TRTP 03

Chapter : 3

Apocalypse Tutorial (2)

Thud!

Dan-yoon jumped forward immediately.

It wasn’t a calculated move—it was instinct.

The intuition of a pro gamer who had played countless games.

“This is a tutorial.”

Running away from the enemy, jumping off a cliff, or trembling in fear while waiting for time to pass—that wasn’t a tutorial.

A tutorial teaches you something.

Here, it was probably meant to train judgment and problem-solving.

Clenching the dagger tightly, Dan-yoon ran straight toward the dragon’s claws.

It might be madness.

If he did nothing, maybe he could just dodge one or two breaths and survive.

But by provoking it, he might make things worse.

Whoosh!

The moment his dagger struck the dragon’s claw, Dan-yoon became certain.

There was no feeling of impact.

His attack cut through empty air.

As soon as he attacked, the dragon’s form flickered strangely.

“An illusion.”

It was fake. Not real.

Then the real objective must be something else.

Dan-yoon looked around within the illusion.

The massive dragon flickered continuously, but only the breath inside its mouth burned clearly.

“That’s it.”

He was sure.

That flame was the key to clearing this stage.

“But it’s too high.”

Even though the dragon’s head was lowered, it was still too high to reach with a jump. And since the body was an illusion, he couldn’t climb it.

He looked at the dagger in his hand.

“If I throw it properly… maybe it’ll reach.”

He had never thrown a dagger before.

Could he even do it right?

About five minutes remained.

There was no time.

Gripping the dagger like a throwing knife, he focused all his strength into his fingers.

As he stared at the burning energy, his concentration sharpened.

It felt like standing on the finals stage.

All his senses gathered at his fingertips. His vision narrowed to only the target.

He leaned back, then swung his arm forward.

Whoosh!

The dagger wasn’t very fast, but it flew straight toward the energy source.

At that moment—

Flash!

The dagger exploded midair near the target.

At the same time, the illusion vanished, and in place of the energy source, a bee-like insect appeared.

[Target acquired.]

“Got it.”

He clenched his fist in victory.

Then, the hidden information appeared.

[Stage 1 – Tutorial]
[Clear Condition: Eliminate the Illusion Parasite]
[Description: Impressive. You figured out the nature of the stage. But it won’t be easy.]
[Time Remaining: 14:21]
[Failure Penalty: None]

The hidden details were revealed, and the time increased by ten minutes.

At least there was no penalty for failure.

“Illusion Parasite…”

It was a bee the size of a human head.

If he saw something like that in real life, he would be horrified—but after seeing a dragon, it looked almost cute.

Buzz—!

The creature circled around angrily, as if upset that its illusion had been broken.

Dan-yoon clenched his fists and took a rough fighting stance.

Unless it had poison, he had the advantage in size.

If he tore off one wing, it would be over—

“AAAGH!”

Dan-yoon screamed and grabbed one eye, rolling on the ground.

The parasite’s stinger had struck his eye at lightning speed.

“Ugh…!”

Pain like he had never felt before hit him.

Half his vision disappeared instantly.

Thick blood flowed from his eye, and the buzzing sound near his ears filled him with terror.

This wasn’t a game or a novel.

This pain was real.

Dan-yoon crawled desperately.

The parasite’s tail struck the ground where he had just been.

Boom!

The ground cracked from the impact.

“I can’t win…”

So much for size advantage.

What a foolish and careless thought.

Even a small hornet could kill a person.

This thing was the size of a head.

“Forget clearing it…”

There was no penalty for failure now.

He just needed to survive ten minutes.

Buzz—Thud!

“AAAGH!”

Another strike hit his back.

The parasite mocked him, attacking freely.

Damn it. Damn it!

With each attack, he kept cursing.

Third hit. Fourth hit.

Eventually, anger took over.

It crushed his fear.

“I’ll kill you… you damn bug.”

The parasite hovered in the air calmly, as if it knew he wouldn’t fight back.

Buzz!

Dan-yoon raised his arm instinctively.

