I felt as light as a feather.
Comparing it to the days when I played Gaia Online seemed absurd, and even comparing it to when I played Excalibur at home didn’t make sense due to the high level of immersion.
High synchronization rate.
Though it was a term with a somewhat ambiguous definition, I could definitely tell the difference once I experienced it firsthand.
When playing a VR game, it meant that the character moved much smoother.
Moreover, it significantly reduced the subtle difference in latency, granting me the power to actualize easily whatever I wished.
Simply put, the higher the number, the better it was.
A 93% synchronization rate was something I had never experienced before, so I figured I would only truly understand it by playing the game properly.
[Welcome to Age of Assassination.]
[Player nickname “Sha.” New user registration is complete.]
[Proceeding directly to the tutorial.]
Along with the guide messages, my body was soon transported to the area where the game was set.
After my vision was completely engulfed in light, a new landscape greeted me.
A city surrounded by high walls.
On various parts of the wall, soldiers with red crosses on their clothes stood vigilantly on guard.
I already knew what place this was.
Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades.
This was the first setting for the story of AOA, a game loved since the PC gaming era.
“This is my first time trying the nightmare difficulty… Ah, I guess I can’t give any advice.”
Dongsu-hyung, floating as a faint figure in the air, frowned as he spoke.
[“MissionMan” donated 1,000 won!]
[Tutorial No Die-Clear: 100,000 won. Maximum 3 tries.]
On the right side of my field of view was a dashboard shared by Dongsu-hyung, and a mission had pleasantly popped up.
A no-die clear, huh.
According to the research I had done in advance, the tutorial of AOA was known to be quite difficult.
Even at the lowest difficulty, <Calm>, most players would express difficulty, right?
The difficulty levels in AOA are divided into three: <Calm>, <Storm>, and <Nightmare>.
Even streamers who claimed to be good at games had yet to conquer the <Nightmare> difficulty.
But the synchronization rate forced me to play at the <Nightmare> difficulty.
They didn’t call it a 100,000 won mission for nothing.
If clearing a tutorial on <Calm> difficulty was hard enough to die trying, what about <Nightmare>?
Honestly, there wasn’t any risk for me even if I failed the mission.
There was no reason to refuse since the mission was offered.
“It looks easy. I’ll start right away.”
Of course, I had to maintain my character’s concept.
My calm response made the chat momentarily noisy.
– The SolidRock probably going to shit bricks ㅋㅋ
– This feels totally different from Excalibur.
– The tutorial seems designed to kill players on purpose.
– You wouldn’t know since you haven’t tried.
– Just a scratch from an arrow in nightmare difficulty would mean instant death, right?
– Let him beㅋㅋ It always looks easy when you come back from the military. You have to experience it to know.
Hmm, it seemed everyone thought I will fail.
Indeed, most of the videos I had previewed mostly showed streamers suffering.
I briefly checked the chat, chuckled, and immediately moved on to the tutorial.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask, okay?”
“I’ve already studied the tutorial, so I’ll try it on my own.”
Dongsu-hyung tilted his head at my words and then nodded.
– Translation: It means the washed-up advice bug should shut up.
– Hyung! You honestly died 34 times even in the calm tutorial, didn’t you?
– Hyung, just stay out of it!
– Hyung! Stop trying to act big.
Ah, when did someone who once reached second place on the server receive such criticism?
Dongsu-hyung grimaced as he looked at the viewers attacking him.
But soon, Dongsu-hyung stepped back slightly, and the tutorial stage of AOA began.
***
Han Dongsu had a plan.
The reason why the tutorial stage of AOA was notoriously difficult was simple: it was full of terrible traps and enemies right from the start.
Even gamers known for their physical prowess were left in awe of its difficulty.
He thought even Chansik, who had shown impressive skills in Excalibur, would struggle.
So, with an aim to add entertainment to the stream, he was going to give advice to Chansik as he struggled with the traps.
Provoking a guest’s temper with advice had always been a successful content strategy.
However, things did not go as Han Dongsu had hoped.
– He dodges it like that?
– What?
– Oh… shit.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Didn’t Khan die there 9 times?
Chansik, who entered the tutorial with great momentum, was displaying astonishing scenes and rapidly clearing the tutorial stages.
There was a total of five stages in AOA’s tutorial.
Stages 1 to 3 consisted of various traps that players could easily encounter in later parts of the game, while Stages 4 and 5 required killing enemies using weapons.
The main reason AOA’s tutorial was deemed extremely difficult was due to the traps set up from Stages 1 to 3.
Arrows flew from unexpected angles, and spears shot up from the ground without warning.
There were countless traps that were unavoidable even when you knew them beforehand.
Even the lowest difficulty, <Calm>, was hard enough that a no die-clear was not easy.
Moreover, the current difficulty was <Nightmare>.
A brutally difficult level that no one had easily dared to challenge yet.
But now, the buzz-cut in front of Han Dongsu was shattering all stereotypes.
– Stage 1 cleared.
