The Tutorial Is Too Hard

“With the spring wind in the air~ Flower petals flowing~”

‘For some odd reason, I found the sound while writing on paper exhilarating.’

Unlike the usual, I was writing a book instead of a letter to Lee Yeun-hye.

It was magic instructions for the hatchling that was going to be born from the egg soon.

I learned something shocking a few days ago.

It was the fact that there was no magic instruction for dragons.

It was absurd since dragons were also called the race of magic.

The reason for the lack of magic instruction texts for the dragons was quite ridiculous.

Apparently dragons naturally realize magic and learn it as they grow, so there was no need for educational magic texts to teach them anything with. Also, because dragons’ memories do not fade over time, there was no need to record any magic in writing either.

I was dumbfounded for a while.

‘What despicable beings.

Ah, my bad.

I’m sorry.

I didn’t direct that comment at you, Yong Yong.’

[TL: Yong is the p.r.o.nunciation for the word “dragon” in Korean.]

I apologized to the egg inside the incubator. I directed my gaze back to the book.

Although I understood that dragons didn’t need any education in learning magic because they learned them on their own, I figured that still providing them with education would not hurt.

‘If I teach this dragon magic, it will learn magic faster.’

To clear the 61st Floor, the most important thing that I needed the hatchling to learn first was polymorph.

It was a pretty high level magic, so I had no intention of waiting until the baby dragon learned the magic on its own.

So, here I was, writing an educational magic textbook.

I used the textbooks by other beings as the basis. I cut off the parts that dragons didn’t need to know. I focused on activation magic spells and internal mana operation and utilization.

I figured there was no need to teach everything about magic.

It was going to be enough as long as it allowed quicker learning of the basics.

Like that, I was rolling my pen. However, I saw a message opening in front of my eyes.

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: Report.]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Nothing to report at 60th Floor of the h.e.l.l Difficulty. Don’t you get bored doing this every month?]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: Aren’t you getting sick of hearing me nag? The message always tells you what time it is. Why are you always late?]

‘Her words ended with a question.

I shouldn’t have agitated her.’

For a moment, I was forgetting about the fact that Park Jung-ah had been having really bad days lately, making her emotionally strained.

‘In times like this, it is best not to face her.

From past experiences, I know well that I’ll only see blood if I carelessly agitate her.

Instead of fighting a battle that I will lose for sure, I should just throw off the chess table.’

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Phew... I am sorry. I’ve not been thinking of the pa.s.sage of time lately. I’ve also been trying hard not to look at the time message either. I ended up not checking the time before it was too late.]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: I am sorry. I am feeling a little weird lately. I think I had been trapped here for too long. Maybe I’m getting metal illness again. Nowadays, even medicines are not being effective.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: Ah... Um. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I was too insensitive.]

‘Ha. Take that.

You have no idea how long I have waited to say that line.’

Park Jung-ah was probably feeling even sorrier for criticizing me so many times for being late.

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: That’s right. You were being too hard on me.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: Huh? Um... Right. You don’t need to report regularly from now on. I’ll contact you only when I need to.]

As I planned...

It worked out insanely well.

I wondered why I am so brilliant.

During a moment of danger, I turned it into an opportunity. It was magnificent.

‘Looks like I’ll have one less bothersome thing to do from now on.

While at it, let’s try to reduce it by one more.’

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: I am sorry, but can you please check up on Lee Yeun-hye before she enters the Stage?]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: Okay. I can do that, but why? Won’t it be better for you to do it yourself?]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: I’m going to go check out the 61st Floor for a bit.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: Why there?]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: I used too many points. I need to earn more.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: I got it. All right.]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Tell her to not forget the message she needs to deliver to the manager.]

With that, another bothersome thing was off my list.

It felt great.

‘Should I continue to ask Park Jung-ah to check on Lee Yeon-hye from now on?’

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: If you can, you do it. The newbie is still at the Sixth Floor, right?]

Tsk.

Lee Yeon-hye’s growth had entered a stable rate.

I had been worried for her about being at the Sixth Floor, but it seemed she was getting used to it pretty well.

I even thought she might get stuck there forever without finding a way to break through the floor.

Fortunately, in her own unique way, she was diligently progressing her conquest step by step.

This was the Sixth Floor, so I figured it would take a little more time. It looked like I didn’t need to worry about her getting stuck there.

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: That brat is amazing too. From how you see it, how strong do you think she is?]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Even I think she is quite talented. She is not as talented as me, but she is top-notch when it comes to her abilities as a caster. She is also good at utilizing mana.]

To overcome the drawbacks of being an archer at lower floors, Lee Yeon-hye tried to master activation magic spells.

I agreed on her idea as well.

Now, the efficiency and power of the archer and caster combination was beyond proven.

The research on activation magic had been progressing for a long time in Tutorial by many people. So, Lee Yeon-hye was able to obtain information on her own using the points through the Community.

As for magic that were difficult to master, I wrote the instructional texts and sent them to her to master them.

Of course, just knowing the mastery method and reading the instructional texts on magic did not necessarily lead to everyone learning the activation magic.

For those who were not talented at mana, it was better to not even think about using activation magic.

Activation magic spells were easier to master than traditional magic spells. However...

Activation magic spells were focused on casting.

Once the skill was acquired, it could be activated without much difficulty by just reciting the activation word and supplying the mana at the right time.

During the early days in the Tutorial, people in the Community called activation magic as half-witted magic spells and down-graded them. However, before long, the activation magic pushed aside the traditional magic and became the most dominant type.

