“Do I have to do this now? Could I please get some rest first?” While Nick wanted to check out the rest of his rewards, he had just experienced a life-altering change. Not to mention, he was in desperate need of some downtime after leaping from one life and death situation to the next. To his surprise, on this occasion, the System decided to answer his query directly.
A period of rest will be provided as soon as the tutorial rewards have been distributed.
“Oh. Ok then. What else are you giving me?”
Your evaluation for the main tutorial quest has been rated as: exemplary.
Your evaluation for the tutorial bonus round has been rated as: strong.
Calculating tutorial rewards based on overall performance… calculations complete.
You have been awarded 10 knowledge points, access to a treasure vault appropriate for your tier, and three basic items of your choice. Additionally, your safe room during the upcoming rest period has been upgraded from (iron) quality to (silver) quality.
You have thirty minutes to redeem your common item selections, then you will be transported to a treasure vault, where you will claim the rest of your prize.
Please select three basic items made from common materials.
Despite everything, all the suffering and loss that he had endured since the System had rewritten the rules of reality, Nick found himself growing excited again as he read the words. While he had no idea what a treasure vault was, he was certain that this was another critical opportunity. An invaluable chance to become stronger, tougher, and more versatile. With any luck, it would be enough to survive the challenge ahead and win the Earth back from Taltos.
Still amped up from receiving his new class, Nick returned his attention to the task at hand. Picking out which three basic items he wanted the System to grant him.
It was an important decision in its own right. Just because an item was basic didn’t mean that it couldn’t save Nick’s bacon or upgrade his quality of life, playing a critical role in his adventures to come. The items in his toolbelt had already proven their worth a dozen times over. He could take advantage of this opportunity to add new tools to his kit or restock his medical supplies. Perhaps grant himself a new capability that would help him to climb, hunt, or a hundred other possibilities.
He had a sense that this was a trap for the unwary as well as a genuine reward. Whatever the survivors of Earth encountered beyond the tutorial was certain to feature its own deadly threats. Threats people might not be able to survive without the proper tools and equipment. The term basic combined with getting three items at once would encourage lazy thinking, cementing the impression that this opportunity wasn’t a big deal. With the main reward coming next, a lot of people would spend far too little time and energy thinking things through, making hasty picks that would put them at a significant disadvantage sooner rather than later.
After a few minutes of careful consideration, Nick decided that his first priority was to do something about his clothes. His jeans were one stich short of falling apart completely, and his shirt had a gaping hole where the leech had burrowed through in the dungeon. Not to mention the dozens of tears and snags that he had picked up during the battle for the highlands and surviving the raging searstorm on the mountain’s summit.
Nick almost used two of his picks asking for new pants and a shirt; replacements for the garments that were in critical condition. But then he realized that doing so would be wasting this opportunity. I need to find a way to swap out my jeans and shirt with a single pick, then choose something that will make finding food easier. Something tells me that during the next challenge, I won’t have time to learn the lay of the land to nearly the same extent that I did on the island.
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That was when it hit him. Coveralls. Coveralls, also known as boilersuits, are loose garments that cover the whole body except for the head, hands, and feet. Nick’s old roommate had worked in manufacturing and had worn them while on the job to offer a layer of protection over his clothing. It was a perfect way to replace Nick’s pants and shirt with a single pick. Now, what to do about the fabric. The System said I can only choose from common materials, so I doubt that I can ask for anything fancy like Kevlar or spider silk.
After some deliberation, Nick decided on denim. It was the most rugged cloth that he could think of; a top choice of workers for well over a century. Denim was famously durable, designed to endure the stress of hard labor. He turned to address the System, only to realize that there wasn’t really a proper way to face a discorporate entity. With a shrug, he said, “I would like a pair of denim coveralls please, as thick as you can make them without impairing my mobility.”
There was a brief flash of light on the table in front of Nick’s knees. When it faded, a pair of heavy denim coveralls were sitting in a neatly folded pile. With a grin of anticipation Nick held them up for inspection and then put them into his pack. Trying them on could wait. He was running out of time to make his other choices, and he was eager to discover what awaited him in the System’s treasure vault.
His next priority was obtaining a tool that would help him find food during his next ordeal. Since the System seemed unusually chatty today, he decided to see if he could coax a bit more information out of the AI before he made his decision.
“One last question. Would you be willing to tell me what kind of terrain I will find myself in if I accept Taltos’s challenge and participate in the fate of Earth event? Please,” he added, figuring that it never hurt to be polite.
For a long moment, Nick thought that the System wouldn’t answer his question. After all, it normally ignored him completely unless he was interfacing with its displays. But here in this safe room, it seemed more inclined to communicate, and a few seconds later, an answer popped into existence in front of his eyes.
The first phase of the challenge will take place in Blackmist Bog.
That would have been nice to know when I was picking my class, although I supposed it wouldn’t have changed my decision. Just in case the System was feeling extra generous, Nick tried again. “Would you mind telling me if I’ll be alone or working with others this time?” Unfortunately, the System didn’t reply, so he began mulling over his options.
A bog hrm… Ok, that gives me a fair amount to work with. Bogs are a mix of various marshlands and there should be large bodies of water distributed throughout the region. And where there’s water, there should be fish. After a few minutes of deliberation, during which Nick reviewed everything he knew about bogs and the tools in his kit, he was ready to make his decision. He would use his second basic item pick to acquire a fishing rod.
Fortunately, he already had a line and hook sitting in his belt pouch. Nick wished that he had grabbed one of the rods he had seen in the sewer, as it would have let him use his pick on another tool now. But the rod would have been awkward to carry before he had found his dimensional storage pack and he had been grappling with bigger problems at the time.
He also knew what he wanted to spend his final choice on. It had come to him while he was reviewing what he had learned so far by spending his tutorial knowledge points, as well as the entries he hadn’t been able to unlock. In short, Nick needed to obtain a means of recording knowledge. Both to consolidate what he had learned and to make it easy to share info with other people. Ready to confirm his decision, he looked up and made his request.
“I would like a fishing rod, made from whatever you think will be the most durable. And for my third item, a travel journal with a waterproof cover, with as many pages inside as you will allow.”
The System must have approved of Nick’s request. Because without further ado, a second flash of light lit up the room, heralding the appearance of a stout fiberglass fishing rod sitting beside a three-inch-thick journal. He could tell at a glance that both were high quality despite their basic designation, and he was certain that they would serve him well on the road ahead. Nick would have to check them out later though, because he was excited to get on with the main event.
“Alright. I’m ready. Treasure vault here I come.”
Please step through the portal along the wall. You may leave your equipment behind. It will be returned to you once you complete the vault and begin your rest period.
He looked up, casting his gaze around the room before spotting a door that hadn’t been there before, a heavy slab of oak that felt out of place with the rest of the office. With a grin, Nick rose to his feet and pulled the door open, taking in the now-familiar glow of a portal waiting on the other side.
With a spring in his step, he passed through the doorway, the world dissolving into a frantic blend of color and motion.