“Okay? All you’re sayin’ is OKAY?” asked Neru in disbelief, rotating his head almost 180 degrees. Then he straightened up again and swam nervously towards him. “What the hell kind of reaction is that! Did you hear what I said to you, or did you not hear what I said to you? And if you didn’t hear what I said to you, then let me repeat. I. Told. You. That. You. Don’t. Have. A. Body!”
When he told Orion about his discovery, Orion pondered for a moment, then looked as if he were listening to someone far too enthusiastically recount what they’d had for breakfast. After a moment’s silence, he simply said, “Okay.” then sat back down on the rock and began to bite into the meat. But before he did, he apparently decided he wouldn’t bother his friend any longer. He sighed and replied.
“Alright, alright, I’ll explain. Calm down… jeez.” he began, and pondered for a moment how to phrase his words. Meanwhile, he noticed that the phrase ‘calm down’, as usual, was working with maximum effectiveness, as Neru looked as if he might explode upon hearing it. “You see, ever since I woke up here, I’ve had a suspicion I might still be dead. Before I died, they sawed off my arms and legs, and most of my skin was gone. When I opened my eyes here, which, by the way, I didn’t have either, I saw a blurred shape of my limbs. All I had to do was focus, and they’d regenerate. That’s not how the human body works, you know? Even then, I had a feeling I might be a ghost or some shit like that. Later, I met Martha, and we talked about it several times. We concluded that even if we were dead, simply sitting around doing nothing wouldn’t help. Then there’s the matter of blood. You’ve seen it a few times, how when I get hurt, it defies gravity and vanishes into thin air. I’ll also add that with every drop of blood I lose, I feel like life is draining from me, and I immediately lose my strength.”
Finishing his sentence, he finally took a hearty bite of the meat. He looked at it for a moment, then nodded, agreeing with himself that it looked disgusting.
“Fuck, I’m glad I don’t have a sense of taste here. Still... that texture... Ugh.” hearing his friend not responding, he continued. “I have no idea what it’s like, with all this ghost stuff and all that. But I suspect that if they really exist, they can’t just touch things and generally influence reality. I think that’s why I’m here. I don’t see any other reason for the universe to recognize me as an anomaly.”
“Perhaps you’re just such an idiot that it defies the laws of nature?” Neru said, causing Orion to laugh.
Neru decided to respond with a joke to help calm himself down. It’s true that he’d noticed his blood’s strange behavior several times, but he’d also seen in his dreams that when Martha was dying, her blood also... Orion’s next comment snapped him out of his thoughts.
“I’m just saying, don’t worry about it too much. It will be what it will be. I still want to try to get out of here. Maybe I’ll get thrown back in here, or maybe I’ll lose the ability to influence reality. Then I’ll just float around and scare all those bastards. Can you imagine that? Someone tries to attack an innocent damsel, but then they see a ghost and end up with brown pants and then run away. I can live with that.”
“I don’t know, Ori. It just doesn’t sound like you…”
“Maybe the mental training went better than we expected?”
“Or at some point we really fucked up.”
They chatted for a while longer, then decided to continue their journey. This time, Neru suggested they stop at the next teleportation pond they encountered. He was quite close to reaching the source of dreams, and they didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Gates were much more common in this area, which seemed to coincide with the growing anomaly population.
This time, Neru was the silent one on the journey, and Orion took on the role of team clown, joking and trying to lighten the mood. He could tell his friend wasn’t taking his observations so well. Perhaps he should have shared these thoughts with him earlier, but as he recalled, nothing was certain. At one point, Orion noticed Neru pause, then look around for a moment, staring into the distance.
“Did something happen?” he asked.
“Ugh, I just saw what I think is the most depraved dream of my life. There was an old guy and a fan. He attached some—” he started to say but was interrupted.
“Aaaa, alright. I don’t want to hear it.”
He knew it was just an attempt to brush off the topic, but he didn’t press further.
***
“Only six days left. I’m going to miss you.” Anna said, looking sadly at the automaton in the flat cap.
“Don’t waste your time thinking about me, m’lady. In these final days, you should focus on your own development and on getting the most out of this tutorial. I, on the other hand, am just a temporary companion. Nothing less, nothing more.”
She was about to reply, but feeling a sudden surge of energy and seeing the notification appearing in front of her, her eyes widened.
“I just leveled up. But how? I didn’t do anything.”
