"Are you slacking off during work hours?"
"Oh, surprise!"
Hannah Brook, with her slightly wavy short hair, stood up in astonishment. Steven Avery, the department manager, took a sip of his iced Americano and stared intently at Hannah's monitor. Dark circles were visible under his eyes from several sleepless nights, but he tried to gather strength in his gaze.
"I-I wasn't slacking off. I was monitoring something!"
"But this person has been on your screen since before lunch. Wow, he's really good-looking. Even a guy would be captivated by him. If I have to look at a balding guy after seeing this person, my eyes will go crazy."
"No, it's not like that! Well, he is good-looking, but... It's not just because of that."
"Then what is it?"
Saturday afternoon, 1 p.m.
It would have been a day off for ordinary office workers, but the Planning Team of the Management Planning Department at Heroes Soft Co., Ltd. was all at work with nothing to do. Of course, it wasn't usually like this. It was all because of the damn 10th-anniversary update.
"This person is a new user who just started yesterday; he's in the tutorial."
"So what? Don't we encounter newbies like him every now and then? New users who lack information usually go through the tutorial. Of course, there are hardly any these days, but you're saying he's been stuck in the tutorial?"
"He's on the 3rd floor of the tutorial. Moreover, he's trying to move on to the 4th floor!"
"It could happen... What?"
In disbelief, he closely examined the monitor. Indeed, as Hannah said, the player on the screen was already on the 4th floor of the tutorial. The character in the video was standing at the starting point of the 4th floor, seemingly observing the five goblins in front of him.
"Oh... How did he reach the 4th floor? We haven't seen this happen in the past year. Anyway, let's take a look and get back to work. If I don't provide the report to the department head by the evening, I'll be in trouble. You know I need a positive response to this update to get promoted, right?"
Now seemingly uninterested, Steven returned to his seat. He must have had lunch and drank his Americano. Now, he tidied up his cluttered desk, filled with various documents, and opened his laptop, ready to focus on his work.
"These guys occasionally appear, don't they?"
Reaching the 4th floor in the tutorial without any rewards was indeed rare. Moreover, it was the US server, not even an overseas server.
Due to the nature of Americans, who prioritize efficiency to the extreme, skipping the tutorial was the norm. Sometimes, there are players who try to break the highest record by surpassing the 5th floor, but... Could he be one of those guys?
"But now I'm exhausted."
Reaching the 3rd floor of the tutorial was challenging enough, but the 4th floor presented an entirely different level of difficulty. The goblins were now armored and capable of using magic.
On the main continent, players had various ways to level up, improve their stats through hunting, acquire skills, and purchase better equipment with gold to become more proficient at monster hunting. However, in a tutorial with no rewards, progressing past the 4th floor seemed nearly impossible.
"Ah, but there is one way."
That involves setting the sense of rhythm rate to 'over 50 percent.' It's the only method to boost stats in the tutorial where leveling up isn't possible. By doing this, players can enhance their strength, agility, stamina, and other attributes during their training.
There have been a few individuals who attempted this in the past.
After setting the sense of rhythm rate to over 50 percent, they would train relentlessly in the tutorial to increase their stats and then challenge the next floor.
I recall a case from a few years ago, perhaps around three years back. There was a Chinese player who set the sense of rhythm rate to 70 percent, successfully raised his stats, cleared the 4th floor, and even reached the 5th floor.
"But, unfortunately, he was defeated there."
When you increase the sense of rhythm rate and experience a hit, the pain is fully transmitted to the brain. It doesn't actually harm your body, but the brain perceives it as real. For instance, if you get hit by a fireball, you'll have an intense lingering sensation afterward. That's what the Chinese player who set the record said.
"I think he sued the company."
He demanded a substantial amount of compensation from the company, which included medical expenses and mental damages due to the lingering effects. However, even after the case reached the Supreme Court, the verdict sided with the company.
There were three main reasons for this decision, as follows:
1. The company provided sufficient guidance and warnings regarding setting the sense of rhythm rate.
2. The user personally signed and agreed to the final decision regarding the sense of rhythm rate setting.
And lastly, the third clause, which is known for its verbosity and loopholes:
3. According to operational regulations, the tutorial is a section where machine learning AI systems are applied, and the company does not intervene as a principle.
This verdict still sparked controversy, as there are conflicting opinions. Some argue that the company should thoroughly protect users who play the game, and even if the user agrees, failure to safeguard the user's well-being is seen as undermining moral values and other social norms.
As game players, individuals have the right to guarantee their personal freedom, and decisions made after receiving sufficient notice and agreeing with the company should be respected. Additionally, since the company did not intentionally cause harm or act out of malice, it is justifiable for the company not to compensate the user.
"Principles my foot."
In reality, there is a back story here that ordinary people are unaware of. The point is not that the company chooses not to intervene but that they are "unable" to do so. The reason why the company did not address numerous user complaints and demands for improvements regarding the issues with the tutorial lies here.
Nevertheless, from the company's perspective, the fortunate aspect was that the tutorial had no impact within the main continent. If a user died in the tutorial, they would immediately respawn in the main continent without the option to retry.
