NOVEL NEXT chapter 2
2 – 2. Tutorial (1)
I want to deny it.
No, I have to deny it.
This can’t be true.
I’m just an ordinary college student named Kim Minhyuk, who hasn’t even taken the college entrance exam yet!
Even if someone knocks on the door and calls me Karsein, it can’t be me.
It must be a dream. Just a bad dream that I’ll wake up from in my own room after taking a deep breath.
“Yeah. If I cover myself with the blanket and take a nap, surely…!”
-Ding!
▶The tutorial is currently in progress!◀
■ Upon clearing the game, a reward will be given! ■
▶Reward: Anything you desire.
“…What the hell.”
Swearing emerged from training.
As if it were not a dream, the UI that I had only seen in games appeared in reality. Even when I pinched my cheek, hoping it wasn’t true, it only hurt like hell.
It was such a realistic pain that it couldn’t be called a dream.
Whatever it was originally, it was written as a prize of 50 million won.
From the moment that text appeared, the answer was already decided.
Being stuck in a game was an inevitable fate, and I had to clear the game to go back to the original world.
As a Karsein Bagrand, who could die just by breathing, I had to survive until the end.
“Well… Okay. First, let’s try to assess the situation.”
Karsein Bagrand.
The protagonist of this game, a 17-year-old male character.
Among the ever-changing choices, if you casually picked something, you would be like a fool who would lose your life in no time…
“There’s nothing more to think about.”
This game belonged to the generation of Tsukuru games, among various games, and it was made with an old tool called Almantool.
All it demanded was choosing options that came up from time to time. In this game, composed only of a simple story, those choices were like the most important lifelines that held Karsein, the character.
As soon as the thinking time ended, the UI immediately changed.
▶The Duchess is approaching.◀
▶Please select an option.◀
[1. Go to the bathroom.]
[2. Change clothes and leave immediately.]
[3. Don’t go.]
First, is this a tutorial?
The player encounters choices for the first time here.
Having just woken up from bed, Karsein hears the news from a maid who knocked that the Duchess has returned. Should she go meet her or not? That’s what she’s asking.
If you think about it simply, there’s something like this in the status window.
■ Karsein Bagrand ■
▶Current Status: Hunger, Fatigue, Lack of Sleep, etc.◀
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
▶Cannot be viewed yet!
In a situation where sleep is lacking, do I really have to go?
If it were my mother, she would understand that much. Thinking that way, if you press 3.
“Yeah. I’ll just die like an idiot. They say I’m an ungrateful child who didn’t come to see my hard-working mother.”
So, you can’t even choose 3 from the start. If that’s the case, it may seem irrelevant because you have to go see the Duchess no matter what, but the other two can somehow meet the Duchess.
However.
Then why did a choice appear here?
-Cham Bang.
When the cold water in the bathroom touched my fingertips, the choices appeared.
-Ding!
▶The water in the bathroom is extremely cold. If you wash up, you might catch a worse cold.◀
▶Are you really going to wash up?◀
[1. Wash up.]
[2. Change clothes without washing.]
Yes, this is the wickedness of the choices.
The water meant for washing was cold. It was as if they had shown no consideration for the person who would be washing in this already freezing winter.
For Karsein, who had to listen to the voice of a noble under the luxurious dukedom, this was not just unreasonable, but enough to make him furious.
That’s why the choices appeared.
If you try to wash up, the cold water will give the player’s character a worse cold.
But you can’t ignore it because if you don’t wash up, a nauseating smell will emanate from your body. Even though it was pixelated in the game, it was dirty and clearly not suitable for meeting someone.
In reality, when I went without washing during the tutorial, I was severely scolded by my family and servants for not observing proper etiquette. After that, no matter how I tried to avoid the situation, I quickly ended up with a bad ending.
So, there is only one answer.
You must be prepared to catch a worse cold and wash your body. It may be unreasonable and unfair, but that’s the way it is.
“Oh, right. A f*cking memory comes to mind.”
I remember taking a cold shower thanks to a certain younger sister who purposely turned off the hot water around this time last winter.
Because of that slut who pretended to spill soup on me and dirtied my body, I was forced to wash myself with cold water.
Surprisingly, in this game, Karsein was in the same situation as me. It was the third time I told him to prepare cold water for me to wash with.
By doing this, he won’t be able to wash and won’t come out, and he will naturally be caught in the vicious flow.
But enough about that.
There’s something you overlooked.
-Thump!
“Ha! Feels refreshing, doesn’t it!”
It’s not my first time, unlike Karsein, experiencing something like this countless times.
As the sound of water filled the bathtub, an amount equal to the weight that went in overflowed outside the tub.
It’s been a while since I’ve been on the receiving end, but I’ve gotten used to it. My skin feels cold, and beyond that, it’s painful, but I poured cold water over not only my body but also my head.
“Damn, let’s try it once.”
With the cold water, my hair, which didn’t allow the foam to spread well, was soaked, and I rinsed it while gritting my teeth.
***
After finishing the shower with cold water and coming out of the room, I felt refreshed.
As I expected, I had to quickly put on clothes.
-Thump, thump!
“Karsein. How long are you going to sleep like a log? In a situation where we should be going to meet our mother, are we going to make her wait instead?”
Along with the dialogue, which I assumed was from the eldest, the door was knocked.
