[98] Yggdrasil [2]

'...You said they wouldn't blow up heads.'

[...I apologize.]

Yeah, even I'd find it absurd if I were in her shoes...

The fairy, floating in the center of the now silent coliseum, smiled brightly and spoke.

"Now, now! Has everyone calmed down a bit?"

"..."

None of the humans here showed any sign of being calm.

They were all trembling in fear, remaining silent.

The fairy cheerfully addressed the silent crowd.

"Lately, we've been under a lot of stress because of people who don't listen, so we've been granted a certain authority. That is..."

She raised her head slightly and smirked.

"We're allowed to blow off the heads of those who don't listen. It's a new rule we're implementing today. How about that? Fufufu!"

'...What a crazy coincidence...'

[It was information we couldn't have known from the start.]

'Well, at least if I stay quiet, my head is safe.'

Feeling relieved, I looked around.

Only a few people, including me, seemed to be keeping their composure.

Not far away, two people caught my eye.

A tall man, around 185 cm, and a woman with the proportions of an elf, about 170 cm.

And the moment I saw the man, I felt a surge of irritation.

'Damn, why is he so good-looking? Is he insane?'

He was, without a doubt, the most handsome guy I'd ever seen.

The Hero (I can't remember his name), Louise (something about his name changed), Cho Kang-hyun (just a rough profile sketch), and Asai Berry (he's not the protagonist).

I thought all those guys had superior looks, but I was wrong.

Objectively or subjectively, no one could compare to the looks of the man standing there.

And at that moment, I had a realization.

'...Armonia.'

[Yes.]

'Check that guy's traits.'

[...Suho. That's him.]

'I knew it.'

Whether it was good or bad luck, I had found the protagonist right at the start.

I don't know what kind of coincidence it was, but I had been summoned alongside this world's protagonist.

However, I had no information about his name, age, abilities, or anything else.

But I did discover one crucial piece of information.

'Damn, his girlfriend is ridiculously pretty.'

[...]

A modern-day elf stood proudly next to the protagonist.

Even in this situation, she maintained her composure, which was very heroine-like.

While observing the situation, the elf girl and I made eye contact.

I didn't avoid it.

Showtime~

'Armonia~ Traits~'

[Understood.]

=====

[Name: Min Ha-yeon]

[-Traits-]

[Martial Arts], [Calmness], [Focus], [Chastity Before Marriage], [Caution], [Values Trust], [Stubbornness]....

=====

Her traits matched her appearance and behavior.

But as I kept looking at the traits window, I started to feel something was off.

I immediately realized why I felt that way.

'...Wait, Min Ha-yeon?'

[...? Do you know her?]

'Uh... damn, I think I do. Min Ha-yeon, the South Korean national archery team member.'

She's a figure so famous that even kindergarteners in Korea know her.

With her stunning looks and archery skills, she's gained worldwide attention.

Even someone like me, who's spent my life holed up at home playing games, knows who she is.

Though I wasn't particularly interested in her since I don't care much about the real world.

I started to feel grateful to Viola, who wasn't here right now.

'Wow, now that I've opened my eyes to the real world, I realize how many beautiful women there are. It's all thanks to Viola.'

[...]

'Ah, sorry! Armonia, I'm grateful to you too.'

[I don't want to be thanked for something like that.]

She's so prickly...

I guess she's upset because she wasn't first.

After making eye contact with me for a while, Min Ha-yeon turned her head back to focus on the fairy.

But I kept my gaze on her and continued to examine her traits.

And I found some traits that seemed important.

[Chastity Before Marriage], [Romantic Fatigue], [Skepticism Towards Lovers]

'Wow, chastity before marriage in this day and age... tsk tsk... what a world we live in.'

[...]

First, getting past the chastity thing, the other two traits were important.

Looking at these two traits, it seemed like the protagonist next to her had caused her a lot of trouble.

To feel fatigue and skepticism towards someone as good-looking as him...

'Wow, it seems easy, but also not easy at all.'

[If it's written as a trait, it seems like she's not an easy opponent.]

'Exactly, it's not just for show.'

Sometimes, when women claim to be chaste before marriage, it's hard not to laugh.

Why would they even say that out loud...?

But seeing it written as a trait, it felt completely different.

It was a clear demonstration of the difference between boasting and sincerity.

The fairy had been explaining things for a while now.

But most of what she was saying, I had already heard from Armonia.

And the external elements were similar to the web game "Tower of God" that I knew.

But the serious problem wasn't me.

'How are people who've never played games supposed to proceed with just that explanation?'

The explanation was too lacking.

It was hard to believe that this was the explanation given to people risking their lives.

After a brief explanation, the fairy finally mentioned something important.

"Now~ Everyone is free to leave the coliseum! But! Here's a tip!"

"...?"

Everyone perked up at the word "tip" and listened attentively.

"If you're wondering what this place is! Or what this is! Just... call us fairies! We'll give you a tip! But... if you want a tip, you have to give us a tip (points)!"

It wasn't that they'd provide solutions if you called them in a dangerous situation.

If you had questions about Yggdrasil's system, they'd answer them in exchange for points.

'Damn... so I have to pay every time I ask a question.'

Well, there are games like this...

[Still, Suho, you have plenty of Enels, so it might be good to actively use this service.]

'Well... I hope they don't ask for my entire fortune of 1000 points just to answer a question.'

As Armonia and I were communicating, the fairy clapped her hands and gave her final farewell.

"Once again, welcome to Yggdrasil! I hope you have a pleasant journey! Now, I'm off work!! Yay, early dismissal is the bes..."

As she said that, the fairy disappeared in a pillar of light.

