Lights.
Flashing.
Distorted.
Strings of light were moving fanatically as if in utter chaos through the finite complexity of the dark space surrounding... Them?
Bright.
Incomprehensible.
The soul witnessing the spectacle in deep dread unknowing why.
“No”.
“Please no”.
“NO”!
-
Beep. Beep. Beep. The distinct sound resonated throughout the bedroom.
Waking with a groan, his stomach heaving, Devan Reedily took in the long rectangular device that startled him awake. Reaching out, he grabbed his phone with his left and only hand, his other succumbing to the terms of non-existence, displaying only a stump where his wrist should be.
He never liked waking up, not unlike how he hated sleeping in the first place.
“But that dream,” Devan thought, for once he was relieved he woke up.
Hastily getting up, he set his attention on the date: December 26th. He looked irritable on such a day, and while most didn't have work on this date considering it was the holiday season, he wasn't like most people. Sure, technically, he wasn't required to attend work this week, but that didn't mean his pride let him take such a break. He disliked the weakness of taking such breaks; to him, any break was akin to laziness.
He shook his head and sighed irritably, gathering his thoughts. At a calm pace, he walked to the bathroom and started his morning routine.
When not teaching at his university, Devan often occupied his days with various activities, his favorite which included reading history or just reading in general. The Professor found that studying history from the past is beneficial to help guide the decisions of our future from the many mistakes that were made throughout history. Moreover, he found the world's history truly fascinating, studying hundreds of wars and revolutions, the rise and fall of many empires, political and territorial disputes, and even the past of individuals of great renown.
What time is it? He thought as he glanced at the clock by the bathroom door, he realized it was already 4:03 AM. It felt strange not to be grading exams or essays at all which often took most of his time, having finished reviewing the rest of the curriculum the previous night. However, he didn't miss the task. He strutted down the short but wide hallway passing a few doors from either side finally, he made his way towards the door labeled gym in black, thin letters, it being the place where he usually maintains physical health. He decided to settle for various abdominal exercises. However, he did not know that he would never be able to begin his small endeavor.
Not a second had passed before he heard a strange "ping". A light blue prompt invaded his senses "System registration complete, activating the tutorial sequence" it said before everything suddenly turned white.
Momentarily confused about what had occurred, one moment he was in his home, the next was in a large white void of some kind. He Didn't know what was going on or who brought him here.
All he knew was panicking would solve nothing. It was infuriating to a degree, but he knew he had to stay calm.
Focusing on the prompt that tore through his senses not long ago, he did not know what it meant, but assuming that whatever sent that message had brought him here, as well as assuming that the prompt wasn't deceiving, this "system" as it's called was powerful. Powerful enough to teleport and trap a man in a white void for at least a conceivable amount of time. No doubt was in his mind that this "system" would affect his or even others' lives dramatically.
Something in the corner of his eye got his attention, so he turned his head and stood back up to stare at what appeared to be an oddly metallic-looking humanoid. Other than the vague shape of a human, the figure didn't have any other redeeming qualities that could be used to identify it as such. "Hello, human of the homosapien race 124-d" came out the somewhat unsurprisingly robotic voice that somehow sounded like everyone and also nobody at once.
"What are you?" the man responded impassively, only half expecting a response,
"a system avatar produced by mentioned system" the now-titled avatar replied. This answer, nevertheless, did not satisfy Devan
"What's your purpose" the man asked, hungry for more information than was given to him. The avatar paused for a moment before giving him a reply,
"To assist and inform the sophisticated races of Earth before the tutorial commences" the being answered. Devan was slightly confused but he refused to drop his poker face
"What is the tutorial?" he asked again, his voice dripping with coldness, frustrated and looking for answers.
"An introduction to assist the sophisticated races of the earth, as part of the system inauguration program" the system avatar answered again, its voice remaining unchanged.
This statement Devan could only frown at, he was about to ask for the details of this "tutorial" as it was called, but something else caught his attention before he could do such a thing.
Another message in the form of a blue prompt and a loud ding appeared in his vision. At that moment the "system avatar" as it was called had disappeared, not liking this situation he was in, he took a breath and promptly read through the message. "Choose a class, seven options available, note- any option chosen will greatly affect your fate in the future". Before a single thought swept through his mind nine other objects appeared in his vision. Turning to look at such objects appearing only a few meters away from him. They appeared to be seven separate prompts each seemingly having a mentioned class of their own, sighing he read the first prompt.
