Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior Chapter 1

End of Tutorial (1)

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I was born in South Korea in the 21st century.

A land where security is guaranteed. A liberal democratic society without a caste system. A country of science and technology that creates computers the size of your palm.

I have loved games since I was young.

That wouldn’t be a sin. At least in the world of the game, it is clear that it is not a crime that would fall into a land full of monsters filled with class system, poverty, and murder.

My name is Dallon.

It’s actually my character’s name, but now it’s also my name. But my real name is not Dallon.

My real name is

=====

Knock.

Dallon raised his head at the sound of a pounding on the wall of the wagon.

A mercenary with a bushy beard and a scar across his face was peering into the wagon. He said.

“It’s shift time.”

Dallen nodded and put away his pen and ink.

He stood up naturally in the rickety wagon and inspected the equipment with a familiarity.

I tightened the loose laces of my armor and re-tied the laces of my boots.

After putting on the gloves I had taken off, I checked whether the shield behind my back and the ax attached to the longsword belt on my left waist were properly attached.

He put the pen and ink bottle in his backpack, folded the used paper twice, placed it in an envelope, and tied it with a thin string.

And after thinking about it for a while, I packed the envelope, along with my writing utensil, deep inside my backpack.

“Fuhu, it’s a bit warm in here. “The weather is getting colder.”

At that time, the mercenary man from earlier climbed into the wagon.

Contrary to Dallen, he loosely loosened the straps of his armor and flopped down among the scattered piles of luggage.

Dallen said as he placed the bag he had packed in the inner corner of the wagon.

“Did anything happen?”

“It was just quiet. I didn’t see a single goblin? “Maybe because we came within the patrol area of the Labyrinth City, the bandits who were rarely seen in the lower regions didn’t even bother to turn a blind eye.”

The man took a leather water bag from his luggage and drank some water.

“But it’s getting colder outside. “It’s only natural since winter is approaching, but I’m having a hard time getting used to it since I’m in the warm southern region.”

Then the wagon rumbled once more. A few of the luggage swayed back and forth, and Dallon found his familiar balance between them.

The mercenary man took a sip of water and then spouted it out.

And then the shout of the coachman at the top was heard.

“excuse me! “I see Falcion!”

Dallen let out a small sigh and got off the wagon. He said.

“I will go up. Rest.”

“Cough! Wow! That’s right. Good luck!”

***

As I climbed onto the roof of the carriage, two mercenaries were sitting facing forward and to the left, standing guard. one of them said.

“good morning.”

Dallen gave them a quick greeting and sat down in the empty seat on the right. It was a position held by a mercenary man with a bushy beard who had just been replaced.

All right. All right. Rattling.

Three wagons clattering over a low hill. Eight roofless carts pulled by mules.

The workers were trudging along with their luggage on their backs, and Dongpae mercenaries were escorting the carriages around the outskirts.

The Galios shipyard that Dallon was tasked with escorting this time was a fairly large shipwreck.

The volume of goods being transported was not only large, but it was estimated that 20 bronze and 4 silver mercenaries were hired for one trip.

And like any other van, this one too was heading towards the city along a relatively safe road.

Towards the goal of this upward journey, a city in the distance that appears the size of a fingernail.

‘The labyrinth city of Falcion.’

Dallen thought as he looked at the towering castle wall in the distance.

Falcion was one of the most prosperous cities in the land, located right in the center of this fantasy medieval continent. The name was also dazzling.

The heart of the continent.

A city surrounded by seven walls.

A hall of living legends filled with heroes and superhumans.

‘…and a bastion of humanity that blocks the monsters rising from the labyrinth.’

The city’s seven walls, stacked one on top of the other, exude overwhelming majesty from afar.

A more vivid and beautiful scene than seen in game illustrations. It was worthy of being called the bastion of humanity.

Dallen looked at it, lost in thought.

‘We’ve finally arrived.’

This bitch.

Two years after falling into this damn game world, the city that could be said to be the end point of the tutorial was finally in front of me.

‘It’s been two years of tutorials.’

The beginning of this arduous journey was a remote mountain cabin shown in the game’s opening scene.

Dallen had fallen into that cabin two years ago, empty-handed and without anything. Not in his own body, but in the body of a character named Dallon.

It’s a shame because I maxed out the additional abilities when creating the character. If not for that, that mountain cabin would have been the beginning and end of the journey.

