. I'll provide it for the right price."

The Mysterious Merchant snapped his fingers.

A window appeared in front of Yeonwoo, listing the items the merchant dealt with, categorized and itemized.

Yeonwoo scanned the list and clicked his tongue.

'Medusa's venom? The Golden Goat's horn, Tiamat's left eye... even the Nightmare of Falburg? Are you serious? This is a tutorial? You must be crazy.'

The items listed at the top were all things that would make rankers rush in with fire in their eyes if brought into the tower.

There were even items that could end the tutorial itself.

But this was just a cruel tease.

There was no way the tutorial players could afford such items.

Fortunately, the quality of items decreased as he scrolled down.

Occasionally, items suitable for beginners appeared.

'Arhan's Swordsmanship, 1st Circle Magic Fundamentals, Essence of Elemental Studies. These are skills that can be useful immediately. Of course, they require effort to build proficiency.'

Especially the dagger named 'Barma's Fang' caught Yeonwoo's interest.

[Barma's Fang]

Attack Power: 25

A dagger made from the fangs of venomous snakes living in Barma's Swamp. The blade is coated with poison, which has a certain probability of poisoning the target. The effects of the poison are unknown.

'Actually, it's a dagger that casts curses, not just poison.'

This weapon would immediately curse the target upon contact.

The types of curses were varied.

Poison, burns, frostbite, electric shock, hallucinations, stun, blindness, and more. One of these curses would activate randomly.

Naturally, if the target couldn't find a way to counter the random curses, they would become confused during battle, and it would be possible to take advantage of this to end their life.

Moreover, since it was made from the fangs of a spirit creature, it could be used as a magical item even in higher floors.

A useful item to have for a long time.

However, Yeonwoo moved on to the next category, despite his interest in Barma's Fang.

'It would be nice to have, but for now, I need to focus on physical training. I'm not at the stage where I can rely on artifacts yet.'

After scrolling through the list for a while,

Yeonwoo paused at a certain point.

'I found it.'

[Reset Ticket]

Allows you to return to a desired point.

Yeonwoo smiled slightly and looked back at the Mysterious Merchant.

"What's the price for the items you sell here?"

"We are conscientious merchants who only offer reasonable prices. We never overcharge. We can't rip off those who don't have money..."

"Cut to the chase."

"The stats you have. You just need to pay the equivalent in stats."

Conscientious merchants?

Yeonwoo touched the 'Bottled Water' at the bottom of the list.

[Bottled Water]

Essential drinking water when you're thirsty. Always keep it on hand.

Price: Strength 2

Just bottled water requires 2 points of Strength. What? Conscientious?

Yeonwoo couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

Of course, he could ignore the ridiculous prices and not buy anything.

But the problem was that people needed water, and there was no way to supply water and food within the tutorial.

'One day's worth of food costs 3 points of Agility.'

Even if he brought enough food and water from the outside, they could be lost during movement or stolen by blind players.

Moreover, players who had barely passed the A-Section often needed equipment.

'There's a boss room right beyond this terminal point. They need to be fully prepared.'

In the end, players had to use the Mysterious Merchant, even if it meant paying a high price.

But with their stats reduced, the next challenge would be more difficult, and they would have to pay more stats to acquire the next set of equipment... It was a vicious cycle.

To call themselves conscientious merchants was a joke.

There were no more shameless bandits.

Yeonwoo chuckled.

'Whoever designed this tutorial is truly ruthless.'

Yeonwoo closed the category window and said,

"There's something I want to buy."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I want to pay with all the stats I gained in the A-Section."

He had already decided what to buy.

"I want to purchase a ticket to reset the A-Section."

According to the rules, once a section was cleared, it was over. But hearing that there was a rare ticket to reset it, he had a sudden idea.

If he could repeat the section and stack stats in the early stages,

Wouldn't the subsequent progress be much smoother?

The Mysterious Merchant's eyes glinted strangely under his hood.

A look of immense amusement.

"Are you talking about the Reset Ticket?"

"Yes."

"Such an item does exist, but you're the first person I've seen who wants it. Usually, players who barely pass the A-Section ask for items to make the next stage easier, not to start over."

"I have my reasons."

"I see."

The Mysterious Merchant chuckled and clapped his hands lightly.

Snap!

The shelves behind him disappeared.

And,

[All stats gained in the A-Section will be used as payment.]

[You have obtained 10 'A-Section Reset Tickets'.]

Yeonwoo felt his strength drain away like a deflated balloon. His body, which had been solid a moment ago, felt like a dream.

In exchange, he held 10 pink tickets in his hand.

"The method to use the ticket is very simple. Just tear the ticket at the point where you want to reset, and you'll be summoned back to the start zone."

Yeonwoo tucked the tickets into his pocket.

"I'll use them well."

"If you do, I'll be grateful. I hope we meet again."

The Mysterious Merchant turned and disappeared into the space as if by magic.

The room that had surrounded Yeonwoo rippled and vanished, leaving him in a different space.

Unlike the areas he had passed through, dozens of dummies were lined up in a row.

There were other people there, and about five of them were using various skills against the dummies.

The sound of their frustrated shouts echoed as they struggled.

[This is the boss room of the A-Section. Do you want to challenge it?]

Yeonwoo pulled out a ticket.

He wanted to experience the difficulty of the boss room, but with his current condition, he would likely die.

Without hesitation, he tore the ticket.

Whoosh!

When he opened his eyes, he was back in a familiar place.

The start zone where he had first entered.

He drew his greatsword from his waist and held it in his right hand.

'I'll stack as many stats as possible here.'

He intended to completely master the A-Section this time.