Play Your Cards Right if You Want to Survive (1)

The next morning, I stepped out into the plaza.

It was silent. The air was cool.

No one was in the plaza.

"Where did everyone go?"

I clicked my tongue. After seeing Jenna go into the house, I followed, but she wasn't there. I had been willing to share the sofa.

Not the bed, though.

It didn't matter.

The training camp was now open. After spending the past week exercising my mind, it was now time to move my body. I walked into the training camp.

[Training Camp Lv. 1]

The area was about 50 pyeong.

Scarecrows made of straw were set up all around. In the corner, a display stand held wooden swords, wooden spears, and practice shields. Other than that, it was empty, but for a level 1 training camp, this was more than enough.

I began to run along the walls of the training camp.

Breathe in lightly twice, then exhale deeply once.

It was a simple technique I learned from military running drills. I ran for 10 minutes like that.

Maintaining a slow pace, my calves didn't cramp, and my breathing wasn't labored.

I opened the status window.

[Han Islat (★) Lv. 5 (Exp 44/50)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 15/15]

[Intelligence: 15/15]

[Stamina: 15/15]

[Agility: 15/15]

[Skills: None]

Pathetic.

I frowned. Only 4 stat points per level. Why is intelligence even increasing? It's useless for a physical type like me.

Still, it was clear that my current body was superior to my body on Earth. Ever since my discharge from the military, I had barely exercised, and always drove everywhere, so climbing even a few steps left me out of breath.

I was the epitome of a modern person lacking exercise.

But now, I felt like I was back in my military days.

Back when I was desperately trying to become an elite soldier.

'This world operates differently from Earth.'

No matter how much ramen I took from the display or orange juice I drank from the fridge, it would be replenished the next day. If I thought about something I wanted, it would appear in a drawer or closet when I opened it. Of course, things like K-2 rifles or AK-47s wouldn't appear.

All I could get were daily necessities like clothes, pencils, and tissues.

After running for 30 minutes, I felt my body warming up nicely.

I took a light breath and started doing push-ups.

Now I understand.

There are often heroes with the same rank but different combat abilities.

One thing they have in common: they never neglect training. In the beginning, I couldn't understand. Training doesn't raise stats or levels, so why do they stay in the training camp all the time? Still, it was odd for game characters to put in such effort, so I consistently upgraded the facilities.

Looking back now, I don't think they were game characters.

In any case, their efforts paid off, and as their levels increased and ranks changed, they gradually stood out.

I called this 'constitution.'

Like needing a solid foundation to build a high-rise, it's about laying the groundwork.

1-star heroes start with base stats of 10.

Strength is 10, intelligence is 10, stamina is 10, agility is 10.

Whether it's a plump housewife or a frail old man, their physical abilities would be the same. But the results differ.

'First, mental fortitude.'

Masters don't even look at heroes who easily fall into fear or panic.

The ability to stay calm and find a path to victory in any situation.

That's why 'combat logic' is recognized as an S-grade passive skill.

'Second, skill.'

The second condition to discern raw talent is skill.

Some heroes are good with swords, others with spears. Each hero has different talents in weapon skills. High-ranking heroes usually summon with their talents already developed, while low-ranking heroes often have hidden talents that the master needs to discover.

I still don't know my skills yet. There will be opportunities to find out. I decided not to be impatient.

'Third, physique.'

What I'm working on now.

The work of giving direction and momentum to growth.

Mentality.

Skill.

Physique.

When these three elements come together, I'll gain the competitiveness to rival the naturally gifted 5-star heroes.

From my experience facing them,

those guys are real monsters.

While I was deep into my workout, "What are you doing?"

A familiar voice called out.

I stopped my push-ups and stood up.

At the entrance of the training camp, I saw Jena with her red hair braided, looking at me.

"I'm training to fight monsters. Why?"

"Why are you so hostile? I came looking for you."

Jena grumbled as she walked into the training camp. Then she fiddled with an old wooden bow.

"I've been thinking all night about what to do next. We can't leave this place, right?"

I didn't answer.

Jena took out the bow and pulled the string.

"Let me join you. I'll be good."

"Join you? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I'm actually good at archery. I won't be a burden. My father was a hunter, so I used to practice archery in my spare time."

Jena grabbed some wooden arrows from the barrel and quickly shot one. With a faint thud, the arrow hit a scarecrow 10 meters away.

