Chapter Nine: The First Partnership
Hyejin's hands trembled as she extended her arm, allowing Minwoo to see the translucent blue window that had just appeared. It felt like an act of profound trust, revealing the very core of her new, terrifying reality to a boy she had just met.
[Name: Park Hyejin]
[Title: None (Yet)]
[Level: 1]
[Class: 'The Nurturer']
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 80/80]
[Stats]
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 12
Vitality: 7
Sense: 14
[Stat Points: 0]
Minwoo studied the numbers. Her stats were good. Her high Intelligence and Sense were perfect for a healer, giving her quick reflexes and the ability to perceive subtle changes. The most significant revelation, however, was her class: 'The Nurturer'. It was exactly what she needed to become the great healer he remembered.
"Your stats are good," he said, a ghost of a smile on his face. "And your class... that's a rare one."
Hyejin, still shaky, pulled her arm back. "What about you? What's your class?"
Minwoo hesitated for a moment before revealing his own status window. The shame of his new, pathetic existence was hard to swallow, but trust was paramount.
[Name: Kim Minwoo]
[Title: None (Yet)]
[Level: 2]
[Class: 'The Nameless One']
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[Stats]
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 10
Vitality: 10
Sense: 15
[Skills: None]
[Stat Points: 0]
Hyejin's eyes widened as she scanned the information. "Level 2... but no skills?" she asked, her voice a mix of confusion and pity.
"It's... complicated," Minwoo replied. He couldn't explain the Demon Lord or the Archangels. He couldn't explain that his class was a brand, a cruel joke.
Just as the silence grew awkward, a new system message, glowing gold, appeared for both of them.
[Global System Alert: Tutorial Objective Completed]
[Reward Dispensing: Congratulations, pioneers!]
[Title Acquired: 'First Awakened' (Minwoo)]
[Title Acquired: 'First Healer' (Hyejin)]
[Permanent Stat Increase Unlocked: All base stats +1]
Minwoo felt a familiar warmth spread through his body as his stats received their first permanent increase. A new icon appeared next to his name: a simple, unadorned sword. The title, 'First Awakened', was both a badge of honor and a burden. It meant he was a marker, a symbol, a target for anyone looking for the most powerful hunters.
Hyejin, meanwhile, was staring at her new title in silent awe. 'First Healer'. It was a title that confirmed her purpose.
Minwoo looked at the terrified faces huddled in the gym. People were still screaming, crying, and trying to process the global tutorial message. They were all on a countdown, a seven-day deadline that would change them or break them. But Minwoo and Hyejin had already survived their first trial. They were ahead of the race, and he knew he couldn't waste their advantage.
"We need to go," Minwoo said, his voice low and urgent.
Hyejin looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Go? Where? The message said we have seven days. We should... we should stay here. It's safe."
"It's not," Minwoo countered, his tone firm. "The tutorial is a race. Everyone in this room has a seven-day head start, but a lot of them are going to die. They're going to try to clear Gates without a plan, without a weapon, and without a clue what they're doing. In seven days, the weak will have been culled, and the strong will emerge. We can't afford to be weak."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low whisper that only she could hear. "We need to find more Gates. Now, while they're unguarded. We need to level up."
Hyejin hesitated, her gaze flickering between the frightened faces in the gym and Minwoo's intense, knowing eyes. He wasn't like the boys in her class. He was calm, focused, and seemed to possess a knowledge of this new world that was almost supernatural. But he had no skills, and his stats were barely above average. Her life depended on this boy's knowledge.
"We just barely made it out alive," she whispered, a plea in her voice. "And you... you don't even have a skill yet."
"I have a plan," Minwoo replied, his gaze unwavering. "And I have you. You're my eyes, my support, and my healer. I'll be your blade, and your shield. We'll find a weapon on the way. We have to. The world isn't going to wait for us to get ready."
He extended his hand to her, a gesture of partnership and a promise. Hyejin looked at the hand, then at the title above her head. 'First Healer'. It wasn't a hero's title; it was a responsibility. She had a skill that could save lives, and he had the knowledge to guide her. She couldn't go back to her old life. It was gone.
With a final, resolute breath, she took his hand.
"Okay," she said, her voice stronger this time. "Let's go."
Minwoo nodded, a flicker of grim satisfaction in his eyes. He had a partner. A new journey had begun, not with a roar of a champion, but with a silent, determined walk out of a high school gym and into a world waiting to be conquered.