“Ugh... Where is this?”

“Uuugh...”

After a sudden flash of light, it seemed that everyone had briefly lost consciousness.

Upon regaining awareness, the first thing in sight was two men looking startled, as if surprised by our sudden appearance from behind them.

The two men wore dumbfounded expressions for a moment before one of them spoke up.

“W-What?! It hasn't even been a month yet?!”

“H-Holy shit! Hey, go inform the others right now, this is major news!”

One of them immediately took off running somewhere. The other approached us cautiously and spoke.

“H-Have you just cleared the tutorial?”

Seo Yu-ju answered the man's question.

“Yes, that’s correct...”

“How... How is that possible? It hasn’t even been a month yet...”

'...Did we clear it too quickly?'

Judging by his reaction, it seemed that our completion time for the tutorial was not the average.

'But more importantly... who exactly is this guy?'

I opened the man's status window.

[ Name: Park Hyun-wook ]

[ Age: 34 ]

[ Class: Advanced Swordsman (Heroic Rank) ]

[ Titles: Training Facility Guard, Maters Canyon War Participant ]

[ Unique Trait ]

Bond of the Group (Heroic Rank) – For every ally within a 20-meter radius, all stats increase by 1. Maximum increase: 5.

[ Traits ]

Master of Swordsmanship (Heroic Rank) – Greatly enhances understanding of swordsmanship.

Intermediate Combat Proficiency (Rare Rank) – Moderately enhances understanding of hand-to-hand combat.

Magic Sword Reinforcement (Heroic Rank) – Temporarily imbues the sword with mana for use.

[ Stats ]

Strength - 72 Agility - 68

Endurance - 74 Luck - 41

Mana - 42 Resistance - 70

'Insane... those stats...'

The man appeared to be Korean. His name suggested as much, and though he was wearing armor, he wasn’t wearing a helmet, making his face visible.

The man continued speaking.

“I imagine you all must be quite confused, but if you wait a little longer, someone will arrive to guide you, please be patient.”

I cautiously addressed him.

“May I ask a few questions while we wait?”

“Sure, I’ll answer within the limits of what I can disclose.”

“Where exactly are we?”

“Haha... This is the Neutral Nation of Baronia. More specifically, you are at a training facility within Baronia.”

“When you say 'training facility'?”

“It is an institution that educates people like you who have just cleared the tutorial and arrived in Eras.”

This place was where we would receive fundamental training to survive in this world.

“Hmm... The higher-ups will explain things in more detail later, but you will undergo training here for three months. Those with talent will receive offers from various clans.”

“...Clans? And what do you mean by offers?”

“On this continent, people like you and me who came from Earth are referred to as Outlanders. The native inhabitants of this continent call us that. Clans are groups formed by people like us. While there are laws in this world, power ultimately dictates authority. Clans operate as armed groups within this system.”

“.......”

“Talented newcomers often receive offers from clans. Given how quickly you cleared the tutorial, at the very least, mid-tier clans will be interested in you.”

In essence, these clans function like guilds or clans in games. The only difference was that this was real life, where people risked their lives.

There were many different clans, and they all needed new recruits.

'It’s obvious they won’t want just anyone, only the best.'

“Are we required to join a clan?”

“No, joining a clan is not mandatory, you can operate as an individual. However... to be frank, those who do not receive offers or prefer solo or party-based activities typically remain independent. But over 99 percent of those who receive offers from good clans end up joining.”

“.......”

“Just my personal advice, but if you receive an offer from a good clan, I highly recommend joining. Clans benefit from recruiting talented newcomers to strengthen their force, while clan members benefit from protection and stable growth support.”

If what he said was true, then joining a clan was undoubtedly beneficial. In fact, most people would likely want to join but might not qualify.

Joining a clan would provide backing and ensure growth support.

Larger clans probably had well-developed training methods and strategies.

The difference between learning from experienced individuals and self-teaching was massive. This alone made joining a clan the better option.

While speaking with the man, around ten more people arrived, following the one who had left earlier. As soon as they saw us, murmurs broke out.

“...Is it true, they already finished the tutorial?”

“Shit, I told you! It’s real!”

“...This cohort is insane. The higher-ups must be in an uproar...”

Soon, another man arrived, and the others quickly made way for him. He widened his eyes upon seeing us, then quickly composed himself and spoke.

“Welcome, everyone. I am Kang Seong-jun, the Chief Instructor of this facility.”

From his very appearance, he did not seem like an ordinary person. His attire was distinct from the man I had spoken with earlier.

I immediately opened his status window.

