Chapter two
The void of emptiness faded away around Cecis, revealing a clearing surrounded by massive reddish-barked trees that appeared to touch the sky. He felt a sense of awe and wonder as he gazed around the clearing, noticing in shock that it looked nothing like the town of Ethea. Feeling disoriented, he wondered how he had ended up in this unfamiliar place. Could this be the afterlife? And what was that mysterious voice he had heard and the strange screen that had appeared before him?
Just as he was thinking about the screen, it rematerialized in front of him:
Status:
Name: Cecis
Species: Human
Type: Enlightened
Condition: Healthy
Compatibility: 9
Grade: (Z)
Level: 1 (Z)
Experience: [0/13XP→(LV 2)],[0/715XP→(Y)]
Statistics:
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Endurance: 0
Vitality: 0
Magic: 0
Mana: 0
Aura: 0 (+5%)
Intelligence: 10 (MAX) (Enlightened)
Free points: 9
Achievements:
Enlightened: Entity has reached maximum Intelligence and cannot put System Stats into Intelligence. Allows communication between anyone with the Enlightened Achievement. (+5% Aura)
Startled by the appearance of the screen, Cecis recoiled in surprise and somewhat willed for it to disappear. As if on cue, the screen vanished from sight. Deciding to set aside the weirdness of the screen, Cecis instead focused on his wounds from the battle in Ethea. Or, the apparent absence of aforementioned wounds.
Looking down at his clothes and Cecis saw evidence of past injuries in cuts and tears on the material. However upon closer inspection, he realised that underneath his clothes, the wounds had been healed flawlessly. Although he was completely shocked by the absence of his wounds, he supposed it was a good thing they had been healed. However, the implications of his healed wounds worried him. If it weren't for the presence of his old clothes, spear, and the strange screen, he would have believed that he had died and entered some form of an afterlife. Even so, he still wasn't entirely convinced that this wasn't the case.
As he stood there, taking in the strange new world around him, Cecis noted a man nearby holding a hammer. Curious about if he had experienced similar events, Cecis decided to approach the man. However, as he was walking towards the man, Cecis once again heard, or more so felt the androgynous voice projected into his head:
[Welcome to the Tutorial.]
Cecis quickly surveyed the clearing, and noticed that other people were also glancing around in confusion. They too seemed to be able to hear the voice in their heads, just like he could. Despite the eerieness of hearing a disembodied voice, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that he wasn't the only one who could hear it.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
As he scanned the faces of those around him, Cecis noticed a mix of emotions. Some appeared frightened or disturbed by the situation, others were frantically discussing what was happening, and a third group was calmly listening to the voice.
Cecis himself felt a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Who or what was behind this voice, and what did it want? Was this some sort of experiment or test? He had so many questions, but for the time being, all he could do was listen and wait for further information.
[Participants from the planet “Earth” with a Compatibility rating of 4+ have been randomly selected to participate in this Tutorial. Participants have been grouped together by species and distributed into groups of approximately 100 each. This Tutorial’s monsters have been created by the System to mimic some of the prominent mythology of the Enlightened species “Humans” on Earth to better familiarise Participants with the System.]
A moment of silence followed, as if to allow the Participants to comprehend the message.
[The arena containing the Tutorial area has been split into three levels. Level one is the outer forest where all Participants are currently located, level two is the inner forest surrounding a deep abyss-like chasm, and level three ecompasses the chasm itself.]
A holographic map materialised in front of the Participants, displaying the three levels of the Tutorial area, it looked like a rectangular forest that had been fractured diagonally through the middle by a massive black chasm.
[s]Map ! [https://i.imgur.com/nla2jbX.png]
[In the level one area, monsters start out at a low level and are only slightly boosted by Stats, usually not much stronger than the wildlife found on planet Earth. Most monsters in this area also have low Compatibility scores, further decreasing their danger. However, treat them with caution, as they can still level up and are dangerous threats to low levelled Participants.]
[Level two contains monsters already bolstered by System Stats, making them nearly impossible to beat without levelling up first in the first level. Additionally, level two monsters tend to have higher Compatibility scores, having a similar average Compatibility level as the Humans in this Tutorial.]
[Level three creatures are the most perilous and formidable opponents that even the most skilled fighters will struggle to overcome alone. These creatures possess exceptional power and Intelligence not present in the other levels, making them nearly impossible to defeat without the help of a large group of highly levelled fighters. Combined with their high Compatibility scores, It is not uncommon for hundreds of weaker Participants to be completely eradicated by a single creature from level three. These creatures are truly the epitome of danger and pose a serious threat to any unfortunate or unintelligent enough to face them in the Tutorial.]
The voice's tone remained constant and emotionless, as if it were reading from a script.
[It is crucial for Participants to level up and gain power in each level before progressing to the next.]
[By utilising the free Stats allocated by the System, Participants can significantly enhance their fighting ability. Allocating Stats to the Strength category will result in increased physical strength, allowing physical attacks to carry more force than usual. Likewise, Stats put into Agility increase physical speed, facilitating faster movement and reaction speeds. Participants can improve their defence against weapons and magical attacks by allocating Stats to the Endurance category.
[Allocating Stats to Vitality results in faster regeneration and greater overall survivability. Participants can use magical power by allocating Stats to the Magic category, with the manifestation of magical energy widely varying depending on the user. Increasing the Magic Statistic will result in more powerful magic.]
[While Stats put into the Magic category increase magical power, Stats put into Mana increase the duration a caster can use magic and rate of regeneration. By allocating Stats to the Mana Statistic, Participants can use magic for a longer period and recover faster.]
[Aura is a Statistic that cannot be directly increased by free Stats but experiences Stat gains as other Statistics are upgraded. As Aura is widely varying depending on the subject, Participants are encouraged to explore this Statistic on their own.]
A screen appeared in front of Cecis, different than the one that displayed his Statistics:
Quest:
Survive the Tutorial using System Stats to grow stronger!
Requirements:
1. Survive for 30 days.
Alternatively…
2. Defeat the three headed dragon Azhi Dahaka hidden in the ravine.
Rewards:
1. Return to Earth! + Achievement: Tutorial survivor (+5% all Stats).
2. Return to Earth! + Achievement: Advanced Tutorial survivor (+5% all Stats, +5% top Stat) + Hidden reward (Based on contribution).
Cecis waited in silence, expecting the voice to continue its explanation, but it remained silent. Frustration filled his mind as he complained internally about the lack of information. What was the System? How did it work? These were the questions that continued to linger in his thoughts.
He wondered about the term "species" that the System had mentioned. Were animals from Earth also transported to be Participants in this Tutorial like him? If so, would it be possible for them to increase the Intelligence Statistic and become “Enlightened” like humans? Intelligence was another Statistic that the System hadn’t explained, so maybe it wasn’t possible to increase through the System, or required a less direct method than other Stats.
At least, he took comfort in the fact that it didn't seem like he was dead. The System had promised that they would be returned to Earth after 30 days. That meant that he had a chance to figure things out, and he wasn't stuck here forever.