---
The morning sun streamed into the classroom, but Hyun felt shrouded in the gloom of his failure. He stared blankly at his textbook, the words blurring as his mind replayed the humiliating duel and the cursed EXP penalty.
A shadow fell over his desk. "Hyun-ssi."
He looked up to see Mina. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes held a sharp, analytical glint that made him nervous.
"Let me ask you again," she said, her voice calm but firm. "Are you sure you don't play Lucidia World?"
Hyun's grip on his pen tightened. He forced his voice to be steady. "Like I said, I just started. It's not a big deal."
"Perfect," she replied, placing her phone on his desk. A familiar video was playing—the one of him desperately hacking away at slimes for two hours. His own virtual face, contorted in concentration, stared back at him. "Because lately, the forums are buzzing about this 'idiot'."
Hyun's stomach dropped. "What a moron..." he muttered, the words tasting like ash.
"A moron?" Mina's eyebrow arched. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Look closer. Pause it at 1:45. See how he shift his weight to dodge the slime's lunge without wasting a single movement? And the footwork at 2:10? That's not a noob. That's incredible."
"Or just a very unlucky idiot," Hyun snapped, a bit too defensively. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. "Why do you care so much?"
"Because," Mina said, retrieving her phone with a final, piercing look, "my party just got wiped by a Magic-Resistant Golem. We need a physical damage dealer who doesn't rely on inefficient, flashy skills. Someone who understands the fundamentals of movement. That 'idiot'... his raw mechanics might be exactly what we need." She turned and walked back to her seat, leaving Hyun with a pounding heart and a head full of chaos.
Back in Lucidia World, Hyun spawned into the bustling starter village square, his virtual body still aching with the phantom pain of his defeat. He just wanted to grind in obscurity, but anonymity was a luxury he no longer had.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Slime King!" a boisterous voice rang out.
Hyun sighed. A Warrior in shiny, store-bought armor, named [BrawnyBraggart], swaggered over, two lackeys snickering behind him.
"Saw your viral video," Braggart sneered. "Thought I'd come give you a real lesson in hunting. You need to learn your place, newbie."
Hyun tried to brush past him, his jaw clenched. "I'm not interested."
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Braggart shoved Hyun back. "You think you're special because some forum trolls have a theory about you? I challenge you to a formal duel! Let's see how your 'precise' slime-killing holds up against a real skill!"
Cornered and seething with a potent mix of shame and rage, Hyun accepted. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
The duel was a one-sided slaughter. Hyun could see the openings, the telegraphed swings, but his own movements were clumsy and unrefined. He was all instinct, no form. He was a talented amateur against a trained, if brutish, opponent.
"Not bad!" Braggart laughed after a clumsy exchange, though a faint scratch now marred his pristine chest plate—a single, poorly-executed strike from Hyun that had found a weak spot. "You actually hit me! But it's pointless without a class skill to back it up!"
[Ultimate Skill: Meteor Crusher!]
Braggart's sword glowed crimson. The air hummed with power. Hyun's world dissolved into searing pain and blinding light.
[You have been defeated by BrawnyBraggart!]
[Experience Reduced by 50%!]
Hyun awoke at the respawn point, a scream of pure frustration lodged in his throat. He slammed a fist against the ground. "Damn this game! It's all about the skills! Control means nothing!"
"You are weak," a deep, weathered voice stated, devoid of mockery, simply stating a fact. "And your whining is unbecoming."
Hyun turned to see an NPC the game identified as [Old Man Gerald]. He wasn't in royal armor, but wore simple, sturdy clothes, a well-worn but impeccably maintained sword at his hip. His eyes, however, held the weight and authority of a seasoned general who had seen countless boys like him.
"What do you know?!" Hyun spat, the humiliation fueling his anger. "He just spammed his ultimate! In a fair fight with pure control, I wouldn't lose!"
Old Man Gerald laughed, a sound like grinding stones. "A 'fair fight'? Boy, the only fair fight is the one you just lost. A loser is still a loser, and excuses are the banners of the defeated."
"Let me go! I need to level up and get my revenge!"
"With that foundation?" Gerald's gaze swept over him with disdain. "Hah! You move like a newborn fawn on ice. Don't make me laugh."
"What do you want from me then?" Hyun yelled, his voice cracking with utter desperation.
"To teach you what 'control' truly means," the old man said, his eyes glinting with a strange light. Before Hyun could protest, the world went dark.
Hyun awoke not at a respawn point, but in a secluded, sun-drenched training ground. The air was clean and quiet, filled only with the sound of the wind. Straw dummies stood in neat rows, their bodies covered in meticulously painted target points.
