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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Secret Merchant
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▶ Basic Training Ground
You have cleared the Hellfire difficulty.
▶ You have received the [Cold Blood] skill as a reward.
▶ You have received the [Wooden Training Dummy] as a reward.
"They called it Hellfire, and the rewards are just as fiery."
The corners of my lips curled up on their own.
I checked the rewards with a satisfied expression.
[Cold Blood]
Grade: ★★★
Classification: Passive
You never lose your composure, no matter the situation.
Increases resistance to emotional turmoil and mental status effects.
*Maintains a calm mind.
*Mental Resistance +20.
*Skill concentration time reduced by 15%.
I never imagined I'd get the [Cold Blood] skill in the tutorial.
Cold Blood was a higher-tier version of [Patience], another skill obtainable in the Basic Training Ground.
'Just how important is it to maintain your composure in battle?'
Impatience.
Excitement.
Fear.
Anxiety.
While human emotions could sometimes create synergy in a fight, they generally acted as a source of instability.
Having the Cold Blood skill meant I would no longer be swayed by my emotions!
And that wasn't all.
It also came with the hard-to-get Mental Resistance option.
Mental Resistance becomes more valuable the higher you climb the Tower.
You can block physical attacks through various means, but you can't even run from attacks that target the mind.
It was a good option to have, more for the future than for now.
'Normally, this is a skill you can only get on the 30th floor or higher.'
I burst out laughing. "Haha."
Even in the future I came from, where most of the Tower's hidden elements had been discovered, there was no information about a 'Hellfire difficulty'.
This, too, was a positive change that came with my regression.
A skill like Cold Blood was well worth the trouble.
My heart pounded.
[The user's emotions are fluctuating wildly.]
[The Cold Blood skill is activating. A calm mind is being maintained.]
The excited thumping in my chest returned to its normal rhythm.
"..."
Damn it, I'd forgotten.
Cold Blood applied to daily life as well.
Whether it was joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure, if any emotion rose above a certain threshold, Cold Blood would activate.
Looks like dating is off the table for a while.
I gave a bitter smile and checked the second reward.
[Wooden Training Dummy]
Grade: Unique
Classification: Miscellaneous
Durability: 100/100
A wooden dummy from the Basic Training Ground.
When activated, it duplicates one of the player's stats and skills.
The dummy recognizes the user as an enemy. Defeating it increases the proficiency of the duplicated skill.
*Comprehension - 0
*Can be reused once every 12 hours.
It was a small doll, just big enough to fit in one hand.
I stared at the wooden dummy, blinking repeatedly.
I even rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, just in case I had misread.
But no matter what I did, the item's information didn't change.
"Crazy."
So the [Hellfire difficulty] had a different, true reward.
The Cold Blood skill I'd just gotten was great, but not as great as this item.
At least, not for me.
'I can summon the wooden dummy anytime I want?'
As a test, I pressed the button on the back of the doll's neck.
[Activating the Wooden Training Dummy.]
*Shwaaak!*
The wooden dummy grew to human size.
A slimy substance covered its head, which quickly morphed into my face.
"Nice to meet you."
The moment the dummy exuded killing intent, I didn't hesitate to strike its neck.
I grabbed the dummy's head as it rolled on the floor.
[Using Predation.]
[You have already collected 100% of the essence from this target.]
[The target is not a living creature. You cannot recover health or mana through Predation.]
The reaction was the same as with the other dummies I'd destroyed.
"This is insane."
A wooden dummy that copies one of the player's skills.
If I was lucky, I could even obtain the essence of my incomplete Primordial Species.
For a normal player, it would be difficult to find a use for it beyond skill proficiency training.
But for me, it was an item more valuable than any other reward.
After collecting my rewards from the training ground, I pushed open the closed door.
Faint moonlight streamed through the open doorway.
I had no idea how much time had passed while I was taking the training ground's test.
"Is it night already?"
The sky was clear, without a single cloud.
Silvery moonlight faintly illuminated Rainbow Island.
I looked up at the sky.
The moon was about four-fifths full.
In a day or two, I'd be able to see a full, bright moon.
Perfect.
A faint smile touched my lips.
A hidden space discovered by the explorer Laurent.
To get the hidden piece from the so-called 'Moon-Viewing Cave,' I needed to prepare in advance.
A day would be enough.
I looked up at the sky one last time before setting off.
Before heading to Mount Emirate.
There was a place I needed to stop by first.
'If I go to the lakeside, I should be able to meet him.'
I put more power into my steps.
***
Lake Sunein.
It was a lake located in the center of Rainbow Island.
As I approached, I could see first-day players gathered in small groups, resting.
'This is the safest place.'
It was one of the standard strategies for clearing Rainbow Island.
The island was more dangerous at night than during the day.
Even on the plains, the Silver Fangs, which usually stayed in the south, would expand their territory to the north.
They were formidable foes that first-day players could never hope to defeat.
And that wasn't all.
In the wasteland, the Antlions would enlarge their sand traps.
The apex predators of each region began to move in earnest after the sun went down.
It was a challenging environment for beginners.
Of course, this didn't apply to high-ranking players.
They would often hunt monsters at night to earn extra points and achieve a higher score.
High risk, high return.
I didn't pay it much mind.
As long as I continued like this, I could easily secure first place in the tutorial.
What was important were the essences and hidden elements that could only be obtained on Rainbow Island.
A place I could never visit again.
I had to devour every single thing I could get my hands on.
To do that…
'Meeting the merchant is the priority.'
