If he squinted, he could still see the palisade of a small human settlement, despite the great distance. He was sitting high on a branch of a giant tree. The air in this tutorial was not polluted by fumes or smog, which made the transparency perfect. He was surrounded by forest, most of which stretched all the way to the mountains, obscuring the horizon, but in the direction he was facing, the trees gave way to lush meadows. Beneath him was a trail of broken branches, suggesting a fixed route. Another settlement was hidden high in the mountains, and people who knew its location had apparently used this road before. Far away, a group of people on wooden horses could be seen approaching quickly.
Though the task ahead was grim, he tried to enjoy the unique views, the sound of rustling leaves, and the cool breeze on his skin.
At the current speed, the group should pass him in about twenty minutes, but he didn’t want to risk being seen. He took one last look at the approaching people and changed the branch to cover himself with the trunk of a thick tree, then began his slow descent. Although his prowess had improved greatly over the eighty days of his tutorial, he wasn’t particularly skilled at climbing or stealth, but this mission required it.
After descending to about three meters above the ground, he stopped and crouched on a sturdy branch, then drew his weapon from his inventory. He couldn’t afford to look around, so he’ll have to rely on his ears. Fortunately, although automatic horses were not as loud at the gallop as their living counterparts, traveling people were not known for their temperance.
Anxiety was rising in his head, so he decided to distract himself by reviewing his status window.
Before he began his tutorial, Robert searched feverishly day after day for any sign of his brother’s current whereabouts. The story of several inmates being beaten and then escaping from prison sounded like a hastily concocted movie script, but with little choice, he considered every possible option. After digging long enough, he discovered several recordings of a person claiming to be his brother ambushing a guard.
The man took him hostage and forced his way out.
By a strange coincidence, for many reasons, most of the guards were absent from the prison that day. By a strange coincidence, as he was escaping, a black car pulled up outside the prison, and the door opened for him. By a strange coincidence, the car left the city unchecked, and all traces of it were lost. By a strange coincidence, in the recordings, when the person’s face was visible, the recording became blurry or corrupted.
Robert had long known this case was beyond him, but he didn’t give up. Every day he searched, drove, and asked questions. He even looked for information about the bodies found, but the lack of any connection made him lose hope.
That day, when the system appeared, it was a sign from heaven that not all was lost. When he found out that all the people were in the installation zone, he asked the System entity for his brother’s location, but it wouldn’t answer questions about the other people's whereabouts, not even about loved ones.
The only information it shared was that all life on Earth goes through this process, and after it there’s a tutorial. Fortunately, Robert managed to glean from the entity that after three months in it, the people would be relocated to a summary zone and then to a new location, often near their families.
There are ten days left until the end of the tutorial. On the eighty-ninth day, all existing quests will be given a timer to complete. If the time expires, the quest will be considered a failure, and the System won’t count it towards the reward in the summary area.
Tutorial participants will be able to leave five hours before the end of the ninetieth day, and if they decide to leave earlier, there will be a time dilation so that all of humanity will return at the same time. Apparently, the system didn’t want to give individuals an advantage in the form of an earlier appearance on Earth. Armed with this information, Robert eagerly awaited the end.
When he came to this place, he worked tirelessly to get as much strength as he could. He hunted monsters alone, participated in team missions to larger nests, and in his spare time meditated or practiced katana. Every day he risked his life, which, aside from a few ugly scars, translated into results. Reaching level twenty, he obtained a class, which the system rewarded with a title that was accompanied by an incredible feeling of a surge of power.
[Title: Classy Tutorial]
Checking his status window, he learned that he was the first person in this tutorial instance to reach level 20 and obtain a class. The title the System assigned him added a percentage increase to each stat.
Robert abandoned his thoughts as he heard the approaching sound of laughter and broken branches. He pulled out the katana and carefully positioned it to reflect the view of the ground behind the tree. The reflection wasn’t clear, but noticing the movement, he decided to attack by surprise.
Taking the right position, he bounced off the branch to speed up his landing. He’d already seen the leader of the group driving ahead before, so he planned to get rid of him first, as quickly as possible. As he fell, he activated the Enhanced Precision skill and aimed, hoping to slit his throat quickly.
