The beach of Tutorial Island was more crowded than Jin-woo had initially realized. As his eyes adjusted to the brilliant sunlight and his brain finished processing the sensory overload of full-dive VR, he noticed dozens—no, hundreds—of new players materializing along the shoreline. They appeared in bursts of golden light, each one accompanied by a soft chime that was quickly lost in the general cacophony of voices, waves, and ambient fantasy music.
A massive stone archway stood at the edge of where beach met grass, and beneath it stood a figure that could only be an NPC. The man was impossibly tall—at least seven feet—with broad shoulders encased in gleaming silver armor that caught the sunlight like a mirror. A crimson cape fluttered behind him despite the lack of any discernible wind, and a greatsword nearly as tall as Jin-woo himself was strapped to his back. Above the knight's head, a nameplate floated in golden text: Knight Marcus - Tutorial Instructor.
The NPC's face was stern but not unkind, with a square jaw, piercing blue eyes, and a scar running from his left temple to his cheekbone. When he spoke, his voice boomed across the beach with perfect clarity, somehow cutting through all the other noise without being uncomfortably loud.
"Welcome, new adventurers, to Tutorial Island!" Knight Marcus announced, his hands clasped behind his back in a military at-ease stance. "I am Knight Marcus, and it is my honor to guide you through your first steps in Eternal Realm Online. Before you can venture into the wider world, you must master the fundamentals of combat and survival. Pay attention, for these lessons may one day save your life!"
The speech had the practiced quality of something repeated thousands of times, but the NPC's delivery was flawless. Jin-woo was struck by how lifelike Marcus appeared—the subtle movements of breathing, the slight shift of weight from one foot to the other, the way his eyes seemed to actually focus on individuals in the crowd. The AI was impressive.
"First, you must learn to control your body in this world," Marcus continued. "Though you inhabit a vessel similar to your physical form, the laws here are different. You will find yourself capable of feats impossible in your home realm, but you must learn to harness these abilities. Let us begin with movement!"
A quest notification appeared in Jin-woo's vision, translucent text hovering in his peripheral:
Quest Received: Basic Movement Training Objective: Follow Knight Marcus's instructions Reward: 5 Copper
"Walk forward ten paces!" Marcus commanded.
Jin-woo took a step and nearly fell over. The disconnect was jarring—his physical body remained seated on his futon, legs crossed, but his virtual body was standing upright on sand. His brain screamed contradiction. He stumbled, arms windmilling for balance, and managed to stay upright only by planting his virtual feet wide.
Around him, other players were having similar difficulties. A dwarf player face-planted into the sand with a muffled curse. An elf stumbled sideways into another player, both of them collapsing in a tangle of limbs. A few players seemed to have better luck, walking with only minor wobbles.
"Do not fight the interface," Marcus called out, his voice somehow addressing everyone individually while speaking to the group. "Your body knows how to walk. Trust your instincts, not your thoughts. Let the movement flow naturally."
Jin-woo tried again, this time attempting to not overthink it. He imagined walking—just walking, the way he'd done every day of his life—and let his brain handle the details. His virtual legs moved, one foot in front of the other, and suddenly he was walking across the sand. The sensation was surreal but worked. After ten paces, he stopped and felt a small thrill of accomplishment.
Quest Progress: Basic Movement Training (1/4 Complete)
"Excellent!" Marcus said, though his expression hadn't changed. "Now, run twenty paces forward, then return to your starting position!"
Running was easier than walking had been, perhaps because Jin-woo's brain had already started accepting the VR interface. He dashed forward across the sand, his legs pumping, the wind rushing past his face—or at least, his brain insisted it felt wind. After twenty paces, he skidded to a halt, turned, and ran back. The movement felt good, natural, almost freeing.
Quest Progress: Basic Movement Training (2/4 Complete)
"Jump five times!" Marcus ordered.
Jin-woo bent his knees and jumped. He soared higher than he'd expected, easily clearing three feet of vertical height. The sensation of weightlessness lasted a fraction too long, and he landed with more force than anticipated, stumbling slightly. The physics weren't quite real-world—they were enhanced, game-like, allowing for more dramatic movement. He jumped four more times, each one feeling more natural than the last.