"Crying and whining won't change anything. You know how to survive, right?"

"Was yesterday your first real fight?"

"Of course. I was a homebody."

"How good are you at shooting?"

"Decent."

Jena shot another arrow. It hit the same scarecrow, dead-on.

'Status window.'

[Jena Shirai (★) Lv. 2 (Exp 5/20)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 11/11]

[Intelligence: 10/10]

[Stamina: 11/11]

[Agility: 12/12]

[Skills: Basic Archery (Lv. 1)]

Her growth rate was only 4, but instead of intelligence, her agility increased by 2 points. Plus, she already had a prerequisite skill as a 1-star.

Of the three who fled, she was the only one who returned.

Even though she experienced fear during her first fight, she didn't fall into panic and managed to shoot and kill a goblin. She wasn't bogged down by the deaths of others and clearly set her goals for what to do next.

'A rough diamond.'

I recalled the battle from the previous day. When given weapons, three of them just ran away.

What if the next ones act the same? Could I handle the enemies alone?

Surviving comes first before competing.

"Alright. I'll help you."

"Thanks, brother."

Jena smiled and held out her hand. I took her hand.

[Jena (★) feels favorably towards Han (★).]

[A bond bonus has been created.]

[Tips: When heroes who are close form a party, they receive ability bonuses. Make good use of this.]

"My father used to say, 'If you want to survive, align yourself with the right people.'"

"Really."

"A wise father, huh?"

I explained the basics of Pick Me Up to Jena.

There's a master who gives us orders. We have to follow those orders to eliminate enemies or complete missions. Each time we complete a mission, we advance a floor, and reaching the 100th floor might lead to our liberation.

"So we have to constantly fight monsters?"

"That's why we're training. To get stronger."

There are various ways to become stronger besides training, but at this low floor level, most content is still locked. Training is the most I can do at this point.

"Do we have to fight alone?"

I explained about summoning. The master uses currency called gems and gold to summon people from other worlds. We were dragged into this world through such summoning.

More people will be summoned continuously, and we'll sometimes compete or cooperate with them to complete missions.

I didn't reveal my true nature or the secrets of this world.

"That's about all I can explain. Got it?"

"Yes, I understand."

Jena nodded. She didn't look entirely pleased, but she didn't let it show. She was calming herself.

There were no tantrums or childish behavior.

She was coldly accepting the situation.

'She'll be useful.'

"We're like birds of a feather then?"

"Birds of a feather?"

"If you die, I die, and if I die, you die."

Not exactly.

I didn't explain about synthesis.

"Anyway, the master will return soon, and then the battle will start. Until then, keep training. It's better than doing nothing."

"Yes, sir!"

Jena saluted exaggeratedly and grabbed her bow.

Training resumed. It was nothing special, just physical conditioning, swinging swords, and shooting arrows at scarecrows.

But neither of us was fooling around.

Our lives were at stake.

After a day of training, the reason I couldn't find Jena in the lodging became clear.

When I opened the door to the lodging, it revealed a modern-style house, while Jena's door led to a quaint wooden cabin interior. I asked Isel about it, and she said,

[Got a problem with that? Be grateful you're not shoved in a barn!]

Since neither of us had any complaints about our living conditions, we didn't argue. It seemed the place changed depending on who opened the door.

On the third day of training,

[Welcome to Pick Me Up!]

I stopped swinging my wooden sword.

The straw scarecrow was in tatters.

'Status window.'

[Han Islat (★) Lv. 5 (Exp 44/50)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 15/15]

[Intelligence: 15/15]

[Stamina: 15/15]

[Agility: 15/15]

[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Lv. 1), Basic Shieldsmanship (Lv. 1)]

I acquired two skills. Basic Swordsmanship and Basic Shieldsmanship, which add bonuses to swords and shields. Jenna's Basic Archery had leveled up to 2.

I did what I could.

"Get ready. The master has arrived."

"Already?"

"It's been three days."

We returned the weapons and headed to the plaza.

Weapons from the training camp couldn't be taken outside.

[Loading is complete.]

[TOUCH! (Select)]

The master skipped the notifications and entered the main screen.

I calculated the time ratio between Earth and the waiting room. If the master logs in here every day, one day on Earth equates to three days here.

The summoning hall's door opened.

"Summon!"

"Here they come."

A party has five slots.

They'll probably summon three times.

[Hero Summon!]