Chapter 11
They say that when a person faces a situation beyond the bounds of common sense, their thoughts come to a halt.
A saying I had heard somewhere suddenly came to mind.
Because that was exactly how Dohyeon felt right now.
‘What kind of situation is this?’
Can't become an apostle?
The vessel of an apostle hasn't been formed?
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
I had drawn the card and made my selection honestly(?), only to be rejected for reasons like the vessel not being formed?
It was impossible to accept, no matter how he tried.
‘I've never even heard of such a case existing...’
Granted, from the very start of the tutorial up until now, everything had been completely different from what he'd heard, but this was an outright error.
It might be run by artificial intelligence, but it wasn't like it was free of bugs.
A clear bug had just appeared right before his eyes!
“...Wait. Vessel?”
A chilling sensation suddenly brushed past him at that moment.
‘Don't tell me it's because I didn't receive the goddess's revelation?’
There was only one difference between Dohyeon and the other users who had completed the tutorial.
Whether they had died and welcomed the goddess to receive her revelation, or had defeated the boss without dying.
Growing anxious, Dohyeon opened his status window.
[Player: Kaiser]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 700 / 700]
[MP: 150 / 150]
[Stamina: 210 / 210]
[Class: Adventurer]
[Titles (2)]
- Max Affinity from the Start?
- The First Slayer
[Stats]
Remaining Points: 0
“...It’s not there.”
Where 'Apostle' should have been written, 'Adventurer' was listed instead.
Could it be that the vessel of an apostle was formed only when a player died and received the goddess's revelation?
“Damn it!”
No matter how he thought about it, this was the only answer.
If that were the case, then that message stating that even the gods were bewildered made sense. Would they have ever dared to imagine that a vessel for an apostle wouldn't exist?
Even Tyr would be experiencing this situation for the first time.
‘Then what am I supposed to do?’
Would drawing a card again even mean anything?
It was obvious he'd just be rejected again for lacking a vessel. If things continued like this, he would never be able to escape the Pantheon.
Even so, he couldn't delete his character.
All the traits he had worked so hard to obtain would disappear, and he would have to wait another 60 days.
‘How long I've waited for this moment...!’
He had endured and waited for a full year and six months.
He had endured that time, which felt like an eon, and finally reached this point—only to be told to wait another 60 days?
Even if he could obtain the traits again, that was something he absolutely could not accept.
‘I need to find a solution.’
Somehow, he had to find a way out.
...But how?
He had heard that forcibly terminating the connection would result in an automatic selection, but would that even apply when he had already been rejected for lacking a vessel?
‘It's a problem if it does apply, and a problem if it doesn't.’
If it did apply and he ended up getting a Deification God, he would be sick with regret; if it didn't apply, he would have to delete his character—it was a disaster either way.
He couldn't even attempt to log out haphazardly.
Caught in an extreme dilemma, Dohyeon grabbed his head and groaned.
‘Ha... Why is the light pouring out so much again.’
He was already frustrated to death, and the lights radiating from the ten thousand seats were dazzling his eyes, getting on his nerves.
He was about to just turn around and deliberate with his back facing the light, when he raised his head—
“...Huh?”
Something strange caught his eye.
A single card that stood out remarkably even among the countless lights made of three colors.
It couldn't help but catch his eye.
“Why is that one the only one with a different color?”
Because only that card, stuck in a corner, was emitting a crimson light.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
The cards, neatly arranged in a perfect square, had a fixed number per row.
He hadn't noticed that until he looked closely, but the row containing that card had exactly one extra card.
Because of that, it was slightly sticking out in the corner, but its secluded location must have been why it hadn't caught his eye initially.
‘Was there a red card?’
Demlok hadn't had a god gacha system, but even so, there was no such color tier.
The same went for God of Osse.
He had never seen a single post on any forum or Newtube about someone pulling a red card.
‘No, even setting that aside, the numbers don't add up.’
The Pantheon wasn't called the Pantheon for nothing.
A temple where ten thousand gods resided was the Pantheon. According to the setting, there shouldn't be a ten-thousandth card.
