Chapter 3 - OverLord Titan.
No matter how fierce a Hobgoblin might be, it's nothing compared to an Orc. Orcs stand over 2.5 meters tall, with pig-like builds that grant them inherently high defense. Being told to handle two such creatures at level 1 seemed impossible. The difficulty was maddening enough to demoralize even the most dedicated players.
'Yet, someone did manage to clear it.'
One of the players who betrayed him, James Marcus. The strongest Paladin in the Americas was the only player to have cleared the 4th stage.
'The 4th stage must have already been cleared.'
James Marcus, an early player, had surpassed level 500 by now. To catch up to him, clearing the tutorial's 4th stage was a must.
"Roar! Foolish human, if you give up now, I'll let you live with just one limb."
The Orc sneered at Jung-hoon.
"Let's see about that."
Jung-hoon raised his spear and pointed it at the Orc.
"Stupid human!"
The Orc swung its axe. Jung-hoon smoothly sidestepped, dodging easily.
Whoosh.
The heavy force of the swing created a gust of wind, ruffling Jung-hoon's hair. Despite this, Jung-hoon's expression remained calm. In his past as the All-Master, Orcs were no challenge.
Whoosh!
Although he couldn't see the Orcs' movements, he could easily predict their thoughts. Jung-hoon anticipated their attack paths and moved accordingly, rendering all of the Orcs' attacks ineffective.
[Agile Body]
Type: Passive
Level: 1
Grade: Normal
Reflexes increased by 10%.
Movement speed increased by 10%.
Agility stat +2.
Having acquired the Agile Body skill made moving easier. Jung-hoon thrust his spear, piercing one of the Orcs' eyes and driving it into its brain. No matter how tough its skin, its eyes were not reinforced.
[Martial Artist's exclusive skill, 'Iron Will', activated.]
[Skill, 'Vital Strike (Normal)', acquired.]
Killing the Orc, which was 20 levels higher, granted him a new skill.
'Vital Strike, it's been a while.'
A useful skill for the immediate situation.
"Not coming at me?"
Jung-hoon asked, pointing his spear at the remaining Orc.
"Ugh… Human, why are you so strong?"
"I'm level 1. Ever think that maybe you're just weak?"
"Liar!"
Unable to accept reality, the Orc went berserk, swinging its axe wildly. However, with the Vital Strike skill, Jung-hoon could see all its weaknesses clearly. He dodged all the axe swings and, closing the distance, grasped the spear's head and thrust it into the Orc's neck.
"Kuhek!"
The Orc's eyes bulged as it died with its neck pierced.
[You have successfully completed Tutorial Stage 4!]
'Got it!'
He had become the second player to clear the 4th stage of the tutorial.
[Would you like to exit the tutorial? Continuing to the next stage will upgrade your rewards!]
'Huh? What’s this?'
Jung-hoon frowned. Having cleared up to the 4th stage, it still wasn’t over? He had never heard of a 5th stage. Could James Marcus have lied?
'If the next enemy is stronger than an Orc… It might be around level 30.'
This was going to be a tough battle. However, Jung-hoon decided without hesitation.
"Next stage."
There was no reason to hesitate. He would take any path that allowed him to progress faster.
[Tutorial Stage 5 begins.]
[This stage can only be challenged by those who have cleared the previous stages within one hour.]
Ah, I see. James Marcus probably didn't know the 5th stage existed. He took almost a whole day to barely clear the 4th stage. In contrast, Jung-hoon had cleared up to the 4th stage in less than an hour, thus qualifying.
[Obtain the recognition of the Martial Peak '???'.]
[If recognition is not obtained, the tutorial will end immediately.]
However, this stage didn’t involve hunting monsters. Instead, a white, hazy figure appeared before him. It was an indistinct mass of fog. After staring intently at Jung-hoon for a while, the figure vanished.
[Recognition obtained.]
[You have successfully completed all stages of the tutorial!]
[Calculating rewards.]
Did it really end that easily? Though it felt surreal, he accepted it as a successful clear.
[10,000 achievement points awarded.]
[10 gold awarded.]
[Title, 'Completed Novice', awarded.]
[Level increased by 10.]
[Hidden achievement unlocked! Check your rewards.]
Because he was the first to conquer the tutorial, the rewards were incomparable to those before his regression.
[Completed Novice]
Type: Title
Grade: Epic
Permanently increases all stats by 10%.
Permanently increases all stats by +10 (excluding willpower).
This title granted a significant boost, allowing him to advance ten levels ahead of other novices. Even James Marcus hadn't obtained this title. Jung-hoon clenched his fist in triumph.
"Wait a minute, a hidden achievement?"
Along with the title, a hidden achievement had been unlocked. Jung-hoon opened the system menu to check the achievements section. There, he found the hidden achievement reward.
One of the hidden achievements that even the All-Master Jung-hoon before his regression hadn’t unlocked was now revealed.
‘The ??? text has appeared.’
Jung-hoon read the conditions and rewards for the achievement.
[‘Completed Novice's Emblem’ awarded.]
“An emblem!”
Jung-hoon shouted in surprise. He had missed completing an item before because of this emblem. The condition was to clear the 5th stage of the tutorial.