The remote mountain where the cabin was located was haunted by wild cats, wolves, and even bears.

Anyway, I had played the game dozens of times, so I was familiar with the beginning.

Relying on his exceptional physical ability, he somehow came down to the village and passed through a larger village before heading to the city.

As I always did in the tutorial, I did a few odd jobs as an unregistered mercenary, and the mercenary guild issued me a bronze badge.

However, the game and reality were different.

Originally, the tutorial ended when you received a bronze medal from the mercenary guild.

The goal is to get used to the game system by doing a few chores and doing a couple of battles in order to receive a bronze plaque.

If you made it that far, you would immediately arrive at the labyrinth city and begin the main story, but here you had to do all the subsequent steps alone from start to finish.

‘I was at rock bottom for a year.’

After receiving the bronze medal, I worked as a mercenary for about a year. Thanks to his inhumanly strong physical ability, his performance was quite good and he was able to receive a silver medal.

It was half a year ago that I spent the money I had saved, equipped myself with proper armor and weapons, and set off on a journey.

A journey to the labyrinth city of Falcion where the main part of the game begins.

“Wow, it looks spectacular even from afar.”

The mercenary with half his head bald opened his mouth.

“The last time I came here, the woman I spent a few nights with was amazing in bed. “What was the name of the store?”

“I don’t know about Changgwan, but I want to win back the money I lost last time. For this time, I saved a silver coin for each request. “I will get back twice the money you lost.”

Well, it’s a gambling place. That’s more dangerous than the Changgwan woman.

Dallen’s journey, which he left half a year ago, was not as smooth as expected.

What was dangerous were people, not monsters. A person who competes with cards and wooden chips, not swords.

‘Rotten. Obviously, the gambling hall was a place where you could easily make money in the game.’

Dallen, who cut off the wrist of a gambling dealer in a mid-sized village and almost went to prison, was able to escape only after he spent all his family fortune and boiled the village elders.

It was this Galios merchant who was passing through the village that hired him, who had become penniless through gambling and bribery.

‘Anyway, we arrived safely.’

On the roof of a carriage with a gentle breeze blowing. Dallen was lost in thought once again, listening to the mercenaries’ chatter with one ear.

The labyrinth city of Falcion was a huge city with millions of people living there.

And at the same time, it was the only way to safely descend from the ground into the underground labyrinth.

The only passage that allows you to take out the numerous treasures of the labyrinth without being invaded by monsters coming from the labyrinth.

‘And according to the game settings, there is an irreplaceable treasure at the very bottom.’

A stone that grants wishes that were sealed in ancient times.

If you get it, you can see the ending of the game.

‘I’ve never gotten it though.’

It was because of the fucking difficult difficulty level. Either you die or the world is destroyed before you get the Wish Stone.

And now I am in a position where I have to get it somehow. If the wish stone is real, it may be able to send him back to Earth.

What if it’s fake? Dallen shook his head.

It wasn’t a wise idea to think it would turn sour before you even got it.

And whether or not you get the wish stone, you had to go down into the labyrinth to become stronger.

‘Status window.’

――――――――

Name: Dallon

Level: 4

[Strength: 22] [Skill: 11] [Stamina: 11]

[Sense: 13] [Intelligence: 18] [Magic Power: 8]

Skill: –

――― ―――――

There was one reason Dallen was able to survive in this world.

This is because the body that gained additional abilities in addition to the power of the status window was abnormally strong.

This body, which was originally strong, became stronger by leveling up three times in two years. Now, I am not afraid of goblins or orcs I encounter on the road.

There were many enemies stronger than goblins or orcs in the labyrinth. Defeating stronger enemies gives you more experience.

And if you level up with that experience, your already superhuman body will gain even more strength.

‘In this harsh world, you have to be that strong to survive.’

It wasn’t just empty words.

This world is harsh enough now, but it will become even harsher in the future.

This world was still moving closer to destruction, a fact that only Dallon, who had played the game, knew.

“Hey bro! Brother, let’s take a hit this time too! He said he lost everything at the village gambling house. “We need to restore it!”

“…I’m done.”

Anyway, right now, I am broke and have to worry about the stew I will eat tomorrow.

Before using the wishing stone or the destruction of the world, one had to earn money first.

“Originally, you start off with everything thrown away! And then they do it again!”

