The Earthlings blinked several times, unable to comprehend what they just heard.

“Um, can you say that again?”

“We’ve only been in Orbis for a month. To be specific, we came here after the last tutorial.”

The Earthlings fell silent. All of them had a similar look of shock, surprise, and uncertainty on their faces once they realized they hadn’t misheard Liam.

“Hang on a second. This doesn’t make sense…”

Suddenly, Glenn stepped forward, shaking his head from side-to-side.

“Why wait until now to say anything? You should have realized a while ago that this mission wasn’t meant for newbies. No, before that, you shouldn’t have come in the first place. Weren’t you listening when the Branch Head said that all Earthlings from the last summoning didn’t have to participate?”

Liam quickly responded with a confident voice.

“He didn’t say anything about that.”

“And I’m saying he did.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Hayes. He’s the one who told me that new Earthlings weren’t supposed to be here.”

Glenn raised one eyebrow.

“Hayes? Why does it have to be him? If you’re as confident as you sound, why not just ask anyone here? That doesn’t make sense unless you two are up to…”

“You can ask anyone… In fact, it’s better if you ask everyone.”

Liam sharply cut Glenn off; he had nothing to hide, and giving the others a reason to be suspicious of him would only cause problems.

“Okay, fine.”

Glenn gave a satisfied nod before speaking to the others.

“Can anyone else remember if the Branch Head forgot to tell the new Earthlings to stay in town? Because I sure as hell can’t. He always mentions that rule. I don’t think there’s been a time when he hasn’t.”

Nate and then Jay answered.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t listening for that since it doesn’t affect my team or I. Also, we left as soon as he told us to scram, so I don’t know if he said anything after that.”

“I can’t say I remember him saying anything, but I’m not sure, like Nate, I wasn’t listening for that.”

The other Earthlings also chimed in, but most of their answers were similar. No one had paid enough attention to know for sure if the Branch Head mentioned the rule; after all, it didn’t affect any of them. At the same time, because he always mentioned it, it was hard to believe he forgot.

Everyone could tell this wasn’t going anywhere, so Glenn turned to Hayes, who had yet to speak.

“Hayes, are you gonna vouch for this guy? Is he a newbie or not?”

Hayes’s head snapped up.

“What?! Hell, no!”

‘Fuck, don’t tell me he’s going to play dumb.’

This was one of the reasons why Liam hated calling people out. When you put someone on the spot, there was always a chance the other party would deny what they said, especially when their opinion was part of the minority. People tend to conform to the group in those situations. When that happened, your credibility fell apart, and you were left in a worse position than before.

Liam wouldn’t be surprised if Hayes tried to do something similar. Based on Hayes’s interaction with Nate, he came across as a small fry trying to act tough, all bark and no bite. Not the type of person who stood behind their words.

“So you’re saying he isn’t a newbie?”

“No, he is.”

Glenn was a bit taken aback by Hayes’s firm reassurance.

“Wait, then why won’t you vouch for him?”

“Isn’t that obvious? He’s a stranger. I don’t want to be held accountable if it turns out I’m wrong.”

“…Fine… But can I ask what you’re basing this on? Looking at his gear, I’d say he’s been here for a few months.”

Hayes nodded.

“I thought the same until I found out he had no clue what a Puffer was. Anyone who’s been in Orbis for at least three months has heard of a Puffer. Knowing about them is a must for anyone planning to travel deeper into the forest where the Medium rank monsters live.”

“Couldn’t he be lying?”

“No, that wouldn’t make sense. If you heard the context that I asked him in, then you’d realize there was nothing to gain from lying… I’d say he had more to lose from lying. I mean, who’s gonna listen to the guy that doesn’t know basic information? No one. So, unless you have some weird hobby of wanting people to disregard your opinion, it’s stupid to act clueless.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. It doesn’t change anything. I need more evidence. Not having a reason to lie isn’t enough of reason for me to believe him… Normally, I wouldn’t care about something like this, but this time it’s important. If he’s a newbie, then we’re going to have to adjust our plan. And if he’s lying, well, I’m sure we can all agree that it wouldn’t be fair to let one guy take it easy while the rest of us work our asses off… Look, I want to figure this out, but I’m gonna need a bit more to go off, okay?”

