Clang~!

A glass bottle hitting stone rang clear through the air.

[You have purchased Mid-Grade HP Potion x3.]

The empty potion bottles piled on the floor seemed to speak for the situation.

Sh-sh-sh-shiver…

Three men trembled like aspen leaves.

Ha Gangwoo dragged the tip of his sword along the ground, watching the men. The blade rasped against the asphalt in a long, deliberate scrape.

‘Hmm…’

He was weighing his options.

These men bore him ill will — the kind that would come back to bite him later if left unchecked.

The cleanest solution, the easiest one, would be to deal with them now while he had the chance.

But this was still the Tutorial.

Death here only meant ejection from the zone — no permanent end.

Killing outside was never a simple choice either.

The Association handled order, and he had no desire to make enemies of them over meaningless bloodshed.

So he needed another approach.

One that didn’t end with death, but crushed any thought of defiance.

That was what intrigued him.

And that was exactly why he was here right now.

Ha Gangwoo crouched down and untied the cloth blindfolding the men.

The eyes that had blazed with fury during the first experiment were completely dead now.

He met their gazes and slowly turned his head.

The moment one of them locked eyes with him, the man dropped his gaze and began shaking uncontrollably — a violent tremble running through his whole body.

‘This should be enough.’

All four of them had learned what fear of Ha Gangwoo felt like.

He leaned in and whispered, his voice barely audible.

“I’ll see you outside.”

He had no real desire to meet them outside the Tutorial, but this parting whisper was meant to ensure they never dared think of foolish retaliation.

Sreung—

He picked up the longsword he had taken from them. The well-honed blade rang with a clean, metallic note.

As the sword scraped across the ground, all four men began shaking again.

‘Let’s finish this.’

Swish—

That chilling sound filled the alleyway completely before fading into silence.

***

Ha Gangwoo turned toward the door leading to the fifth floor.

‘Wasted too much time.’

The experiment had dragged on longer than he’d intended.

But it didn’t matter.

The only reason he had been in a hurry was the money — for his younger sister’s maintenance costs.

But now he had time on his hands, and he’d already secured the funds.

There was no more reason to rush.

He opened his Inventory as he walked.

[Gold: 2,763,210]

A faint smile touched the corner of his lips as he looked at the number.

‘Enough.’

He had spent a bit of the Gold already — the HP Potions he’d used on the men had been costly.

But selling the gear they had been wearing had covered most of the loss.

And he’d even managed to pick up a few decent pieces.

[Steel Sword]

Grade: E

Durability: 30/35

Crafted by: Tenny Smith

Attack: 24

Strength: +29

Vitality: +24

Description: A sword forged with care by Tenny Smith.

The sword that Kim Changho had wielded.

[Chainmail Top]

Grade: E

Durability: 28/40

Defense: 34

Strength: +19

Vitality: +31

Description: Heavy, but boasts respectable durability and defense for its weight.

It was the chest armor worn by the burly man with the rough physique.

He had been in need of both a top armor piece and a weapon anyway.

So instead of selling these, he had equipped them.

Clank—

The chainmail clattered with every step, but the defense it offered looked reassuring.

Ha Gangwoo had already reached the door. He lifted his head to take in the massive gate before him.

A golden trim, intricate patterns etched across its surface.

The door was the size of a five-story building. Beneath it sat a smaller, identical door.

Gangwoo stepped up to that smaller entrance.

‘What’s waiting in there?’

The final floor—what kind of quest would be waiting? Curiosity gnawed at him.

Thump-thump—

Maybe it was that inexplicable anticipation, but his heart hammered again, loud in his chest.

Gangwoo drew his sword, held it ready, and placed his hand on the door.

‘Hoo…’

The last fight had made it clear.

He had already surpassed the Tutorial’s level. There was no fear now.

Just a single, burning curiosity about what the next floor held.

A smile crept across Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Hope this one’s S-rank or higher too.’

Plus, the Gold he’d earned on the 4th floor had hit nearly 1.6 million. The reward had to be something good.

Creeeak—

As Gangwoo pushed the door open, a blinding light slammed into his retinas.

Ding—

[Quest completed.]

[Tower of Tutorial (4th Floor) – Exchange, Trade, and Games has been cleared.]

[Calculating score……]

Games participated in: 1

Items sold: 10

…

..

.

[Gold obtained from 4th Floor: 1,650,810 Gold.]

[Score calculation complete.]

[S-Rank.]

Ding—

[Rewards deposited into Inventory.]

The cheerful notification arrived as a soft hum—and then his body felt like it was floating.

***

Whap!

True to form, the bright vista dimmed, and a new landscape burned into his retinas.

[Entered 5th Floor.]