The stinger pierced through his arm.

The pain was bearable now.

Or maybe his senses were numb.

The parasite’s movements had slowed slightly.

It was getting tired.

This was possible.

Dan-yoon spread his arms wide.

As if saying, “Come at me.”

The parasite hesitated for a moment, then charged.

Dan-yoon sensed it.

This time, it was aiming for his heart.

The moment the stinger came close—

He twisted his body slightly.

The stinger missed his heart and pierced through his side and arm.

At that instant—

He tensed his arm.

Then he trapped the parasite between his arm and body.

With his other hand, he grabbed it tightly.

“Got you… you damn bug.”

Then came violence.

He slammed it into the ground.

Holding it tightly, he smashed it again and again, like hammering.

Over and over.

Until the ground was stained yellow, green, and red—

The parasite finally stopped moving.

Dan-yoon collapsed on his back, breathing heavily.

“This… is a tutorial?”

It was way too hard.

He couldn’t imagine how difficult the next stages would be.

[Stage 1 Cleared.]
[Evaluation in progress… 56%]

He couldn’t see himself, but if there was a mirror, it would be horrifying.

One eye nearly destroyed.

His body full of holes.

Blood everywhere.

[Clear Rank: A]
[You have successfully completed the hidden objective.]
[You have received 1,500 coins.]
[Your Master, Constellation Stella, is watching you.]
[Your body has been fully restored.]

“A rank…”

He didn’t know if there was an S rank, but this wasn’t bad.

A mysterious force surrounded him.

The pain disappeared.

His wounds healed.

His vision returned.

It seemed clearing a stage fully restored his body.

“At least I’m not blind.”

He felt relieved.

Then he recalled something.

[Your Master is watching you.]

For a brief moment, he had felt it.

A strange sensation.

Someone watching him.

It disappeared quickly, but it was clear.

So Stella had checked on him after he cleared the stage.

There must be thousands of players in each faction.

[Additional rewards are being granted.]

“Oh? Bonus rewards too?”

[‘Traits’ and ‘Skills’ are now activated.]
[Tip! Say ‘Skill Window’ to view your traits, passive skills, and active skills.]

Dan-yoon’s eyes lit up.

Traits were probably passive abilities.

Skills were likely something like magic.

He would definitely need them to survive future stages.

“…Skill window.”

<Dan-yoon – Skill Information>
Traits: Gambling Addict (Common), Forced Loner (Rare), A-Rank Prospect (Rare), Framed Pro Gamer (Mystic), One Who Reached the Peak (Mythic)
Passive Skills: [Gambler Lv.1], [Translation], [Rapid Growth], [Pain Resistance Lv.1], [Adaptability Lv.1]
Active Skills: [Appraisal Lv.1], [Stealth Lv.1], [Potential Release Lv.1], [Trap Detection Lv.1]

“There’s a lot…”

A new trait, “A-Rank Prospect,” had been added.

It must be from his stage result.

Skills seemed to come from traits.

For example, “Gambling Addict” gave him the “Gambler” skill.

When he tapped a trait, its related skill appeared below it.

“…Wait.”

The mythic trait “One Who Reached the Peak” had a skill called [Rapid Growth].

That sounded powerful.

Most skills had levels, but [Rapid Growth] and [Translation] did not.

That probably meant they were already complete.

“…No attack skills?”

His basic skills were all utility-type.

“Translation,” “Appraisal,” “Adaptability,” “Pain Resistance.”

“How do I use these?”

As he explored the system—

[The next stage will begin.]
[Generating stage.]
[Summoning ‘Zombie City’.]

“…Already?”

He had just fought like hell.

Shouldn’t there be some rest?

And “Zombie City”… that sounded awful already.

[Tip! The higher your clear rating, the better your rewards.]

“Yeah, I get it. Give me a useful tip instead.”

[Stage 2 begins.]

His vision shook.

The world turned white—

Then changed instantly.

Dan-yoon quickly looked around.

He was now inside a clean, modern apartment with three rooms.