Unfortunately, his skill, although already at level three, did not guarantee perfect accuracy. His attack was accompanied by a number of variables, such as being in the air, the enemy’s uncertain position, his ability to react, and even his mount’s current stance. Instead of a fatal wound, his katana struck his opponent in the face, slashing him across the eyes.
The hidden attack and a violent jerk from the leader caused the horse he was riding to stop abruptly and rear up in panic, throwing off its screaming rider. Robert refused to stop and ignored the wounded man. Regaining his balance after landing, he used the moment of confusion to thrust his weapon into another opponent, careful not to hurt the person behind him. The sudden chaos and screams caused the other automatic horses to stop and act as animals in fear, faithfully playing their living counterparts.
The bandits behind realized what had happened and drew their weapons. Even the one who had been pierced activated some skill, shrouding his body in a shimmering green glow and attempting to grab his katana. Robert twisted it, unleashing a wave of paralyzing pain on his opponent. He ripped the weapon free and, after another hasty stab at his enemy’s face, dove behind the trees for cover. As he delivered the final blow, he felt a sharp pain in his arm, but seeing the color of the wounded man’s spell, he assumed he might have healing or shielding skills, which would make his job very difficult.
The bandits were untrained and clearly lower level, but the wound on his shoulder proved they weren’t hopeless either. Their numerical superiority and knowledge of their own capabilities meant that every passing second of the fight was to his disadvantage. The situation wasn’t helped by the fact that they could threaten to hurt the hostages at any moment. Taking a quick breath, Robert leaned out from behind a tree for a moment to quickly assess his opponents. That brief glance allowed him to see a fiery spell coming his way. He quickly ducked behind the tree, but it didn’t fully shield him, as he felt the furious flames surrounding him. The spell didn’t last long, but it still burned his hands and face, and the breath he took in hiding seared his lungs.
However, he wouldn’t back down, so he tightened his grip on the katana. A quick glance, besides the approaching flame, allowed him to update opponents’ positions. Seeing the enemies, he assumed the spell had come from the man still mounted. The other three had already dismounted, and they were stealthily trying to surround him.
He wouldn’t let that happen, and with a sudden movement, he leaped from cover. In doing so, he almost ended up face-to-face with his opponent, who had already readied his sword, so Robert hastily deflected the weapon and jumped back, gaining distance. Seeing the men before him, he finally had a chance to activate Identify.
[Human, 12],
[Human, 14],
[Human, 13],
[Human, 15].
After a brief look at the leader, who was thrashing in pain, he learned that he was at level seventeen.
“Fuck, you’re covering him, make room!” said the man on the horse. His companions moved aside, but it gave Robert an idea. Tensing his legs, he launched a charge at the nearest opponent, wanting to position himself so he could block the mage’s aim.
The other two seemed to quickly realize what Robert was planning. Knowing that they won’t be able to get out of their mage’s way that easily, they also began to charge him. Taking advantage of the brief moment of being alone with his opponent, he quickly delivered a blow. His enemy managed to parry once, but then the difference in levels became apparent. Robert skillfully executed another slash while his opponent was regaining his balance, this time meeting no resistance. The katana slammed into the man’s flesh, cutting halfway through his leather armor and chest. He yanked his sword free, and before the man’s body collapsed, he positioned himself for another attack.
Activating another skill, his katana flashed with a yellow light. Ignoring the two already at his side, he thrust into the air towards the man who was preparing a spell. Light emanated from his weapon, resembling an arc of electricity. This attack immediately hit the mage, shocking him, and the accompanying sound caused a brief panic in other enemies. One of them jumped back in fear, but the other didn’t stop his charge and swung his heavy hammer directly at Robert’s head.
Although his last skill caused a sudden fatigue, he still managed to avoid the attack, which whistled menacingly over his head. Unfortunately, his opponent’s momentum didn’t stop, and he fell on top of him, knocking him to the ground. Quickly realizing his new position, he used his free hand to pull a short dagger from his inventory and plunged it into his opponent’s neck.
