"Interesting."

After putting the shovel and pickaxe in his inventory, Yongno opened and closed the box repeatedly as it was easier to operate than he anticipated. By simply imagining the objects inside, Yongno could retrieve anything from the small space. All he had to do was reach into the inventory.

He asked, "What's the next test?"

"Let's do the [Clothing Production] test,” replied Mari.

They left the [Weaponry Production] room, and as they entered the next one, they were greeted by a wide variety of fabrics. Mari picked up one of them and handed it to Yongno with a pair of scissors.

"Cut a piece of it off,” she said.

"Okay."

‘Is this also a quest?’ Yongno thought, but he suppressed his curiosity and heeded Mari's instructions. The word /Clear!/ then appeared before his eyes. For this stage, scissors and fabric were given as quest rewards alongside ten Spirits added to his EXP.

Mari said, "Next up, producing magic items. Are you ready?"

"Whoa, do I get to use magical abilities?"

Mari sneered, "Know your place. You don't even know how to handle mana.” Then she gave Yongno a piece of paper filled with scrambled letters and words.

Yongno asked, "What is this?"

"It's a written test. Just write down one letter. That's all."

After her suggestion, Yongno chose the letter 'Ys,’ which symbolized fire and warmth. Memorizing a single word was so easy that even an elementary schooler could pass within a minute.

[SKILL

Gained "Enchantment"

Rank: Rank 9 (Amateur)

Enchants an item with magic to enhance its effects or add a new ability.]

"So, I’m given a brief explanation after I see the message /You gained a new skill!/ I see.” Yongno nodded as he completed this test too. He received ten Spirits and earned a paper with runes printed on it as a quest reward.

"What's next?" asked Yongno.

Once he noticed that the tests were ridiculously easy, he began to break through the rooms rapidly.

There were four test categories: [Manufacturing], [Daily Life], [Adventure], and [Battle]. Each category had five exams, which made for a total of twenty tests. Yongno had cleared three so far, and he now had seventeen tests remaining.

In the [Art] test, Yongno drew a house within five minutes, and although it looked like a rough draft, he passed the test nonetheless. For that round, Yongno was rewarded with a sketchbook, some watercolors, and a brush. In [Medicine Production], he had to crush some unidentified herbs, and he received similarly-crushed herbs and a porcelain bowl in return.

The tests under the [Daily Life] category were also easy. [Cooking] had Yongno make fried eggs. In [Information Gathering], he had to search through a book to find a specific fact that Mari had told him earlier. The [Search] test asked him to find a fairy tale book from a bush, he planted a seedling in [Farming], and the [Medical Surgery] exam wanted him to bandage his cut finger. Although, he had no idea when he was injured.

For the [Adventure] category, [General Knowledge] was a simple written test just as it had been for [Magic Items], where Yongno’s ability to produce magic items was assessed. During [Training], Yongno tamed a dog; with a few snacks, the dog followed whatever he said. Meanwhile, in the [Stealing] portion, he broke through an unlocked window and took some silver coins.

"The rewards are better than I expected! I’ve been given a few miscellaneous items, but my EXP has also risen. Can I try taking all the tests again after I finish these?" asked Yongno.

Mari replied, "You can, but it’ll be almost impossible to pass them. Tests in Level 1 are akin to a sample for what’s to come, so they are extremely easy, but as you reach higher levels, the difficulty increases exponentially. It might be excruciatingly painful."

"Then how do I level up?"

"Once you collect a certain amount of EXP, you will be eligible to take the tests. It's not free, though; EXP will be consumed."

Yongno tilted his head curiously and asked, “Does that mean I’m spending my EXP to take the test but still earning rewards and EXP once I pass?”

"Correct. In fact, after passing more than ten tests, you can ignore the quest rewards since the accumulated EXP is a sufficient return on its own.”

In other words, Yongno could simply gain EXP and challenge the next level without going hunting.

He continued asking, "Then isn't it better to take multiple tests at once?"

"Didn't I tell you the higher the level, the harder the test? Later on, you'll struggle to clear every test for a level up, so don't be ridiculous."

"To clarify, is it impossible to take all the tests at a higher level?"

"Unless you’re a jack-of-all-trade, you won’t be skilled at everything."

Yongno faced no problems in the tests and cleared them effortlessly, as the difficulty was so low that it would be hard to fail. What mattered was that Yongno was running a little late. After spending too much time asking Mari questions, some users were already finished with their exams and had gone out to hunt.

"Eh?"

Mari asked, "What's wrong?"

"Um, nothing... but..."

Yongno faced no hurdles until he encountered the [Transportation] test.

Swoosh!

They were standing near a 20-meter wide river. The water flowed gently, it was shallow, and there was a peaceful atmosphere. Through the clear water, the floor of the river was visible.

Yongno murmured, "So the test is about…."