Ha Gangwoo slowly lifted his head and scanned the surroundings.

Shwaaaa— a small waterfall, chirp-chirp— the sound of birds eased his mind.

And before him stood a grand structure.

Its Chinese-style design lent the place an undeniable atmosphere.

[25:12:34]

A timer ticked down above the building.

‘A place with a time limit?’

Twenty-five hours seemed like plenty of leeway, but you never knew.

Gangwoo opened his quest window at once.

Ding~!

[Tower of Tutorial (5th Floor) – For Victory Alone.][Main]

Grade: ???

Description: Antero is hosting a tournament~! Receive Antero’s training before the time limit, then participate in the tournament!

Reward: ???

(Pathfinding)

‘A tournament?’

That timer was counting down to the start of the competition.

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin, lost in thought.

‘Tournament, Antero, training…’

A tournament, out of nowhere? It felt absurd.

And training, on top of that?

Gangwoo took his time looking around.

Well-tended grass, stone tiles. And several sizable buildings loomed in the distance.

In front of that building stood a sign.

Swords, spears, gloves. Bows. And more.

‘So that’s where the training happens?’

The training written in the quest—those buildings were clearly the place for it.

As if answering the question, a few people inside the buildings were swinging weapons, practicing something.

The spot with the most gathered people was the one with the sword symbol.

“Swords are the most popular, huh.”

Ha Gangwoo looked around, then felt a familiar presence.

Turning his gaze there, he saw a familiar face.

‘Kang Seongbin?’

Kang Seongbin stared at Ha Gangwoo for a moment, then when their eyes met, he clicked his tongue—*Tch*—and spun around, disappearing.

‘Was he waiting for me…?’

Maybe it was because they’d run into each other right as he entered, but somehow that thought crossed his mind.

‘If Kang Seongbin is here…’

Chances were, Chae Seohyun and Lee Ayeon were in this space too.

If so.

‘I might have to fight the Demon again.’

This place—the tournament was the final evaluation. If things got tangled, he might end up fighting Lee Ayeon.

Without any weapons, could he even win?

All sorts of thoughts swirled, but Ha Gangwoo decided to clear his head for now.

He put his sword into his Inventory and flopped down onto the ground.

*Rustle*—the grass was thick, giving a soft cushiony feel.

‘Let’s just get this over with fast.’

Twenty-five hours left until the tournament. He had things to do before then.

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin and looked at the System window trailing his vision.

[!!!]

A guide icon had been following his sight since the moment he entered the 5th floor.

‘I wonder what System it is.’

The Auction House and everything—the System really did occupy a crucial place.

Maybe that was why he was curious what kind of System it would unlock.

*Ding-*

[Starting the guide.]

[PVP is now enabled.]

[Please open the PVP window.]

“PVP??”

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin again and followed the guide to open the System.

[PVP is a system where Players bet something and fight each other.]

‘Hmm…’

The tedious guide continued like that, and Ha Gangwoo listened intently.

[Ending the PVP guide.]

The part the guide emphasized most was the settings section.

[PVP]

[Settings]

– Victory Condition:

– Defeat Condition:

– Victory Reward:

– Time Limit:

From victory conditions to time limit—it came with fairly detailed settings.

‘Why would you even need a feature like this…’

PVP was, plain and simple, a system for Player-versus-Player combat. He couldn’t understand why it was necessary.

A Player’s true role was slaughter. Could it be that they actually wanted Players to kill each other too?

He’d thought the only enemies were Monsters, but maybe that was naive thinking.

Ha Gangwoo scowled and closed the [PVP] window.

Next up was the thing he’d put off on the 4th floor.

Ha Gangwoo smiled and immediately opened the DLC Shop.

[DLC Shop]

DLC – Inventory Upgrade – 500,000 Gold

DLC – Auction House VIP Pass – 1,000,000 Gold

–

(Refresh)

‘Lion.’

Ha Gangwoo bought the item immediately.

Ding—

[You have purchased DLC – Inventory Upgrade.]

[You have purchased DLC – Auction House VIP Pass.]

The moment the purchase went through, a hum filled the air as light coalesced in front of him, resolving into two game packs.

With practiced ease, Gangwoo activated both DLCs.

[You have used DLC – Inventory Upgrade.]

[You have used DLC – Auction House VIP Pass.]

[DLC – Auction House VIP Pass]

Grade: E

Description: The Auction House VIP Pass is now available!! Experience the privilege of a VIP and buy and sell a variety of items!!

Effects

– Adds 2 listing slots.

– Waives sales fees.

– Unlocks Pre-order Purchase.

– Adds sorting function.

For now, there wasn’t much to inspect about the VIP Pass itself.

