Fortunately, my phone and wallet were still in my pockets, just as they had been when I entered the tower.
They must have been burned hundreds of times, yet somehow, they had been restored along with me.
That was the Tutorial Tower for you.
Thanks to that, I was able to board a bus immediately and return home without wandering around in the cold.
“Mm. That familiar smell of mold.”
I had not missed it.
I opened the door to my rented semi-basement room and stared at the thick layer of dust covering everything.
“……I suppose this was inevitable.”
Six months.
That was by no means a short amount of time.
It was only natural for dust to accumulate after I had left the place empty for so long.
“Would I have been evicted if I had not set up automatic rent payments?”
Tilting my head, I decided to begin by wiping the dust from the floor.
After cleaning away all the accumulated dust, I released a long breath and sat with my back against the wall.
‘What am I supposed to do from now on?’
I recalled the system messages that had appeared when I struck the Guardian.
My Synchronization Rate had clearly reached 1%, and a message had appeared saying that the Master of the Twisted Netherworld was pleased.
Immediately afterward, a new power of the Black Dragon, Haze, had been unlocked.
“For now, increasing the Synchronization Rate must be the right choice.”
I had to increase my Synchronization Rate.
I was now certain that this was the way to escape the Black Dragon’s control.
In that case, how was I supposed to increase it?
“…….”
No.
Before that, was it truly safe to increase it?
I had never heard of a skill possessing a will of its own, yet the skill with a will inside me desired my body.
Despite that, I was apparently supposed to increase something called a Synchronization Rate without even knowing what it truly was.
Even at a glance, the entire situation seemed deeply wrong.
However—
“Is the result not the same either way?”
Suppose I did not increase my Synchronization Rate.
Then the Black Dragon would be dissatisfied and take my body.
Suppose I did increase it.
I did not know exactly what I was synchronizing with, but if my assumption was correct and it represented my synchronization with the Black Dragon, then the higher it rose, the more likely the Black Dragon would be to take my body.
The outcome was the same either way.
In that case, the choice before me was simple.
“I might as well raise it.”
The only difference was whether I would stand helplessly by and allow my body to be taken.
Giving up without resistance did not suit me.
Had I been that kind of person, I would never have done what I did on the tenth floor.
Besides, Black Dragon was a skill.
I was the master who wielded that skill.
What kind of insolent skill tried to devour its own master?
“That is enough thinking about this.”
Now that I had made my decision, there was no point in dwelling on it further.
No matter how long I continued thinking, I was unlikely to find another solution.
I turned my gaze to the right and stared into the air.
A system window had remained there ever since I left the tower.
[Generating additional reward…….]
Had the system said that I was the first person to earn the acknowledgment of the Guardian of the Tutorial Tower?
It had promised me an additional reward, yet I still had not received anything.
When would it finally be granted?
I had assumed I would only need to wait about thirty minutes, just as I had when receiving my Unique Skill.
“It is already dark.”
The additional reward still had not appeared, even after the sun vanished and the moon rose high into the sky.
Scratching the back of my head, I stood and took a thick blanket from the wardrobe.
“Forget it. I am going to rest.”
Strangely, I did not feel sleepy.
Mentally, however, I was utterly exhausted.
That was only natural.
I had died at least several hundred times while clearing the Tutorial Tower.
Even if I could not sleep, I wanted to lie down and rest for a while.
I spread the blanket from the wardrobe across the bed and threw myself onto it.
The sensation of a soft bed beneath me for the first time in days was exhilarating.
***
The next day.
Despite believing that I would not be able to sleep, I slept soundly and did not wake until nearly noon.
Afterward, I headed to Gangnam.
The reason was simple.
The Awakened Association was located there.
Anyone who Awakened and gained access to the system had to register with the Awakened Association.
That was one of the rules of modern society.
Failing to register after Awakening could immediately turn a person into a criminal, so nearly everyone completed the process.
“Number 258. We will now assist you with your Awakened registration.”
Holding a ticket marked 258, I immediately rose from my seat.
This was Gangnam.
More precisely, it was an Awakened Association branch located in the busiest part of Gangnam.
I had visited Gangnam once before.
The older man from the construction site had made a fortune investing in crypto and brought us to an expensive barbecue restaurant.
Taeseong had been with us then as well.
In any case, I had been to Gangnam before.
