Former Ranker's Newbie Life-Chapter 3

“Phew.” After finishing off the third scarecrow, Do-Jin let out a deep breath and straightened up.

It felt refreshing to move his body again after such a long time even though the black, sticky liquid dripping from the scarecrows had left him covered in filth.

[Quest objective completed.]

The subtle unpleasantness, however, dissipated as a cheerful system notification rang in his ears. Do-Jin used his sleeve to wipe the liquid off his face as he started walking toward the exit. The rookies who had been watching him had already retreated and were terrified by his ruthless demeanor. Nothing stood in the way of his steady steps.

When he exited the training ground through the portal, he saw Rami holding a crystal orb, observing the interior of the training grounds. Having watched Do-Jin’s progress through the orb, her face was filled with shock.

“Miss instructor, I’ve finished,” he called.

There was no response. Do-Jin called out to her again, snapping her out of her daze.

“Ah, my apologies,” Rami said, clearing her throat and composing herself.

“That was... impressive. I never thought I’d see a trainee take down scarecrows without even using a training weapon.”

“It was nothing,” Do-Jin replied nonchalantly, though his eyes told a different story. Hurry up and hand over my quest reward. And give me the next quest already.

Under the scorching intensity of Do-Jin's gaze, Rami tucked away the crystal orb with a reluctant expression.

“I’ve confirmed you’ve completed the first training session. Now for your reward...” Rami began, but her words trailed off as something Do-Jin had said earlier resurfaced in her mind.

He did say he couldn’t wield weapons because of his religious beliefs... Hmm, so that barbaric fighting style must be his own way of upholding his convictions.

The realization made her feel ashamed for not respecting someone so committed to their beliefs. Determined to make amends, Rami decided to accommodate the unusual trainee as much as possible. If he couldn’t use a weapon anyway, it made more sense to offer him an alternative reward.

“Well, you need to decide which weapon you’d like to receive. But if that’s uncomfortable due to your beliefs, we can skip the weapon and substitute—”

Her considerate suggestion was abruptly cut off. “No need.”

“Excuse me?”

Before she could even ask what he meant, Do-Jin continued, “I thought about it while taking down the scarecrows. Whether avoiding weapons truly holds any meaning. The conclusion I reached is that it doesn’t.”

“What kind of bullshit is th—”

The sheer absurdity of it all made Rami blurt out a curse—something so out of character for her that even she was shocked. Stunned by her own lapse, she quickly clamped her mouth shut.

But Do-Jin wasted no time, seizing the moment to continue his argument—or rather, his bizarre ramblings.

“Each time I smashed a scarecrow’s head into the ground, it felt like my heart was breaking.”

Narrowing her eyes, Rami gave him a skeptical glare because it didn’t look that way. If anything, it seemed like he was enjoying himself. But breaking through Do-Jin’s shameless audacity with just that was downright impossible.

“If I had abandoned my beliefs and taken up a weapon, I believe the scarecrows could have met a much more peaceful end. They could have faced their final moments in a more complete state.”

Rami desperately wanted to deny his words. She wanted nothing more than to call him out on his ridiculous reasoning. But somehow, despite how absurd he sounded, there was just enough logic in his argument to make her hesitate.

It was complete nonsense, no doubt about it. But why did it have to sound so convincing?

“The principle of avoiding weapons is likely meant to promote peace,” Do-Jin said. “But if one finds themselves in an unavoidable conflict, wouldn’t it be better to show at least a little mercy?”

As his stream of twisted logic continued, Rami felt a headache creeping in.

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, she finally cut him off. “So, what’s your point?”

Do-Jin extended his hand toward her with unwavering confidence as his lips curled into a charming smile.

“Give me a weapon. Something heavy, like a mace.”

That was the moment Rami gave up on trying to think rationally about the man in front of her.

***

Do-Jin received the beginner’s mace and other rewards from Rami, whose expression could only be described as one of resigned enlightenment. Naturally, his experience points increased, and his level went up as well.

