CHAPTER 1: My Right Hand is Too Strong.
Chapter 1. The Tutorial Tower
Dusty clothes.
A face etched with exhaustion.
Completely drained, I trudged into the diner—a familiar routine—and collapsed into a seat.
“Hoo…”
Another day, another soul-crushing shift.
It’s been twenty-five years since the discovery of mana, a new resource that puts superconductors to shame, so why is the Earth still getting hotter?
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I sank deep into the diner chair, my body melting into a puddle under the cool blast of the air conditioner.
As I cooled down, I stared blankly at the blaring TV.
-The rookie, Kim Taesung, who recently made headlines for clearing the Tutorial Tower in under two weeks, is now in the spotlight again for conquering an A-rank Gate all by himself.
-Could this mean Korea is about to get its next S-rank Hunter?
-It’s certainly possible. Perhaps Kim Taesung will be the one to conquer the Zero Gate, a thorn in the side of the entire world!
The announcers were practically spitting as they competed to get a word in.
They were all shouting about the man on the screen, the one with the red crew cut.
Just then, a steel cup was placed on the table in front of me with a thud.
“That Taesung kid. He’s really made it big, huh?”
“Senior.”
“If I told the folks around here I was working construction with him just a few months ago, nobody would believe me.”
Heh heh.
The man with the scruffy beard chuckled, a low rumble in his throat.
I gulped down the water he’d given me and nodded.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
On a construction site, trust is everything.
And in that regard, Kim Taesung was a guy who had never once broken that trust.
Even though he was the same age as me, he always followed me around calling me ‘Senior!’, a really friendly kid.
But then, at some point, he just dropped off the map.
Ghosting was common enough, but Taesung wasn't that kind of guy.
He wasn't at home when I checked, so I filed a missing person report. Two weeks later, he’d blasted through the Tutorial Tower and become a super rookie, soaring to heights I could no longer reach.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and muttered as I watched Kim Taesung’s interview.
“Ah, I wish I could be a Hunter, too.”
“Give it up. Awakening is pure luck. You think unlucky bastards like us would have a shot?”
“...Aren’t you the one who threw his own luck away, Senior?”
“What did you say, you punk?”
“I’m just saying, who told you to get into crypto again?”
“This time was a sure thing, I’m telling you!”
I shrugged nonchalantly and glanced at my watch.
“12:30…”
Not much time left until the afternoon shift.
Just thinking about it was suffocating.
How much longer do I have to live like this?
Even I had to admit my life was pretty damn boring.
Grew up in an orphanage.
Couldn't afford cram schools or PC bangs in middle and high school, so I worked part-time jobs instead.
And now, as an adult, I’ve been doing construction work until the age of twenty-five.
Not that I have a problem with the work itself.
The pay is pretty good.
And I needed money to achieve my dream of buying a 50-pyeong apartment with a view of the Han River.
With no education to speak of, manual labor was my only option for making real money, so I started as soon as I became an adult.
Sound materialistic?
You need a goal like that to survive in this harsh world.
The problem is, I’m getting sick of it.
Not the work itself.
It’s this life, spinning like a hamster wheel, that feels so unbearably tedious.
I’d always felt it, but it’s been hitting me harder lately.
It’s probably because Kim Taesung Awakened and became a super rookie grabbing the world’s attention.
To see a guy who was in the same boat as me suddenly take flight just because he Awakened…
It’s a petty thought, I know, but I’m only human.
“Han Mireu. If you ever Awaken, don’t you dare ignore us like that Taesung kid.”
I frowned at his words.
Hearing that brought back another bad memory.
That bastard, Taesung.
The moment I heard he’d cleared the Tutorial Tower in two weeks, I sent him a congratulatory text. His reply? ‘Don’t text me.’
Was a simple ‘thank you’ too much to ask?
That mannerless bastard.
Even if I Awaken, I’ll never become like him.
“You think I’d do that? The second I Awaken and make some money, the first thing I’ll do is show up with a load of meat for a barbecue, so don't worry.”
“Heh heh. You better keep that promise. I’d like to have some free meat for once.”
The same conversation we always have.
How many times have we had it?
I don’t know, but I always ended it with the same words.
“Ah, I really wish I could Awaken.”
If I Awakened, I could make money way easier than this.
If I Awakened, I could escape this tedious life.
I think about it, but I know better than anyone that it’s a hopeless dream.
When it comes to Awakening, which is determined by pure luck, an unlucky bastard like me was never going to be chosen.
If I had any luck to begin with, I would’ve been born into a rich family, not left as an orphan.
Letting out a small sigh, I shoveled the food that had arrived into my mouth, chewing mechanically.
The midday summer sun was still blazing.
* * *
It’s hot.
Today is abnormally hot.
Sweat poured down like rain under my helmet as I hauled a bag of cement up the stairs.
“Keuheuk…”
A groan escaped my lips involuntarily.
Damn it.
My vision was starting to blur.
After finally dropping off the last of the cement, I collapsed onto the floor.
“Heok, heok.”
Gulp, gulp.
The lukewarm water, long since gone cold, tasted as sweet as the elixir of life.
I chugged the 500ml bottle in one go, then took off my helmet to wipe away the sweat.
Crawling into the shade, I took shallow breaths and stared ahead.
“Kkeueuk…!”
Senior was carrying cement just like me, his face a mask of exertion.
The moment he set the bag down, he too slumped to the floor.
“Whoa, damn. Is it just me, or is the weather crazy today?”
“There was a heatwave warning.”
“A warning doesn’t cover this.”
I had to agree.
