Chapter 3: The Perils of a Tutorial

Lee Tae-seong was startled as he held the book.

Flame Flower Sword Art.

It sounded like a martial art, but it wasn’t; it was a hybrid.

A skill combining martial arts and magic.

-Ding!

[Would you like to learn the Flame Flower Sword Art?]

[2 skill points are required.]

Unlike the Three Powers Sword Art, it required 2 skill points.

It was because it was a Rank 2 hybrid.

In terms of martial arts, it was equivalent to a second-rate technique.

Therefore, the skill points required to learn it also doubled.

He initially had 10 skill points, used one for the Three Powers Sword Art, and gained another one after leveling up from the previous battle.

Investing about 2 of them was certainly worth it.

“Learn.”

-Ding!

[You have acquired a new skill.]

[Skill: Flame Flower Sword Art]

Then, a notification clearly distinct from the game’s alert sound reached Lee Tae-seong’s ears.

His heart pounded with anticipation.

He logged out immediately.

The capsule opened, and Lee Tae-seong opened his eyes in reality.

He stood up at once, ran to the sink, and grabbed a kitchen knife.

He could have opened the status window, but he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

-Fwoosh!

A faint flame flickered from the kitchen knife.

“Haha….”

Unlike the Three Powers Sword Art, which simply made him good with a sword, this was undeniable proof of a supernatural power.

Lee Tae-seong clenched his fist.

‘Now… I can call myself a Hunter anywhere!’

He was certain.

Dream World.

This was the key to changing his life.

—

Lee Tae-seong went outside.

His destination was the National Hunter Association in Myeong-dong.

The NHA. He planned to go there and get certified as a Hunter.

“Welcome to the National Hunter Association.”

As he entered the first floor, a receptionist greeted him kindly.

He pulled a number tag like at a bank and waited.

When his turn came, he was able to meet a manager.

“Hello. How can I help you?”

“I’d like to get my Hunter certification.”

“I see. You must possess an awakened skill; could you show it to us once?”

“Here? Well… I need a sword to use the skill.”

“Hmm. Is a short sword also possible?”

“It probably will be.”

“Then would this work? If you say it won’t, I’ll quickly go get the necessary items.”

What the manager held out was a box cutter.

He had never performed the Flame Flower Sword Art with this, but even with a kitchen knife—

-Fwoosh!

As soon as he made up his mind to use the skill while holding the box cutter, a small flame flickered from the tip of the blade.

The manager’s eyes sparkled.

“A flame-type skill… Confirmed. Could you please wait a moment? I need to report to my superiors.”

After saying that, the manager began making a phone call somewhere.

Soon after, the association building began to buzz with activity.

—

The primary purpose of the skill certification conducted on the first floor of the Hunter Association is to filter out the riffraff.

Since people heard that Hunters make a lot of money and are successful, every Tom, Dick, and Harry came claiming they had awakened.

Among them, some were difficult to prove directly with the eyes, so they had to go through several processes.

However, if one succeeded in showing supernatural power like Lee Tae-seong, they would immediately move to another location for a second round of certification.

They would demonstrate the skill again in a situation where they checked for tricks, conducted a search of belongings, were accompanied by multiple observers, and recorded without any blind spots.

-Fwoosh!

Lee Tae-seong successfully ignited a flame at the tip of the sword there as well.

This time, it wasn’t a box cutter, but a longsword provided by the association.

“Confirmed. It’s a very impressive ability.”

One of the observers approached while writing something on a document he was holding.

Then, he bowed deeply.

“Hunter Lee Tae-seong. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Song Sang-yeop, a manager at the National Hunter Association.”

“Hunter?”

“Yes. Since you’ve shown such a clear skill, your Hunter license processing will proceed immediately.”

Manager Song Sang-yeop was slightly excited as he looked at Lee Tae-seong.

‘A flame-type ability user. A proper Hunter has appeared after a long time.’

