Wobble-

Gangwoo pushed through the blue membrane and walked forward. A sensation like something sinking deep washed over his body.

“Hoo…”

With a tense expression, Gangwoo recalled the quest’s details once more.

[Tower of Tutorial (2nd Floor) – Defeat the master of the 2nd floor!][Main]

Description: Defeat the master of the 2nd floor!!

Reward: Tower of Tutorial Supply Box (??), 500 Gold

(Pathfinding)

‘Master of the 2nd floor, huh…’.

Was he supposed to kill a monster like the Orc on the 1st floor? For some reason, he felt a creeping tension.

Even with the best Stats and weapons money could buy, Ha Gangwoo had still been an ordinary man this morning.

The gnawing uncertainty of when a monster might leap out — and the cold fear that death could come at any moment.

It was more than enough reason to be tense.

Gangwoo chambered a round in his pistol and clicked the safety off.

He sharpened his senses to a razor’s edge, then stepped forward — thud, thud — pacing himself slow.

Had he been walking like that for a minute?

Gruk-

A pathetic little creature burst out, as if mocking the tension he’d built up.

‘A Goblin…’

The Goblin was waddling stupidly down the corridor, swaying side to side.

It hadn’t noticed Gangwoo yet. Looked perfectly at ease.

Roughly a meter tall — really, it was tiny from the start.

‘So the Orc really wasn’t meant to be hunted.’

That clinched it. The Orc, this Dungeon — it was all part of a deliberate, systematic design.

You meet an Orc right before a Goblin? Nobody would feel fear after that.

It was like stepping off a roller coaster only to sit down on a merry-go-round.

Ding-

[Starting the Hunting Guide.]

[Use your weapon to eliminate the Goblin!!]

A new Guide window appeared before Gangwoo’s eyes.

The Guide announcing his first hunt had begun.

Gangwoo stepped out in front of the Goblin without hesitation.

—Gruk!

The Goblin finally seemed to notice him, letting out a savage roar.

A small dagger was clutched in its hand. But it wasn’t threatening at all.

Gangwoo aimed the barrel without a moment’s doubt. He only had twenty bullets — enough to be frugal, but he needed practice.

Besides, he was curious about the Artifact’s effect.

Gruk!!!

The Goblin howled ferociously and charged.

Bang!!!!

Gangwoo pulled the trigger. A thunderous boom rang out, and a heavy recoil jolted through him.

[Explosive Round activated!]

Against mere 11% odds, the Artifact had triggered on his very first shot.

Whoosh — the bullet’s speed was incredible.

Before Gangwoo could even register it, it had passed clean through the Goblin’s forehead. And then —

Boom!!!!

A violent explosion erupted. The blast wave sent a wave of searing heat washing across his face.

[Goblin eliminated.]

[30 EXP acquired.]

[30 bonus EXP acquired via Perk effect.]

[120 Gold acquired.]

Gangwoo swallowed dryly, staring at the gruesome scene.

‘…’

The word ‘Goblin’ no longer fit — ‘lump of meat’ was far more appropriate.

‘Good…’

The gun was far better than he’d expected.

No blood would get on him, and it wasn’t hard to use.

The only downside was needing bullets.

[Congratulations on your first hunt!!]

[Defeating monsters grants EXP and Gold.]

[Continue earning EXP to level up.]

[Gold automatically goes into your Inventory, so don’t panic!]

A guide screen flickered into existence.

He already knew this stuff, but read through it anyway as a refresher.

[Sometimes, monsters drop rare items!!]

[After defeating a monster, be sure to look around.]

[If you spot something glinting, you can acquire a rare item!!]

[Ending guide.]

Ha Gangwoo scanned his surroundings like the guide said. The reek of goblin entrails rose up, turning his stomach.

That was when he saw it.

Something was faintly gleaming beside the goblin’s head.

[Crude Dagger]

Grade: F

Durability: 5/7

Attack: 3

Description: A very shoddily crafted dagger.

*Rare…*

So this was the rare item the guide meant.

He knew it was just a prop to explain how drops worked, but still—it was pathetic even for garbage.

Gangwoo picked up the dagger and frowned.

His Inventory was already full, and this thing was too awkward to use. Carrying it around would just be dead weight.

*Still, it’s an item…*

But to Gangwoo, it was precious. From the moment he got out of the Tower, he’d be scraping for money—that much was certain.

