Those to Let Go, Those to Hold On To

"Wow, look at that guy."

"Amazing. He's catching them like it's nothing!"

Thud!

[First Trial: Defeat a fox. (41/2)]

While everyone else ran around and barely managed to catch one, he effortlessly caught five or six, so it was bound to seem strange.

Of course, he didn't always receive favorable looks.

"Hey, you! That was the one I was trying to catch?!"

Every now and then, someone whose prey overlapped with his would approach, cursing.

Swish.

But when I held up this bloodstained axe.

"……."

They quietly backed off as if nothing had happened.

"Why do you keep catching them?"

And the more sociable ones would approach and ask things like that.

'They must be curious.'

Someone kept catching only foxes instead of moving on to the next area in this cold place.

Even I had to admit it was strange.

"I'm not used to killing things."

Of course, I couldn't tell them the truth, so I made up a reasonable excuse.

"I'm doing this because I'm afraid to move on to the next area."

Then they accepted it without much suspicion.

"I see. I was definitely afraid too."

Because they had feelings like that themselves.

But the smart and perceptive sorts were different.

"Let me ask you something, young man."

When I raised my head, I saw men in suits exuding a restrained air.

'Bodyguards?'

As I wondered who they worked for, I saw a woman with breathtaking beauty, as if sculpted by God, standing among five men.

'She's fucking gorgeous. Who is she?'

Long, straight black hair. Calm, motionless eyes. An air of dignity that flowed from her even when she was merely standing there.

The bodyguard closest to me pulled a business card from inside his clothes and handed it to me.

"Cheongseong?"

The moment I saw the logo and company name emblazoned on the card, I blurted it out involuntarily.

"Good heavens. That woman is Han Sohee of the Cheongseong Group."

"The current heir to the Cheongseong Group?"

Thanks to people's whispers, I could figure out her identity more easily.

Cheongseong was Korea's number-one company.

A class entirely different from ordinary people like us.

Even in the cold weather, her lofty air, which didn't lose its dignity or change expression, made her look just like a crane.

'A chaebol heiress, huh.'

The bodyguard who had given me the card opened his mouth.

"I've been watching you, and you've been catching more foxes than the trial requires. Is there a special reason?"

"No. I'm afraid of killing things and not used to it, so I'm adapting here before moving on to the next area."

However, the bodyguard in his mid-forties tilted his head.

"Is that so? It doesn't look that way to me at all."

"……."

"You're not very good at lying."

"Actually, I think so too."

Then I flung my axe and hit a fox passing right beside me. The bodyguard studied the fox, gave me a slight bow, and turned away.

"Anyway, thank you for answering my question."

Seeing that, I also gave him a slight bow.

'As expected, truly capable people are perceptive in a league of their own.'

They were on an entirely different level from the group that had caused a scene, claiming they would steal my equipment.

They were thoroughly prepared, too.

Although the young heir of Cheongseong and her bodyguards were wearing spring suits, every one of them had a generously packed backpack in hand.

They were clearly different from the ordinary people who had arrived empty-handed and were shivering.

'Still, it won't be easy.'

I resumed fox hunting.

***

"Anyway, thank you for answering my question."

Go Cheolwoo, having finished speaking with Kang Minjun, returned to the young lady he served.

The other members of the Strategic Planning Office, who had seated their lady in a suitable spot out of the wind and lit a wood fire, gathered around Go Cheolwoo.

Han Sohee, warming herself by the fire, spoke.

"What did he say?"

"There seems to be something going on."

"But you couldn't find out specifically?"

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"That's not like you, Chief."

Go Cheolwoo, head of the Strategic Planning Office.

He was Cheongseong's dog, a man who would do anything for Cheongseong and his lady.

Ordinary standards didn't apply to him. He didn't care about the law, either. If necessary, he was more than capable of killing someone.

"He didn't seem like someone we could easily extract information from by force."

"That guy?"

With a surprised expression, Han Sohee looked at Kang Minjun hunting foxes.

A slender, gaunt body.

Yet despite his appearance, Kang Minjun's stats were well over twice those of an adult man.

On top of that, he had ten years of experience from risking his life and grinding away.

To an ordinary person, throwing an axe to hunt foxes might look unimpressive, but Go Cheolwoo could see what was hidden beneath it.

"If Chief Go says so, then I suppose that's how it is. In that case, we have no choice but to stay here a little longer, though it's troublesome."

"I'll find out soon."

The men all dispersed and began slaughtering foxes.

And they soon figured out Kang Minjun's intentions.

Go Cheolwoo handed Han Sohee an item.

"Fang of the Snowfield. So this came from catching foxes?"

"Yes, miss."

After staring intently at the earring dangling from a fingertip, Han Sohee's face turned cold.

"…It's nothing special. What do you think?"

The others nodded in agreement.

"The odds are lower than expected. It will take quite a while to collect them all. And since it's the tutorial, its performance isn't anything to get excited about."

"And looking at examples of grind-heavy games, it's more advantageous and saves more time to push up to higher-level hunting grounds first rather than farm at low levels."

