"That unlucky bastard."
Seong-dong grumbled, and Jeong-min, who was walking beside him, looked at Seong-dong with questioning eyes.
"...I'm talking about the HR Manager. Gwak Jo-won. Anyway, there's not a single thing about him I like."
"It seems you two don't get along."
"That guy is supposedly in charge of Human Resources, but he's involved in all the material management and practical affairs of this shelter. I can't understand it. I wonder if he has some kind of backing... Anyway!... It would be nice if he just did his job properly, but he comes down to the combat unit all the time and interferes... Well, okay, let's say he can interfere. But I don't know what that guy thinks the lives of the combatants are worth. It's all about money, money, money! You know what the most absurd thing I've ever heard him say is? He tells the combatants not to get hurt. Just die instead of getting hurt. Because if they get hurt, it'll deplete the hospital supplies! How can I get along with a guy who jokes like that! Every single thing he says is unlucky! That guy is the one I said was against the 6th Team Leader being promoted to Team Leader earlier!"
"...Why did he oppose it?"
"Well, I guess he was jealous because a young guy who joined late got along well with everyone around him and was even capable. How would I know what's in that guy's dark heart?"
Watching Seong-dong speak with indignation, Jeong-min smiled faintly.
"What's so funny? It looks like you've been targeted by Gwak Jo-won... Well, you're capable enough to heal the dying 6th Team Leader, so it's understandable... Anyway, it's going to be quite annoying since you've been targeted by that insidious guy. Be careful!"
"...Yes, I'll have to be careful."
Walking and talking with Seong-dong, they were soon able to reach the main gate of the shelter.
When they opened the door and went out, the young man they had met at first was still there.
The young man saw Seong-dong and said with a delighted expression.
"Oh! You're here? Was everything alright?"
"What do you mean alright... Nothing happened except meeting the HR Manager."
"HR Manager? Gwak Jo-won??"
Seong-dong nodded, and the young man's face turned pale.
"Of all people, you had to run into Gwak Jo-won... Isn't this going to blow up?"
"If it blows up, it blows up. What are they going to do? I'm 1st Team Leader, fighting at the front."
"Sigh..."
Leaving the sighing young man behind, Seong-dong held out his hand to Jeong-min and said.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I've cleared the debt I owed to 6th Team Leader." Jeong-min took his hand and said.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you, I was able to save Jun-ki."
"Save? You saved 6th Team Leader? 6th Team Leader is alive??"
Pushing away the young man who rushed at him in surprise, Seong-dong said.
"Since you refused to join this shelter, you must have somewhere to go, right? Be careful."
"Yes, goodbye."
Jeong-min opened his inventory and took out his sword.
He greeted the young man as well, then turned and walked away slowly.
As he walked, Jeong-min looked at the D-rank gate visible across from the entrance.
'...The gate is quiet... So many goblins attacked last night... We need to destroy that gate quickly to make the shelter safe...'
Jeong-min walked for a while and then entered the alley between the buildings.
'Now, let's go back to the inventory. It's starting to get dark...'
Jeong-min briefly looked around and then summoned and closed the inventory gate once.
This was to make sure he would come out here next time he came out of the inventory.
After opening and closing the inventory gate to designate where he would come out, Jeong-min opened the base gate and went inside.
Jeong-min disappeared into the gate, and a moment later, a man in a tracksuit appeared out of thin air.
The man approached the gate.
"What is this... Is this the Spatial Movement skill that Department Head Gwak was talking about? It's a bit different from what I expected..."
He pushed his hand into the gate entrance, but he felt the sensation of pushing against a hard wall and could not go any further.
And then, the gate disappeared with a whoosh.
The man clicked his tongue once and then made a phone call somewhere.
Jeong-min, who had entered the inventory through the base gate, collapsed to the floor from the rush of dizziness.
"Ugh... I can't seem to get used to it..."
As Jeong-min sat there, trying to calm the dizziness, a message appeared before his eyes.
[An unregistered user is attempting to use the gate]
"Huh...?"
Jeong-min stared blankly at the message that appeared before his eyes.
