NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
“No, stop it.”
After slapping my cheeks for ten minutes, I had to accept it now.
I was also exhausted and in pain.
“Why does it have to be a Crafter of all things… No, no, calm down. It’s an overpowered character, after all.”
An overpowered character later on.
Ignoring the danger of the early phases, this character requires some luck to navigate through the tutorial, only to grow into an overpowered entity in the later stages.
Due to the poor stamina, strength, and endurance at the start, it’s incredibly difficult to accomplish tasks even while holding a weapon.
Even if I had the luck to find a gun, my terrible marksmanship means I’d need to spend dozens of minutes disassembling it due to the risk of missing targets.
“Shit…!”
Oh Lord, was it such a great sin to lure a newbie in at the start?
Even so, if you can survive the weak start, there will be plenty of content later on.
And yet, recommending such a difficult character with a weak starting phase seems unnecessarily harsh.
“No, you can do this… you can do it. If only the crafting options are open….”
The biggest challenge is completing the tutorial.
For every character, the tutorial is the same: simply complete given basic tasks using the default stats allocated.
Let’s think through the problem.
Acquire three material items.
Obtain and wear a melee weapon.
Acquire and wear a ranged weapon.
Obtain and wear an armor piece.
Defeat and process five giant spiders.
Defeat five zombies.
And defeat one mini-boss, a Hammerhead… wasn’t it?
“No matter what, this is….”
It’s impossible to do.
At least for a profession that grants you a weapon from the start, maybe….
Surely, in a Crafter’s inventory…
“A flashlight, extra batteries, an emergency crafting kit… Damn it, there’s really no weapon, is there?”
There is, however, a very rare chance for a pistol to randomly spawn.
With a pistol, you’d manage to scrape by.
Giant spiders can be taken down with fire, and zombies can be dealt with using an axe.
And if the pistol uses .45 caliber ammunition, you could easily defeat the Hammerhead, too.
“Is this the end?”
There’s not even any food.
There’s no emergency kit for injuries either.
Flashlight, extra batteries, emergency crafting kit.
That’s it.
“No, stop it. Please.”
After emptying out the bag, not even a breadcrumb appeared.
Exploration is dangerous without supplies.
Alright, you could starve, but do you really need to starve while lacking a weapon?
“Ahhh!!!”
Normally, I’d just throw myself into the zombie horde and start over.
Or maybe let my limbs be trampled by rats.
…Wait.
“Emergency Crafting Kit.”
The Emergency Crafting Kit is undoubtedly a Crafter’s exclusive item.
With this, you can create anything from guns, ammunition, to magazines on the spot.
Of course, assuming you have the materials.
While it’s impossible to craft a pistol, you could produce a single-shot scattergun known as the ‘One Shot.’
Though it needs reloading after each shot, so what?
So, therefore…
“Why won’t this open?”
No matter how hard I pull,
Even putting all my strength into this small button,
“Ughgguuuugh…”
The only thing rolling is my body.
It won’t open. Not at all.
…Wait.
Each job’s special abilities only unlock after completing the tutorial.
Which means…
“Collect three material items, one melee weapon, one ranged weapon, one armor, defeat five giant spiders, five zombies, and one Hammerhead, right? All with these supplies?”
The bag feels too light.
Too light.
Even someone with terrible stats would complain about the slow movement speed if the bag were too heavy.
Even someone with terrible physical stats would grumble about how they couldn’t accomplish much with a low stat score.
But for a low-statted Crafter, this feels too light.
“Shit….”
What sin did I commit?
***
“Still… it’s not far to the safe zone.”
There are survivor bases.
Fortunately, during the tutorial, any group of survivors is welcoming to players.
Even fanatical groups like the Rebuilt Church.
And even if it’s a small faction like the ‘0th Empire,’ which occasionally conducts ethnic cleansing using military supplies they’ve managed to acquire by some stroke of luck.
And every survivor group usually marks their territory using corridors, floors, symbols, or tripwires.
In my current situation,…
“Unfamiliar markings.”
Sometimes, cases like this do arise.
Family units or small survivor groups sometimes create their own factions and act independently. With good fortune, unheard-of communities can grow into major powers by setting up a few bunkers.
Among the recommended posts with thousands of votes I’ve read was one where the faction’s name was “Banana Squad.”
Judging from the context, it seems they crushed the 0th Empire in its early stages and absorbed all their technology.
Perhaps this faction could have had that kind of good fortune, right?
“Look at this.”
A shotgun-triggered trap.
Lucky.
If I dismantle it, I can get a gun, and the presence of such traps means that someone skilled is nearby.
In fact, since they’ve left a survivor marker ahead and built traps, it’s a definite good sign.
Essentially, “We don’t want conflict, but if you trespass, we won’t shy away from a fight” — meaning that the faction ahead isn’t a cheap bunch relying on wishful thinking.
The question is…
“How do I dismantle it?”
In the game, you could simply push a button and the disassembly motion would automatically play, but I, obviously, can’t do that. Right? No, that’s not it.
I’ve seen that motion hundreds of times.
After spending 2000 hours immersed in various scenarios, I should be able to accomplish this much.
“…That’s right.”
After patting myself down and digging around, as expected — a pair of pliers appeared.
Given basic motions and the use of pliers, their presence is natural.
…Frankly, I suspected it all along. A junky profession, but reliable.
I followed the feel of the wire with my fingers.
Well-twisted string made from deconstructed cloth that wasn’t too easy to break.
