Everyone Except Me is a Newbie

Discovery of Jannelet

Kim Iseo was the type of person who always had a calculator running in his mind. In the midst of the Giant Toad closing in and gangsters picking a fight, he quickly deduced, ‘These guys are perfect bait for the toad.’

Even in that dire situation, his mental equation of ‘6 gangsters = 1 meal for the toad’ clicked perfectly because his mind never stopped working, even under pressure.

Perhaps thanks to his precise calculations:

Groarrr.

The Giant Toad swallowed up Jang Gyutae last and then slunk away leisurely.

‘Phew… damn…’

Kim Iseo sighed with relief. If the toad hadn’t been satisfied with just six people, someone else might have had to sacrifice themselves. There were six gangsters, and according to its settings, the Giant Toad needed to eat atleast 6 to 7 adults to be full.

‘Thankfully, they were big.’

He found himself grateful for the thugs’ large sizes since it meant the toad was satisfied. This, too, was part of his calculation.

‘…If it came to that.’

If the toad still wasn’t satisfied…

‘That woman would have been the next victim.’

The woman being harassed by Jang Gyutae and his men would have been sacrificed. Kim Iseo had accounted for that possibility. No one from the Weplug team would have been sacrificed.

Therefore, he acted, and the result was a major success.

‘Ugh, blegh!’

He couldn’t help but retch. He had seen hundreds of dead bodies today, and he had just killed, or indirectly caused the deaths of several people himself.

‘Damn it… I can’t go on like this.’

He steeled himself. In the future, he might have to kill more people than monsters. Given the game’s features, it was entirely likely in this reality-turned-game.

‘“Are you alright?”’

Even Heo Wonmoo was leaning against one side of the subway, looking dazed.

‘“…Spit. Yeah, I have to be.”’

At that moment, the woman who had been caught by Jang Gyutae came over to express her gratitude.

‘“Um… thank you so much.”’

‘“…Yeah.”’

Kim Iseo answered briefly and turned away.

‘We can’t take her with us.’

The Weplug team already had five members. Fortunately, none were burdens. However, adding her to the group would complicate his mental calculations. He disliked situations that complicated his mental calculations.

[Next station is Gangnam. Gangnam Station. The doors on the left will open…]

The train arrived at their destination, Gangnam Station.

‘“Let’s get off.”’

Everyone understood the significance of his words.

‘“…Okay.”’

‘“Alright.”’

Unlike when the executive died, none of the Weplug members looked back at the woman they left behind.

* * *

Kim Iseo emerged from the subway and checked his messages.

[Blue Constellation: ‘Meticulous Strategist’ wants to contract with you.]

[Red Constellation: ‘Indomitable Fighter’ wants to contract with you.]

This was quite a favorable situation. Having two constellations wanting to contract simultaneously was rare.

‘Hmm… this is tempting.’

He couldn’t contract with both at the same time. Nor could he refuse both and just absorb their mana. It would likely upset the constellations and be inefficient.

The game was designed to make contracting with one constellation far more powerful.

‘‘For now…’’

Currently, it was still the very beginning of the game. Few even had the opportunity to contract with a constellation from the prologue.

In that sense, he still had time.

‘‘I’ll wait.’’

He decided to wait, considering the other team members’ affiliations before deciding on his.

‘‘Maybe I can aim for the Black Constellation.’’

His bigger goal was the ‘Black Constellation.’ The Black Constellation was an all-rounder DPS position, combining both blue and red constellations. This allowed a player to contract with two constellations simultaneously.

The condition was simple.

‘‘As long as I get the goddess ’ certificate…’’

With the goddess ’s certificate, he could contract with both constellations at once. If he could jump to the Black Constellation stage from the prologue, this game, or rather, this world, would be worth living in.

‘‘I need to secure goddess  Jannelet quickly before anyone else does.’’

Only the highest favor from goddess  Jannelet would earn her certificate. Kim Iseo planned to move immediately to where Jannelet was located.

‘“Captain, where are we going now?”’

Choi Seoyeon’s question came just in time.

Luckily, the Manasword game was based on real geographic information. Kim Iseo knew exactly where Jannelet was.

‘“Let’s go buy some clothes.”’

