Chapter 22

Roughly, after sitting in the front row with our group, I glanced around.

‘….We’re in the very front.’

Even though others arrived earlier, if they left the front seats empty, it seems the front row is reserved for those who conquered the dungeon.

‘Well, the higher-ups must be interested in the raid team too.’

After sitting for a while, Kang Seong-jun stepped onto the podium and began to speak.

“Welcome, newcomers. I am Kang Seong-jun, the head instructor of this training facility.”

Except for our group, others were looking at the podium with uneasy eyes.

Probably, even though they cleared the tutorial, they sensed something when they weren’t sent back to Earth but instead brought to this training facility.

‘…Idiots.’

From the start, the guide during the tutorial said it. Clearing it grants you the right to live in a place called Eras.

The guide never once mentioned sending us back to Earth.

‘People always find hope even in misfortune.’

That’s just how people are. I don’t intend to blame them. In a way, it’s natural. I keep these thoughts to myself.

‘They just don’t want to believe they can’t go home.’

“Let me be straightforward. I understand your anxiety, but to put it bluntly, you cannot return to Earth.”

As expected. The others seemed shocked by Kang Seong-jun’s words.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“Damn it… Damn it…!”

Some were quietly sobbing, others swallowing their anger while cursing under their breath.

“You will undergo three months of training here. Note that the training isn’t mandatory. However… this is just advice, but I strongly recommend you take it.”

A woman raised her hand and asked.

“Um… is there a reason?”

“….Let me put it simply. The survival rate of newcomers who didn’t undergo training has been 0% so far.”

At the mention of the sensitive topic of survival rates, everyone’s faces turned pale. Even our group, except for Yoo Ju, was no exception.

“Geez… damn, I guess we have to take the training.”

Kang I-seo muttered quietly, and Kang Seong-jun seemed to hear her and responded.

“Correct. If you want to live, I strongly recommend taking the training.”

Kang I-seo’s face turned red, embarrassed that Kang Seong-jun heard her muttering.

“Ahem, ahem…”

“Now, why does training increase survival rates? It’s because you’ll learn the basic knowledge needed to survive here. For example, understanding clans, the characteristics of each country, expeditions, status windows, and so on. The list goes on.”

“Also, this training facility has various instructors besides me. Let me briefly introduce them.”

As Kang Seong-jun spoke, several people began to step onto the podium.

‘….The strong ones of this world.’

Checking their status windows one by one, they were ridiculously strong. Some were on par with Kang Seong-jun.

A few were slightly weaker, but still not to be underestimated. These are likely the real powers of the Eras continent.

When I opened the status window of a woman with black tied-up hair, wearing martial attire and gauntlets, it happened.

-Zap

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, a slight electric pain shot through my eyes and head, and at the same time,

[Scout trait has been detected by the opponent. Exchanging information.]

[Name: Lee Yun-seong]

[Age: 26]

[Job: Dark Sorcerer (Common Grade)]

[Title: None]

[Unique Traits]

Scout (Hero Grade) – Can view and save others’ status windows. However, it can be detected by the opponent’s unique traits or abilities. More features unlock as the grade increases.

[Traits]

Basics of Dark Magic (Common Grade)

Basics of Necromancy (Common Grade)

Basics of Chimera Research (Common Grade)

Basics of Curse Magic (Common Grade)

Understanding of Mana (Common Grade)

[Stats]

Strength – 13 Agility – 14

Stamina – 14 Luck – 18

Magic – 06 Resistance – 12

[Name: Yoon Yeon]

[Age: 29]

[Job: Martial God (Legend Grade)]

[Titles: Striving Martial Artist, Competitive Spirit, Heroine of Baronia, Successor of the Sage]

[Unique Traits]

Flexible Strength (Legend Grade) – Can temporarily reduce one stat (Strength or Agility) by up to 10 and add it to the other stat.

Eyes of the Sage (Hero Grade) – The Sage’s eyes protect from harm. Sometimes, they can see the colors of people’s hearts.

[Traits]

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

Martial Arts of the Sage (Hero Grade) – The Sage’s martial arts are fundamentally different from human martial arts. Permanently increases Strength and Agility by 2.

[Stats]

Strength – 92 Agility – 95

Stamina – 90 Luck – 71

Magic – 86 Resistance – 87

‘Crazy…!’

Cold sweat started dripping down my back. I couldn’t even focus on the woman’s status window. It was the first time my ability had been detected, and I couldn’t calm down.

I quickly bowed my head and cautiously glanced at the woman, only to see her smiling eerily at me.

‘…Damn! What, what should I do?’

Kang Seong-jun was saying something, but there was no way I could hear it. I had to think of a solution fast.

‘If that woman… tries to kill me, can I stop her?’

