Yeonwoo’s anger wasn’t easily resolved.
“What if you get hurt rushing at someone with a knife?”
“Why are you so fearless?!”
From shouting to sobbing, I had to wipe away the tears coming from her eyes in order to calm her down.
I received several phone calls from reporters.
They wanted to interview me or something.
But I was in the midst of a crazy game where life was at stake.
I had no time to spare for them.
I rejected all interview requests and immersed myself in the insane mana training.
It was a day of practicing Mana manipulation, plant massacre, and part-time jobs.
In the process, I could learn a few things about Mana.
When the mana moves within my body, it generally enhances my overall physical abilities.
My senses improve, basic stamina increases, and the skin toughens while my strength grows.
Concentrating Mana on a specific area made the skin resistant even to a knife.
“The consumption rate isn’t too fast.”
With the Mana I had, I could enhance my body for almost 10 minutes.
And when extracting it externally, calling it just enhancement was an understatement.
“Destructive” would be a more fitting term.
I could punch through a wall with enough force, not to mention other feats.
When covered in a red aura, even if it was stabbed with a knife it didn’t penetrate the skin.
However, the consumption rate was incredibly fast.
I could maintain it for just 1 minute and 12 seconds without a break.
Even that was a record achievable only when holding on until the last moment.
As my Mana started to deplete, my stamina dropped rapidly, leading to exhaustion.
“It’s not a technique I need used recklessly.”
Based on this newfound knowledge, I practiced tirelessly for the next three days.
I was slightly on edge. There was a high chance the next mission would start tomorrow.
“The previous missions had a gap of about four days.”
I might have to face that hell again tomorrow.
Just thinking about it sharpened my nerves due to a single assumption.
Throughout the part-time job, I had to endure repetitive questions about why I seemed angry or in a bad mood.
But I didn’t want to show that side of me in front of my siblings.
I stopped in front of the entrance door and calmed my mind.
Finally, I succeeded in putting on a usual smiling expression.
Only then did I press the door lock and open it.
“Hyung, you’re back?”
Jinwoo was the first to greet me.
“Yeah.”
As soon as the door sound echoed, Jinwoo came towards me.
I ruffled Jinwoo’s hair and scanned the living room.
Yeonwoo was not in sight. Normally, she would have run up with a loud voice.
“Where’s Yeonwoo?”
I asked, thinking she might be outside.
“On the balcony.”
At Jinwoo’s calm answer, my body involuntarily shuddered.
“Why on the balcony?”
There was no specific reason mentioned, but I felt a pang.
There’s a reason they say the thief feels guilty.
“No, let’s not jump to conclusions. It might be nothing.”
Yeonwoo has more than 10 potted plants.
Only the smallest one was missing.
She might not have noticed.
She was quiet for the past few days!
It could be for laundry, or she might have gone out for a breath of fresh air.
“She’s in the middle of watering the plants, and suddenly she’s in a frenzy. Saying one of the plant was missing.”
Jinwoo confirmed it for me, my assumptions was right.
My expression stiffened.
I had considered picking a few more plants for tomorrow in order to increase my mana but considering what is happening now…
Of all days, I learned about this today.
‘If Yeonwoo gets angry, it’s hard to handle it.’
He barely calmed down Yeonwoo last kidnapping incident.
“Ugh.”
Groaning, I glanced at the balcony.
Jinwoo looked at me with a strange expression.
But before he could ask, Yeonwoo came in.
“Gone, it’s gone… It wasn’t even put away. Why is it gone?”
Muttering with a gloomy expression, Yeonwoo noticed me.
“Oppa!”
In an instant, Yeonwoo’s face bloomed with a bright smile.
“Did you just come? Are you tired? Should I give you a massage?”
“No need for a massage, I’m fine.”
While pretending to be casual, my gaze was directed behind Yeonwoo.
Beyond the transparent glass, the plants were visible. I had to give up on them.
“Tsk.”
Regret welled up unexpectedly.
After I chatted a bit with my siblings, I went to my room.
Since I could use Mana, the amount was too small.
Beyond excluding animals, my options for absorbing Mana through unconventional means were limited.
It was winter, and there wasn’t much conspicuous foliage around.
Burning fires in parks or mountains was not an option.
Stealing potted plants from someone else’s house was also out of the question.
Even plucking greenery here and there yielded minimal results.
Despite the abundance of magic in the surroundings, what I could extract for consumption was disappointingly scant.
With a regretful gaze at the balcony’s potted plants, I sighed and headed back to my room.
How could I quickly accumulate Mana?
“Maybe I should look for part-time work at a slaughterhouse…?”
But taking up a part-time job wouldn’t mean immediately slaughtering animals.
“Oh, seriously.”
Back in my room, I slumped onto the bed, ruffling my hair in frustration.
I wished Mana would just pour down from somewhere.
* * *
I was right about my assumptions.
On the fourth day at 10 in the morning, the third mission began.
I had stashed away items in my pocket just in case, but none of them came with me.
All I had were the weapons provided by the system and the clothes on my body.
[A new weapon, the spear, is provided.]
The weapon was given first.
As I picked it up, I also pulled out a dagger and held it in my left hand.
Immediately, my pupils trembled.
I expected the difficulty to increase as the stages progressed, but this was too much.
“This is too intense!”
