----------------------------------------
Act II
----------------------------------------
A system ding brought Archie out of his Nature’s Meditation, causing him to open his eyes to see a system prompt.
Solo Tutorial
The 72nd cycle has begun; thus, a tutorial is needed to increase the survivability of the newly integrated myriad races. The Hoarfrost Highlands is filled with various creatures from across the universe, each providing Tutorial Points upon their death to their killer. After the Solo Tutorial is completed, all Solo Tutorial Participants will be teleported into random Group Tutorials. Tutorial Points will be used to gain rewards after the full tutorial is completed.
Completion Criteria: Survive for 30 days.
Time remaining: 0 days & 00:00:01
As the last second passed, the Hoarfrost Highlands disappeared and in its place appeared something that he hadn’t seen in a month, civilization.
Archie looked around and saw buildings made from cobblestone and wood, roofs shingled with dark tiles and green moss. Many of the buildings had signs written in a text, unknown to Archie, however, the symbols beside them gave him a general understanding. The mug filled with liquid was probably a tavern, the staff was probably a magic or healer thing, the sword and shield were probably a warrior and vanguard thing, and many other more.
But one thing stood out the most, the air tasted saltier? What used to be sharp and light, now had become humid and heavy.
Taking a step forward, the crunching sound of snow did not come, rather the sound of clacking was produced. Looking down he saw an honest-to-good cobblestone road, the first road he had seen in a while.
The opening of a door from the building in front of him took his attention from the road. Archie quickly put up a boxer’s stance while facing the door, ready for a fight. Looking at the now open doorway, Archie was greeted by a being he had never seen before.
The being standing at the doorway had light-pink skin and stood at a height of two and a half meters. Its bald head accentuated its slightly elongated skull shape, its eyes were large and wide-set; both sclera and iris were inky black. It had a small, flat nose and thin lips.
Its broad shoulders and defined limbs were accentuated by its simple blue tunic and navy blue pants. Across its back was a large bronze halberd that looked to be around five and a half feet in length.
Is that an alien? Archie thought to himself before using Identify.
[Pincterian Lv ???]
Archie’s eyes went wide, Triple digits.
“Hello there!” The Pincterian spoke with a smile while waving at Archie.
Archie, stunned by the warm greeting, got out of his fighting stance and responded back, “…Hello?”
“How are you? You look a bit confused with everything, I assume you came from the Solo Tutorial, considering it’s been a month since the tutorial had begun.” The Pincterian asked while going down its porch and walking towards Archie.
“Yeah, I was meditating before I got sent here. Where am I?” Archie questioned while giving the Pincterian his full attention, warm greeting or not, it felt strong, far stronger than himself.
“Open your Group Tutorial page, it took the place of your Solo Tutorial page.” The Pincterian answered, one hand on its hip and the other to his side.
Opening the Tutorial page, Archie was greeted with a whole new message.
Group Tutorial
The 72nd cycle has begun; thus, a tutorial is needed to increase the survivability of the newly integrated myriad races. The Emernigan Isle is filled with various creatures from across the universe, each providing Tutorial Points upon their death to their killer. Tutorial Points can be exchanged between individuals, as a form of currency. Tutorial Points will be used to gain rewards after the full tutorial is completed.
Completion Criteria: Survive for 60 days.
Number of Survivors: 687/1250
Time Remaining: 29 days & 23:59:30.
“Almost half the people in this tutorial are dead?” Archie shouted, confused as to how they could have died.
The Pincterian pressed its lips together and turned his head downwards slightly, answering Archie’s question.
“How? Sure, it was difficult at the start, but with a group, it should have been much easier.” Archie was still confused at how almost half the people in the Group Tutorial died. 20% might have made sense, but 50%...
“I cannot say for sure, but I assume overconfidence and being unprepared; that’s the killer for almost everyone, no matter the race or grade.” The Pincterian answered, with a sigh.
A few seconds of silence went by before Archie decided to break the ice, “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Archie Gracefield, but you can call me Archie.” While putting out his right hand.
The Pincterian chuckled before shaking Archie’s right with his own, “My name is Xelgar T’zok, but you may call me Xelgar.”
