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Chapter 3

It would have been much better if my Inventory had been unlocked.

Kang Hyuk thought to himself.

All consumable items brought from Earth were automatically stored in the Inventory.

The condition for unlocking the Inventory was reaching Level 3.

Unfortunately, he would have to get through the selection using only what he currently had.

“Hoo.”

He looked at the various gates positioned around the wall enclosing the clearing.

Then he gripped his dagger tightly and heightened his sense of tension.

In his previous life, he had been injured during the selection process and had nearly been eliminated.

Although he had barely managed to complete the course, his results had been terrible.

But this time would be different.

Grgrgrgrk!

The gates between the fences began opening.

“W-What is that?”

“What…?”

Before long, bewildered voices came from the people standing near the walls.

“The condition for passing the selection is three creatures per person! Anyone who fails to meet the condition will be eliminated immediately!”

Kang Hyuk tightly gripped his dagger, letting Black Hammer’s voice go in one ear and out the other.

“Hup.”

He took a deep breath, then kicked off the ground and sprinted toward the wall.

Beyond the people nervously backing away, he saw grotesque creatures.

Their filthy green bodies resembled algae, constantly changing shape as they writhed.

The way they crawled along the ground was disgusting, like watching enormous worms.

The stench of slimes hasn’t changed.

The smell of a slime varied slightly depending on its type and individual, but they all gave off a foul stench reminiscent of a sewer.

There was even a common saying that when a slime approached, you would recognize it by its smell before you saw it.

Kang Hyuk raised his dagger and took up a stance.

In games and novels, slimes were usually portrayed as nothing more than the weakest of weak mobs.

But things were different here.

“AAARGH! My leg! My leg!”

The fact that there was already a victim proved it.

A man who had fearlessly stood at the very front was rolling around while clutching his leg, which had begun melting from the slime’s attack.

The moment Kang Hyuk saw him, he immediately rushed over and swung his dagger at the slime that was moving in to finish the man off.

Crunch!

The dagger pierced through the slime’s squishy body and shattered its core.

Slimes attacked their opponents using acidic fluid, but their entire bodies weren’t made of acid.

If you attacked one from behind while it was charging toward someone else, you could dispose of it very easily.

Crack!

Thud!

Kang Hyuk waited for opportunities, and whenever he spotted a slime exposing an opening, he rushed over and smashed its core.

Amid the painful screams and enraged shouts assaulting his ears, he never stopped.

[You have demonstrated the qualities of a predator, causing your ‘Ability’ to bloom.]

[The Predation Ability has been activated. You have acquired the slime’s ‘Acidic Fluid.’]

A message suddenly appeared before Kang Hyuk.

The awakening of the Predation Ability he had been waiting for.

Could it be because I already awakened it once in my previous life?

As if the ability had been engraved into my soul?

The question of why he hadn’t entered this world already awakened crossed his mind.

But the moment knowledge naturally flowed into his mind, he stopped thinking about it.

He instinctively understood how to use Acidic Fluid.

The moment he thought about Acidic Fluid, a dark green liquid gathered at the tip of his dagger.

Hiss!

When the liquid fell to the ground, it released smoke and left a small hole in the dirt.

Kang Hyuk frowned.

It wasn’t time to reveal his ability to others yet.

How do I get rid of it?

The moment he thought that, the liquid coating the blade mysteriously disappeared.

He let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention forward again.

After his frantic slaughter, the number of slimes had visibly decreased.

The other people were gradually adapting as well, so dealing with this number of slimes wouldn’t be difficult for them anymore.

Still, I can’t afford to miss the experience.

Kang Hyuk continued moving without resting.

His strength was still insignificant.

It was far too early to become complacent.

“That’s enough!”

About ten more minutes later, Black Hammer announced the end of the selection test.

Kang Hyuk also pulled his gaze away from the slime whose core he had just destroyed and looked forward.

“130 eliminated! 70 passed! What a truly pathetic result.”

Black Hammer climbed back onto the platform and swept his gaze over the humans who had been reduced to looking like ragged beggars after their desperate struggle against the slimes.

His eyes, filled with disgust as though he were looking at insects, stopped at one particular spot.

“Still, I suppose not every single one of you is completely useless. You! Come forward.”