'An unregistered user is trying to use the gate? Which gate? Is it talking about the base gate I just came through? Who is it? There was no one around...'
Jeong-min frowned and opened the inventory gate.
"Inventory!"
The inventory gate opened, and the scenery outside came into view beyond the gate.
Jeong-min saw a man wandering around the gate.
"...Who is it? Did he follow me...? When...?"
The man took out his cell phone from his pocket and started talking to someone.
'Who is he talking to... I can't hear him well...'
Jeong-min gave up on listening to the conversation and used 'Eye of Appraisal' on the man.
The man's status window appeared before Jeong-min's eyes.
[Park Yoon-gu
Strength: 9
Stamina: 10
Agility: 11
Intelligence: 17 [mp: 22/29]
Gold held: 20 gold
Skills held: Stealth (lv.2) Ambush (lv.1)]
Jeong-min scanned Park Yoon-gu's status window and noticed that he possessed the skill 'Stealth'.
When Jeong-min focused on the 'Stealth' skill, a detailed explanation of the skill appeared before his eyes.
[Stealth (lv.2): Conceals the user's appearance.]
'....He used that skill to follow me...'
Jeong-min recalled what Seong-dong had said.
-It's going to be quite annoying since you've been targeted by that insidious guy. Be careful!-
'...Gwak Jo-won... He must have sent him...'
While Jeong-min was thinking, Park Yoon-gu finished his call and left.
Jeong-min watched Park Yoon-gu's retreating figure and thought.
'...'Stealth'... I need to be careful...'
Jeong-min closed the inventory gate as soon as Park Yoon-gu disappeared completely from view.
The light flowing in from outside disappeared, and the inside of the inventory became dark.
"...I need to decorate the inside of the inventory a bit tomorrow... Install some lighting and secure a place to sleep..."
Jeong-min muttered as he looked at the inside of the inventory, which was piled with all sorts of things, and then used Clairvoyance and Spatial Movement to move to Leia's inventory.
The gate was already open in Leia's inventory.
Beyond the gate, he could see Leia squatting on a small chair, tending a bonfire.
Looking at Leia, who was hugging her knees and staring blankly at the bonfire, Jeong-min also felt a sense of blankness.
'Beautiful...'
Jeong-min stared blankly at Leia for a moment.
'Sigh. I need to hurry. What am I doing? Leia is waiting...'
Jeong-min came to his senses and used the Spatial Movement skill, focusing on Leia's back.
Jeong-min, who appeared behind Leia, collapsed to the ground.
Leia turned around and was very happy.
"Jeong-min! You're here!"
Jeong-min endured the rush of dizziness and said to Leia.
"Yes, Leia. I'm here. Just a moment... I'm still dizzy..."
Leia patted Jeong-min's back lightly and said.
"You'll get used to it if you keep experiencing it. It would be nice if I could use a skill to eliminate the status ailment... But it seems it would be more helpful for you to get used to it by experiencing it a lot."
"It's okay, Leia. I'm much better now."
Jeong-min got up.
Jeong-min shook his head to shake off the dizziness and looked at Leia.
Unlike when he saw her through the inventory, Leia's body, seen up close, was covered in dirt and dust.
"Uh... Leia? You're covered in dirt. What happened?"
At Jeong-min's words, Leia blushed and said.
"Well... I was buried in the ground in the previous battle... I got out quickly... But I got covered in dirt... I was going to wash up, but it was almost time for my appointment with Jeong-min..."
"Ah... I see. You must feel uncomfortable. Then, would you like to wash up first? Where do you wash up?"
"...Originally, I just washed up anywhere... Since there's no one else in this world but me... If there was a stream or something, I would wash there, but I can't find any streams here, no matter how much I look. So, I just summon water with a skill and wash up..."
Looking at Leia, who was speaking shyly, Jeong-min said.
"Ah... Then... I'll prepare a place for you to wash up. Please wait a moment."
Jeong-min asked Leia to leave the inventory gate open, then opened the base gate and went back into his inventory.