“Past efforts do the work for a person. Most likely, someone m’lady helped has achieved something of importance. That’s how it is with people who are focused on support.”
“Thank you. With this level, I even got the option to choose a class, and…” she said, scrolling through her status window. “Oh, here’s something new. I also have a title! It appeared in the elite titles tab. Ugh... I didn’t expect to get a title. I know you’ve already mentioned this, but could you please remind me what it was about?”
“Naturally. The System has three tiers of titles. Starting with the most common, we have normal titles. These award bonus points for one to three stats. The number of points awarded varies from one to five per stat. Next, we have elite titles. These award bonus points for all your stats, ranging from five to fifteen. Finally, we have exceptional titles, which, instead of fixed points, increase all your stats by a certain percentage, from five to ten, and with special achievements, additional effects are possible.” the automaton gave Anna a moment to process the information and then continued. “The maximum possible reward value increases with rank, but until then, m’lady still has a lot of work ahead. Since m’lady mentioned obtaining a class, I assume it’s a title that grants five points to each stat. The first person to gain a class in a given tutorial instance receives the Exceptional tier title, which brings with it a five percent boost to all stats. However, please note the tiers themselves. Elite and Exceptional tiers are exactly that. Congratulations are in order. Excellent work.”
“Hmm, I see. So since we have a higher tier for this title, is there also a lower one? Would I receive it if I were the last to earn the class?”
“No. In this case, the title refers to the tutorial. The lower tier is very common and refers to the reward for acquiring a class after completing the tutorial or without participating at all. In this case, the reward consists of points for three stats. The number of points depends on how long it took to acquire the class.”
“Uh, so you can skip the tutorial? How so?”
“Naturally. The tutorial is created for newly integrated universes. New life is constantly being born throughout the multiverse. These are already raised within the System and learn about it from their parents or their surroundings.”
Although Anna wanted to ask further questions, a winded man ran into the room.
“Miss Anna! I’m so glad that I found you.” he breathed heavily, but Anna noticed he was grinning from ear to ear. “We managed to reach a peace treaty! Negotiations are already underway. I even gained a title! If it weren’t for you... I’d never…”
Anna walked up to the man and patted him encouragingly on the shoulders.
“I didn’t do anything. This is all your work. Congratulations are in order. Excellent work.”
Who would have thought that the man she was afraid would hit her at the beginning of the tutorial would change so much.
***
“I’m glad you got over it.”
“Well, you’ll be leavin’ here soon. No point in wastin’ our time bein’ grumpy. Besides, it’s not like you did somethin’ wrong. It was just quite a lot.”
“But I could have mentioned my thoughts earlier.”
“Idiot. Let’s not expect that little brain of yours to think of somethin’ like that.”
Orion smiled as he saw his friend returning to his old self. He hadn’t shared another scenario with him, though, about what might happen after he escaped from this place.
***
“Alright, I’ll take care of it. Give me a list of what you need. I’ll try to prepare everything, and if I think I have enough time, I’ll enchant most of the items with additional effects.”
“What enchantments are you talking about?”
“Depends on the item. I can enchant crossbows and bows with enhanced arrows, giving them a bit of extra damage. Swords and axes can receive enhanced sharpness, and hammers can receive enhanced impact and durability. As for defense, I can suggest a minor fire resistance for armor and shields. We probably won’t need resistance to other elements, which should give me time to slightly increase the enchantment effect. Why are you looking at me like that?”
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“Can you… do things like that?”
This morning, a new group joined Arthur’s tutorial. These weren’t robotic mannequins, but real people! Arthur initially wanted to lock himself away at home, fearing that the final quest would involve defending his base against his own kind. However, it quickly became clear that his previous suspicions would instead be fulfilled. A select group of humans who accepted the assignment were relocated from a remote settlement with the task of attacking a monster lair.
Once the initial panic subsided, Arthur couldn’t contain his joy at the opportunity to interact with other human beings. He quickly invited them into his home, and together they planned how they would approach the task. It turned out that the entire group had met at the beginning of the tutorial and had stuck together ever since. This allowed them to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Initially, Arthur felt somewhat of an outcast. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of them, considering his nearly three months away from humanity. This proved to be an unnecessary concern, as the group, delighted with his work, praised him and asked how he had managed to achieve such a feat.
“Okay, there are five days left in the tutorial, so we have four days to prepare. Can you handle it?”
“Give me three.”
“Great. So the question is, do you want to participate in the fight or stay away, perhaps offering some other assistance?”
