Chapter 20

“Ugh… where is this…?”

“Ugh…”

After a flash of light, it seemed like everyone had briefly lost consciousness.

When I came to, the scene before me was two men who looked startled by our sudden appearance behind them.

The two men stared blankly for a moment, then opened their mouths.

“W-what?! It hasn’t even been a month yet…?!”

“Holy crap! Hey, contact the others immediately. This is a major incident…!”

One of them quickly ran off somewhere, while the other slowly approached us and spoke.

“A-are you the ones who cleared the tutorial?”

Yoo Ju answered the man.

“Yes. That’s right…”

“How… how did you… it hasn’t even been a month yet…”

“…Did we clear the tutorial too fast?”

Judging by the man’s reaction, it seemed like our speed in clearing the tutorial wasn’t average.

“By the way… who is this guy?”

I opened the man’s status window.

[ Name: Park Hyun-wook ]

[ Age: 34 ]

[ Occupation: Senior Swordsman (Hero Grade) ]

[ Titles: Training Facility Guard, Participant in the Matters Canyon War ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Bond of Unity (Hero Grade) – For every ally within a 20-meter radius, all stats increase by 1. Maximum increase is 5.

[ Traits ]

Master of Swordsmanship (Hero Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of swordsmanship.

Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat (Rare Grade) – Moderately increases understanding of hand-to-hand combat.

Mana Blade (Hero Grade) – Temporarily imbues the sword with mana.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 72 Agility – 68

Stamina – 74 Luck – 41

Mana – 42 Resistance – 70

“Damn… those stats…”

The man appeared to be Korean. His name suggested it, and though he was wearing armor, his helmet was off, so his face was visible.

The man continued speaking.

“First of all… I understand you’re all probably confused, but if you wait a bit, someone will come to guide you. Please hold on for a moment.”

I cautiously asked the man.

“Can I ask a few questions while we wait?”

“Sure. I’ll answer as much as I can within my limits.”

“Where exactly are we?”

“Haha… this is the neutral country of Baronia. Specifically, this is a training facility within Baronia.”

“…A training facility, you say?”

“It’s an institution that educates people like you who have just cleared the tutorial and arrived in Eras.”

I understood. This place seemed to be where we’d receive the basic education needed to survive in this world.

“Hmm… I’m sure higher-ups will explain this later, but you’ll receive three months of training here. Those with talent will receive offers from various clans.”

“…What’s a clan, and what do you mean by offers?”

“Of course. First, people like us who came from Earth are called ‘foreigners’ by the indigenous people of this continent. Clans are groups formed by people like us. There are many clans in this world, and while this continent has laws, it ultimately revolves around military power, so clans are essentially armed groups.”

“…….”

“Also, talented newcomers usually receive offers from clans. Given how quickly you cleared the tutorial, you’ll likely receive offers from at least mid-tier clans or higher.”

So, clans here are like guilds or clans in games. Of course, here they’re groups that operate with their lives on the line.

In any case, there are many clans, and each clan needs newcomers like us.

However.

‘They probably don’t want just anyone.’

“Does that mean we have to join a clan?”

“No, joining a clan isn’t mandatory. You can operate as an individual or form a party… but honestly, over 99% of people who receive good offers join a clan.”

“…….”

“From a personal standpoint, I’d recommend joining a clan if you receive a good offer. Clans nurture talented newcomers to boost their military power, and as a clan member, you’ll have the clan’s support and stable growth.”

According to this man, joining a clan is unconditionally good. Well, most people probably can’t even get in.

In any case, joining a clan means having the clan’s power behind you and being nurtured by them.

I figured large clans likely have extensive know-how and tips for training newcomers.

Especially since there’s a huge difference between learning from someone and learning on your own, it seemed like joining a clan was the way to go.

While talking to the man, about ten people arrived with the guy who had run off earlier. As soon as they saw us, I could hear them talking.

“…It’s true. They’ve already cleared the tutorial?”

“Damn, I told you…! It’s real!”

“…This batch is insane. The higher-ups must be going crazy…”

Soon, another man arrived, and the others quickly made way for him. The man looked at us, widened his eyes, then composed himself and spoke.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Kang Seong-jun, the head instructor here.”

He didn’t look like an ordinary person at all. His appearance was completely different from the man I had been talking to earlier.

I immediately opened his status window.