Everyone seemed to agree with Glenn’s assessment. They couldn’t believe Liam was a newbie without solid proof, the timing was too convenient, and the benefits he could gain were all good.

“Sure…”

Hayes nodded. While he wasn’t the type to defend a stranger, there was an incentive for him to convince the others that Liam was telling the truth. If they gave Liam and Claire a role meant for veterans, then their entire plan could fall apart, a newbie’s role in the battle would be much smaller.

“…Aside from that, I’d say it was his battle sense and fighting.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Because both were horrendous. I couldn’t even explain how bad they were if I tried. He looked like a melted pile of jelly in the middle of the trail after the battle ended.”

“A melted pile of jelly?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone that haggard and that was only after fighting three Viermin! THREE!”

Hayes held three fingers up to emphasize his point.

“He could just be bad.”

“He could, but that doesn’t change anything. What’s the difference between someone who’s bad and a newbie? They’re the same if you ask me.”

Glenn still didn’t look convinced, but before he could say anything, Nate stepped into the conversation.

“This isn’t going anywhere. Right now, all we’re doing is wasting time… But I think I know a way to clear this up…”

He looked towards Liam.

“Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“Can you describe the environment of the tutorial?”

Liam didn’t know how this would help, but it appeared that Nate had a plan, so he decided to play along.

“Um, it was a big abandoned city with a castle in the center. It was reminiscent of medieval Europe. The place was a ghost town.”

“What about the weather?”

Liam shivered.

“Cold. Very cold. In terms of temperature, I'd say it was below freezing because of the snow.”

“Mhm, and what about the rules?”

“Rules?”

As far as Liam knew, there were no rules to the tutorial.

“Sorry, I should’ve clarified. What were the objectives, tasks, or instructions that you were given at the start?”

“None… Well, at least, there were none that I knew of. I guess the objective was to reach the castle, but we weren’t told to. We just went there because it was the only intact building in the entire city. If we didn’t go to it, we would’ve died.”

“Are you sure? They would have come up in a digital window like the status screen.”

“Positive. So, is that all?”

“No, two more things. What were the monsters in the city like, and can you describe the Host?”

“There were two-headed dogs and a creature which looked human except it was boney, seven feet tall, had long hair, a big sword, sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes. If you need more detail, just ask.”

“That’s enough. Can you tell me about the Host?”

Liam frowned; his impression the Host wasn’t favorable.

“It was a woman with blonde hair. I’d say she was attractive, but that only applies to her physical appearance. Her personality was shit. She was cold, callous, and lazy. Just imagine a lazy, grumpy employee, and that’s her.”

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Nate chuckled at the bluntness of Liam’s last sentence.

“That’s quite a harsh way to put it.”

“Well, if she worked for me, I would’ve fired her… Oh, yeah, she was also a Mage. I saw her use ice magic to freeze two guys when they tried to steal an extra bag of nickel.”

“Mm. That’s all, thanks…”

Nate turned back to the Earthlings, who were still confused by the strange questions.

“Hayes is right, Liam’s a newbie, same with his teammate, the girl… We’ll have to take that into account when we start planning.”

“Wait a second!”

Glenn waved his hands in the air, getting everyone’s attention.

“I’m gonna need you to explain this to me… I mean, what the hell?! How does any of that nonsense prove anything?!”

Nate calmly responded.

“Since the last tutorial was a bit peculiar, I figured that if he knew the details, then he probably wasn’t lying.”

“No, wait, that still doesn’t explain things… Except for the Host, the tutorial is always the same. And it isn’t exactly a secret that the last Host was a bitch. I’d be more surprised if someone didn’t know that by now. All the Association employees were complaining about the limited selection and poor quality of new Earthlings for an entire week. They were pissed at the Host, saying that this was her fault for letting so many of them die.”

