⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[You have defeated the Trial Chamber Boss Monster!] [Achievement reward: 500 System Points awarded.] [You have cleared the Trial Chamber! Transferring to Cradle Waiting Room.]
The moment the boss monster's massive body slumped to the floor, system messages flashed before Do-yoon's eyes, and his body was transported to a vast wooden room.
It was less a room and more like an auditorium—a space large enough to hold hundreds of people.
Do-yoon tugged at the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. It seemed it wasn't time to open yet.
'Still, nothing beats a real sword.'
Do-yoon flexed the hand that had gripped the longsword, savoring the lingering sensation.
Even back on Earth, he hadn't forgotten the feel from his past life and had taken up kendo as a hobby. But nothing compared to this sensation after twenty-five years.
The sharp blade slicing through flesh. The cold weight of steel. The resistance of air yielding to the sword path.
Only now did it truly feel like he had returned home.
'Let's see...'
He looked around.
The system had called this the waiting room of the Cradle.
Do-yoon was the first to clear the tutorial and arrive here ahead of everyone else.
'About three hours left until the Trial Chamber ends.'
Sitting on a wooden chair, he organized his thoughts while waiting for the others to arrive.
'Unlike my past regressions where my mana capacity persisted, this is different. My body now is not Enoch Războinic's—it's the Earthling Han Do-yoon's physique.'
In the process of crossing dimensions after being defeated by that Demon King bitch, his past life's body had been torn to shreds. Only his soul survived, transferring to Earth and reborn as a one-year-old infant.
'No accumulated mana, and my physical abilities are pathetic compared to my past life. Even the regression blessing from the god is gone. I'm weak right now.'
Fortunately, this newly born body on Earth had extraordinary talent. But for now, it was still unremarkable.
To defeat the Demon King, he needed to grow this body. Build strength and stamina, accumulate mana. He had to get stronger.
Do-yoon's thoughts turned to his comrades from his past life. Their help would make growth efficient, but...
'It's been a hundred years, and now a new Demon King has plunged the world into war. Who knows how many guild members are even alive.'
Perhaps all but the elves had perished.
"..."
A heavy chain tightened around his heart. A sense of loss.
'...Get it together.'
What carried over through seventeen regressions wasn't just memories and mana.
Stress.
In his 12th and 13th cycles, Do-yoon's cause of death had been stress-induced heart failure.
Enoch, one of the top three powerhouses in the alliance that no one could touch, had fallen to stress. After that, Do-yoon had learned survival techniques against it.
The most important rule: Don't cling too much to past life's bonds.
But it wasn't easy. When he regressed with his memories intact, his comrades forgot him. Their reactions pained him.
Yet back then, he could meet them again and rebuild bonds.
But now, he might never see them again.
Returning home made that difference hit hard.
'...'
Do-yoon shook his head vigorously.
'Must be the excitement of coming home after so long.'
He mocked himself bitterly for his pathetic state and refocused on planning.
'If any comrades are alive, getting their help is ideal. But I can't reveal my identity to them—or anyone around—in the process.'
If word spread that the Hero had returned and reached the Demon King's ears, survival would be tough.
One of the Demon King's top forces in his 14th cycle, the assassin 'Death God,' had killed him. Even revived, he couldn't escape that guy's clutches in his current state.
'A long-lived dark elf, and aside from me, no one could stop him. He's probably still alive.'
Let's summarize.
'I need to get stronger. Ideally, with help from past-life comrades in the process.'
'But I can't reveal I'm the Hero. Not until I'm strong enough.'
Finishing his thoughts left him feeling a bit daunted.
It had taken over a hundred years—maybe two hundred—of deaths and regressions to defeat the Demon King.
But this time, no regression blessing. If he could contact the god, maybe, but it still felt hopeless.
'...I have to do it anyway.'
The one unwavering conviction through countless pains and deaths.
Save this world.
With that sole determination, he had walked the darkest, hardest path. This time would be no different.
To save the world he lived in, he would keep moving forward. That was all there was to it for Do-yoon.
"..."
About three hours later, a flash of light brought many people transferring in. Participants from the tutorial.
'Around 300, huh?'
Faces he'd seen in the tutorial, faces he'd never seen, and of course, many faces he'd seen but weren't here now.
He'd noticed it during the tutorial, but it wasn't just humans—there were incredibly diverse races mixed in. Some weren't even from Earth or this dimension. It seemed they pulled from more than just Earth.
"D-Do-yoon!"
His teammates rushed over in a group, their eyes filled with shock and awe.
