Chapter 8 - The Game Is Too Easy (1)
Chapter 8 The Game Is Too Easy (1)
My body felt light.
Comparing it to the time when I played
The high synchronization rate.
It’s a rather ambiguous term, but if you experience it firsthand, you can clearly feel the difference.
When playing virtual reality games, the character moved much more smoothly.
Moreover, it drastically reduced the subtle latency differences, allowing me to easily implement exactly what I wanted.
In simple terms, the higher the synchronization rate, the better.
Since it was my first time experiencing a 93% synchronization rate, I felt I would have to properly play the game to fully appreciate it.
[Welcome to
[Player nickname ‘Sha’. New user registration is complete.]
[Entering the tutorial immediately.]
Along with the guidance message, my body was soon transported to the area where the game took place.
After my vision was completely filled with light, a new landscape greeted me.
A city surrounded by high walls.
At various points on the wall, soldiers with red crosses on their clothing were standing guard meticulously.
I already knew what this city was.
Jerusalem during the Crusades.
It was the place where AOA’s story, loved since the PC game days, first began.
“It’s my first time on Nightmare difficulty… Ah, it seems I can’t give you any hints.”
Dong-su, who was faintly floating in the air, frowned as he spoke.
‘BoundaryMissionMan’ sponsored 1,000 won!
[Clear the tutorial with no deaths for 100,000 won. Up to 3 attempts.]
On the right side of my view was a dashboard shared by Dong-su, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a mission appear.
Clearing with no deaths.
According to my prior research, AOA’s tutorial was quite difficult.
Even at the lowest difficulty,
AOA’s difficulty levels are divided into
Even the so-called skilled streamers had not yet conquered the
But because of the synchronization rate, I was forced to play on
The 100,000 won mission wasn’t just for show.
Even the tutorial on
In fact, failing the mission didn’t pose any risk to me.
There was no reason to refuse the mission when it was offered.
“This will be easy. I’ll start right away.”
Of course, I had to maintain my character’s concept.
My calm response made the chat window momentarily noisy.
-He’s gonna fail miserably soon, lol.
-It feels different from Excalibur already.
-This game was made for players to die in the tutorial.
-He hasn’t tried it, that’s why.
-On Nightmare difficulty, even a scratch from an arrow will nearly kill you.
-Leave him alone, lol. Everything seems easy when you’re discharged from the military. He’ll know once he experiences it.
Hmm, it seemed everyone thought I was going to fail.
Indeed, most of the videos I had previewed showed streamers suffering.
I briefly glanced at the chat window and smirked. Then I moved straight into the tutorial.
“If you have any questions, ask them right away, okay?”
“I’ve already previewed the tutorial, so I’ll try it alone.”
At my words, Dong-su tilted his head and nodded.
-Translation) He means shut up, you obsolete backseat gamer.
-Hey! Hey, didn’t you die 34 times even on the Serenity difficulty tutorial?
-Stay out of this, man!
-Hey! Stop trying to show off.
Ah, once a top player on the server, how did Dong-su come to receive such evaluations?
Dong-su gritted his teeth as he watched the viewers attacking him.
But soon, Dong-su stepped back, and AOA’s tutorial stage began.
Han Dong-su had a plan.
The reason AOA’s tutorial stage was notoriously difficult was simple. From the beginning, it was filled with terrible traps and enemies waiting.
Even gamers famous for their physical skills were left speechless by its difficulty.
No matter how impressive Chan-sik’s performance was in
So he planned to enhance the broadcast’s entertainment by giving hints to Chan-sik struggling with the traps.
It was a well-proven content strategy to irritate the guest with backseat gaming.
However, the situation did not flow as Han Dong-su had expected.
-He’s dodging that like that?
-What?
-Oh… shit.
-lolololol didn’t Kan die 9 times just in that spot?
Chan-sik, who had entered the tutorial with great momentum, was clearing the stages rapidly while showcasing remarkable scenes.
The AOA tutorial stage had a total of five phases.
Phases 1 to 3 consisted of various traps that one would easily encounter in the game later, while in phases 4 and 5, one had to kill enemies using weapons.
The main reason AOA’s tutorial was deemed extremely difficult was because of the traps installed in phases 1 to 3.
Arrows flew in from unpredictable angles, and spears shot up from the ground without warning.
There were countless traps that one could fall for even if they knew about them.
Even at the lowest difficulty level,
Moreover, the current difficulty was
It was an extreme difficulty level that no one had dared to challenge easily.
But now, the buzz cut in front of my eyes was shattering all preconceptions.
– Passed phase 1.
– Phase 1 cleared in 2 minutes.
– Is he even human?
– Is it because of the synchronization rate? Why does his movement look so smooth?
– How is he strolling through the traps like it’s a walk in the park?
