A deal is a deal.

And so she was back at the foothills, to go save Paolo, helping the hunters carve a path in dinosaurs blood to reach him. But the dinosaurs, just like raptors, had proven intelligent enough to realize a fight had gone disfavorably and cut their tails to see yet another morning. The raptors, this time, were not so lucky, as they had been met with overwhelming forces that had no plan to let them flee with their lives. Afterall, they were those hunters' quarry, the purpose of their hunt, and in the end, their soon-to-be trophies.

Needless to say, Sophia appreciated their help but not their personalities, although she understood all too well.

This tutorial was mean and cruel. And so they were trying to outcompete each other to determine who was the toughest, meanest of them all, simple as that.

But for all her understanding, she felt no sympathy for them.

Maybe something was wrong with her brain since she woke up from her existential crisis, but her point of view had definitely changed and her feelings were conflicted. She simply stopped seeing the floor inhabitants as monsters. And sure, they were hostile and wanted to eat her. But she still did not want to kill them if she could help it.

It just showed her how much she had come to rely on her song in the last few days and how that changed her perspective of things. That power, true to her patron, though unintended as it was, had shown her a different path. One that did not require bloodshed but demanded her empathy. It was not much about pacifism than an aversion to unnecessary death.

And the death of those raptors had been anything but necessary. It had been a sick sport of animal cruelty.

But a deal was a deal.

And now, Paolo was safe.

"I was starting to worry" Paolo admitted from his high branch.

"About me or about you?" She retorted playfully.

"To be fair, my life depended entirely on yours, so I guess that one way or another, it was all about me, right?" He played along, smirking.

"Anyway, how Prince has been doing? And where the fuck he is?" She asked, surprised that the winged cat had not already entertained her with his usual spiritual or sarcastic comments.

"He didn't like being stuck on babysitting duty. But we made it work. He is down the river, resupplying fresh water."

Sophia Was honestly surprised by Paolo's answer:

"And he did that willingly?" She exclaimed.

"It took some convincing." The boy admitted, while slowly climbing down the tree. "But I think he is honestly terrified of what your reaction would have been if he let me die like this."

That was the one strange thing about Prince: Even with many incentives, the tressym was more often than not found unwilling to do his share. But he was also incredibly anxious to prove himself useful to stay in Sophia's good book. And though he had been testing the limit of her patience, he had so far proven wise enough to never cross her boundaries.

"Well... for what it's worth, I'm sorry." She sighed before telling him the bad news. "But you will have to work some more on your relationship. I made a deal to get you safe passage to the next floor and I will have to honor it. Alone."

To say Paolo took the news badly was an understatement, from happy and relieved to see her, he turned guarded and cold in a split second, replying laconically with an unkind look at the hunters: "I see."

"We will discuss this in private once we are back to safety." She stated in the same tone, stressing the words 'in private,' leaving the boy no room for argument.

★☆★

After Prince had joined them, the group made its way back to the camp in relative peace, only having to fight twice for the entirety of the return trip. In which she found that the gap she had started to feel toward her peers also extended to Paolo as well. As he had been surprisingly eager to enact his own revenge on any dinos they encountered.

And so she started second-guessing herself. Since she first experienced that sudden change of perspective, she had also begun to perceive her peers in a less rosy light. And at first, it felt perfectly fine. But now, she had rather unkind feelings even toward her friend. So, since it couldn't be that everyone suddenly turned messed up and evil overnight, it must be that something was wrong with her instead. And that something must have permeated her mind, messing up her feelings and her perception of things and magic.

'System, is there any kind of environmental effect that can mess up with my head? If so, please show me any articles on the subject within my credentials.'

Indeed, there is. Let me introduce you to the best entry-level article on this subject.

To every current or former tutorial crawler: Please read this ambient magic toxicity awareness pamphlet.

Magic has as much influence over you as you have over it. Which is generally perfectly fine as magical attunement means you are getting better at whatever magic you are trying to specialize in.

However, that relationship might become toxic and outright corrupt you if you are exposed to foreign ambient influence under the wrong circumstances. Please note that every listed factor is merely increasing your odds and might not be in itself a cause for alarm:

-Being exposed to an overwhelming amount of foreign magic over a short period of time.

-Being particularly sensitive to magic.

-Suffering from a magical backslash while practicing a new spell.

-Being particularly vulnerable to a type of magic.

-Being in a weakened state after any sort of trauma.

-Experiencing a sudden spike in magical growth.

-Being exposed to a foreign particular type of magic for an extended period of time.

-Being in a pocket dimension or a different plane favoring a type of magic you are mildly vulnerable.

-Accidentally blending your own magic with ambient foreign magic, while also overexerting yourself.

-Being under the influence of a curse and 'successfully' resisting its effect.

If you have any reason to think you are under a foreign magical corrupting influence after being exposed to at least any three of those factors and before jumping to conclusions please:

-leave the area as soon as possible.