However, this was my first visit to the Awakened Association.
I walked toward the reception desk on the first floor of the luxurious building, which was covered in unfamiliar marble in every direction.
“Could you show me your identification card?”
“Here.”
I took my identification card from my wallet and handed it over.
The clerk typed busily for a moment before returning it to me.
“Han Mir, your identity has been confirmed, but your eye color is different.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your eyes are orange now.”
Orange?
I hurriedly turned on my phone and used the screen to look at my face.
There was no way—
“They really are.”
I had not looked into a mirror since leaving the tower.
Even when I stopped by the bathroom, I had not checked.
Honestly, I had been too tired to think about it.
Had I known this would happen, I would have looked at myself that morning.
The bus had been due in three minutes, so I had rushed out without checking anything.
As I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, the clerk smiled and pointed to the side.
“Some people experience changes in their hair or eye color after Awakening. It is quite common.”
“Ah…….”
“You did not bring an identification photograph with orange eyes, did you?”
“I am sorry.”
“That is all right. There is an instant photo booth over there. Could you take one and bring it back?”
I nodded and quickly entered the booth.
Bringing the identification photographs I had stored away at home had become meaningless.
I had nearly missed the bus while searching for them.
After receiving my freshly printed photograph, I returned to the clerk.
“I have received the photograph. Could you share your Tutorial Tower clear time?”
As a rule, system windows could not be shared with other people.
There was, however, one system window that could be shared.
The time spent inside the Tutorial Tower.
I nodded and immediately shared my Tutorial Tower completion time with the clerk.
“Here.”
“Four thousand four hundred forty-four point four hours…… Yes. Your registration is complete.”
TAP, TAP-TAP.
All interest drained from the clerk’s face as she stared at my Tutorial Tower clear time.
That felt unfair.
I had worked hard too.
It had only taken so long because I encountered the Black Dragon.
‘I heard anyone who cleared it within a month was classified separately and underwent an additional assessment.’
Regardless of the circumstances, I had taken half a year, so I had clearly missed that opportunity.
I smacked my lips in disappointment and looked at the clerk.
After typing diligently for a while, she handed me a freshly printed card that was still warm.
“The process is complete. From now on, you may operate as an Awakened and an F-rank Hunter. Recklessly using your powers may result in you being designated a Villain. To become an E-rank Hunter, you must take the Hunter Promotion Exam.”
“Is that everything?”
“Yes. You are finished. You may leave.”
Hmm.
I had heard that registering as an Awakened was simple.
All I had to do was show my Tutorial Tower clear time.
Coincidentally, the Tutorial Tower clear time was the only part of the system that could be shared with another person.
Sharing it proved that someone had Awakened the system and conquered the Tutorial Tower.
That was why the process had been designed to be so straightforward.
‘I knew that, but this was far simpler than I expected.’
I had at least expected to demonstrate my skill.
Smacking my lips quietly, I examined the Awakened Registration Card the clerk had given me and walked toward the seating area.
“Name, Han Mir…… It even has my address.”
I tilted the Awakened Registration Card beneath the ceiling lights as I walked outside.
A real Awakened Registration Card was in my hand.
It was a strange feeling.
‘Setting that aside, my eye color changed…….’
I stared at my orange-eyed face printed on the card.
It was peculiar.
Looking at those orange eyes reminded me of the Black Dragon I had encountered inside the tower.
That was undoubtedly what had changed their color.
I shook my head, forcibly dispelling the negative thoughts rising within me, and slipped the Awakened Registration Card into my pocket.
“The E-rank Hunter Promotion Exam is next Wednesday.”
Hunters had ranks.
Gates also had ranks.
Only Hunters who met at least the minimum rank requirement could enter each Gate.
I had only just completed my registration and become an F-rank Hunter, so there were very few Gates I was allowed to enter.
The monsters inside F-rank Gates were probably no stronger than those in the Tutorial Tower.
I would likely need to enter at least a C-rank Gate to increase my Synchronization Rate.
“Since I am already here, I might as well visit one.”
I took out my phone and searched for nearby F-rank Gates.
“What? There are none near Gangnam.”
There did not appear to be any Gates near Gangnam that an F-rank Hunter like me could enter—
“Hm?”
There was one.
I selected a new F-rank Gate that had been added to the listings a week earlier.
