Hans Strauss, a weathered survivor of countless battles, moved through the Tutorial Realm with a mechanical precision born from a lifetime of violence and warfare. The horrors he'd witnessed had long since numbed his senses, transforming him into a brutally efficient, remorseless killer. He witnessed civilization crumble during the third world war, watching as cities vanished in an instant under the destructive power of nuclear bombs. To Hans, a few monsters were nothing but another day on the job.
He could still remember the glee he felt as he piloted his B-55 bomber, just one amongst many others dropping those devastating payloads upon the enemy. Nothing could compare to that feeling of raw, unfiltered superiority. It made him feel like God. Hans frequently relieved the experience in his twisted dreams.
With a lifetime of combat experience behind him, Hans was no stranger to the brutality of hand-to-hand combat, knife fights and gun battles. He had piloted planes and driven tanks, surviving behind enemy lines and emerging victorious time and time again. When the System arrived, it was merely another adversity to overcome. Armed with an AR-15 and fueled by ingrained determination, he welcomed the challenge and sought refuge in an old Swiss bunker; a fortified stronghold that would ensure his survival.
When the Tutorial finally began, Hans found himself older and heavier, but no less prepared. His first Human interaction had proven his skills rusty, but no less lethal. Armed with a deadly beam knife he'd procured off the corpse of that foolish would-be assassin, he smiled with uncontrolled glee and carved through a group of dark-skinned warriors who wielded homemade spears. The knowledge of the vastly superior amount of Experience given when killing his fellow Humans in comparison to the pittance provided for slaying the Tutorials monstrous denizens left him eager for more surprise encounters.
For a reason he didn't feel like guessing at, these people were wearing little more than leaves and twigs. Hans wasn't sure where their Tutorial armor was, but he wasn't going to complain. Not only were their numbers greater, but their pack mentality also granted them a measure of unity and allowed for coordinated swarm tactics. Their lack of protective gear evened the odds. Hans's lethal precision and battle-hardened instincts allowed him to close the distance and penetrate their feeble defenses with ease.
With each swing of his futuristic blade, Hans dismantled the incoming spears, parrying swiftly delivered blows with ingrained muscle memory. An electric hum sliced through the air as he spun, pivoted, and struck back with practiced accuracy. The dark-skinned warriors, fueled by their determination to acquire Experience, lunged at him with a primal animalistic fury. But Hans's reflexes were honed to near-perfection, allowing him to anticipate their moves and counter with ruthless efficiency.
One after another, the warriors fell under the relentless onslaught of Hans's blade. He chopped their spears in half, sending fragments of wood flying through the air, then swiftly moved in for the kill. Their necks were exposed, vulnerable to his blade, and he slashed at them without remorse. Blood gushed to the forest floor in fountains as arteries were severed. Hans ended their lives ended without regrets.
The incoming notifications were dismissed as they arrived. Hans didn't need them. He could feel himself growing stronger with each kill.
Amidst the chaos, the last two warriors attempted to flee, their survival instincts overpowering their desire to do battle. But Hans had never been one to let his targets escape. He pursued them with reckless abandon, a predator closing in on fearful prey. With a smooth, practiced motion, he drew a beam pistol from the holster on his hip, its lethal energy pulsating with a single-minded intent to destroy as it began to charge up a shot.
A faint pop pierced the air at the very same moment a foot long beam of solid light ripped a fist-sized hole through the nimbler of the fleeing warriors' backs, ending his life before he ever knew what happened. The unnamed warrior was dead before he ever hit the ground. The second spear user, frozen with indecision, turned to face his pursuer only to meet the same fate as his companion.
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Unbeknownst to Hans, as he looted his fallen victims, his every move was being observed from behind. Quinn Skaggs, the self-proclaimed Poison Master, watched with keen interest, his beady brown eyes narrowing as he witnessed Hans' ruthlessness. The act of shooting the fleeing warriors from behind left a bad taste in Quinn's mouth. This behavior violated the code of honor instilled in him by his benefactors; the Spider Gnomes who had saved his life.