Arthur thought for a moment, but it didn’t take long. “I chose the manufacturing and combative tutorial. I will fight with you.”
***
His body was covered in sweat, blood, and mud. The mixture mirrored his thoughts. On the one hand, he was glad they had succeeded. While fighting such a powerful enemy, they knew it would be a huge risk. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be without casualties. For that, he also felt sadness. Some of the people he’d met here, with whom he’d shared moments of struggle and joy over a mug of beer, now lay lifeless on the battlefield. Tutorial or not, this was reality, and death was death. He knew some of these people had families they wouldn’t return to. After sadness came exhaustion. They had pushed themselves beyond their limits time and again. In the heat of battle, his arrows ran out, so he had to descend from the trees and help others with his dagger.
He snorted, thinking about the situation. As soon as he saw the archer class in the options, he immediately accepted it. In practice, however, after shooting several quivers of arrows, his class became irrelevant once they ran out. He’d have to deal with that issue in the future. His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder.
“Don’t despair. Everyone knew what they were signing up for. This was the thirty-eighth level, damn it. If it weren’t for the plans, the traps, and the entire elite of this place, we would never…”
“I know, Sarah. That doesn’t change the fact that they deserve to mourn.”
“Mhm. Yes. You’re right. Just remember, none of these people would want you to be miserable forever. We all liked that annoying Aaron, so don’t suddenly turn into a killjoy.”
A few days ago, a quest appeared for them. The System immediately mentioned that it was a high-risk quest. It was even kind enough to share the level and enemy type. They had to kill the king of the goblin race, who had chieftains, shamans, and soldiers under his command. If it weren’t for the fact that the quest was available to all participants in several mixed tutorial instances, no one would have dared to attempt it. However, the System suggested relocating everyone to one location, allowing them to develop tactics and providing information on how many people had signed up. There was even a note about a significant reward.
“I know. Let’s tend to the wounded and gather the rest. When we get to the settlement, I know they’d like us to drink. To them and to the rewards.” he smiled grimly.
It was already late evening on the eighty-seventh day of the tutorial. Everyone involved in the fight was either wounded or exhausted, so now it was time to heal their wounds, both physical and mental.
“Did you get it too?” Sarah asked.
“The title?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
[Title: Killer of Kings (Collaboration)]
[Description: Participate in the assassination of an enemy of the rank of king.
Effect: +5% to all stats.
Effect: Increases resistance to the ruler’s aura.]
***
When they encountered a dark, oily substance in their path, they stopped. Neru still needed a moment to break through the wall, but he claimed it was only a matter of a few days at most, so they hoped the gate wouldn’t disappear before then. Despite his work pushing through unfamiliar obstacles, he could still pay some attention to other things, so they talked.
“I’ve been here for one hundred and sixty-two days now. If I’m not mistaken, less than eighty-nine days should have passed in the outside world since I woke up. Maybe it’s late noon there? Anyway, I wonder what this time difference is all about. Is it simply the nature of this place, or is it the doing of the beast itself we’re on, and if so, why?”
“I think it’s the beast’s doing. It’s constantly travelin’ through this garbage dimension. Perhaps it’s acceleratin’ itself so it can move faster than others? I mentioned that I sometimes see the beast’s dreams, so I also know it has some sort of main jaw. I think the teleportation gates are just an alternative means of nourishment.”
Hearing this, Orion whistled. “That must be a huge-ass jaw. But then why the slowing-time wall?”
“Ori... I’m no expert on beasts or a flyin’, sexy Wikipedia personification.” he said, but seeing his friend’s raised eyebrow, he sighed and added. “Yes, I have a theory. Control over time is generally reserved for immense powers. Perhaps, to accelerate itself, the beast had to compensate somehow by slowin’ down another part.”
“Wait... that’s brilliant. The beast sped up the part where anomalies most often occur, which allows it to gather food faster. This feeds the digestive system, which works slower, so it’s easier to nourish. I assume the digestive system part is in the slow zone, remembering where I woke up.”
“Right up its ass.” Neru laughed.
Two more days passed. Orion found it strange not to have moved for so long. They spent the time talking and joking, but their tone carried a strained edge. They knew there would be no time for farewells when Neru opened the gate, yet neither of them wanted to take the initiative.
“I have a connection.” Neru finally said.