“Slime Nest? It is an F-rank Gate that appeared two weeks ago.”
It probably had not appeared in the earlier search because it had only existed for two weeks.
Whatever the reason, it was not far away.
I decided to visit it.
I immediately pressed the navigation button and headed toward the F-rank Gate.
***
“So this is a Gate.”
I had seen monsters inside the tower, but this was my first time seeing an actual Gate.
A vast dimensional portal hummed as it scattered blue mana into the air.
I approached it and showed my Awakened Registration Card to the Association Hunter guarding the entrance.
“Your Awakened status has been confirmed. You may enter.”
“Thank you.”
After briefly glancing over my Awakened Registration Card, the Association Hunter immediately allowed me to enter the Gate.
The possibility of an accident inside an F-rank Gate was practically zero, so that was probably why the inspection was so casual.
I shrugged and stepped through the Gate.
‘This sensation…….’
For an instant, I felt my body rise into the air.
It was nearly identical to the sensation of ascending to another floor inside the tower.
I opened my eyes, which had closed on their own, and found myself standing in a vast field.
“So this is the F-rank Gate, Slime Nest?”
Slimes.
They were supposedly monsters on the same level as Goblins, or perhaps even weaker.
I had heard that they hunted by using their bodies, which were composed of acidic mucus, to suffocate their prey.
That had concerned me on the way here.
“Do they mean those things?”
I stared at the blue spheres bouncing around in the distance.
The Awakened inside the Gate were freely unleashing skill after skill at the Slimes.
The bouncing creatures died helplessly beneath the Hunters’ attacks.
Watching the scene left me at a loss.
“How are those things supposed to be on the same level as Goblins?”
They were unbelievably weak.
Still, perhaps it did not matter.
Whether it was a Goblin or a Slime—
[Black Dragon]
—both would die in one blow.
My fist struck a Slime, causing it to burst and spray mucus in every direction.
I smacked my lips and glanced to the side.
[Synchronization Rate: 1%]
Naturally, it had not increased.
I had expected that, but seeing it confirmed still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
If this was the true nature of an F-rank Gate, could I really increase my Synchronization Rate here?
“For now, I should kill everything I see and think about it afterward.”
There was no way to know.
Perhaps there was a Slime village somewhere, and destroying it would increase my Synchronization Rate as it had inside the Tutorial Tower.
With that casual thought, I continued forward.
A forest thick with lush grass stood ahead.
***
“Huff, huff.”
A woman ran forward, breathing raggedly.
“Ugh!”
The ankle she had twisted earlier throbbed as though it were about to shatter.
The skin on her hands had been scraped raw, leaving them covered in blood, and her entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
“This is an F-rank Gate. Why…… Why is this happening……?”
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Heavy footsteps echoed behind her.
The pressure of imminent death was so overwhelming that she could barely force out her voice.
As she ran, she failed to watch the ground and caught her foot on a protruding stone.
“Ah—!”
CRASH!
The woman tumbled gracelessly across the uneven ground.
Her already tattered clothes tore further and became stained with red blood.
Despite that, she tried to force strength into her legs and flee.
However—
“Ah…….”
Her legs would not move.
Despair washed over her.
Trembling, the woman turned her head.
It was a creature that should never have appeared inside an F-rank Gate.
A textbook example of a C-rank monster.
A green-skinned giant stood there—
“What is this thing?”
WHAM!
It burst apart from a single blow.
“Eh……?”
Unable to comprehend what had happened, the woman froze and slowly turned her trembling gaze.
A man stood there blankly, his right hand covered in black scales.
***
I had come this way because I sensed that something was here, only to find a green pig standing upright on two legs.
It was nearly two meters tall.
I struck it once without thinking, and it burst apart.
‘What was that?’
Tilting my head, I stared at the green monster’s remaining lower half.
I felt as though the answer was hovering just beyond my memory.
A monster with green skin……
[The Master of the Twisted Netherworld says that was an Orc]
Right.
It had been an Orc—
“Hm?”
I blinked and stared into the air.
As though confirming that I had not imagined it, another system message appeared.
[The Master of the Twisted Netherworld asks what you are staring at]
“No, it is just…….”
Hmm…….
Never mind.
Deciding to say no more, I turned toward the direction from which I had been hearing noises.
There—
“H-Hic…….”
A battered woman with short hair looked up at me with a terrified expression.