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"Class: lightweight warrior; common, an unspecified class suited for any quick individual in combat- optional to any individual from a sophisticated race of earth.
Skills: Swords edge; common- a skill utilizing both strength and endurance to make a sword's edge sharper making it.
Items: One-handed sword; common. Light armor; common. Standard shield; common. Linen shirt; common. Linen trousers; common. Tutorial guide; common."
A sword? Devan couldn't help but question the medieval nature of such a class. It was also worth mentioning the so-called "skill" that was mentioned. He was vaguely reminded of his parents trying to get him to play a game similar to this nature but refused to do so for more practical uses of his time. He pushed the thought back, more interested in reading the other classes than his childhood.
"Class: archer; common, an unspecified class suited for any individual specialized in ranged weapons- optional to any individual from a sophisticated race of earth.
Skills: Archer's eye; common- a skill utilizing both perception and endurance to sharpen your eyesight. Improved aim; common- a skill utilizing perception to improve the accuracy of an arrow strike.
Items: novice bow; common. Basic quiver; common. Archer's tunic; common. Linen trousers; common. Tutorial guide; common"
He already knew he wasn't going to pick this class, not because he thought it inferior, but because of his inability to use a bow. With his arm cut just below the elbow, almost all two-handed weapons were impossible, or at least very difficult to wield. He also spotted that the item "tutorial guide" was in the first two classes and immediately assumed it was in all others as well.
"Class: heavy warrior; common, an unspecified class suited for any strong or durable individuals in combat- optional to any individual from a sophisticated race of earth.
Skills: heavy blade; uncommon- uses a measurable amount of strength and endurance to deliver a force heavier than a sword would usually allow.
Items: Full-body armor; common. Greatsword; common. Tutorial guide; common"
"Class: mage; uncommon, a versatile class suited for anyone with low mana affinity- optional to any individual with low mana affinity or above from a sophisticated race of earth.
Skills: mana bolt; uncommon- utilize mana and endurance to physically manifest a ball of impure mana and catapult it towards a target to inflict damage.
Items: mage robe; common. Sorcerer's hat; uncommon. Wooden staff; common"
Devan was taken aback when he heard the term "magic" being used. However, he couldn't deny that the term wasn't entirely foreign, as he had heard it quite often during his early childhood. Despite the initial shock, Devan realized that this was the first class that he could make use of, having ignored the first two classes entirely. He came to this conclusion because this class didn't require the use of his right hand, which unfortunately was nonexistent.
"Class: knight; uncommon, a class suited for anyone with above average swordsmanship- optional to any individual with above average swordsmanship skills or above from a sophisticated race of earth.
Skills: Razor blade; uncommon. Superior upgrade to swords edge, this skill utilizes both strength and endurance to increase the sharpness of the blade. Swords honor; common. Gives a plus-five strength boost when fighting with "honor"
Items: Two-handed great sword; common. Full body armor; common chainmail; uncommon. wool satchel; uncommon"
"Class: sword caster; rare, a class suited for only individuals with above-average swordsmanship and high mana affinity- will only be optional at first-class selection.
Skills: mana blade; rare, utilize mana and strength to create a blade of mana of its own.
Items: steel sword; uncommon. Light armor; common. Linen pants; common. tutorial guide; common"
This particular class seemed to be a better fit for him, despite his obvious handicap. Not only does it involve sword fighting, but it also satisfies his natural curiosity about the existence of mana and magic. The skill he learned was also quite intriguing. Could he potentially train his mana or the skill separately to create things other than just a sword? For instance, could he create a hand? As he pondered these possibilities, he was suddenly interrupted by a notification sound, which immediately drew his attention.
"Five minutes until the tutorial sequence is initiated."
With this notification, he decided to read the last class before anything else.
Class: Shinobi; rare, a class suited for only those who have above-average martial potential and above-average mana affinity- will only be optional at the first-class selection.
Skill: stealth in shadows; rare. The superior upgrade to stealth in concealment, using mana and willpower to hide from view even in plain sight- can be detected by those with at least moderate mana affinity, dependent on mana control.
Leather cloak; common. Chain mail; uncommon Leather boots; common. Shuriken x 60; uncommon. Tutorial guide; common.
