Final attempt: I looked out at the surrounding monsters realizing this will probably be the last time I ever have to go through with this torture again I’ve killed so many of them now and my power has increased by leaps and bounds I even learnt how to fight like a professional but I’m more on the magic side. As I looked out at the monsters honing in on me I knew it was time I’ve been delaying yes delaying my return to have a little bit more revenge. Now I know that I must go and see the true World if it’s like this hellhole so be it I need to see what's waiting on the other side of the veil. My veins started to ignite as mana pushed out of me. I created a waiting strike as I couldn’t figure out a way to destroy the shields so I had to bypass them instead of using force that I would never have. As the first flying creature swooped down I dodged to the left but still at arm’s length until it even registered I dodged its attack. I quickly put my hand out at inhumanly fast speeds. As soon as my mana infused hand touched the shield my mind responded, turning off my mana then reactivating it with a mana blast, an uncontrollable force of mana exploded out of my hand blowing the first one into chunks. All of this happened in less than 3 seconds. The others outraged by one of their brethren's deaths charged me all at once. I knew this wasn’t going to go well. The first one to reach I ducked and slid to the left as the next one that reached barged into the other knocking them both to the ground stunned by the impact they both were confused at where I was. I used this small time to lurch back a nearly impossible action to recover from without falling over, without the help of a little wind that is. I pushed myself down on the first one, blowing him up to blood and pieces of him splattered on me to anyone else I would look straight out of a horror movie. The other one tried to surprise attack me by attacking straight after I couldn’t defend myself in time this attack cost me a deep wound to my shoulder I winced putting a hand while the other reached straight to it as it was still lodged into my shoulder and blew it apart using the same strategy as before bypassing the shield. As my shoulder bled the army was at my doorstep I knew I needed to end this fast I only had one thing that could work that could bypass the shield but it was suicide and only killed one I needed just one more then I would see as suicide bombing would count as a kill. Hope flooded to me as one of the birds was sweeping down but the enemy was creating numerous spells as well as I. Spells fired the ground starting shifting but all I could think of was hoping it would work. The monster that swooped down was killed as I blasted it with my last contact spell then my only range spell fired. The monster wizards activated their spells. The ground opened while fire erupted out, my insides churned and hundreds of other spells hit me, I could only hope now as my body got obliterated hundreds of times over.
I didn’t feel anything. This was different, hope filled me, did my attack reach? I couldn’t see anything. A wall of text appeared in my vision, this left me even more confused as to why could I see this but nothing else? I read the text and happiness exploded out of me. It's been too long since I was happy but as I read down I didn’t know if I was sad or happy.
Congratulations! You have completed the tutorial, by using 33,974 resets your skill has been affected and lowered considerably, but as the difficulty of the task you were set it has improved.
Skill: Charge
Effect: Your speed/reaction increases by x2 if you use this skill to charge or barrel into the opponent you will keep this boost but only if you go directly to it and you must be within 30 feet of the target. If used to escape or run or anything else this ability will only last for 1 second.
Star Level: 1 (Acquire two star fragments to level up)
Recommended uses: once in combat otherwise, backlash would occur. You should also wait another 30 minutes before using it again even if you get into another combat situation before then.
If you are stuck under something and can't move this ability will do nothing.
Ground limited.
All memories of the tutorial will be forgotten when you enter the World. For 1 year your dimension will be locked out of trespassers but if you leave to other dimensions you won’t be able to enter your dimension again until 1 year has passed.
It made me uncomfortable that my memories would disappear after the countless experiences I had, but I was also glad that this happened as I would become back to my ‘normal self and not an uncontrollable vengeful murderer. The only reason why I was like this was that my mental state was changed. My memories started to vanish but I let them go happily, I was gone from the tutorial and was about to arrive in the World.
