Chapter 7: Tutorial 3

With his heart pounding, Taesan waited for the right moment. When the monster was in range, he swiftly struck it with his right blade, directing all his chi into the attack.

[Dealt 60 points of damage.]

[You have received 10 copper coins.]

[Level has increased to 2.]

The system responded, where holograms popped up on top of each other.

The slime shook and trembled before dissolving into a pile of green goo, and Taesan could finally relieve a sigh.

"That was... scary," he said, his voice shaking.

[Excellent work. You have learned the basics of chi cultivation.]

Sehwa congratulated him.

[Now, let's move on to the next part of your training.]

"But hold on," Taesan protested, his heart still racing and shaken from the experience. "T, That big slim could have dealt more... damage."

[Good observation. Yes, a larger slime would have a higher damage output, but it would also have more health.]

"I could have died!"

[But you didn't. You are perfectly healthy, Yoo Taesan.]

"Wait, so if I die in this game, I'll respawn back at the starting point, right?"

[No, unfortunately not.]

Sehwa shook her head.

[If you die in this game, you will die in real life.]

Taesan's eyes widened. "What?"

[I can see from your expression that you didn't know. But... not that uncommon, I believe.]

Sehwa replied, her avatar tilting to one side. She paused for a minute and continued.

[It should be stated in the game's contract that all players must read and agree to before beginning.]

'I didn't know!' Taesan exclaimed outwardly.

He realized that the loan sharks who had brought him into the game likely had no intention of telling him about the medicine. They expected him to die in this game, so they could harvest his organs in the process.

As he remembered the players he saw at the plaza, he wondered how many of them knew about this aspect of Ganghwa. He thought of Jason, who seemed to know the game inside and out, and wondered if he was aware of the intelligent cells as well.

"Psychos."

Taesan realized he was surrounded by psychos.

[That's not a fair assessment, Yoo Taesan. People play this game for different reasons.]

She paused, her expression turning serious.

[Some enjoy the thrill of danger, while others seek adventure or escape from their mundane lives. Most wanted the rewards. And the game does offer a lot of rewards for those who are skilled enough to survive.]

"How would you know about those people?"

[That's why we're here, to train you to be strong enough to face those risks and come out alive. Are you ready to continue?]

Sehwa answered, completely avoiding his question.

"Yes."

[Excellent.]

Without warning, the room around Taesan changed. It went from standing at the center of an isolation that was illuminated only in a small area, to finding himself in a vast field of grass outside.

Ultimately, his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden change in brightness.

[You will be learning how to restore your source of chi.]

Sehwa started.

And as she did, Taesan noticed a small seed floating a few meters away from him. The seed slowly descended into the ground, creating its own hole before the earth closed up around it, burying it completely.

[This is a Gingko tree.]

She said.

Then, the sky turned from day to night. With the night shifting back to a day and back again... and back again.

Taesan could feel time accelerating around him with the blow of wind and the skies moving along.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. He witnessed the seed grow into a small plant, then a sapling, and finally, a massive tree that towered over him.

[Now, you will be sitting beside this tree and meditating. This will–]

"Before I do that, I have a question, Sehwa," Taesan interrupted.

[What is it? I will answer it to the best of my abilities.]

Taesan's mind drifted as he gazed up at the towering tree. Questions started to form, and he craved answers.

"Why are the players risking their lives to play this game?"

Sehwa paused for a moment before answering.

[Ganghwa is a unique game. For those who are willing to take the risk, it was worth it because the rewards in the game are also real-life rewards.]

Taesan's brows furrowed, finding the sense of the answer given to him. He asked, "What do you mean by real-life rewards?"

[Anything that will never be able to achieve in real life. It can be from money to connections, to rare items that can give immortality or heal an incurable disease. Ganghwa offers players a chance to achieve these things.]

He was speechless. It sounded too good to be true, but if the rumors were to be believed, it was indeed possible.

"S, So, if I can collect these rewards," he stuttered, "I can go back and forth between the virtual and real world anytime"

[Yes, that's right. However, you will be logging in at the same place you logged out.]

"That makes the players quit anytime, then. Especially if they're on the urge of dying," Taesan voiced his concern. "Players can escape death if they would step out of the capsule."

[If you are referring to quitting the game forever, that answer is no.]

Surprised, Taesan asked, "What, why?"

[The capsule is only designed to scan your physical appearance and anything needed to register your existence and copy it to the virtual world.]

Sehwa started to explain. Simultaneously, she flashed a hologram to give a video presentation.

[You have drunk the medicine before entering the game, correct?]

"What about it?"

The hologram showed his avatar, naked. Taesan's attention was fixated on finding answers, so he paid little attention to the hologram flashing his genitals.

His avatar proceeded to drink a medicine. And the video became an x-ray to give a presentation of how the medicine worked inside his body.

[Before entering the game, you drank a specialized medicine that breaks down into intelligent cells. These cells track and stick to your organs within 5 minutes.]

Taesan listened intently as Sehwa continued.

[Therefore, since you are in the game, the cells are working perfectly in your brain to display this game.]

"Even if I changed my mind and quit the game, the intelligent cells would still be inside me, and I would be trapped in the virtual world forever," he muttered.

[Exactly. Excellent observation, Yoo Taesan.]

– – –

[Yoo Taesan, Lvl. 2

Cultivation stage: Novice

Class: Twin Blades Weilder

Subclass: None

Strength: 4+

Dexterity: 7+

Constitution: 3+

Intelligence: 6+

Skills:

1. Dual Wield: Lvl. 1

2. Sprint: Lvl. 1

3. Stealth: Lvl. 1

Equipment:

1. Twin Blades (Common)

Inventory:

1. Copper Coins: 10]