But when he started selling, he knew he’d feel just how broken this DLC was.

‘Come to think of it… what happened to the items I listed?’

Caught up in the experiment, he’d forgotten about the stuff he’d put up back on the 4th floor.

Gangwoo opened the Auction House to check.

[Listed Items] (2/13)

[Rupicel Mineral]

– Time remaining: 60 hours 42 minutes

– Current bid: 10,000 Gold

– Buyout: X

[Flame Petal]

– Time remaining: 60 hours 42 minutes

– Current bid: 1,520,000 Gold

– Buyout: X

“Huh?!”

Gangwoo rubbed his eyes. No matter how many times he blinked, the numbers didn’t add up.

“One-point-five million Gold??”

The Flame Petal, which he’d written off as just junk, had shot up to a crazy price.

“Did someone mis-click? Why is it this expensive?”

No matter how he looked at it, it made no sense.

The Rupicel Mineral, listed alongside it, hadn’t drawn a single bid — yet the Flame Petal alone had skyrocketed.

‘Is it supposed to be that rare? Or did someone catch on to its scarcity before anyone else did?’

Questions swirled, but no answers came.

One thing was certain: he’d hit the jackpot.

He’d barely spent the 1.5 million Gold before earning it right back. Being a Player really was a money-making gig.

A smile touched his lips as he checked the ‘Inventory Upgrade’ feature.

[DLC – Inventory Upgrade]

Grade: E

Description: The all-new Inventory Upgrade DLC is here!! Enjoy your adventures with even more convenient features~!

Effects

– Adds 5 Inventory slots.

– Unlocks Store/Load function.

Five extra slots were a no-brainer.

The real prize was the Store/Load function.

‘What does it do?’

He had a rough idea, but there was no explanation.

Gangwoo opened his Inventory.

Inventory (2/10)

[Steel Sword]

[Tower of Tutorial Supply Crate (S)]

[]

[]

…

..

Normally, he’d have to reach his hand into the Inventory and physically pull things out.

‘It appeared that using the Load/Store function allowed one to withdraw items without that motion.’

‘Must be the Activation Word, then.’

Ha Gangwoo spread his right hand and called the Activation Word to mind.

‘Steel Sword.’

In that instant,

the Steel Sword clicked—right into his palm.

“Whoa?!”

It was even more convenient than he’d imagined.

Opening the Inventory and reaching in manually wasn’t exactly a hassle, but this was on a whole other level.

A variable that let him swap weapons on the fly, anytime.

And not just weapons—it meant he could pull out Potions too.

‘Bet I can Store things back too, right?’

Gangwoo dismissed the Inventory, held the Steel Sword in his hand, and uttered the Activation Word.

‘Store.’

*Shwoosh—*

In an instant, the Steel Sword in his grasp vanished.

A thin grin crept across Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Nice.’

As expected, the DLC never failed to deliver.

Now, all that remained—

[DLC Shop]

–

–

–

(Refresh)

—was Refresh.

What kind of DLC would appear this time? He had enough Gold, too. His anticipation was at its peak, higher than ever.

*Thump— thump—*

Whether from vague excitement or not, his heart pounded hard against his ribs.

Ha Gangwoo slowly moved his hand and clicked (Refresh).

*Ding-*

‘Uh…’

Confusion crept across Ha Gangwoo’s face as he stared at the System window.

[Remaining Cooldown: 7 hours 57 minutes]

What appeared wasn’t a new list, but the remaining time.

‘Didn’t expect a Cooldown.’

Ha Gangwoo frowned as he checked the remaining time.

“Seven hours…”

He fell into thought.

He’d pressed Refresh right after rescuing Lee Ayeon and the Magical Tool, right when he’d taken stock of his gear.

That was roughly sixteen hours ago.

‘Twenty-four hours, then.’

Crunching the numbers, the Cooldown seemed to be around twenty-four hours.

‘Too bad.’

Looked like he’d have to check the DLC Shop later.

Now, there was only this left.

Ha Gangwoo spread his palm and uttered the Activation Word. With a *shwoosh*, it appeared.

[Tower of Tutorial Supply Crate (S)]

Grade: ???

Description: A supply crate from the 4th floor of the Tower of Tutorial! Contains items useful for climbing.

‘Convenient.’

A satisfied smile hovering on his lips, Gangwoo tore the crate open immediately.

With a *thump*, the crate’s contents popped out.

A card gleaming brilliantly in gold.

[Skill Catalog]

Grade: B

A B-grade Catalog, no less.

*Thump thump.*

The highest grade among all the Catalogs he’d acquired so far.

What skill could be inside?

Ha Gangwoo used the Catalog immediately.

*Ding-*

[Seismic Stomp acquired.]