I woke up in a bright space and people were chatting quietly around it took me a few seconds for my eyes to focus and stop blinking. Footsteps started coming closer. I looked out to see a man in his twenties coming over. “Hi newbie you took awhile” I looked up to see a man wearing a robe that you would only find out of a fantasy movie. “Newbie?” I asked quizzically about what he meant. As I looked around I realized I wasn't in the living room anymore. “Yeah, you are a newbie as you just arrived.” He stated matter of factly. I asked him how long he's been here and he said around 3 months I couldn't believe my ears, 3 months?! He must have seen my shocked face, he gave a slight smile then told me to follow him, I replied as I didn’t know what else to do. As we walked out of the room through the door I was greeted by tents made out of very simple material except for the building behind me and a building further out, around the camp there were mountains further out but it was mostly just a plain as far as I could see. “This is tent town, we have been living here for around 3 months as we go out and slay monsters that prowl on us, and explore the areas surrounding us.” after his dialogue the smell hit me it was absolutely horrendous. “There are next to no sanitarie spots except the building behind you which no smells enter, but only the mayor or newbies can leave while only the mayor can enter. As there are also no toilets we pee and poo everywhere, but people with certain skills aid our situation by doing daily checkups.”
As we continued walking around tent town I saw that its inhabitants were all poorly dressed and dirty; they also smelled too. It was to be expected from a place like this for people to be living in such states. Then my mind went back to my parents wishing they were living in places a hundred times better than where I was. As I followed close behind I saw that some residents had shining armour and weapons, those must have been the guards or explorers. The mayor spoke up again, “as you have seen by looking around, the state of our town is in ruins.” I cast my head down. It was terrible they have been living in these conditions for 3 months now. “Where are the children “I asked quietly. The man looked down at me grimly before saying something that hurt me mentally, I thought I was going to vomit. “Most are dead, their corpses protected us from the beginning as the monsters ate them and not us, but now we can protect babies and the like.” I wanted to leave this cursed village to run away but to where? There was nowhere to run to monsters lived out there and I wouldn't stand a chance. I could understand why they would have done it and they all must be feeling horrible but that doesn't excuse their actions. Their defences around this place were also terrible; you could tell they didn't have any builders or architects amongst them and had next to no resources. I didn't know what to do but as the Mayor spoke again I felt empathy in his voice. “We are just trying to get by. We know we have done terrible things to survive and I know we will most likely do more, but we will help you if you stay even if you're living in a place that is worse than slave quarters. We won't stop you if you choose to leave”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I agreed to stay here as this was my best bet to survive and maybe even see my parents again. We stopped just as we reached a large stone building. People were milling in and out mostly wearing armour that I've seen people wearing around town but I saw the occasional robe and some other armour pieces. I looked in confusion at how they could hand out weapons and armour like this and cloth while mostly everyone else is wearing rags. The mayor spoke up again looking at the building with a mixture of various emotions. “Every great thing always has drawbacks, everyone there is a hunter. A person who must fight and kill monsters, they gain that armour for free but they must kill 20 monsters of any degree within the year or else they would die. Some have already completed this task, the veterans but others have barely started on this harrowing task.” I looked out at the building realizing I didn’t want to be a nobody and would work with this cursed village as long as they don’t try anything and protect me when I’m within their walls at that moment, I decided I wanted to be a hunter.
2 weeks later
I woke up in my tent smelling foul. I've been like this for the last week. I signed up to be a hunter as soon after I stopped walking with the Mayor. It was an interesting experience. As I walked in it was a LOT bigger than it was on the outside I had no explanation for the abnormality, I was directed to a table which I had to proceed to put my hands on, one of those text boxes came up.
Do you really want to be a hunter?
Yes/No
After I clicked on yes even more text flashed in my mind.
Congratulations as a hunter you have access to your status screen without the need for a terminal or skill. Say ‘Status.’
“Status?” There. Was. More. Text. Why?
Star limit: 1 (0/844 essence)
Abilities: Charge, instant status
Titles:
Alliances: Hunters, Humans
Perks:
Soul affinity:
That was the end of the wall of text. I left the building after getting assigned a tent by one of the people in charge of running the town, I got one further back. I’ve been back there but only to see how I could get my free armour and see how everything works. (Author note: the next bit is just about the mechanics of the Hunters guild go ahead if you find that stuff boring.)
