LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 7
Chapter 7
I blinked, and the scene changed.
What I saw before me wasn’t the scorching flames I had just escaped.
It was a world of pure white.
Even though there was no sun in sight, the place was dazzlingly bright.
[You have entered the ‘Hall of Fate.’]
I looked around the white room.
With every step I took, the room’s structure shifted, and letters began to appear.
‘What is this…?’
Frowning, I inspected the letters.
[Loading records…]
[Level 2]
[Occupation: Former Royal Palace Soldier] [Path of Destiny: 0th]
[Great Achievement: Incarnation of Grimgal (Fire Resistance -200%, Physical Resistance +50%)]
[Talents showing potential: Swordsmanship, Survival, ??? (Knowledge too low to identify.)]
[Perk: Save]
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[Overall Rating: SSS+]
You have defeated a demonic beast with a recommended level of 8 while still at level 1.
You are an extraordinary talent!
You have incredible potential to clear this world!
0% of heroes have achieved the same feat as you.
[Strengths]
Among level 2 heroes, you possess the top 0.01% in swordsmanship and mental fortitude.
[Weaknesses]
Your crisis encounter rate is over 700% higher than other heroes of the same level.
[Hint]
How about recruiting companions to ensure safer growth?
[Analyzing your scenario route…]
0% of people have chosen the same fate as you.
I didn’t understand.
I read and reread the letters floating in front of me, but I could comprehend very little.
But there was one thing among all the letters that I understood deeply.
‘I need to recruit companions.’
The word “Hint” had appeared every time I died.
What followed had always been useful advice.
If I didn’t want to keep dying meaninglessly, I couldn’t afford to forget this.
“…Is this magic related to the ‘Save’ function?”
[Searching for posts containing the keyword ‘Save.’]
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[You are an unregistered user.]
—Some posts are restricted.
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[You are level 2.]
—Some posts are restricted.
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32 posts have been found.
What now?
Before I could think further, new text filled my vision.
I focused once more, reading carefully.
[Don’t follow your in-game route. Without Save, you’re screwed.]
[Guide) Becoming a Safe Gold Mercenary Without Save: Part 3]
[Seriously, is this for real, Royal Palace folks? LOL]
[Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Think of This as a Game]
[Missing List of Perks]
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I couldn’t say a word.
I had a feeling the text would disappear any second.
“……”
I remained silent, inspecting the letters floating in the air.
There wasn’t much I could understand.
The terms were even harder to grasp than the ones from earlier.
What should I do?
Carefully, I asked myself aloud.
“…Can you tell me what ‘route’ means?”
Once again, the letters reacted to my voice, shifting before me.
[Searching for posts containing the keyword ‘Route.’]
[You are an unregistered user.]
—Some posts are restricted.
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[You are level 2.]
—Some posts are restricted.
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[Too many search results.]
[Displaying recommended posts first.]
…No, this won’t do.
I could spend days like this and still not understand anything.
I needed to change my approach.
‘The letters reacted to my words before.’
This was something I had confirmed twice already.
I shouldn’t waste words.
I read the title at the top of the list of letters.
“…Everything About Survival Routes in Another World That You Just Need to Follow.”
[Recommended!] [Must-Read) Everything About Survival Routes in Another World That You Just Need to Follow.]
—Displaying post.
Author: Anonymous
「Greetings.
I’m a hero who’s survived in this hellish world for 10 years.
I’m telling you right now, if you’re reading this, you’re lucky.
I’ll teach you how to survive in this place, crawling with monsters and bandits, even though the most you’ve ever done is kick around a soccer ball. So listen up.
1. Don’t reveal that you’re a hero.
The moment you announce that you’re a hero from another world, hell will break loose.
Once they know you’re a hero, the royal palace will drag you in. At first, they’ll treat you like royalty—give you a luxurious room, feed you well, and even promise to marry you off to some ridiculously beautiful women.
But if you fall for it, you’re dead.