And upon closer inspection, it was vaguely opaque compared to the other cards, making it incredibly suspicious.
Swoosh.
Drawn in by the bizarre phenomenon, Dohyeon approached as if possessed; by the time he came to his senses, he had already selected the card.
Ding-.
[You have selected a hidden card.]
[You have drawn Kasyar, the Forgotten Last Adventurer.]
[You have acquired the vessel of an adventurer.]
[Conditions are met.]
[Will you select?]
“Ah.”
An exclamation escaped his lips instinctively.
It was a god he had never heard of in his entire life.
No, could that even be called a god?
Unlike Deification Gods, Hero Gods, and Myth Gods, it had no rank attached to it.
It only bore the epithet: The Forgotten Last Adventurer.
But that alone was enough.
Because he instinctively felt that it was the only card he could choose.
[You have selected Kasyar, the Forgotten Last Adventurer.]
[You have become Kasyar's apostle.]
‘...It really was selected.’
His hopeful guess had been right.
He had inherited a truly unique god.
If so, was this a rotten rope or a golden lifeline?
He couldn't know for now, but one thing was certain...
‘Hidden Piece.’
At the very least, this choice was one of the Hidden Pieces.
And Hidden Pieces were nothing if not extraordinary.
[Choose your path forward.]
[Derived Class]
Last Adventurer
A single choice placed before him.
As he selected it without hesitation, a crimson light erupted and enveloped Dohyeon. The light soon forced its way into his body, circulating through his insides. The moment it dyed his eyes red—
Flash!
[You have changed classes to the Last Adventurer.]
[You acquire a class skill.]
[Class: Last Adventurer]
- Description: Humanity was originally comprised of adventurers.
They were the masters of Avatartel, mightier than anyone else, possessing the power and influence to threaten even the gods.
However, humanity desired peace and did not challenge the gods.
But fate was cruel.
Sadly, for humanity who desired peace, war eventually broke out.
It was a war that erupted when the gods, having lost their place to stand due to the great war Ragnarok that destroyed all divine realms, turned their eyes toward Avatartel.
During the protracted war, Avatartel's beautiful nature collapsed, and countless casualties ensued.
Nevertheless, humanity did not lose a single continent.
They believed that if they kept fighting, they could certainly protect Avatartel and drive out the gods.
Right up until the day everything came crashing down in vain...
Humanity was defeated.
And I am the last adventurer of humanity...
“Ah...”
Dohyeon let out an exclamation at the message that floated up as he changed classes.
Every single line of the description was extraordinary.
The description, which seemed tied to the deep secrets of the worldbuilding, radiated the dense scent of a Hidden Piece.
‘This is huge.’
His instinct was telling him.
That this was definitely not a normal class. That it possessed something tremendous.
Just putting everything else aside, wasn't every single line of the description extraordinary?
‘Humanity that fought against the gods... I've never heard of such a setting existing.’
At least as far as Dohyeon had researched, there wasn't any.
It might come up if he looked into it more seriously, but for now, it was certain that this was no common class.
Somehow, it felt connected to the secrets of the world...
‘Interesting.’
He had thought it wouldn't matter as long as it was a god that wielded a sword, whether it was a Deification God or whatnot, but to think he would obtain a Hidden Piece like this.
I guess this is why they say you never know what life will bring.
Regardless, it was something he would naturally find out as he played the game.
‘What did it give me?’
Right now, his curiosity was piqued by something else.
‘Unique Ability.’
The unique ability granted by each god.
What kind of ability had this one-of-a-kind god, the Last Adventurer, passed down?
He was so curious he couldn't stand it.
Swallowing dry saliva, Dohyeon brought up the unique ability window, and his eyes widened instantly.
[Adventurer]
- Description: Adventurers are those who pursue freedom.
As the masters and friends of Avatartel, they possess explosive potential.
- Effect: Can use skills regardless of class restrictions.
‘Insane!’
An ability that lets you use the skills of all classes?
Even if he was restricted by the fixed 13 skill slots, wasn't this essentially the same as having awakened to every single class?