[ Name: Kang Seong-jun ]

[ Age: 39 ]

[ Class: Warlord (Legendary Rank) ]

[ Titles: Troll Slayer, Fury of the Volcano, Legend of Iterinte ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Warlord's Roar (Legendary Rank) – The warlord's shout demoralizes enemies and boosts ally morale. Increases Strength, Agility, and Endurance of himself and allies by 3.

Unyielding Will (Legendary Rank) – As battles continue, determination never falters. Permanently increases Endurance by 10.

Rend Asunder (Heroic Rank) – Your body possesses the power to tear through anything. Permanently increases Strength by 8.

[ Traits ]

Perfect Martial Mastery (Legendary Rank) – Massively enhances understanding of martial arts.

Mana Armor (Heroic Rank) – Temporarily imbues the body with mana for defensive use.

[ Stats ]

Strength - 97 Agility - 85

Endurance - 89 Luck - 65

Mana - 80 Resistance - 91

‘... Is this even the same species?’

Even if our entire group attacked that man together, we would all be dead within ten seconds. His stats were so beyond comprehension that I couldn’t even begin to fathom them.

The man continued speaking.

“To think you cleared the tutorial this quickly... Truly impressive. Guards?”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

At Kang Seong-jun’s call, the others responded with tense expressions.

“I will personally escort these individuals, that should be acceptable, yes?”

“O-Of course!”

As the others answered Kang Seong-jun, a bright light flashed behind us, and more people started to appear. Judging by their appearance, they were the ones who had gone through the tutorial alongside us.

“Huh? Huh?!”

“W-Where is this? Were we transported?”

“Hic... I’m alive! I’m really alive! Hic... Huaaah!”

Excluding Kang Seong-jun, the others immediately moved to control the newly arrived individuals. However, as the freshly transported people saw the armed figures approaching them, they began screaming.

“W-Who are you?! Stay back!”

“Please remain calm and follow instructions. You have successfully cleared the tutorial. We are here to guide you to the training facility. Please cooperate.”

“S-Screw off! Don’t touch me!”

Smack!

“Guide us? Send us home! What is this training facility nonsense?! Stop messing around!”

“You little...”

Thud!

“Urgh!”

Unlike how they treated us, they showed no kindness to the others. They used violence to subdue those who resisted, ensuring control through brute force.

“Follow orders, this is not a request.”

As a few were made examples of, the rest quickly fell in line, realizing they had no chance against those with far superior combat ability.

Kang Seong-jun maintained a gentle smile as he spoke to us.

“Haha... I apologize for the unsightly display. Sometimes, when fresh recruits arrive, situations like these arise.”

Seo Yu-ju responded to his words.

“Pardon me, but may I ask where we are being taken?”

“Feel free to ask anything. Since you have just cleared a dungeon, we are taking you to your lodging. Please rest there for now, a guide will arrive later to brief you.”

Hearing his explanation, I decided to ask something that had been on my mind.

“Sir, are you also affiliated with a clan?”

The man seemed momentarily surprised by my question, but his expression soon shifted to one of approval, as if he welcomed such curiosity.

“I am the clan leader of the Fire God Clan. It seems you have already been informed about clans?”

“After arriving here, I spoke with someone who explained a few things.”

Judging from his thoughts, it seemed our group’s evaluation had just risen another level. He appeared to think we were adapting at an exceptional speed.

“Hmm... I hesitate to praise my own accomplishments, but the Fire God Clan is one of the three representative clans of Baronia. We are always on the lookout for quick-learning and talented individuals to invest in.”

‘...So he wants to recruit us.’

Well, considering the reactions from everyone we’d met so far, it wasn’t surprising that he wanted to recruit us. From their discussions about “one month” and so on, it was clear that our group’s clear time was absurdly fast.

Of course, there was only one reason we had been able to clear the tutorial this quickly.

‘Seo Yu-ju.’

However, since Kang Seong-jun had yet to witness her true abilities, he likely didn’t understand her full worth.

But once they started training us, he would realize her value whether he wanted to or not.

‘...Though I’m not sure if Seo Yu-ju will reveal her true strength.’

If she displayed even half of her capabilities, everyone would be scrambling to recruit her.

‘I need to find a way to latch on before they realize I’m worthless.’

The tutorial was just that—a tutorial. It had likely been more about determination than raw stats. But whether that would remain true here was questionable.

My stats were objectively the lowest, no one knew better than me how talentless I truly was.

Over the next three months of training, would the instructors fail to notice that I had no real potential?

The worst-case scenario was that Seo Yu-ju and the others received offers while I was left with nothing.

“For now, please rest here. When your guide arrives, follow their instructions.”