-Welcome, new User ‘Kim Do-hyeon.’
-First entry confirmed. Entering the Tutorial Zone.
-In accordance with Tutorial Zone regulations, all possessions other than currently worn clothing will be unequipped and temporarily stored.
The moment the brief messages appeared, Kim Do-hyeon felt his body float upward.
At the same time, brilliant white light filled his vision.
‘Spatial transfer……?’
The sensation was familiar, yet somehow different.
Its nature differed from the teleportation magic he had experienced on the Rodinia Continent.
If he had to describe it, he would say it felt as though some incomprehensible, higher-dimensional power were pulling him away.
Had he possessed his original power, he might have been able to analyze its principles. With his current abilities, however, that was impossible.
But the means of transportation wasn’t important in the first place.
‘Clear the Tutorial. Then grow stronger.’
The moment Kim Do-hyeon reaffirmed his objective—
FZZZZ—
His senses gradually returned, as though he were rising to the surface of the water.
As the light faded, an enormous cavern was revealed.
Torches embedded in the walls at regular intervals barely held back the darkness. The floor consisted of roughly hewn bedrock, creating a bleak and eerie atmosphere.
At the center of the cavern—
A stone structure resembling an altar stood alone.
As Kim Do-hyeon assessed his surroundings, new messages appeared before him.
-Welcome to the Tutorial.
-This Tutorial is intended to help the Awakened adapt.
-Even if you fail to clear it, you will not die. Please remain at ease.
HUMMMM—!
Red light blossomed above the altar in the center of the cavern.
-A monster will emerge from the summoning circle upon the altar. Exercise caution.
-Objective: Survive for 10 minutes.
-Bonus Points can be earned depending on your method of survival. Active participation is recommended.
-When you are ready, say ‘Start.’
-Good luck.
A smile spread across Kim Do-hyeon’s lips as he cautiously surveyed the area.
“It’s exactly as I read.”
Everything perfectly matched the information he had researched during his hospitalization.
That was why—
He immediately understood just how cruel this Tutorial was.
‘You simply don’t die.’
Every sensation was transmitted without restraint.
Murderous intent. Pain. Fear.
The participants would be exposed to all of it.
Even if they had suddenly awakened, this environment was far too brutal for ordinary people who had lived peaceful lives.
Indeed, quite a few people broke during the Tutorial and never entered Babel again.
In Korea in particular, approximately forty percent of the Awakened abandoned the profession after completing the Tutorial.
The reason was simple.
‘Korea’s Tutorial monster is extraordinarily difficult.’
Killing it was widely considered effectively impossible.
Tutorial monsters had been killed in other countries, but analysts believed that Korea’s monster would be exceptionally difficult to hunt because of both the Tutorial’s restrictions and the creature’s characteristics.
At best, participants could only flee.
The objective itself was ‘survival,’ not hunting.
Of course, if fear of death were the only problem, the dropout rate wouldn’t have been this high.
The true problem lay elsewhere.
Korea’s Tutorial monster was commonly known as the ‘Devouring Ghoul.’
The Devouring Ghoul didn’t kill its prey immediately.
It devoured them alive.
Slowly. Piece by piece.
It tore off a mouthful of flesh, swallowed without chewing, and then took another bite.
Then another.
The process repeated until its prey stopped moving.
The fact that participants couldn’t truly die within the Tutorial only made the experience more horrifying.
They remained fully conscious as their flesh was torn away, experiencing every moment leading up to death.
It inevitably left them with severe trauma.
‘It’s probably meant to serve as both a warning and a filter.’
Perhaps Babel intended to filter out the weak and leave only the strong.
Or perhaps it wanted to teach them the burden of the life they would face as Awakened.
Either way, Kim Do-hyeon didn’t care.
He had no intention of playing along with Babel’s intentions.
‘A mage is one who prepares for every possibility.’
Moreover, he possessed unlimited preparation time.
