← Quickly thereafter, I found myself on a dark, narrow corridor.

|— Welcome to the ‹Tutorial›’s ‹Legendary-Mode›: ‹0th Stage›! —|

I wasn’t feeling as dizzy this once; not because my body had endured it better, but because I had been more prepared.

It was so dark that even I, who was accustomed to the night, who had spent all his life on dark rooms, could not see. But I had an ominous feeling, and all my senses urged me not to walk in that direction.

When a cold breeze hit my body and froze my lungs, I started regretting having chosen the hardest difficulty.

But I could quickly come to my senses: when had I regretted something? – it is a useless feeling that does not bring one anywhere, and gets one to be distracted with the past, rather to be focused on the future.

I like who I am. And what built myself, is the past events out of which most were influenced by the choices I made; had I done something just slightly different, I may be a completely different person.

Regretting is for the weak: for those averted to the risk, whom, scared of their potential failure, prefer reminiscing a bad past, and not looking for a better future.

Although I had a vague idea, I did not know what this was about or how hard it was going to be. The one thing I knew, is that I chose the hardest initial difficult. That’s why, I had to maintain myself alert.

I quickly scanned my surroundings: the floor, walls and ceiling were all made of old stone bricks, coveted in vines. There also were two torches in the walls at my sides.

Most importantly, though, there was a portal behind me. I quickly realized it was the one that brought me here, and that, the fact that it remained open, meant that I could go back.

To be sure, I crossed it: this time, I did not feel nearly as dizzy as before. The portal remained unchanged, so I crossed it many times, searching for a change.

It was good news I could go back any time. I could not let my guard down though, because even if I did not believe them to be the case, there were countless possibilities yet – for example, it could close by proximity. Which meant that if I encountered an enemy and wanted to escape, I could try returning and end up stumbling upon a closed corridor, signifying my death.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

For now, I would just be grateful nothing happened whereas I had been thinking, and pray for the best.

Actually, in truth I would not pray. I do not pray to any god, because I do not need their pity, sympathy, nor help. All I ever had, I achieved it myself.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Okaaaaay I’m sorry, yes? I was wrong, I’m praying, see? Ohmmm… Can you help me already? No? I’m in a bit of a hurry, you see…” — being chased away by a three-meters-tall ogre, with a spiky, dark club, I shouted.

“Krggggg.”

“Yes, no. I want help… Probably not the help you’re offerin-…“

‘Boom!’ — the ogre smashed the floor with his weapon, aiming for me. The whole room trembled, and the sound disturbed my hearing.

His movements were crazy fast for his size, and I dodged it by a hair’s breadth - not because I had been trying to, but because the place he hit had one of the pressure plates I was intentionally avoiding: I would not willingly test those obviously-set traps, thank you.

Darts dispensed from the ceiling permeated throughout his skin and stabbed his skull, and possibly brain. Depicting a confused face, the ogre started to tremble and fainted shortly after.

“… Those darts either had venom, or were awfully large. And I hope it’s the first option.”

I spent about thirty minutes wandering nearby the corpse of the ogre, pondering if it would wake up. When I was somewhat sure it would not, I quickly grabbed his heavy club, and dragged it to the ‹Liminal Realm›.

Thinking back, how childish: such a fancy name just for a simple waiting room.

When I came back, the ogre’s corpse had disappeared. At first, I freaked out; soon afterwards, I assumed through the spores in the air, that he had been de-spawned.

A sigh of relief instinctively came out of my mouth. After walking for about ten minutes on the corridor, I had found the ogre at the very end, and he seemed to be the only enemy of this stage.

Pondering why it hadn’t yet ended, I wandered around for a while: opening the menu, crossing the portal, going back to the final. Nothing seemed to work.

“Who the fuck made the GDD for this tutorial? Do they even know that the player ought to always know what to do clearly, so to not get bored…? Okay fine, I’m done, I will soon be beating the shit up out of them.”

‘Crunch.’ whilst swearing, I heard the sound of something being crushed below my feet, just where the vanishing spores were. It looked like meat. Although upon a closer look, was it an organ?

Soon, a window I hadn’t seen before popped up.

|• ‹Legendary-Mode›: ‹0th Stage› Completion •|

|— Functions unlocked: ‹Settings›; ‹Quest›; ‹Community› —|

|— Level-Up (x5) —|

|— A majority of the gods is amazed at the sight of your accomplishment! —|

So, I guess that’s how one can unlock the menu functionality.

And five level-ups?! Isn’t that supposed to be crazy?!

“… Well, I’m not complaining.”

While still astonished, staring at the messages, I got teleported yet again.