chapter 4
4 – 004. Tutorial (3)
▶ Emotions
[Strength Increasing Pills]
Strength increases by 1 (maximum 28).
When I evaluated the status-increasing pills I had taken during the day, a very simple effect greeted me.
However, contrary to the seemingly simple effect, you cannot enjoy the full effect if you just eat it.
The number 28 is attached to the end of the description.
Although there are individual differences from person to person, 28 is the limit of strength that I can increase through training.
Even if I run 10km while standing on my head every day, it is a limit of my body that I can never overcome.
And, of course, you have to put in a lot of effort to reach your limit.
There comes a time when your strength, which initially increased even if you just did push-ups consistently, does not increase even if you exercise all day.
Then, people are bound to find an efficient path.
If you go out to exercise all day, cut chimeras, and achieve achievements, the price goes up even more.
It says my limit is 28, but in reality it stops at around 23, which is lower than that.
So many years. When the time comes to be called a veteran, your achievements also reach their limit.
You are entering a stage where you have to kill thousands of chimeras to gain one stat.
In order to change equipment to better ones, you need to spend enough public value to exchange it for hundreds of thousands of dollars when you return to Earth.
In the end, the time comes again when raising that little stat that you gave up on through training becomes the most efficient.
And, the thing that allows you to pass that section is the status increase pill.
It is this small bead.
It’s an elixir that can be easily obtained in the tutorial if you take a little risk, but it’s not available in Proa.
Hmm…
Ugh─… .
Five hours have passed since the attack began.
The gladiators, who had been crying out loud, let out a low groan.
This is a sign that activity is decreasing.
Gladiators, who rely almost entirely on vision due to loss of most of their senses, are vulnerable at night.
Night vision is not much different from that of humans.
So most gladiators inevitably rest at night like humans.
In other words, if you’re going to move to get something from the tutorial, it’s better to move at night.
Of course, the thing you’re trying to get is a stat-boosting pill.
[Strength Increase Pill] × 3
[Agility Increase Pill] × 1
[Sense-boosting pill] × 2
[Stamina Increase Pill] × 2
[Magic Increase Pill] × 1
[Lowest Potion] × 3
Currently, I only have 9 pills.
This is not a small number, but there was so much to do when I went to Proa that I couldn’t devote a lot of time to physical training.
4 pills for each stat.
As long as I can eat something, I have to take at least that much with me.
Hmm… .
… .
The sounds of the gladiators quieted down.
I decided to take the magic power-boosting pill for now.
As for other stats, it is better to save them rather than urgently, but since magic goes from 0 to 1, the difference is a bit big.
Because there’s a difference between not having anything at all and having at least a fingernail.
Although it cannot be used directly in battle, just being able to feel magical power is a great help.
gulp.
When I took the magic power-boosting pill, I felt a cold feeling rising from my stomach.
And then, I began to see eyes with a perception-impeding spell floating around me.
one two three four… . her. Twelve?
I expected some interest, but this feels a little burdensome.
Of course, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t stop doing my job.
Rather than doing nothing and getting nothing, it would be better to be marked as a person of interest and somehow escape from Proa.
But is it right to get this much attention just because you robbed a mansion and axed a gangster?
If you listen to the kids who were treated as prospects, it seems like they did everything they could.
Could it be that these kids were all just bluffing?
I’d like to think he was given that distinction because he’s a promising player, but twelve is still a bit excessive.
Even when a super rookie appears, there are usually only three or three kids who are likely to compete for recruitment.
It is obvious that there will be no competition to recruit the rest anyway, so without wasting time, let’s go look at the second-tier listings right away.
It’s been 3 years, so isn’t it time for something like that to happen yet?
Oh, I don’t know. It’s not a question that can be answered without thinking about it. I will go my own way.
While he was thinking about it, Gladiator’s moans completely subsided.
I grabbed all my belongings and went down the ladder.
The destination is a slum.
It was an anthill that I would have to go in and out of for the next four days.
*
The slum is located directly opposite the mansion from the auditorium.
The interesting thing is that the slums are right next to the downtown area.
The commercial districts spread out widely based on merchant union branches, and the poor flocked to live there.
If it is natural, it is a natural phenomenon. You have to be next to a rich person’s house to get away with it.
The scenery of the slum that I arrived at after walking for about 20 minutes was a little different from what I expected.
“There are a lot of strange things… .”
All over the slums, inactive chimeras were sitting against the walls.
I expected there to be a certain number of people since it was near the merchant union branch, but even taking that into account, the number was a bit high.
1,000 Chimeras attacked the city.
Although the number is not small, it is absurdly insufficient to occupy one city.
This is a force that is difficult to completely occupy a section.
The group of gladiators who neutralized all the large buildings in the initial attack spreads throughout the city, and density naturally drops.
However, I have only been in the slum for less than 30 minutes, and I have already seen more than 10 times.
Considering the chimeras in the remaining areas and the downtown area, it seemed like there were probably about 100 in this area alone.
So, the most likely cause that can be considered is… .