Jeong-min, who had collapsed on the floor and overcome the dizziness, began to pack various items into the space expansion bag that Leia had given him.
Jeong-min came back to where Leia was through Leia's inventory.
Stagger.
He was dizzy from the aftereffects of dimensional travel, but he managed to endure it.
'I feel like I'm getting a little used to the dizziness from moving around so much. Repetition is the best after all.'
Jeong-min took out a camping shower booth from his bag.
'I'm really glad I prepared camping equipment... It's very useful.'
Jeong-min set up the one-touch shower booth a little away from Leia's tent.
"You can wash up in here."
"H...Here?"
"Yes, don't worry because you won't be seen if you close the zipper like this... Do you happen to have... soap... or something like that?"
"So, soap? Yes, I do."
Leia took out a bar of soap from her inventory and showed it to Jeong-min. "...I bought it from the Store. Originally, only rich people or nobles could use
it..."
Jeong-min took the soap that Leia handed him.
'....Even laundry soap looks better than this...'
Jeong-min handed the soap back to Leia and said.
"This soap looks good too... But why don't you try washing with what I give you? Our world is a world where these kinds of household goods are very developed, so I'm sure you'll like it."
Jeong-min opened his bag and took out shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a bath sponge.
Leia took the shower supplies that Jeong-min handed her and stood there in a daze.
Jeong-min briefly explained how to use the supplies to Leia and then pushed Leia into the shower booth.
"Go ahead and wash up first. I'll prepare dinner."
"Ah... Yes..."
Leia went into the shower booth and closed the zipper.
Soon, there was a rustling sound from inside.
Jeong-min went to the front of the tent and started preparing dinner.
He took out two portable gas stoves from his bag, put bottled water in a pot, and started boiling it.
When the water started to boil, Jeong-min took out two packs of ramen and put them in, and he put instant rice in the other pot.
Jeong-min even took out kimchi from his bag and smelled it.
'Is it because of the preservation magic? The kimchi is still in its original state, not fermented. I won't be able to eat aged kimchi if I keep it in the inventory.'
Just as the ramen was cooked and the instant rice was taken out and set up, the zipper of the shower booth opened.
Leia, wiping her wet hair with a towel, said to Jeong-min.
"The things in Jeong-min's world are really... so amazing! I feel so refreshed... The scent is so good, and my hair doesn't clump together. How can you make such things?"
Jeong-min stared blankly at Leia as she walked over and was frozen for a moment.
Leia called out to Jeong-min as she walked over.
"Jeong-min?"
Jeong-min barely came to his senses and said to Leia.
"Ah.. yes, what did you say just now?"
"I said that the bath products you gave me are very good."
"As I said, our world is very good at making those kinds of household goods. I'll leave all the supplies behind, so Leia can use them."
Leia widened her eyes and said.
"Really? Can I really do that?"
"Of course. I have a few more in my inventory. And if I run out, I can buy them at the Store later. The Store sells everything that you can usually buy, right?"
Leia nodded.
"Yes, the Store sells all the items that are usually distributed in the market. You can also buy skills and items."
"So don't worry. I'll work hard to collect gold."
Jeong-min smiled and continued to set the table.
Leia was very happy to see the ramen that Jeong-min had cooked, and the two of them started dinner together.
Leia, who was eating kimchi for the first time, was very interested in the taste and ate it deliciously.
After finishing their meal, the two sat facing each other with the bonfire in between.
Leia said to Jeong-min."Today, I'll tell you about stats. There are four stats: Strength, Stamina, Agility, and Intelligence. You know that, right?"
Leia, seeing Jeong-min nod, continued.
"Strength, as the name suggests, means strength. Raising your Strength stat allows you to lift heavier objects and increases your attack power with weapons. Stamina is the same, it's about physical endurance. Raising the stat means you won't tire easily, and your body's durability will increase. Think of it as your body becoming tougher the more you raise your Stamina. And raising Agility makes you nimbler and improves your dynamic visual acuity.
Finally, raising Intelligence increases the attack power and effectiveness of skills, and also increases your mana pool. All four of these stats are important, so you can't neglect any of them."