***
Total war. That was the only apt description he could think of. One moment everything was peaceful; the next, people were slaughtering each other. They had long known such a scenario was likely, so everyone carried weapons and waited only for a sign that something was already happening. A few people broke the pressure and tried to leave the settlement, but they were apparently tracked down and killed.
The man stood grimly on a mound of corpses. He was the only one left alive, which was confirmed by a quest.
[Quest #18 – Gather the most support to become the Leader of a developing city. Supporters must voluntarily believe you are the right person for the position.
Reward: Unlocked Subclass choice – Leader.
Reward: Exceptional title – Path of the Ruler.
Final progress: 1/1 – 100% support.]
He sighed wearily. While he could have left the tutorial, he still had a few hours left to devote to final reflections. He knew people could be cruel, but what had happened had opened his eyes anew. With so many opportunities available under the System, people abandoned their previous values and pursued power without caring about anything else. To remedy this, he would have to become a ruler himself and punish any manifestations of such behavior with a harsh hand. This was the only way for humanity to have a chance of survival in this new reality.
***
Preparations for departure were completed. When there was no longer time to postpone the farewells, they finally did so. Orion thanked him for everything his friend had done for him and promised to work on ways to get him out. Neru also thanked him for all the conversations and time they had spent together.
“Wouldn’t you rather go to a slower zone so you don’t have to wait as long for me to get you out of here?”
“Nope. Then dreams from outside are accelerated and don’t taste good that way. Now get ready. Do you have everything? A backpack? Sandwiches?”
“Yes, Mom.”
Orion noticed his friend was acting rather strangely, even seeming to be in a hurry. But that was understandable. After he left, Neru’d be alone here again, and he probably didn’t want to drag this moment out.
“I’m goin’ to take over the gate now. As I said, I’ll have to pay, but you’re not to interfere. Just keep an eye on the gate, and when you see the changes are over, jump in.”
Receiving a nod, he lay down on the ground for the first time in Orion’s presence, instead of floating. With a decisive movement, he thrust his tail into the dark substance, which, after a moment, began to lighten. Orion heard his friend hiss in pain and saw him clench his fists and begin to writhe. He wanted to interrupt, but he knew that if he did, it would all be for nothing.
The gate continued to brighten until the change stopped, revealing a silver vortex.
“Thank you, mate. See you later.” was all he said, before he jumped in.
He imagined the journey through the gate as if he were flying through a colorful wormhole, like the movies depicted. But this was something else entirely. He felt as if he were plunging into boiling tar, but some force was pushing him forward. He couldn’t see anything and couldn’t breathe, which reminded him of the feeling of drowning. His mind began to fade, as if crushed by an impossible weight. He could have sworn he saw a legion of strange beings staring back at him for a split second, but before he could properly register it, it vanished, and his brain began to go haywire.
[Connection restored],
[Scan],
[Error – Missing Vessel],
[Restoring Vessel],
In the next moment, everything calmed down, and he found himself in a new environment. It looked like the interior of a large tent, but the space within was blurry and still colorless. If he looked around now, he would see that the fabric that had served as the entrance curtain, billowing in the wind, had stopped, as if frozen. But before he could notice anything, he saw strange notifications flashing before his eyes.
[Scan – Retrying to Analyze the Soul],
[Error],
[Soul Analyzed],
[Race with Most Match: No predominant match race found].
[Best matches:
#Y6.283185307e+12N(…),
#H2z6.561679790e+1xm(…),
#9*zY.0201888e+2sf(…),
...],
[New race established],
[Select race name].
The message with the instruction to choose a race remained in the foreground, but in the background, he could see other blinking windows.
[Installation | Please wait | 19%],
[Error],
[Installation | Please wait | 22%],
[Installation | Please wait | 73%],
[Error],
[Installation | Please wait | 79%],
[Error],
[Installation incomplete].
Orion ignored the alerts and finally began to look around, but he felt as if his mind was being pushed to obey. On the one hand, he assumed he was hallucinating from the shock, but on the other, he recognized this as an intrusion from someone else.
These weren’t his thoughts, so he labeled them as someone else’s and pushed them to the back of his mind. A few seconds later, the feeling intensified, but he still managed to resist. After a moment of jostling with his thoughts, his surroundings cracked, as if reality had shattered, and a strange being emerged gracefully from the hole.
“Greetings.”
***
The man had just finished his thoughts and decided it was time to move on. The option to exit the tutorial had been on the system menu for hours, and he finally took it. Time to go home, he thought.