Quest Progress: Basic Movement Training (3/4 Complete)
"Finally, perform a combat roll to either your left or right!"
A combat roll? Jin-woo had never done a combat roll in his life. He glanced around and saw other players attempting it with varying degrees of success. The dwarf from earlier tucked into a ball and rolled sideways, coming up smoothly. The elf player just sort of flopped onto her side.
Jin-woo thought about action movies he'd seen, the way characters would tuck their shoulder and roll. He committed to the movement, throwing his weight to the right, tucking his shoulder down. The world spun as he rolled across the sand, and he came up on one knee, sand clinging to his cloth tunic.
It had actually worked. He'd just done a combat roll.
Quest Complete: Basic Movement Training Reward: 5 Copper
A small notification appeared showing a copper coin icon with "+5" next to it. Jin-woo pulled up his character interface with a thought—the gesture came instinctively, as if the VR system read his intention—and saw his inventory now contained five copper coins. Five cents, essentially. Not much, but it was something. His first earning in Eternal Realm Online.
"Well done, adventurers!" Marcus's voice boomed again. "You have taken your first steps in this world. But an adventurer who cannot defend themselves is merely prey. It is time to learn combat!"
The NPC gestured toward the stone archway, and as if responding to his command, the space beyond it shimmered and changed. What had been a simple path now revealed a training yard—an open area of packed dirt surrounded by wooden fencing. Training dummies lined one side, simple mannequins made of straw and wood with crude faces painted on. Weapon racks stood nearby, stocked with wooden swords, staves, bows, and other training implements.
"Proceed to the training yard and select a weapon appropriate to your class," Marcus instructed. "Then we shall begin basic combat instruction."
The crowd of new players began moving through the archway. Jin-woo followed, his heart rate increasing slightly. This was it—actual combat, even if it was just against a dummy. The game was about to get real.
The training yard was larger than it had appeared from the beach, easily the size of a football field. Hundreds of training dummies were spaced out in neat rows, and there seemed to be enough for every player to have their own. Jin-woo approached the weapon rack designated for warriors—a sign above it read "MELEE WEAPONS" in glowing text.
He reached out and grasped a wooden sword. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, information appeared:
Training Sword (Wooden) Type: One-Handed Sword Damage: 1-2 Durability: 50/50 Quality: Poor Description: A simple wooden sword used for training. It won't win any real battles, but it won't kill anyone either.
The sword felt solid in his hand, with actual weight and texture. Jin-woo gave it an experimental swing. The weapon whooshed through the air, and he felt the resistance of the movement in his shoulder and arm. The physics were slightly forgiving—the sword felt lighter than a real wooden sword would—but it wasn't weightless.
A new quest notification appeared:
Quest Received: First Strike Objective: Hit the training dummy 50 times Reward: 10 Copper
Knight Marcus materialized beside Jin-woo—not walking over, but simply appearing with a shimmer of light. "Attend, warrior," the NPC said, his voice now addressing Jin-woo specifically. "Combat in Eternal Realm Online is both art and instinct. Your body will guide your strikes, but you must learn proper form. Observe."
Marcus drew the greatsword from his back in one fluid motion. The massive blade should have required two hands to wield, but the knight held it easily in one hand. He stepped toward the nearest training dummy and executed a downward slash. The movement was perfect—weight shifting forward, blade descending in a precise arc, following through with controlled power. The wooden sword struck the dummy's shoulder with a solid THWACK.
"Proper form ensures maximum damage and minimal wasted energy," Marcus explained. "Poor form leads to glancing blows and exhaustion. Strike with intention. Follow through. Maintain your balance. Now, you try."
The NPC stepped back, sheathing his greatsword with another impossibly smooth motion.
Jin-woo faced the training dummy. It was roughly human-shaped, with a round head, cylindrical torso, and stick-like arms. The painted face had two X's for eyes and a simple curved line for a mouth, giving it an oddly cheerful expression despite being an object meant for violence.
He raised the wooden sword above his head, mimicking Marcus's stance as best he could. He swung down.