Every copper would count.

He slipped the dagger into his pocket and moved on.

***

[You have defeated a Goblin.]

[You have acquired 30 EXP.]

[You have acquired an additional 30 EXP from Perk effects.]

[You have acquired 120 Gold.]

[You have defeated a Goblin.]

[You have acquired 30 EXP.]

[You have acquired an additional 30 EXP from Perk effects.]

[You have acquired 120 Gold.]

….

…

..

For roughly two hours, he swept the entire second floor, slaughtering goblins.

*Shouldn’t have gone with the gloves.*

The kill count: a staggering forty goblins.

All of them beaten to death with his bare hands. And he’d learned something.

Gloves were the worst weapon possible. You got drenched in blood every kill, and you had to stare right into those disgusting goblin faces up close.

Still, it was making him numb to it all. If he’d been mowing them down from a distance with a gun, he never would’ve felt this.

What he was *really* doing here.

Ha Gangwoo grimaced and wiped the blood off his face.

*This is it.*

He looked up at the massive door in front of him. The only place on the second floor he hadn’t explored lay beyond that door.

*Too bad.*

He clicked his tongue.

[Level: 10]

Even after killing all those goblins, he hadn’t gained a single level. He wanted to feel that rush again, but the second floor clearly wasn’t giving it to him.

*Nineteen rounds left.*

A faint smile touched his lips as he loaded his gun.

*This time, I hope something stronger shows up.*

At some point, he’d started enjoying himself.

The thrill of taking down that Orc. The impact of using skills. They’d given him a pleasure he couldn’t forget.

*Creeeak—*

Ha Gangwoo pushed open the door that seemed to lead to the Boss Room.

A grotesque noise assaulted his ears as the next chamber came into view.

Filth. Animal carcasses. The acrid stench stung his nostrils.

At the center of it all stood the thing that was clearly the master of this floor.

‘So the Boss is a Goblin too.’

A flicker of disappointment passed through him.

It was about 1.2 times the size of an ordinary Goblin, sure. In its hands, it carried a sword and shield that looked decent enough.

Grrrr—

As Ha Gangwoo stepped inside, the Goblin seemed to register his presence and began to trudge forward slowly.

‘Definitely different from the others.’

If the regular Goblins on the 2nd floor were beasts, this Boss Goblin seemed to possess a mind of its own. It was sizing him up, wary.

Not that it made much of a difference, all things considered.

‘No need to drag this out.’

Ha Gangwoo leveled his aim at the Goblin. The creature raised its shield in response.

The corner of Ha Gangwoo’s mouth curled up at the sight.

‘Interesting.’

This was only the 2nd floor of the Tower of Tutorial. And yet the monster’s intelligence caught him off guard. To feel threatened by a mere aim and block accordingly — wasn’t that smart!!

What level of monsters did the Rankers even fight, he wondered?

Bang!!!

Ha Gangwoo pulled the trigger.

The bullet sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.

This time, the Artifact didn’t activate.

Thud—

Ha Gangwoo kicked into a charge the instant he fired. Not only did he lack confidence in landing the shot at this distance, but the Goblin was blocking with its shield anyway.

He’d anticipated the miss and rushed forward.

And he’d learned something from the hunting on the 2nd floor: take them down before they take you.

A swift offense was the best defense.

Step— step— step—

Had he taken three paces?

Ding-

[You have defeated the Goblin Warrior.]

[You have acquired 120 EXP.]

[You have acquired an additional 120 EXP from the Perk effect.]

[You have acquired 1,000 Gold.]

[You have leveled up!!!]

The bullet had pierced the shield and taken the Goblin down.

‘What… the hell…’

His first Boss battle had ended in an anticlimax.

[Defeat the Master of the 2nd Floor!! completed.]

[Calculating score…]

-Clearing Time: 122:21

-Monsters Defeated: 42

-Hits Taken: 5

-Objects Found: 0

Final Rank: A Rank

[You have acquired a Tower of Tutorial Supply Box (A).]

[You have acquired 500 Gold.]

[Moving to the 3rd Floor.]

Once again, darkness flooded Ha Gangwoo’s vision.

***

The dark vision brightened again.

In Ha Gangwoo’s hand, a blunt-edged box materialized.

