Taeho stared blankly at the egg.
It was true he had anticipated a special reward, but receiving an egg was unexpected, while simultaneously falling far short of his expectations.
"Is this meant to be used as a pet?"
Taeho knew about pets as well.
Among the Awakener classes were Tamers, Elementalists, and Druids.
Since these classes commanded beasts or spirits, the concept of pets was far from unfamiliar to him.
However, no matter how good a pet was, it could hardly compare to a Hero-grade item.
Yet for some reason, at the mention of the word 'pet', Ari'mir bristled in sudden fury, her hair standing on end.
"What? A pet?! How dare you—!"
Raising her voice, Ari'mir suddenly flinched.
At present, Taeho was the only one capable of taking the egg out of the tutorial.
Of course, there was a slim chance another Awakener might succeed in clearing the tutorial later.
But no matter how strong they were, it was clear they would not be as strong as Taeho.
Phew. Let's endure. He is a child who possesses willpower and patience. He merely spoke out of ignorance.
Having watched Taeho's actions, Ari'mir could vaguely feel what kind of person he was.
A child who turned the impossible into the possible through absurdity.
And a child who, trusting his own choice, could endure six months to walk that path.
His equal measure of arrogance, however, remained his sole flaw.
Perhaps because she had only seen people squirming before her as an administrator, such confidence did not seem too bad.
If it were up to me, I would want to tell him everything, but…
This egg was a secret Ari'mir harbored while deceiving even the Tower's system.
A secret so dangerous that if its identity were exposed, she would not only fail to smuggle it out—both she and the egg would pay an immense price.
Clearing her throat, Ari'mir softened her angry expression.
Speaking as gently as possible, she attempted to persuade Taeho.
"An egg does not necessarily mean it's a pet, does it? I assure you, this egg will be of great help to you in the future."
"That makes no sense. What else would come out of an egg besides a pet? A weapon?"
"You insolent brat—!!!"
At Taeho's cynical response, Ari'mir's suppressed anger exploded.
As she lost control to surging Qi, her hair reached toward the heavens.
"Why, you insolent brat! Do you think this is just any ordinary egg?! This egg is my—"
Yelling in anger, Ari'mir abruptly cut herself off.
Blood trickled from her nose, her eyes bulging.
Scanning the empty air as if reading something, she let out a deep sigh.
How can I convince this child? How on earth…
As Ari'mir agonized in frustration and urgency, Taeho, who had been quietly observing, opened his mouth.
"I don't know what it is, but it seems important to you. Do you want me to take the egg that badly?"
"!!!"
Taken aback that he'd guessed right, Ari'mir flinched nervously.
Seeing her reaction, Taeho nodded.
"I take it that's a yes. Fine. I will take the egg as my reward."
"Are you certain?"
Ari'mir's face brightened with joy.
However, Taeho was not making this choice out of good intentions to help her.
Just as Ari'mir had a purpose, Taeho had his own goals as well.
"Instead, I have a condition."
"A condition?"
Ari'mir's expression darkened.
She was thoroughly displeased that he dared impose conditions on her, an administrator.
But since she was the desperate one right now, Ari'mir nodded.
"Very well. Provided it is something within my power to grant."
"Of course. Don't worry, since I have already verified you can do it."
"Verified it?"
Ari'mir tilted her head in confusion.
Up until now, she had merely observed Taeho as an administrator, never compromising fairness by granting him special favors.
Instead of answering, Taeho thrust an item toward Ari'mir.
Recognizing the item, Ari'mir's eyes widened, her mouth falling wide open.
"Y-you, you, you…!"
"You understand what I'm asking for, right?"
As if urging her to finish quickly, Taeho pushed the core in his hand closer.
Ari'mir stared in disbelief, trembling in utter shock.
* * *
You have selected your tutorial clear reward.
Once confirmed, your choice cannot be reversed.
Do you really wish to take the 「Unknown Egg」 as your reward?
"Yes."
Taeho answered without hesitation.
「Unknown Egg」 has been granted as your tutorial reward.
Confirming the reward, Taeho turned back to Ari'mir.
"All done."
"Right… Take it, then."
With her cheeks pale after having her Qi drained, Ari'mir nodded with an exhausted expression.
Taeho eyed the core Ari'mir handed over, his intent carefully hidden.
"Can't you do it one more time before I go?"
At his blatant pressure, the emaciated Ari'mir trembled violently.
You insufferable bastard! You want MORE?!
"There is nothing left to wring out, so cease this at once!"
"It's fine. I can wait until there's something left to squeeze out."
"You will starve to death long before my Qi recovers!"
Ari'mir raised her voice, pointing a finger at Taeho, who had grown just as emaciated as she was.
Though he had asked out of greed, Taeho was indeed reaching his limits just as she said.
True enough. I haven't even been able to drink the core's coolant fluid since starting the tutorial. Any more than this could be dangerous for me.
