Preparation Room.It had been ages since I'd seen this place. To someone who didn't know the context, this room might seem like a cozy little private room—not too different from an ordinary room on Earth.
I suddenly realized: angels sure have a weird sense of consideration. I remember when I first came here, I almost opened the front door thinking I was still on Earth, thanks to how familiar everything looked. Of course, the door didn't open. I ended up floundering in despair. Now that I think about it, maybe the angels did that on purpose.
『Time remaining until entry to the Rite of Passage: 03:27』
"Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds, huh. I better hurry."
I approached the large box sitting conspicuously in the center of the room. I plopped down in a corner and opened it. Inside were various supplies needed for the Rite of Passage. Nostalgia? Yeah right. Nothing of the sort. My focus was on getting dressed—fast. Forget the Seraph, if I got teleported like this—practically naked—I'd instantly be branded a pervert.
As I sifted through the items, it was obvious which tight suit offered the best performance. But I just couldn't bring myself to wear it. After checking out a few options, I chose something simple. Underwear, socks, shoes, top, bottom—all basic stuff. Just in dark colors, since I didn't want to get them dirty.
Honestly, in my current state, I could tear through the Rite of Passage naked and clear it in less than a day. Hell, I could destroy everything in my path if I wanted to. But I didn't plan on going all-out from the start. One of the reasons I survived for ten years in Hall Plain was because I always held back 30% of my power. Unless my life was literally on the line, I never revealed my full strength.
'Which weapon should I choose…'
I thought for a moment. I could take on the boss monster with just my fists and eat lunch at the same time. But for convenience's sake, I figured I should at least bring one weapon. I had a plan for this Rite of Passage. So I grabbed a long sword and a detachable crossbow, along with a bunch of arrows, and closed the box.
When I looked up with the arrows in hand, I saw the timer hit exactly zero.
『Preparation Room time has ended. User Kim Soo-hyun will now be summoned to the Rite of Passage area.』
"Okay. Am I the last one?"
『Correct. Regardless, we wish User Kim Soo-hyun the best of luck. Initiating transfer now.』
Then it happened.
Wooooong!
The moment I felt the summoning spell activate in the air, something yanked hard around my belly button. The summoning had begun.
『Transfer complete. The Rite of Passage is a trial to determine if you qualify to enter Hall Plain. Survive for 7 days or reach the central warp gate within that time to pass. We wish all users the best of luck.』
The transfer was complete. I inhaled the fresh air through my nose and looked around. Immediately, I noticed something was subtly off about the atmosphere. The grass, the trees, the soil—all signs pointed to a forest clearing. The air was fresh and the breeze was cool, but a strange, unpleasant stickiness clung to the surroundings.
'Let's check who else got summoned here.'
The Rite of Passage is extremely important to me. Hall Plain is not a place you can survive alone. Even if you're just using people, you still need companions.
This is the first non-ordinary experience for most modern people. And this place has one condition: survival. One of the key aspects of the Rite of Passage is how these clueless modern folks must work together to survive. (Though I'm a special case since this is my second round.) Because of this, the people who survive together often form strong bonds once inside Hall Plain. I was planning to find my future companions during this trial.
'Of course, that doesn't mean I'll accept just anyone.'
The spot I was summoned to was a kind of starting point for the trial. A "starting zone," so to speak. Ten years later, I can talk about it casually, but the first time I came here, clueless and unprepared, it was a nightmare. I even ended up traumatized.
I steadied my breath and began observing the area. Sure enough, I wasn't alone. Around the clearing were scattered people, all looking anxious. Some were whispering while glancing my way.
"Oppa… did you just see that guy get summoned?"
"Sola. Be quiet."
"Oh my god… looks like we're not the only ones here…"
"Chill. He's probably in the same boat as us."
From the conversation, they seemed to be siblings. I walked toward the group. The atmosphere was heavy with silence. Understandable. If someone just tossed you into a survival trial with no explanation, panic would be the natural response. Still, most of these people must've been briefed by the angels. I was too.
'This is the starting point. If I came back to the past, then I must've met these users in the first round too… What happened next…?'
I counted eight people sitting around. Could this group really survive the next seven days together? I could say with confidence: "Nope."
I was conflicted. This wasn't Hall Plain yet. Once you pass through here, you can never come back. Saving everyone with my current power would be easy. But honestly, I didn't want to. And I had no intention to.
Revealing my powers and saving everyone would be a huge mistake. In Hall Plain, your reputation spreads fast through rumors. Especially if someone defeats monsters with overwhelming magic before even entering Hall Plain? That kind of rumor would not only bring headaches—it could get you assassinated by "vagrants."
And I wasn't a saint. I'd done good things in Hall Plain, but I'd also done bad things when necessary. Robbery, theft, assault—even murder. Of course, in Hall Plain, such things weren't considered unusual.
Anyway, what mattered most right now was choosing carefully. If I found someone worth making a companion, I'd need to act like their secret guardian for at least a year.
My first plan after entering Hall Plain was to gather companions. And this trial was the perfect opportunity. I had three criteria for picking them: first, stats and potential. Second, personality. Third, fate. Bottom line? If someone passed my standards, I'd save them. If not, I'd let them die without a second thought.
