Devon had nothing to do to pass the time but watch as the rift Val Kazar had placed slowly grew in size.

He noticed a definitive change in it after about an hour. Instead of the usually peaceful cracks in reality that accompanied terminals and spirit dungeons, this one seemed to swirl with energy from within.

Accompanying this change was a system notification.

[Notice]

Tutorial block #247 Adjustment phase has been completed. Beginning Assessment phase.

New quest obtained: [Assessment]. However, user has already fulfilled the completion conditions and obtained the rewards associated with quest. Therefore it shall be marked as completed.

Huh. I suppose that makes the first quest I've technically completed, strangely enough.

According to the datalogs, the adjustment phase was what the system called the first 30 days. As the name implied, it was the period of time the initiates were expected to be able to adjust to the system and the world they found themselves in.

Which means everyone else should have also gotten a message informing them of the termination of the protected title.

He looked in his quest list, thankfully excluded from the seal he was under, and brought up the quest he'd completed unknowingly.

[Assessment] (Hard): Fulfill one of several conditions to earn your status as a True Initiate.

Conditions: Survive Tutorial block #247 as the highest level user. Kill one of the Lords of block #247 without assistance.

Rewards: Title [True Initiate].

So there are four maximum possible true initiates per tutorial, huh? Still, I can't believe it considers that to only be a hard task. Sure seems like it would be higher than that.

He was sure in a normal tutorial a hectic struggle would have emerged, or maybe started long before the assessment phase, at the sight of the scarcity of the rewards. Most likely there would be fierce competition over the right to fight the lords, and the number 1 would have to constantly watch his back.

Well, I suppose none of that really concerns me. More importantly…

The overseers that had been stationed across the tutorial had been filing into the arena as he'd looked over the completed quest. They each took position around the edge of the arena, and Devon couldn't help but notice they were organizing themselves in order of level, with the higher leveled overseers being the ones closest to the rift of swirling energy.

So that's a higher level terminal, huh?

According to the datalogs, the terminals found within the tutorial were intentionally limited in what they could do. Then, once the tutorial was over every terminal would shift to a higher level, ones that allowed teleportation not just to other terminals within the tutorial but to other places across infinity as well.

I can only assume this one is exclusive to the overseers while the assessment phase is still ongoing. Most likely, they're about to welcome someone new into the tutorial like the datalogs said they could.

He idly wondered whether they always lined up like this to welcome newcomers, or if the tutorial had some kind of ritual importance to them.

Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough. Seriously though, if Trey hasn't kicked things off yet then I'm basically fucked. There's no way I can take on every overseer within the tutorial right here and now.

Honestly, if he'd known they were going to do a roll call in the hour of truth he may have gambled on the rejuvenation token earlier. Still, he found that even in this situation he didn't feel too worried. Trey had never let him down before, and he didn't plan on doubting the man now.

Within a few minutes, Val Kazar appeared in the arena just as it seemed the last of the overseers were lining up. Devon wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he could see a look of intense irritation on his reptilian face.

The leader of the overseers placed his hand on the swirling terminal before backing away from it. Within a few seconds, an imposing figure materialized next to the rift in space. Devon noted that the terminal seemed to shrink back into the state it had initially been in when Val Kazar had first placed it.

What the heck? I thought they'd bring in more foot soldiers. It would have been in line with their objective of farming us for exp if they'd brought in more level 30s or 40s, to better distribute the gains across their faction.

Instead, an imposing vishan had come through. And at the sight of him, all of the overseers around the edge of the arena got to one knee and bowed.

[Auxiliary Overseer, Ludra Yuk - Level 74]

Fuck.

The datalogs had described a point system used in the process of bringing additional overseers into a tutorial. The higher the level, the more points an individual would cost.

They must have used every single point to bring forth this monster. But why? Summoning such a powerhouse might offer a measure of security, but it doesn't do anything to help their objective. Also, why does the name Yuk sound familiar?

But even the vishan's high level didn't match the feeling of apprehension he got looking Ludra Yuk over. He suspected the armor the newcomer wore was of an exponentially higher quality than anything he'd seen so far. The set of full platemail covered his entire body.

"Val Kazar!" Ludra Yuk exclaimed loudly as he put a hand on the shoulder of the other, "I trust things have gone well? I see you wasted no time putting together our seat of power in this new world."

