Heroine Netori

-Clack clack-

Jinsu stifled the tears welling up as he fled from the hellish scene. He had set out with a comrade, but as he ran, he was alone, having lost someone as dear as family.

"Minho hyung... I'll survive, for your sake too!"

He never imagined it was the tail of a crocodile. Jinsu tripped over something larger than a log, unwittingly awakening the sleeping giant crocodile. What he thought was a large mound turned out to be a crocodile.

Startled, they tried to run, but the crocodile, freshly awakened and irritated, let out a terrifying roar, and Jinsu and his comrade collapsed on the spot.

"Damn! What is this... crazy!"

"Crocodile? It's freaking huge!"

It was too late when they tried using 'Stealth' and 'Presence Concealment'; the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) predator's gaze saw right through them. Moreover, the pressure from the crocodile was so intense that they couldn't even flee. In an instant, they became the crocodile's prey.

"Damn it, Jinsu. It's no good. You survive."

"What are you talking about!"

"I always wanted to say this... but not like this."

"Don't! Whatever it is, don't do it!"

"Go ahead."

"...No!"

Just when Jinsu thought he was doomed, Minho forcibly propelled him away using an emergency escape device he had luckily obtained during the first tutorial. Instead of saving himself, he used the item to save his comrade Jinsu.

-Swoosh-

Thanks to that, Jinsu was able to escape from the spot, while Minho, left behind alone, met his end to the approaching crocodile.

Yet, strangely, Minho had a relieved expression.

In contrast to the tormented Jinsu.

****

"So... Minho is..."

"That crocodile, it's coming! That monster said it! It will only run away on the last day! That crocodile is definitely coming!"

"Understood. We need to prepare for that."

"We need to increase our hunting speed, even if it means cutting down on rest," Siu added. Yet, internally, he doubted the feasibility.

How could they possibly capture a crocodile larger than a few houses combined? Even now, it took four of them to barely handle an elite lizardman over 2 meters tall. How could they possibly take down such a massive crocodile? Siu considered it impossible.

And it seemed he wasn't alone in his thoughts, as his colleagues tentatively suggested with a nervous tone.

"Shouldn't we ask for help from that person?"

"His personality is the worst, but... that man is strong. If we assist him, couldn't we capture the crocodile?"

They were referring to the man who had ranked first in the first tutorial, the one who had annihilated over ten delinquents with a single punch. If they enlisted his strength, there might indeed be a chance.

But...

"You must look after your own life."

That man's words echoed in Siu's ears.

The fairy had declared on the first day that this world was fair. Everyone started from the same point, and anyone could become strong based on their effort—be it a woman, a child, or an elderly person. That the man was so strong meant he had put in incomparable effort.

And perhaps that's why? He despised those who didn't make an effort and relied solely on others for help. So, it seemed unlikely this time would be any different.

"No... we can become just as strong. Don't set limits prematurely. Haven't we become much stronger than during the first tutorial? There's still plenty of time. If we try, it's definitely possible."

"We can do what that man did too," Siu asserted confidently. And with that, he started making a torch right there.

His colleagues' trembling stopped. They could see the confidence in Siu's eyes. They pulled out their gear and prepared to resume hunting.

"Right! What can't we do!"

"That's right! It's all about effort! If effort isn't enough, then more effort, and if that's not enough, even more effort!"

"Let's keep our spirits up!"

It was already night, dark and deep, but Siu's party ventured back into the forest. With a clear goal in mind, there was no time to rest.

"We must become stronger. Strength is everything. That man proved his words with his strength. But I only talked about ideals and couldn't protect my comrade."

"So we must become stronger. To protect everyone. To prove myself by protecting everyone!"

Siu clenched his fist and resolved firmly.

====

-Fwoosh-

I stood atop the defeated crocodile, exhaling steam as I examined its status window. The experience points from this beast were enough to boost my stats by five all at once—a creature that lived up to its size. It seems this crocodile was meant to be the boss of this tutorial, but since I took it down alone, I was sure to rank first again. Real sweet deal.

And how did I manage to beat this monster without any internal energy?

"Ha! Art is an explosion!"

"Master! Amazing! Here's your next bomb!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

I had plenty of bombs on me. Bombs I had prepared thinking I'd use them in a typical hero scenario.