The blade hit the dummy's head at an angle, skidding off to the side with an unsatisfying scrape. A damage number appeared above the dummy: -1. The dummy wobbled slightly but remained upright.
Quest Progress: First Strike (1/50)
Jin-woo frowned. That hadn't felt right at all. He tried again, this time putting more force behind the swing. The blade connected more solidly with the dummy's shoulder—THWACK—and a slightly better number appeared: -2.
Quest Progress: First Strike (2/50)
Around him, other players were having varying degrees of success. A berserker player was absolutely wailing on their dummy with a two-handed axe, each hit producing satisfying crunches and damage numbers of -3 or -4. A mage was using a wooden staff, poking at their dummy with awkward jabs. A rogue with dual daggers was attacking in rapid succession, landing multiple weak hits in quick succession.
Jin-woo settled into a rhythm, or tried to. Raise the sword. Swing down. Hit the dummy. Repeat. But his form was sloppy—he could feel it even without Marcus criticizing him. Some swings connected cleanly, producing that satisfying THWACK and dealing 2 damage. Other swings hit at bad angles, scraping or glancing off for only 1 damage. A few swings missed entirely, his timing off, the blade whooshing through empty air beside the dummy.
Quest Progress: First Strike (8/50)
His shoulder was starting to ache. Not his real shoulder—that was still fine, resting comfortably in his apartment—but his virtual shoulder. The VR interface was simulating muscle fatigue, giving him feedback about his stamina. A new bar had appeared in his interface, a yellow bar beneath his green health bar: Stamina: 73/100.
Every swing drained a small amount of stamina. If he swung too rapidly without pausing, the drain accelerated. Jin-woo forced himself to pace his attacks, swinging, pausing for a second, then swinging again. It was inefficient, but he couldn't afford to completely exhaust himself on a tutorial quest.
Quest Progress: First Strike (15/50)
Swing. THWACK. -2 damage.
Quest Progress: First Strike (16/50)
Swing. Scrape. -1 damage.
Quest Progress: First Strike (17/50)
Miss. The blade whooshed past the dummy's head.
"Damn it," Jin-woo muttered.
Swing. THWACK. -2 damage.
Quest Progress: First Strike (18/50)
The repetitive motion was mind-numbing but necessary. Jin-woo focused on his form, trying to replicate Marcus's perfect strike. Plant the back foot. Shift weight forward. Let the blade fall with gravity and guide it. Follow through. Don't try to muscle it.
Gradually, his success rate improved. More hits landed cleanly, producing 2 damage instead of 1. Fewer swings missed entirely. His stamina management got better as he learned to time his swings with the natural regeneration of the yellow bar.
Quest Progress: First Strike (35/50)
His virtual arms burned with simulated lactic acid buildup. Sweat that didn't actually exist beaded on his virtual forehead. The VR interface was incredibly thorough in its replication of physical exertion.
Quest Progress: First Strike (42/50)
Almost there. Jin-woo's jaw clenched as he powered through the final swings. He was no longer thinking about form or technique—he just wanted to finish this quest and move on.
Quest Progress: First Strike (49/50)
One more. Jin-woo raised the wooden sword one final time, took a breath, and swung with everything he had left. The blade came down perfectly, striking the dummy square in the chest with the most satisfying THWACK yet. A critical hit notification flashed: CRITICAL! -4 damage.
Quest Complete: First Strike Reward: 10 Copper
Jin-woo lowered the sword and bent forward, hands on his knees, breathing hard. His stamina bar had dropped to 12/100—nearly empty. The yellow bar slowly ticked upward as he rested, regenerating at about 5 points per second while out of combat.
Fifteen minutes. It had taken him fifteen minutes to hit a stationary dummy fifty times. The realization was humbling. He'd been so focused on learning the game's economic systems, on researching money-making strategies, that he'd somehow forgotten he'd actually need to fight things. And he was terrible at it.
But terrible could improve. He'd completed the quest, earned his copper, and learned the basics. That was progress.