Compared to traditional magic, the activation magic spells were not as powerful. Also, activation magic spells could not be altered at all. Despite these drawbacks, the ease of usage and quick casting speed more than made up for the drawbacks.

Nowadays, of all mage cla.s.s players, it was hard to find anyone who was not an activation magic based mage.

Traditional mages such as casters or shamans required high level of understanding of magic and long casting time to use magic skillfully.

Because of these, the traditional magic spells were hard to make good use of during battles even in the easy difficulty. That was the general consensus on the traditional magic’s usefulness.

Except extreme few players who had researcher type personalities and myself, there was hardly anyone that knew how to use traditional magic properly.

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: By the way. I’ve heard rumors lately again. I think something is going to be held again.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th floor: Right... There was information like that. It isn’t confirmed at the moment. I need to look into it some more.]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: If there is going to be something, it would be nice if it was the day of the great harmony. Other things are such a bother.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th floor: If it really turns out to be the day of the great harmony, everyone is a dead meat. It hasn’t been all that long since what happened last time, and they managed to make another hole?]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: You take it easy too. You’ve been too harsh to the grunts under your command that they are on their way to the graves. The guys in Order of Vigilance had been complaining and crying to me daily.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th floor: Who did?]

Before long, her sentences became short again.

I could not afford to catch fire from her fury, so I told her the list of names politely.

[Park Jung-ah, 90th floor: Ugh...]

I was fairly certain the omitted parts were swears.

I wished good luck for the grunts who probably were not aware that they were dead.

‘I am sorry.’

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Instead of punishing them, ease up a bit and raise them. Now even Kim Min-huk left the Tutorial. You can’t keep on punishing your underlings.]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Kim Min-huk had been like the mom for everyone in the Order of Vigilance. Now that he left the Tutorial, you need to double as that mom role.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th floor: ... I really can’t do something like that.]

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: You need to do it now. Otherwise, you need to find someone who can take on that role.]

‘I bet there isn’t anyone.

I bet you won’t be able to find someone for that.

Park Jung-ah has difficulty in trusting others.

With Kim Min-huk gone, she only has a few people she can trust... No. It is possible I am the only one she trusts.’

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th Floor: Why didn’t you stop Kim Min-huk when he tried to divorce you? You should have.]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th Floor: ... Who knew he would leave the Tutorial right away after divorcing me. I just thought it was just another fight for married couples.]

‘She certainly has a point.

That b.a.s.t.a.r.d had been lecturing me about the relationship between a man and a woman, how dating works, and etcetera. Now, to think he got divorced and left the Tutorial...

As they say, you never know what could happen in life.’

I finished the writing after being on it for a long while.

I put the notes and writing tools to the side of the desk and placed the desk with things on it as-is into the inventory.

‘I was almost finished writing the magic instructions.

It would be better to finish the rest after looking at the hatchling’s type.

I wonder what color it will be.

Personally, when someone mentions “dragon,” usually gold, red or black colors come to mind.

Maybe the color might end up being something completely dumbfounding.

Personally, I wish it turns out to be a red dragon.

I don’t have any particular reason for the preference, but red dragons are just so cool.’

Like that, I indulged in useless thoughts as I went close to the incubator to say h.e.l.lo to the egg.

“Hold the port for me while I’m gone, Yong Yong. Your daddy is off to earn some money.”

‘I probably won’t be able to come back any time soon.

Clearing the 61st Floor will take a bit of time.

Let’s see. The temperature and moisture control devices are working normally.

I don’t need to worry about noise pollution or someone breaking in while I’m gone since I’m the only one in the 60th Floor.

Um... Still, I’m worried for some reason.’

I couldn’t figure out why I was worried. Moreover, because of my worries, I could not step away.

‘This... I don’t think I can just go like this.

Tsk.

I wonder if a parent who left the child to play near a water would feel like this?

No, is it a little different?

Anyway, I need a safety device.’

I waved my hand in the empty air, drew two magic circles on the floor, and stepped on one of them.

“Summon.”

Light poured out from the other magic circle and came together. The lump of light started to form the shape of a human.

When the brightness of the light subsided, there was a man standing on the magic circle. He looked identical to me.

“What are you looking at, original b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

‘What the, look at this little son of a b.i.t.c.h. He has no manners at all.’

“Watch the house, you clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Keep the egg safe too.”

“... Do you realize where this place is? Do you have dementia? Is it something like that? In that case, why don’t you hand over the position of being the original to me?”

“Something like that will never happen, you clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

‘He is my clone, although he is incredibly rude and weak as h.e.l.l. I cannot believe he was created based on me.’

“Who are you calling weak as h.e.l.l, you original b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

‘Like this, we can read each other’s minds.

Even from distance, I can feel his emotions and conditions, so I can come right away when something happens to the egg.

I just need to think of this bratty clone as a high performance alarm magic.’

“Don’t define me like that to whatever you want.”

I made this a.s.shole for the purpose of clearing the 61st Floor. Unfortunately, when I realized it was not possible to clear the 61st Floor with him, he became almost useless.

‘It’s good that I found a use for him for watching the house.

Even dogs.h.i.t can be...’

“If you have any more degrading thoughts about me, I am going to go on strike.”

‘I cannot let that happen.’

“Well then, I’ll go earn some points. Make sure to watch the house.”

“All right. Come back safe. It is all right if you never come back.”

I walked toward the portal that lead to the 61st Floor’s Stage as I listened my bratty clone.