The first floor of the Core was home to three mythical creatures—Entusha, which took the form of a unicorn, and Laikar, resembling a whale. However, the last mythical creature remained a mystery, with no one among the adventurers having seen it.
Category: Miscellaneous/Herbs
Description: An herb commonly found on the first floor of the Core. Its most distinguishing feature is the curled tip of its leaves, which form a question mark shape. When crushed and applied to wounds, it acts as both a disinfectant and a coagulant. Be careful not to confuse it with the poisonous Tyren, which looks similar.
Do-Jun was using Interpreter—Ataraxia to gather information about the first floor of the Core and input it into the Fissure Management System. He was preparing in advance since Behemoth Guild was likely to clear the final stage of the tutorial and descend to the first floor next month.
He tore off a sprig of Nallanium and chewed it to see if it could be used as a substitute for potions. A bitter taste quickly spread from his tongue to his nose. While it did seem to have a slight healing effect, the taste was so awful that it wasn’t worth eating.
“Hey, mistah.” A voice came from behind.
Do-Jun turned to see where it came from. It was a little girl, about three years old, wearing a light tunic that fluttered down to her knees.
“You no eat that,” she said.
Do-Jun nodded in agreement. Though the herb wasn’t something one absolutely couldn’t eat, the taste was quite awful.
“Thanks for the advice,” he said, standing up and stretching.
Deciding to check the clearly suspicious child, Do-Jun opened the Interpreter.
[Unidentified Mythical Creature discovered!]
[Not registered in the Interpreter. Unable to confirm identity.]
[Warning! Approach with caution.]
This girl was not even listed in the Interpreter, and the fact that she was labeled a mythical creature meant she was undoubtedly a significant threat to adventurers in the Core.
From the faint aura she emitted, Do-Jun could tell she was among the most powerful beings he had encountered—except, perhaps, for Yong-Yong.
“Are you hungwy?” The child tilted her head as she asked.
Do-Jun smiled and patted her on the head. Her concern for someone she had just met was adorable.
“Here, eat this,” the girl said, rummaging in her pocket to pull out a strawberry, big enough to fill her tiny hand.
Do-Jun wondered where on earth she had gotten it, but he accepted the strawberry. He wasn’t particularly hungry but didn’t want to ignore her kindness.
“If I eat this, what about you?” Do-Jun asked her.
“It’s okay. I’ve got more.”
She showed him the three strawberries left in her pocket, then took one out and sat on the cliff's edge. Do-Jun shrugged and sat next to her.
As she bit into her strawberry, she pointed downward at a waterfall. “A fish comes out there.”
Sure enough, just as she said, a massive fish emerged from the waterfall. Actually, it was more like a whale—a massive, black whale, kilometers in length. It was the second mythical creature—Laikar.
Laikar soared through the air, swallowing adventurers and insignificant monsters whole. The adventurers scrambled in desperation, their lives in peril. Some tried to escape while others hid behind debris.
“Mistah, you shouldn’t be here,” the child said with concern.
Her concern for Do-Jun was sincere. After all, every adventurer Laikar had caught until now had met their end. No matter how skilled an adventurer was, with a mere red status window—the lowest rank—they stood no chance against a mythical creature.
“There’s a saying in Korea,” Do-Jun said.
Do-Jun wondered for a second if a child could understand it but decided to tell her anyway. “The first strike wins.”
[You have entered the third stage of the Tutorial Zone.]
[Recommended Magic Resistance: 1.5]
Jun-Yeol opened his eyes to see a space about a hundred square meters, walled off by stone on all sides. The members of Behemoth Guild stood on floating platforms, each about a meter wide, suspended in midair with lava flowing below.
[Skill Ring (Colorless) has been granted.]
A translucent ring appeared in Jun-Yeol’s hand. He whistled as he slipped it onto his finger. According to the “Core Tutorial Walkthrough,” this ring was necessary to use skills once they reached the first floor of the Core.
Category: Tutorial/Monster
Description: The gatekeeper of the first floor in the third stage of the tutorial. It uses the trident in its hand to stab approaching adventurers and throw them into the lava. Its weak point is the horn. Be mindful of this.
Tusitala sighed, looking at the walkthrough in Jun-Yeol’s hand. “This is... cheating...”
She knew that Do-Jun had given Behemoth Guild this strategy guide. If the other tutorial challengers learned about this, they would likely complain about the unfairness, but what could they do? It wasn’t like Tusitala was the one who broke the rules.
“I have a question,” Kang-Hyun said, raising his hand slightly.
“Yes, go ahead,” Tusitala said lightly.
“How many sockets has Supervisor Lee unlocked?”
“Let’s just say he’s unmatched.”
“So, he got the purple ring after killing the monster on the seventh floor.”
Unparalleled. Kang-Hyun was once again struck by how incredible Do-Jun was.
