studiobondurri Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Don’t tell me.”
A horrifying thought filled my mind.
At that moment, the message pointed at me.
[Player Error-In. What you are currently thinking is exactly correct.]
“...Error-In?”
People looked at me.
Lee Minji awkwardly smiled, while the middle-aged man burst into blatant laughter.
“Hey, you. There was a reason you didn’t want to share your name. Error-In? How can a person’s name be Error-In? Hahaha!”
“......”
I had no words to say.
‘At least it feels familiar.’
I had encountered similar reactions every time I revealed my name.
Maybe that’s why.
Hearing the mockery didn’t faze me at all.
In fact, I could remain calm.
I was fully aware that the other party was a surreal existence.
It seemed others felt the same way and kept their mouths shut.
[Player Error-In will be informed of the correct answer. As he predicted, you have all already died.]
The middle-aged man, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly stopped.
“...What?”
[This means that the moment you chose to enter the Tower of Struggle, you became unable to return.]
“......”
[Don’t worry. It’s okay. As long as you ascend the Tower of Struggle, you won’t face elimination.]
No one could retort the assistant’s words.
The shocking footage on the television seemed to have made everyone forget how to speak.
Kugugugung—.
With a loud noise, the stone gate began to open.
The people awkwardly turned their heads.
Tension was evident on their faces as they glanced at each other.
[This is the 0th floor of the Tower of Struggle. To put it simply, this is a tutorial. It’s where you learn how to use the “Soul System.”]
Something came to mind.
【Name – Error-In】
【Race – Human】
【Health 100】【Mana 100】
【Strength 10】 【Agility 10】 【Stamina 10】
【Intelligence 10】 【Wisdom 10】 【Luck 10】
【Skills Owned - (0/1)】
【Attack Power 10】【Durability 10】
【Spell Power 10】【Resistance 10】
【Nature Power 10】【Regeneration 10】
Someone murmured.
“...A game?”
[Since it’s a familiar format, you should be able to adapt easily, right?]
“......”
The message continued.
[Players from Earth start with all attributes fixed at 10. Regardless of gender or age, it’s always 10. The attributes of the “Soul System” are absolute, meaning the same value will produce the same output.]
“...What does that mean?”@@@@
Lee Minji asked.
[It means that if Player Error-In and Player Lee Minji fight, it’ll be evenly matched. Normally, the male Player Error-In should win.]
“...Reset?”
[That’s correct. Reset. As expected, Player Error-In has exceptional understanding.]
“......”
[Though “reset” would be more accurately called “equalization,” let’s overlook that since the meaning is understood.]
“......”
[So why does this equalization happen? It’s because your dimension is quite weak and unimpressive.]
“Weak, therefore equalization?”
[It’s so meaningless to differentiate that the attributes have been unified to 10.]
Someone raised their hand.
[Player Park Ji-hoon seems to have a question. Since we have some leisure time, we will accept questions now.]
“...Are there aliens?”
[They’re different from what Player Park Ji-hoon thinks, but yes, aliens do exist.]
“......”
[They have also entered the Tower of Struggle like you and are either climbing or preparing to climb.]
I had sensed it roughly.
[Strong Blow][F]
[Deliver a powerful strike to deal 『1,521%』 physical damage.][Throwing Stones][F]
[Throw small stones to inflict 『1,004%』 physical damage.][Rough Paralysis Poison][F]
[Apply paralysis poison to a weapon, inflicting an additional 『505%』 physical damage + 『109』 poison attribute damage on the next attack. 5% chance to inflict paralysis on the target.]
......
10,000. [Charge][F]
[Rush forward to inflict 『1,330%』 physical damage.]
Park Ji-hoon, unable to endure, asked the assistant.
[Yes.]
“Then why didn’t you tell me...?”
[Because you didn’t ask.]
The answer made my head spin.
‘There’s no time to deal with that.’
I actively utilized the search function to find the skills I needed.
“Hm.”
“What should I choose?”
Whether it was picking a meal or deciding on a game nickname, it was always difficult to make a choice.
How much more so would it be for a skill that could mean life or death?
The assistant had said it was just an F-rank skill, but from the perspective of someone who had just become a player, it was hard to think of it as just anything.
“Strong Blow.... Deliver a powerful strike dealing 150% physical damage...”
“What about this? Shield Mastery, it’s a passive skill that applies permanently...”
Lee Minji, who seemed to hint for help, was now asking questions next to Park Ji-hoon, having lost her earlier confidence.
‘Hmm...?’
Something about Lee Minji’s words felt off.
“Rough Paralysis Poison. 50% additional physical damage with 10 poison attribute damage, and it can inflict paralysis...”
Wasn’t she stating all the skill damages at much lower values than mine?
‘Maybe I’m just reading it wrong.’
I thought and brushed it off.
But soon, I realized the issue.
‘...Why is it just me that’s different?’
Park Ji-hoon, Jin Cheol-hwan, Lee Minji.
And the middle-aged woman, Im Su-jin.
‘Why are they all the same?’
All four of them had identical damage coefficients.
Aside from the man who had been forcibly eliminated, among the remaining five, only my values were bouncing around.
So, out of curiosity, I asked.
“...What’s the option for Strong Blow?”
“Strong Blow? Wait a minute. Let me check again.”
Lee Minji replied.
“It says here that it delivers a powerful strike for 150% physical damage.”
I had nearly 1,500%, not 150%.
“What about Emergency Treatment?”
I asked about other skills as well.
“...It says that by wrapping a bandage, you can recover 50 health. But how much is 50?”
The result was the same.
‘Is this a bug?’
A chill ran down my spine.
‘If I get found out, it’ll be a big deal.’
I must not let the assistant discover my thoughts.
I might be able to hide my thoughts, but...
‘...Have I already been found out?’
The assistant hadn’t shown any reaction since earlier.
‘Perhaps the mind-reading shown earlier was just an observation that hit the mark.’
I needed to confirm.
Mind control.
I composed my emotions and called out to the assistant.
I only thought of him inwardly.
There was no response.
“...I have a question.”
[Player Error-In? What are you curious about?]
“I’m curious about the health recovery. Exactly how much is that?”
[Health is an absolute value. If your fingertip is cut, or your arm is completely severed, if you take 100 physical damage, you lose 100 health.]
“Thanks for letting me know.”
[What’s that? It’s my job.]
It was a thank you for something else, but the assistant misunderstood my words.