The delay was quite substantial. So even during the tutorial, if you stayed for a long time with choices given, the defeat trigger would activate and result in a bad ending.
▶The timer is activated.◀
▶Change into all the clothes within 1 minute.◀
[Failure results in death!]
I have one minute now. In the game, I had to find hidden clothes and put them on within the given time. I’m glad it’s reality now. I didn’t have to rush like in the game to find clothes within the time limit.
I hastily picked up the clothes that were lying around and put them on. I had about 20 seconds left before time ran out.
“Hey, Karsein. How long are you going to keep sleeping like that?”
Second warning.
From the dialogue, I guessed it was the second time.
When the time was up, the message appeared along with the warning window.
Of course, I could open it now.
-Thunk.
I cautiously opened the door. The blue eyes of Wallan, a member of the Bagrand family, the Duke of Baghdad, were fixed on me.
Ariana, who appeared expressionless but cold, had her arms crossed.
“Why are you so late? I told you to give me a heads up.”
“I must be a slacker. Camilla wouldn’t work so carelessly.”
Slacker, huh?
It was because of the youngest one who made a disappointed face and stuck out her tongue behind you.
‘…No. It seems like it’s not just that guy who looks disappointed.’
The floating white boxes around and the slightly darker white boxes than that prove it.
Most of the members of the Bagrand family might think this situation is disappointing.
“Now that we’re done preparing, let’s go quickly. Mother will be arriving soon.”
Following Ariana’s words, Claire, the second one, and Flora, the third one, lined up and walked. I followed behind them. I could hear the murmuring among the maids, but I couldn’t hear it well because I wasn’t feeling well.
We crossed the corridor and left the mansion. Beyond the mansion yard, the main gate came into view.
We opened the gate in advance and waited for a few minutes. Then the carriage carrying the Duchess appeared and entered the yard.
If I hadn’t timed it right on the timer, it would have truly been a late welcome.
The carriage stops and the Duchess gets off. The three sisters, without hesitation, run up and greet their mother first.
“Why are you all outside in the cold?”
“Mother’s suffering is more important than the cold.”
“Well, well. Mother suffers the most.”
“You too.”
“Mother-“
“Oh dear. Why is our youngest acting like this today?”
“I just missed you. hehehe.”
As Flora pouted, the Duchess affectionately stroked her youngest daughter’s blonde hair. It was a lovely sight of a harmonious mother-daughter relationship.
Not only Flora, but also the other two daughters showed deep interest. The Duchess threw warm words, asking why they came out on such a cold day, and gave a faint smile.
In the meantime, I had a choice.
▶I came to greet Isabella. How would you behave?
[ 1. (Getting angry) Mother, I’m here too. Can’t you see me? ]
[ 2. (Wrapping my shivering body) Ugh… It’s too cold. I’ll go back first. ]
[ 3. (Bowing my head) Thank you for your hard work, Mother. ]
[ 4. (Pointing to a maid) Do you know that woman made me wash with cold water? I showered with that water today! Does that make any sense? ]
Since I took a proper shower and came out on time, the difficulty of this choice decreased. The answer is obviously 3.
If I didn’t shower, came out late, or didn’t come out at all, I would say that I was tormented during that time and head straight for the bad ending without a correct answer.
“To be honest, I don’t know much about Duchess Isabella…”
Right now, it’s like a breakthrough for me.
With the UI popping up, the status window appearing, and choices presented, it was clear that there were elements of other games. The white boxes hovering above people’s heads and the slightly darker white boxes were also part of the game’s internal elements.
Those numbers decrease and fill up, and the gauge fluctuates depending on the results. The actions of Carsein have the most influence. In other words, the movements of the protagonist character.
This is the only way I found in this absurd game with no answers.
It was a white gauge box defined as intimacy.
At first, it only varied depending on the choice made, but if I built up enough intimacy, a relationship with Carsein would develop, changing the content of the conversation and affecting actions.
The important thing is that this relationship also affects the choices. It is the only means to create allies in this hostile world.
Looking at the current status of intimacy, there are only empty white boxes or slightly darker boxes floating above the heads of other characters. But Isabella’s box is different.
[ ■■■□□□□□□□ ]
Three slots. If it’s 100%, the gauge increases by 30%.
At this point, if there was someone who could become Carsein’s ally and help clear the game. I could have a little hope.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I bowed slightly and acted like a son welcoming his mother, who had returned from the territory. But.
“Yeah.”
The response came before I could finish speaking.
But it was too short. Even though we were siblings, the reaction was too cold. Would she react like this to Carsein’s greeting, when she was gentle and peaceful with her other daughters?
Then, suddenly, an unpleasant memory from the past came to mind.
When I welcomed my mother, who had returned from a long business trip, even if it was just with cold words, I had answered like this.
It wasn’t the problem of quickly showering and rushing out. It was just that this situation itself didn’t feel right. It’s just like back then, isn’t it?
-Yeah. Thanks.
Giving a response full of affection to my daughters, the way they reacted differently only to me seemed to be reflected in Isabella as well.
“You’ve worked hard, Mom. Let’s go inside quickly. The meal is ready.”
“Let’s do that.”
No way. It can’t be.
You’re the only one who shouldn’t do that.
I hope it’s not what I think. Sincerely.
Please, I hope the situation I imagined didn’t unfold for Cassain, and I followed behind the family that wasn’t my family.