Han Sohee agreed.

"Life is the same. How quickly you surge ahead of others—that's the key to success."

Whether it was backing, money, connections, or ability… using whatever was available to get ahead of others.

That was her philosophy of life.

Therefore, she had no time to waste in such an insignificant place.

'If there is a god, I will prove that not all humans are the same.'

She would prove that the most outstanding being among humanity was here—not a useful bug.

Han Sohee rose from her seat.

"We're moving on to the next area right away."

"Yes, miss. I'll prepare."

Yet she did not know.

That no matter how plausible a philosophy or theory might be, everything humans created had its limits.

That this time, her choice was wrong.

"But, miss, should we invite that young man to join us?"

Han Sohee stared at Kang Minjun for a moment, then shook her head.

"There's no reason to take along an idiot who pours passion into something so worthless. Intelligence is an ability too. Let's go."

"Yes, miss."

***

'They left in the end.'

When my eyes met Han Sohee's at the last moment, I had some reservations.

'Her face wasn't in my memories.'

In short, that meant she would die a sudden, untimely death.

'Seeing even someone that successful die, I guess these trials really are fucked.'

Anyway, it was a little regrettable. If I meddled, I might be able to save her.

'No. I have enough problems of my own right now, so let's not worry about others.'

Now was the time to focus on laying the groundwork for my snowball.

If I fell even a little behind, everything could go awry.

Thud!

'Okay, another one.'

<Item>

Name : Necklace of the Snowfield

Grade : Common

Description : Increases magic defense by 16.

Of course, my first goal was the Snowfield accessories.

But I wasn't clinging to the tutorial just for this one.

Ding!

[Achievement unlocked!]

'Only now?'

Achievements.

One of the few things that could make players in the selection process stronger.

In some ways, they could be considered even more important than farming equipment.

[Caught a Few Foxes (Common): Deals 30% additional damage when catching foxes.]

A whopping 30% bonus damage.

In theory, just obtaining that achievement meant I could become 30% stronger.

That was how effective it was.

Swish—thud!

Previously, I had to throw the axe and then deliver a separate finishing blow, but now a single axe throw was enough.

'Nice and clean. My work speed is going to shoot up from here on out.'

Some might say that achievements could be collected little by little later.

That there was no reason to shiver in the cold just to do this.

"Ah, it's fucking cold."

"L-let's finish quickly and move to another area like those people earlier."

I laughed as I watched people hurry to the next area.

'At least foxes don't attack.'

This was the tutorial.

A place designed to get the participants used to killing something and seeing blood.

But from the next area onward, the story would be different.

A more perilous environment might await them, or they might be given a mission to hunt something more dangerous.

'Compared to that, foxes are easy since all they do is run away.'

Of course, foxes counterattacked when attacked, but how dangerous could a tiny thing less than a meter long be, even if it fought back?

'They give good items, and achievements are easy. So why move on early?'

"Is that guy holding a grudge against foxes or something?"

"Could he be an NPC? Should I talk to him? Excuse me."

While I roamed the snowy mountain and devoted myself to hunting day and night, countless people came and went from the tutorial.

Some crossed over with acquaintances, while others came alone, but most of them moved on to the next area together.

Like social animals, they had instinctively realized that forming groups was conducive to survival.

"Would you like to move on together?"

And before leaving, they always invited me to join them.

"I'm sorry."

"Ah…."

Of course, I firmly refused every time.

When people left with regret, new people flowed into the area.

Then, at some point, the nature of the participants began to change little by little.

"Cough, cough. Are you all right, Assistant Manager?"

As the world gradually neared its end, people's clothing noticeably changed. Before, they had arrived clean, but now those being transported were covered in dirt and ash and arrived filthy.

'I guess we're almost out of time.'

Checking my pocket watch, I saw that Earth's destruction countdown was nearing its end.

And after the final three women entered, a notification appeared.

[Registration for the selection process is now closed. Total applicants: 4,010,493,827.]

[As of this moment, Earth has ceased to exist.]

People stared blankly into empty air.

What would it feel like to hear that the homeland where you had lived had vanished, leaving you nowhere to return to?

I dismissed the holographic notification before me and looked ahead.

'So I'm a refugee again.'

Having already been through it once, there was no reason to be surprised, but I found it difficult to calm my pounding heart.

'I predicted Earth's destruction.'

The grinding in the tutorial was no different.

I had predicted that someone would covet my equipment and expected countless party invitations.

But there was one thing I, who had already lived through the future, failed to predict.

"What's this? I've ruined my clothes. Ms. Song Hana? You have a handkerchief, right? Give me that."

"Y-yes. H-here."

It was the meeting.

I stared blankly at one of the three women in office wear blackened by ash.

'Song Hana?'

An S-rank healer. The woman who would later be called the Saint was handing her handkerchief to a colleague, looking thoroughly cowed.

For the record, there were several people absolutely essential to defeating the Destroyer Dragon, and Song Hana was by far the top priority among them.