Bustling crowds filled the streets of Tutorial City to the brim. Everywhere one looked was a body, and every one of them had ambition in their eyes.

“If there’s so many instances of Tutorial City, why is it that we always appear in the same one?”

Jun asked Lulu. The two of them trailed behind the group of girls, which was led by Sela.

“Uh… do you not know?”

Lulu gave Jun a strange look, but his innocent face spoke louder than words.

“Should I know?”

“Well, this is instance zero. Out of all the instances of Tutorial City, this is the original.”

“I see… why does that matter?”

The group stopped in place as each girl turned back to Jun in surprise.

“Wait Xin, did you not specifically target instance zero as your home world?”

Tiana asked with wide eyes.

“I mean, I didn’t realize you could choose.”

Jun became increasingly perplexed. Was this ever an option?

“That’s because you can’t choose instance zero. Only the upper echelons of society can afford the merit points to send people into instance zero. Everyone else is randomly placed in other instances.”

Sela responded with amusement—she continued.

“There’s two ways to get into instance zero. The first one is to be sponsored like I mentioned. This costs in incredible amount of merit points and is only available through inheritance.”

Inheritance? But I don’t have an inheritance… or at least it’s unlinked.

Jun thought back to that dreaded white space when he first entered PSI World.

“However, only about 60% of users in instance zero can enter through the first method. The second way is through random selection, which is what happened to you. The rarity of being randomly placed in instance zero is incredibly high, you could even say one in a million.”

“That’s…very rare.”

“Yes, very rare. We assumed you had some sort of backing due to your talent, but that was our fault.”

Sela finished her lecture with a twirl, only to find Lulu blocking her way with a pout.

“There isn’t two ways to enter instance zero, there’s three ways! You forgot the last way!”

“Dummy, that way doesn’t really exist anymore. Let’s keep moving, you guys need to start your mission soon.”

Lulu let out an exaggerated sigh and resumed her position beside Jun.

“Um, Lulu what is the third way?”

Jun asked as they marched through the crowds.

“The third way is with a legacy account! But those don’t exist anymore since they were only given to the founding members of PSI World. Anyone who has a legacy account is already out of the tutorial and probably old and wrinkly!”

Legacy account? Wait…

Jun’s eyes briefly widened, but he quickly stowed his surprise.

“So it’s like that. Who are the founding members exactly?”

“Hmm, my father said it’s the original people who fought against the corruption. Before PSI World existed, they had to travel to the different worlds and planes of existence with their physical bodies. It was very dangerous. Death meant death.”

Traveling across worlds? How is that even possible?

Jun’s thoughts ran amok just as Sela’s commanding voice engulfed the group.

“Alright ladies, here we are. This is a mission you’ve been waiting quite a while for…”

“No way…”

“Mm.”

“I’m so excited!”

The Tiana, Nelath, and Shireen all responded with silly grins and starry eyes. Jun never felt more out of place in his entire life.

“Volcanic Imp Springs!”

Lulu blurted out beside Jun, giving him a shock.

“What’s Volcanic Imp Springs?”

He asked uncertainly. The group’s enthusiasm was palpable, sparking Jun’s curiosity and nervousness. He was like a puppy going for a walk but didn’t know where to.

“Bless your soul Little Xin! It’s the Volcanic Imp Springs! It’s a special hot spring that you can only access during this mission. The only other times you can access it is if there’s a native colony of Volcanic Imps on the world you adventure to, but they’re incredibly rare!”

Shireen saved the day with a simple explanation, while Nelath made small nods of approval.

“Even if it does exist on the world, good luck getting in without a high enough reputation.”

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Tiana pitched in.

“A…hot spring?”

Jun almost felt let down.

Is this just a girl’s thing to be so excited over hot springs? I mean… to be honest I do enjoy hot springs quite a bit. I can see why they’re excited.

“Enough chitchat girls, it’s time you get going. Remember, don’t spend more time in the hot spring than you can handle. Off you go now!”

Sela waved her hand as if to shoo them off. Each of the girls cheered as Lulu selected the mission with lightning speed.

