I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-255

Ch-255. **Tutorial**

—

There was now only one criterion that divided the world.

Awakened and unawakened.

The sole means of resisting the monsters invading from other dimensions.

Creatures that suffered no damage even from bullets or nuclear weapons—only the mere hundreds of thousands known as *Dimension Warriors* could harm them.

And so people had regarded Dimension Warriors as “heroes,” but—

“……That was nothing more than wishful thinking. Just a dream.”

Park Taewoo murmured quietly as he sat in his office.

Unfamiliar beings wielding overwhelming force that could not be resisted.

Monsters and adversaries that belonged in legends or myths.

In ancient times, they called the incomprehensible unknown “gods,” didn’t they?

Hoping that they would become beautiful beings who embraced ordinary people.

“Alliance Leader, what do you mean by wishful thinking and a dream?”

When a Alliance member beside him asked while handing out documents, Park Taewoo slowly shook his head.

“How did you come across *Pangaenia*?”

“Well… I like games. I tried a bit of everything and ended up playing it. I was tempted by the promise that it would grant you a ‘dream’ if you cleared it…”

“Right. Same for me.”

There were exceptions, but most players—those worshipped as heroes and revered like gods—were former hardcore gamers.

Park Taewoo was no different.

A shut-in gamer.

A social misfit.

He had played and quit countless games, feeling increasingly bored with life—

—Clear the game, and we will grant you one dream.

For a new game’s introduction, it was absurdly brief.

Just that single line—that was all there was to *Pangaenia*.

It promised to fulfill a dream.

Any dream.

He didn’t particularly have one, but the defiant wording appealed to him, so Park Taewoo played *Pangaenia*.

As expected, the game’s difficulty was ridiculous, and when he came to his senses, he had been summoned into *Pangaenia*.

“…Do you really think game addicts who suddenly gain power will live for justice?”

“But they grew up within social norms. Surely there’s at least some line they won’t cross?”

“At first, there was.”

Park Taewoo closed his eyes.

The early players were all cautious.

They lived quietly, without drawing attention to themselves.

But after the day monsters appeared, once players realized they stood in the realm of the “irreplaceable,” they began to run rampant like madmen.

It was utter lawlessness.

It couldn’t be helped.

Many players were filled with distrust and hostility toward society.

And yet, instead of being restrained, players quickly rose above the law itself.

A society where even blatant crimes by players were tolerated to a certain degree.

That was the reality of Earth now.

“Korea is fine because you’re here, Alliance Leader, isn’t it?”

Park Taewoo immediately shook his head.

“The reach of my power extends at best to Seoul. The number of awakened individuals with a sound sense of judgment is far too small…”

Because there were so few, they ran wilder.

The situation in regional cities was far worse.

Though the government tried desperately to cover it up, there were statistics showing that the crime rate among regional players exceeded 80%.

And that was excluding minor offenses—only serious crimes.

If a player wanted to commit a crime without leaving evidence, there were countless ways to do so.

And even if evidence remained, there was no one who could deal with them.

Regions beyond the Hero Alliance’s reach were especially like that.

There were even reports that mere gangs were beginning to organize—but pulling manpower from Seoul was impossible.

If the Alliance’s power weakened, they would immediately march on Seoul.

*It’s heavy.*

Park Taewoo.

He too had been nothing more than a common game addict.

A man who bore no responsibility, and could bear none—yet ironically, he was now the idol of tens of millions.

No matter how much one said that a position shapes a person… it was becoming overwhelming.

*I’m not a hero.*

The countless gazes filled with expectation weighed on him.

It had happened somehow, but he always questioned whether this was truly where he belonged.

Are heroes born? Are they made? Or do they simply become so by chance?

One thing was certain—he was not one.

The first day monsters appeared.

The day Wilhelm died during the Grand Expedition.

The day all the “gamers” of *Pangaenia* finally became “players.”

He had merely stopped by a convenience store to buy cigarettes and happened to hunt a Giant Mantis.

He was briefly intoxicated by the cheers and praise around him.

Fame drew people in, and when he came to his senses, the Alliance had been formed.

*I just drifted… drifted… and ended up here.*

So if a true hero existed in this world, it would not be someone like him.

There was only one person Park Taewoo considered a hero.

Phantom.

The one who had posted countless strategy guides on the website.

No one else had ever immersed themselves in *Pangaenia* to that extent.

Even now, he could say with certainty that no one understood *Pangaenia* better.

Monster strategies, hidden item options and strange combinations, quest progressions, talent tech trees—and even hidden traits—he was the first to discover and share them all.

*Given that, it’s only natural he’s clearing the main quest with absurd scores.*

Even if he started over from the beginning, surpassing those scores would be difficult.

But if he could start again…

He wanted to try.

More completely. More perfectly.

If he could do that, maybe he could become a true hero—not one that had been created by circumstance.

At this rate, the world would soon lose its balance and head toward ruin.

“U-Alliance Leader… what is that?”

At that moment—

The world suddenly erupted in commotion.

Following the direction the Alliance member pointed, Park Taewoo turned his head.

*An island?*

A colossal island floating in the sky came into view.

《The ‘Tutorial’ has begun.》

《If you wish to participate, look toward the ‘Island of the Gods’ and clasp your hands together.》

《‘Completed Ones (Players)’ cannot enter.》

The messages appeared simultaneously before everyone’s eyes.

The boundary between awakened and unawakened had finally begun to crumble.