A new quest notification appeared:
Quest Received: Slime Extermination Objective: Kill 10 Slimes in the grassy field Reward: 50 Copper, 50 Experience Description: The fields beyond the training yard are home to slimes—weak monsters suitable for beginning adventurers. Prove your combat skills by slaying 10 of these creatures.**
Knight Marcus's voice boomed across the training yard again, addressing all the players simultaneously: "You have learned to strike a motionless target. Now you must face a true enemy—weak though it may be. Beyond this training yard lies a field inhabited by slimes. These creatures are the weakest monsters in all of Eternal Realm, barely capable of fighting back. But they are alive, and they will defend themselves. Slay ten slimes, and return to me!"
The wooden fence at the far end of the training yard dissolved into motes of light, revealing a gently rolling grassland beyond. The grass was impossibly green, swaying in a breeze that Jin-woo could actually feel against his skin. Wildflowers dotted the landscape in patches of color—blues, yellows, reds. In the distance, perhaps a hundred yards away, he could see movement.
Jin-woo walked toward the field, his wooden sword still gripped in his right hand. His stamina had regenerated fully during Marcus's speech, and his health remained at 100/100—the dummy hadn't been able to fight back, after all. As he crossed from the packed dirt of the training yard onto the grass, another notification appeared:
Now Entering: Slime Fields (Tutorial Zone) Recommended Level: 1-2 Difficulty: Trivial
The grassland was surprisingly large, easily several acres. And it was populated—both by monsters and players. Jin-woo counted at least fifty other new adventurers spread across the field, most of them engaged in combat with the blue creatures hopping around.
The slimes were exactly what their name suggested: roughly spherical blobs of translucent blue gel about the size of a basketball. They moved by compressing their bodies and launching themselves forward in short hops, bouncing across the grass like living water balloons. Two dark spots near the top of each slime served as crude eyes, and a darker line beneath them formed a simple mouth. When they opened those mouths, Jin-woo could see they had no teeth—just a darker interior cavity.
Above each slime's "head," a nameplate floated: Slime - Level 1.
The other players fighting the slimes were a mixed group. Jin-woo noticed most of them appeared to be young—teenagers, probably, based on their avatars and the snippets of conversation he could hear.
"—dude, this is so cool! I can actually feel the sword—"
"—gonna stream this later, my followers will freak—"
"—Mr. Kimura's homework can wait, I'm grinding to level 5 tonight—"
"—did you see the graphics on the elf character? I should've picked elf—"
They were playing for fun, treating this like the game it was supposed to be. Jin-woo felt a pang of something—not quite envy, but awareness. He couldn't afford to play. This was work. This was survival.
He focused on the nearest slime, about twenty feet away. The creature was just sitting there, bouncing in place occasionally, its simple face pointed vaguely in his direction. Jin-woo approached cautiously, sword held in both hands now—it felt more secure that way.
At fifteen feet, the slime didn't react.
At ten feet, its dark spot eyes seemed to focus on him.
At five feet, the slime's mouth opened, emitting a sound somewhere between a squeak and a gurgle, and it launched itself forward.
Jin-woo swung his sword in a panic. The blade passed through empty air—the slime was faster than it looked. The creature hit him square in the chest with a wet SLAP. The impact was light, barely more than a push, but Jin-woo felt it. More importantly, his health bar flashed and dropped: 97/100.
A damage number appeared above his own head: -3.
The slime bounced backward after its attack, landing about three feet away. It compressed itself, preparing for another jump.
Jin-woo stepped forward and swung properly this time, bringing the wooden sword down in an overhead chop just as the slime launched itself. The blade connected mid-air with a satisfying SQUELCH. The slime's body deformed around the impact point, and it fell to the ground in a less-controlled bounce than before. A damage number appeared: -2.
Above the slime, a health bar he hadn't noticed before became visible: 13/15 HP.
The slime recovered quickly, bouncing once to right itself, then launching at Jin-woo again. He tried to sidestep, but his timing was off. The creature clipped his left leg—SLAP—and his health dropped again: 94/100.
Another -3 appeared above his head.
Jin-woo gritted his teeth and swung horizontally this time, like a baseball bat. The wooden sword connected with the slime mid-bounce, knocking it off course. SQUELCH. -2 damage. The slime's health dropped to 11/15.
