Transmigrated as a Corporate Manager in a Game - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Damned Tutorial (2)

Three types of stages involved traversing through dimensions.

One was the biological type, where a single powerful creature would appear.

The second was the object type, where the form would be that of a tool or an item.

Lastly, there was the phenomenon type, where a virtual world would be realized in the form of a story.

Among these, the most difficult stage was undoubtedly the phenomenon type.

It differed from the biological type, where you just had to hunt down creatures, or the object type, where you only needed to find and contain an item.

‘Of all things…’

A horde of hundreds of kobolds, and they seemed to be well-equipped with decent gear.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Of course, even as I grasped the situation, the time continued to flow in the sky.

‘The timer in the air shows how long I have to clear the stage…’

Or it could be the time I needed to survive.

Since the stages in KeepWorld were random, I couldn’t know for sure.

[(Kobold Attack) – Identify and contain the cause of the anomaly!]

Even looking at the quest window, it wasn’t clear whether I had to subdue the creatures or identify and contain the anomaly’s cause.

But I had reached the top of the world rankings.

‘This game never presents an impossible goal from the start.’

No matter how impossible the stage seemed, a way out would always appear if I focused and looked closely.

Screech!

Of course, that’s only possible if I survive the current situation…

[Kobold LV. 1]

A small group of kobolds spotted me and began screeching from afar as they rushed toward me.

Immediately, I lowered my gaze to check the equipment scattered on the ground.

[Dulled Spear (F-)]

[Dulled Longsword (F)]

[Broken Wooden Shield (F-)]

[Dulled Dagger (F-)]

I chose the least damaged weapon among the scattered equipment.

[Dulled Longsword (F)]

– A usable weapon among the dulled ones. It doesn’t seem like it will last long.

[Basic Swordsmanship (LV. 1)]

As I grasped the sword, an odd sensation crept over my body.

It was as if I suddenly knew how to wield the sword, like someone who had handled it before.

I naturally gripped it.

‘…This will do.’

After confirming the effects of the skill, I picked up another piece of equipment.

[Broken Wooden Shield (F-)]

– A wooden shield that’s so damaged it can barely protect you. It might barely cover your right hand.

I wanted better protection, but the only shield that was still wearable was this broken one.

It was unfortunate, but I had no choice.

For now, I had to make do with this.

‘Think.’

The hints must have already been given.

‘Missions with timers fall into two categories.’

There’s the wave type , where you survive for a set period, and the exploration type , where you have to find a trigger within the time limit.

It’s one of the two.

‘Only a few kobolds have entered the field.’

If the game wasn’t expecting a fight, there was no reason to limit the number of kobolds.

So, this stage was definitely a wave-type mission .

‘Which means, the timer above isn’t a death countdown but the time I need to endure to survive.’

I could ignore the hundreds of kobolds near the village.

Right now, I only needed to focus on the three kobolds entering the field.

‘Three level 9 creatures.’

That was something two level 9 employees with skills could easily handle.

After assessing the situation, I shouted so that Khan could hear me.

“See the time up there? We just need to survive until that runs out. So pick up the weapon I gave you…”

However, sensing an odd silence, I turned toward where Khan had been.

“…”

A moment ago, Khan had been busily talking to nearby NPCs, but now he was gone.

In his place, there was only a notification hinting at his whereabouts.

[Level 9 Employee ‘Khan’ has entered a panic state.]

I couldn’t help but curse out loud when I saw the message.

“Damn it.”

Khan was running away, following the NPCs in a panicked state.

“Huff, huff.”

Panting heavily, Khan suddenly bounced off something invisible, as if he had hit an unseen barrier.

He fell back onto the ground with a thud.

Khan, startled, began flailing his hands at the air.

Meanwhile, the NPCs continued to pass through the invisible wall without issue.

Of course.

They were the background , and Khan and I were the actors on the stage.

What would happen if an actor tried to leave the stage?

“W-What the hell is this?”

Khan, seemingly losing his mind, muttered in confusion.

[Level 9 Employee ‘Khan’ has lost the will to fight.]

Naturally, the sight was anything but pleasant.

Annoyance surged within me.

Some of us were facing the imminent danger head-on, trying to find a solution, while others were busy running away.

I had encountered people like this before, whether in school, college, work, or even among gamers in the same game.

Of course, I’m not saying it’s inherently bad to run.

But in my opinion, there’s a time and a place for everything.

Because of this, I called out to Khan, louder than usual, with a tone that could be considered harsh.

“Get your act together!”

Khan, who had given up and slumped on the ground, flinched and looked up.

[The employee’s mental strength significantly increases due to ‘Foundation’s Star’, resisting the status effect.]

[Level 9 Employee Khan resists the panic.]

Normally, my voice wouldn’t have reached him, but this time it did.

Because now, I was the Manager.

[You are the absolute ruler and the world’s guardian. Your words carry authority.]

“Pick up the weapon! And hold the line.”

At my command, Khan raised the sword I had given him.

He stood up, with a much more resolute expression than before, looking at me.

But soon, his face paled as he shouted something.

I couldn’t hear it, but he was probably saying he would join me soon.

“Alright. For now, I’ll head over to your…”

Just as I was about to say my next words, a shadow loomed over my face.

[Sixth Sense has been activated.]

“…!”

Instinctively, I raised my right arm, covering my face with the broken shield.

Right after that—

Bang!

A loud sound echoed as I rolled across the ground.

