The Returner Wants Complete Victory

2 – 002. Tutorial

Leaving those words that the tutorial would begin, the Guide disappeared like a cloud.

The silencing magic earlier, and now this; quite a talented friend.

It suddenly occurred to me to wonder which mercenary group he belonged to.

Where did he get the tutorial hosting rights at this time again…?

Probably one of the 3 major mercenary groups, if I recall correctly.

Since I only got deeply involved with the bigger picture around 2 years after being summoned in the first loop, my early phase info was relatively lacking.

I did review past records when planning the regression, but experiencing it directly with my own body is different from just reading about it.

“What the? Saying it’ll start but nothing’s happening?”

“Shouldn’t something appear in the Missions tab soon? He wouldn’t have said to open it for no reason, right?”

With the Guide gone, his muting magic seemed to have been lifted as well, as people’s voices returned.

The auditorium soon grew noisy with people chatting in groups.

Most did not show unease in their expressions.

While some did seem anxious, it was likely over things left behind on Earth rather than matters here.

If they were worried about what was to come after the Guide’s words, they should be showing caution rather than anxiety in this situation where the tutorial would soon begin.

Were there no famous figures among the tutorial batch? Or was this about it?

I had intended to build a team of 1-2 partners here, but may need to cleanly give up on that idea.

As I was thinking that, I noticed the cat pajama woman vigilantly surveying her surroundings with a stiff expression, in a corner of the auditorium.

She looks somewhat decent.

But since she was unfamiliar, her skills were probably nothing special.

Or she was unlucky and died before honing her skills.

Whichever it was would become clear as I observed.

Ding-

▶ Missions

▷ Survival

Remnants of the chimera legions whose commander was slain are assaulting the city!

Evade or fight them and survive for 5 days.

※ The city’s soldiers and citizens have already completely evacuated.

– The barrier enclosing the auditorium will lift in 15 minutes.

– The chimera assault will begin in 1 hour.

[Select Starting Weapon]

[Longsword (1) / Spear (1) / Axe (1) / Dagger (2) / Shortbow (1, 30 arrows)]

▷ Rewards

+1 Free Points every 24 hours survived.

+3 Free Points for final survival.

Random Stat increase for defeating special chimera.

Chance to obtain items in the city that raise Stats.

I reflexively reached for the spear before catching myself.

While spears were my main weapon before regressing thanks to their ability to also serve as staves, magic cannot be used in the tutorial.

Aside from my Magic currently being 0, magic cannot be used even if Magic appears mid-tutorial.

An Earthling displaying magic as soon as arriving in Prola would surely catch Irene’s attention, and she may notice something off about my 117 Points from my Status. Best to conceal whatever I can.

With that in mind, spears are out.

Shortbows are also out since I’ll be alone and need to retrieve arrows.

Daggers are half throwing weapons, so out.

That leaves longswords or axes.

Choosing a weapon made me involuntarily laugh for some reason.

I checked the regression plans dozens of times considering what to do, yet here I was struggling over something as simple as a tutorial weapon choice.

After much deliberation, I ultimately selected the axe.

Since I would likely face more chimera than people, the axe seemed better suited to my Strength 12 status, letting me put weight behind swings.

Thunk.

Space distorted before me and an axe dropped, embedding itself in the auditorium floor.

It was roughly the size of a fireman’s axe.

– Time remaining until auditorium barrier lifts: 9 min 17 sec

After checking the time, I retrieved the axe and moved to a corner of the auditorium.

Standing blankly in the center would invite annoying people trying to team up.

Since I hosted tutorials for the city assault scenario before regressing, I knew it intricately.

The chimera kill rewards and item acquisition rewards mentioned in the rewards section are the core of the tutorial. Consideration for talented, ambitious people.

At first, most act as if treasure hunting in a survival game, before busying themselves hiding deep inside buildings after actually encountering chimera.

Even believing they will return to Earth upon death, the instinctive fear triggered by watching comrades torn apart and spurting blood beside them cannot be helped.

After witnessing others ripped in two, how many still have the courage to scour the besieged city for unpromised rewards?

And the talent to survive?

The division already happens there. Between those who will become strong, and those who will remain as trivial meat shields.

With opportunities to easily raise Stats like this rarely coming after the tutorial ends.

That said, I don’t plan on rampaging through the city smashing chimera heads. Too noticeable. If I wanted to do that, I would have used magic too. And to begin with, my current physical abilities likely wouldn’t allow it either.

Focus on hidden items in moderation.

A strangely lucky guy, or someone skilled in searching.

I’ll aim to be evaluated as such for the tutorial and keep a low profile.

“Hello!”

While privately reviewing my plans, a woman came over to speak to me.

She wore a flared skirt reaching below her knees.

Her choice of a shortbow signaled a desire to avoid close combat.

“We’re forming a team, would you be interested in joining us? There’s always safety in numbers, right?”

Three more people who looked to be her group stood behind the woman. Two men and one other woman.

For some reason, the men were glaring at me with furrowed brows.

Their blatant sentiments made me want to laugh.

What are you doing? Trying to go on a fun double date in a city under chimera attack?

On top of that, the two men had longswords while the remaining woman also had a shortbow.