“Oh, it looks like you don’t know… Well, that makes sense considering most people forget about the tutorial after it’s over. I’m a bit odd because I make a point to ask the newbies about it every time. I guess you could call it a hobby of mine. I like to think that it gives me a better idea of what is outside Kelm and what’s possible in Orbis.”

Nate paused and got back on topic.

“Anyway, the location changes once a year, and as you said, the Host changes every summoning. Earthlings that came to Orbis over six months ago took the tutorial in a completely different place. I took mine in a forest. I’m sure Hayes can back me up on that. He’s been here for more than six months too.”

“Yeah, we had to survive there for a week before getting to Kelm. The only good thing was the monsters weren’t too strong.”

After Hayes finished, Nate turned back to Glenn.

“See?”

“I get it, but that just means he’s been here for at least six months, same as my team.”

“That’s why I asked about the other things. The Host has some control over the tutorial, that’s why the last one turned out poorly. From what I know, the Host can set the rules, give starting items, choose the monsters, add a time limit, set conditions and objectives, as well as a few other things. Of course, there are probably restrictions on those things, but you get the point.”

“Yeah, I get it… So, since you’re so confident he’s telling the truth, I’m guessing his answers matched up perfectly, down to the letter, right?”

“No, not exactly. There were a few things that I hadn’t heard, like the humanoid creature. Although that could be because most people that ran into it died… Overall, his answers were close enough to what I’d heard that I’m confident we can believe him.”

Glenn stayed silent for a moment before responding.

“Alright, I’ll trust you... But I want to get moving soon. We’ve wasted too much time on this.”

The most convincing part for Glenn wasn’t the evidence; it was Nate’s honesty that Liam’s answers didn’t match up perfectly. Had Nate said they were exactly the same, Glenn would have been suspicious. So, he was trusting Nate’s honesty, not Liam’s testimony.

“Agreed… And I think we can also agree that Liam and Claire shouldn't play a crucial role in the battle. It would be a disaster if we have two newbies running amuck. We’re already at a disadvantage in numbers. We don’t need to add chaos to the mix.”

The other Earthlings nodded, including the team leaders.

Liam clenched his fists.

‘This is better than I expected!’

For a while, he thought no one would believe him, so he was glad things hadn’t ended like that.

Hayes talked over the murmuring Earthlings.

“I’m fine with that, but I don’t think they should sit out. Even newbies are good for something.”

Nate nodded.

“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on letting them take it easy… Hey, you two! You said you’re a Ranger and a Warrior, right?”

“Yes, I’m a Ranger, and she’s a Warrior.”

Nate raised his eyebrows.

“Hm, wait a second, where’s your bow? Or do you use daggers?”

He eyed the knife at Liam’s waste.

“No, my bow broke earlier…”

Marc chuckled behind Nate.

“Well, shiiiiiiit, that really limits things, doesn’t it, Na – aahhh?!”

Rex elbowed him in the side, causing him to fall silent.

“It does… I was thinking of using them as supporters, but if one of them is unarmed, putting them anywhere near the battlefield could be a problem.”

“I mean, he still has a knife.” Glenn pointed out.

“Yeah but having a knife and knowing how to fight with a knife are two completely different things. He’s only been here a month. I bet he’s barely comfortable with a bow, expecting him to be good with another weapon is too much. If he were that talented, he’d be part of the Elites, not our ragtag bunch of Association rejects.”

“So, lookout duty? We can have them watch the back in case anything tries to flank us. And if things get really bad, they can run back to town and tell the Branch Head to send reinforcements.”

“I hope it doesn’t get to that, but yeah, I think that’s the best option. Anything else is too risky for them and us. Being down two people won’t be much of an issue, even if we lost four, we’d be fine as long as our plan is good.”

Everyone seemed to agree, so Nate quickly moved on to the next topic.

“Speaking of plans. I think it’s obvious, but we should use–”

Suddenly, Claire shouted.

“Wait! I want to–!”