At Black Hammer’s call, Kang Hyuk walked toward the platform.

He could instantly feel everyone’s eyes turning toward him.

“The monkey who killed the most slimes. I award you this Strength Enhancement Necklace.”

[You achieved the best result in the selection test! Three bonus points have been awarded!]

A welcome message appeared along with his words.

Kang Hyuk bowed deeply.

“Thank you.”

“Snort.”

Black Hammer handed the necklace in his hand to an orc standing beside him.

The orc then descended from the platform and handed it to Kang Hyuk, who was standing below.

Kang Hyuk bowed his head and immediately put the necklace on.

[You have equipped ‘Crude Strength Enhancement Necklace.’]

A message appeared.

Kang Hyuk felt strength surge through his body.

He bowed once more before returning to his original position as ordered.

“Even if you are all trash, I will reward those who perform well! But those who don’t have nothing! All those who passed, return to your accommodations! Snort!”

Black Hammer shouted in a voice that sounded half-angry.

The survivors left the clearing with their heads lowered, carrying the pain and exhaustion caused by the sudden life-or-death struggle.

Before leaving the clearing, Kang Hyuk looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and the eliminated recruits.

Either they’ll die… or they’ll be worked until they’re on the verge of death before being dragged away into forced labor.

Kang Hyuk knew what awaited the eliminated recruits.

He knew their fate.

They would be worked by the orcs until they were barely breathing, then thrown out with nothing.

But the days when those bastards could act so arrogantly were numbered.

If his plan went well, they would eventually be the ones reduced to slaves.

With his resolve hardening further, Kang Hyuk followed the group.

“Rest!”

As soon as they reached the accommodation, the orc said a single word and immediately left.

That orc might have been an instructor, but he was still nothing more than one cog in the machinery of this training camp.

He probably wanted to leave and rest as quickly as possible, too.

I’m tired.

He had moved like a madman while killing slimes, and now his entire body ached.

Kang Hyuk sighed and returned to his place.

Originally, sitting down meant his shoulders would be pressed against the person beside him.

Now, there was plenty of room.

130 out of 200 people had been eliminated.

The fact that the accommodation had been so cramped compared to the number of people it housed had probably been designed with this in mind from the beginning.

“What the hell is this…”

“Sniff… Sob…”

In the heavy atmosphere, occasional sobs and mutters could be heard.

Most of them were curses.

Kang Hyuk leaned his back against the wall and stared into empty space.

[Kim Kang Hyuk]

[Lv. 2]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Recruit]

[Strength: 10]

[Stamina: 11]

[Agility: 10]

[Mana: 0]

[Remaining Points: 4]

[Ability: Predation]

[Skill: Running]

His level had increased to 2.

As a result, he had gained one additional point, and including the three points he had received as a reward, he now had four points in total.

But the thing that caught Kang Hyuk’s attention was his Predation Ability.

[Predation]

[An ability that absorbs the power possessed by living beings after killing them. The weaker the target, the higher the probability of absorbing its power.]

[Acquired Abilities – Acidic Fluid]

This was the first time Kang Hyuk had seen the detailed description of Predation.

In his previous life, he had died before he could check anything.

Can I absorb multiple abilities?

At the very bottom was the ability he had already absorbed.

The slime’s Acidic Fluid.

The moment Kang Hyuk had absorbed it, he had simply understood how to use it.

As though he had always known.

Even when he had used Aleph Heart’s ability right before his death, he must have done so unconsciously.

This is insane.

Kang Hyuk touched his neck.

He had more or less guessed how powerful it could be, but this ability was truly absurd.

If I’d had this ability in my previous life…

He wouldn’t necessarily have risen to the top without any setbacks.

But at the very least, he wouldn’t have lived such a miserable life.

Having or lacking an ability this powerful could make that much of a difference.

No. There’s no need to think about that already.

He tried to calm his pounding heart.

For now, all he had obtained was a slime’s Acidic Fluid.

He was still at the very bottom of the bottom.

He hadn’t even managed to leave the training camp yet.

Still…

Kang Hyuk’s eyes quietly gleamed.

In his previous life, he had eventually obtained tremendous power after countless twists and turns.

But the side effects were far too severe.

He could obtain that power again in this life if he wanted to, but he had no intention of touching it at all.