The hunters guild worked like a bounty hunting/ quest club but if it was international and spread to nearly all dimensions, by completing quests or bounties you can get points called Hunter points which you can buy armour, fragments, weapons etc. You can also bet on open bidding where users sell items which then others bid on, the hunters take a tax of 10%. In every hunter’s guild, there is a hunter only terminal and a free terminal. The hunter only terminal only has quests which when completed rewards the user with hunter's points, while the free terminal just shows your status screen. If you complete enough quests you can unlock the interdimensional portal into new worlds, which are harder but offer better rewards. Every hunter gets a star limit 1 armour piece but only when they accept their first quest. The reason why people die if you don’t slay 20 monsters is that the armour you gained is worth around the 20 first monsters you would kill. You would also be very lacking not to kill 20 monsters as you were allowed to bring a party but any monsters brings forth some danger. No matter how small. You can also gain free training if you are star limit 3 or below (base stat only.)
I’ve been around this camp around 20 or so times, and it’s always the same dirty, smelly than the occasional person in armour. The only food we eat is monster meat the hunters bring back but it's always the same; horned rabbit meat it's the safest monster to kill and it's ok eating. Today is special. I'm going to the plains to hunt. This will be my first quest too. After having breakfast which was rabbit meat and water. Some of the community have started up a garden but the seeds used are miscellaneous. After I ate lunch outdoors as there was no designated mess hall, I moved over to the hunters guild to complete my first mission. As I walked in the same people were milling around the terminals as I saw most mornings, if I popped in. I walked over to the terminal, placed my hand down and chose the quest to kill 5 horned rabbits. It was a pretty simple task with the armour and weapons you are given others have told me. I walked over to the armour stand and a text box appeared saying If I wanted to pick up my ‘free’ armour. I clicked on the yes it asked if I wanted to view the store which I swiped away. Armour appeared on the floor but all hunter armour had a special property which by saying equip armour you would be able to instantly wear it and not have to worry about putting it on while saying disequip will unequip the armour. No one knew how the armour was chosen, but each piece did different things. The most common armour was the robe that gave barely any protection but granted a bonus to your star limit which increases your physical properties e.g. speed, strength etc. While the other most common piece is a chest plate, helmet, pants and sword, a much safer option but it is heavy and can impact your fighting, each has its own cons and pros.
I received the robes I looked down disappointed at the armour I was given. It looked pretty though with red flowers painted on it and a little star on top of the hoodie, I sighed as there was no helping it. “Equip” the robe appeared, something shifted within me and I grew stronger. I looked down at myself realizing I was more built up like I've been working out for months or years. I knew I was still well within the realm of what the human body is capable of but it's still an amazing feeling. I have no words to describe it. I looked stupid though in my robes at least they didn’t reach the ground so I wasn’t going to trip over by walking. I walked out of the hunters guild turning around for a bit to wonder how this appeared here, then I walked off feeling stupid by the robes but I continued on to slay some rabbits.
I reached the planes in under 10 mins. It was very close to the camp but the rabbits didn't get close as the guards would kill them. I saw others around with their armour on most were fighting horned rabbits but some were moving towards the forest; the fools. I understood that most had a team to help them but there were things hundreds of times worse in those woods or that’s what the other hunters say. While I was looking around at the others I didn’t see a horned rabbit barrel into me with its full body knocking me over right into the ground, small cuts appeared on me then it dug its horn into my side it tried to hit my spine but I moved quicker than I ever had before to stop that from occurring, I screamed in pain as it tore into my shoulder I grabbed it before it could tear itself further in, and ripped it out as it came the pain intensified. I put the robe on my wound and it started to soak but I didn't care, I needed to stop the blood. I screamed so loud some of the other parties lost focus and got distracted they threw out a few insults but nothing else through gnashed teeth the rabbit was coming back I made it to my feet looking down at the oversized body that was half my height I realized I could suffocate but it would probably cost me. Pained moans came out but I managed to keep most of it at bay then my ability came back to me. I've never used it but it could be my last hope otherwise, I would have to run away. I activated it. It was a weird feeling barreling into a charging opponent. My speed increased by a lot. I was quicker than I was before and probably every 15 years old ever. As I was about to barrel into the horned rabbit I pivoted to the right turned and kicked hard. The bunny went up then started falling back to the ground. I knew it wasn't dead but I did a lot of damage. My injury started spewing because I exerted force on it. A pained scream came out of me. I was able to catch most of it but the rabbit was still there, it let out a pained scream and hurried away. I didn't follow as I couldn't or it would cause me more injuries. I wobbled back into town, pained moans came out and the worst part about this was that my new robe had a hole where I got punctured.