“You are quite strong for a fresh E-Grade,” Xelgar complemented while looking over Archie.
“Thanks! You’re strong yourself, I can’t tell what grade you are, but you feel strong.” Archie complemented back with a smile.
“Thank you.” Xelgar said before saying, “Let me give you an explanation for the village’s layout.”
Xelgar pointed at the various buildings towards his left, “Those buildings to my left are for Professions. In each building resides a denizen of the multiverse who is willing to offer tips and assistance to gain their respective Professions. The images on the signs symbolize their craft; A potion bottle for alchemy, a hammer for smithing, a plate for cooking, etc…”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Archie’s eyes focused on the building to the far left of the village, with a hammer symbol on the sign and smoke coming out of its chimney.
Xelgar then pointed at the various buildings on his right. “Those buildings over there are for Classes. Like the ones on the left-hand side, each building can provide assistance for each of the basic starter classes.”
“Can I visit them even though I’ve evolved?” Archie asked, a bit worried that he wouldn’t be able to question them. He really wanted to learn how to control mana better as well as learn how to fight better. Sure, his stats were high, and he could kill strong enemies with brute strength, but finesse is important, at least that’s what every professional fighter said on TV.
“Yes, of course. Tutorials are made for the newly initiated races, so we Assistants are here to provide help.” Xelgar smiled, “Within reason of course.”
Nodding, Archie then asked something that seemed off, “Where is everyone else? Humans, I mean.”
“They’ve created their own villages, two I think. Both in opposite directions of this village.” Xelgar answered while pointing in their respective directions.
Archie gained a confused look, “Why? Would it not be safer to stay by you guys, being higher level and all?”
“As per mandated by the system, you will be kicked out by nightfall if you attempt to remain within the village,” Xelgar answered.
“I assume differing opinions between the two groups?” Archie asked fishing for information for Xelgar.
“I wouldn’t know, I never asked, nor do I intend to. The squabbles of F-Grades are inconsequential to us Assistants,” Xelgar responded with a disinterested expression.
“Did any of them evolve yet?” Archie inquired, still trying to pry for some crumbs of information from Xelgar.
“I would not know, the majority of the humans have stopped showing up, after the first few weeks. The majority that still visit train their Professions by learning more theoretical knowledge. Which is good for their records.” Xelgar proudly smiled, evident he approved of their diligence in using the resources the system provided.
“Is that why you’re here as well, records?” Archie questioned.
“Of course! Records are very important. Everything you do gains you records; from day-to-day activities, leveling your Class and Profession, relationships, etc… We Assistants are the same as you, we entered to play the role of Assistants to provide well, assistance to newly initiated races and get rewarded with records.” Xelgar exclaimed.
“Speaking of which, I’ve taken much of your time, and you have less than a month to experience the Group Tutorial.” Xelgar continued, offering a handshake.
Shaking Xelgar’s hand, Archie smiled, “Thanks for your help, it was nice meeting you!”
“It was a pleasure,” Xelgar responded before heading back into his home.
He was a pretty nice guy, Archie thought before heading towards a building that had black smoke being released from its chimney as well as a hammer symbol on its sign.
----------------------------------------
Just as Archie reached for the door handle, shouting erupted from inside the building.
“If you’re gonna act like that, then don’t bother coming back!” a woman’s voice snapped, sharp with anger.
“I ain’t ever coming back to this shitty smithy! No wonder everyone who received the Profession ran off the first chance they got!” another voice retorted, growing louder as its owner stormed toward the door.
The door slammed open revealing a human with short black hair and fair skin, the man not even glancing at Archie as he stormed out of the smithy.
Archie peered into the smithy through the open door and saw a race he had only ever seen in fantasy novels and video games, an elf. Identifying her only confirmed his suspicions.
[Elf Lv ???]
The fair-skinned elf had silvery-blonde hair swept into a messy bun accentuating her long-tipped ears. She wore a white tunic paired with black pants, layered beneath a blacksmith’s apron, dark leather gloves, and similar material for her boots. Standing at five foot eleven, she gripped a hammer in between her hands and sat atop a wooden chair with her feet propped up atop an anvil.
