Mike felt it too — that subtle pressure that came whenever the System wanted him to pay attention. Stormsense tingled faintly at the edges of his consciousness, not a warning yet but an awareness.
“We’re close,” the orb murmured.
Distance: 320 meters.
Sael nodded silently, gripping a long, sturdy branch they’d taken as a walking stick — and possible weapon. Lumi perched on Mike’s shoulder, small paws digging into his torn tunic, tails swaying to keep balance.
Mike focused on the sounds around them. Leaves rustled above. Something chittered in the underbrush. Something else shifted further out of view. Every instinct he had — human and System-gifted — screamed “stay alert.”
A minute later, Stormsense twitched sharply.
Mike froze.
Lumi growled, tails fluffing up like a porcupine.
The orb pulsed red.
Caution: Hostile candidate approaching.
Direction: 40 meters east.
Movement: deliberate.
Sael’s breath hitched. “Another one…?”
Mike couldn’t answer — footsteps echoed through the bushes.
Not running like the previous attacker.
Not charging.
Walking.
Slow, purposeful steps.
A figure emerged from behind a moss-covered tree.
A woman this time — mid-twenties maybe, long brown hair tied back in a messy braid. Human. Very human. Unlike Sael’s smooth-skinned, large-eyed appearance, this one looked like someone who could’ve walked out of any city back home.
But she wasn’t unarmed.
She wore a leather vest reinforced with steel plates — starter warrior gear.
She carried a curved sword in one hand.
A metal bracer on the other.
She was prepared.
Her eyes locked onto them instantly.
Mike lifted his hands cautiously. “Hey. We don’t want—”
She charged.
Mike barely had time to swear before she closed the distance. He shoved Sael aside, dodged backward, and felt the sword slice the air where his ribs had been.
“DAMMIT—!”
Lumi leapt from his shoulder, landing between Mike and the attacker with a burst of sparks dancing through his fur.
The woman hesitated mid-swing.
“…A Luminfox?” she muttered, surprised.
That hesitation saved Mike’s life.
He grabbed Lumi, ducked behind a tree, and yelled, “Sael! RUN!”
Sael sprinted toward the northeast direction — toward the obelisk’s location. The woman snarled and chased them, swinging with a precision far sharper than the last attacker.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
This one wasn’t deranged.
She wasn’t desperate.
She was trained.
Mike dashed after her. “Leave them alone!”
She whirled and kicked him straight in the chest. The air flew out of his lungs as he slammed onto his back.
The orb flickered.
Impact detected. Candidate Storm’s ribs: mild bruising.
“Thanks,” Mike wheezed. “Good to know.”
He scrambled to his feet just as the sword arced toward him again. He ducked, rolled, grabbed a branch, and parried the swipe with a crack of splintering wood.
“You’re strong,” she said coldly. “Good. Strong candidates give better rewards.”
She pushed forward.
Mike stumbled back, sparks flickering wildly along his arm.
“No killing in the safe zone,” she continued casually. “So I have to take you out now.”
“What safe zone?!” Mike shouted.
That made her smirk.
“You’re new.”
She didn’t explain.
Her sword raised again.
Sael, panting and terrified, reached a break in the trees—
—and stopped dead.
Mike saw it too.
A tall, obsidian-black spire rose ahead, embedded in the ground like a knife stabbed into the earth. Floating around it was a faint translucent dome of shimmering blue-white energy.
A barrier.
A safe zone.
The woman lunged at Sael.
Mike didn’t think.
He didn’t aim.
He just reacted.
“CHAOTIC PULSE!”
The burst of lightning exploded from his hand, smaller than the last but more focused — a violent arc that struck the woman’s bracer and sent a surge crackling up her arm.
She screamed and dropped her sword.
Sael sprinted through the barrier.
Lumi bolted after them.
Mike followed, breath ragged.
The moment he crossed the boundary, the air changed.
Warm.
Stable.
Calm.
The forest sounds dimmed, as though muffled by a thick wall. Mike collapsed to his knees, gasping.
Behind him, the warrior candidate charged—
—only to slam into the invisible barrier with a thunderous impact.
A ripple of blue-white light rippled outward.
The woman rebounded, stumbling back with a furious snarl.
Mike slowly stood.
She glared through the barrier at him, swordless but dangerous even without it.
“This isn’t over,” she spat. “The moment you step out—”
Mike stared back, adrenaline fading into something harder.
“Yeah?” he said, voice steadying. “I’ll be ready.”
She hissed once more, then melted back into the trees, footsteps fading.
Mike waited until silence returned.
Only then did he turn toward Sael — trembling but alive — and Lumi, fur buzzing faintly with tiny static sparks.
The orb brightened.
Candidate Storm. Candidate Sael.
Welcome to the Obelisk Safe Zone.
Sael collapsed in relief.
Mike approached the towering structure — black stone with faint runes glowing softly. System energy pulsed from it like a heartbeat.
A notification appeared.
[Equipment Obelisk Detected]
Candidate Storm: No equipment registered.
Candidate Sael: Equipment allocation expired — redistribution available.
Mike swallowed.
“This is… it? Our gear?”
Correct.
Starter equipment will be provided according to class, capabilities, and projected growth pattern.
Mike stared.
“…Projected what now?”
Projected growth pattern.
The obelisk flashed.
Candidate Storm’s class: Unique — Unclassified.
Template approximation: Lightning / Chaos Hybrid.
Estimated combat role: Skirmisher / Burst striker.
Generating starter loadout…
The ground before the obelisk shimmered.
A small pile of items materialized:
- Light leather chestguard with reinforced metal threading
- Bracers with insulated lining
- Sturdy boots with shock-absorbent soles
- A short blade with a conductive metal edge
- A compact hand-focus for channeling lightning
- A waist pouch
- A cloak — dark gray, lightweight, static-resistant
Mike stared.
“…Holy crap.”
Sael’s equipment materialized next — lighter, cloth-like armor suited for mobility and magic channeling, along with a crystal focus shaped like a small translucent shard.
Sael gasped softly.
Lumi trotted around the equipment piles, sniffing everything like a child on Christmas morning.
Mike knelt and picked up the conductive blade. Lightning crackled faintly along the edge, drawn to his touch like it recognized him.
He exhaled slowly.
For the first time since arriving in this nightmare tutorial…
he felt armed.
The orb floated ahead, its glow shifting gently.
Warning:
Safe Zone boundary ends 20 meters from the obelisk.
Multiple hostiles have been detected lingering outside its range.
They are waiting for your exit.
Mike’s grip tightened on the blade.
Sael looked at him, fearful but trusting.
Lumi pressed against Mike’s leg, tails twitching.
Mike inhaled once.
“All right,” he said softly. “Then we go out fighting.”
The orb dimmed in acknowledgment.
First Selection — Time Remaining: 67:48:10
And outside the shimmering barrier, shadows moved.
Waiting.
Thank you for reading!
Patreon:
Read 10 chapters ahead for 3 bucks! 20 chapters for 5 bucks! 50 chapters for 10!
Join the Discord: