[Hello, citizens of AL-401 Earth. I am the Star Spirit of AL-401 Earth. You may call me AL.]
I found myself in a vast, white space.
The boundaries between the floor and the sky were indistinguishable, and hundreds of people, including me, were standing in this space. Everyone looked bewildered, glancing around nervously. The age range was mostly between 20s and 40s.
"What... what is this all of a sudden?"
"...Does anyone know what's going on here?"
"Is this some kind of hidden camera show?"
"I was definitely sleeping at home..."
While everyone was in a state of confusion, I quietly looked around.
'Why is everything so white? If I stay here too long, I'll go crazy.'
I noticed a man who was unusually calm amidst the chaos. A young man in his 20s wearing jeans and a black hoodie. I was certain just by his outfit. He's the protagonist.
'Kang Myung-jin. He's the protagonist who got transported into a novel written by his younger brother, a novel he used to enjoy reading.'
"Gods of Atlantis" was a web novel serialized online. It was quite popular.
'This is exactly the starting point of the original story. Kang Myung-jin is probably quietly trying to figure out the situation.'
It's not just Kang Myung-jin. Some people are quietly observing others, trying to understand the situation. They are the ones most likely to survive the tutorial.
'I'm only here to experience mana. I'll just do the tutorial, so I don't need to worry too much.'
A secondary goal is the potion hidden somewhere in the tutorial. That potion increases the user's mana capacity.
[You have been randomly selected and exiled to Atlantis. Please live diligently there.]
It was the voice of AL, who had introduced herself earlier. A clean, feminine voice. It wasn't Korean or any language I knew, but somehow I could understand it.
'It must be the common language of Atlantis. I should have no problem reading or writing it.'
It didn't seem like there would be any issues due to language barriers.
"Exile? Exile?!"
"Let me out of here. I have work tomorrow."
"Why isn't my phone working?!"
The space instantly became noisy. Everyone was voicing their anxieties, creating a chaotic uproar.
[Silence.]
With a single word from AL, the space fell silent. AL wasn't visible, but her presence was far from ordinary.
[You may feel this is unfair. But know this. You were born on Earth without permission, and you've lived there without permission. From the perspective of Earth's Star Spirit, AL, you are illegal residents. Nothing more, nothing less.]
This is a bit of a stretch. Having read the original, I know that humans and AL, the Star Spirit of Earth, have a symbiotic relationship.
[You have been exiled from Earth. But this doesn't mean you can never return. Once Atlantis is over, you can return to Earth. You all know David Thane. He was also an exile, but he returned to Earth as a hero.]
David Thane.
An S-rank hunter from the United States.
A man who has achieved both wealth and fame.
[Atlantis is also a land of opportunity. David Thane was not originally an Awakened. He gained his power in Atlantis and became a hero of the United States. There's no reason why you can't do the same as David Thane.]
I let out a small laugh. David Thane is the only one who has returned from Atlantis.
Over 10,000 people are sent to Atlantis, and only one has returned.
By the way, there are no hunters among the people here. Hunters are those who hunt monsters that appear on Earth. From AL's perspective, hunters are like white blood cells. She wouldn't send such valuable personnel to Atlantis. Earth's lifespan isn't at risk, after all.
"What... what are we supposed to do in Atlantis?"
[Just live there as you please. I don't expect anything from you.]
"..."
She doesn't expect anything. In other words, she has no expectations. Of course, by the middle of the novel, the protagonist's actions will change AL's attitude... but that's a story for much later.
'I can't see AL right now, but according to the original novel's description, she's a stunning beauty with white hair.'
Just from her voice, I can tell she's undoubtedly a beauty.
'To conquer AL, the Star Spirit of Earth, would mean conquering Earth itself!'
The man who conquered Earth, Seong Eugene!
What a magnificent title!
[In 10 minutes, you will be sent to the tutorial zone of Atlantis. The tutorial is a kind of test. You must pass the tutorial to enter Atlantis."]
"...What happens if we don't pass?"
[You die. But don't worry too much. You will have access to the Atlantis system, which includes a status window.]
"Status window...? Huh! What's this all of a sudden?"
The man who muttered about the status window was startled. Something must have appeared before his eyes.
And a few quick-witted people began shouting or muttering about their status windows.
[That's all from me. I wish you all the best.]
AL disappeared. Though I couldn't see her, the immense presence that had filled the space was now gone.
I took out my smartphone from my pocket. The Play Life app was still working fine.
=====
[Name: Seong Eugene]
[Level: 35]
[Stats]
[Strength: 23]
[Stamina: 23]
[Agility: 22]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Vitality: 30]
[Mana: 25]
[※Due to the world penalty, only a portion of your stats are applied.]
=====
'World penalty. It's different from the growth penalty.'
The growth penalty had a minus sign on the stats, but the world penalty doesn't. It says only a portion of the stats are applied, but I'm not sure how much.
'No wonder my body feels heavier.'
I didn't think much of it. I had a rough idea why the world penalty occurred.
'Status window!'
When I shouted "status window" in my mind, a hologram-like window appeared before my eyes.
<<<<<>>>>>
[Name: Seong Eugene]
[Class: –]
[Title: –]
[Constellation: –]
[Affiliation: AL 401 Earth]
[Stats]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 8]
[Stamina: 11]
[Mana: 9]
[Luck: 17]
[Unique Trait: Deception (A)]
<<<<<>>>>>
The world penalty applied to the Play Life app stats is likely due to the existence of a separate status window in this world.
'Wait. Even so, these stats are pretty decent, aren't they?'
They're more than twice as high as the protagonist Kang Myung-jin's stats. In other words, I'm starting with stats twice as high as an average person.