An all-too-familiar look to the Hero Do-yoon. The gaze of those eyeing opportunities.
"H-How did you do it? Y-You swung that sword so fast it was a blur... H-How could a human take down that monstrous thing...!"
"Move aside! Do-yoon, you okay? No injuries? D-Do you remember? I turned back at the end to worry about you..."
"Do-yoon hyung! Our team continues after the Trial Chamber, right? Please! I'll do my absolute best!"
They surrounded him, making such a fuss his head throbbed. His organized thoughts scattered again.
Gazes from around turned toward Do-yoon. Not a good sign—he was about to stop them when...
Screeech—
"What's with all the commotion?"
Someone opened the door and entered the auditorium.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hah... hah... hah... hah..."
"Huff...! Huff...!"
Sticky breaths echoed relentlessly from all directions.
Morning jog for stamina training. Cradle's Apostles—all of them, without exception—had to run ten laps around the field before breakfast.
"Faster! Faster! Faster! Even faster!"
Annoyingly, the instructor trailing behind urged them on in rhythm.
If any Cadet fell short of ten laps and dropped out, they had to complete the rest under the instructor's lead.
Apostles—those empowered by the system, aiming to become Heroes—called from other dimensions started as Cadets in the Cradle, undergoing eight weeks of training until they could pull their weight.
The Cradle: a place of learning for new Apostles' adaptation and growth.
These Apostles had been living well in their worlds before suddenly drafted here. Naturally, there was massive chaos at first.
Instructors cracked down hard with discipline, using violence when needed.
The first week of Cradle focused on quelling that chaos and instilling purpose in the Cadets.
And today, week two began.
"Hahk! Hahk! Hahk! Heuk...!"
"Ugh, uuek...!"
The morning jog ended. Everyone heaved like they were about to collapse, and weaker races immediately vomited.
It might seem like overtraining the rookies, but the system prevented aftereffects. Healers were on standby anyway.
"Fuck... I wanna go home..."
Someone muttered in a tearful voice.
There was reason for grinding the Cadets like this in Cradle.
"M-My stamina went up! Finally!"
"Escaped that dogshit Agility level 0!"
They had to push their bodies like this for even meager stat gains.
About 300 ran the field, but only two let out ecstatic sighs. The rest just eyed them enviously.
The blessing 'System' for rapid Apostle growth.
This interface quantified strength via stats—a brutally difficult metric to raise.
These beginners could still train theirs up, but later? Forget it.
Once potential limits hit, special mechanics were needed—rare opportunities for only a few Apostles.
The Lion King, highest mana among current Apostles, was only level 9. That said it all.
'...I'm a bit different, though.'
Do-yoon quietly checked his system alert without drawing attention.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Stat 'Agility' has increased by 1 level.] [Stat 'Stamina' has increased by 1 level.]
His body felt lighter, the fatigue in his leg muscles evaporating.
His heartbeat slowed and grew heavier. Each pump sent more blood surging through his body than before. Vitality coursed through him.
⚔ STATUS ⚔⚡ Strength: Lv. 5💨 Agility: Lv. 2✨ Mana: Lv. 0💪 Stamina: Lv. 7🍀 Luck: -🛡️ Toughness: Lv. 4Name: Han Do-yoon Race: Human / Divine Beast Affiliation: - Talent: GeniusInnate Traits: [Trauma (Satiety Obsession)] [Divine Beast] [First Războinic] [First Guild Master] [Acquired Genius] Acquired Traits: [Mana Handicap] Skills: -
His stats rose a total of 2 levels at once.
Of course, it wasn't like this every day for Do-yoon either. Excluding the second day when Stamina rose once, this was his first level-up.
Still, compared to other Apostles, it was absurd growth. After week one, only about a third of Cradle Cadets had experienced any stat level-ups.
'This body. Its talent is ridiculously high.'
According to instructors, average newbie stats were level 1. 2-3 in one or two stats marked excellent talent.
A Cadet starting with one stat at level 4? Top of their class, guilds drooling to recruit the genius.
Yet Do-yoon's average was a whopping 3.6. Even with [Mana Handicap] locking Mana at 0, dragging the average down.
'Considering this is an Earthling body, an impossible figure.'
He'd wondered if his soul being Enoch's meant birth in this world's body. But no—Korean features proved it Earthling.
And here, among multi-dimensional Apostles, Earthlings rated poorly. Barely above this world's goblins.
Not coincidence. Some profound reason gave him this outstanding body.
'Probably... Divine Beast. Something like that.'
Do-yoon rechecked his status.