Standing beyond the mission window was a polar bear.
To see the head of the bear standing on its hind legs, I had to tilt my head.
Its height seemed to be about twice mine, at least when measured only in terms of height.
It appeared to be easily five times bulkier than me.
I had seen bears at the zoo, but they weren’t this intimidating.
Back then, at least there were minimal safety measures.
In a situation with nothing to shield me from the massive beast, the fear it instilled was greater than I had imagined.
At that moment, I couldn’t remember how strong I had become.
My stiffened body was now damp with cold sweat.
If I hadn’t seen the mission window that was blocking the view of the bear.
If I hadn’t checked the diminishing timer.
I would have remained frozen and become the bear’s meal.
The timer is now down to 10 seconds.
“Oh… the storage!”
I put the dagger back and tightly gripped the spear.
This guy was a tough opponent, no dagger strikes would leave a mark.
As the storage disappeared, so did the mission window.
The first to move was the polar bear.
Its speed was unbelievably fast as it charged towards me.
It seemed several times heavier than me but it was fast.
“Kuaaah!”
With a roar, I started with my moves.
[Mana Manipulation initiated.]
My senses became more acute, and my body became sturdier.
The polar bear’s movements, which were challenging to track with my eyes, seemed slightly slower.
The polar bear raised its front paw, and I leaped into the air.
Sharp claws narrowly grazed past my cheek and neck.
I ignored the slight scratch.
It was more urgent to reassume a defensive stance.
As I swiftly rose from the white ground, I clenched my left hand.
“Argh!”
Just like hundreds, thousands of times in practice, the red aura covered my left hand and arm.
When I struck the side of the injured polar bear as it raised its front paw.
Thud!
“Kheung!”
“Ah…?”
A surprised sound escaped my lips.
Just as it seemed something was breaking, the giant polar bear bounced away.
The polar bear, which had crashed into the ground, got up, spewing red blood.
Clearly, my mind was stuck on the surreal scene before me.
But my body was already springing forward towards the injured area.
Instinctively, I realized that now was the chance, as the polar bear was weakened.
I felt no hesitation as I weild the spear in my hand.
Thump.
With a monotonous sound, the heavy bear’s body completely fell down
“Eh…?”
[The target has been eliminated. Absorbing Mana 23.]
[Congratulations! MISSION – Tutorial Beta Test (3/3) successful.]
[Mana 10 is provided as a success reward. All injuries will be healed]
[Calculating results.]
“…Is it over?”
Just like that? It was too unbelievable, almost too much.
But the confusion was brief.
“Ugh!”
Soon, the absorption of Mana power began.
I collapsed over the polar bear’s carcass.
The absorption ended with a short wriggle.
The mission concluded, and rewards came in.
Only then could I properly comprehend the situation.
It was the end of all three missions in this bizarre game that started out of nowhere.
The emotions were indescribably complex.
But for the moment, the relief of it being over was the most intense.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled a long breath, sitting on the polar bear’s corpse for a moment.
Realizing the change, I quickly stood up.
“What is this…”
After the second mission, I immediately returned to my room after receiving the success reward.
And in my room, I received rewards based on my performance.
But today, I was still this white space.
The corpse beside me was an evidence that I couldn’t return to my room.
I stood up, tense due to the unfolding situation.
The tension that had loosened up before now surged back.
Wondering if there was something different, I retrieved the weapon I had.
How much time had passed standing idly in this white space?
[Results calculation complete.]
[Congratulations! Player Kang Hyunwoo eliminated the target at 00:00:39.]
[As a top-ranking result, attribute Mana 5 is provided.]
[Special Ability ????? will be generated based on the top result.]
[Identical special ability detected. Deleting duplicate special ability.]
Messages scrolled down one after another.
Only then did I understand the meaning of the time spent in this space.
“I was waiting until other players finished.”
Having realized that fact, I braced myself for the impending shock.
“Ugh!”
The absorption of Mana began.
I fell to the ground again, writhing like a bug.
Endurance was futile, but it still came to an end.
I sat up, panting.
“Tch.”
Whether I bit my tongue while enduring or not, there was blood mixed with saliva.
It was still tough, but it seemed better than before.
“Better than the first time, I guess.”
The old saying was right – practice makes perfect.
While catching my breath, my eyes moved quickly.
I was still in the white space everywhere.
The reason became apparent before my eyes.
[The tutorial is ending.]
[Calculating overall results.]
[Player Kang Hyunwoo’s overall result is 1/100.]
Overall results! My eyes brightened as soon as I saw the message.
Until now, the system had provided additional rewards based on the performance of individual missions.
So, it was reasonable to expect something good for the overall result.
“Yeah, I might as well aim for first place.”
I had a fair amount of competitiveness since childhood.
So, even though I hated this insane game, it felt good to be ranked first.
[Additional mission for the all-clear player.]
[7 players confirmed.]
[Defense barrier activated.]
[Hole opens.]
Of course, the satisfaction disappeared as this damn system began spouting strange words instead of giving rewards.
Due to the unexpected message, blood vessels in my temples bulged.
Even if they don’t give the promised reward, but how come there was an additional mission?
From the day I was bitten by a dog, the anger that had been accumulating burst out in an instant.
“Hey, you son of a…!”
But before I could finish my heated curses, my body glowed brightly.