Their survival probability would have been much higher if all four used spears instead.

What are the chances untrained archers tangled together could accurately target only enemies?

I should pray their necks aren’t pierced by arrows from behind.

And they meet an honorable death by chimera before dying idiotically with arrows in their heads…

“I’ll have to decline.”

Of course, I politely refused joining such a moronic team.

“But still…”

“Ji-hye, let’s just go.”

As the woman hesitated regretfully, one of the men came over and pulled her away by the wrist.

My, you’ve even shared your full names?

“What? Didn’t you say it’d be good if we had someone using an axe like that guy?”

“No need to cling to someone who refused, right? Let’s ask that guy over there instead. Hey mister!”

The man approached another target.

A businessman who looked to be in his late 30s, with half his forehead bald.

Impressive, truly impressive.

Part of me envied how carefreely they could behave like this. Comfortable bastards.

– The barrier enclosing the auditorium has been lifted.

– Time until chimera assault: 44 min 59 sec

It’s begun.

*

I immediately rushed out of the building.

45 minutes before the chimera attack.

This time gifted to find food and shelter was provided to maximize usage.

The manor at the city center was a honeypot.

Not only food, it was also a location densely concentrated with Stat-raising pills, the special tutorial rewards.

And it would be one of the first places occupied by the horde of chimera in 45 minutes.

After all, chimera were bio-weapons created by the empire for war.

When assaulting cities, attacking large, tall buildings was ingrained in their instincts.

With the premise of their commanding entity dying, they were set to move solely on instinct even moreso.

In other words, if I didn’t come raid the manor right now and kill all the chimera later, this would be my only opportunity to loot it.

…Honestly, if I was set on looting it later too after killing all the chimera, I could probably manage it one way or another, but no need to take the roundabout path when an easier one was available. And that would make me stick out too much.

The mercenary groups that arrived on Prola before us from Earth were monitoring this tutorial live.

Especially now in the third year, competition for recruitment was at its peak.

With the advance teams having settled in and power dynamics solidifying, talented rookies could be key cards to shake up the status quo, or contrarily, subjects to keep in check.

Moderation was important in all things.

In other words, I had to seem decently talented at best – standing out too much could get me beaten down and killed.

I’ve seen far too many cases of the clowder of jealous snow leopards mauling a lone young tiger to death to steal their bowl of food.

Looting the manor now could let me pass as a guy with good instincts, or strangely good luck, but coming late after massacring all the chimera and looting would immediately mark me as Target #1, a person of interest.

After walking down the road for about 10 minutes, I arrived at the manor.

Everyone still seemed to be near the auditorium, as the area was silent without a trace of people.

But that didn’t mean I was alone.

Though invisible without magic, one or two observers with perception blocking magic were likely tailing me.

How to loot the manor without drawing notice…

I first struck the locked manor doors with my axe.

*

In a dark room, dozens of people sat around a large circular table.

Small crystal orbs allowing them to view any location they wished were placed before each person, with a single massive central crystal orb under the Guide’s control at the center.

And Jin-woo currently entering the manor was reflected in that large central orb.

“This guy’s really lucky, isn’t he? Good instincts?”

A woman in a robe revealing half her chest spoke while smoking a pipe, the leaves seemingly replaced by herbs with hallucinogenic compounds from how dazed her focus seemed.

“Luck? He moved as if he had a destination in mind from the start. Finding the manor may have been chance, but he was definitely searching for that kind of building.”

The muscular black man sitting opposite her replied in a stiff tone matching his stature.

Next to him stood a greatsword larger than him leaning at an angle.

“It’s treasure hunting. Checking good buildings makes sense.”

The man wearing a homburg absentmindedly stroked his chin.

Before him lay his homburg and a white smiling mask.

“Is that so? Isn’t checking every nook and cranny of alleys what you’d normally do for treasure hunting? And going into houses, opening all the drawers…”

“Is that what you did?”

The muscular man snorted with laughter at his words, prompting the woman who had been wearing a lethargic expression to glare at him with bloodshot eyes.

“This punk’s been spouting nonsense all this time, huh?”

“Just answering your question, so why so angry?”

“Now now, don’t fight here. It disturbs the other guests, does it not?”

As the two seemed about to brawl, the Guide stepped in with a what-can-you-do manner to mediate.

Indeed, quite a few people were sneaking glances at them.

“What, it’s bothering people? Should I leave?”

But the woman glared around, unaffected by their stares, even exhaling smoke as if to provoke them.

At that, those who had been peeking at her averted their eyes instead.

“Keep acting like a rabid b*tch, and you’ll die soon.”

Only the muscular man continued sneering at the woman.

“Who’s gonna kill me? You?”

The three greatest mercenary groups established by Earthlings.

Of them, the leaders of two were currently growling at each other, and there was no one present who could intervene and tell them to shut up.

While the Guide also belonged to one of the three major groups, he was only a senior executive.

‘I want to see you, Boss…. No, nevermind.’

He couldn’t envision the scenario of the bosses stopping those two. They were more likely to join the brawl if they were here.

They act like brats, but our boss is the real brat.

Are personality and ability inversely proportional?

What a sh*tty world…