“I heard it’s really done.”

Of course, I will never set foot in a gambling house again.

***

It was almost evening when we arrived at Falcion.

After passing the simple inspection of the bronze castle gate, the upper class settled the account with the mercenaries at an inn next to the merchant guild.

“This is up to you, Dallon. It’s 15 shillings. “The pockets are a bonus.”

After accepting the bag containing fifteen silver coins, Dallon asked the merchant with a questioning look.

“Isn’t my commission fee ten shillings? “I think I decided to receive less since I joined in the middle.”

“Consider that a bonus too.”

“You’re giving me half as much as a bonus?”

The owner of the top said, twitching his splendidly grown mustache.

“Then let’s call it investment money. An investment made to build a friendship with a warrior who cuts a goblin in two with his bare hands. “When will someone like you ever do a top escort job again?”

well. If you’re in a hurry for money, you can do it tomorrow.

Of course, I didn’t say those words out loud. Five silver coins are enough weight to keep silent.

Sang Sang-ju continued speaking in an exalted tone.

“You will become a truly great warrior! “There are many flying and crawling superhumans in the labyrinth city, but within a few years, you too will become a god who can stand shoulder to shoulder with them!”

Huh. The owner of the sang sang looked around, probably realizing that his voice was too loud, cleared his throat, and held out his hand.

“At that time, please stop ignoring me, Volkmar Galios. “We were comrades who once broke through a forest infested with monsters together.”

The only monsters swarming around are goblins and a few orcs. The merchant he experienced was not that inexperienced fool.

In the end, it was clearly visible that it was just lip service.

“Good.”

Anyway, money is not a crime. Dallon held the Sangsanju’s hand.

“yes! They say my way of looking at people is never wrong! See you next time, Dallon, Champion of the North!”

After shaking Dallen’s hand vigorously, the head of the merchant left the inn, leaving a message telling him to find him at the merchant guild if necessary.

thud.

The door closed amidst the loud noise of the inn. Now Dallon was alone at the table.

The other silver-plated mercenaries had already received their settlement and left for their mercenary corps branches. It is common for each person to have their own mercenary unit at the silver level.

It was rather rare for someone like Dallan to work alone.

“Give me another beer.”

Dallen, who was left alone at the table, grabbed the waiter and ordered him another drink. And I looked around the inn with calm eyes.

The bar on the first floor of the large inn was crowded with customers at dozens of tables and was noisy.

Dallen slowly got up after ordering and drinking another beer at a quiet table.

When I came out, it was completely night. However, the main street was still crowded with people thanks to the torches hanging everywhere.

Dallen sighed once and passed between the people and entered the alley.

Let’s go. Let’s go.

The road gradually became narrower and more complicated.

Before we knew it, the flagstones on the road began to thin out, turning into dirt, and the number of torches gradually decreased.

There were fewer and fewer people walking on the streets. At least there didn’t seem to be many normal people.

“…….”

Dallon continued walking.

I ignored the gangster who was looking at me from a distance as if searching, and passed a woman who was sitting down and scratching the wall while muttering incomprehensibly.

There were a few people approaching with their eyes shining sinisterly.

The closer I got, the more clearly I saw Dallan’s size, the sword on his armor’s waist, and the shield on his back, so I rolled up my tail and ran away.

After walking for about 10 more minutes, Dallon was able to find a shabby inn.

Squeak-squeak-

A sign that creaks as if it will fall in the wind. The door panel was so rotten that it had holes all over it.

It was a very insignificant small inn compared to the place where the request fee was received.

However, Dallon opened the door and entered without hesitation.

“Hahaha! So I tied him up to a stake and just-”

“C’mon! “Die the whole fucking world!”

“Oh my, this is my first time seeing you? “Honey, how about spending a night with me?”

The muggy air hits my face in a puff. Numerous stimuli poured into Dallen’s sensitive senses.

The smell of strong liquor. The sound of loud laughter and chatter. The unique stench of a dirty back alley and the smell of cheap powder masking it. People talking nonsense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

‘I finally found it.’

Dallen was able to find what he was looking for among them.

A body lying bleeding with a dagger stuck in its back and its entire body pierced.

[The corpse of a shabby mercenary was found.]

[TIP: If you recover the corpse, you can inherit some of the stats and skill items.]

That was the corpse of the character who was his alter ego when he was a gamer.