Because I have the Predation Ability this time.

That was why Predation would be such a tremendous help.

He could acquire great power without walking the same path he had taken in his previous life.

This time…

He would live a different life.

---

Bang!

“Get up!”

The noise and shouting sounded as though a bomb had exploded.

Kang Hyuk’s eyes flew open.

The moment he got up, he put on his shoes and headed outside.

“Everyone, get out!”

After several more shouts, the people who had belatedly realized what was happening began filing outside one after another.

The people gathered in front of the accommodation stared at the orc.

Each of them had a bird’s nest of hair on their heads, and sleep crust was still caked around their eyes.

The orc swept his dissatisfied gaze over them and spoke.

“Training starts immediately. Follow me.”

“Yes, sir!”

Perhaps because they had been harassed continuously the previous day, everyone answered in loud voices.

They followed the orc along a path surrounded by high fences.

Before long, they arrived at the clearing where they had taken the selection test the previous day.

“Everyone, run!”

The moment they entered, the instructors waiting inside began shouting at them.

The people hesitated for a moment.

But when the instructors raised their clubs, they immediately started running forward.

“Don’t stop! Anyone who stops before completing one hundred laps will be eliminated immediately!”

Kang Hyuk thought as he ran.

This is a recruit training camp.

Most races that fell into the Underworld went through recruit training camps like this one.

The orcs were currently operating this training camp, but in reality, all such training camps were under the control of the Central Authority.

The orcs were merely carrying out outsourced duties.

In exchange, they received rewards based on the quality of the trainees they produced.

“Don’t stop! You idiots!”

Once he considered how those rewards were calculated, the reason the orcs treated the people so harshly became obvious.

This is a B-1-type training camp.

Training camps were divided into various types, and this particular type offered greater rewards based on quality rather than quantity.

Like an extremely fine sieve, it ruthlessly filtered and filtered the recruits through harsh training.

As a result, only a handful of talented people could complete the training camp.

Although completing it simply means becoming a slave to a different master.

Of course, Kang Hyuk had no intention of obediently completing his training and being sold off as a soldier.

He would take everything he could get from this place and leave.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He ran.

And ran.

There was no one ahead of him.

There was also quite a distance between him and the person immediately behind him.

The reason for such a difference was simple.

Most people’s Stamina was still stuck at 10.

Killing only three or four slimes wasn’t enough to level up.

But Kang Hyuk’s Stamina was 14.

Of the points he had obtained yesterday, he had invested three into Stamina and one into Agility.

As a result, his Stamina was far superior to everyone else’s.

And on top of that, he had the Running skill.

There was no way the difference wouldn’t be enormous.

“Haa… Haa…”

Once he passed ninety laps, even Kang Hyuk began breathing heavily.

Yet he didn’t stop running.

Finally, he completed his hundredth lap.

The instructor waiting nearby patted him on the shoulder.

“Go over there and rest.”

Kang Hyuk saw bundles of straw laid out on one side.

They had been placed there so those who finished quickly could rest.

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Hyuk barely managed to squeeze out an answer before collapsing onto the straw where the orc had pointed.

He wanted nothing more than to lie down.

But if he did, getting back up would only hurt more.

Seriously. If you’re going to give me preferential treatment, at least bring me something like a soft cushion.

It was straw.

Just straw.

What was even more pathetic was that the people still running were looking at him with eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

Then again, they probably would have done the same even if he had merely been sitting on the bare ground.

“Hoo… Hah.”

His pounding heart and ragged breathing gradually calmed down.

Once he had recovered a little, Kang Hyuk was able to slowly examine the people who were still running.

Quite a few…

His attention was drawn to several individuals.

Since he possessed memories of the future, seeing the first appearances of people who would later become famous was rather interesting.

Especially when he considered his Predation ability.

I’ve already confirmed that Predation works on people with abilities, too.

After all, his very first target had been none other than Aleph Heart.

Naturally, absorbing powerful abilities would make him stronger.

And what if the targets were people who didn’t even properly understand what their abilities were yet?

It would be extremely easy.

He was reluctant to simply kill people and steal their abilities.

But if the targets were people who would later commit atrocities that would make heaven and earth condemn them, then things were a little different.

Especially those three.

His eyes gleamed as he gazed at the enticing prey.