"Chief, I have-"

Chief? Huh, but it still lists Val Kazar as the overseer's leader and this new figure as an auxiliary overseer. I guess the title isn't automatically applied to the highest level then.

"Wait," The vishan chief said, his eyes scanning the overseers lined up around the edge of the arena, "Where is my daughter? Where is Khan Yuk?"

Sudden understanding washed through Devon like a tidal wave. The memory of the name of the overseer he'd killed on that very first night flashed through his head.

"I regret to inform the chief that the overseer Khan Yuk was slain in the course of her duti-" Val Kazar didn't get to finish his statement before a backhanded fist slammed into his face and he was sent flying over the heads of the kneeling overseers before he crashed through one of the walls on the side of the arena.

Any sense of jovial familiarity the chief had portrayed before was gone, replaced by a cold fury.

"Who was it," He asked, looking around the ring of overseers, "Who was stupid and foolish enough to plot against me. Or perhaps…" His eyes settled on Zane, still rigidly standing next to the spot Val Kazar had been only moments before. "Was it you, you worthless bug?"

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Zane almost seemed to collapse to one knee in the face of the pressure that was being exerted on him. He barely managed to stammer out, "N-No sir."

The chief slowly reached his hand out toward Zane as he spoke even slower, "Then who was it? Tell me or I'll crush your head like a melon."

"Chief," Val Kazar's voice reappeared as he walked back into the arena, "Please, allow me to give my full report before you take any rash actions."

Devon couldn't help but notice that a majority of the scales across Val Kazar's face had been blown away or into his flesh from the attack, leaving a bloody mess across half his face. But the damage was quickly healing and the scales were swiftly growing back, no doubt due to a healing item.

The sight clearly caught the chief's attention. Devon felt more than heard Zane's sigh of relief when the chief brought his hand back to his side.

"I no longer have any patience for excuses, Val Kazar. So be brief or my next attack won't be with my fist."

Val Kazar bowed before he explained all of the major events of the tutorial so far as well as how the humans had formed two separate camps.

"In short, the humans have proved themselves far more resilient than we imagined."

"Then the one who killed my precious daughter is…" The chief trailed off as his gaze drifted to Devon.

"Yes, but I would beg of the chief to wait one more minute. Not only would it be a waste to kill him as he is, I also have an urgent report requiring immediate attention."

"...What?" The chief slowly, as if reluctant to focus on anything other than his vengeance, looked back to Val Kazar.

"The human settlement of the plains is moving to attack the forest settlement. I do not know what has instigated this aggression, but if things proceed unchecked I believe they will slaughter each other."

Devon couldn't resist smiling. He could only assume after his last meeting with Zane that the man had acted without thought and Trey had used his thoughtless actions as the perfect catalyst. But the real cherry on top was the fact that Zane clearly hadn't had the balls to admit to Val Kazar that he was the one responsible for the current fiasco!

"What!? That cannot happen! If we allow them to slaughter each other then much of what we sacrificed to come here would have been wasted in vain!"

Exactly. Unfortunately for you, the conversion ratio of experience per level favors mass slaughter. If you let them kill each other then there will be less to go around for you lot.

According to Trey, experience gained toward a level was best looked at as a percentage rather than a definitive number. The percentage of experience gained depended on one's own level as well as the level of the creature that was killed to gain exp. Killing creatures below your level resulted in exponentially less exp, while killing creatures higher resulted in exponentially more.

However, most of the initiates would likely only gain a level or two, if even that, from the battle. That was nowhere near enough for the increased gains to ramp to exponential levels, and therefore if the vishan allowed the battle to happen they'd see their harvest as almost completely ruined.

"Chief. I would like to offer a different tactical perspective, if I may," Val Kazar said.

What?

"Out with it."

"It is true that our original objective was to gain as much strength as possible to better fight our foes back home, but I believe throwing ourselves into such a maelstrom of violence would cripple our forces rather than help them advance, as we want. I'm well aware that we also originally intended to merely strip this world of anything useful. However, I have come to believe it may be a better solution to simply relocate the tribe to this world. It would be easy to wipe the humans out after they've spent their strength and then claim this world for-"

"Stop," The chief said as he slowly drew an axe out of his tile, "I thought you respected your ancestors more than this, Val Kazar. To even suggest that we abandon the place they fought so hard to protect and maintain is disgraceful."