As I caught my breath in the shade, I felt something was off and furrowed my brow.
“...Hm?”
What is it?
An unidentifiable sense of wrongness.
It’s strange, but I can’t put my finger on what.
“What are you looking at?”
“I was just thinking… doesn’t something seem a little off?”
I said, pointing to the side.
He looked where I was pointing and shook his head.
“Off? What’s off about it? Looks normal to me.”
“...You think so?”
“Let’s get up. We’ll get an earful if the foreman catches us.”
Nodding, I got to my feet.
The moment I did, I felt that strange sensation again.
I narrowed my eyes and turned to ask Hyung about it again.
And then, I saw it.
“...Hyung.”
“What.”
“Was this building always… tilted?”
“Huh? What are you talking abou—.”
Creak, creak.
Hyung turned his head in the direction I was looking.
There, the water in his water bottle was sloshing heavily to one side.
“Get down, Mireu! Now!”
Thump, thump, thump!
The moment we realized, a sound echoed from the entire building at once.
Something was terribly wrong.
I immediately spun around and sprinted for the stairs.
It hasn’t collapsed yet.
I can make it down.
As I ran with that thought.
“Aargh!”
A scream came from behind me.
I turned my head and my eyes met Hyung—in his haste, he had missed a step.
It’s fine.
There’s a railing, he won’t fall…
“Ha.”
What bastard installed this railing?
How could it shatter to pieces from a little shake?
The railing that should have been there had completely broken off from that small vibration.
Hyung’s body tilted over the edge.
Without thinking, I reached out for him.
Our hands met.
I pulled him back, and in doing so…
“Mi-Mireu!”
I was the one pushed over the edge instead.
Wow, it’s high.
This is the fourth floor. If I fall, will I survive?
Normally, the thought of dying should be terrifying.
But for some reason, I’m not that scared.
Thanks to that, I managed a chuckle and spoke to Hyung like I always did.
“Hyung. Stay away from crypto from now on. Unless you want to see your wife crying her eyes out again.”
“Hey, you punk—!”
Whoosh.
My body plummeted.
My vision grew closer and closer to the ground.
Just before I hit the pavement.
I closed my eyes.
[Welcome to the Tutorial Tower, Han Mireu.]
I opened my eyes to the sound of a fanfare.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I was in a pure white space.
At first, I thought it might be heaven, but seeing the window floating next to me, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“I wonder if Hyung is okay.”
Well, he probably got down safely.
I must have vanished just before hitting the ground, so I hope he doesn’t worry about me.
After all, disappearing like that only happens when you’re dragged into the Tutorial Tower.
Sitting cross-legged, I poked the strange window floating beside me with my index finger.
[Searching for a Unique Skill suited for Han Mireu…]
A Unique Skill.
Something every player has, granted to them the moment they Awaken.
I heard if you get a bad one, you’re stuck using only Common Skills.
I’d read online that it's decided in an instant, but to me, it felt like the search had been going on for thirty minutes.
“What's going on?”
Is it broken?
The moment I seriously considered this and tilted my head, the system began to shake erratically.
[Search Complete]
[Unique Skill, ‘Black Dragon (黑龍)’ has been generated.]
I finally got my unique skill.
My eyes widened as I stared at the unique skill.
‘Black Dragon.’
Black Dragon. It sounds incredibly strong.
Don't tell me I'm going to be an S-rank Hunter too?
With a pounding heart, I tapped on ‘Black Dragon’ on the system screen with my index finger.
[Black Dragon (黑龍)]
[Borrow the power of the Black Dragon, the Master of the Twisted Nether who watches over you, and unleash it in your body.]
A very short and concise skill description.
From this alone, I had no idea what kind of skill Black Dragon was.
Stroking my chin, I noticed another description written below it.
[※Growth-Type Skill]
[As the Synchronization Rate increases, its power grows stronger. You can unlock more body parts and more of the Black Dragon's power according to the Synchronization Rate.]
[Synchronization Rate: 0.1%]
[Currently Unlocked Body Part: Right Hand]
[Currently Unlocked Black Dragon Power: None]
“...?”
Blink.
I blinked, staring at the description.
A growth-type skill.
I’d heard of them.
A late-bloomer type of skill that's weak at first but grows with consistent practice and becomes amazing later on.
That's why people with growth-type skills are said to be scouted by guilds for their future potential.
The problem was.
“I heard that some people with growth-type skills took over a year just to clear the Tutorial Tower.”
They were notoriously ill-suited for clearing the Tutorial Tower.
I was so excited by the epic-sounding skill name, but it turned out to be a growth-type skill.
Goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.
“Still, I've really Awakened.”
What a rush.
Now that the system had granted me a skill, it was starting to feel real.
My hamster-wheel life is finally over.
I can make money faster and finally achieve my dream of a spacious apartment overlooking the Han River.
“To do that, I have to get out of the Tutorial Tower first.”
If I can clear the Tutorial Tower in two weeks like Kim Taesung, my life will be a bed of roses.
The problem is, since Black Dragon is a growth-type skill, that'll be difficult.
Still, it's fine.
Since I've been blessed with a growth-type skill, if I play my cards right, I should be able to join a good guild.
But before that, I decided to try using Black Dragon first…
[Entering the 1st Floor.]
The system message popped up right on cue.
A brilliant light welled up from beneath my feet, instantly engulfing my body.
“Wait, hold o—.”
The light swallowed me before I could say another word.
A moment later, I opened my eyes to a sensation of floating.
[1st Floor]
[Defeat 50 Goblins]
[0/50]
I was standing in a dark forest.
My Right Hand is som Strong
0 Comments