At the same time, a small hologram appeared in my vision.

-Channel Visitors: 1-

'Wow, so someone's watching me right now?'

[Yes. But since there's no sponsorship and no attempt at conversation, it's likely they're just curious.]

The gods enshrined in Yggdrasil could wander around and observe people they were interested in and sponsor them.

But there were also countless beings who came in and didn't sponsor even a single point.

'Ugh... must be some broke bastard.'

[Please refrain from saying that directly. They can observe your entire life except for your thoughts and communications.]

'Okay, I'll be careful.'

I looked around.

People were murmuring and wandering aimlessly.

Those who quickly grasped the system were forming parties.

And the two most popular people...

The protagonist and Min Ha-yeon.

Women were flocking to the protagonist, while men were hovering around Min Ha-yeon.

After observing them, I came to a conclusion...

'...I'll pass for now.'

[Do you plan to approach them later?]

'Yeah, if I approach now, I'll just be seen as one of the crowd.'

If I'm just one of the crowd, they won't even remember me.

But if even a single brain cell in their central nervous system stores me, it could be troublesome.

In "Tower of God," I thought it was best to stay unnoticed, whether for good or bad.

Since I don't know what talents the protagonist has, I need to be cautious.

'And it's better to find a party outside anyway.'

Forming a party before even deciding on a job is risky; you might just get abandoned after finally finding one.

[A wise decision.]

'Alright, let's go!'

I stepped out of the coliseum with a light step.

As soon as I entered the passage leading out of the coliseum, a blue barrier formed around me.

The space was about 16 square meters.

'Ah, is this the personal space?'

[Yes. No one from the outside can intrude or see inside here.]

You can't activate it everywhere, but during long dungeon explorations, there are safe zones where you can activate your personal space.

However, each dungeon has different restrictions, so there are times when you can't activate it.

In the center of the personal space, a long holographic list appeared.

I looked at it in awe.

'Wow... there are more than I thought.'

The list was longer than I expected.

And one recommended job stood out.

-Alchemist-

'...Jackpot! This seems good!'

[Since there's only one recommended job... You can just choose it right away. Changing jobs is a hassle, but it's possible later.]

Even if you can't be a mage right now, if you happen to gain magical abilities while climbing Yggdrasil, you can change jobs later.

There must be a reason for the recommendation.

'Job... Alchemist.'

I pressed my finger on the word "Alchemist" to confirm my job.

The list disappeared!

...But nothing happened.

'Really, nothing special. Did it change?'

[Yes, it's changed.]

'...'

And then a strange hologram appeared.

[Seong Suho]

[Job: Pathetic Alchemist]

[Alchemy Lv.1], [Alchemy Encyclopedia], [Material Conversion Lv.1]

A modest description accompanied by modest-level skills.

'...Really modest.'

[But since it's recommended, there must be...]

As Armonia was saying that...

[Alchemy Lv.1 has blossomed. Due to Hand Technique Lv.555, it has been adjusted to Alchemy Lv.48.]

[...I thought there must be a reason...]

Even Armonia couldn't finish her sentence.

The status window information had changed.

[Seong Suho]

[Job: Advanced Alchemist]

[Alchemy Lv.48], [Manufacturing Encyclopedia], [Material Conversion Lv.1]

'...Recommendations are the best.'

[Material Conversion didn't get adjusted. Why only Alchemy...]

'Maybe because alchemy is about precisely combining materials, so it's related to hand skills?'

In the end, combining means mixing, and that's primarily a hand task, so that's probably why.

[That seems to be the case. Let's check the abilities outside... there should be a blessing note.]

'Ah, this must be it.'

A piece of paper was floating where the list had disappeared.

At the top center of the paper was written -Blessing-.

As I picked up the paper, a long holographic message appeared before my eyes.

[-Usage Instructions-]

[This paper allows you to write a blessing for Yggdrasil. Usage instructions are...]

The paper contained the instructions Armonia had explained about how to use blessings.

It also mentioned that if you didn't have enough points to apply the blessing, the text would disappear, and you could rewrite it, so there was no need to worry.

In other words, you could keep writing to check how many points were required.

'For now, let's think more about the blessing before deciding.'

[But please be careful. There are beings who lose their lives before reaching the 3rd floor without writing a blessing.]

I was planning to suffer early on for later benefits, but there are many cases where people die early without the effects of a blessing.

As I fiddled with the blessing note, another hologram appeared.

-Recommended Blessings-

[Alchemy EXP +10%.]

[Material Conversion EXP +10%.]

[Alchemy Success Rate +5%.]

..

..

Most of them were straightforward EXP boosts or probability increases.

'Since they're recommendations... I should consider those too. Is that it for now?'

[Yes. Your personal space will be deactivated soon.]

'Let's go! Hurry up!'

..

..

As soon as I finished speaking, the blue barrier disappeared, and I was standing outside the coliseum.

Looking around, the people who were inside had already come out and were chattering noisily.

The village looked similar to Viola's village, Krel, which I had visited before.

It looked like a rural village but had a decent size.

I stretched and communicated with Armonia.

'Kuuuuu!! Alright, what should I do now?'

[Oh no... of all times...]

'...? Armonia?'

Armonia suddenly went quiet and said something incomprehensible.

Worried, I asked her.

'What's wrong? Is there a problem?'

[Suho, this opponent is...]

'Oh? Did you find something out?'

It seemed like she had suddenly gotten some information about the protagonist.

I thought maybe Zodiac had sent some information.

But Armonia explained in an awkward tone.

[He's a regressor. This is the 5th time I'm telling you this.]

***

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