Tusitala realized that Kang-Hyun didn’t quite understand what Do-Jun had done, but she didn’t bother to correct him.
She then glanced at the wall—the very one Do-Jun had broken through to ascend directly to the top—and shuddered as she recalled the Skill Enhancement Ring Do-Jun had obtained.
No matter how she thought about it, he was absurdly overpowered.
[Unbelievable Achievement!]
[You have defeated Laikar.]
[Would you like to announce your achievement?]
Down below, a massive whale lay dead, belly up, with its body split in half.
A child gazed curiously at the lifeless Laikar. Every adventurer she had seen before was terrified of Laikar and always tried to avoid it. However, when Do-Jun, whom she had just met, casually waved his hand, a sword made of energy shot out, and Laikar was killed in an instant.
“What your name, mistah?” she asked.
The child mumbled Do-Jun’s name several times, committing it to memory.
Do-Jun smiled, finding it cute.
“And your name?” he asked this time.
“I don’t have one,” the child replied with a blank expression.
This child, a mythical creature, rarely left the protected boundaries of her domain. In fact, this was the first time she had ever met an adventurer. Since she had always lived alone, she was never given a name to be called by.
Do-Jun thought for a moment, then asked, “Would it be okay if I gave you a name?”
At those words, the child paused from eating her strawberry, turning to stare blankly at Do-Jun.
“Weally?” she asked, surprised.
“Only if it’s okay with you.”
But even though he had offered to name her, he hadn’t exactly thought of a name that would suit her. Do-Jun stroked his chin, looking at the child who was waiting expectantly. Then, he noticed a small birthmark under her eye.
Upon closer inspection, the mark looked like a perfectly shaped star, as if someone had drawn it with a ruler.
“Byeol,” Do-Jun said.[1]
At that moment, a beam of light descended from the clear blue sky and shone directly onto the child.
[Someone has tamed a mythical creature.]
[A new legend in the Core is being written.]
Do-Jun traveled around the first floor of the Core with Byeol.
He used Interpreter—Ataraxia to record information about monsters, plants, and artifacts into the Fissure Management System and relied on Byeol’s input for anything the Interpreter couldn’t identify.
Her explanations were a bit lacking, but she was never wrong.
“You can’t eat this.” Byeol shook her head as she looked at a mushroom growing on a tree.
Do-Jun snapped a photo of the mushroom with his portable device.
Realizing it was already past 6 PM, Do-Jun thought it was time to head back. His family was waiting for him at home, and he also had to prepare for work the next day.
“I need to head back home now.”
“Yeah. My home in Korea.”
Byeol tilted her head, clearly confused. In the Core, the concept of “home” didn’t exist. In this world, where enemies or monsters could attack at any moment, staying in one place was practically suicide. Adventurers typically moved from place to place, sleeping wherever they could find shelter.
“See you next time,” Do-Jun said, smiling as he patted Byeol on the head.
Perhaps sensing he was leaving for a while, Byeol grabbed onto his shirt with her tiny hand.
“You have to weally come back.” She looked up at him with anxious eyes. As if she had grown attached to him in their short time together, Byeol wasn’t ready to let him go.
“Of course. I promise.” Do-Jun hooked his pinky finger with hers.
Instead of heading straight home after returning to Earth, Do-Jun stopped by the local bookstore called Book 24.
Since returning from the Central Plains, Do-Jun visited the bookstore once a week, purchasing various books to help him adapt to modern society. His personal library now held over seventy books.
“Welcome!” Kim Mina, the part-time worker at Book 24, greeted him warmly with a bright smile.
Do-Jun was a regular customer of the store, which boosted its sales, and he even brought her occasional snacks as a treat.
“Looking for anything in particular today?” she asked with a smile.
“Do you have any parenting books?” Do-Jun asked.
“Parenting? They are in aisle F15. But... wait, are you married?” she asked, shocked.
She never saw it coming. She knew he worked an office job, but she assumed he was unmarried because he looked so young.
Do-Jun shook his head, muttering a quick thanks before heading to the parenting section. He made his way past young couples who appeared to be newlyweds and headed further in.
Hyuk-Soo also happened to be browsing the same section, looking at parenting books.
“What a coincidence, meeting you here,” Hyuk-Soo said with a laugh.
“Yes, are you here to buy a book too?”
“Yeah. I have to start watching my relative’s kid in the evenings next week, but I don’t know much about caring for children, so I’m trying to learn. What about you?”
“I come here about once a week.”
Hyuk-Soo nodded, turning his attention back to the book he had been reading. After about two minutes, he made his choice.
“I’ll be heading out now.” Waving his chosen book, Hyuk-Soo gave a quick goodbye.
“Alright, see you tomorrow, Senior.”
Hyuk-Soo made his way toward the checkout counter. But his pace gradually slowed until he turned around and called, “Do-Jun. Would you like to grab a drink?”
1. Byeol translates to star in Korean! ☜