Race: Human / Divine Beast
Innate Trait: [Divine Beast]
"Countless races cycle through life and death in this world. Base creatures like goblins. Intelligent beings like humans. Spiritual kinds like unicorns. Divine Beasts like dragons. And gods." "Differences in rank exist between them. An entity's rank is determined by the karma expended at birth." "Yours is noble—no, divine. Immense karma was poured into your physical makeup. Your potential diverges from the lowly, and all nature will resonate with your spirit energy." "This is no mere luck, but the fruition of karma piled on your soul across eons of reincarnation. You are a sublime soul worthy of worship by all creation."
He wasn't sure exactly what karma meant. But he could infer the gist.
'Did defeating the Demon King in my past life influence this new body's makeup?'
Probably. He'd ask the god later for details.
'But...'
Innate Traits:
[Trauma (Satiety Obsession)]
[Divine Beast]
[First Războinic]
[First Guild Master]
[Acquired Genius]
Acquired Traits:
[Mana Handicap]
'What's the line between innate and acquired?'
The others he could stretch, but [Acquired Genius] as innate made no sense.
Not a big deal, though. He'd figure it out later when he had time.
"That's enough rest! Move to the cafeteria! Eat well to raise stats well!"
"Those who overdid it on the jog, go to Instructor Laina for heals. Only if you're really suffocating! Abuse heals and stats won't rise."
Do-yoon dismissed his status and headed to the cafeteria at the instructors' shouts.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In one corner of the cafeteria, two instructors and four Cadets were chatting amiably over meals.
"No way! What kind of tutorial throws in such savage monsters!"
"We really almost died, you know?"
"Heh heh. You brats whining already? Monsters scarier than instructors?"
"N-No, not that, but..."
"Monsters are scary! And instructors are terrifying!"
"Hahaha! Listen to this guy!"
The Titan Cadet shook his 2.5-meter frame, responding affably.
Cradle forbade instructors from guild affiliation—nominally. In reality, all received guild backing.
Cradle: prime spot for guilds to scout top talent. Instructors held overwhelming advantage.
They acted as scouts for their sponsoring guilds, steering prospects their way.
This scene was part of that.
Build rapport with prospects, arrange guild contracts under "helping them." Perfect for anxious newbies in a strange world.
'One vampire, one Titan. Jackpot from the start!'
Vampires and Titans: renowned tanker races.
With racial traits, minimal training made them combat-ready. Always in demand by mid-to-small guilds.
The two scrubs beside weren't bad either. Good rep eased scouting others.
One snag: target vampire Debussy just silently ate.
'Vampire brats... Snobby as their price tag.'
Of course, they hid such thoughts.
They'd handled vampires before. Just racial temperament—he'd open up to seasoned pros like them. So the instructors thought.
The archery and ranger instructors deftly bonded with the four rookies.
"When you hit the real world, brats! You'll face way worse endlessly—whine now and how'll you survive? Hmph!"
The archery instructor boomed in exaggerated old-man scold, making the Cadets (minus vampire) burst laughing.
"But okay, others aside—that over-7-meter mantis monster? That's just wrong, right?"
"Yeah! Legs gave out the second I saw it!"
"Three times our size...!"
At the Cadets' words, the instructors' eyes widened.
"Huh? You met the boss monster?"
"Oh, that was the boss? Explained why it was so brutal."
The two instructors exchanged glances, then greedy looks.
Survived a boss encounter without casualties?
'Jackpot!'
'These are real gems!'
They swallowed hard, leaning forward, forgetting their food to grill them.
"How'd you escape? That thing's mobility is insane—no retreat without fighting. You really fought the boss?"
"Tanker setup? Main tank Gorgon obviously, Debussy you sub-tank? Or DPS? Huh?"
Their aggressive vibe made Titan Gorgon and vampire Debussy flinch back instinctively.
While Debussy frowned silently, the other three chimed in for him.
"N-No way we'd fight that!"
"M-Me too... Couldn't tank that huge scythe...!"
The two trembled pathetically.
Quietly watching Debussy finally spoke.
"...When we saw that monster, it was already a corpse."
"...What?"
Laughter vanished from the instructors' faces.
"A c-corpse?"
"W-What do you mean? Explain in detail! Now!"
The ranger instructor bellowed, startling the four Cadets.
Forgetting smooth relations, they interrogated like cops.
After hearing enough, they exchanged shocked, thrilled glances.
Seventy years since the System and Cradle began.
'In this Cradle right now...!'
Only two ever produced: talents rivaling the Great Hero generation.
'A Boss Monster Killer!'
Exists in this class.