The Tutorial Is Too Hard Chapter 253:
I can’t get in touch with Seok-Hyeon,” Hochi said .
“What?” I questioned .
“I said I can’t get in touch with Seok-Hyeon . ”
“Who’s that?”
It was a name I had never heard of before . Hochi frowned and said to me, “You know, my friend Seok-Hyeon . We became close in the community . ”
Ah . So Hochi was talking about the kid whom he got close to in the community . He couldn’t reach him?
“He could be dead,” I commented . Hochi angrily glared at me .
It was surprising to see him express his anger so openly because usually, even if he was upset, he would reply sarcastically .
“How could you say such a thing?”
Then what was I supposed to say? If you messaged someone in the Tutorial and they didn’t reply, there was a high probability of them being dead . Eight out of ten people were considered dead in such cases .
The mortality rate in the Tutorial had been steadily decreasing for several years, but it hadn’t reduced to zero . It went from the probability of getting into a car accident while driving a cheap motorcycle to one while driving a luxury car . In terms of death, it could be said that accidents occurred frequently .
“Hey, I can’t help it . No matter how low your difficulty level is in the Tutorial, if you get distracted, you’re just courting death . Especially on solo stages where you can’t get help from others . Low difficulty levels could be more dangerous on the party stage . There have been countless reports of party members killing each other or dying in an accident . “
Park Jung-ah and the Order of Vigilance tried to stop many from dying, but they could not entirely put a halt to murders or other crimes . Even the Order of Vigilance couldn’t impose strict rules and regulations .
“You…”
Oh no . I glanced at Hochi’s face, and it looked like he was about to explode . I soothed him before he started to sulk again or throw a tantrum .
“Go tell Park Jung-ah . The Order of Vigilance will find him on their own . If there was a wrongful accident, they’ll catch the assailants and lock them up . ” I assured him that it’d be fine and that they could find him .
Park Jung-ah seemed to have gotten a little gentler, but she was still a tad too serious when it came to dealing with such things . I thought that if I felt this way even when I was not involved in the Order of Vigilance affairs at all, then the others would still be afraid of Park Jung-ah .
“If someone is stuck somewhere on a stage, it’s fine to send his information to the Order of Vigilance . It’d be better than us getting our heads wrapped up among ourselves . ”
Hochi looked a little relieved at my words . He seemed to be very close to that friend of his called Seok-Cheon or something . I had assumed he was just a pen pal . Now, I’d have to find out what kind of friend he was .
I sent a message to Park Jung-ah, and we talked about the entry time and the unit we’d meet at .
“Is Yong-Yong still picking clothes? Let’s get him . We have to leave soon . ”
We headed to Yong-yong’s room . My son had a somewhat feminine hobby . He would make his own clothes and spend time trying them on . He would also indulge in making small accessories and decorating his room .
This was different from what I had taught him, and he had probably inherited the trait from the dragon . Recently, I began to wonder if Hochi influenced Yong-Yong’s behaviour . After all, Hochi took care of Yong-Yong more than I did . And although Hochi wasn’t particularly feminine, he was more so in many ways compared to me . When I told Hochi this, he burst into laughter .
“You think you’re so different . You were the guy who got trapped on the sixth floor and knitted a scarf . You even gave it a name . What was it again? Hororong, if I remember right . ”
Oh, I did . I had never woven mufflers before, but I found knitting very meditative, and at that time, I had seen some threads in the store, so it had been convenient .
Suddenly I thought of Hororong, and remembering its last appearance made me feel guilty . Hochi laughed and teased me when he saw me like that . Either way, I quietly paid a silent tribute for Hororong .
After chatting, we soon arrived in front of Yong-Yong’s room . For convenience, it was called a “room,” but in fact, it shouldn’t be called one .
I thought it would be too much to call an entire tower, Yong-Yong’s room . The top wasn’t even visible when I raised my head . Nevertheless, as the owner of this tower, Yong-Yong declared it as his room, so I had no choice but to follow his decision . From Yong-Yong’s point of view, my house was the entire 60th-floor residential area, and this colossal tower was his personal space .
I knocked on the door of the tower, and soon the door burst open . A cutely dressed Yong-Yong came to sight, giving a warm feeling .
He donned a fur hat, a colorful muffler wrapped around his neck, a thick jumper clinging to his body, and an almost bursting bag hanging to his side filled with **** knows what . I was sure it was a bag with a built-in dimensional space, but even then, it was filled to the brim . Someone might’ve thought we were moving .
The warm clothes were a wise choice . It was said that the tournament location was quite cold, so it was right to wear warm clothes .
Of course, Yong-Yong wouldn’t feel cold there, but he did dress up in order to match the dress code . Now, Yong-Yong was a bit taller than my waist, but he still looked small and young to me, perhaps because of his thick overcoat and a big bag .
With a bright smile, I hugged Yong-Yong, who rushed at me and said, “Now, let’s go to the square . The portal has shown up . ”
I was unsettled by the fact that Hochi and Yong Yong would be sent out, even if it was just for a short period . Hochi, who had been anxious, calmed down, and it felt strange to be the only worried one .
“Should I come too?” I murmured, thinking about it .