The kobolds that had entered the “stage” had begun their assault.

My right arm throbbed with pain.

Ignoring the arm that felt like it was electrocuted, I assessed the situation.

Wielding a hammer, one kobold was staring at me with a puzzled expression.

‘When did it get this close…?’

If not for my sixth sense, I wouldn’t have noticed in time, and I would have been hit.

I glanced at my shield and saw a crack where it had taken the impact.

If I let another direct hit land, I might not be able to use it anymore.

Lucky or unlucky.

The kobold that attacked me wasn’t showing any signs of moving immediately.

Then.

‘What about the others?’

I turned to look around and saw one heading toward Khan, while the other was staring at me with a bright smile, like a child playing with a toy.

Grit.

‘Oh, so I look that ridiculous, do I?’

With all my might, I threw the longsword in my hand at the unguarded kobold who was laughing.

Because of the distance, the kobold only blinked when the sword hit its face.

That was all.

But that was enough.

Perhaps the kobold thought I threw my weapon in fear.

Kekeke.

Even the kobold with the hammer started laughing at me.

But that kobold shouldn’t have.

Throwing away my weapon wasn’t a penalty for me.

I immediately raised my shield with my right arm and charged toward the kobold with the hammer.

A kobold, at most, was about 140 cm tall.

If I charged at full force, there was no reason I couldn’t knock it down.

Thud.

I slammed the shield into the kobold’s face.

Kieek?!

The kobold flopped down, dropping the hammer from its hand.

I quickly mounted the fallen kobold and picked up a sword, any sword, from the ground.

Immediately, I felt life returning to my body.

I instinctively knew where and how to strike the kobold.

[Low-Level Swordsmanship (LV. 1)]

Following the vision in my mind, I thrust the dull-edged sword into the kobold’s neck.

‘One down.’

The kobold let out a hideous screech as its neck was pierced.

Keeyeeek!

Blood splattered onto my face, but I felt nothing.

Perhaps it was because I had just killed its comrade.

The kobold, who had been observing the situation from afar, pulled out a finely sharpened dagger and started charging at me.

Kieeeek!

But.

“You’re already too late, you bastard!”

I grabbed the fallen hammer with my left hand.

And immediately blocked the kobold’s swinging dagger with the shield in my right hand.

Crunch.

But the shield, already at its limit, couldn’t absorb all of the kobold’s attack and shattered.

The blade pierced through my arm and into my left chest.

The fact that my right arm was too close to my heart was the problem.

[Employee Rank 9 ‘Shin Seongjin’ has taken a critical hit.]

[Employee Rank 9 ‘Shin Seongjin’ is suffering from bleeding. Health will decrease over time.]

“…!”

The excruciating pain of the blade digging into my flesh made me want to scream, but I couldn’t.

The Foundation’s Star did not allow its employees to scream.

Instead, it granted me the mental fortitude to act even in the face of unbearable pain.

“Die!”

With the hammer in my left hand, I immediately struck the kobold’s head.

Kuek!

The kobold, hit in the head, seemed to die instantly, lying motionless on the ground.

“Huff, huff.”

I barely held onto my fading consciousness, gasping for breath.

Ulp.

I coughed up a large amount of blood.

Right after, my vision started to blur.

It seemed I had lost too much blood.

I turned my gaze to look at Khan on the hill in the distance.

Though it was blurry, it looked like Khan had also succeeded in taking down a kobold, as he was panting heavily.

‘Are they all down?’

Just as I thought that.

[0:01]

[0:00]

The timer floating in the air hit zero.

Then.

Kieeeeeek!

The kobolds, previously blocked by the invisible wall, suddenly poured onto the field.

In the blink of an eye.

A gray wave flooded the horizon.

As the gray wave surged closer, my vision became even blurrier.

‘Damn it!’

I spat up blood once more and bit my lip.

‘Was I supposed to figure out the cause of this event before the time ran out?’

Honestly, I got too cocky. I admit it.

The unfamiliar sensations in my body and the system messages.

Without realizing it, I might have mistaken reality for a game.

But it was too late for regrets.

The price for my mistaken assumptions was far greater than I expected.

‘What happens if I die here?’

That sudden thought caused my head to droop.

I wanted to run away right then and there, but my body wouldn’t listen.

Perhaps I had lost my will to fight in the face of the overwhelming numbers.

Or maybe, the Foundation’s Star didn’t allow me to flee in disgrace.

Of course, even if I tried to escape, there was nowhere to go.

This was the stage.

We were the actors.

Running away would only mean hitting a wall and ending up even more miserable.

As those thoughts crept into my mind.

“Onward, knights! Drive back these vile monsters!”

A booming shout, completely out of place in such a hopeless situation.

That bold shout came from beyond the hill.

I lifted my head and looked in the direction of the voice.

There, I saw heavily armored knights.

“Waaaaaah!”

The knights charged down the hill at full speed.

At the same time, a fanfare played, and a hologram appeared in the sky.

[Tutorial Clear!]

[Rewards have been sent to your mailbox.]

[Event: ‘Kobold Invasion’ will be recorded in the company.]

[Employee Rank 9 ‘Shin Seongjin’ has overcome the trial and grown!]

[Employee Rank 9 ‘Khan’ has overcome the trial and grown!]

[Tip: When an employee levels up, all stats increase by 1.]

[You will be transported to the waiting room shortly.]

I lost consciousness as the messages quickly scrolled by.