Chapter 547: The Tutorial Will Begin (1)
[The Tutorial will begin shortly.]
“Uh… Huh?”
I slowly looked around my surroundings.
“Uh? Where am I…what?”
I was in a completely unfamiliar place and only saw the interior of a dark structure. Grotesque patterns and letters that I couldn’t understand filled the space, and I couldn’t see anyone else but those who had come with me.
“W-Where is this place?”
“Don’t ask me. I-I also don’t know.”
“Is there other people here too? Where is this place… and why are there swords and weapons here?”
“If we knew that, why would we be here? It seems like everyone is in the same situation as us. Is there anything you remember?”
“Hey! Is anyone here? Hello?”
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t accept the situation.
All of the people who filled the area were feeling fear from being in such an unfamiliar space.
What was even more incomprehensible was the strange voice I heard. My head seemed to ring, causing me to instinctively grab onto it, but my actions didn’t change anything.
I didn’t know if I was kidnapped or if I was being forced into some kind of test, but I knew for sure that I had to survive here. The unfamiliar voice stated that I had to survive wherever I was, and I could only live if I beat the tutorial dungeon.
There were water and food, necessary items, weapons, classes, monsters, and even a status window.
It was like I was in an online game. Perhaps…
‘I’m dreaming.’
It was such an unbelievable situation that I could only think of it that way. Maybe I was in a very realistic dream.
“Help me!”
“P-Please let me out. Please…”
“Stop joking and open the door! I am going to sue you all! Open the door right now!”
“*sob*…*sob*… Please let me live. Please…”
“I’m going to call the police!”
“Take the weapons! Don’t you hear the noise outside? Lift your weapons!”
“You lift them! At least take the shields, hurry!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and stop this stupid prank now!”
“It’s not a joke! Didn’t you all see your status windows? Quickly raise your weapons! Hey, old man! Do you think this is a joke?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Everyone, if you deny the situation right now, nothing will change. Shouldn’t we first try to solve the situation in front of us? We can hear beasts crying outside. Regardless of whether it’s reality, a prank, or a dream, we have to do something. Everyone, take your weapons out. We have to fight back.”
“Quit this stupid joke!”
“This is not a joke. I wouldn’t want to joke about something like this, and I actually want this to be fake. Let us all take a weapon for you. If this isn’t true, then let’s figure things out later on.”
It felt too real to be a dream. The sensation I got when my back hit the wall or people’s voices… no, it already didn’t matter if it was a dream or not.
The man, who had spoken so logically, led people and gave out orders.
“No matter what the current situation is, we have to wield our weapons first. We need to have something to protect us.”
I was scrambling a bit when I saw a weapon fly from somewhere. It was a huge wooden shield. I also heard another voice.
“Ah, you, the handsome gentleman. Take this. A shield will be useful.”
“T-thank you. I… I mean, hyung.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s not even mine, and you lady over there. Take this shield too. I don’t know if it’s really a prank or not, but we should prepare to fight for now.”
‘He’s a kind person.’
The man, holding a spear, talked to a man with a big build.
‘I might be able to survive somehow… I think I can do it.’
I continued to hear a frightening sound of beasts outside, and adult men and women were preparing and arming themselves to fight them off.
If we all gathered our strength, we might just be able to fight off the beasts.
“Everyone holding shields, please come forward. The people with spears will attack from behind. We can probably defeat them easily.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Don’t think about other things, and focus on the current situation instead. Please stand in the front. You, over there, go to the front now or give your shield to someone else.”
“No, the shield…”
“If you aren’t going to use it, why do you have it? Please go to the front. That applies to you as well. Stand up quickly.
Everyone who had shields went to the front but did so unwillingly.
They might’ve gotten something to protect them, but who wanted to go to the front in place of someone else?
It was the same for me too. If someone hadn’t pushed me from behind, I would’ve been hanging around the crowd.
[The starting point will open shortly. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1.]
[Opening the starting point. Good luck.]
The moment the stone gate opened, noises and loud screams burst out. It all happened in an instant.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
Unexplainable monsters with bizarre skeletons on top of them rushed towards us humans.
“Wait… Uh… Huh?”
