Chapter 8: Tutorial (6)

Clank, clank!

The scarecrow made of bronze moved swiftly, blocking Yanu's path.

But Yanu twisted his body to dodge the scarecrow.

The scarecrow quickly closed the gap, and Yanu tripped it by kicking its legs hard as it charged.

Despite the solid hardness that made his leg hurt, Yanu's strength had increased enough to handle it.

Next, the scarecrow collided head-on.

Yanu thrust his elbow sharply into the scarecrow's chest and slipped out from under its armpit as it was pushed back by the recoil.

Several traps also activated, but they couldn't catch Yanu.

[Agility has increased by 1.]

[Stamina has increased by 1.]

...

[The proficiency of the 'Enhanced Senses' skill has increased to 15.6%.]

...

[The proficiency of the 'Enhanced Senses' skill has increased to 16.9%.]

...

His stats increased each time he passed through a trap.

Based on these increased stats, Yanu performed more precise movements, which in turn increased his skill proficiency.

With his heightened senses from the increased proficiency, he passed through the traps, further raising his stats.

This cycle of stat increase, proficiency increase, and stat increase allowed Yanu to achieve remarkable growth in the blink of an eye.

'Faster than when I ran through Area A.'

Yanu felt a surge of confidence.

His feet felt much lighter, and his hands were stronger.

When there were about ten scarecrows left,

the scarecrow that had only blocked his path so far revealed sharp teeth for the first time.

It raised its shoulders like a human and struck Yanu's side.

Bang!

Yanu felt as if he had been slammed into a wall.

The same feeling as when he was first pierced by the iron arrow.

The pain that made his breath catch caused him to wince and fall back.

In contrast, the scarecrow remained motionless in the position it had collided in.

Unlike the scarecrows he had seen before, this one seemed to be made of copper, with a surface that gleamed red.

Its solid shoulders were intimidating.

'Is this one of those that mimic players?'

[Copper Scarecrow]

A scarecrow that mimics the movements and actions of players. It can also attack within a certain range.

His younger brother had also mentioned these scarecrows.

The real boss of the Area A boss room was not the scarecrows. It was the ten copper dolls at the back. They mimicked players, causing them great frustration.

They were so solid that we were held captive by them for a long time.

There were two ways to break through.

Smash them head-on.

Or,

'Pin them down.'

Yanu adjusted his grip on the greatsword.

The copper doll tests what players have trained and gained in Area A.

If three players form a team, three dolls will block their path; if five players come, five dolls will form a group. They mimic the same techniques and force the players to surpass them.

If they surpass them, they can pass through the boss room, but if they fail, they will be trapped forever.

If they can't even do that?

Death is the only outcome.

But Yanu, who had passed through Area A several times, had already pushed his limits.

This copper doll was merely annoying, not difficult.

He was just frustrated that his plan to pass through the boss room in one go had been thwarted.

He opened his Dragon Eye and found the seams that made up the copper doll.

Just as he was about to stab it,

"That thing moves by sensors. Find the sensor and target it!"

A voice came from a corner.

Yanu had already sensed the presence with his senses but ignored it, not wanting to get involved.

The copper doll raised its blade-like hand to aim at Yanu's head.

Yanu slightly twisted his body and grabbed its joint, bending it.

Crack.

The doll's arm bent in an unnatural direction.

As he penetrated its interior, Yanu thrust his greatsword, held in reverse, three times into the concentrated seam.

Then, he switched to a normal grip and struck its abdomen hard.

Bang!

The copper doll exploded into dozens of fragments, scattering in all directions.

Thud.

The pieces of the copper doll fell, and dust rose.

Yanu lightly brushed the dust off his shoulder.

"Unbelievable..."

A bewildered voice came from behind.

* * *

Yanu turned his gaze to the back.

In a corner where the light didn't reach,

a young man was hiding, obscured by shadows.

When their eyes met, the young man was startled.

Then, as if not wanting to back down, he glared at Yanu with intense eyes.

Yanu walked over to him with a stern expression.

The young man clenched his teeth and glanced around furtively.

Realizing that Yanu was paying attention to him, he glared even harder.

But despite his tough exterior, his legs were trembling slightly.

He was scared but trying to look strong in case Yanu tried to harm him.

Yanu thought the young man looked like a wet dog with its tail between its legs in front of a tiger.

Standing in front of the young man, he asked in a stern tone,

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

The young man frowned.

"The copper doll moves by sensors. How did you know that?"

"What? That's—"

The young man couldn't answer for a moment.

But Yanu didn't rush him. He patiently waited for a proper answer, staring at him intently.