[ Name: Kang Seong-jun ]

[ Age: 39 ]

[ Occupation: War Lord (Legend Grade) ]

[ Titles: Troll Slayer, Wrath of the Volcano, Legend of Eterinte ]

[ Unique Traits ]

War Lord’s Shout (Legend Grade) – The War Lord’s battle cry. Lowers enemy morale…



While dizzy, the morale of allies increases. The strength, agility, and stamina stats of both the user and allies increase by 3.

Endless Fighting Spirit (Legend Grade) – The longer the battle continues, the more unyielding the fighting spirit becomes. Additionally, the stamina stat permanently increases by 10.

Tear Apart (Hero Grade) – Your body possesses the strength to tear apart anything. The strength stat permanently increases by 8.

[Traits]

Divine Fist Unity (Legend Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of martial arts.

Armor of Magic (Hero Grade) – Temporarily imbues the body with magic power.

[Stats]

Strength – 97 Agility – 85

Stamina – 89 Luck – 65

Magic Power – 80 Resistance – 91

As soon as I saw the man’s status window, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

‘…Is this, is this the same person?’

Even if all of us attacked him together, we’d be dead in 10 seconds. His stats were beyond my comprehension.

The man continued speaking.

“Clearing the tutorial this quickly… truly impressive. Anyway, welcome. Guards?”

“Yes, yes!”

As Kang Seong-jun called them, the others answered with tense expressions.

“I’ll personally guide them. Is that alright?”

“Of, of course!”

As the others responded to Kang Seong-jun, suddenly a light flashed behind us, and more people began to appear.

From their looks, they were people who had also gone through the tutorial with us.

“Huh?… Huh?!”

“What, what is this place? Were we transported…?”

“Ugh… I’m alive! I’m alive! Ugh… Ugh…”

Except for Kang Seong-jun, the others immediately began to control the newly arrived people. But those who had just been transported started shouting as armed individuals approached them.

“W-who are you?! Don’t come closer!”

“Please follow the control. You have passed the tutorial. We are the guides from the training facility. Please comply.”

“Fuck, don’t touch me!”

Thud!

“Send us back home! What training facility?! Stop messing around!”

“This bastard…!”

Thwack!

“Ugh…!”

Unlike how they treated us, they weren’t kind to them. Violence was used against those who resisted control.

“Please comply. This is not a request.”

Immediately, people began to comply with frightened expressions. It seemed they realized through a few examples that these people were much stronger than them.

Kang Seong-jun spoke to us with a gentle expression.

“Haha… You saw an embarrassing sight. Sometimes this happens when newbies who just finished the tutorial arrive.”

Yoo Ju responded to his words.

“…I see. Excuse me, but can I ask where we are being taken now?”

“Of course. Feel free to ask anything. Since you just cleared the dungeon, we’re taking you to the dormitory. Rest there, and when the guide arrives, follow them.”

Hearing his words, I asked what I was curious about.

“By any chance… are you also part of a clan?”

The man seemed momentarily surprised by my question. But soon, he answered with a welcoming expression.

“Yes. Of course. I am the clan leader of the Hwashin Clan. It seems you’ve already heard about clans?”

“Yes. After being transported here, I talked with someone and asked various questions, so I heard about it.”

I felt that the man’s evaluation of our group had risen another level. It seemed he thought we were adapting very quickly.

“Hmm… It’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but the Hwashin Clan I lead is one of the three clans representing the neutral country of Baronia. We always recruit and invest in talented individuals who adapt quickly.”

‘…Does he want to recruit us into the clan?’

Considering the reactions of everyone we’ve met so far, including Kang Seong-jun, it wasn’t unreasonable to think they wanted to recruit us.

Thinking back to the talk about a month, it was clear that our clear time was ridiculously fast.

Of course, there was only one reason we could clear it so quickly.

‘Yoo Ju’s presence.’

But since Kang Seong-jun hasn’t seen Yoo Ju’s true capabilities yet, he doesn’t seem to know her value.

However, as they train us, they’ll inevitably realize her worth.

‘…I’m not sure if Yoo Ju will reveal her full strength.’

I just think that even if she shows half of her strength, everyone will go crazy trying to recruit her.

‘…I need to cling on before they find out I’m a useless can.’

In the tutorial, it was more about willpower than stats. But whether that applies here is questionable.

My stats are clearly the lowest, and I know better than anyone that I have no talent.

After three months of training, will the instructors really not notice I have no talent?

Worst-case scenario, Yoo Ju and the others might get offers, but I might not.

“Please rest here, and when someone comes later, follow their guidance.”