Chapter 2: A Nameless Supporting Role’s Tutorial |
2. Tutorial of the unnamed supporting character (1)
I don’t dream.
Once I couldn’t even understand the concept of the word ‘dream’.
My parents said I used to often tell them about my dreams when I was very very young.
Did I lose the ability to dream when I developed an ego?
I had no memory of seeing the dream.
However, I wasn’t certain whether this situation was a dream or reality.
‘This school uniform…!’
I was currently wearing the school uniform.
A red necktie with an uncomfortable jacket.
This school uniform of terrible fashion design was my middle school graduate uniform.
‘Moments ago I was in my Gosiwon room, in a tracksuit, vomiting blood… Why am I wearing a school uniform?’
After graduation, I donated that uniform to a charity event.
There was no way it was in my room.
‘My arms and legs seem shorter.’
I examined the uniform and then stretched my limbs to take a look.
I almost lost my balance and tripped.
It was somewhat awkward, as if it wasn’t my body.
However, the biggest incongruity was in the other place.
‘I’m not coughing.’
I wasn’t coughing and the pain of something heavy pressing on my chest disappeared.
As if my body became healthy, just as when I wasn’t aware of lung cancer.
“Jo Uisin?”
“Ugh.”
I was startled.
There were three more people here except for me.
“Yu Sang-hun.”
“Hi, I’m Son Mingi. Nice to meet you.”
As the boys spoke to me, each of them pointed at his name tag.
All of them were wearing different school uniforms. I couldn’t tell whether the three kids were middle schoolers or highschool students.
What was strange was that those kids spoke to me informally.
Did they mistake me for their peer, because I’m wearing a school uniform?
No way…
“Are you dozing off, perhaps? Wake up, the practical exam starts in a moment.”
“Practical?”
“Cooperation evaluation is also included, so let’s work hard. I’m Jang Namuk.”
Next to speak was the only kid with glasses and the tallest among the bunch.
The three ended their introductions, and it was my turn.
I dryly said my name only, following Yu Sang-hun’s example.
“Jo Uisin.”
All self-introductions ended.
An awkward silence, which often occurs when strangers gather together, descended.
The one to cut it was Jang Namuk.
“Let’s do a warm-up. It won’t be good if we get cramps during the exam.”
At Jang Namuk’s suggestion, the three started stretching.
They seemed to have good motor senses, as their bodies moved with ease.
Just watching them warm-up, their flexibility seemed like that of a gymnastic athlete.
The hang time when jumping in place.
The sound of the air splitting when throwing a punch… No, it was as if the air was torn apart.
I couldn’t suppress my shock at the appearance of a trivial ‘warm-up’.
‘Are those three professional athletes?’
I didn’t know what it was, but I was ruined.
I didn’t exercise even once after receiving the death sentence.
I didn’t even go out.
Since I solved the meals with rice, ramen and water from a purifier provided at the Gosiwon.
‘There is no way I can move my body like that all of the sudden.’
However, it seemed I’d have to take a practical exam with those kids.
Even if it was a dream, I wouldn’t feel good if I saw them lose the exam because of me.
First, I stretched along the three.
‘Impossible…!’
I felt the incongruity again.
My body was too light.
It was as if the heaviness weighting over my entire body disappeared.
My body shrunk, but its performance seemed to be several times better than when I was very healthy.
‘Is it really a dream?’
While I sank into thoughts, the three left me alone and started chatting.
“Practical seemed difficult… Will it be okay?”
“It’ll be okay if you just don’t make obvious mistakes when the simulator is running. I heard the practical here and the one at the military academy are similar, and it wasn’t particularly difficult there.”
Son Mingi looked uneasy.
Jang Namuk seemed nervous, but he attempted to speak coolly.
In comparison, Yu Sang-hun looked calm.
The three continued leaving me out with conversation I couldn’t understand.
“Right. Eungwang School[1] also uses simulators.”
I heard one word from Yu Sang-hun and almost tripped.
“Eungwang School?”
“…Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
I was a terminally ill patient with lung cancer, but right now I wasn’t in even a bit of pain.
My mind gradually became clear.
Eungwang School.
How could I not know it?
Wasn’t it the name of the school I heard about for the past 10 years?
The Eungwang Highschool, the school which became the stage of the national hypewreck the ‘Player Maister Highschool’.