'This player is one of the team members who were stuck in the boss room for a long time. Where are the others?'

During the six days Yanu had been circling Area A, a team had been stuck in the boss room, unable to pass.

At the time, he hadn't paid much attention.

But to be left behind and alone, unseen by others.

He wondered if the others had died while fighting the copper dolls, but it didn't seem so.

There were no noticeable corpses around, and there were signs that the young man had been eating alone.

'He's been abandoned.'

This sometimes happened.

During the tutorial, team members who were of no help were often abandoned without mercy.

In the real world, such behavior would be considered inhumane and criticized, but here, it wasn't.

In the tutorial, where everyone was busy achieving their own goals, forming alliances out of necessity, and having no real camaraderie, this was normal.

This young man was a perfect example.

Despite his bristling appearance, his aura was too weak.

His eyes, which looked at Yanu, were filled with confusion. He wanted to avoid him, but the scarecrows around him prevented it.

Yanu wondered how he had even thought of entering the tower and qualifying for the tutorial.

That's why he had initially intended to ignore him.

He was only interested in passing the tutorial and catching up with the frontrunners.

There was no reason to get entangled in unnecessary trouble.

But the young man's words during the fight with the copper doll had caught his attention.

The fact that the copper doll operated by sensors.

Yanu had only learned this through his enhanced senses, which was something a regular player couldn't know.

How did he know?

Such a weak-looking person.

There were usually two simple reasons.

Either he had been trapped in the boss room for a long time and had guessed the pattern of the copper dolls,

or,

'The flow of magic power that operates the copper doll.'

Magic power.

Or mana.

It was a topic Yanu had been pondering.

After staring at the young man for a while,

The young man finally spoke, his mouth opening and closing several times.

"That... I could see it."

"See it?"

"Yes... the threads of magic power surrounding the copper doll..."

Yanu had a sudden thought and immediately opened his Dragon Eye.

His pupils sank deep, and his eyes took on a reptilian appearance.

"Whoa!"

The young man gasped.

The vertical eyes floating above the white mask were naturally terrifying.

But Yanu ignored his reaction and scanned him from head to toe.

Then he smirked.

"Why are you in that form?"

The young man shuddered.

"What?"

"The form you're in. It's a disguise, isn't it?"

"..."

The young man's face hardened.

Yanu intensified his Dragon Eye.

Then, inside the many seams surrounding the young man, a tiny presence was revealed.

"About ten years old? You're young. You're short. But your face is too obscured by the fog to see clearly. You're not a normal human, are you?"

The young man clenched his teeth and reached for the knife on the ground, ready to draw it if necessary.

"What do you plan to do to me?"

A sudden question.

Yanu tilted his head, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you plan to do to me?"

"Me? Why?"

"Well, I..."

The young man started to speak but quickly stopped, closing his mouth tightly. He was reluctant to say more.

Yanu chuckled.

"I understand what you mean, but I don't care what form you're in or who you are."

"Then?"

"What I'm interested in is how you can 'see' and handle magic power. I'm curious about that method. Can you tell me?"

"What?"

The young man's eyes widened.

Yanu gestured towards the exit.

"I'm not asking you to teach me for free. You seem to have been trapped here for a while. I'll help you get out. Being stuck here means you can't get proper food or take care of your needs. What do you think? It's not a bad deal for you, is it?"

The young man's eyes were filled with confusion, as if he couldn't believe it.

"If you don't want to teach me or if the offer isn't enough, well, that's too bad."

Yanu thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about magic power from the young man.

Being able to see magic power.

It meant he had an extremely high affinity for mana.

Learning this skill would greatly help him in handling magic power.

Even if it was a secret technique, it would be easier to extract from a young child.

He had no other interest.

If the young man tried to take advantage of this opportunity to demand something significant, he would reject it.

He would find a way to learn how to handle magic power eventually, even if not this time.

When Yanu received no response from the young man, he turned away, losing interest.

"Guess not."

"Wait, wait, that's not it, wait!"

Yanu turned back to the young man.

"Why?"

"Is what you just said true? You really can't handle magic power?"

"I have no reason to lie."

"No way! How is it possible to do what you did without being able to handle magic power?"

The young man looked around, clearly not believing it.

He saw the broken pieces of the copper doll.

The monster he and his teammates had struggled to defeat, which hadn't even left a scratch despite all their efforts.

How could someone who couldn't handle magic power destroy it in just a few moves?

It was beyond his comprehension.

But Yanu was equally puzzled by the young man's reaction.

"Just did."

"..."

The young man was reminded of a man back home who had painted a beautiful landscape and smiled brightly, saying, "It's so easy, isn't it?"