—

—

 

《Welcome to the ‘Island of the Gods’.》

《The ‘Tutorial’ has begun.》

《Before entering Main Quest 1, ‘Survival’, please choose your weapon.》

《And follow the instructions of the ‘Fairy’.》

《‘Survival’ will begin in 30 minutes.》

People appeared amid countless warps.

They looked around, unable to hide their confusion.

“W-what is this?”

“Where are we?”

“The Island of the Gods? Tutorial?”

On the island’s beach.

There were easily several hundred people gathered.

—Hi! I’m Iris! Welcome to the ‘Island of the Gods’!

*Pyoro-long.*

With a cute sound, a fairy fluttered through the air.

“What are we supposed to do here?”

“S-send us back!”

At the fairy’s appearance, some people screamed in panic.

But the fairy paid them no heed.

—There’s no time! I have a duty to guide you into becoming proper ‘Awakened Ones’! So hurry up and pick up a weapon—unless you want to become food for ‘Hybrid Goblins’!

The fairy pointed to the weapons scattered across the beach.

Swords, sabers, chains, axes, bows, spears—every kind imaginable lay there.

“Hybrid goblins?”

“Don’t tell me we have to fight?”

“Uh, uh…”

The people were still bewildered.

*Clink.*

Among them, someone moved first.

Seeing the man pick up a sword, the fairy clapped her hands.

—Well done! You’ve got a good eye! To find the best sword—what a great start~

The man showed no sign of panic.

Naturally.

*This is ridiculous.*

…It was simply absurd.

Who would have thought I’d be treated as an “unawakened” and have to go through a tutorial?

*So when the Angel of Blessing settled in, the Island of the Gods changed like this.*

Perhaps because Randolph and I were completely distinguished from one another.

In any case, I roughly understood what had happened.

The Island of the Gods had become a place for awakening the unawakened.

And the still-infant Fairy Dragons had disguised themselves as guides.

*The method for raising Fairy Dragons.*

This was probably how Fairy Dragons were meant to grow.

To rapidly nurture Fairy Dragons that normally required countless eons to mature—perhaps this was the method chosen by the Angel of Blessing.

And that wasn’t all.

“What’s that at the center of the island?”

I asked while looking toward the island’s center.

The fairy Iris replied,

—The Holy Star! The great footprint left behind by the owner of this island—our god. Isn’t it beautiful?

I left it behind?

A radiant pillar of light stood tall at the island’s center.

—The ‘Angel’ is sleeping inside it. Only the few chosen who achieve the highest scores in the tutorial will be granted the honor of meeting the ‘Angel’! Who knows? You might even obtain a hidden class!

Ah.

It seemed the Island of the Gods and the Holy Star were recognized as a single set.

The Angel of Blessing residing in the island had also settled into the Holy Star within it.

Well, the Island of the Gods alone couldn’t have produced miracles of this scale.

—Now, time is passing. Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Time passed quickly.

Most people picked up weapons, but not everyone did.

“I-I can’t do this! I won’t!”

“S-stop it! If you say things like that, they’ll blow your head off!”

“Yeah! Fairies are utterly vicious beings…!”

Many tried to calm those thrashing in fear.

People who knew something about fairies.

Knowledge of *Pangaenia* had already spread widely.

Especially fairies—they were infamous, truly cruel monsters.

A race that burst the heads of any humans who trespassed into their territory and turned them into fertilizer for trees.

Utterly merciless, brutally evil monsters!

—…What are you talking about? Why would I blow your heads off?

The fairy Iris spoke as if dumbfounded.

—Don’t lump me in with mindless lower fairies, will you? Instead of feeling honored to meet a great *Fairy Dragon*… honestly.

Clicking her tongue and shaking her head, she continued,

—Now, if you’ve picked up a weapon, try calling up your ‘Status Window’. Just thinking it is fine, but at first, setting the ‘command word’ out loud helps with visualization!

Only then did people regain some composure—and gasp in shock as they envisioned their status windows.

“W-what?”

“D-did we awaken?”

“Crazy… wasn’t this something only Dimension Warriors could do?”

The status windows floating before them—

That was an ability exclusive to awakened Dimension Warriors.

“So I’m awakened too?”

“T-this is amazing!”

“I’m awakened…!!!”

Many erupted in cheers.

Simply being awakened meant being treated like nobility.

You could live comfortably. Safely.

They had seen that reality for over a year—so of course they rejoiced.

“If we clear the tutorial, we can leave, right?”

—Of course! You can even obtain a class here. Level up, invest SP earned from hunting into talents, and grow into an even stronger awakened one!

*Brrrr!*

Hearing the fairy’s answer, the man trembled all over.

“Ahh, just like I thought! My brother was right!”

“What do you mean?”

“That *Pangaenia* was originally a game! I heard everything. Talent tech trees for special classes, hidden traits—all of it!”

The man was ecstatic.

Others who heard him felt the same.

People who already understood *Pangaenia* to some extent.

They all shared the same thought.

*Information is power.*

*Those who know more gain more.*

This was a land of opportunity.

A once-in-a-lifetime chance for those who had nothing to gain everything.

They could not afford to miss it.

They had to clear the tutorial with the best possible score.

Fear vanished from everyone’s eyes.

In its place, a passion never seen before ignited.

And then, exactly thirty minutes later—

—Then, may fortune be wi—… Huh?

Fairy Iris couldn’t help but be startled.

 

 

 

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