I walked along the lake's edge, retracing my memories.
My destination was the island in the middle of the lake.
To see the merchant in the tutorial stage, you had to cross the lake with nothing but your own body.
While walking around the lake, I found a shallow spot.
I submerged myself in the water.
It's cold.
As I moved my arms and legs, the water yielded, and I moved forward.
Before my regression, I had experienced all sorts of environments.
A little swim like this was nothing.
What I really needed to be wary of was…
'These guys.'
I glanced down into the depths of the lake.
Dark shapes were faintly visible.
There were several black things, each appearing to be about five meters long.
The monsters of the lake.
Those things were predators on par with the Antlions of the tutorial.
With my current specs, I'd be torn to shreds in less than a minute.
Even so, the reason I could even think of swimming across the lake was because of their habits.
'For fish, they're diurnal.'
Unlike in other areas, the monsters in the lake were only active during the day.
That was why I had visited the lake at night.
'Still, I can't let my guard down.'
I swam, preparing for any unforeseen variables.
Fortunately, no fish-like creatures woke up before I reached the island.
"What? A player has already reached this place?"
A gruff voice grated on my ears.
A short, stout man.
A dwarf merchant was scowling at me.
Above his head, the name [Zoic] floated in green letters.
"That's right."
[You have discovered the Midron Merchant Guild.]
[You are the first to make contact with a member of the merchant guild during the tutorial stage. You have acquired 10 points.]
I wasn't about to refuse free rewards.
I let the system's voice fade into the background and focused on the dwarf's movements.
"Hey, player. Isn't this the first day of the tutorial?"
"It is."
"You've got some nerve, crossing the lake on the first day."
The dwarf let out a dry laugh.
Considering the monsters living at the bottom of Lake Sunein, it was indeed a reckless act.
"Are you the only one?"
"The only what?"
"From the merchant guild."
"Hahaha, so you came here knowing everything. That makes things easier. This way."
The dwarf scurried ahead on his short legs.
A lone house stood on the island.
The dwarf who had been leading the way threw open the front door.
[Rilon]
[Hairin]
The elf and gnome inside the house jumped in surprise when they saw me.
"A player?"
"A human?"
Their reactions were similar to the dwarf's.
"As you can see."
I smiled leisurely.
Those three were NPCs.
Residents from another dimension who helped manage the Tower of Babel.
Playing the role of an NPC was, for them, the equivalent of a high-paying part-time job in my world.
I crammed the information from my past life into my head and turned my gaze to the three merchants.
"The name's Zoic. You probably already know since it's above my head."
"I'm player Yoo Jinho."
"Heh heh. I'm in charge of weapons. The pointy-eared one next to me handles magic, and the shorty deals in miscellaneous goods."
"S-shorty, you say? I-I'm taller than a d-dwarf, you know?!"
"As expected of the earth-folk. So vulgar."
The three of them started bickering right in front of me.
Although they were under the name [Midron Merchant Guild], they were actually residents of different dimensions.
Even though they were from the same guild, the points each race earned varied depending on their sales, so they competed for customers.
"T-today is the f-first day. The c-customer probably d-doesn't have m-many p-points."
The gnome managed to get his point across despite his stutter.
The elf and the dwarf's eyes narrowed.
"Now that you mention it…"
"Got my hopes up for nothing."
The merchants of the Tower traded using two currencies: CP and Mission Points.
CP was a currency earned by clearing missions.
Mission Points represented your performance score for clearing them.
A player who had just entered the tutorial couldn't possibly have any CP, and what they wanted were Mission Points.
The problem was, being the first day of the tutorial, I wouldn't have accumulated many Mission Points either.
It was only natural for the three merchants to be disappointed.
"Mr. Gnome."
"Y-yes?"
"Give me 32 Moonstones."
"W-well, about that, customer. M-Moonstones cost 20 p-points each."
Man, this guy stutters a lot.
"I have a little over 600 points right now."
"J-just a moment."
The gnome merchant checked my points, stuttering.
"P-player Yoo Jinho, your points are… Heek?!"
[Yoo Jinho: 667 Points]
The gnome merchant hiccuped.
It was understandable that he was surprised.
Gathering 600 points on the first day of the tutorial was impossible.
I had already surpassed 400 points after defeating the hidden boss and the Deep Slime, and on top of that, I had hunted the Wolf King, Serin.
I was overflowing with points.
The elf and the dwarf stared at me strangely.
"Hey, shorty."
"What's with the shock?"
"N-no, this p-person. It's the first day, but he has over 600 p-points."
The elf's and the dwarf's jaws dropped.
"600?!"
"Is that even possible on the first day?"
"I-if you're c-curious, c-check for y-yourselves!"
The three merchants made a fuss.
It was a score that would have been impossible without the knowledge from my past life.
Their surprise was only natural.
I maintained my composure as best I could and spoke.
"If you don't want to trade, that's fine."
"Of course we'll trade!"
Startled, the gnome forgot to stutter and handed over the Moonstones.
[Moonstone]
Grade: Normal
Classification: Consumable
Repels monsters with the power of the moon.
When used, drives away monsters within a 10-meter radius for 10 seconds.
The effect of the Moonstone is canceled if you are attacked.
*Monster evasion effect only applies on Rainbow Island.
It was a consumable item for escaping crises.
On top of that, it was filled with useless options, like being restricted to the tutorial.
It wasn't something I particularly needed.
But, if I took these Moonstones to Mount Emirate, they could be used for a different purpose.
'I just have to wait for the full moon.'
I suppressed a smile.