The timer wouldn’t begin until he said ‘Start.’
Even his currently limited quantity of mana—his only real weakness—wasn’t a significant problem under these circumstances.
Kim Do-hyeon’s smile deepened.
“These are perfect conditions.”
Magic possessed something known as synergy.
Even 1st Circle spells could exceed the limits of their Circle if several were combined with sufficient precision.
Naturally, the requirements were demanding.
Their power had to be amplified through magic circles rather than simple incantations, and the casting process required a considerable amount of time.
That made combining several spells nearly impossible in actual combat, where an enemy could interfere before the caster finished.
But this place was different.
He possessed unlimited time, and the enemy’s appearance point was fixed atop the altar.
It was the ideal environment for combination magic.
“I’ll end this in one blow.”
Kim Do-hyeon’s expression hardened as he knelt near the altar and placed a hand against the ground.
Magical power bloomed from his fingertips.
WHIRRR—
Fine lines began to etch themselves into the rough bedrock.
One magic circle was completed, and another was layered over it.
The magic circles continued piling up, interlocking with one another as they gradually formed an intricate pattern.
***
The Korean Awakened Association.
Inside the main conference room of the Association’s headquarters in the heart of Yeouido—
Every senior official of the Association occupied a seat around the long, oval table.
Association President Han Seung-jae, Vice President Oh Jae-yoon, Director of Strategic Analysis Choi Do-young, and Director of Operations Support Lee Jae-yoon.
Every one of these central figures within the Awakened Association wore a grim expression.
The reason was simple.
“Our Monster Core reserves have decreased by twenty-seven percent compared to last year.”
Choi Do-young, the Director of Strategic Analysis, calmly continued his report as he turned the pages of the document before him.
“At this rate, we’ll have difficulty meeting the Quota by the year after next.”
The Quota.
It was a form of tax that Babel demanded from every nation.
It had to be paid in Monster Cores. If a country failed to fulfill the Quota within the designated period, Gates would appear randomly throughout its territory.
Monsters poured through those Gates and penetrated even civilian residential areas, inflicting tremendous damage.
From the perspective of national security, securing a stable supply of Monster Cores was a matter of life and death.
However—
Korea faced a serious problem.
“It must be…… because of our high Tutorial dropout rate, correct?”
Choi Do-young nodded at Han Seung-jae’s question.
“That is correct. Fundamentally, the rate at which newly Awakened individuals become active professionals is significantly lower than in other countries.”
“It’s because that Devouring Ghoul bastard is so vicious.”
Lee Jae-yoon spoke bitterly.
“If someone would just kill the bastard, it would be replaced by another monster.”
When a Tutorial monster was defeated, it was replaced by a new creature of a similar Grade.
Since its replacement was selected randomly from among monsters of comparable Grades, there was at least a possibility that the next creature would be more manageable.
The problem was that killing the Devouring Ghoul was realistically impossible.
The Awakened Association had assessed the Devouring Ghoul as an E+ Rank monster.
At first glance, that might not appear particularly impressive. However, to newly Awakened individuals who had only just entered the Tutorial, it was an insurmountable wall.
The Devouring Ghoul’s characteristics made the situation even worse.
Compared to monsters of a similar Grade, the Devouring Ghoul moved quite slowly.
In exchange, its defenses were extraordinary. Its hide was incredibly thick and tough.
Attacks from newly Awakened individuals couldn’t inflict even a single wound upon it.
The Awakened Association had selected several promising candidates, trained them in advance, and attempted to eliminate the creature multiple times.
Every attempt had failed.
Because possessions couldn’t be brought into the Tutorial, the participants had no choice but to face the monster barehanded. No matter how thoroughly they trained, it was meaningless against the Devouring Ghoul’s formidable defenses.
For the time being, they had no solution.
“……Is there no chance that some extraordinary Awakened will suddenly appear and kill it?”
Choi Do-young answered Han Seung-jae’s question firmly.