Finding sense in her words, Taeho reined in his greed.
Having barely cleared the tutorial and obtained such a fortuitous encounter, starving to death inside the tutorial due to greed would be as pathetic as it got.
Besides, the Qi obtained from Ari'mir was a reward far more valuable than a hundred million Hero-grade items.
Giving up on the idea, Taeho stowed the core in his shirt.
Fearing he might say something else, Ari'mir, who had been glaring with her hair standing on end, sighed in relief.
"You terrible monster of a human… Here is your tutorial reward. Take care of it."
Ari'mir handed over the egg.
Holding the egg in his arms, Taeho gave a silent bow.
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll be taking my leave now."
Having received everything he came for, Taeho gave Ari'mir a polite farewell and stepped forward to exit the tutorial.
Right then, Ari'mir called out.
"Child. Where do you plan to use the power you have obtained?"
"Isn't that obvious? I'm going to use it to climb the Tower."
Taeho glared at Ari'mir as if asking why she was bothering with such a useless question.
Wearing a peculiar expression at his answer, Ari'mir raised her index finger.
"Then let me give you a piece of advice regarding climbing the Tower."
"What advice?"
Taeho showed interest.
No matter how bizarrely she acted, Ari'mir was still an administrator of the Tutorial Tower.
Advice given by her might prove to be of unexpectedly great help.
Seeing Taeho's obedient response, Ari'mir's expression softened.
"As you climb the Tower in the future, you will face many dangerous moments and grow urgent at heart. Yet, do not let that feeling push you to merely climb quickly. If you listen closely to the stories of those you meet while climbing and observe them carefully… you will be able to walk a different path."
"Other people inside the Tower? Are you talking about the other races?"
Taeho was surprised by the unexpected advice.
Every nation faced a time limit for clearing the Tower, and climbing fast to make a name for yourself was the quickest path to immense wealth.
Above all, foreign races encountered inside the Tower were treated like NPCs by challengers.
Yet the administrator was telling him to take the opposite route, giving up clear times to act for their sake.
Sensing Taeho's skepticism, Ari'mir offered a bitter smile.
"You will not understand right now. But…"
Ari'mir trailed off, staring at Taeho with an expression more serious than ever before.
"Keep this in mind. Merely rushing to climb will only make you spin your wheels, and someday, you will run into a limit."
"…Run into a limit."
Taeho chewed over Ari'mir's advice, which contradicted the common sense he knew.
Yet he could tell that in her words, there was not the slightest malice or trickery.
"Understood. I will keep your advice in mind."
"Right. Then go safely. And… please take good care of that child as well."
Ari'mir gazed longingly at the egg.
Catching the deep bitterness and affection in her eyes, Taeho felt puzzled.
Was it a cherished pet? Then she didn't have to give it to me.
Taeho considered offering to return the egg, since he had already received plenty of Qi from Ari'mir.
But he quickly reconsidered.
Every single bit of fighting power was precious right now.
A pet would prove to be of some help.
Taeho's body slowly floated upward and vanished in an instant, as if he had never existed there at all.
Atop the vast Tutorial Tower, Ari'mir was left alone.
She closed her eyes.
Memories resurfaced of the time spent with the egg she had harbored for so long.
That egg had finally left her arms entirely.
Relief and a sense of loss, sadness and joy swirled together in a complex tangle of emotions.
"Forgive a mother who had no other choice. May your path ahead be filled with blessings, my child."
Ari'mir's farewell to no one lingered in the air before scattering into nothingness.
* * *
Grrr-gurgle!
"Ugh."
The moment he stepped out of the tutorial and arrived in his room, an immense sound burst from Taeho's stomach.
His empty stomach seemed to scream for food immediately.
Hurriedly opening the refrigerator, Taeho filled his belly by choosing only the gentlest foods available.
Eating greasy food right away out of extreme hunger risked an upset stomach.
Only after sating his hunger did he relax, sprawling flat on the floor.
Satisfaction and pride were written all over his face.
Clearing the Tutorial Tower.
A feat no one had ever accomplished in the past was a flawless first stepping stone after his regression.
All that's left is seeing what class I receive.
As if reading his thoughts, countless message windows popped up before Taeho's eyes.
Taeho scanned the contents of the messages with expectant eyes.
Confirming the Awakener's potential based on actions within the tutorial.
Created new possibilities through the outlandish idea of crafting items directly.
Displayed incredible crafting capabilities despite having no class.
Forged items so extraordinary it is hard to believe they were made in such harsh environments.
Overpowered all enemies with overwhelming capability.
Overcame the limitation of being unable to use Qi and successfully cleared the tutorial.
Class has been determined by combining performance in the Tutorial Tower and the Awakener's potential.
As the chaotic message windows vanished completely, a single message window rose before Taeho's tense gaze.
Congratulations. Your class is War Smith.
"…What? Smith? A Blacksmith?"
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