"Where am I?!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the stillness.
"Finally awake, boy?" Old Man Gerald stood on the porch of a small cottage, watching him. "I'm interested in that stubborn spark in your eyes, but your fundamentals are an insult to the sword itself."
"I don't care about fundamentals! I need to win that tournament! I need the money!" Hyun's motivation burst out of him, raw and honest.
"With this?!" Gerald gestured dismissively at him. "You have the eyes of a hawk but the hands of a drunkard. Talent without discipline is a sword without a hilt—it will cut the wielder first."
Furious, Hyun tried to storm out of the grounds. But as he reached the perimeter, an invisible, solid barrier repelled him with a soft thump. He tried again, and again, each time being gently but firmly pushed back into the center.
"Let me out!"
A quest window materialized before him, its text glowing with an ancient, solemn light.
——————————
[Hidden Quest: The Unbound's Foundation - Activated]
[Client: Old Man Gerald, The Retired Royal Swordmaster]
Description: A master who dedicated his life to the art of the sword now lives in obscurity, his traditional training methods deemed 'too harsh' and 'outdated' in this era of system-granted skills. He sees a spark of raw, untainted potential in you—and the arrogance to match. He offers a path, but it is paved with relentless effort.
Objective: Execute 5,000 Perfect Sword Forms per day. A 'Perfect Form' is judged by the system for posture, grip, balance, and motion efficiency. Inadequate swings will not be counted.
Reward: Passive Skill [Perfect Slash (Growth-Type)]
[Perfect Slash]: A testament to mastered basics. Converts raw precision into devastating power.
* Crit Rate: +75%
* Crit Damage: +200%
Failure:-1,500 EXP & Permanent Expulsion from the Training Grounds.
——————————
Hyun's eyes widened. A growth-type skill with these monstrous stats? This was a golden opportunity that could change everything. But the penalty... -1,500 EXP. Failure wouldn't just be a setback; it would be a catastrophe, potentially wiping out all his progress and more. It was a massive gamble.
He looked at Old Man Gerald, who simply stared back, waiting. Hyun took a deep breath. This was the only path forward he could see.
"I accept."
The moment the words left his lips, the invisible barrier vanished. The weight of the quest settled on his shoulders. DING!
[SCENE CHANGE]
In a dark, rocky canyon, the air was thick with the smell of ozone and dust. Mina's party was in complete disarray.
"Fall back! Regroup!" Mina yelled, loosing an arrow that harmlessly chipped the shoulder of the [Arcane Golem]. Its stone skin shimmered, absorbing their Mage's [Fireball] like it was nothing.
"It's no use! My spells are useless!" the Mage cried out, mana exhaustion clear on his face.
Jinwoo, playing a Priest, was desperately channeling heals onto their tank. "I can't keep up! His defense is crumbling!"
The Golem's massive, rune-covered fist slammed down. The ground shook, and a wave of force obliterated the entire party.
[Party Wiped!]
They awoke at the respawn point, the mood grim and silent.
"We need a dedicated physical DPS," Mina stated finally, brushing virtual dust off her Archer's tunic. "Someone who doesn't rely on the system's crutches. Someone whose damage comes from precision, not just skill multipliers."
"You're still thinking about that 'Slime Guy'?" Jinwoo asked, rubbing his neck. "The one everyone's laughing at?"
"I am," Mina said, her voice firm. "They're laughing because they don't understand. His mechanics, even unpolished, were... pure. He saw and reacted to openings others miss because they're waiting for a skill cooldown. We should find and recruit him. I bet he's at least level 5 by now with those strange stats of his."
"Whatever you say, boss," Jinwoo sighed. "Let's call it a night. We'll look for your diamond in the rough tomorrow."
Meanwhile, in the secluded training ground, Hyun brought his sword down in a vertical arc for what felt like the thousandth time. His muscles screamed, his palms were raw, and his entire world had narrowed to the angle of his blade and the feedback from the system.
[Swing #1,247: Form Inadequate. Wrist alignment suboptimal.]
He gritted his teeth, adjusted his grip, and tried again.
[Swing #1,248: Form Perfect.]
A small, hard-earned victory. As he raised his sword for the next swing, his exhausted body rebelled.
"Hachooo!"
He sneezed violently, the force nearly ruining his posture. From the porch, Old Man Gerald took a sip from his cup and chuckled.
"Sword's not a toy, boy. It's your damn hand. Move it wrong, you lose a finger."
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—End of Chapter 3—