The types of awakened skills for Hunters are incredibly diverse.

Among them, many were at a level that couldn’t be used in actual combat at all, but on the contrary—

If it were an ability to ignite flames like that, there was a high probability it would be a skill optimized for combat.

At the very least, it would be above average.

The birth of an outstanding Hunter was a good thing for the National Hunter Association, and furthermore, it was beneficial to the entire nation’s interests, so

Manager Song Sang-yeop couldn’t help but be in a good mood.

“Hunter. Do you happen to have a schedule after this?”

“Not particularly.”

Lee Tae-seong shook his head.

He had become unemployed and had just been playing games, so what kind of schedule would he have?

“In that case, could you spare a little time for me? I’d like to explain the basics of the industry.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you very much.”

Manager Song Sang-yeop bowed politely.

If a Hunter had extraordinary potential, they would become a big shot in the future that even the President couldn’t treat lightly.

It was natural to be polite in advance.

—

Lee Tae-seong followed Manager Song Sang-yeop to a conference room.

After bringing out coffee, Manager Song Sang-yeop, who sat opposite him, spoke.

“Do you happen to know much about Hunters?”

“No.”

Lee Tae-seong shook his head.

Hunters were famous enough for even a child to know, but what they actually did was not well known.

Only the facts that they were strong, wealthy, and famous were widely spread.

“Hunters are those who go to other worlds, complete missions, and bring back points. Usually, during missions, they have to fight and hunt monsters or alien life forms, which is how the name Hunter came to be.”

“Other worlds?”

“Yes. Seeing as you don’t know yet, you must not have been awakened for long. If you’ve used a skill even once, a mission participation notification pops up within a week, haha.”

“……”

‘I didn’t know.’

It hadn’t been long since he used a proper skill.

Because he didn’t know how to use the ‘Dream’ he originally had, he had wandered for months.

“In any case, it’s common for Hunters to participate in missions.”

“Then do I have to wait until the mission participation notification comes?”

“If you wish, you can simply express your will to participate in a mission.”

At Manager Song Sang-yeop’s words, Lee Tae-seong thought about wanting to participate in a mission.

Then.

-Ding!

[Would you like to participate in a mission?]

‘…It’s real.’

“Ah, but wait a moment. You shouldn’t participate right now. It’s dangerous, so you must listen to the basic education before you go.”

Participating in a mission recklessly could lead to a major accident.

At the very least, he had to perform it after hearing how the mission proceeds and what things to be careful of in the first mission.

“But what can I get if I participate in a mission?”

It seemed that the reason Hunters were treated well was because of these missions, but it was clear they would be very dangerous.

Why would they risk their lives to perform missions?

“If you participate, you receive points based on how active you were in that world. It’s called a Score; once you’ve been on a mission at least once, the Score Shop opens. You can buy items according to your score.”

“What kind of items?”

“Anything on Earth is possible. From useless trash to even nuclear weapons, if your score is sufficient.”

“…Really?”

“It’s the truth without a hint of a lie.”

Manager Song Sang-yeop’s explanation was surprising.

Naturally, something like a nuclear weapon required an astronomical amount of points, but he said that not only items from Earth but also items from other worlds could be bought.

The Score Shop had everything.

Of course, such items are of little use to Hunters.

What would they do with a nuclear weapon?

Start a war?

Instead, Hunters use their scores to purchase items from other worlds.

They make a profit by purchasing Mana Stones, which are clean energy resources of the current era, or various other otherworldly items and selling them to the government.

“If it’s a rare item with a high score, the government will purchase it for a massive amount. Even if it’s an item the government doesn’t need, it can be sold to the wealthy worldwide through an auction.”

In the Score Shop, there are also things like rejuvenating medicine or elixirs that extend one’s lifespan.

They are incredibly expensive, of course, but a top-tier Hunter could afford them.

The moment such things appear in an auction, it’s enough to cause a stir worldwide.

That’s where the saying that Hunters are rich came from.

