Everyone Except Me is a Newbie - Chapter 19

Place?

In RPG games, particularly on Korean servers, the concept of “place” often sparks controversy. Once someone secures a spot, they naturally want to hold onto it for as long as possible—it’s a basic human instinct. Think of how, even in games like *MapleStory* that elementary school kids play, there were rampant abuses of power and stealing of spots within guilds.

“ManaSword Online” is no different, especially since dueling between players is relatively easy in this game. It’s not surprising that disputes over territory arise. In fact, for Jeon Minjae, there was no hesitation in asserting dominance. He saw it as a legitimate right.

So, Jun Minjae had no issues with using those kinds of tactics. In fact, he saw it as his right. Having played tons of RPGs, he often saw how early advantages could turn into even bigger powers.

He was one of those players who got those advantages, usually by jumping into the market first, forming guilds, and building up power structures. But it didn’t always work out, since he wasn’t exactly great at managing that power.

Keeping those advantages and running a guild took more than just game skills—there was a social side to it. And that was something Jun Minjae, who spent most of his time gaming at home, just didn’t have.

Still, he knew his way around games pretty well. In the past, that would have seemed like a no-brainer, but now it actually gave him a competitive advantage and set him apart.

Knowing about games in this new world was like having an internship at a top-notch foreign firm.

So “ManaSword” wasn’t a completely unfamiliar game to him.

“I really did beta test this game, I swear,” Jeon Minjae told to a friend when he first held the “ManaSword” that appeared in reality.

“So, you’re saying this game exists for real?” his friend, who was pulling an all-nighter at a PC cafe with him, asked, puzzled.

“Yeah. Damn it. Isn’t this one of those things where the game world somehow becomes reality?” 

“I wanna say you’re crazy… but damn, this does feel real,” his friend responded, raising his own hefty *ManaSword* as if to confirm it wasn’t just a figment of their imagination.

“Hey, hey! Look over there!”

They saw the head of the Queen summoned in the distance.

Now they were sure of it.

“This really is a game.”

The world had turned into a game.

Under normal circumstances, such a grim scene would bring tears to someone’s eyes, but not Jeon Minjae. 

“They’re all dead now. Heh heh heh.”

To him, this was the perfect opportunity to turn his pitiful life around.

***

Jeon Minjae first set out to gather his acquaintances. Most were nearly addicted to gaming, so many were still alive. Jeon Minjae’s group grew from two to three, then four, and soon swelled to nearly ten members. He then started accepting anyone with a submissive attitude, even if he didn’t know them well, as lower-ranking guild members.

“Welcome to the King Jaemin Guild.”

“Th-Thank you…!”

It had only been three days since the game world began, but Jeon Minjae already felt like he was a king, as the name of his guild suggested. He led his guild members on hunts. Unlike typical game hunts, they occupied a field and repeatedly hunted specific monsters. 

While others were running away from goblins, he was stubbornly hunting them down.

[Achievement Unlocked: ‘Goblin Slayer’ (Rare Rank)]

He obtained the Goblin Slayer achievement, one of the quickest and easiest achievements he knew, simply by killing a ton of goblins. Using that achievement, he evolved his sword. In a world where everyone was a 1-star player, he became a 2-star, and his sword’s evolution was witnessed by all his guild members.

“Wow…! The sword is glowing!”

“As expected from the guild master…!”

To those who knew nothing about *ManaSword*, Jeon Minjae seemed almost divine. Naturally, their loyalty to him increased. 

However, there was one thing that still bothered him.

“Who on earth is completing the main quest?”

He had tried to secure Jannelet, but Uniqlo was already empty when he arrived. Shortly after, a message appeared saying the prologue had ended. Someone had definitely claimed the main quest first. 

“For now, I’ll just focus on Episode 1. I’ll take down the boss first.”

With that resolve, Jeon Minjae instructed his guild members.

“We need to collect monkey tails. It’s the best quest right now. The necklace you get from it is pretty useful.”

“Okay.”

His friend, Lee Jungwon, responded.

Swoosh!

At that moment, Jeon Minjae’s longsword moved swiftly, light reflecting off it as it sliced through the air.

Splat!

Blood sprayed out in a crimson arc.

“Aaaargh!!!”

Startled by the sudden bloodshed, Lee Jungwon was shocked.

“Isn’t that my blood?”

But Lee Jungwon was unharmed. 

The severed finger on the asphalt ground was Jeon Minjae’s. The finger still seemed to twitch as if it were alive.

“Are you insane?! What are you doing?!”

“I was testing something.”

Unlike the panicked Lee Jungwon, Jeon Minjae’s eyes were cold and composed. He turned and called out to someone.

“Green type.”

“Yes!”

The only healer in their team stepped forward and used a skill to heal Jeon Minjae’s wound.

“It heals, as expected.”

“You’re crazy! What if it hadn’t worked?!”

Thunk.

At that moment, Jeon Minjae placed his longsword against Lee Jungwon’s neck for real this time.

“Your language is too informal. Count.”

Count—that was the title Jeon Minjae had given Lee Jungwon within the guild. Stunned, Lee Jungwon looked at Jeon Minjae. His friend’s eyes were already lost in madness.

“What’s with this crazy, terminal middle-schooler look…?”

Only then did Lee Jungwon realize why Jeon Minjae had suddenly cut off his own finger.

“A sore finger…”

It was a warning. A warning that he would cut off any “sore fingers” without hesitation.

“He’s completely lost it.”

With trembling eyes, Lee Jungwon glanced down at his own sword.

