The tutorial is now continuing. Defeat enemies in skillful ways to receive a bonus. Your opponent is a Staggering Zombie. Destroy it to proceed.

When Frank had fought the zombie the last time, he'd been injured, panicked, tired, and completely naked. The old him assumed that getting bit or scratched by a zombie would infect him, as a lifetime of media had told him. And so had ensued a terrifying and drawn-out affair, a scared young man circling the room, the rotting husk slowly following. That was when he'd learned there was a time limit. He'd failed, though fortunately, the punishment was simply the absence of reward and rest, rather than death.

This time, he walked up to meet it when it dragged itself through the door. Mostly decayed away by now, it wasn't even really possible to tell what gender it had been, though given the System could have just conjured it out of thin air, perhaps it never had one. Its face was too rotted to make anything out, exposed skull showing on the left of its forehead, the remnants of hair clinging to the fetid flesh on the right side of its head. Its nose had fallen off, at some distant point in the past, and it's naked body long since falling to pieces was completely bare to the bone in parts, all identifying features gone. It would not be long outside the tutorial before such a weak little ghoul stopped functioning.

Frank drew it into the center of the room far enough he could maneuver in a circle around it. Then he simply knocked it over from behind with a leg hook and a decent push, the slow thing being unable to turn quickly enough to keep Frank in front of him. On the ground, it flailed about for a few seconds before it mechanically tried to get to its feet. The fall had knocked even more flesh off, leaving its face bare. He didn't give it the chance to stand, stomping it right on the neck as hard as he could. With his strength twice upgraded, now at an 8, he had the strength of an athlete or a man committed to a life of heavy labour. There was a cracking noise as its spine snapped. It immediately went limp That was the secret to most zombies. Break the spinal cord, or destroy the brain. Either was enough.

Though he hadn't known it then, a weak zombie such as this posed little threat as long as he knew how to deal with it. The slower it moved, the easier it was to destroy, and not just because it was slower.

Staggering Zombie destroyed. 10 EXP rewarded. For completing a tutorial without taking damage, awarded a quarterstaff. For meeting the same bonus condition three times in a row, awarded 10 EXP. The next tutorial begins in 10:00.

A quarterstaff, but it wasn't equipment. That meant several things. It couldn't be stored in an inventory if he got one. It couldn't be repaired through the system. It couldn't be enchanted. Most importantly, it didn't give any stats. A weapon with some range was still more valuable than a few stats, though. Frank looked down. The zombie was gone. The quarterstaff lay at his feet. He bent down to pick it up, a long, straight piece of hard, polished, black wood, two slight narrowings near one end and towards the middle indicating where to hold it. The opposite end was covered in metal.

He picked it up. Even with a strength that would impress at any gym, a nine-foot long piece of hardwood was not exactly light when held out in front of him. That was fine though. He would get stronger. He noticed as he moved it about that neither the shoes he had tripped and the stomped the zombie with, nor the gloves he'd shoved it with, had any remnants of the thing. What that said about the pool of blood at the back of the room, Frank didn't know for sure.

There were a lot of things, where if everyone hadn't been desperately struggling for survival, they might've figured it out. The tutorial was one of them. But given there were only six sections to it, no one spent much time in it at the beginning, and once you got out, there were bigger concerns. Two more to go. Frank familiarized himself with the quarterstaff. He knew how to hold one, that was about it. A mace and shield were his armaments of choice before. He walked back to the corner, keeping his stare averted from the other one. The safety of the two walls was going to be helpful once again.

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The tutorial is now continuing. Each deed can only level five times before a new one must be selected. If no new deed is available, one stat point will be available for distribution. Defeat two Starving Timberwolves to succeed.

Two wolves padded out of the door opposite Frank. They sniffed the air and looked about, before spying him in the corner. Immediately, they both oriented themselves straight at him. They growled and trotted in his direction. They spread apart, one on each wall, doing their best to maximize the angles. As they got closer, it became apparent they were not in good shape. Their grey and brown fur was patchy with the mange, and their skin hung loosely. Their eyes focused only on him, the prospect of food. They were male and female, Frank noted. Either siblings or a mating pair.

No matter. They were looking at him like dinner either way. They growled continuously as the got closer, tails wagging in excitement. Excitement at the prospect of eating him. Frank stayed in a low stance, quarterstaff held in front of him. Each wolf stood next to a wall, a few feet away from him, growling. When he went through this last time, there had only been one. But he'd also been a level lower, unarmed, and naked. Maybe the tutorial modified itself based on his strength.

Eventually, one decided to probe him and feinted a lunge forward. Frank motioned as if he was going to attack the first, and the second immediately rushed at him. This had been expected though. Everyone who didn't learn how to deal with pack hunters died to pack hunters. Frank immediately switched focus, whipping the quarterstaff towards the other and giving it a solid blow to the abdomen. It cried out with pain, unable to react to the speed at which the tip of Frank's staff lashed towards it. For the second time in less than half an hour, Frank heard the sound of broken bones. He'd smashed a rib. It yelped, sounding so much like a dog it made Frank uncomfortable even as he turned back to the first wolf and swung the staff. This time, the beast managed to jump back, but he stepped towards it and swung at its head. There was a sickening crunch as he cracked its skull. Both of them were now out of commission.

Frank felt unwell again. Not as bad as when he fought the orc, but it was still there. A wolf was too close to a dog, and dogs were animals he empathized with. The detail of their gender implied a relationship between them, whether that was because the system had conjured them like that to fuck with Frank, or because it had simply pulled two starving wolves from someplace under its influence, it still sucked. The second breathed laboriously, whining as it struggled to draw in air. The ribs he broke must've punctured its lungs. The other was unmoving.

Starving Wolves incapacitated. 30 EXP awarded. For completing a tutorial without taking damage, awarded Leather Boots. For meeting the same bonus condition four times in a row, awarded 15 EXP. The final tutorial begins in 10:00.

Another piece of equipment lay at his feet. The wolves vanished completely. He swapped out his shoes for the boots. Made of dark brown leather with a rubber riveted into place, and extending to calf-length, they were a huge improvement on sneakers. Frank checked the stats

A pair of leather boots. Once broken in, they are quite comfortable. Mass-produced, but reasonably well made, these basic leather boots will last for years if well taken care of.

+1 AGI, +1 CON

Last time, he'd gotten a sword for defeating the sole wolf. That had been important. Frank checked his status, preparing for the last opponent.

Frank HP 31/31 Level 3 Human (65/80 EXP) MP 0 Assassin(1/5) SP 28/28 Strength 8 Knowledge 6 Agility 6 Intelligence 7 Constitution 7(4) Stability 7 Vitality 6(5) Wisdom 4