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The dying man stared at him in disbelief, spitting blood in his face. Robert ignored this and desperately tried to free his katana arm from where his opponent lay. Seeing his disadvantage, the man who had previously jumped back ran towards him and swung his axe. Heedless of his dying companion, he was clearly trying to cut them both at once. With his hand still locked, Robert pulled out his dagger and placed it on his opponent’s back. He knew the small piece of metal wouldn’t pose much of an obstacle to the descending axe, but he hoped that, along with his opponent’s body, it would absorb enough of the attack’s force.
His gamble paid off, as the axe landed, meeting the dagger’s resistance and slicing deep into the man’s blood-choking body, creating a sickening sound of slicing flesh and bone, thus hastening his death. Robert felt all the air being ripped from his lungs, but the attack didn’t sever or penetrate his body. The man with the axe clearly used some skill, as the dagger was cut cleanly at the hilt. Robert stared at it for a moment, trying to shake off the dizziness. The sound of a club falling beside his skull snapped him out of his delirium. Apparently the blinded man steeled himself and, guided by the sound, attempted to attack.
Fortunately, the axe-wielding bandit wasn’t exactly a genius, and in an attempt to rip the weapon from his companion’s body, he yanked him, freeing Robert’s katana-wielding hand. Regaining his ability to attack, he thrust it into the blind leader’s chest. Despite his limited range, he managed to injure his opponent slightly, causing him to cease his attack and retreat in panic. Seeing the wounded boss, the axe-wielding man screamed.
“You son of a bitch, I’ll quarter you!” he said, swinging again.
Previously, even with his hand free, the enemy’s weapon embedded in his friend’s body blocked Robert’s way to attack, but now, in a full swing, the bandit exposed his legs, which he quickly took advantage of, making his slash faster.
A new scream filled the forested area, and a moment later, the sound of a body and a heavy weapon falling to the ground could be heard. Robert seized the moment and scrambled out from under the large hammer-wielding man’s corpse. Seeing that he had succeeded in severing his opponent’s leg at the ankle, he gasped for breath. Quickly assessing the situation, he struck at the leader, who, with a cry from his companion, regained his aggression and tried to blindly strike again. This time, Robert’s attack was precise and pierced the man’s neck. Without wasting time, he approached the crying man, who was desperately trying to reattach his foot, and executed him. He knew he couldn’t waste time, as his electric attack wasn’t fatal, and he might soon be faced with the irritating fire mage.
His fears were realized as his opponent regained consciousness and, worse still, put his weapon to the hostage tied up in front of him.
“Move, and her head will fall.” he said, plunging the dagger into the woman’s shoulder. The gagged woman tried to scream and thrash, but the man ignored her, staring at Robert.
“You want to steal my experience, you fucker? I’ll make you die slowly.” Robert said. Smiling madly, he began running towards the mage.
His bluff clearly worked, as the mage quickly dropped his dagger and extended both hands at Robert, who was running toward him. He didn’t have an opportunity to activate the spell, however, as both of his hands met the sharp end of the katana. Fragments of his hand fell to the forest floor, causing another scream. This one, however, didn’t last long, as the mage quickly realized he was looking at his headless body from a perspective he hadn’t seen before, and then darkness came.
Silence fell over the forest, broken only by the sounds of four women crying and the man’s rapid breathing. Robert lost his mad smile, and his face now expressed emptiness, as if someone had decided to unscrew the cap and drain all his emotions. He staggered toward each captive and cut their bonds one by one. The liberated girls began to back away in panic, and one picked up a dagger from the ground and defensively aimed it at Robert, even activating some skill, visible when her eyes lit up for a moment.
“Sorry for the experience line. You should take your horses and return to the settlement.” he said monotonously, breathing heavily. “Hurry, humans aren’t the only threat in this place.”
Robert was surprised that he was still able to speak after his exertions. As he killed the mage, he received some kind of notification, accompanied by a refreshing surge of strength, but he quickly ignored it to attend to the captives.
***
“I can’t find the words to describe how awful that felt.” Orion said, breathing heavily.
He sat on a stone, supporting himself with his hands so as not to fall.
“You did well.” Neru said, pleased with the results.
“Well, compared to the first time, it didn’t hurt at all.”