'But why is my luck so high?'
I remember Kang Myung-jin's luck stat was 2 at the beginning. And luck is a hard stat to increase. While other stats can be increased through training or items, luck can't be trained, and items that increase luck are extremely rare.
'Well, I've always been lucky.'
Just the fact that I awakened the Play Life app proves I'm one of the luckiest people in the universe. Plus, I've always had a strange kind of luck. Like finding 1,000 won on the street or getting decent items from gacha pulls. Except during exams, of course.
'My unique trait is A-rank? Starting with an A-rank is amazing. Is this also thanks to my luck stat?'
Unique traits are abilities that each person possesses. They're innate abilities. Everyone has at least one unique trait, so I'm not special.
[Deception]
[You can manipulate information, including status windows. You receive a bonus when deceiving others.]
[Type: Unique Trait]
[Rank: A]
A smile crept onto my face. At first glance, it might seem like a useless trait, but the protagonist Kang Myung-jin has a unique trait that allows him to see others' status windows.
'With Deception, I can manipulate my status window.'
<<<<<>>>>>
[Name: Wang Ja-ji]
[Class: SSS-grade Virgin Hunter]
[Title: The Man Who Bedded a Thousand Virgins]
[Constellation: Power Sex]
[Affiliation: Sexnet]
[Stats]
[Strength: 1]
[Agility: 1]
[Stamina: 1]
[Mana: 1]
[Luck: 1]
[Unique Trait: Blowjob (SSSSS)]
[(Deception applied)]
<<<<<>>>>>
'It really works. Hehehe.'
I chuckled. I could manipulate the status window as I pleased. Of course, the manipulated stats didn't actually apply.
After playing around with the status window a few times, I started using Deception properly.
<<<<<>>>>>
[Name: Seong Eugene]
[Class: –]
[Title: –]
[Constellation: –]
[Affiliation: AL 401 Earth]
[Stats]
[Strength: 2]
[Agility: 2]
[Stamina: 2]
[Mana: 1]
[Luck: 17]
[Unique Trait: Equivalent Exchange (S)]
[Deception applied]
<<<<<>>>>>
I changed it to something plausible since Kang Myung-jin might accidentally peek at my status window. I deliberately left my luck stat unchanged. It doesn't affect physical abilities. Plus, if Kang Myung-jin sees my luck stat, I can use it to my advantage in various ways.
'This doesn't seem like it's only applicable to the status window.'
I tried using Deception in various ways.
As a result, I found out I could use Deception on my body too. I used Deception to hide one of my fingers. My right hand now appeared to have only four fingers.
'I made it invisible. Unlike the status window, using it on my body continuously drains mana.'
I could make things transparent or change their appearance. However, it was only visual. The actual form didn't change. If you touched it, you'd feel its true form.
'I like this trait!'
It suited me perfectly.
I experimented with Deception in various ways. It seemed I could use it on objects too, though it consumed quite a bit of mana.
'I could probably turn my entire body invisible like when using Illusiter, right?'
I considered trying it but decided against it. There were people around. No need to reveal my abilities to them.
'I should also consider the possibility that it might not work on Kang Myung-jin.'
There's a lot to experiment with this ability.
[You will be transported to the tutorial zone in 1 minute.]
A notification appeared before my eyes.
I stared at it curiously. I tried to reach out and grab it, but it didn't work.
"Everyone! Calm down! Let's calm down and stick together!"
"This is a common situation in comics or novels! No need to panic!"
The surroundings were noisy. I stuffed my hands into my pockets.
'The tutorial takes place in different zones for each person.'
There's also a way to go through the tutorial together. If you hold hands, up to three people can be transported to the same tutorial zone.
'But I have no reason to tell them that.'
Kang Myung-jin was also keeping his mouth shut, looking serious. He's a sharp guy, so he's probably already figured out that he's become the protagonist of his younger brother's novel and is thinking about how to act.
I have no intention of contacting Kang Myung-jin. My goal is solely to complete the tutorial.
[Transportation to the tutorial zone will now begin.]
Light enveloped my body.
I felt myself being pulled somewhere, and then the light disappeared without a trace. I was no longer in the white space but in a dense forest.
[You have entered EF739 Tutorial Zone.]
[There are three conditions to clear the tutorial zone.]
[Clear Condition 1. Survive for 7 days.]
[Clear Condition 2. Collect 1,000 AP to purchase an Atlantis entry ticket.]
[Clear Condition 3. Move to Atlantis through the gate that opens after 7 days. The gate will remain open for 3 days.]
[Your current AP is 0.]
[If you fail to clear the tutorial, you will die.]
'EF739 Tutorial Zone... So it's a different zone from Kang Myung-jin's. Well, I expected as much.'
I took out the Hwaryeonbido from my inventory.
Rustle, rustle!
Someone emerged from the bushes ahead.
A blonde woman. She was short, with a small mole next to her nose. She looked to be in her early to mid-30s. Not a beauty.
"...Ah!"
She hesitated when she saw me. Probably because I was holding a sword.
Without a word, I approached her and swung my sword, decapitating her. Her head fell to the ground, blood spurting.
[First Kill!]
[You have achieved the first kill in EF739 Tutorial Zone.]
[You have been granted the title 'First Kill.']
[Your Strength has permanently increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 bonus stat point.]
[You have gained 100 AP.]
[The Clock Tower's Serial Killer has taken an interest in you.]
***
[T/N: Aarvan here. This world has system, gods, constellations and others, so I will only bold the system from Eugene's Play Life app, like Status Window, messages, notifications, etc. And if you have any suggestions for how to make the reading experience even better, you can comment here or on my Patreon. Btw, Thanks for reading :) ]