With a crunchy sound, blood splashed onto my face. It was impossible to make a rational decision.
My legs lost strength, and I fell to the ground. All I could do was gasp.
Inferno and Hell.
It was the only way to describe the situation where people were eaten alive by unidentified monstrosities. It swiftly became a mess, and the people, who had encouraged everyone to fight were abandoning their weapons, running away, or were being surrounded by monsters.
‘I’m going to die… We’re all going to die. Mom… mom…’
“Save me! Please help me! Please!!”
“Run!”
“What? What? What?”
“You damn pig bastard! Run! Can’t you hear me?!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Save me, save me!!”
“Run! Damn it… Run!!”
‘I have to escape from here.’
That was the only way I could live. I lifted my body senselessly and noticed a bag with water and food.
“Hyung, hyung! Where?!”
“Take the water!”
As the voice that I could hear from far away ordered, I grabbed the bag without hesitation, and I saw him grab a bag too.
A sight of a girl crying made me hesitate for a moment, but as we were helping each other, the girl fell to the ground.
“S-Sorry…”
Before she could finish her apology, a monster bit her head off.
“Ah… ah, ah…”
“Save… save me…”
“Ahhhhh!!! Ah… s-sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
I felt nauseous, but my body moved based on my primal desire to survive.
I thought I had to follow the people running away to the big exit, but my feet couldn’t move. I bit my lips and shook my shield to push the crowd away, allowing me to find space.
‘I have to get… get out of here. I don’t want to die here.’
When I saw a man fall towards me with a monster on top of him, I screamed and flung my shield around.
“Don’t come this way! Don’t come! Go away!!!’
‘Don’t come this way! Please… please don’t come here!!’
With a loud thud, it seemed the man and the monster fell and got separated, but I couldn’t even afford to glance their way. I could still hear the man’s voice.
“Wah… I almost died, sh*t.”
I was out of breath, but I couldn’t stop.
I ran forward with all I had without looking around my surroundings much, but the exit was still so far away. I then felt someone grab onto my ankles.
“Help…”
“Let go! You… let go!!”
“Please…”
“Let go!!!”
I slapped the hand that grabbed onto my ankles and moved again.
I heard screams everywhere, and with the monster’s voices, I heard cries for help.
‘Please… please…’
I was right in front of the exit. I shoved my body among the people trying to get out.
I saw some people tripping as they were shoved out, but I couldn’t afford to turn back. I had to survive first. A monster stuck onto the shield I was holding, forcing me to let it go. Soon after that, my pupils dilated from the sight before me.
It was dark, but I could see roads.
As I ran senselessly, I saw the hands of people crying out not to leave them. People were pleading to save them.
“Save… me.”
“I-I’m s-sorry.”
“Come back! Come back! You bastards!”
“S-Sorry. *sob*… Sorry, I am so sorry.”
Tears kept dripping down my cheeks. My breaths slowed, and my head became dizzy. I wasn’t sure if it was the liquid on my body, but I could constantly smell blood.
“Huff… huff…”
I didn’t know where I was running. I only thought of running away as far as possible. I didn’t know where I was or where I was going, but I couldn’t rest until I found a safe spot.
My lungs were about to explode, but I heard another scream.
‘I have to go farther.’
I had to go as far away as possible from that place.
‘I have to go to a place without monsters.’
That was the only way I could survive. I didn’t know how long I ran, but I saw a small gap. It was a gap just big enough to fit a couple of people inside.
I placed my body between the small gap and blocked the entrance with junks and big rocks.
Then, I finally sat down and caught my dream.
‘It’s not a dream…a dream…’
“No…”
It was as if all the wounds on my body were telling me that what I was experiencing was real.
After recognizing that I wasn’t dead, many thoughts rushed into my head.
The girl who lost her bag and fell, the man that grabbed onto my ankles, the dying people, and the rest who called out for help…
“Bleeeeergh!”
“Uhh… Urghhhh! *sob*…ugh…”
“Mom… mom…*sob*…ugh…”
“I am sorry, sorry. I am so sorry…sorry. *sob* Mom, mom. Ah, please, somebody help me. Please take me out of here…”
Of course, no one answered me.