With a meticulously planned growth route already mapped out, Do-Jin didn’t hesitate to invest all his bonus points into stamina. Even as he did so, his feet carried him purposefully toward the next quest. Every step was calculated for maximum efficiency, wasting neither time nor movement.

“The Forest of Trials quest—” The NPC started speaking.

“Yes!” Do-Jin cut them off before they could even finish speaking, skipping their words as though he were fast-forwarding through a cutscene in an old video game.

The middle-aged instructor who had approached him stood there with his lips twitching as if he was unsure of how to respond. Then coughed to compose himself.

“Ahem, ahem. You're quite energetic, aren’t you? Fine! I’m Kruger, the instructor responsible for trainees attempting the Forest of Trials.” Crossing his thick, bulging arms, Kruger stroked his impressive mustache with a practiced air of authority. “Of course, you can’t just dive into the Forest of Trials right away. There are basics you need to know first. Since you’ve already completed the scarecrow subjugation mission, I assume your level has increased, and you must have bonus points to—”

“If you’re talking about distributing bonus points, I’ve already taken care of it,” Do-Jin interrupted smoothly. “I also checked with Instructor Rami about how each stat works.”

“What? You did what?” Kruger shouted in surprise.

Flustered, he held out his instructor’s crystal orb toward Do-Jin. The orb projected Do-Jin’s Status Window, clearly showing he had already distributed his bonus points.

Kruger’s mustache twitched in irritation. He already wasn’t fond of Do-Jin, who had cut him off from the start. And now, claiming to have studied ahead, the trainee had interrupted him again.

But what could he do? It wasn’t as if he could punish someone for being prepared.

With a voice heavy with displeasure, Kruger moved on to the next part of his explanation. “So, you’ve done your homework. Fine, I’ll let that slide. But I bet you didn’t know about the arrangement made by Bella, the first Star of Creation, especially for you Outsiders.”

Do-Jin opened his mouth to interrupt again, but the subtle movement of Kruger’s hand toward the sword at his hip made him think twice. If he kept talking, he had a strong sense that Kruger might resort to... alternative teaching methods.

“Listen carefully. In this world—no, in Lostania—you Outsiders are known as Regenians. It means ‘the reborn.’”

“Interesting.”

“You’re not surprised?”

“I’m surprised.”

An awkward silence hung in the air between them for a moment.

“Ugh, just let me finish and get out of here. You’re no fun.” Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Kruger shook his head and launched into his explanation. His tone was as flat as if he was reading from a script.

“Regenians are beings that are part living creatures, part spirits. When they die, they are resurrected, as Bella, the Star of Creation, recreates their bodies. However, the soul sustains damage during the process of death and rebirth, so they are not entirely free from the consequences of dying.”

It was the kind of standard lore meant to help players immerse themselves in their roles. When he finished his explanation, Kruger pulled out a quest-specific healing potion from his pocket and tossed it to Do-Jin.

“Here, take this. It’s your personal potion for the Forest of Trials quest. The task is simple: enter the forest and find your way to the exit. Simple doesn’t mean easy, though.” Kruger added with a sly grin, as though he was already savoring the struggles Do-Jin was about to face.

In fact, he was positively brimming with anticipation at the thought of watching this cocky Outsider get what was coming to him.

Haha, the more arrogant they are, the more they crumble in real combat. If he thinks the shock of dying gets any easier just because he can resurrect, he’s in for a rude awakening. Let’s see how much he suffers.

But Do-Jin had no interest in the fiery determination blazing in the middle-aged instructor’s eyes. His only concern was clearing the tutorial as quickly as possible and getting his rewards.

[Quest: Forest of Trials]

Grade: Tutorial

Pass through the Forest of Trials!

Objective: Safely navigate through the Forest of Trials.

Rewards: Experience points, gold, beginner’s armor set, recommendation letter.