-get a cleric to check you up.

-have a three-day break to let your magic settle down.

If symptoms persist, either continuously or cyclically, please seek the help of a magic domain Cleric. Keep in mind that specialists might not be readily available and that whatever symptoms you might have, you will not turn into an eldritch abomination overnight.

Ambient magic toxicity is a slow degenerative chronic disease that can be cured with no lasting effect if treated correctly within the first year by a well-trained practitioner. If symptoms are disappearing on their own, even after three days, and never come back afterward, congrats, your magic has successfully beat down the foreign influence and you are fine.

'So 'ambient magic toxicity'...' She thought, pondering over her own experience.

She did not know if her magic sensitivity was any good, but she was hearing the Song of the Weave, which most spellcasters couldn't, so that might be a factor. She had been exposed to an overwhelming strong Elemental who had gone on a rampage meters away from her. That encounter had shocked her to the core though it might not qualify as an actual trauma. And she literally got her magic less than two weeks ago, which might count as a 'sudden growth spike.'

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

And although she planned on leaving the area as soon as she could and might get an opportunity for a Cleric to check her up, taking a three-day break was impossible. She had less than two months to climb nine more floors, which means less than 6 days per floor, preparation and resting time included. So she simply could not afford to take three days off just to wait-and-see if she really contracted a disease or if her magic was taking too much time balancing itself.

Besides, if she was truly sick because of some foreign influence, the nearest Cleric capable of healing her instead of simply establishing a diagnosis was probably outside the tutorial. And once freed from the tutorial, she would have ten months to seek help, if she turned out sick, that's it.

But that was a problem for her tomorrow-self.

Right now, she had a team to send off and a promise to keep.

★☆★

Explaining to Paolo and Prince what her deal entailed had been easy. However, convincing them to have faith in her and go through with her plan was an entirely different matter:

"Here is my backpack" She finally said to Paolo, entrusting it and the Chained Chest hidden deep inside to him. "I'm going to die seconds after sending everyone off so I'm not going to need it until we meet again, that's it."

Paolo was still stunned by her previous declaration and merely nodded while Prince was growing exceedingly anxious.

"You can't do that!" Prince exclaimed. "Even if you made a promise, who cares? Just break it. There has to be a better option."

For her? Sure. She could easily betray everyone, sneak past the giant, and be done with this floor. But Paolo and everyone else? They had been sitting ducks for days trying to figure out a solution. And while there must be one, the simple fact they had not found it yet made her own solution the better one. Simply for the fact they were working against the clock and that the survival of many was more important than the survival of one. Hard to accept when you were the one doing the sacrifice but still. It was the one and only irrefutable utilitarian argument.

When they reached the camp, thousands of people had already gathered from other groups temporarily putting their rivalry aside to accept her kind offer. And leading them was a male Cleric that the old festering woman had promised could help her survive long enough to do her job.

It turned out the man had a spell called 'Sanctuary' that would allow her to be temporarily invulnerable, so long she did not try to defend herself or counterattack. It was kind of the ultimate 'leap of faith' bullshit spell available to Cleric. And yet, it would work perfectly for what she had to do.

"We already discussed this, three times over" She responded, rolling her eyes.

"I'm going to do it anyway and the only way you can help me is by taking good care of Paolo for me. Then I'm going to wake up in the respawn pod and make my way back straight to you, without having to worry about your safety. Paolo is going to get the time he wanted to advance his understanding of magic. You will get a few days off. And I will get a few extra days of stealth-singing training."

The winged cat just brushed up the argument with a wave of his tail but did not respond. Paolo did it for him:

"But we won't be able to help you if you get in trouble."

A perfectly valid argument to which she had no valid counter. So she appealed his less reasonable side instead:

"Do you have so little faith in me? Come on. I already sneaked past the water Elemental and survived to tell the tale. At this point, all I have to do is do a repeat performance of what I basically did for the entire floor."

Paolo tried to find something to say against that. He really tried. But in the end, she saw the defeat in his eyes as he finally closed his mouth, shrugged, and turned away without saying a word.

"You better be right about that, Miirik." Prince finally said, "Cause otherwise, it would be a breach of your contract. And if you think being dead will save you from your angry patron retribution, you are grossly mistaken."

And then, he too left her to ponder that new piece of information.

★☆★

The plan was simple-stupid.

While under the effect of Sanctuary and a dozen other defensive buff spells, she would Sing to the Weave to get the undivided attention of all hostiles close enough to hear her, with the earth Elemental as her primary target. Then, while she was stealing the show, everyone would sneak past the giant as fast as possible, and get through the cave and the metal doors before going straight to the next floor.