– 2 minutes to pass Stage 1.
– It makes you wonder if that guy is even human.
– Is it because of the synchronization rate? Why does SolidRock’s movement look so smooth?
– He’s passing through traps like he’s taking a stroll.
As time passed, the viewers’ reactions grew hotter and hotter.
The viewers who initially dismissed Chansik had disappeared.
The chat was filled with harsh profanities, an indication of just how shocking Chansik’s performance was.
Han Dongsu closed his mouth for a moment as he watched Chansik play.
The audio would be quiet, but it didn’t matter.
In this situation, anything he said would likely just attract insults from the viewers.
The fastest record for AOA tutorial time attack was 29 minutes, right?
Perhaps this broadcast could end up being a significant gain.
Han Dongsu decided to quietly observe Chansik’s gameplay.
And at that moment, Chansik just entered the second stage of the tutorial.
***
“Interesting, huh?”
I easily jumped up, stepping on a small rock protruding from the wall.
Boom!
The floor I had just been standing on was already gone.
Whoosh!
“Wow.”
As soon as I floated in the air, several arrows flew toward me from afar.
Therefore, I had no choice but to kick the wall and rotate my body to dodge the arrows.
I landed safely on a green disc after bouncing off the wall a few times.
Then, a message window popped up in front of me.
[You have passed Tutorial Stage 3.]
Probably because the capsule had high synchronization, my character moved exactly as I wanted.
There was none of the peculiar sense of dissonance typical of VR games; on the contrary, I felt much more energetic than in reality.
When I played Gaia Online with my old capsule, there were times my character wouldn’t listen properly.
Compared to that, the sensations now felt almost real.
Thanks to that, just moving around made me excited.
I was worried at first because of the difficulty, but it seemed like the tutorial adjusted the difficulty level.
– What’s the score?
– So, dodging like that works…
– Are you some new pro gamer?
– Kind of seems like it.
– SolidRock king or what?
– Not a new pro gamer, but definitely a “god” it seems.
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Crazy bastard ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Glancing at the chat, the viewers were spewing fire.
I casually checked the chat and threw out a comment.
“Easier than I thought.”
– ?
– ??
– ???
– No words.
– This guy really fucked up his concept ㅋㅋ ah ㅋㅋ so annoying I can’t watch, goodbye.
Ah, why did it feel so good when they cursed at me?
“…Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, hyung.”
Dongsu-hyung, who had been quiet, threw a question at me.
“Wasn’t the trap difficult?”
“I took a quick look at the strategy guide. Following the guide made it really easy? Rather fun.”
The strategy guide explained the trap very well.
Thanks to that, reacting and clearing it smoothly was easy.
But Dongsu-hyung looked unsatisfied with my answer.
He mumbled with his mouth and then sighed deeply before stepping back.
What was he dissatisfied about?
Anyway, I continued with the tutorial.
According to the preview, a white wolf would appear in Stage 4.
After killing the wolf and taking the necklace from its neck, getting out of the cave would clear the stage.
As I passed the green disc and arrived in front of a small door, another message popped up.
[Entering Stage 4.]
[Objective: Acquire the Necklace of Oath.]
True to AOA‘s unhelpfulness, it didn’t properly explain how to acquire the necklace.
Had I not previewed in advance, I probably would have struggled a lot.
Soon, a white wolf with glittering red eyes materialized before me.
– Crazy dog ON
– Avoiding traps was epic, but the crazy dog might be tough?
– Knowing how to defeat the crazy dog is tricky.
– Even knowing the weakness, it can take over 30 tries easily.
– I personally took 41 tries on the crazy dog.
– Oh, did you beat it in 41 tries?
– 41 tries and then immediately deleted the game ㅎㅎToo scary for a doggy.
The white wolf’s nickname was “crazy dog.”
It got its nickname because it killed players in such an infuriating way.
Plus, it wouldn’t die unless you stabbed its weak spot with a dagger.
And at the end, it would arrogantly shake the player by the neck, a very cheeky wolf indeed.
So, it was the tutorial monster that newbies feared the most.
Having your neck bitten and shaken by a wolf couldn’t possibly be a pleasant experience.
The only weakness of the crazy dog was the belly exposed during a jump attack.
The strategy video explained that it was quite difficult.
The only chance was to expose its belly and then attack when the crazy dog jumped high…
Well, trying was the only way to know, right?
I held the dagger provided in the inventory and looked at the “crazy dog.”
And 30 seconds later.
“What, it’s really fuckin’ easy.”
– Puppy, sorry for your loss ㅠㅠㅠ
– Puppyㅠㅠㅠ
– ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Did you have to kill it like that!
– Crazy doggieㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[“NationalDogLoversAssociation” has donated 1,000 won!]
[The crazy dog will remember your misdeeds.]
Remember what?
It was just a digital fragment.
I pulled out the dagger that was precisely stuck in the crazy dog’s belly and shrugged my shoulders.
Ah, but seriously, wasn’t this game too easy?