⟨Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification ‘Jo Uisin’ recognized dimension present location. ‘Jo Uisin’s skill, ‘The Exclusive menu of the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification’ is used.⟩
Ping.
I heard a notification sound somewhere.
It was a familiar sound. And the moment I thought that, a window with a familiar design popped out.
This pattern, this design.
It was impossible not to recognize it after looking at it for 10 years.
‘It’s really the PMH’s system guide window!’
I instinctively examined items at the very top of the menu.
⟨Reading character data of ‘Jo Uisin’.⟩
Ping.
A blue-light[2] window unfolded before me.
Because the gym was dark, it was very noticeable, but except for me, none of the kids seemed to see it.
Likely, only I could see this window, when using that ‘Exclusive menu of the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification’ skill.
[Name] Jo Uisin
[Titles] Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification, 3 grade middle schooler
[Blessing] (some loading failed)
[Gwangrim] (sealed) [3]
[Status] Normal
[Overall statistics] Lv. 10
Exactly like the game.
The window design and layout were the same.
If you selected overall statistics, the details with HP and MP bars and numerical values of strength, magic, defense, agility etc, which opened were also the same.
Even up to the ‘some loading failed, the ‘SLF’ bug for short.
It said ‘some’, but it was normal for some people that only this phrase popped out and nothing else appeared on the entire screen.
It was like the hypewreck, whatever was happening, whatever it was a dream or reality, the bugs remained.
‘Skills are also here?’
I searched down through the menu until the skills column and looked through it.
[Skills]
Use of Everything Lv. 1
Exclusive menu of the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification Lv. 1
Communication with Transcendent Universe Lv. 1
Power of Fate[4] Lv. 3
(Some loading failed)
Some words and skills didn’t exist in the game.
But I remembered hearing about a few of them before being engulfed in light.
‘No way, is it all related to the final chapter’s clear reward?’
Didn’t I have auditory hallucinations after opening the gift box for the final chapter clear reward?
I searched my memory.
‘Completion of the connection to Transcendent Universe’
‘Evaluation of qualifications of connected players’
‘Selection of Jo Uisin as the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification’
‘Progress of the data reconstruction and dimension synchronization, as well as transfer’
If I had to guess, the cause of this phenomenon was something called ‘Transcendent Universe’.
I became the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification and came to the PMH’s world.
‘But something doesn’t match…’
I seem to be missing something, but I didn’t know what.
I decided to think about it later and try to read skills’ descriptions first.
Since with an expectation of ‘Use of everything’ I didn’t know any of the skills.
⟨Reading skill’s data⟩
[Skill name] Use of Everything
[Rarity] SSR
[Skill level] 1
[Effect] Any weapon or armor is used skillfully.
[Description]
Not so much of a technique, but rather a skill closer to the realm of talent.
[Skill name] Exclusive menu of Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification
[Rarity] EX (impossible to measure)
[Skill level] 1
[Effect] Enables transcendental interference and data reading of the objects existing in the same dimension.
[Description]
Exclusive skill of the One who passed qualification evaluation of the Transcendent Universe.
The qualified one’s understanding and adaptation to the dimension increases scope of the usage.
[Skill name] Communication with Transcendent Universe
[Rarity] UR
[Skill level] 1
[Effect] Communicates with Transcendent Universe
[Description]
Communication with existence incorporating all-dimensions, all-times and all-cosmos causes enormous load on the skill’s user’s mind and body.
In case of communication’s results exceeding a skill’s user’s possible quantity of data acceptance, the skill will be automatically canceled.
[Skill name] Power of Fate
[Rarity] EX (impossible to measure)
[Skill level] 3
[Effect] Creates surreal interference.
[Description]
Guides the skill user’s fate based on experiences, expectations, ideas, goals and convictions.
The life path the skill user has walked and will walk decreases and increases Power of Fate value.
Activates randomly.
Impossible to measure beyond standard, 2 unknown EX ranks.
1 UR rank and 1 SSR rank.
If calculated by skill ranks only, I have the highest rank among all the playable characters I raised up till now.
‘Looking at the skills only, I’m an EX rank character.’
However, besides the menu I didn’t see any skill I could immediately use.
‘How should I test it?’
When I was considering it, I realized the faint incongruity of the current situation.
Something was strange if I truly transmigrated into the game.