As soon as the quest window appeared, Do-Jin didn’t spare so much as a glance at the burly, mustachioed instructor. Instead, he charged straight for the portal like a man on a mission.

“For your information,” Kruger began, trying to sound ominous, “most trainees I’ve sent into the Forest of Trials have had to retry an average of eight times. Even the fastest among them had to make three attempts. That means at the very least, you’ll experience the shock of—”

Kruger’s words trailed off as he choked on his own saliva, startled by Do-Jin’s sheer determination.

“Cough, cough!”

By the time Kruger managed to regain his composure, Do-Jin had already disappeared into the portal.

“What kind of lunatic just charges in like that?!”

Sure, resurrection was possible, but still. Even with that assurance, Kruger had never seen anyone throw themselves into the portal without a second thought. Most trainees hesitated, meticulously planned their approach, or at least tried to extract some useful information from him before stepping in.

“Is he fearless... or just out of his mind?” Muttering to himself, Kruger pulled out his crystal orb to find the answer.

***

When Do-Jin arrived at the safe zone near the entrance to the Forest of Trials, the first thing he noticed was a group of players huddled together.

“Looking for party members for the Forest of Trials quest. Prefer those with sword and shield or healing staves from the scarecrow rewards!”

“Recruiting semi-experienced Level 6 or higher players for the Forest of Trials—must have cleared it at least three times.”

“Only accepting party members determined to clear the Forest of Trials. Must have experience reaching the portal or leveled to 8 beforehand.”

They were all searching for teammates to help them navigate the forest. Nearby, a few players hovered nervously, unsure of how to approach. These were either inexperienced players hoping to piggyback on the veterans or people trying to gather information if they couldn’t join a party.

Having been through the trials before, the experienced players were cautious because they knew exactly how brutal the challenge could be. Meanwhile, the entirely clueless first-timers were equally wary out of sheer uncertainty.

Ignoring the chatter around him, Do-Jin turned his gaze to the dense forest ahead. At the edge of the safe zone, just outside its boundary, he spotted a cluster of slimes wandering near the entrance.

They were prowling, waiting for anyone to step out of the safe zone and into the forest. For now, they were calm, as no one had left the safe zone yet. But the moment someone set foot into the Forest of Trials, the slimes would swarm.

Fifteen slimes just at the entrance... Yeah, this place definitely lives up to its name, Do-Jin thought.

The Forest of Trials was notoriously nicknamed the “Newbie Blender,” thanks to the sheer number of rookies who met their end there. The scarecrow quest was proof enough that even the beginner monsters in LOST weren’t pushovers.

In the Forest of Trials, however, monsters were densely packed. For most players who barely reached Level 3 after completing the scarecrow quest, the relentless battles led to exhaustion and inevitable death.

That being said, there was an easier strategy to clear the quest. Players could hunt until their quest potions ran out, then return to the starting point, abandon the quest, and re-enter—referred to as the “reset run.” This made it possible to clear the Forest of Trials without much difficulty.

But Do-Jin had no intention of using such methods.

I’ll clear it in one go, he resolved.

Every player was given only one opportunity to officially challenge the Forest of Trials. Do-Jin wasn’t about to waste his single chance on a dull, repetitive strategy. There was a unique thrill in tackling a highly difficult challenge head-on and emerging victorious, and he wasn’t about to throw away that opportunity.

Most importantly, he thought, Technically, this is my second try... But if I fail to clear it in one go, it’ll look like I suck at this game.

The idea of being labeled as a bad gamer, even by himself, was unbearable. That was the heart and soul of a true gamer’s mindset.

With a determination no one would ever acknowledge, Do-Jin slung his mace over his shoulder and charged toward the Forest of Trials.

Well, “toward the forest” might have been how he saw it, but to anyone watching, it looked like he was throwing himself headfirst at the monsters loitering near the entrance.

In simpler terms, he looked like a complete lunatic.