As time passed, the reactions from the viewers grew hotter and hotter.
The viewers who initially ignored Chan-sik had disappeared.
The chat window was filled with rough curses, reflecting how shocking Chan-sik’s performance was.
Han Dong-su watched Chan-sik’s play in silence.
The audio might be empty, but it didn’t matter.
In this state, speaking up would only earn him curses from the viewers.
‘Wasn’t the record for the fastest AOA tutorial time attack 29 minutes?’
Perhaps they would gain significant traction from this broadcast.
Han Dong-su decided to quietly watch Chan-sik’s play.
And at that moment, Chan-sik had just entered phase 2 of the tutorial.
“This is fun.”
I lightly jumped, stepping on a small protruding stone on the wall.
Thud!
The floor I had just been standing on disappeared without a trace.
Whoosh!
“Oh.”
As soon as I floated in the air, multiple arrows flew swiftly from a distance.
I had no choice but to kick the wall, spin my body, and dodge the arrows.
While doing so, I stepped on the wall a few times and safely landed on the green disc.
A message window popped up in front of me.
[You have passed phase 3 of the tutorial.]
Thanks to the high synchronization rate capsule, the character moved exactly as I wanted.
There was no subtle sense of disconnection unique to virtual reality games, and I even felt stronger than in real life.
The old capsule I used when playing
Compared to that, the sensations now felt almost like reality.
It was exhilarating just to move my body.
I was worried because of the difficulty level, but it seemed the tutorial had some difficulty adjustments.
– My score is…
– So that’s how you dodge…
– Seriously, what does this guy do? Is he a rookie pro gamer?
– Seems about right
– Isn’t Kan just an average joe?
– He may not be a rookie pro gamer, but he’s definitely a ‘god’.
– Hahaha
– This guy is crazy hahaha
When I checked the chat window briefly, the viewers were going wild.
I casually checked the chat and threw in a comment.
“It’s easier than I thought.”
– ?
– ??
– ???
– No words needed.
– This guy’s concept is seriously annoying haha, he’s so obnoxious, I’m not watching anymore, bye.
Ah, why did it feel so good to be cursed at?
“…Chan-sik, can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, hyung.”
Dong-su, who had been silent, asked me a question.
“Weren’t the traps difficult earlier?”
“I glanced at a guide. It was really easy when I followed the guide. It was actually fun.”
The guide had explained the traps very well.
Thanks to that, it was easy to react and clear them smoothly.
But Dong-su didn’t seem satisfied with my answer.
He mumbled and then sighed deeply before stepping back again.
What was he dissatisfied about?
Anyway, I continued with the tutorial.
According to my prior research, a white wolf appears in stage 4.
After killing the wolf and taking the necklace hanging around its neck, I would exit the cave for a clean clear.
As I passed the green disc and arrived in front of a small door, an additional message appeared.
[Entering stage 4.]
[Objective: Acquire the Covenant Necklace.]
True to AOA’s unfriendly nature, it didn’t properly explain how to obtain the necklace. If I hadn’t done my homework beforehand, I might have struggled quite a bit.
Soon, a white wolf with gleaming red eyes appeared in front of me.
-“Cursed dog” ON
-Dodging traps was impressive, but the cursed dog might be tough.
-The cursed dog is tricky even if you know how to defeat it.
-You can easily exceed 30 tries even if you know its weak points.
-I personally had 41 tries with the cursed dog.
-Oh, you beat it in 41 tries?
-I deleted the game after 41 tries, lol. That dog was too scary.
The nickname for this white wolf is ‘Cursed Dog.’
They say it got its name because it kills players in such a cursed way.
Moreover, it won’t die unless you stab a dagger into its weak spot.
In the end, it viciously grabs the player by the neck and shakes them mercilessly, a very arrogant wolf.
It’s also the tutorial monster that new players fear the most.
Who would find the experience of a wolf shaking you by the neck pleasant?
The only weak spot of the cursed dog is its belly button, revealed during a jump attack.
The guide videos explained that this was quite difficult.
They said the only chance was to expose the nape intentionally and strike when the cursed dog leaps high…
Well, I’ll know once I try it.
I gripped the dagger given in the inventory and stared at the ‘Cursed Dog.’
And 30 seconds later.
“What the heck, that was super easy.”
-Poor dog. Sorry about your belly ㅠㅠㅠ
-Doggieㅠㅠㅠ
-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Did you really have to kill it that way?
-Cursed dog, noㅠㅠㅠㅠ
‘National Dog Lovers Association’ sponsored 1,000 won!
[The cursed dog will remember your misdeeds.]
Remember? Remember what?
It’s just a piece of digital junk.
I shrugged as I pulled the dagger precisely stuck in the cursed dog’s belly button.
Ah, but seriously, isn’t this game too easy?