This was harder than the dummy. Much harder. The slime was small, fast, and unpredictable. Jin-woo had to actually track its movement, predict where it would be, and time his swings accordingly. And every time he missed or was too slow, the slime punished him with a tackle that chipped away his health.
The slime compressed and jumped again. Jin-woo swung early this time, anticipating the trajectory. His blade caught the creature at the apex of its jump—SQUELCH—and the impact was solid. -2 damage. The slime's health: 9/15.
But the slime's momentum carried it forward even after the hit, and it crashed into Jin-woo's shoulder. SLAP. -3 damage. His health: 91/100.
"Come on," Jin-woo muttered, repositioning. His stamina was at 85/100—each swing cost about 3 stamina, and it regenerated slowly during combat. He needed to be more efficient.
The slime was recovering from its last attack, sitting on the ground for a moment before bouncing up. Jin-woo took advantage of the brief pause and stepped in with a downward stab—not a move he'd practiced, but instinct guided him. The wooden sword's point pierced into the slime's gelatinous body, sinking several inches deep. SQUELCH. -2 damage. The slime's health: 7/15.
The creature made a distressed gurgling sound and bucked, dislodging the sword from its body. It immediately counterattacked, jumping at Jin-woo's face. He raised his arm to block, and the slime hit his forearm instead of his head. SLAP. -3 damage. His health: 88/100.
Jin-woo stumbled backward, creating distance. His stamina was at 76/100. The slime was at 7/15 HP—just under half health. He'd landed five hits and been hit four times. At this rate, he'd kill the slime before it killed him, but not by much.
The slime bounced toward him, and Jin-woo met it with a horizontal swing. SQUELCH. -2 damage. The slime's health: 5/15.
Bounce. Jump. Jin-woo swung again, this time missing as the slime changed direction mid-air. The creature landed behind him and immediately launched at his back. SLAP. -3 damage. His health: 85/100.
Jin-woo spun and brought the sword down in a two-handed overhead chop. The blade hit the slime dead center, flattening it against the ground. SQUELCH. -2 damage. The slime's health: 3/15.
The creature was barely moving now, its bounces weaker and less coordinated. It attempted one final attack, a slow, wobbly jump that Jin-woo easily sidestepped. He swung horizontally, putting his full weight behind it.
SQUELCH.
CRITICAL! -4 damage
The slime's health hit zero, and the creature exploded into a shower of blue particles that dissolved into the air like evaporating water. Where the slime had been, two items now lay on the grass, glowing softly to indicate they were lootable.
Quest Progress: Slime Extermination (1/10)
Jin-woo stood there for a moment, breathing hard, his heart pounding. It had taken eight hits to kill the slime. He'd been hit three times. His health bar showed 87/100, and his stamina was at 64/100.
One slime down. Nine to go.
He bent down and picked up the loot. The items materialized in his inventory automatically:
Obtained: 1 Copper Obtained: Slime Gel x1
Jin-woo pulled up the item description for the Slime Gel:
Slime Gel Type: Crafting Material Quality: Common Stack Size: 999 Description: A glob of gelatinous material from a slime. Used in basic alchemy recipes. Sells for 1 copper to vendors.
One copper from the kill, one copper worth of material. Two cents for a fight that had taken him probably three minutes and cost him 13 health. The math was not encouraging.
But this was only the first kill. He'd get better. He had to get better.
Jin-woo looked around the field. Other players were progressing faster than him—the berserker he'd seen earlier was already fighting their third slime. A mage was keeping their distance and launching magical bolts that took chunks out of slime health bars. A ranger was picking off slimes from range with arrows.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo was a warrior who'd almost lost a quarter of his health to the weakest monster in the entire game.
He tightened his grip on the wooden sword and scanned for another slime. There—about thirty feet away, another blue blob bouncing idly through the grass.
"Nine more," Jin-woo said to himself. "Whatever it takes."
He started walking toward his second target, his health slowly regenerating now that he was out of combat. The bar ticked upward: 88/100. 89/100. It regenerated at about 1 point per second outside of combat—a hundred seconds to full health from zero. Something to remember.
The second slime was waiting.
Jin-woo raised his sword and prepared to attack again.