Kyaoo!
The goblins’ cries grew more menacing.
Monsters are sensitive to momentum.
From the goblins’ perspective, who had been waiting for the humans to be consumed by fear, the change in atmosphere was anything but welcoming.
Leaving the trembling humans behind, Pinenes took a step forward.
“Weapons.”
He reached out to a mercenary beside him and received a sword.
The motion was so natural that no one found it awkward, not even the mercenary who handed it over.
“Are there any more weapons left?”
“One sword and five throwing daggers…”
“Then we should distribute the daggers evenly if we’re all going to fight.”
“…Understood.”
Once again, the mercenary readily agreed to the request.
Was he seeing this as a trial to reach Valhalla, as he had muttered earlier? Regardless, his cooperative attitude was a positive development.
With two longswords, five daggers, and the magician’s staff, the party had eight weapons in total.
This meant that all but two of the ten members were now equipped with basic weapons.
‘The women were left out,’ Pinenes thought.
Glancing back, Pinenes noticed the common trait among those unarmed: they were both women.
Though one of the dagger bearers was a woman too, she seemed to have been reluctantly chosen due to the lack of men.
‘Well, that was probably the logical choice.’
According to the world’s understanding—where laws and social conventions often protected the weak—it would be rational to exclude women from combat roles due to their physical weakness. But this world was far from conventional.
[Strength 1] [Dexterity 1] [Endurance 1] [Mana 1]
Upon crossing into the dimensional sea, everyone started on the same level.
While there might be slight gaps, their average combat abilities would be relatively similar.
If one failed to grow stronger, survival would become increasingly difficult. So, the two excluded from combat had not been given special treatment, but rather had been deprived of the opportunity to experience their first battle.
Understanding the rules of this world as quickly as possible would be advantageous.
…Pinenes shook his head and dismissed these unnecessary thoughts. In a situation where his own life was on the line, he didn’t have the luxury to consider others’ circumstances.
“…”
Thump, thump. A faint heartbeat echoed near his chest.
The strongest heartbeat he had ever experienced in his life.
But it wasn’t enough to make him lose his composure.
Thanks to his already existing mental traits, which continually forced him into a state of forced calmness, he managed to keep control.
‘…!’
Then, the same strange phenomenon from earlier happened again.
Whoosh! Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from the mercenary’s body.
This time, the light was not the red, flickering hue.
‘Golden light…?’
[Intermediate Mercenary, Beidan]
- Lost all power upon crossing the dimension.
- Vaguely remembers basic strategies for fighting monsters and the sense of combat.
- Currently mistaken that the tutorial fight is a trial for reaching Valhalla. Sacrifice and devotion are his desires.
Pinenes quickly read the golden message.
Based on the reactions of the others, it was clear that the glowing light emanating from the mercenary’s body was only visible to him.
Goblins and mercenaries.
When the red and golden lights appeared in the same field of view, Pinenes’s mind suddenly clicked.
“That’s their leader.”
Pinenes pointed his sword at a spot.
Then, turning back to the mercenary, he murmured.
“Beidan.”
“…!”
“I’ll be watching your choice.”
The mercenary’s pupils widened.
For a moment, he looked as if he had been struck with a hammer.
“That’s… fine. I’ll gladly.”
The golden light streaked toward the enemy.
His sudden movement caught everyone off guard.
Kyeergh…
A faint, dying gasp escaped the mouth of a goblin.
Both allies and enemies were stunned, unable to follow the movement with their eyes.
It wasn’t until the attack had finished that anyone began to process the situation.
Even in a world where strength and speed had been reset, the mercenary’s battle sense wasn’t something to be underestimated.
The mercenary’s sword pierced the goblin leader’s chest exactly.
At the same time, the goblins’ weapons pierced his body like a hedgehog.
Srrr…
The mangled body of the man quickly stained with blood.
“Valhalla…”
Kkch… kkch. A faint laugh escaped the mercenary’s mouth as time resumed.
Thud.
The goblin with a pierced heart collapsed first.
Then, the mercenary shattered into pieces.
His once-human form, now reduced to hundreds of polygonal shards, collapsed like a domino.
Pinenes had seen this form of death countless times, and had even experienced it firsthand.
Those who lost their lives within the dimensional rift left no body, no soul behind.
“…”
The red and golden lights—both kinds of radiance—faded.
Kyaaah! Kyaaah?
The goblins, having lost their leader, cried out in a confused manner. Some humans still hadn’t fully accepted the reality of the situation.
To witness the body of someone who had been so vividly alive vanish without a trace was a sight far more shocking than death itself.
Those with weaker mental fortitude were probably unable to move a step.
“The enemies have lost control.”
It was the ruler’s job to move those who couldn’t.
Pinenes shouted, sword in hand, from the front.
Now was the time to strike, when the goblins were at their weakest!
“Now! Everyone, attack!”
He pointed his sword and charged into the battlefield.
This could be called nothing short of a miracle.
For humans who had just experienced the boundary between life and death for the first time, to shake off their fear and charge at the enemies?
Perhaps this was also a power that a ruler possessed—to make those frozen with fear move on their own.
“We can win!”
Or perhaps they thought following the mysterious man was their only lifeline.
The only being who had brought hope from despair.
Every word from Finess instilled an inexplicable belief in them.
“You bastard!”
“Die! Die, you sons of bitches!”
It had started off difficult, but from here on, it became easier.
Slash! As green blood splattered into the air, the fear that had gripped the battlefield transformed into madness.
Even as their injuries accumulated, they focused only on killing the enemies.
Some threw away their daggers and picked up the fallen goblins’ clubs, swinging them wildly.
