[The King of Demons is smiling at you.]
What the hell is this now?
I don't know all the constellations that exist in Gods of Atlantis. There are countless constellations in this world, so many that they can't be officially counted. Even the author probably doesn't know exactly how many constellations there are.
'King of Demons? I've never heard of that.'
I don't know his true name.
But from what I can sense, he doesn't seem like a good guy. He's likely an evil-aligned constellation. The fact that I got a message saying he's smiling at me even after I just killed someone is proof of that.
'The fact that I got a message means he's interested in me.'
I was a bit surprised that two constellations are already watching me.
The tutorial is conducted simultaneously in hundreds of spaces at regular intervals. The environment is the same, and the situations are similar, so from the perspective of the constellations, there's no need to bother watching the tutorial.
To them, the tutorial is just a show program for complete beginners who know nothing.
'Constellations who watch the tutorial are either crazy or trying to scout talented exiles early.'
Whether it's good or bad? It's a good thing. A constellation watching me means I'll earn viewership fees. I can settle those fees later.
'I don't need to worry about constellations right now.'
Then. A new notification appeared in front of me.
[The King of Demons has proposed a mission to you.]
[Mission Condition 1. Assault the woman in front of you.]
[Mission Condition 2. After assaulting the woman, kill her and feed her corpse to the man.]
[Mission Time Limit: 1 hour]
[Mission Success Reward: 10,000 AP]
[Mission Failure Penalty: None]
[Will you accept the mission?]
I'm sure of it. This guy is definitely evil-aligned.
'But only 10,000 AP? He's really trying to rip me off.'
In the tutorial, 10,000 AP is a lot. But in Atlantis, 10,000 AP isn't much at all. In the original work, missions start at a minimum of 300,000 AP.
It's a relatively simple mission, but I can see he's trying to rip me off. And most importantly, I have no intention of killing the woman right now.
"No."
[The mission has been declined.]
[The King of Demons has revised the mission success reward to 20,000 AP.]
[Will you accept the mission?]
"I said no."
[The mission has been declined.]
I held back the urge to curse.
Constellations can use their AP to curse exiles.
I currently have no contracted constellation. With no backer, I have no choice but to endure curses from the constellations.
When contracting with a constellation, this point must be considered. Weak constellations can't even properly protest against other constellations. On the other hand, contracting with a top-tier constellation can keep you safe from other constellations.
[The King of the Heavens has sponsored 1,000 AP.]
[Hahahahahahahahaha.]
The laughter I heard was the voice of a gloomy man.
It could be the real voice of the King of Demons, or it could be a modified voice.
'This guy is definitely crazy.'
I can't understand why he suddenly sponsored 1,000 AP and is laughing like that. The only good thing is that he didn't curse me for refusing the mission. Well, even if he had cursed me, I would have used Complete Recovery to remove it.
I pushed the King of Demons out of my mind and spoke to the man and woman who were looking at me strangely.
"Let's save the introductions for later and move from here first. This isn't a great place to stay."
***
I led the man and woman away from the lakeside. The lakeside was a place where Haders frequently appeared, and there was a high chance of other people showing up.
We found a suitable spot and settled down. The sky was gradually darkening. We lit a campfire and huddled around it.
"Let's start with introductions. Tell me your names and unique traits."
The man's name was Yoo In-ha. He was 20 years old and had just graduated from high school yesterday.
His unique trait was Mana Sensitivity (B). He could spread mana to sense his surroundings. In other words, it was like using a radar.
However, from what I could tell, Mana Sensitivity wasn't just that. It was a skill related to mana control. Yoo In-ha would likely show talent in handling mana.
'It's not immediately useful... but it's a skill that will be welcomed in Atlantis.'
Think of it as a talent for mana control. However, Yoo In-ha's timid personality could be a problem.
'Well, it's not my business what this guy's talent or personality is like.'
What mattered was the woman.
Her name was Yoo Seo-hee. She was 25 years old and had recently started working as an office worker at a small-to-medium-sized company. She was on her way to have dinner with her younger brother after work when she was exiled from Earth. Her Earth of origin was STQ 81.
Her unique trait was Silence (C). It was an ability to eliminate sound for a certain period. Compared to her younger brother's Mana Sensitivity (B), her trait could be considered trash.
"My name is Seong Eugne. I was an F-rank Hunter on Earth. My unique trait is Equivalent Exchange, an S-rank ability."
"A Hunter... I knew it."
"..."
Yoo Seo-hee immediately accepted my explanation. The fact that I was so cold and strong was enough reason for her to believe I was a Hunter. Her younger brother, Yoo In-ha, just listened quietly. It seemed he wasn't much of a talker to begin with.
"Um... what exactly is the Equivalent Exchange ability?"
"Curious? Well, it's something like this."
I discreetly hid my smartphone in my wrist and pulled out a warm hamburger from my inventory.
"It's an ability to obtain items by consuming AP."
That was a complete lie.
My unique trait was Deception (A).
Deception is the ability to deceive others. If this were known, its effectiveness would naturally become worse than trash. I have no intention of revealing my true unique trait to anyone.
"..."
"..."
The two of them stared at the hamburger in my hand. They didn't dare ask for it and just kept looking.
I ate the hamburger right in front of them, as if to show off.