“The probability converges upon zero percent.”
“But there is always the possibility of an exception, isn’t there?”
“If we are discussing mere possibilities…….”
Choi Do-young frowned and contemplated the question briefly before slowly answering.
“It might be possible if an active Ranker-level Awakened returned to the past with all their current knowledge and reentered the Tutorial.”
“So you’re saying it’s impossible.”
“I’m saying it would be possible if a miracle occurred.”
Lee Jae-yoon interrupted Choi Do-young’s cold analysis.
“In other words, it’s realistically impossible.”
“No. As long as the probability isn’t zero, the possibility exists.”
“The world doesn’t operate solely according to mathematical calculations.”
“I merely described the possibility and answered that it wasn’t impossible.”
“What bullshit. You’re saying there’s a chance simply because the probability isn’t literally zero? Be serious. If someone actually beats those odds and kills the Devouring Ghoul—”
Lee Jae-yoon smacked his chest with a THUMP and declared,“I’ll put on full-body tights and run ten laps around Yeouido. I’ll spend the entire day shouting, ‘Brother Choi Do-young, I’ll never get smart with you again!’”
“You will keep that promise.”
“It’ll never happen, so dream on.”
The cold and calculating Choi Do-young frequently argued with the emotional Lee Jae-yoon.
It was such a familiar sight that Han Seung-jae smoothly intervened.
“That’s enough. I was the one who asked an absurd question, and the Director of Strategic Analysis merely provided the corresponding analysis.”
The question itself had been ridiculous from the beginning.
They had selected talented individuals and provided them with comprehensive support, yet none had succeeded.
How could someone who appeared out of nowhere possibly resolve the problem?
Still, Han Seung-jae had asked because their situation was so desperate.
“Why did a monster like that have to be assigned to Korea……?”
Irritation surged to the top of his head, but this wasn’t the time to lament their circumstances.
Han Seung-jae straightened in his seat and spoke.
“For now, we’ll ask the guilds to increase their acquisition of Monster Cores as an alternative measure.”
“We’ll also continue selecting and training candidates in advance for further elimination attempts.”
They were the same methods they had always used.
There was nothing new about them, but they remained the best options currently available.
Han Seung-jae nodded heavily.
“We’ll proceed accordingly. That concludes today’s meeting.”
Following Han Seung-jae’s declaration, the Association’s senior officials left the main conference room one by one with gloomy expressions.
***
“Haa…….”
Kim Do-hyeon exhaled deeply, straightened his upper body, and surveyed the area surrounding the altar.
The magic circles engraved into the rough bedrock interlocked in a complex chain, completely surrounding the altar.
His preparations were complete.
“Start.”
-Beginning the Tutorial.
-Survive for 10 minutes.
At the same time—
HUMMMM—!!
The red summoning circle atop the altar erupted with violent light, and an enormous silhouette rose from within it.
The Devouring Ghoul.
It possessed thick, heavy limbs and a disproportionately swollen torso. Rows of densely packed teeth were visible between its exceptionally broad jawbones.
Its slow but ponderous footsteps shook the bedrock and sent heavy vibrations throughout the cavern.
At that moment—
As though he had been waiting for precisely this instant, Kim Do-hyeon lightly snapped his fingers.
SNAP—
“Activate.”
And then—
At the Archmage’s trigger, every magic circle beneath the Devouring Ghoul erupted with light simultaneously.
First—Grease.
Magical power spread through the magic circles, heavily saturating the air around the altar as an invisible film of oil enveloped the Devouring Ghoul.
Second—Ignite.
A tiny spark appeared. The instant it touched the film of oil, flames spread explosively.
Third—Boost.
The flames’ power rose another level as the entire formation resonated.
All three were 1st Circle spells.
However, when three spells were combined with perfect precision through magic circles, their power surpassed that of the 2nd Circle.
And when the caster who had designed that combination was an existence once known as an Archmage—
The resulting power exceeded all imagination.