Weighing over his options, the last two classes seemed to be the only logical options available, not only from their wider range of capabilities but as well as his own interest and physical use in them. Although if he had to pick one it would undoubtedly be sword caster, namely because of its probability as the stronger class of the two in head-to-head combat.
If these classes were based solely on helping you with this tutorial, then the probability of coming into various conflicts that required this strength was very high. If there was one thing Devan knew, it was that you need strength to survive, no matter the place or where this tutorial sent him and he was not keen on just hiding like a coward. He is strong, and he would do anything to prove himself. Clicking on the class, another message came.
"Would you like to choose the class: sword caster (Y/N)? Note- any option chosen will greatly affect your fate in the future." He clicked yes, the moment he did so, his clothing changed almost instantly.
Now wearing all the clothing and items in the class description, getting a feel for his new outfit, He felt a bit annoyed to see his sword hanging on his left hip, as the system seemed to have overlooked the fact that he didn't have a right hand. He quickly shifted the sword to the other side but noticed the belt it was hanging from, which wasn't mentioned in the description.
If Devan had to guess, it was because of the lack of importance the belt held, but it would only be that, a guess. Devan had way too many questions that couldn't be answered, he only hoped to get these answers in this tutorial as the system had called it.
"Bing". "Ten seconds until the tutorial sequence is initiated".
With that, he closed his eyes uncharacteristically anxious about what was to come.
__
When he opened his eyes, he didn't know where he expected to be, so he wasn't necessarily surprised when he appeared unbound by gravity within a black void, the infinite darkness eyeing him.
"System injury regeneration sequence uploaded". A voice akin to that of the system avatar spoke through his mind, it paused before continuing. "Injury location: right arm, injury type: soul bound, unable to regenerate". What? He thought, but before he had time to process any more of these messages, another message appeared in his head. "Checking fate.., fate unbalanced". It paused before continuing, "Redressing the balance". "Skill received, skill; unknown- unlocked at level 60". More questions unsurprisingly appeared in his mind, unable to be answered, with a sigh he cleared his mind from all the useless thoughts plaguing him, and he closed his eyes once more, awaiting the inevitable of what was to come.
With that, he disappeared.
-
somewhere else
At a peak of an unknown mountain, the top was almost solid ice and snow, only the occasional beast roamed the area. What was very unique about the mountain was the amount of level diversity. An individual could see a monster as high as level ninety or as low as level four.
The high birth and spawn rates of the lower level monsters coupled with the natural white camouflage of their bodies that hid them perfectly. This gave the mountain an almost perfect equilibrium between strong and weak beasts that roamed the area. As opposed to other mountains which usually were the habitat for much stronger monsters, or even an alpha beast that claimed the area.
This particular mountain however, did not lack an alpha. On closer inspection one may have been able to spot a cave at the very top of its peak. Inside there was no snow or ice but only metal.
The creature inside looked to be in some sort of hibernation. But he was disturbed, very disturbed, you could tell from the look on his face. The beast started to moan, then grumble, finally he woke up.
He was confused. Why? Some peasant disturbed his slumber! A burst of rage passed his mind as he let out A low growl. But, No? If it was a peasant or a low born idiot he would've senced the persons or people's mana, even if the peasant was trained to cloak it, he still would've senced such a stupid creature. No. This was the work of something far different and deep down he knew from the moment he woke up.
The system.
With a sigh, he sat up. The man immediately went to his quests.
“Eliminate all those who dare oppose you during the duration of this tutorial.
Rewards +100 in all stats, +85 unspecialized points”
The beast knew. He knew what that meant.
“Well, shit” he thought, honestly surprised, eyes still tired from his slumber. The thing shook its head, just tired. He knew what being in the tutorial meant, but for his sanity, he wasn't going to think about it, not yet. Instead he stood on both legs, and walked over to the entrance of his cave.
The man only knew one thing now. He will crush anyone or anything that dares oppose him, he will win his freedom.
He snarled into the vast horizons unperturbed full of rage, finally he let out a bellowing roar.
“Creeeeeooonnnkk” He roared. Which could be heard from miles.
But for now, he gazed at the low level filth covering his mountain. He let out a low growl and disappeared where he stood, he would discard the filth that dared pollute his mountain with their mere presence.