Should I show them some generosity? Nonsense. I'm a man who has never helped the less fortunate in my life, except when forced to donate money at school.
'They probably ate Hanwoo beef with the money I donated.'
I never understood why schools forced us to donate money. I don't even know why donations had to be done through schools.
I have no idea where the money I donated went. They made us donate but never told us the results.
"Do you two know how to get AP?"
"Ah, no. We don't."
"You can get AP by killing people or monsters. People give 100 AP, and monsters give 50 AP."
This is limited to the tutorial. In Atlantis, there are differences between individuals, whether they're people or monsters. The stronger the target you kill, the more AP you can gain.
"If I kill you two, I can get at least 200 AP. So, you two need to be worth at least 200 AP. In other words, if you don't do your job properly, I'll kill you and recover the 200 AP. Okay?"
"Ah, understood!"
"We'll work hard!"
They nervously glanced at the Hwaryeonbido beside me.
From their perspective, I'm a murderer who can kill people without hesitation. They just witnessed that with their own eyes. They have no choice but to fear me.
"If you work hard, I'll give you hamburgers."
"Really?!"
"Do I have any reason to lie to you?"
If you want to make people work, you need to feed them. Besides, there's a limit to controlling people with just a whip. With proper rewards, it's easier to manage people.
I gave them orders. I told them to clean the area and set up a tent. I sat on a flat rock and watched them work.
Yoo In-ha was surprisingly good at following orders. He wasn't the type to think and act on his own, but he did well when given instructions.
And Yoo Seo-hee...
'Her chest is a D-cup. I like her firm butt too.'
[Yoo Seo-hee's erogenous zones: Right nipple, buttocks.]
With the reward of hamburgers on the line, they worked really hard. They even gathered firewood for the campfire without me telling them to.
It took 20 minutes to set up the tent and clean the area.
I inspected the tent and nodded. It was properly set up.
"You did well. Here, eat."
I handed them hamburgers.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
They devoured the hamburgers as if they hadn't eaten in days. A hamburger, which they wouldn't have looked twice at under normal circumstances, was a precious meal here.
I sat quietly by the campfire.
In my mind, I was organizing the things I could get in the tutorial. If you go east from the forest, you'll reach a rocky area. If you look carefully between the rocks, you can find a hidden sword. It's a mass-produced sword, but it's decent enough.
'There are weapons hidden all over the tutorial. Since I have the Hwaryeonbido, I don't need to go looking for them.'
Unfortunately, there are no special elixirs like mana fruits.
'Should I get a hidden class?'
I wasn't interested. Hidden classes aren't always good. Besides, after the tutorial ends, you get a chance to choose a class immediately. You can choose one from several classes. If you're lucky, you might get a hidden class.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
I looked at Yoo Seo-hee.
"Do you know what's going on right now? You seem very calm."
"I don't know either. I was on my way to work at a dungeon when I got pulled here."
"Ah."
"More importantly, shouldn't you two be worried about your own survival?"
"Survival?"
"Didn't a notification pop up when you first got here? You need to survive here for a week, and then escape within the remaining three days to live. And the Atlantis entry ticket? You need 1,000 AP to buy it, right?"
They recalled their situation and turned pale.
"1,000 AP... we need to gather that..."
Yoo Seo-hee's face was filled with despair. They only knew two ways to get AP: killing people or monsters.
Either way, they probably thought it was impossible.
"If you help us..."
"Why should I help you? It's easier to just kill you."
"..."
"Well, I'll give you a chance to earn AP, so don't worry. I'm not that harsh of a guy."
"..."
By the way, I currently have 1,390 AP. Thanks to the King of Demons' 1,000 AP sponsorship, I could buy an entry ticket.
[Would you like to spend 1,000 AP to purchase an Atlantis entry ticket?]
I can buy the entry ticket anytime I want. And if I have enough AP, I can buy as many as I want without any restrictions.
"Let's put out the campfire and get some sleep. You two take turns keeping watch for two hours each."
Of course, I have no intention of keeping watch. I have two slaves who follow my orders; it doesn't make sense for the master to keep watch.
'I can't sleep soundly... so I'll definitely take a light nap.'
Since I can handle mana, my senses are sharper than theirs. If they try anything funny, I'll wake up and kill them.
'I'll sleep with my sword in hand.'
***
Yoo Seo-hee and I entered the tent. Yoo In-ha was on his first watch. He would be hiding under a tree a short distance from the tent, keeping guard.
There wasn't even a fire, so it was pitch dark, but by focusing mana into my eyes, I could see through the darkness. Of course, there were limits. I could only see about 1 meter around me.
The weather outside wasn't cold, and with a blanket spread on the ground, the tent was quite cozy.
I smirked.
'I've been waiting for this moment.'
As soon as I lay down, I reached out toward Yoo Seo-hee, wrapped my arm around her waist, and pulled her toward me.
"Huh?!"
Her back pressed against my chest. I undid the buttons of her blouse and slipped my hand inside. I freely groped her ample D-cup breasts.
"E-Eugene?!"
"You can scream if you want. I don't care if your brother sees or not. And you must have expected this to some extent, right? Did you really think I kept you alive for any other reason?"
"..."
Yoo Seo-hee tightly pursed her lips.
***
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