* * *

The main shopping street in Gangnam was now filled with more monsters than people.

‘Slash! Slash!’

Effortlessly mowing down monsters, they naturally drew the eyes of onlookers.

‘“Who are those people?”’

‘“I don’t know… but they look more dangerous than the monsters. Their clothes are covered in blood…”’

In the first floor of an intact building, behind a barricade, citizens watched Weplug’s confident march with admiration. Goblins and wolves fell like moths to a flame.

‘“Captain! This area is clear!”’

‘“This side too!”’

The five members, already well-versed in efficient combat from Manasword, moved with precision.

Their fighting style was on a different level from ordinary people, displaying expert rotations and formations straight out of war movies.

‘“Oh! Level up!”’

‘“Great! Should we upgrade to Beginner Swordsmanship here?”’

Moreover, their skill levels also played a significant role. Most of the team had surpassed ‘Advanced Slash Lv. 3.’

‘“I’ve already reached Beginner Swordsmanship! Haha!”’

Among them, Choi Seoyeon had achieved ‘Beginner Swordsmanship Lv. 1.’

‘‘Seoyeon is surprisingly keeping up well.’’

Her performance was unexpected. Having contracted with the Red Constellation, her playstyle became aggressively oriented.

‘“Take this!”’

Sometimes, she even showed off by slicing goblins in half as if she was enjoying the procedure.

‘‘That’s surprising…’’

The same woman who had tried to run during the Goblin Swarm Event had changed dramatically. She had always adapted quickly since joining, but this was something else.

‘‘Well, it’s a good sign.’’

He didn’t mind. Quick adaptation was beneficial. He, too, experienced a change in his skill levels.

[Beginner Swordsmanship Lv. 2 → Lv. 3 increase!]

Kim Iseo’s Beginner Swordsmanship had reached level 3, a rapid pace. Most players only achieved Beginner Swordsmanship by the end of the prologue, and that was considered good.

‘‘Adversity truly becomes an opportunity.’’

Facing the goblin swarm turned out to be advantageous, providing him with most of his progress.

‘“Here.”’

He pointed to a store.

‘‘Jannelet should be here.’’

Gangnam Station UNIQLO. A place where he used to work part-time.

* * *

The UNIQLO store was eerily empty. It wasn’t because there were monsters. It was a kind of uneasiness that an ordinary person would find suspicious.

‘It’s certain that Jannelet is here.’

To Kim Iseo, that uneasiness felt like certainty.

“Look around for clothes for a bit. Everyone’s clothes are a mess.”

“Yes!”

“Awesome!”

The other members of Weplug were completely distracted by the free clothes, rummaging through the store. They had no idea that Jannelet was here. None of them remembered such detailed locations. Only Kim Iseo remembered because it was a significant place to him.

Moreover, they were developers. They weren’t familiar with planning aspects, just as Kim Iseo was clueless about exact damage and balance details.

“Oh, right. I’ll send the party invite, so accept it.”

“Huh? You can do that?”

“Why not, of course.”

Ding. Ding.

The sound of Kim Iseo’s message arriving echoed to the members.

‘The quest will start soon. We need to form the party.’

Humming a tune, he headed to the fitting room. It was something he did when he was nervous.

“…Whew.”

And then, he saw the only place with the curtains drawn.

“Quest, complete!”

With that shout, he yanked the curtain open.

“Kyahhhhh!”

‘Hmm?’

Kim Iseo stared at what he had done in response to the unexpected scream.

‘Wow… her body is amazing…’

Jannelet’s appearance was so realistically rendered. She was a female character designed to empty men’s wallets. Silky silver hair, deep blue eyes like the ocean, a perfect forehead line, a voluptuous yet refined figure. She was an unparalleled beauty with nothing out of place.

Seeing such a Jannelet in front of him, and naked no less, left Kim Iseo dazed.

“What… what are you staring at! Draw the curtain immediately!”

“Ah, curtain… Yeah, sure.”

Swoosh.

Kim Iseo absent-mindedly drew the curtain again.

‘Why is she changing clothes?’

This was not a setting in the game. The only plausible explanation was that Jannelet preferred the clothes here over her usual attire.

Swoosh.

A moment later, Jannelet walked out with a fierce look in her eyes.