Listening to Leia's explanation, Jeong-min took out a can of cola from his bag and handed it to her.
"Thank you."
Leia smiled, took a sip of the cola, and continued her explanation.
"Raising these four stats is the most important thing you can do. There are many items that have stat increase options, but ultimately, your own stats are the most important. The stats that items give you are ultimately limited."
Leia smiled brightly, seeing Jeong-min listening intently to her words.
"There are four ways to raise your stats.
First, using items to raise them... you already know about that. Next is killing monsters. You've hunted goblins, right?"
Jeong-min nodded and said,
"Yes... while escaping the area around the D-rank gate..."
"Yes, you can raise your stats by catching monsters like that. The increase isn't that big, though. Ah, of course, if you catch high-grade monsters that come out of high-grade gates, it goes up quite a bit."
Jeong-min recalled the stats that had increased when he caught goblins.
Leia's explanation continued.
"The third method is destroying gates. Destroying a gate allows you to raise quite a few stats at once. And... the last method is... training."
Jeong-min said,
"Are you talking about raising stats through repetitive exercise?"
Leia nodded.
"Yes, that's right. It's also the method of stat increase that Jeong-min will have to pay the most attention to in the future."
Jeong-min recalled the training he had done at the mineral spring and said,
"Um... I've tried raising my stats through repetitive training... but it doesn't seem to be very effective? Wouldn't it be more effective to hunt monsters instead?"
Leia smiled and said,
"With that kind of general training, the effect of stat increase can't be that great. What I'm talking about is... well... training that uses extreme force, shall we say?"
"Extreme force?"
"Yes, it's a method devised by my master... a way to exploit the loopholes in the status window system."
"...?"
Leia seemed to struggle to explain, pondered for a moment, and then started talking again.
"People often exert strength beyond what they have in extreme situations. Do you know that?"
Jeong-min recalled seeing a video of a mother who had lifted a child who had fallen into a manhole with one hand and pulled them out, and nodded.
"Um, I think I've heard of it."
"If you train in that state of drawing out extreme strength, the status window system will... what should I say, be mistaken?"
"Mistaken?"
"Yes, it's like it mistakes the strength of the status window owner. Like, 'Huh? Their average strength, their stamin, was higher than this?'"
"...Um...?"
Leia, seeing Jeong-min furrow his brow as if he didn't understand, said, frustrated,
"Oh, geez, if my master had explained it, he would have explained it accurately and well... Anyway, if you train for a certain amount of time in a state of exerting extreme strength, the status window mistakes that extreme strength value for the status window owner's stats. So the stats are boosted... it's a way to raise stats by exploiting such loopholes in the system... Is it still hard to understand...?"
Jeong-min shook his head and said,
"No, I roughly... very roughly understand. But... there are such loopholes in the status window system? How did you find such loopholes?"
"My master was the most famous swordsman on the continent even before the [Trial of God], and at the same time, he was the most prestigious scholar. After becoming an Awakened, he did an enormous amount of research and experimentation on the status window, and that's how he learned about it."
"Ah... I see... like a bug in a game..."
"Game? Bug?"
Leia tilted her head, and Jeong-min waved his hand and said,
"Ah, it's nothing. It's a term used in my world. But... to think there's such a bug, no, such a loophole in the system... it feels too sloppy, somehow."
"My master also expressed the same question... but well, I guess 'God' isn't perfect either. Just looking at the fact that Jeong-min came here by dimensional travel, it feels a bit sloppy, doesn't it?"
"That's true, but..."
"I'm not going to think too deeply about it. The [Trial of God] is almost over anyway... I'll just ask my master properly when he returns after clearing the [Trial of God]."
Jeong-min felt that Leia wanted to end the conversation on this topic.
'Leia must be... anxious too...'
Jeong-min naturally changed the subject.
"Then shall we talk about the training using that extreme force again? What kind of training is it?"
At Jeong-min's question, Leia smiled again and began to explain the training content.
Even while listening to Leia's explanation, Jeong-min was lost in other thoughts.
'...Why are there so many loopholes in the [Trial of God]...?'