His excited mind raced quickly.
‘I can build a skill tree using only the most useful skills from each class.’
Just the skill trees that immediately came to mind numbered in the dozens.
The problem was when he would acquire all of them, but Dohyeon had the Eye of Truth.
A cheat trait that allowed him to obtain the skills he wanted with certainty, not probability.
‘What if I combine this with Weapon Master?’
He would be a true all-rounder with no weaknesses.
Gulp.
Swallowing his dry saliva, Dohyeon took a slow, deep breath.
Even seeing it with his own two eyes, it didn't feel real.
He hadn't even started the main game yet, was it okay to be like this already? Just the harvest he had obtained today was hard to count.
‘This isn't a dream, right.’
It was a continuous stream of events too unbelievable to be true... but it was all reality.
It wasn't a reality that had simply rolled into his lap while he sat still; it was a reality he had seized by uncovering a Hidden Piece.
With his gaze sharpened, Dohyeon raised his head.
[Class change completed.]
[You will be moved to Avatartel shortly.]
[5...]
[4...]
Right on cue, the warp was being prepared.
Now the tutorial was truly over, and he was stepping onto the main stage. Watching the countdown, Dohyeon placed a hand over his chest.
‘Let's give it a try.’
Watching his pounding heart gradually become enveloped in light, Dohyeon slowly curled the corners of his lips upward.
‘Ranker.’
Soon after, a white light enveloped Dohyeon, and his vision flipped.
The true beginning of the game had commenced.
* * *
Users who finished the tutorial would first arrive at Arde.
And the central plaza of this place, called the Beginner City or the City of Beginnings, was always crowded with people.
It was because of the newbies constantly appearing in flashes of short light.
Setting foot on the land of Arde for the first time after completing the tutorial, they each let out exclamations of wonder.
“Wow...!”
“Awesome, it’s so pretty!”
“It’s really amazing. It feels like I’ve come to another world. It doesn’t feel real, but it feels too real...”
“I want to say that’s bullshit, but I admit it... Look at the buildings and the people, they all look real. It’s like I’ve stepped into a fantasy movie.”
“It’s different from what I saw in Arlen Castle. It feels a lot more developed, somehow?”
The cheers of newbies filled with pure wonder.
It was a sight that even veteran players passing by would pause to observe with a fond smile, murmuring, "Those were the days..." and it was the place where players were the most active.
However, not everyone was like that.
“Ah... my mental is really...”
“I guess I have no talent for games... I’ll just stick to production classes.”
“Just hold out until level 10. God of Osse has plenty to offer even outside of combat classes. As long as you have the skill, you’ll be treated well.”
Because God of Osse was so hyper-realistic, there were bound to be newbies traumatized by combat.
They usually showed up with their mental fortitude completely shattered.
“Tsk... Looks like you got an earful from Charlie.”
“Looks like it was more than just an earful. His mental is completely wrecked.”
“Today’s unusually lacking in anyone worth scouting... and we need combat classes.”
Just having grotesque monsters swinging their weapons at them was enough to make their minds hazy, but adding Charlie's harsh guidance on top of that made it unbearable.
The weak-hearted often didn't even entertain the thought of engaging in combat again.
Thanks to this, players were generally satisfied that God of Osse had more production and non-combat classes compared to its VR game era, but for scouts, it was a headache.
“The conditions to bring in a combat-class player with good traits later on are too harsh.”
“That’s not all. Their standards have gotten ridiculously high, so they demand a lot too.”
“Recruiting them now would be the best... Sigh, this isn't just finding a needle in a haystack. The competition is fierce, yet there's no talent to be found as the days go by. What am I supposed to do?”
God of Osse already boasted a staggering one billion active players.
Thanks to minors coming of age and logging in every year, there was a steady influx of newbies, but the majority flooded in at the start of the new year.
Now that it was April, how many skilled players could there possibly be among those just starting?
Occasionally, a ‘genius’ would emerge, but they were an extreme minority.
“Because fairytales where a genius falls from the clear sky just don't happen.”