“Wow, so this is how you get it… No wonder I couldn’t get it despite all my efforts.”
Jung-hoon gaped. His heart raced faster than ever.
***
Sssss-
"Of all times to need the bathroom…"
The capsule door opened as Hajin got up. Checking the clock, two hours had already passed. He hurried to the bathroom.
Sssss-
Returning from the bathroom, he found Jung-hoon stepping out of his capsule at a perfect timing.
"Whoo."
Jung-hoon sighed as he exited the capsule and grabbed a drink.
"How was it? Did you have fun?"
According to the time, Jung-hoon should be adjusting to the Beginner Village after finishing the tutorial.
"Yeah. I finished the tutorial. I’m going to rest a bit before diving back in."
Jung-hoon had no intention of ending his day with just finishing the tutorial. Although he had regressed, he was still years behind the early players. He needed to move quickly to catch up.
"Wow, you really suck at games, don’t you?"
Hajin gave Jung-hoon a look of pity.
"You think I suck?"
Hearing this from Kang Hajin, of all people, left Jung-hoon speechless.
"Yeah. Why are you stuck in the tutorial for so long? Just hit a goblin once and head to the Beginner Village."
"...Oh, right. You mentioned you only did the first stage and went to the Beginner Village."
"Huh? Did I say I only did the first stage?"
Hajin tilted his head in confusion. Naturally, he wouldn't remember since that conversation happened before Jung-hoon’s regression. Back then, Hajin had been envious when Jung-hoon mentioned he had conquered up to the second stage. It was considered a great start.
"Yeah, you said so before."
"So how far did you get in the tutorial?"
"Uh… far enough?"
"Huh, looks like you struggled at the second stage. Man, that stage isn’t meant to be beaten. Throwing three goblins at a complete newbie and telling them to kill them, that’s insane."
Jung-hoon just smiled silently. Hajin had been envious when he mentioned clearing the second stage. If he told him he was the first to clear all five stages… well, he wouldn’t believe it. Instead, Jung-hoon thought back to the events earlier. He had gained much more than expected from the tutorial, especially the Complete Novice’s Emblem. In his previous life, he had failed to craft a weapon because he lacked this single emblem. That weapon was the peerless "Overlord Titan," a god-tier weapon surpassing even legendary items. Now, he had the key to making it.
‘Amazing… To think it could only be obtained in the tutorial.’
He had longed for this emblem. Since he had acquired the other emblems before, in time, the Titan would be his.
"Hey, anyway, let’s eat. It’s already lunchtime."
Just because he was in a capsule didn’t mean he could skip meals.
"Alright."
Jung-hoon followed Hajin to a nearby restaurant. The place was bustling with people using the capsules.
"Hey, there's a free spot."
Hajin quickly grabbed the empty table.
"You’re having ramen, right?"
"Of course. The ramen here is the best."
"Really?"
"I bet you a thousand won you'll be hooked after just one bite."
"Cheapskate."
"Just come on."
The ramen Hajin recommended was egg cheese ramen. It was a simple dish of ramen topped with cheese and an egg in a large bowl. However, Hajin chose the mild version.
"You eat mild?"
There were both spicy and mild options, and Jung-hoon preferred spicy. Mild ramen felt a bit bland to him. He couldn’t understand why anyone would choose it.
"What’s with that face? Are you looking down on mild ramen?"
"Not really… just not my taste."
"Tsk tsk, you have a weird palate. You probably can’t handle mint chocolate either."
"What the hell, why would I eat that?"
Jung-hoon frowned. He couldn’t understand people who liked mint chocolate. Hajin, on the other hand, loved mint to an almost obsessive degree. He even preferred original mint lattes.
"Wow, watch your mouth unless you want to get slapped by the mint chocolate fan club."
"Mint latte is ready."
As expected, the café in the capsule room also served mint lattes. Jung-hoon ordered an Americano and took a seat.
Slurp-
The ramen was indeed delicious.
"Hey, watch out for scammers in the Beginner Village. There are always people trying to rip off newbies."
"I know."
Before his regression, Jung-hoon had entered New World quite late. He had often encountered bullies who harassed new players. He remembered getting swindled out of his hard-earned 1 gold and 11 silver by some jerk.
Sssss-
After finishing his meal, Jung-hoon went straight back to his capsule. Having laid the groundwork, it was time to solidify his progress.
[Logging in.]
***
The Beginner Village. It was the town every novice passed through after completing the tutorial. It had a medieval fantasy backdrop that looked like it came straight out of a storybook. Jung-hoon stood in the town square. A blue mist rose from the ground, indicating the portal. However, this portal was one-way, only allowing passage from the tutorial to the square.
"Let’s move."
Jung-hoon started walking. While other beginners might be standing around in awe, Jung-hoon was familiar with the place.
"Did you level up?"
"Of course. Yesterday, I even hunted level 10 Hobgoblins."
The area around the square was crowded with users. Some wore armor, some donned hoods, and others were clad in robes, all reflecting their different classes. Jung-hoon passed through them and stopped in front of a shabby dojo. Unlike the bustling town, this place was desolate.
‘Let’s go in.’
Jung-hoon entered the dojo.
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