Quinn's hometown had once thrived. Despite the ceaseless threats introduced by the System's arrival, Dubai was a bustling city-state, teeming with life. It was one of Earth's final bastions of prosperity. But all of that was brought to a swift end when a Level 102 Hill Troll Beast king, accompanied by its horde of lesser beasts, descended upon the unsuspecting settlement in the dead of night.
The city's newly constructed defensive wall, foolishly considered impregnable, was in reality overrun within seconds. It was simply unable to withstand the ferocious onslaught of System-empowered monsters. Buildings crumbled and streets ran crimson with blood as the sleepy inhabitants were mercilessly slaughtered. Many were eaten. Quinn, mere moments away from death himself, had miraculously managed to survive with the help of a clan of inhuman creatures. As far as they knew, Quinn was the sole survivor of the destruction of his world.
It was the Spider Gnomes who had discovered his prone and injured form hidden amidst the gruesome wreckage left by the Hill Troll's army. Quinn's total lack of System access made him an easy target, yet their initial reluctance to spare his life lasted less than an hour. When their shaman was asked for guidance, she claimed to have witnessed untapped potential in the young boy's eyes—a gleaming intellect and a burning desire for vengeance. She recognized that, should Quinn survive, he would surely become something special. And so, the shaman saved him from the brink of death. Rather than focus on what he couldn't do, the Spider Gnomes nurtured within Quinn a love and understanding of the arts of poison and stealth.
For the Spider Gnomes, although their path was one of acids and toxins, honor remained paramount in their everyday lives. They believed in striking their enemies from the front, looking them in the eyes until their bodies turned to smoking ooze. Seeing Hans shoot the fleeing warriors from behind went against everything Quinn had ever learned, and the way of life he held dear.
The memory of his hometown's demise haunted Quinn's every waking moment. It fueled his desire for vengeance and justice. As the soldier continued to loot his fallen victims, Quinn waited patiently, hidden within the dense foliage of the forest. Mind made up, he pulled a bundle of Fire Toad glands out of his Spatial Storage Ring, using his tutorial dagger ever so carefully to stab an opening into each one. Quinn held his breath, the risk of scalding his lungs all too real with the flammable oils now exposed to the air.
Hidden in the bushes, he waited patiently for Hans to pass by. Caustic oils began to ooze from within the deep gashes in the glands. The flames of retribution danced in Quinn's eyes as he anticipated the justice that was soon to be served. As Hans approached--so close that Quinn could smell the musky sweat on his body--Quinn ignited the bundle with an electric lighter and leapt out into the open. Before the unsuspecting murderer had a chance to react, Quinn hurled it at his foe with the accuracy and speed of an MLB pitcher.
A look of stoic resignation flashed across Hans' weathered features as the flaming package collided with his face. The volatile glands exploded upon impact. Liquid fire engulfed Hans in a maelstrom of agony and destruction, yet he refused to make a sound. The blast tore through flesh and bone, obliterating his head in a grisly display of steaming gray matter.
Remarkable! You have defeated a Lvl 7 Human!
+777 Exp gained! Exp Bonus for killing a foe more than twice your level! +777 bonus Exp. Exp doubled for defeating a member of your own race!
+3108 total Exp gained!
Remarkable! You have reached level 6! +20 free Status Points! Evolution to next Evolutionary Stage (F) is still available. You have 38 unallocated status points.
843 Exp to next Level!
Quinn dismissed the notifications, having executed his plan flawlessly. Heart pounding in his chest, he took a slow, calming breath and surveyed the forest floor for any spreading embers. Looking down at the honor-less killer, Quinn knew that despite his misgivings, he'd done the right thing. His adoptive family would've had it no other way. Unfortunately, Quinn's treasonous stomach didn't seem to agree. He spent the next several minutes hunched over, vomiting up his toenails.
With a final glance backwards at the only Human he'd ever had the misfortune of killing, Quinn disappeared amongst the heavy undergrowth, leaving behind the charred remnants of Hans as a testament to the cost of forsaking one's honor.