It was already agreed upon that the Cleric casting Sanctuary would be the last to step inside the circle, right after the other leaders and her team, so everyone had some guarantees that no party was going to betray the others until everyone else got evacuated. That was the current limit of their trust in each other. And the whole time, she would be checking on Paolo with the system help so no one could pull one over them too. Better safe than sorry.

If it weren't for the human factor, Sophia would have called the plan fail-safe.

But trust had to be earned and at some point, someone had to prove themselves worthy.

And it was her big moment. One life to save thousands. Even if someone screwed it up, no one could possibly doubt her anymore. As for better or for worse, she would have willingly forfeited one life for everyone else.

Sneaking up to the hill plateau and getting herself into position had been easy.

Switching her song to get the opposite effect, even more so.

But keep singing and resisting the urge to try to defend herself against her rampaging Elemental and dinosaurs audience? It had been hell. And yet, she conquered her fears, dominated her every instinct, and kept singing no matter what, buying the time everyone else needed to climb and make their way through.

However, she did not anticipate how long she would have to keep singing as thousands of people evacuated, right under the nose of the Elemental. A few minutes became an hour and a half. And then some more as a few stragglers turned up late. And then, finally, all the leaders and her team.

She had done it.

And then, as expected, the Cleric got through and the last, but the most vital line of defense fell off all at once. She had already switched back to diminutive presence seconds ago, but with the plateau around her being turned into a hasard terrain, she was still caught by the impact of the Elemental rampage and buried alive.

She did not die immediately though, as she initially expected. Ironically, her effort to save her life in a last attempt at self-preservation had just prolonged her death, as she started to bleed out and suffocate under the sheer amount of rumbles she was buried under.

And then, the Elemental had smashed again and the pain went away.

★☆★

And back to the lifeless void, she was.

You have died. You have two lives remaining to complete the tutorial.

Due to the exceptional circumstances of your death, sacrificing yourself to save others, you have been awarded:

-A major alignment drift (+5% good +10% chaotic). You are currently neutral.

Alignment is an attribute that will influence your interaction with the divine, getting more favorable treatment the more closely aligned you are to their own moral values.

-An optional free racial boon from the Aasimar ancestry.

This boon would change your ancestry to Aasimar and might change your appearance to reflect the many good-aligned gods who agreed to participate in this system event.

Do you wish to accept this reward?

However, the notification that welcomed her had taken her aback.

That the system wanted to give her another free boon was amazing.

But that the whole thing was sponsored and done in the name of gods... plus the fact she was given the option to refuse it... it was triggering so many red flags that Sophia had to force herself to think it through before outright saying no.

She had no idea how good the free boon supposedly was. But the fact it came with a change of 'Ancestry' whatever that meant, and that it might affect her appearance with random bits of Gods features made it one pro for two cons.

Even after trying to think it through, with the limited amount of information, her answer was still no.

You refused the reward. You passed the test.

You have been awarded:

-A major alignment drift (+15% good 15% chaotic) You are currently neutral.

-An optional free racial boon from the Aasimar ancestry.

Warning: Refusing the gods' offer a second time might anger major contributors taking it personally and expose you to Divine Retribution the system cannot protect you against. Moral integrity is one thing. Foolishness is another.

Do you wish to accept this reward?

So it had been a dirty quantum ogre false choice all along.

Whatever she chose, she had no way out.

But still...

'Since I'm being threatened into taking this, can I at least know who is making threats?' She asked' Or they have every right to pull the strings without ever being held accountable for it?'

That's a valid request.

Four gods partially agreed to their identity being revealed, in order of contribution:

-Lady Silverhair

-The Night White Lady

-Lady Magic

-The Sky Father

All other gods retracted their claim and support.

First and foremost, she had been relieved to read that all gods but four retracted both their offers and their threats. It seemed that most gods did value more their reputation than whatever agenda they had here.

But the four remaining ones: she knew nothing of 'The Night White Lady' or 'Lady Magic' but they sounded both like big-shot goddesses who would make her life a living hell just because they could.

As for Lady Silverhair, that she was the main contributor came as no surprise. She probably started the whole thing too. At least, she had the backbone to admit she was pulling the strings.

But the Sky Father, that was the one who finished convincing her. She had been an unrepentant atheist from a Catholic family. But even so, she could not ignore who the Sky Father was.

It was the code name for the primitive god behind Zeus, Odin, El, and many 'Father of all Gods' from many Pantheon, as well as one of the too-many-names of the Abrahamic God.

She was not sure about Jews and Muslims, but it was the foundation of all Christians' faith: "Our Father, who art in Heaven." One of the many things her pious grandmother managed to teach her, despite her reluctance.

And somewhat, she was more concerned about angering that particular god than all the others combined.

'I will accept the reward' She finally conceded.

A wise decision. You are now and permanently barred from the [Human] options.

Nota Bene: Racial Boon doesn't count towards the archetype boon limit.

You have 4 [Aasimar] starter options to choose from.