But before she could finish her sentence, Liam slapped his hand over her mouth. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

“Listen, just shut up, okay? This is good for both of us.”

He wasn’t about to give Claire a chance to ruin this, not after he had somehow managed to be exempt from fighting.

“Mmmhpp!”

Claire pulled at the hand that was plastered over her mouth. Liam could tell she wasn’t going to give up with just that, so he added to his earlier statement, speaking quietly but hastily.

“You remember what I said earlier about staying alive, right? The Viermin aren’t going to die any faster if you’re participating. Let the others kill them. After that, you can do whatever you want.”

Hearing this, Claire stopped and glared back at Liam. Of course, she remembered his earlier words, that was the only reason she cooperated until now. She shoved Liam away and send him a hostile glance, one that conveyed she’d step down here but wouldn’t give up.

Liam ignored her and instead spoke to the group of Earthlings staring at them.

“Sorry about her. She can be a bit reckless. Don't worry. I won't let it happen again. We’ll watch the flank and stay out of the way.”

“Reckless? I’d say that’s an understatement.”

Nate frowned as he stared at Claire. Her outburst reaffirmed that it was the correct choice to exclude her and Liam from the actual battle. Someone like her could only be called a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, bringing her into battle would be disastrous for everyone.

Nate sighed.

“Well, as long as you understand, then I have no problems…”

Liam and Claire hadn’t seen nor experienced the things he and the other Earthlings had, it was hard to expect them to display the same level of professionalism as the others, and even then, there was always an exception. Still, he couldn’t pass off Claire’s outburst that easily.

“…And you, girl. Keep in mind that there’s a difference between bravery and recklessness, don't mistake the two. In case you haven’t realized, this isn’t a game, there are no second chances here. If you die, it’s over. Don’t forget that.”

Claire stayed silent with her head turned to the side. It was unclear if she heard Nate or chose to ignore him. Either way, Nate had already said what he wanted to, so he picked up where he left off.

“As I was saying, we should use hit-and-run tactics. While we could win a head-on-head battle, it wouldn’t be without a few sacrifices. There are just too many Viermin to come out unscathed… So, does that sound good?”

No one seemed to disagree, so they quickly began working out the finer details of the plan…

----------------------------------------

As the other Earthlings moved into their respective positions, Liam and Claire stayed in the back, a safe distance away from where the battle would take place.

While they were told to watch the rear in case the Viermin tried to flank, it was safe to say their role of “lookout duty” existed in name only. Not only was the likelihood of an ambush low, but Pat and the other Rangers would notice anything suspicious long before them. So, if they did manage to spot something, it would be counted as a fortunate surprise; no one was relying on them to produce actual results.

The surroundings were silent as Liam and Claire waited for the battle to start.

Claire hadn’t said a word after she tried to speak out against Nate’s decision and immediately got shut down. Liam had been expecting her to complain, or at least, show a bit of uncooperative behavior; he hadn’t expected her to be so obedient. While he welcomed the silence, since it was coming from Claire, he couldn’t help but find it a bit foreboding.

WhoOOOosh! WhoOOOosh! WhoOOOosh…!

A thunderous roar resounded through the silent forest. The wind sounded menacing, powerful enough to knock over trees and tear the roofs of houses, but Liam knew that wasn’t the case as he looked toward the sound.

‘It’s starting.’

The sound signified the start of the attack; the howling wind was from the barrage of arrows raining down on the Viermins. If he focused, he could even hear the screeches of Viermins as they dropped dead, impaled by numerous arrows. A vivid image of the bloody battlefield appeared in his mind, reminding him once more of how fortunate he was to be stationed in the back and not up there.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

At the sound of hurried footsteps, Liam whipped his head around just in time to see Claire’s back disappearing into the forest.

‘You’ve gotta be–!’

While he had only taken his eyes off her for a second, it was enough time for Claire to get a head start.

‘Damnit!’

Liam sprinted after Claire.