Now, only Pinenes remained with his wits intact on the battlefield.
‘It’s still close.’
Pinenes coldly assessed the situation.
Modern humans don’t have to fight for their lives.
[Strength 1]
Moreover, most of the men likely lost their original physical strength as soon as they crossed over to this dimension.
Such rookies found it difficult even to clean up the enemies who were caught in confusion, and as a result, allies began to fall to the goblins’ blind attacks.
“Gah…!”
Spears and arrows pierced through the fragile skin of the humans.
Chwahh-rack!
Their bodies crumbled like shattered statues, just like the mercenary from earlier.
‘To minimize the damage as much as possible…!’
Fwark!
Blood-red and golden flames simultaneously burst into sight within Pinenes’ field of vision.
The blood-red was from a goblin holding a crossbow.
The golden flame came from a woman wildly swinging her weapon, her back turned to the goblin!
There was no need for further thought.
Just as Pinenes grabbed the woman by the nape of her neck and pulled her back, an arrow swish passed by, grazing her eyebrow.
“Ah…?”
The woman’s eyebrows shot up, tears filling her eyes.
In her pupils reflected the cold face of a man, out of place in the frenzied battlefield, wearing an emotionless expression.
“Th-thank you…”
There was no time for small talk.
Pinenes thrust his sword with full force.
Whooosh! The sword brushed past the woman’s cheek, cutting a few strands of her hair before piercing the head of another goblin sneaking up from behind.
Chwaaaack!
The foul-smelling goblin’s fluids poured over the woman’s head, but she seemed to have no awareness of it, her mind too far gone in the heat of battle.
“Your vision is narrow.”
“……”
“Be careful of what’s behind you.”
With those brief words of advice, Pinenes moved away, without even glancing back.
Chwurrk!
Somewhere, the sound of a human body being shattered once again filled the air.
To balance the battlefield, Pinenes had no choice but to rely on his own abilities.
Kraak! Kyaaaah!
Screams of both monsters and humans mixed, echoing all around.
Except for one, no one knew how they were fighting, or even how they were still alive.
They just kept repeating the act of eliminating the enemies before their eyes.
Although the battle with the goblins lasted about ten minutes, for everyone whose senses had broken, that time felt like an instant or an endless eternity.
And finally, peace arrived.
Even though the goblins had all been defeated, the survivors remained silent.
There were no victory shouts.
Only ragged breathing could be heard.
It was at that moment.
Ding!
[The battle has ended!]
[My word, complete annihilation of the enemy… could this be the appearance of dark horses? We’re looking forward to your future endeavors!]
Words began to flow from the hologram at the top of the screen.
[All survivors have been granted 100C of credits!]
[Credits are the truth! The currency of this world that can buy anything. It might not be bad to take your time learning how to use them!]
Since the tutorial had just ended, the messages were more chatty than usual.
[The ship has accumulated 100Kg of floating stone!]
[Floating stone is the fuel needed for the ship to fly freely through the sky. Oh, and you know what happens if the fuel runs out, right?]
[In this way, in ‘The Rift’, players can obtain necessary credits and floating stone, so don’t forget it!]
Pinenes brushed the lingering messages aside.
These were explanations he’d already heard.
Having ascended to the top of the Sky Islands, he was already familiar with most of the necessary knowledge.
What he was waiting for now wasn’t further explanations about the tutorial, but rather the details of the rewards to come.
[Tutorial completed!]
[May fortune favour your journey…]
Everyone, who had been looking up at the sky, turned their heads back to the front.
Pinenes also turned his gaze forward.
The following individual achievement rewards were only visible to the person who had earned them.
[In your first battle, you not only survived but annihilated all the enemies! A gift for your boldness!]
[Achievement unlocked: Reckless Newbie]
[Bonus stat +1]
[You led even those clueless humans to act of their own accord! You’ve already shown the qualities of a commander!]
[Achievement unlocked: Commander of the Ragtag Team]
[Credits +600C]
[Contribution is not just about slaying many enemies. You contributed more than ten times the average ally!]
[Achievement unlocked: One-Man Carry]
[Credits +300C]
It took quite a long time for all the message waves to pass.
The rewards were vastly greater compared to the first playthrough, where no achievements had been unlocked.
The credits, which are incredibly useful in the early stages, were ten times higher, plus an extra important stat point as a bonus.
‘This is just the beginning.’
Despite being at a much better starting point than before, Pinenes didn’t look particularly happy.
Having gone through the tutorial, he had clearly realized just how dangerous this world could be.
“In this new world, you’ll have to use everything you have.”
[Number of deaths: 1053]
The voice of his older sister, heard during the battle, still lingered in his ears.
The thousand deaths he’d experienced during his first playthrough continued to flash before his eyes.
If he were to be satisfied here, it would be no different from the complacent past.
Pinenes reflected on the battle he had just fought.
Was there anything he missed? Had his lack of experience kept him from finding a better approach?
“…!”
Buuuuuu-.
The ship’s vibrations pulled Pinenes out of his thoughts.
After the tutorial ended and ‘The Rift’ disappeared, he and his group found themselves seated once again on the deck of a flying ship.
The survivors were still silent.
Some were covered in blood and vomiting, while others simply stared at him.
It seemed they were waiting for him, the only person who knew information they didn’t.
‘There are only five of us left, including me.’
Pinenes stood up.
Contrary to what everyone had expected, he didn’t open his mouth but instead stood at the edge of the ship, gazing quietly at the vast sky.
Beyond the layers of clouds is a beautiful hell.
To survive in this hell, he would have to push himself to the brink of death, prepared to sacrifice his life.
If not, he would eventually lose his true life.