They’ll put you on the frontlines to fight monsters, and you’ll be thrown into the worst kind of battles.
Think your perks will make it bearable? Ha, what a joke.
No lie, more than 90% of heroes either die within a year or escape from the royal palace.
…Already been dragged into the palace?
Then just marry that noblewoman and accept your life as a hero.
Train like hell, use your perks smartly, and do whatever it takes to survive.
And don’t even think about escaping the royal palace.
You know how brutal this game world is, right?
No matter where you run, someone will sneak into your room while you sleep and slit your throat.
2. Pick a civilian profession.
For the reason mentioned above, you need to survive in this hellhole without revealing that you’re a hero.
If you plan to live without the support of the royal palace, it’s obvious that you’ll need a job to make money.
The most recommended option is to walk into any inn and emphasize that you’re willing to work hard.
Even if you earn money elsewhere, it’ll mostly get eaten up by lodging fees. If you work at an inn, there’s a high chance you’ll be able to stay for free.
Of course, if you dislike inns, you can work elsewhere.
Whatever experience you gain will help you land your next job, increasing your competitiveness.
However, no matter what job you choose, make sure you remember this one thing:
Maintain at least a minimal level of combat ability.
This is a world where you could get killed by bandits outside the village or even inside it.
Even if you’re not aiming to be a hero tackling the main quests, you’ll need to be strong enough to handle small monsters with ease.」
“……”
I read the lengthy post over and over again.
Even though I couldn’t grasp all of it, I got the gist.
I had been a royal palace soldier.
I had fought alongside heroes and even escorted hero candidates by the order of the royal palace.
‘…They weren’t impostors.’
—Hunt down the hero impostors who escaped.
That was a command often given to me, a soldier.
‘…So, the heroes were actually people from another world who had gained special powers?’
Was the royal palace right, or was what this post said the truth?
I couldn’t say for sure yet, but this long post had at least shed some light on my unclear situation.
‘A native who obtained the powers of a hero.’
That’s probably how other heroes would see me.
‘If I join Croa, I’ll have to live as far from the royal palace as possible.’
Even though I wasn’t an otherworldly person, there was still a high chance I would become a target of the empire.
Even though I had gained the power of a hero, I had no intention of sacrificing myself for the empire.
‘Still, I need to at least maintain basic combat strength.’
As the post mentioned, the empire was in ruins, ravaged by excessive taxes and monsters, and bandits roamed freely.
I needed the strength not only to fight bandits and monsters but also to flee from the royal palace if necessary.
‘…So, do I just follow the instructions here to get stronger?’
I glanced further down the post.
There were various sections.
「5. Path of Destiny and Job Selection
If you need minimal combat power or have decided to aim for clearing this world, take note.
I’ve improved upon the job routes that were popular back in the game, considering the one-life reality of this world and my experience as a hero.
Recommendation 1) Noble Knight
1st: Bronze Mercenary
2nd: Silver to Gold Mercenary
3rd: Lord’s Knight (whether you buy the title or marry a noblewoman, you’ll need to secure some social status)
4th: Lord (if you succeed in gaining status) or Wandering Knight, Mercenary Captain (if you fail to secure status)
Description: A grueling 4-stage build where you improve your skills as a mercenary and eventually become a knight for a noble.
The ultimate goal is to rise to the rank of a lord through status acquisition.
One of the key qualities of a lord is the power to fend off monsters, so even if you’re not first in line for succession, you can use your heroic perks and reputation to gain favor and potentially become a lord’s successor.
Strengths: Comfortable life, easy to live well.
Weaknesses: Absolutely impossible to aim for world clearance. If high-level monsters show up in your domain, you’ll have no choice but to hire a mage or mercenary to deal with them.