However, the trap’s sensitivity is not high. In fact, it’s rather loose.
Is it not aimed at people? Or has it been placed here for a while… No, the wires are too new for that.
The shotgun used is appropriately old enough for trap-making.
The person who set this definitely has experience…
The question is, why is the string-
“Stay right there.”
Is this why?
So they can monitor me while I dismantle the trap…!
Way too much good luck.
Moreover, the voice is calm and belongs to a rather old Elder man.
“Though I’m old, I have the strength to pull the trigger.”
“…I have no intention to harm anyone, Elder. I don’t even have a gun.”
“Anything can be hidden in the dark. Don’t flail around. If you move your arms as if to reach for a gun or a knife, the string might be pulled by accident.”
“You’ll shoot me before that happens, though.”
“The aim isn’t for show. If you’ve grasped what I mean, slowly raise your hands.”
There’s no one visible in the darkness before me.
But the voice suggests the person is quite close… a hunter? Or a former soldier?
“Am I alone?”
“Yes, I am alone.”
“I don’t see anything on you that would indicate affiliation.”
At this point, I can answer… In the game, based on charisma level, there were multiple choice options, but I have none right now.
“I’m truly alone, Elder. I parted ways with a previous group due to differences in opinions.”
“Can you name the group?”
“There wasn’t an official name. I followed a man named Hamsuille.”
That’s just an off-the-cuff lie.
Hamsuille? That was a name from a few days ago.
While attempting countless respawns to find a Crafter with just the right basic stats and starting items, there was one who made a baseless bungee jump off a cliff.
Sorry, Hamsuille.
Still, in this story, you’re the leader of that group.
“Oh, well, I understand now. Throw your bag over there.”
“I’ll take my bag off. Please don’t shoot.”
“Your fidgeting is visible even to my blurry eyes. Quickly throw it over.”
There’s no way it’s old-age-induced eye trouble.
The ability to conceal movement even in dim light couldn’t be achieved merely through old-age farsightedness.
More likely, the elder is wearing glasses.
With all the strength I have, I threw my bag into the darkness from where the voice came, and soon the sound of rustling cloth followed.
“…Keep your hands up.”
But, for some reason, the voice doesn’t sound so good.
“Turn around.”
The clicking sound of a double-barreled shotgun’s hammer being cocked.
Why?
“You mean, are you going to shoot me the moment I turn around?”
“I’ll shoot unless you turn.”
“Why are you doing this? I’ve already thrown my bag as you asked!”
“What was in your bag?”
“What’s in it? There’s my crafting kit, flashlight, and a few batteries?”
The voice doesn’t sound pleasant at all.
He seems to have prepared to fire the weapon.
“The monsters and lunatics are swarming, yet you claim you wandered around for days with such items?”
The glint of the shotgun’s barrel flashed briefly in the faint light.
As described, it’s clearly a double-barreled shotgun.
Even if escape somehow causes the first shot to miss due to farsightedness, reloading the second barrel will surely hit me.
Especially if the shotgun uses birdshot that spreads wide, this defenseless body wouldn’t survive.
“Answer me directly. Are you a scout?”
“No, Elder. If I was in a recon team, I would’ve turned back immediately upon spotting the warning signs.”
“Are you aware how much that one sentence reveals?”
His deductive abilities match his age.
This is undoubtedly a combat veteran.
And a seasoned one at that, with all-round experience.
“As I’ve mentioned, I tried working for a community but our outlooks didn’t align, so I parted ways. I ran out of food on my journey and have been wandering around aimlessly… When I tried dismantling the trap, I thought it could be a free shotgun.”
“And being torn apart alive by walking corpses, I thought it might be better to have my head taken by bullets.”
If I were a Newskin, immune to radiation, I’d surely endure a barrage of gunfire anyway.
But even for a Newskin, knowing how to adapt conversations to a given situation can ensure at least getting driven away alive rather than being killed.
…And this might be the best I can do.
What would happen if I mess up here?
Would I really die?
Please…
“Yeah, alright. A shotgun bullet is more certain than being flayed alive and eaten by those things.”
Great, fortunately. The persuasion succeeded, and the Elder slowly emerges from the darkness.
The Elder slowly walks toward the light, struggling even to stand upright.
However, his stance holding the shotgun is incredibly composed, and his gaze is sharp.
His long, white beard and, as expected, a beret atop his head.
“Don’t let your guard down. I don’t want to see you trip over a trap and crawl on the ground just out of relief. And there’s only one cane available here.”
“Can I back up a bit?”
“Stay where you are. Your bag’s over here anyway. Looks like you’ve wandered aimlessly for a while without food judging from your appearance. Come over here. My granddaughter’s preparing some soup coincidentally.”
“…Soup?”
Soup.
An unpleasant memory surfaces.
The friendly settlement residents offering soup at the start turned out to be Michelin-star chefs who loved human flesh to the point of making steaks out of it. And the ones who laced the broth I drank with medicine only to carve me up while I was still alive.
“There was an abundance of canned beef and tomatoes, so it’s a rare feast. Any bad memories?”
“…Let’s just say I remember seeing materials that were a bit too poor and leave it at that.”
“Focusing on that will drop my nonexistent appetite even lower. Come over here, quickly.”
As the gun barrel slowly lowers, I cautiously step over the trap’s string.
…I’ll definitely keep a closer eye on that shotgun later.
Just wait, shotgun.