“You were a virgin then. It’s normal that…” He started to speak, but when met with a deadly gaze, he stopped and raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, don’t shoot me those murderous eyes. You damn well know I had to say it. But gettin’ back to the point, that was good progress. This time I felt almost physical resistance. I also have to admit, you have a pretty fucked-up pain tolerance there.”
Over the past few days, Neru had decided to take a more active role in his friend’s mental training. When Orion fell asleep, he would touch him, sending him into various unpleasant dreams. Through direct touch, he could even simulate injecting him with various thoughts and actively hinder his ability to cope with them. They started slowly at first, but when Neru realized Orion was capable of resisting these thoughts, he decided to take it a step further. It wasn’t pleasant for either party, but he showed Orion a scene of needles being inserted under his fingernails. Although he couldn’t, nor wanted to, fully emulate the pain, it was enough to make his friend wrench himself out of sleep with a groan.
In subsequent sessions they took a more cautious approach, and now Orion was even able to talk freely during his dream torture.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next phase.” Orion said, unpacking the meat of the beast he had recently slain from his sack. This time, the menu included a three-headed, two-legged giraffe, its headless necks ending in jaws filled with sharp teeth. Before he could sink his teeth into it, however, he was stopped by Neru.
“Wait. Before you start having your food orgasms, I have to tell you somethin’.”
Even though Orion wanted to make some remark about what he had said, seeing the serious expression on his face, he allowed him to continue.
“I’m close to reachin’ the place where the dream of the person you know comes from. It feels like my ‘hair’ is stuck halfway through the wall, but I can still push and push through. I’ve also seen a few clearer visions from those dreams. I’m still not sure what this new place really is, but I haven’t seen any other people you might know.” He paused for a moment, his face turning sour. “However, I know the situation there is quite tense. In that person’s dreams, I felt stress, panic, and hostility. I was wonderin’ whether to tell you at all, since you have no control over it right now, but I decided not to hide it.”
Orion’s face turned stern, but after a moment he nodded and said. “Thanks for telling me. I don’t know if I can do anything to change the situation, even if we manage to get me there.”
“During our trainin’, I had another idea. Perhaps I can strengthen you a bit physically as well.”
At these words, Orion frowned, wondering what this idea might look like. “No fucking way. I’m not gonna bite you or anything.”
“Not like this, you iiiidiot. It might hurt because I’d have to pierce your skin, but I think I can inject a thread of energy into you and transfer some of my strength into it. I’ll ‘program’ it to decompose within you as part of you. That should give your body a serious boost. I’d forgotten about it because it’s been so many years, but I’ve tested it a few times.”
“Oh, I see. If you don’t mind. Thanks again.” Orion said, feeling bad about how much his friend was helping him and how little he could do to repay him.
The pain part didn’t bother him at all. By this point, he was used to being wounded even in this place. Although piercing the skin was still excruciating, it no longer paralyzed him, and he was able to think and act.
They took a moment to discuss their current situation and their ideas for strengthening.
“Ready?”
“Mhm.”
Neru floated toward him in midair and aimed a sharp claw at his heart. Then he stabbed it, piercing the skin shallowly. Orion merely frowned but said nothing, closing his eyes and bracing himself for what was to come.
“This part should be pretty smooth now; we’ve got the piercin’ already done.” Neru said, concentrating on channeling some of his strength.
But as a stream of energy surged from his claw, Orion’s entire body shook, and he began to scream. He clutched his head as he fell, rolling in pain, alternately groaning, panting, and screaming. This lasted for several minutes, but to him, it felt like a terrible eternity until he finally fainted.
This time, Neru didn’t visit his dreams.
When he woke up, he still felt as if an earthquake had ripped through his body, causing all sorts of cracks inside. He knew his friend wouldn’t do this to him purposely, especially after seeing the stunned expression on his face.
Neru was telling the truth. He’d already tested the energy release by pumping up wild beasts. They hadn’t shown any ill effects. But this time, when he let some energy into Orion’s body, it felt like he was trying to inflate an already overfilled balloon, threatening to burst completely.
Seeing his dazed friend, the one he had caused so much pain, he didn’t know what to say. But he had to. He had to let him know what he just learned. Stuttering for the first time in his life, he said.
“Ori… You… You don’t have… a body.”