'Guess it's time to activate the Third Eye.'
Besides the siblings from earlier, everyone else kept to themselves. I picked a spot and sat, calmly observing the others. With any luck, I might recognize a familiar face.
First up was a woman dressed like a bank clerk. Her features were ordinary, but her round eyes were trembling and her lips quivering. She still hadn't accepted reality. I could sympathize, but I activated the Third Eye anyway.
< Player Status >
Name: Lee Bo-rim (0 Years)
Gender: Female (27)
Height/Weight: 164.7 cm / 58.3 kg
Alignment: Neutral · Chaos
[Strength 5] [Endurance 8] [Agility 11] [Stamina 7] [Magic 9] [Luck 11]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
'Yikes.'
I immediately shut down her status screen. Initial stats are affected by physical condition, but more importantly, by potential. Just because someone's a woman doesn't mean their physical stats are automatically lower.
But Lee Bo-rim's potential was just… pitiful. Even if she entered Hall Plain, she'd be completely useless by my standards.
Just a side note: early stat growth in Hall Plain can be explosive with training. I'm at my limit now, but new users have no such restriction. Still, those with potential show promise from the start. But this one?
I clicked my tongue and moved on to the next person—the siblings. The brother looked young but sharp, with a scowl that screamed "don't mess with me." Probably younger than me. Seemed a bit cocky. On the ground next to them were a longsword and a shield—decent picks.
His sister clung close to him—like, almost too close. Well, they were siblings. Her head was down, so I couldn't see her face clearly, but she looked a lot more reserved than her brother.
< Player Status >
Name: Ahn Hyun (0 Years)
Gender: Male (22)
Height/Weight: 178.8 cm / 73.2 kg
Alignment: True · Neutral
[Strength 48] [Endurance 47] [Agility 52] [Stamina 51] [Magic 35] [Luck 56]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
< Player Status >
Name: Ahn Sol (0 Years)
Gender: Female (19)
Height/Weight: 160.1 cm / 45.2 kg
Alignment: Lawful · Good
[Strength 8] [Endurance 17] [Agility 15] [Stamina 21] [Magic 75] [Luck 100]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
'Holy crap, what the…? Magic 75 and Luck 100 at the start?'
Stats completely off the charts. I almost gasped, but kept my lips shut.
To be fair, Ahn Hyun was solid. Assuming nothing weird happens, he could pass the trial easily and survive in Hall Plain. Annoyingly, his starting stats were even higher than mine.
But what truly shocked me was Ahn Sol. Her stats were insane. Strength, endurance, and such were meh, but 75 in magic and 100 in luck? Completely absurd. I wracked my brain.
'Ahn Hyun I don't remember… but Ahn Sol… wait, "Sol"?'
The moment the name "Sol" came to mind, I remembered a Secret Class I saw once while picking my job: "Priest of Radiance." Supposedly the ultimate priest class. Back then, someone named Sol earned it and was later recruited by the elite Odin Clan.
Ahn Sol, and Sol. Same name. With her stats, it wasn't just possible—it was likely. Since they were siblings, I'd probably have to save both anyway. Compared to Lee Bo-rim, they were more than worthy as potential companions.
Because the first two were so impactful, I decided to go counter-clockwise. The next two were men.
On the left was an older, short guy with a decent build. Crooked nose, bumpy skin, and shifty eyes. He seemed to be trying to assess the situation.
To the right was a boy in a school uniform. Tear-shaped mole under his eye, pale skin, and a very timid vibe. He was trembling and hugging his knees. I felt a little bad for him.
'Don't remember these guys either. Let's take a look.'
< Player Status >
Name: Park Dong-gul (0 Years)
Gender: Male (39)
Height/Weight: 173.4 cm / 73.2 kg
Alignment: Devil · Chaos
[Strength 31] [Endurance 26] [Agility 39] [Stamina 29] [Magic 29] [Luck 7]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
< Player Status >
Name: Lee Shin-woo (0 Years)
Gender: Male (18)
Height/Weight: 170.7 cm / 58.4 kg
Alignment: Lawful · Good
[Strength 25] [Endurance 23] [Agility 21] [Stamina 27] [Magic 35] [Luck 57]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol were tough acts to follow, but these two weren't bad. (Not that they were great.)
Park Dong-gul's stats were enough to survive the trial, but his alignment was concerning. Devil and Chaos together? That screamed "criminal." In Hall Plain, he'd likely become a "vagrant."
On the other hand, Lee Shin-woo's stats were a bit low for survival, but his magic was decent and his luck hinted at strong potential. Lawful and Good was a rare combo—he was probably a genuinely good kid.
Right now, everyone except Park Dong-gul and me were too busy looking at themselves or comforting each other. Dong-gul's eyes, though, were gleaming with disgusting desire. His greedy gaze roamed mostly over the women. I'd seen that look a thousand times. Hell, I'd worn that look once too. I could already guess what he was thinking. Especially when he licked his lips staring at Ahn Sol—my suspicions were confirmed. Gross.
Just as I clicked my tongue and prepared to scan the last two women—
"Ah, f**k."
Park Dong-gul's harsh voice suddenly echoed through the clearing.