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Recommendation 8) Strength Mage
1st: Mercenary or Merchant (must be somewhere where you can take on requests from the Magic Tower)
2nd: Silver to Gold Mercenary or Wandering Knight or Golden Merchant (no need for status)
3rd: Magic Tower Test Subject
4th: Whether through luck or buying your way in, aim to become at least a 3rd-circle mage.
Description: From the 1st to 2nd stage, focus only on requests related to the Magic Tower to build rapport and save money.
Volunteering as a test subject at the tower will allow you to convert the potions you’re forced to drink into mana stats instead of drinking water.
Warning: To avoid dying from drug addiction, you must use the money earned in the 1st and 2nd stages to boost your magic resistance stats to at least B-level.
Ultimately, combining knight-level combat strength with 3rd-circle magic will make you an extremely versatile melee-mage character, and your value will be off the charts.
After the 5th stage, focus on whichever talent, swordsmanship or magic, shows the most promise.」
I finished reading, but all I could do was sigh.
I couldn’t understand even half of it.
…And then.
‘1st, 2nd stage? What does this even mean?’
I carefully re-read the parts that seemed important.
Tip: If your upper-level job is a knight, you can skip the 1st and 2nd stages by becoming a squire.
As for the Magic Tower, avoid entering the 1st stage if you don’t want to become an experiment.
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I read and re-read, trying to understand.
I couldn’t just ignore it.
There was a familiar term buried in the middle of the text.
「A royal palace soldier can be considered equivalent to the 2nd stage.」
I made an educated guess from the text.
‘Does that mean I’m at the 2nd stage?’
If so, then logically, I should aim for the 3rd stage.
I looked through the listed 3rd-stage jobs, searching for one I admired, and followed the instructions.
“If you can afford to buy mana unlocking from the Achievement Shop during the 1st or 2nd stage…”
Before I could finish reading, something filled my vision.
[Activating Achievement Shop!]
—Would you like to purchase ‘Mana Unlocking’ for 10,000 achievement points? [Purchase]
‘Mana’ is a rare, innate talent possessed only by a few.
Even someone born in the slums could become an adopted noble or a disciple of the Magic Tower with this natural talent.
Was it really possible to gain such a rare talent this easily?
I extended my finger and pressed the button labeled ‘Purchase.’
[You can now use ‘Mana.’]
“……”
After a brief pause, the letters that had previously appeared began to fade.
Then, the text I hadn’t finished reading reappeared.
“If you’ve acquired Mana Unlocking, choose a magic-related path in your Destiny…”
[Select your first Path of Destiny!]
[1. Path of the Mercenary]
[2. Path of the Knight]
[3. Path of the Mage]
[4. Path of Religion]
[5. Refuse the intervention of destiny.]
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[Warning: Once you’ve chosen your destiny, it cannot be undone.]
[Do you still wish to select the ‘Path of the Mage’?]
It was a profession I had always admired.
If I became a mage, I’d be respected anywhere, and even when I was too old to wield a sword, I could still make a living.
“…I choose it.”
As I whispered my choice to myself, the scene before me shimmered, and the figure of a man appeared.
In his right hand was a sword. In his left, a staff. He wore a black robe.
The man turned around.
“……”
Black hair.
Sharp eyes.
A face full of scars.
The man who looked just like me transformed into light and vanished.
[The ‘Path of the Mage’ has been selected.]
[‘Coincidences’ and ‘Events’ related to becoming a mage will find you.]
I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like I had completed either the 2nd or 3rd stage.
I continued reading the rest of the text.
“The more difficult the quest, the higher the chance of obtaining an upper-level job, but remember this world isn’t a game, so…”
Nothing else happened.
I finished reading the last part of the post.
“…You’ve done well to read through this long text. Tomorrow, I’m headed to the frontlines to fight the Demon King’s army. By the time you read this, I might already be dead. No, I’m sure I’ll be dead.
…So, I hope you survive this hellish world…”
All that remained was one final sentence.
I repeated the last words written by the nameless hero.
“…Life’s a bitch. It would’ve been nice if there were a Save function.”