Absolutely impossible.

Even if Yoo Ju tried to protect me, the difference in stats was too overwhelming to stand a chance.

‘Damn… first… first, calm down. There’s still time. Damn, just… calm down…!’

My body wasn’t listening.

As I was sweating bullets in this unexpected situation, suddenly, the woman’s voice started echoing in my head.





– Ah. Ah. Can you hear me, Mr. Lee Yun-seong? Kick.

‘What the hell, what is this now…?’

– Ahaha… I didn’t expect this. I heard the newbies were beyond common sense, but it’s really true, huh? Anyway, we have something to talk about, right?

‘Damn it, damn it!’

I never thought things would go this badly right after the tutorial ended.

– I heard you were part of the strategy team, so you must have been assigned a dorm, right? After this speech, come to room 304 on the 3rd floor of the building across from the dorm. Just a heads-up, don’t try to run away. If you do… the outcome probably won’t be good.

“……”

– I’m not saying I’ll do anything bad to you. I just want to have a conversation, so just come quietly. Understood?

I had no choice. For now, there was no other option but to follow this woman’s instructions.

I glanced at her and gave a slight nod.

– Good. Anyway… this place is important to you right now, so I’ll stop talking.

After that, the woman stopped sending messages into my head.

Next, I heard Kang Seong-jun giving a speech.

“Anyway, the instructors I introduced will be teaching classes based on your respective roles.”

“……”

“If you follow the training well, it will be a huge help to you. Including myself, the instructors here… it’s a bit awkward to say this myself, but we are among the top-tier powerhouses in this world.”

People started murmuring. It seemed they couldn’t understand why such high-ranking individuals would bother to train them.

‘From their perspective, they’re running around finding raw gems themselves. For them, this isn’t a loss.’

“Also, let me talk about clans. A clan is a military force. It’s made up entirely of outsiders like us. Baronia is like that, and there are many clans in other countries as well.”

If there are many clans in other countries as Kang Seong-jun said, then there must be a ton of clans out there.

Being a representative clan among so many is like being a globally recognized company on Earth.

“Depending on how well you perform in the training facility, you may receive offers from various clans, or you may not.”

A man wearing glasses raised his hand to ask a question.

“Uh… what if we don’t get any offers?”

“…If you complete the 3 months at the training facility without issues, you’ll receive a certain amount of money. You can use that money to form a party, act independently, or do whatever you want.”

It was a brutally harsh statement. Essentially, if you don’t get a clan offer, you’ll be thrown out with a pitiful amount of money and left to fend for yourself.

The man who asked the question and others finally realized their situation, and their faces started turning pale.

“Ah, uh, so… is there any… welfare or something if we join a clan separately?”

“There isn’t. In this world called Eras, you have to survive on your own. Of course, even if you don’t receive an offer, you can still apply to join a clan. However, clans charge an application fee, so I recommend thinking carefully before applying.”

That’s true. Someone who just arrived here wouldn’t have any money. If they recklessly apply out of false hope, they’ll end up penniless and starving on the streets.

“Anyway, to summarize, you’ll receive 3 months of training at this facility, and depending on your performance, you may receive offers from clans. After the training period, those who receive offers can choose whether to join a clan or not, and those who don’t can go their own way.”

The pressure of reality weighed on everyone, and the auditorium was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. This was nothing like college or job interviews on Earth.

“That’s all for the speech. Those who cleared the dungeon can stay in the better facilities, and the rest will be guided to other dorms by an escort. Take today off, and we’ll start training tomorrow. That’s all.”

Others looked at us sitting in the front row with envy.

‘…Should’ve done something during the tutorial, huh?’

Regret always comes too late.

Kang Seong-jun and the instructors stepped down from the stage, but no applause was heard, likely due to the shock.

About 3 minutes later, Yoo Ju spoke up.

“Then let’s head to the dorm now.”

“Yes.”

As the group followed Yoo Ju, I spoke to her.

“Uh, Yoo Ju?”

“Yes. What is it, Yoon Seong?”

“I… have somewhere to go for a bit. You can go ahead to the dorm with the others, and I’ll head there a little later.”

“Yes… huh? Where are you going…? Yoon Seong! Yoon Seong!”

I finished speaking and immediately started heading to the place the woman mentioned. I could hear Yoo Ju calling me from behind, but I ignored her.

I didn’t have the confidence to explain this situation to her.

*****

Before I knew it, I was in front of room 304, where the woman had told me to go.

‘Damn it…’

I wanted to run away even now. If I open this door, I’ll have to face a powerhouse I can’t handle. And alone, at that.

As I stood nervously in front of the door for a few minutes, it began to open on its own.

‘…Damn it, I guess I’m supposed to go in?’

Finally, I took a step into the room.