Yong-Yong, who heard me, said yes because he didn’t mind it, and Hochi asked if that would be fine . But it was already decided that I couldn’t go . There was a clear reason for me to stay, and it wasn’t something that I could change because of my mood . I was both sad and distressed, but it was time for Yong-Yong and Hochi to leave .
* * * * * *
[Hochi]
Look at that restless piece of shit!
Ho-Jae, who had teased me before like a child, was visibly stressed when Yong-Yong and I went up to the portal . I bit back a smile at that sight . He was a respectable man but strange, so if you laughed recklessly, you might end up laughing for a very long time .
“Yong-Yong, say bye to your dad . ”
At my words, Yong-Yong, who had been standing next to me and holding my hand tightly, bid farewell Ho-Jae .
“I’ll return soon, Dad . I’ll be sure to have a good time by myself . ” I had to hold back my laughter once again at Yong-yong’s words .
Yong-yong’s farewell was no different than what Ho-Jae used to say to Yong-Yong, who kept clinging to him whenever he went to the 61st floor . He was having fun . Did Yong-Yong think that’s what one had to say whenever someone was leaving? It seemed necessary to correct this thought at another time .
We ran to the portal, ignoring Ho-Jae’s face, which had a concerned expression .
As our bodies floated, I could feel Yong-Yong and I get moved somewhere .
It was quite different from when we moved from the 60th floor to the 61st floor . Ho-Jae explained the difference between the two portals in theory, but I couldn’t understand what he meant . I knew quite a bit about magic, but not as much as Ho-Jae or Yong-Yong . At the very least, I knew this portal was unlike other ones .
We were not teleported to any crowded areas, and I thought that it was an excellent choice, since it prevented congestion . Anyone would have been embarrassed if they had suddenly fallen into a crowded square after entering the portal .
The place where Yong-Yong and I moved to was a quiet mountain road . The sign ahead showed which way to go . I tried to go the other way, but a transparent wall blocked the path . Having no other option, I followed the sign as indicated .
An excited Yong-Yong tried to break the transparent wall and go through it, saying that he wanted to chase a flying butterfly . Luckily, I somehow managed to stop him .
* * * * * *
“Hello . My name is Baek Sung-Woong . ”
“Oh, hello . ”
We were able to reach a gathering of people after walking for a while . There were several mountain cabinets, and people were entering and leaving frequently . Some people continued to walk alone, but most had flocked into a group . From what I could make out, they were all members of the Order of Vigilance .
Just as Yong-Yong and I were wondering if we should join them, a tall, scary-looking man approached and greeted us . The sunlight reflected on his bald head .
“This way . ”
The bald guy guided us as if it were natural . I assumed he was the guide in charge of us . He had said nothing but greetings, so I couldn’t confirm whether I thought it was right . He was quite blunt .
“It’s a human!”
Yong-Yong wasn’t scared of the bald man, so he approached him and pointed at him . I hurriedly hugged Yong-Yong in surprise, to hold him back .
“I’m sorry!” I apologised to the bald man .
“No, it’s fine . By the way, you haven’t changed at all . ”
“What?”
Did Ho-Jae know this bald guy? As far as I knew, I hadn’t ever heard of this guy .
“I’ve seen you on TV before . It’s an honor to be able to guide you . ”
“Ah, yes . ” I felt like I missed the time to say no to him being our guide .
“Cute!” Yong-Yong, who was in my arms, looked at the bald man and exclaimed .
“No . Don’t say anything, Yong-Yong . Excuse us . ” I directed the last sentence at the bald head .
He wasn’t cute . Not at all .
“Cute, cute . ”
Yong-Yong wasn’t listening to me . Usually, he was very obedient, but when he got hooked on something, he wouldn’t stop being stubborn, even if he was in a good mood . Yong-Yong stretched out his hands towards the bald man, attempting to touch his bald head .
“I’m so sorry . It’s his first time seeing someone like you,” I apologised .
“Is this the hatchling?”
“Yes, yes . I’m so sorry . He’s usually not this disobedient . ”
“Oh, that’s all right . Children are like that . I used to have a kid this big on Earth . I don’t know how much he has grown now since it’s been two years . ”
The bald man’s initially serene face turned sad . Wistfulness and sorrow were apparent as he thought about his own child . Even though he looked like a no-nonsense kind of man, he seemed to be softer than I thought . Seeing Yong-Yong seemed to ease his anxiety little by little . I thought we could get along easily over time .
“Ahaha . Cute . ” Yong-Yong, who was seated on the bald head’s back, smacked his head .
Oh no, that little punk . He didn’t realize how dangerous it was to do that to a bald person .
The bald head seemed a little embarrassed and upset, and I didn’t know what to do . Come to think of it, it was my first time meeting people and holding a conversation with a bald guy .
“I’m terribly sorry, bald head . ” Ah no, his name wasn’t bald head . His name was Baek Sung-Woong .
Perhaps I had been around Ho-Jae for too long, so I just blurted out whatever I had thought like he usually did .
The bald man raised his hand and said, “It’s fine . ”
It was such a kind and gentle gesture that I couldn’t help but feel sheepish . I had missed the best time to correct my words .
<Competition Chapter (1)> End