I entered PMH’s world, but why am I wearing a middle school uniform and not the Eungwang School’s uniform?
‘And they said it’s a practical exam, but if you say Eungwang School practical exam…’
I thought back to 10 years inside the game.
Middle school uniforms.
Four kids, if I’m included.
Eungwang School practical entrance exam.
Dark gym.
I thought up here and something flashed in my mind.
“What group are we?”
I ignored the sudden heavy mood and cut in the conversation.
It was impolite to cut in, but I had to check it right now.
It’s too late to recall an event from so long ago.
Just not group 13.
If it’s not group 13, the situation is easy to handle.
Jang Namuk pushed up his horn-rimmed glasses as he spoke.
“Group 13.”
Ruined.
I wanted to rush outside, but…
The moment I grabbed the handle of the gym’s door, the spark bounced off and I heard a ping of warning.
⟨Warning, you touched N+ rank ‘Exam’s boundary barrier’. When touching 2 more times, the status effects will be generated and replicated. Current times of contact: 1.⟩
My blood turned cold when I saw the system window.
‘It already started..!’
N+ rank barrier means that only the weapons or skills above N+ rank or if not, a person with equivalent skill level, have a possibility of releasing it.
Additionally, this barrier was a bit special, because it was impossible to break even with higher rank weapons.
The four of us were locked up here.
“What? Why is there a barrier already?”
“There won’t be any damage even if you touch it, but penalties are awful, so keep it in mind to avoid it. That is what I heard from my private teacher.”
The three didn’t have any sense of crisis and were chatting idly.
Anyway, the escape was impossible.
I opened the inventory.
⟨Reading the list of possessed items.⟩
[Possessed items]
Student ID 1
Exam card 1
Copy of the exam agreement 1
…
…
…
Fortunately, the item I wanted was at the very end of the list.
While I searched for the item.
I heard a system warning.
⟨Warning. The Enemy[5] is approaching.⟩
“Guys, take out what you received before coming in here.”
My abrupt words were naturally ignored.
“We shouldn’t open that without the supervisor’s permission, right…?”
“The country jerk won’t be cool even if you try to be serious, even in uniform.”
System’s notifications grew louder.
That bastard will come soon.
“The Enemy is coming. There is no time. Open your item boxes!”
About 100 years ago, with the clash of different worlds, the Enemy appeared. The beings who fought against them with supernatural abilities were players.
And in the otherworlds divided into dungeons, towers, castles, gardens, mazes etc. the items with special effects appeared.
Those items were obtained in another world.
Or produced with supernatural ability.
Players have the power to cardify those items and materialize them from cards.
Eungwang School students should have that power, however to figure it out, the examinees are offered a box containing an item card at the practical exam.
‘I have no choice here, but try to use that road.’
After entering the practical exam with an exam’s card, we received ‘Exam’s random item box’.
I examined a black box lying on my palm.
Out of random boxes, the black ones were the lowest rarity rank.
If you were a cancer player like me who couldn’t help but rot and turn into oil, you would disassemble or throw away a box of this standard without even putting them in the inventory.
‘Now it’s the only way to face the Enemy.’
There is no answer, even if junk comes out. Before I would delete and reinstall the game, but here, from the beginning, this playthrough technique couldn’t be used.
That reset marathon, commonly known as ‘Resetmare’ was impossible.
I had to pull out a good item in one shot.
⟨Using exam’s random item box.⟩
The box opened, and an item card started to spin before my eyes.
~*~*~
[1] Eungwang School – Perhaps a closer translation would be Eungwang High, but that made this translator cringe and recall dark memories of their youth. Please excuse this little liberty.
[2] Blue-light window – could also be green. You never know with the ‘blue-green’ color in Korean.
[3] Gwangrim – Gwangrim can be roughly translated as a call, invitation to come or a honor of a presence of the exalted being (like a god or a king, someone of a very high position). But I do not find any of those words satisfying for what Gwangrim appears to be in the story and what more, I suspect there may be something else to it.
[4] Power of Fate – could also be something like Authority over Fate maybe.
[5] Enemy – the Author borrows the word from English. It’s literally ‘Enemy’. Therefore to avoid misunderstandings as far as this translator can, I’ll try to use synonyms of enemy and that Enemy will be always capitalized. If you see ‘enemy’ it’s referring to something else.
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