"You’re to transport this money bag across the river. It's as simple as the tests you’ve cleared so far," replied Mari.

Yongno hesitated, "I can't…."

"What?"

Yongno shook his head, "I can't do this. Um... do you mind if I have another task?"

"What are you talking about? This is a simple quest. As you can see, there is the raft and stepping stones. Even if you fall into the river, the water would only reach your chest, so there’s no danger whatsoever."

Mari tilted her head, wondering about his weird behavior, but in Yongno's eyes, even her captivating stare looked like a devil beckoning him to the fiery pits of hell.

He replied, "It isn't a matter of danger. I just can't do it. Is there any way I can transport the money bag by land? I don’t think I should need to go by water.”

"You can, but giving up is only available when you reach Level 2 and start taking the tests by yourself."

Yongno argued, "That's why I'm begging you. Please, I really can't do it…."

"Gosh, so annoying!"

"Eh?"

Suddenly, Mari grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Yongno was astonished and tried resisting, but her grip was unbelievably tight for such a slender beauty. Compared to this teenage girl, Yongno was taller, bulkier, and should’ve been stronger, but Mari overwhelmed him. This difference in strength was more substantial than the gap between a tiger and a cat.

Yongno couldn't accept that this fragile-looking girl was dragging him to the river so effortlessly. Even if there were a dozen men of Yongno’s stature working together, they still wouldn’t be able to overpower her.

She muttered, "Let's see. Even if I put you in the water, you can always crawl out, so…."

"Hold on! Mari, calm down and listen to me," begged Yongno.

"I made up my mind. Let's go!"

"Yikes?!"

Mari brought her hand back before heaving it forward, abruptly sending Yongno flying to the middle of the river, where he sank helplessly with a splash.

Yongno shrieked, "No! Help me!"

Then, he saw a hallucination of a black hand pulling his feet down to the depths. He felt suffocated by the horrifying illusion, and irrational fear gripped him.

"... Eh?"

Yongno surfaced as he stood on the ground. Like Mari told him, the water only reached his chest.

"See? It isn't deep, right?" said Mari.

"No... That isn't the problem…."

Yongno was bewildered to find himself okay. Nothing was inside the river, there wasn’t any black hand pulling his ankle down, and he felt no pressure on his body either. He couldn’t find any traces of horror.

‘Oh my god! How am I so fine when I can't even go into the bathtub? This wouldn’t work in the real world, but it does here. Is it because I'm inside a virtual reality? Wouldn’t that mean my aquaphobia is rooted in my physical body and not my mind?’

Yongno felt slightly confused and disconcerted, but he soon smiled brightly. This was something he didn’t expect but had wanted to achieve for a long time.

Mari said, "I have no idea what's been disturbing you, but you made it anyway, right? Then come back and get this money bag…."

Splash!

Mari's eyes widened as she saw Yongno suddenly sink underwater. He moved his arms to swim before displaying a perfect dolphin kick, flip turn, and short and long waves. He performed the essence of modern strokes and bullet-like speed, moving through the water.

Splash!

At terrific speeds, Yongno swam to the rock near the river, did another flip turn, then kicked the surface to shoot toward the other side like an arrow. Despite the significant amount of time since he last swam, Yongno's movements were still fluid and relaxed.

He exclaimed, "Ahahaha! I'm not afraid of water! I'm not scared of it anymore!"

"..."

"Hurrah!"

Yongno moved his limbs excitedly. Meanwhile, the message, /You gained a new skill - Swimming!/ appeared, but Yongno ignored it and kept swimming, enjoying his blissful moment.

Dumbfounded, Mari murmured, “Is he an idiot or what? With those excellent swimming skills, it’s obvious that he isn't afraid of water."

As she said, most people who feared getting into the water couldn’t swim. As if he heard her words, Yongno quickly approached Mari, swimming upstream.

"Hey, Mari! Is there a time limit?"

"Huh? Of course, not, but-"

"Then do you mind if I swim a little more?" asked Yongno with a joyful expression.

Mari stared at him for a while before heaving a sigh.

"There is no time limit here, so do as you like."

She seemed to have no choice but to let him enjoy the moment. As her face came into view, Yongno realized that his actions might be inconveniencing Mari, as she was just sitting on the ground doing nothing. Wasn’t this a waste of time for her?

Yongno replied, "Ah, sorry. Now that I think of it, you must be busy handling a lot of newbies. Why don't you introduce me to some good places to swim, then?"

"Nope!"

Mari cut him off and remained sitting on the grass, looking somehow lighthearted.

With a grin, she said, "Enjoy as much as you want. We have endless time; I'm kind of free right now."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yup."

Yongno shouted, "Okay!" Then, he got back in the water. He kicked the rock under the surface, swam to the middle of the river, and came to a halt as a new message appeared.

/You have reached Rank 8 in Swimming!/

/You gained the title of Entry-Level Swimmer!/