‘Wow…’

It was just an ordinary design, but when she wore it, it looked like a luxury item.

“Who are you to be so rude?”

“I came to protect you.”

“You saw my rescue request? Come to think of it, that’s a mana sword, right?”

Jannelet pointed to Kim Iseo’s sword as if recognizing it.

“It’s still just a sword, not a mana sword yet. It seems my prayer for salvation has been answered.”

She looked pleased as if she had accomplished something, then suddenly her expression turned cold.

“But… how will you atone for the sin of seeing the goddess ’s naked body?”

Kim Iseo was taken aback.

“What… sin?”

“You saw my naked body. That is an unforgivable blasphemy! The goddess  must remain a virgin for life, and her body belongs to the sacred constellations.”

“…Constellations?”

Despite the perplexing situation, Kim Iseo snorted. Watching her speak as if the constellations were sacred amused him.

‘So, the goddess  is like an internet streamer…?’

The actions of the constellations were just like the chatroom in an internet broadcast. Given that, Jannelet’s current statement was quite funny.

“Pfft.”

Having that thought, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Are you laughing at me!? A sinner who should crawl at my feet and beg for forgiveness!”

[Jannelet expresses her dissatisConstellation with you.]

[Affection -10]

[Current Affection -10]

‘Uh…?’

Only then did Kim Iseo realize the seriousness of the situation.

‘I need to go to the Black Constellation! I need to get the certificate!’

Affection. It was a crucial element that greatly influenced the rewards of the Jannelet quest. And it had already dropped right at the start.

‘Was Jannelet always this difficult?’

Kim Iseo reflected again. He didn’t remember exactly how he had set Jannelet’s personality, but the affection difficulty wasn’t that high. 

This game wasn’t a dating sim but a combat game. It was designed to ensure users didn’t waste their efforts on unnecessary things.

“Hey… Jannelet, are you angry?”

“…Didn’t you just laugh at me?”

“Hahaha… that was…”

He did laugh. So, he had nothing to say.

‘Is this really an NPC? Why is it so realistic?’

Mana Sword wasn’t even a virtual reality game, yet it was strange how it captured behavior so meticulously.

‘How do I raise the affection again?’

At that moment, the Creator’s Eye skill activated on its own, and something odd caught Kim Iseo’s eye.

‘…What?’

There was an exclamation mark on Jannelet, and some explanation was written. Specifically, something was written on both of her cheeks.

[! Hidden Achievement. ‘You’re the First to Treat Me Like This!’]

[Reward: Legendary Grade Skill]

It was a ridiculous naming sense for an achievement. Kim Iseo had no memory of creating such a thing.

‘What is this…?’

Following the arrows drawn comically on Jannelet’s cheeks.

‘So… I’m supposed to pull?’

Kim Iseo looked at Jannelet’s expression. She was still very angry.

“What are you staring at? Apologize properly.”

The Jannelet in front of him was incredibly realistic. A proud and haughty goddess, very angry, and yet he was supposed to pull her cheeks?

In a normal situation, it would be an invitation to get slapped. Moreover, if the affection level was affected, it would be troublesome.

Affection or a legendary grade skill?

‘…Affection can be raised later.’

It wasn’t a difficult decision.

Affection could always be restored later. Moreover, Kim Iseo knew exactly how to raise it.

‘Just put Jannelet in danger and then rescue her.’

Jannelet feels a great deal of affection towards her rescuer when saved from danger. The game design itself was set up that way.

‘There’s no need to hesitate.’

He made his decision.

“Hey, don’t be mad…”

Smack.

Kim Iseo grabbed Jannelet’s cheeks.

“…How about smiling a bit!”

Stretch!

Her cheeks stretched out comically.

“What… is… this… behavior!”

Ding.

[! Hidden Achievement ‘You’re the First to Treat Me Like This!’ Acquired!]

[Skill. Holy Sword (Legendary Grade). Acquired!]

‘Holy Sword…!’

A highly versatile skill among the legendary ones was given to him.

The rewards didn’t stop there.

[Jannelet takes a curious interest in you.]

[Affection +20]

[Current Affection 10]

“…What? So this is your type?”

Kim Iseo couldn’t help but mumble to himself.