There was a group of people who resisted around here until after the sun went down.
Probably a branch of the Merchants’ Union.
The group that settled there resisted for quite some time, and after the sun set, the Chimeras who finished the battle went to rest nearby… .
Unlucky.
Except for the main points, namely the Manor House, Merchant Guild Branch, and Guard Headquarters, stat-boosting pills are evenly distributed throughout the city.
Because the roads in slums are complicated, visibility is limited, and of course, it is relatively easy to move around without being detected by the gladiator.
That’s why I chose this as my destination.
If I had known this would be the case, it would have been better to go somewhere else today.
During the first tutorial, I had never been around here before, so my mistake was that I didn’t know exactly what the situation was.
I sighed and walked away.
*
After wandering around the alleys and arriving at my destination, I felt embarrassed by the sight before my eyes.
A certain gladiator was sitting there, blocking the front door of the house where the stat-boosting pills were hidden.
Hmm… .
From the sound, it’s clear that he’s sleeping, but how can he get over it without touching his head?
… Of course it can’t be done.
Even though they have no sense other than their eyes, they are not so dull that they don’t even notice something passing over their heads.
Should I kill him?
That one guy is the only one within visible range right now.
If I can kill it without giving it a chance to scream, it seems like everything will work out.
After thinking about it for a while, I decided to give it a try.
What the heck, if you fail, spend some free distribution points and let it go.
I’m so frustrated that I can’t live like this anymore.
Keeping a herd of wildcats in check? I don’t know, f*ck.
Why not give it a try? I’ll break all your teeth.
I wasn’t a brainiac to begin with.
There were people who did the brain work for me. There was… .
I suddenly became depressed.
It’s because of you, so take responsibility for your own body, gladiator.
I grabbed the ax and slowly stood up.
It was then.
‘don’t do it.’
I stopped moving for a moment when I heard a voice whispering behind me.
what? There was someone behind my back and I didn’t know about it?
Even though it’s a tutorial, they’re all supposed to be ordinary people, right?
Is this the power of a sense stat of 10? It really sucks… . I’m so depressed… .
As I turned my head in lamentation, I saw someone peeking out only their eyes and a crossbow through the trash can lid.
I was thinking of going in there.
Looking at it, it looks like it was already hiding there long before I arrived.
It’s poisonous, it’s poisonous.
The smell must have permeated my body.
‘why?’
I asked back without making a sound, just using the movements of my mouth.
There is no harm in being careful.
The woman must have understood, too, as she responded with just the movements of her mouth.
‘There are a lot of monsters around here.’
‘This guy’s ears aren’t good. Just kill it in one go.’
‘no. Go away and do it. If you do it here, I’ll shoot you.’
Why do you go so far away! There’s a stat pill behind him! If it were somewhere else, I wouldn’t have fought it!
But how do you explain this?
Are there any status-boosting pills over there?
If you ask me how I know, I have nothing to say.
Actually, I’m so strong that I can’t let you harm me. The stats are trash, but the body’s memories accumulated over the past 7 years… .
Would you believe it?
What should I do?
How can we resolve this situation without physical friction?
‘If you interfere, I will chop you down with an axe.’
ah. I made a mistake.
The words left my mouth just thinking about it.
Did you see it?
The woman’s eyes narrowed.
The crossbow that was roughly draped began to aim at me precisely.
… You saw it.
By the way, I’m saying this because I’ve already done it, but I think this is the right answer.
Persuasion isn’t working, and I have no intention of giving up.
Then what should I do? You should at least threaten me.
‘If I don’t kill you immediately, I’m going to scream. think carefully.’
No matter how hard of hearing Gladiator is, he is not so deaf that he cannot hear shouts in the middle of the night.
And besides me, how many people know that they are deaf now?
The woman thought for a moment and pursed her lips.
‘… ‘Do you want to talk?’
‘You’ve been doing it since a while ago.’
After a while longer confrontation, the woman put away her crossbow and completely opened the trash can lid.
Now I saw that it was the woman wearing cat animal pajamas.
‘Follow me.’
A woman came out of the trash can and walked deeper into the alley.
I guess I have company.
The group had a separate headquarters and seemed to be acting as a kind of sentry.
But by the way, you give your back so easily?
I really liked the way it looked in the auditorium and the way it was lurking in the dirty trash can.
I felt disappointed when it didn’t meet my expectations.
Should I just knock him out and do his thing?
Just as a bad thought occurred to me, the woman ahead suddenly stopped and looked back.
The woman stared at me for a moment, tilted her head once, and then walked away again.
I strengthened the hand holding the ax just in case.
ruler. If you don’t turn around, I’ll throw this on your back.
The moment I thought that-
slap!
This time, the woman turned her head so quickly that you could hear the wind.
I also stopped in place as if surprised by her suddenly turning around.
The woman looked at me carefully with a slight frown.
But in reality, all I did was apply a little strength to the hand holding the axe. Even on the surface, there isn’t much of a difference.
The woman moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing and started giving directions again.
under. This guy is fun.
Do you feel like living instinctively?