----------------------------------------

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Pat’s arrows shot out of the forest towards one of the Viermins… THUD! With a booming sound, the arrow broke through the Viermin’s chest, sending pieces of its shell flying in every direction.

The other Viermins looked around. Unable to determine where the attack had come from, they began to show signs of panic, and the organization in their ranks began to crumble as Pat fired another volley of arrows, killing three Viermins.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Arrows shot by the other Rangers flew toward the Viermins. They had less power than Pat’s but still packed enough of a punch to take down the Viermins. Thud! Thud! Thud! Bodies dropped to the ground one-by-one.

Whoosh! THUD! Whoosh! Whoosh! THUD! Whoosh! Crack! Whoosh! THUD! Whoosh!

Arrows rained down on the Viermins, shredding their hard shells like paper. Within seconds, the area outside the cave had turned into a sea of blood.

A group of Viermins charged into the forest, hoping to deal with the Rangers who were quickly racking up kills, but as soon as they entered…

“Now!” Nate shouted as soon as the Viermins had stepped within range.

Simultaneously, Rex’s spear and Marc’s sword shot out of the bushes and impaled the Viermin running by. The Viermin stopped dead in its tracks, with a spear stabbing through its left side and a sword through its right, it didn’t even have a chance to resist.

“Ohhh? So, what do we call this? A point for both of us?” Rex said with a musing tone, dragging out the syllables in his words.

Marc snorted and curtly turned his head to the side.

“A tie?! Don’t fuck around. My sword was clearly faster! Look! It's in deeper than your sp-!”

When Marc looked back at the Viermin’s body, Rex’s spear was gone, or rather, Rex himself was gone.

Stab!

Marc’s gaze shifted towards the sound behind him, and his eyes shot open. In the brief moment he had been distracted, Rex managed to kill a second Viermin and was eyeing his third.

“You… You…!”

“Hm?”

Rex paused as he pulled his spear out of the Viermin’s corpse.

“Oh, you can have that one. You’ll probably need it.”

Marc didn’t miss the sly smirk on Rex’s face. His face dyed a deep shade of red, realizing he was being played with.

“You fucker! Just wait until I-!”

Rex had already run off to kill his third, so Marc swallowed his words.

“Fuck,” He said in a hushed voice as he went to pull his sword from the Viermin’s body.

Thud…

The sword didn’t budge.

“Huh?”

Marc pulled again; this time, he stepped on the corpse to hold it in place.

Crack!

He heard a sound similar to a lobster claw being cracked as the leg he was stepping on snapped off.

Marc’s eyes wandered toward where Rex was slaughtering Viermins left and right. Seeing one, two, and then three bodies hit the ground in quick succession, another curse escaped Marc’s lips.

“Oh, shit…”

Marc pulled on his sword again, but it was stuck inside the corpse at a weird angle, making it hard to exert his full strength. Not to mention, when his blade crossed paths with Rex’s spear, the insides of the Viermin appeared to have shifted and locked his blade in place. He quickly gave up and tried to twist his sword back and forth to loosen it somehow, but since the entire blade, all the way to the hilt was stuck inside, it didn’t budge.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! How did it get so far in?!”

Marc was beginning to regret his overzealous attack earlier as he desperately tried to free his sword. With every second that passed, he fell further and further behind Rex. Feeling the rising pressure as his chances of victory vanished, he stomped, kicked, twisted, pulled, and swung the sword until finally…

“It’s off!”

Marc cheered as the sword slid out of the Viermin’s mutilated corpse, which looked no different than a pile of minced meat.

“Alright, time to…!”

As Marc took a step forward, he heard Pat shouting in a loud voice.

“RETREEEAT!”

“Gahh! You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, already?!”

Marc pulled his hair in frustration; retreating was part of the plan once too many Viermin entered the forest, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

Rummmmble!!!

The ground began to quake as a horde of Viermins rushed into the forest. Based on the sound alone, Marc knew that the rest of the Viermins around the cave were coming after them.

“Fuuuuck!”

Marc groaned as he turned and ran.