I'd dealt with a group of orcs easily thanks to my hero boost and then spent the day training with Louise, so I hadn't had a chance to use the bombs in my inventory. I was regretting wasting money on them, but today they finally came into play.

The crocodile, immobilized by a frost bomb, succumbed to a barrage of explosives. Even a crocodile has its limits against modern magic and the essence of science encapsulated in a magical tool, a bomb.

I didn't expect it to be this effective... This guy was big but had weak resistance and wasn't as scary as it looked. Maybe because it's still a tutorial? It felt like it was keeping within the lines.

"Phew... Anyway, that was satisfying."

I stepped down from the crocodile and whistled.

The fairy claimed fairness, but only the stats were reset, skills remained, and I could still use my inventory, truly a tutorial tailored for me.

There's something you're supposed to say at a time like this.

"Lucky me."

****

The days that followed were a repetition of the same routine. Waking up in the lodge, I started the morning with Elise and indulged in morning sex, then ventured into the forest to witness the Whirlwind, raised my stats, and returned to engage in public sex before sleep. It was truly fulfilling.

I didn't forget to practice Qi cultivation intermittently. With the Taiji Yin-Yang Spiritual Art, I was slowly gathering enough internal energy to unleash an Internal Energy Punch.

However, no matter how I looked at it, the efficiency was terrible. Perhaps because this martial art was initially designed to generate internal energy through sex, the Qi gathered through Qi cultivation was dismally slow. I needed to meet Weiji Hye soon to enhance my Dantian or learn a new martial art.

Thus, I needed to become strong enough in this tutorial to unlock the martial arts genre.

Seriously, wouldn't it be great if I could use the Internal Energy Punch without any harm to my arm?

With that thought, I hugged Elise and stepped out of the lodge. Right on cue, the leadership of the survival group came running towards me, carrying the blood-soaked Siu.

Hmm? Seeing that Siu and others also had wounds and were bleeding, it seemed a significant accident had occurred. Could it be that the protagonist party had retired from the tutorial already?

Before I could even ask, they knelt before me, desperately pleading.

"Please... we heard that Mr. Gam Deokbae can use healing skills. We'll do anything you ask, just please save our leader... Please... please..."

"Please, we cannot afford to lose our leader! Show mercy just this once... please!"

I had openly used healing spells in the village, so I expected that someone would beg for healing, but I never dreamed it would be Siu's party. Well, I didn't understand exactly what was going on, but things were turning out to be quite interesting.

****

Despite reducing sleep hours and hunting aggressively, they overloaded and got injured in a fight with an elite monster... Is he really the protagonist? Without me, he would have been dead.

Did my interference change something?

While seriously contemplating whether Siu was indeed the protagonist, I took him to the lodge under the guise of treatment. I laid Siu down and used a healing spell.

Soon after, Siu regained consciousness.

"Ugh, did you... save me?"

"Yes. I heard about it. You overexerted yourself preparing for the giant crocodile, right? I've completed first aid considering the information about the crocodile."

"Kuhuk, th-thank you..."

"But what's the point? You're going to die soon anyway."

"Cough! Cough... Is that true?! Cough, cough!"

It's true. I didn't fully heal him, just enough to wake him up. This was an opportunity to seize control, and I wasn't going to let it slip away easily.

"The injury on your back is too deep. To heal it, you'd have to give up hunting for the day. But why should I sacrifice a day's hunting to save you? The crocodile is going to rampage tomorrow, right? It'd be better for me to get stronger."

"That... cough, cough... You're right... But! But..."

Of course, it was a lie. I could fully heal a life-threatening condition in ten seconds. But why should I? It's better to keep a negotiating card in hand.

"You still want to live, right?"

"Kuhuk... I..."

"Don't hesitate! Say you want to live!"

"Kuhuk... okay, I... I will become a slave..."

That's it.

"If you become a slave, I'll completely heal you and take responsibility for dealing with the crocodile. From what I've heard, combining powers with Elise might result in some injuries, but you could probably take it down. What do you think? The choice is yours. I'm not forcing you."

"I... I...!"

Siu, don't hesitate! Just say you want to live!

"Kuhuk... sob, sob... I'll become a slave..."

There it is.