"...I would value the lives of my kinsmen who still draw breath. I-"

"Not. Another. Word." The chief leveled the axe against Val Kazar's neck. Devon imagined for a moment the chief might actually kill Val Kazar, but he stopped as Val Kazar held up a small item. An item Devon and every other initiate had become intimately familiar with over the course of the tutorial.

"...What is this?"

With his permission to speak restored, Val Kazar said, "This is the item that restored my face mere moments ago, chief. It is a restorative of tremendous potency."

"Where did you get this?" The chief asked, picking up the small pill and examining it.

"It is available to every initiate through the terminal shop. It costs a mere 50 talons."

"That is… unbelievable. That something of such value could be given for almost nothing…"

"Chief, even if you do not approve of my plan, I would still argue there is merit in leaving the remaining humans alive because of these items. If we open up a dialogue after the dust has settled on their conflict there may still be time to engage in trade. We could stockpile large amounts of these items to return with."

"Hmph. Your thinking is too shallow, Val Kazar. No, the superior tactic would be to achieve both our goal and your idea. Trade? We have no need of such a thing. All we have to do is leave one human alive. Then we can force that human to purchase as many of these as they can. In fact, this human would serve as a perfect candidate."

The chief turned to Zane, "I assume it was you who brought these to our attention?"

"I was." Zane's voice was still uneasy, but he wasn't stuttering anymore.

"You have done a great service to our people. However, while I shan't kill those I owe a debt to, I still cannot allow you to remain once the tutorial concludes. Do you have any other wishes before then?"

"Please, great chief, I would ask that the life of my sister be spared and given the same grace you would bestow upon me."

What a suck-up. Though I guess I already knew that.

"How many humans are there in total?"

"More than a thousand," Val Kazar answered quickly.

"One less will make little difference. Very wel-"

"However," Val Kazar cut the chief off, "It must also be said that the human in question is the leader of the forest settlement, as well as the one responsible for two of our casualties."

A silence settled over the trio as the chief's gaze slowly slid back to Zane. Zane kept the same position he'd been holding, kneeling with his face aimed at the ground. Ludra Yuk rolled the pill around in his hand as he contemplated.

"While that may be the case, if the lives of vishan who may fall in the future can be saved then letting go of what's done is a small price to pay."

Devon knew everyone in the arena understood the choice the chief had just made. They all knew the line about saving future lives had simply been an excuse. But none of them said anything. None of them so much as shifted in place.

The chief of the vishan just put the value of the gains he can acquire over justice for the lives of two of his kin.

The chief turned to face the center of the arena but did not look down at Devon. He projected his voice so that every vishan could hear him clearly and understand.

"Those of you above level 30, take position around the human forces. If you see any snooping around, kill them. Once the fighting begins you will attack from the rear of whichever force you are following. Kill them before they know what's happening and tear through their ranks like a blade through a leaf. But do not expose yourself to unnecessary harm.

"Those of you who are below level 30 will assault the settlements themselves once the fighting begins. Reap all that you can from the crafters who haven't devoted their time to properly gaining a warrior's strength."

"Go."

Each of the vishan around the edge of the arena stood as one and made for the exits.

"You," The chief pointed to one of the level 50s, "Accompany the human. Bring the sister back once he identifies her, and ensure they return here safely."

Once there was only the chief and Val Kazar left, the chief said, "Finally. All of the distractions are gone, and my daughter can be avenged. You said it would be a waste to kill him as he is, but I fail to see your reasoning."

"By killing your daughter before today with a cursed weapon he brought a curse upon himself. It is well known from the stories that killing a cursed individual brings benefits. However, because we have not had such an opportunity in living memory I would advise caution in the manner in which we kill him."

"I see. Yes, it's true that an executioner who did not play a part in the capture of a prisoner is denied a majority of the rewards by the system. You believe it possible the system would deny me the rewards of killing a cursed creature if I merely execute him?"

"Of course, the choice is yours."

"I am not you, Val Kazar. I would not allow such an easy prize to slip through my fingers. It would be wasteful in the extreme. Despite your incompetence and the mistake of allowing my daughter to die, you have worked admirably enough that I will spare your life. However, do not assume you have escaped punishment when this is over."

"Yes, my chief. I shall take my leave to observe and ensure we incur no unnecessary casualties."

"No. You will remain. I will not allow this vermin to entertain thoughts of escape, even if such a thought would be grossly mistaken. Human, I will demonstrate the true meaning of despair before you die."

Devon could barely keep the excitement off his face.

I can't believe what a perfect situation just fell into my lap.