“It’s not all good. Missions are dangerous, and you could lose your life inside. However, there are a few cases I’d like to tell you about…”

From then on, for several hours, Lee Tae-seong listened to the details of how Hunter missions proceed and what kind of dangers exist.

—

-Ding!

[You have participated in a mission.]

A notification appeared before Lee Tae-seong’s eyes.

He was now inside a Hunter mission.

After hearing everything he needed to hear from Manager Song Sang-yeop, he had decided to participate immediately.

-Are you really going to do it right now?

-There’s a saying to strike while the iron is hot.

Since it’s something I have to do anyway, I don’t want to delay it.

It wasn’t that he participated blindly without thought.

The first mission is always conducted at a very easy difficulty level, so as long as one knows the precautions well, there’s no risk of dying.

That’s why Lee Tae-seong chose to participate immediately instead of coming back later after preparing his mind more.

‘He said we go to another world and perform missions, and he was right.’

When he closed and opened his eyes, he was not in the conference room of the National Hunter Association but in the middle of a forest thick with trees and grass.

-Ding!

[This is your first mission. The difficulty will be adjusted to the lowest.]

Mission: Find Starflower Grass.

[You are in the Forest of Silvana. Find and acquire the Starflower Grass that grows wild throughout the forest. A detailed photo of the Starflower Grass is attached below.]

[(Photo)]

[A sparkling light will appear around the Starflower Grass.]

Mission Reward: 10 SC.]

The mission that appeared next.

As expected. It’s very easy.

They even showed a photo and said they’d shine a light to make it easy to find.

In this case, it was impossible to fail.

As he cast his gaze a little further, he saw sparkling things among the grass.

It was likely the Starflower Grass.

‘I just have to bring that back and it’s over.’

-Rustle.

Lee Tae-seong began to move through the grass.

His attire had also changed upon participating in the mission.

Clothes made of clean cloth and a dagger at his waist.

If there are items bought with scores, they can be brought to the mission, but otherwise, all Earthly items disappear and one is equipped with such uniform attire.

-Rustle.

The distance gradually closed.

He was about halfway there now.

Let’s go quickly, grab it, and end the mission.

While thinking that…

“……”

“……”

“…Krrk.”

“……”

He made eye contact with a large lizard in the middle of the forest.

Lee Tae-seong swallowed hard.

Unlike the Dream World, if he loses his life here, it’s the end.

At the thought of fighting, sweat naturally pooled in his hands.

“……”

However, the lizard did not move.

As time passed, Lee Tae-seong was able to relax his tension, and as he did, what he had heard from Manager Song Sang-yeop came to mind.

-I’ll tell you about the monsters that Hunters have encountered in their first missions.

There aren’t that many types, so I’ll explain their characteristics.

First… (omitted) … (omitted) … and this fellow.

It’s called a Crocus.

As you can see from the picture, they resemble lizards; they’re strong, but they’re non-aggressive.

They won’t attack if you don’t touch them, so just ignore them.

‘He said it’s a non-aggressive monster. I should just pass by.’

Since it was the lowest difficulty, there would be non-aggressive monsters.

He just had to not touch it, avoid doing anything unnecessary, and focus only on the mission.

Lee Tae-seong let out a small sigh of relief and moved carefully again.

-Rustle.

The sound of footsteps pushing through the bushes was heard, but the Crocus did not attack.

It seemed fine to just ignore it and pass by.

But at that moment.

-Thud.

Something like a coconut fruit that had been hanging on a lush tree began to fall to the ground.

And very unluckily.

-Whack!

“Kuek!”

The fruit hit the Crocus’s head right on the mark.

“Krrrrr……”

The Crocus had been keeping its eye on Lee Tae-seong, and its eyes slowly began to turn red.

An appearance that looked angry to anyone.

Lee Tae-seong was flustered.

Wait a minute, friend.

I didn’t do that.

Why are you still looking over here?