[Tower of Tutorial Supply Box (A)]

Grade: ???

Description: A supply box from the 2nd floor of the Tower of Tutorial! Contains items useful for your climb.

This was the supply crate from clearing the second floor. Rank A—a letdown, sure, but satisfying enough.

Just as Ha Gangwoo was eyeing the crate,

A murmur—murmur—

something noisy tapped at his eardrums.

The first things to catch his eye were two men. Faces that felt oddly familiar.

“Hey! You! This bastard, what?! You said wait ten minutes and leave if I don’t show?!”

“Ah… sorry. Sorry, I got lost…”

“The Instructor played the video that many times, and you got lost? Haah… I knew it from how you always slept through class. So, what dropped in the secret room?”

They were the young men he’d seen at the entrance of the Tower of Tutorial.

‘Secret room?’

Ha Gangwoo’s ears perked up at the word ‘secret room’ in their conversation.

‘There was a secret room on the second floor…’

It seemed there was some hidden location after all.

‘No way, does it give out a Catalog or something?’

What kind of item would a hidden place give? It nagged at him. Because if it was a spot that handed out good loot, he’d feel a pang of regret.

Ha Gangwoo scrunched his face and focused on the young men’s talk.

“Can’t you tell from looking? An F-rank armor dropped. You?”

“Me? F-rank boots… Figures, only trash comes out. They said lucky ones get E-rank items. Let’s get going.”

Ha Gangwoo’s expression brightened a notch.

‘What a relief.’

That was some comfort. Missing out on an F-rank item stung, but what could he do? Water under the bridge.

‘An E-rank Artifact is good enough, right?’

Ha Gangwoo forced himself a little consolation as he slowly scanned his surroundings.

“Looking for party members! Tank position needed!”

“Support Trait here, looking for a party. Healing class.”

The space was crowded with quite a throng, and everyone there was advertising something.

‘Party?’

It seemed the third floor was a system that required forming a party.

Ha Gangwoo immediately opened the quest window.

[Quest updated.]

[Tower of Tutorial (3F) – Form a party and clear the dungeon!!][Main]

Rank:??

Description: Activate the guide to unlock the Party System, then recruit party members!!

Reward: Distributed according to dungeon rank.

Just as he thought, it was a party-related quest.

[!!!]

Now that he looked, a guide indicator had appeared in his field of view.

Ha Gangwoo clicked the guide button immediately.

[Guide starting.]

[Party System activated.]

[The heart of any Raid—the Party System—is now open.]

[Please open the Party Window.]

Following the System’s instructions, Ha Gangwoo opened the party window.

[Party Window]

– Create Party

– Search Party

– Invite Party Member

“Hmm…”

The party window was simpler than he’d expected.

Ha Gangwoo pressed each option in the party window as the guide directed.

From creating a party to searching and inviting, detailed explanations followed.

The content wasn’t all that difficult.

The only part that required a bit of attention was the party distribution method.

Item distribution, Gold, and EXP allocation were important factors, after all.

[Guide terminated.]

With that, it felt like every major system—including Party mechanics—was now active.

Ha Gangwoo hefted the supply crate and started moving.

He needed to find a place with nobody around.

Because he’d just realized he’d missed the most important thing.

“Can’t believe I forgot this…”

He scowled, staring into his Inventory.

[102,320 Gold]

‘A hundred thousand Gold…’

He’d seen that number and still hadn’t put it together.

[DLC Shop]

–

DLC – Curse of the Black Plague – 10,000,000 Gold

DLC – Starter Package – 100,000 Gold

(Refresh)

‘DLC – Starter Package.’

His most crucial ability—a Trait ranked S, no less! And one hundred thousand Gold was exactly the price of the DLC – Starter Package.

‘How could I forget my most important Trait…’

Frowning at his own mistake, he clicked the button.

[You have purchased the DLC – Starter Package.]

[DLC – Starter Package]

Grade: E

Description: A package for beginners!!

Effects

– Grants 1 Beginner-Exclusive Skill Catalog!!

– Grants 1 Beginner-Exclusive Equipment Set Box!!

– Acquires the Starter Package Perk.

The Skill Catalog he’d been yearning for—plus items too!!

Thump—thump—

Ha Gangwoo, heart pounding, used the DLC.

Ding—

[You have used the DLC – Starter Package.]