Shit, what should I do here? Okay calm down Minjae, you can do this. Ara can maybe clear for a while, and then I could probably lead Hyunwoo on one team and have Minseok—
No no, but that depends on what Dungeon we get, the strategy's not viable if we get the Sunken King's Tomb or Vampire Patriarch's Mansion…
Minjae was having a quiet panic attack as the staff buckled him up to the harness. After a small while, the doors of the capsules closed and a small light scanned his entire body.
[Player: Kang Minjae, Confirmed.]
[Please choose your weapon.]
"Reinforced dagger and steel shortsword."
[Weapon choice confirmed.]
Within the next blink, he was in a completely white room. Slowly, a pattern of blue squares started to load on the ground as the training area.
His mind was on so many things, and it didn't help that the system had noticed someone trying to pry into his stats…whatever that meant.
But right now, he was more focused on actually passing the tryouts and leaving a good impression.
After a while, pixels dilated as the forms of the others started to load in one by one.
"Woah, everything's so realistic!" Ara said as she squeezed her cheek, making sure it wasn't a dream.
"Didn't you guys say you play sims and watch matches?" Minjae asked while adjusting his weapon holsters.
"Well! We weren't exactly lying!" she admitted, avoiding eye contact. "It's just that…we usually could only afford capsules for…five minutes."
Minjae was speechless.
At this point…am I really surprised?
He didn't even get to answer, as the rest of the wide-eyed kids started to load in.
"Woahh…" Hyunwoo admired, jaws completely open as he stretched his arms and knees. "I can't even feel the difference!"
"Alright, alright," Minjae started. "Let's just get accustomed, and I'll tell you our plan—"
"Stuck babysitting, are we?"
Minjae turned toward the source of the noise, but didn't even need to know whose it was.
Han Jisung.
"You've really got bad luck, Jae-ah. Your team is full of toddlers and you're running into me. What are the chances!"
"Don't worry," Jisung said sarcastically, putting a hand on Minjae's shoulder. "This hyung-nim will go easy on you."
Minjae stared him dead in the face before pushing his hand off. "I'd appreciate that a lot, hyung."
"Tch…you'll regret that."
Jisung made his way back to his team before joining their group and blended in almost immediately. But before he did, Minjae couldn't miss the opportunity.
[Analyze Target — Han Jisung — Confirmed]
[Target: Han Jisung]
Strength: 29
Agility: 19
Endurance: 16
Mana: 11
[Skill: Soft Steps — increases Agility by 5 and reduces the noise the user's footsteps make.]
Right…this annoying skill. Even if his agility was low for a Main Striker, his skill was good enough to compensate.
But that was also his biggest weakness…I'll make sure to use it well.
"So…what's the plan?" Minseok asked from the side. "How the hell are we supposed to beat a team full of veterans?"
"Yeah," Hyunwoo chimed in, already nervous from the encounter. "Plus, their stats are probably better than ours…do we even stand a chance?"
"Don't worry," Minjae nodded. "If your average total stats are lower than the other team, you'll be given a better EXP multiplier."
"Which encourages farming a bit more…got it," Hyunwoo nodded, adjusting the quiver behind his back.
"Both teams, are we ready?" an announcer's voice suddenly ran through the intercom. Minjae was used to it but the rest were startled.
"Ready to roll," Jisung's voice came from the other channel. "Are you?"
Minjae took a look back at his team before exhaling slowly.
"Ready."
"Well then," the announcer's voice came back. "Let us proceed to the Wheel."
Immediately, a small slot machine-looking instrument loaded into the virtual space. On it, were the different Dungeons that the skirmish would be taking place in.
I guessed correctly. Let's see…4 maps, huh?
Sunken King's Tomb, Vampire Patriarch's Mansion, Emperor of Stone's Crypt, and Fallen Archbishop's Cathedral…
Shit…
Out of the four options that were available, three of them would most certainly spell their defeat in big, bold letters.
Sunken King's Tomb was a map with various underwater sections that would most definitely be doom for new Players.
Vampire Patriarch's Mansion would be terrible due to the aggressive mobs that would easily overwhelm Players if they didn't position properly.
Emperor of Stone's Crypt was too confusing in terms of layout. Most teams had to spend a week just remembering it, let alone for newbies.
That left only one choice.
"You wanna do the honors? So you can't blame me for when you lose," Jisung smirked from the side.
"Fine…"
Minjae walked up to the machine before pulling down the small crank on the side of it. A mechanical whir filled the space as the wheel in the middle started to spin.
Please be the Cathedral, please be the Cathedral, please be the Cathedral…
"Map is confirmed. Skirmish between Group 7 and Group 9 will be done on the Fallen Archbishop's Cathedral," the announcer said one more time.
It might as well have been music to his ears, as Minjae fought the urge to get down on his knees and start praying to the one above.
A thin line of gold suddenly split across the floor beneath their feet before more followed.
"…What the—?" Ara started.
Light burst through the cracks as the empty space shattered apart, collapsing and breaking into nothingness as it was replaced by something else—
A dark purple moon hovered above, casting its creepy light all over the large Victorian cathedral in front of them. The place was completely decrepit, with broken stained glass littered everywhere, along with the broken statue of the god that was worshipped here.
They were standing in what looked like the front gardens, with violet flowers decorating the place like some kind of twisted contradiction of the holy place.
Inside, a small light flickered along with the faint rattling sound of something patrolling the hall.
Yeesh…for a place that's supposed to worship a god, it looks more like a cult's hideout. Gives me the creeps every time.
Taking a glance at his teammates, it was clear that they were quite literally shaking in their boots. With a slight grin, Jisung inclined his head sarcastically.
"Good luck, you'll need it."
With his parting words, both teams were teleported onto the east and west side of the dungeon respectively, and a small timer appeared above the Cathedral, slowly counting down to indicate the start of the match.
Minjae closed his eyes before taking a deep breath—a ritual he'd always do to calm himself down before matches.
We'll win this. I'll make sure of it.