As time passed, user interest in the tutorial had practically reached zero.
There were five goblins.
The number of monster individuals seemed to increase as the floors went higher. They also displayed a varied appearance. Unlike the goblins on the 3rd floor, who only had crude clubs, some goblins had decent-looking spears, others had swords and shields, and some had bows. Additionally, one goblin at the rear tightly grasped a wooden staff with both hands. Perhaps...
"Is it a mage?"
Curiosity arose within Ethan's mind.
What kind of magic would they use?
However, something else soon caught his attention—the suitable-sized iron sword wielded by one of the three goblins standing in front. Though slightly rusted, it appeared undeniably more useful than the wooden sword Ethan held.
Ethan took a step forward.
The goblins, meanwhile, chattered excitedly and advanced as a group. Some wielded spears, swords, and iron swords, charging ahead, while others with bows and staffs remained in position, employing tactics.
"Their movements are different."
In contrast to the mindless charges of the goblins on the 3rd floor, these goblins maintained a moderate distance from each other, approaching Ethan sequentially.
The first goblin to engage Ethan was the sword and shield goblin. As it closed in, it raised its shield and confronted Ethan with caution. Suddenly, a swish! An arrow narrowly grazed Ethan's left cheek, leaving a slight cut and a trickle of blood. The hot sensation stung and burned as the blood ran down Ethan's jawline, and a drop fell with a "plop."
[You have acquired the Pain Resistance skill.]
The clash with the sword and shield goblin intensified while Ethan remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the spear and iron sword goblins that closed in unnoticed.
To prevent any vulnerabilities, he adjusted his posture and focused his mind. Simultaneously, he observed the actions of the bow goblin and staff goblin in the distance.
The bow goblin pulled back the bowstring, and the staff goblin's staff emitted faint flames.
Swish!
An arrow shot toward Ethan's head, but he smoothly sidestepped, easily evading it.
At the same time, the goblin wielding the longest-reach spear among the melee weapons approached and thrust the spear deep toward Ethan's waist.
Thump!
Swiftly evading the spear thrust, Ethan deftly struck the goblin's wrist with his sword, causing it to scream in agony as it collapsed to the ground, clutching its injured wrist.
Another arrow followed, but Ethan calmly avoided it, extending his shield while closely observing the approaching goblin.
"Kekekek!"
The goblin pushed its shield forward, holding the sword in a reverse grip, seemingly ready to strike Ethan from behind. In that split-second, Ethan hesitated.
While he could easily evade the attack by rolling to the side, he couldn't ignore the nearby railroad goblin that might be observing his every move. But then again, why worry about such things?
"I don't really feel like rolling."
Taking the hit might be the simpler option. Of course, Ethan was a highly skilled expert, nearly unyielding like a martial arts novel protagonist.
"You must be joking, thinking I'd back down like a weakling!"
He never entertained such thoughts, truly. In the end, he chose to endure the pain with his own body.
Thump!
The goblin's sword pierced his back, sending an unimaginable wave of pain through him. For the first time in his life, his mind went blank!
[Proficiency in Pain Resistance skill has increased.]
Suppressing the urge to scream amidst the intense pain, Ethan redirected his focus on the goblin that had shifted from being a sword wielder to using a shield.
With a surge of emotion, Etahn's sword struck the goblin's waist with force, sending it flying several meters away.
Swish!
In the midst of the chaos, another arrow was launched. Despite dodging a similar arrow earlier, the pain in his back caused Ethan to lose control, and his left thigh gave in with a crack.
The agony threatened to overwhelm him, but he refused to collapse. Doing so would only invite the remaining railroad spike goblin to approach and attack mercilessly.
[You have acquired Concentration skill.]
"Kekeuk!"
Noticing Ethan's weakened stance, the railroad goblin closed in, chuckling maliciously as it raised its weapon high.
The goblin would have aimed for his neck without hesitation if Ethan had been in better shape. However, with his current state, Ethan didn't possess the strength to react that quickly... Or so he thought.
Thump!
"Kuaaek!"
For some reason, Ethan found himself moving more fluidly than expected. With newfound determination, he forcefully thrust the railroad toward the goblin's neck, causing it to clutch its throat and let out a pained scream.
Taking advantage of the goblin's momentary vulnerability, Ethan swiftly retrieved the fallen railroad spike and beheaded the creature in one swift motion.
Chyaak!
The head rolled off, blood splattering across the ground. It was the first time he had taken a life, but to his surprise, he felt less disturbed than he had imagined. Perhaps it was because his sense had dulled due to the pain in his back and left thigh.
"Can I take down the remaining ones?"
The archer and staff goblin were roughly 50 meters away. The staff goblin appeared to be preparing a spell. …
Will this ordeal end today? 'Let's give it a try.'
He considered raising his shield to block the incoming arrows but decided against it. True swordsmen relied solely on their swords...
Or was that the right decision?
Either way, Ethan mustered all his strength, gritted his teeth, and pushed forward, enduring the searing pain.
As he did,
[You have been selected for a rapidly rising popularity broadcast.]