She glanced at Archie, with annoyance clearly visible on her face, but then it quickly changed into confusion.
“You there! Who are you?” asked the elf with a commanding voice.
“Uh, hello. I’m Archie,” Archie introduced himself, confused as to her sudden aggression towards him.
The elf got up from where she sat and approached Archie, her brows furrowed. Upon getting closer to Archie, she jerked her head back with visible confusion. “You have the blessing of the Forgefather!”
“You know Bralmir?” Archie asked with a smile, slightly shocked as to how she knew within moments of meeting him.
“You dare mention his name? Are you insane? He is a god!” The elf exclaimed clearly, taken aback, and looked around in worry, as though danger might come.
“Is there something wrong? He’s a friend.” Archie asked confused as to why the elf started to act so weirdly the moment he spoke his friend’s name.
“That is blasphemy! He is a god, and you are a mortal, to speak of his name with such disregard is an affront to all smiths.” The elf spoke with such vitriol in her tone, her grip on her hammer getting tighter.
“Woah, Woah. Calm down. Bralmir and I are friends, he sort of became my patron during the Solo Tutorial.” Archie said, trying to de-escalate the whole situation. “Listen, why don’t I go ask him to prove it.”
“What? Are you insane? Why would a god listen to you, an E-Grade?” The elf spat at Archie, anger fully evident on her face.
“Uh, Bralmir, some help please,” Archie said, slowly backing away.
Not a moment later a familiar pressure rested atop Archie’s shoulders, the presence of Bralmir lighting up all the forges within the smithy.
“What do you need?” Bralmir asked confused as to why Archie called him, just mere minutes into his entrance into the Group Tutorial.
The elf’s face blanched as she felt the presence of Bralmir throughout her forge, falling onto her knees and slamming her head onto the floor. “Forgefather! I apologize for what I’ve said. I meant nothing by it.”
Archie looked at the shivering kowtowing elf in confusion, “Hey, get up. What are you doing.”
But Archie’s response seemingly went over her mind as she refused to move from her position.
“What she is doing is normal for all who are not gods. The sheer pressure we, gods, release is simply too much for a mortal to withstand. Even if we mask it, once mortals realize that they stand before a god, the masking becomes useless.” Bralmir explained
“But I barely feel anything from you,” Archie was confused as to why he wasn’t feeling the same pressure.
That is simply due to two things; one, you have my blessing, and the other thing I told you not to speak of. Bralmir whispered into his mind, ensuring that the elf wouldn’t hear what he was hinting at. Archie was slightly confused as to what Bralmir meant by his bloodline helping him withstand his pressure. His bloodline was about adrenaline, not being resistant to the presence of gods.
Seeing his presence was not needed anymore, Bralmir left, releasing the pressure he placed within the smithy as well as atop Archie’s shoulder. Bralmir’s presence vanishing also caused the flames within the forges to extinguish.
Archie looked at the still shivering and kowtowing elf, getting on one knee and shaking her shoulder, “You can get up now, he’s gone.”
The elf looked up at him with a shaky expression, tears flowing down her face and her body shivering in fear. “I-I’m so s-sorry. I-I did not mean anything by what I said.”
Archie raised his hands slightly, trying to calm the elf down, “It's fine, no harm no foul. Please just calm down.”
The elf slowly and shakily got up from where she kneeled, tears still flowing down her face.
“Listen, we got off the wrong foot. I’m Archie, what’s your name?” Archie asked, trying to distract her from her current attitude.
“I-I am Syllia Glynvyre.” Syllia stammered, looking around in worry, tears welling in her eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Syllia. Why don’t you go and freshen up, so we can have a normal conversation? You know to start anew,” Archie offered.
Shakily nodding, Syllia turned around and slowly made her way towards a door and disappeared within.
Archie blew out a breath he did not know he held, “Got it, don’t mention Bralmir in a casual sense at all around people who don’t know about me and him.”
Looking around at the now-unlit smithies, Archie slowly walked up to one. “This is going to be awkward as hell now.”