“It’s still a short sword.”

It was still a short sword. He had no idea when or how it would evolve. There was no way he could match Jeon Minjae. After all, he knew nothing about “ManaSword”.

“Yes, Guild Master.”

For the first time, Lee Jungwon bowed 90 degrees to his longtime friend.

Jeon Minjae nodded in satisfaction and, with a serious tone, gave his orders.

“Alright, let’s go. We need to collect fire monkey tails.”

They secured a plaza where capturing fire monkeys was easy and claimed it as their territory, ensuring that other players couldn’t hunt there. The hunting was smooth—until they encountered WePlug.

“Who are you? This is our spot,” Jeon Min-jae said, stepping toward Choi Seo-yeon, ready to draw his longsword at any moment. She was the first person he saw.

“Did you just kill that? You?” Jeon Min-jae asked, pointing to the fire monkey’s tail.

“Uh… yeah, I did,” Choi Seo-yeon responded, realizing the atmosphere was tense but trying to act nonchalant.

“Who said you could kill it? This is our spot,” Jeon Min-jae insisted, getting closer to her face.

“I didn’t know,” Choi Seo-yeon replied.

“Didn’t know…? Do you think you can just walk away because you didn’t know?” Jeon Min-jae leaned in, his face inches from hers. Choi Seo-yeon glanced at the sword at his waist.

‘A longsword. Is he at 2-star level…?’ she thought. The longsword, the most standard evolution, was still a 2-star weapon. The noticeably longer sword was certainly intimidating.

‘When you become 2-star, all your stats improve…’ she knew. It wasn’t just about unlocking skill upgrades; in Mana Sword, a hidden aspect was that all basic physical abilities—your “stats”—improved.

“What if I can’t just walk away?” Choi Seo-yeon asked.

“Then you’ll have to pay,” Jeon Min-jae said, eyeing her up and down.

“P-pay with what…?” Choi Seo-yeon was worried he might be asking for her body.

“The tail,” Jeon Min-jae clarified.

“My body isn’t for—What? The tail?” she stammered.

“Who said anything about your body? Just hand over the tail,” Jeon Min-jae clarified, causing his lackeys to burst into laughter.

“Master, what are you trying to do with her?” one teased.

“She’s kind of cute, though, right, Master?” another chimed in.

Choi Seo-yeon cringed at their absurd language, thinking, ‘What kind of crazy otakus are these…?’ But giving up the tails would mean facing Kim I-seo’s wrath later.

“I mean… how can I give them all to you? I’ll give you one,” Choi Seo-yeon offered.

“Talking isn’t going to work,” Jeon Min-jae said, swinging his longsword.

“…?!”

*Thunk!*

The longsword stopped mid-air, not by Choi Seo-yeon but by Kim I-seo, who had grabbed Jeon Min-jae’s wrist. Jeon Min-jae was shocked but didn’t act rashly; his guild members were watching. He maintained his composure and asked, “And who are you?”

“I’m with her,” Kim I-seo replied. But Jeon Min-jae’s mind was racing.

‘When did he get here? Was he always behind me?’ At the same time, he quickly checked his specs.

‘Has his sword evolved? Where is it…?’

Kim I-seo’s sword was in its pocket-sized state. It was either overly large or incredibly small—there was no in-between. This was the developers’ way of ensuring players didn’t rely on ambiguous mid-size swords for combat.

‘Did he lose his sword?’ Jeon Min-jae thought. It was common; many people had dropped their weapons in the chaos and fled.

A sinister grin spread across his face. He was now thinking not just about taking the tails, but also any other useful items he might have. It was also the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his strength to his guild members.

‘I need to set an example here,’ he thought. Jeon Min-jae had never killed anyone before, but he had been planning to. The world had changed—it was practically the medieval era now, with all the buildings destroyed and society in chaos.

Jeon Min-jae thought this was his chance to show that he could take a life if necessary, to prove he was a ruler who wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

“How dare you touch me without a sword?” Jeon Min-jae said, putting his hand on the hilt of his longsword, ready to draw it. But he had no idea that Kim I-seo was thinking almost the same thing: that this was his opportunity to show how to survive in a game world. And he was faster.

“People like you don’t listen to words,” Kim I-seo said, pulling out a sword that expanded impossibly from his pocket.

‘What the hell is that…?!’

It was a sword the size of a small car.

Jeon Min-jae’s eyes widened in disbelief, but it was already too late.

The sword had already swung toward him, and Kim I-seo’s Constellation, confident in his victory, even donated money in advance.

[Red Constellation: ‘Indomitable Fighter’ has donated 20,000 won for your boldness!]

*BOOM! BOOM!*

The massive sword struck Jeon Min-jae’s skull with a thunderous blow.

“Urgh!”

Jeon Min-jae, who had been acting high and mighty, was sent flying like a poorly thrown baseball.

*Thud.*

His body flew through the air and rolled violently on the grass.

“This spot belongs to us now,” Kim I-seo declared, fully aware of how online games work.

‘Territory? What a joke.’

There were no real territories in online games. The simple rule was that the stronger player takes more—nothing more, nothing less. And that rule was about to be applied to the real world as well.

***

[Colorless / 984: Oh, finally! I’ve been waiting to see that sword used on a player for so long, lol]

[Colorless / 12093: Lol, why did it hit a player?]

[Red / Indomitable Fighter: Of course, he deserved punishment for harassing a woman.]

[Colorless / 94922: The Fighter is hilarious, lol]

[Colorless / 7433: I’m here because of the Fighter, lol]