This won’t be so bad. I’ll just sneak over to the boy’s section of the hot spring while they enjoy their time.

The party of five disappeared into particles, leaving Sela behind with a nonsensical smile.

----

The group spawned in a new environment with a subdued flash of light. They stood nestled together in a lush grove of looming trees and sodden earth.

Sparse bits of light broke through the canopy tops, while colorful insects fluttered through the air in whimsical patterns.

“This place is already beautiful… I can’t wait!”

Shireen lightly stamped her feet back in forth. It wasn’t just her, but each of the girls were raring to go to the hot springs.

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Tiana took the lead through the foliage and the others nimbly followed behind. At the same time, Jun inspected the mission details that were now displayed on his system screen.

Assist in the defense of Volcanic Imp Springs, the city of Volcanic Imps. This mission is B rank, and it’s a ten-man raid. How many tutorial points will this give?

“About this mission, what’s special about the hot spring?”

Jun sparked a conversation as they waded through the dense undergrowth.

“Should we say? Maybe it should be a surprise!”

“Nonsense, don’t hold her in suspense like that.”

Shireen and Nelath bickered amongst themselves as Tiana and Lulu walked with Jun.

“It’s a hot spring that improves your attributes. You may have noticed during class selection that you started out with F grade, maybe even E grade attributes. Although they might seem bad, this is pretty normal.”

Lulu leaped over an unearthed tree root as Shireen continued where she left off.

“But not to worry! Since we’re girls, we can do this mission a single time during the tutorial. The hot spring can increase your attributes by half a grade, or even a full grade if you can endure the energy!”

Shireen’s cheeks reddened and she fanned herself with an open hand as if she were already lounging in the soothing bath.

“That’s right, it’s a mission that’s both unique and rare. Very few missions have side perks, and even fewer have ones that increase stats.”

“I see, that makes a lot of sense.”

Jun mumbled as he kept pace.

F and E grade? But each of my attributes are C grade. I’m confused… can I still benefit from the hot springs?

“There it is! The entrance!”

After passing through a thicket of lush trees and shrubbery, an imposing mountain loomed over the lands. Its peak pierced the heavens, hidden above a ring of clouds and never to be seen.

The girls vibrated with energy at the sight of a dark cave at the base of the mountain.

“Whoa… that’s unexpected.”

Jun commented as he noticed a sprawling line of women that snaked through the mountain pass and into the unknown.

“Don’t worry, we don’t have to line up with them. Those are just natives trying to access the hot springs.”

Tiana reassured Jun as he processed just how popular this city truly was.

Is this how the world would be in a normal setting? The tutorial really works hard in making their missions believable.

Jun’s mind wandered. He simply couldn’t take his eyes off the endless bevy of ladies, not because of their beauty, but purely because of their sheer numbers.

Wait a second…?

Jun faltered mid-step before calling out.

“Um, why are they all women?”

His heartbeat quickened as the mouth of the cave crept closer.

“Oh, that’s because the Volcanic Imps only allow women to enter the city. They’re a race of women, you know? It’d be pretty bad if a man got in. If they see a man trying to sneak in, they’ll kill him!”

Shireen replied to Jun without turning back.

“Wouldn’t end well for the man. It’s for their own protection.”

Nelath snickered as she added on.

Only…women?!

“I uh… I forgot to mention. I’m scared of volcanoes; I think I could sit this one out.”

Jun’s face paled as realization set in. It was a mission only for women, and they strung him along unknowingly!

He pretended to stare at the clouds in fear of the unknown mountain peak.

“Oh, don’t be silly. Although they’re called Volcanic Imps, they don’t actually live in a volcano. Well, sort of, but it’s not like what you’re imagining.”

Tiana nudged Jun’s shoulder as he robotically placed one step over another.

“It’s more of just underground. I hear its very beautiful inside the city.”

Is there no way out of this?

Jun buried his terror deep and forced another step forward.

What’s the worst that happens? I die? The girls find out?

He let out a small sigh and obediently tagged along. There’s nothing he could do but walk toward his reckoning.

At least the death will be quick and painless.

As they neared the mouth of the cave, an authoritative and stern voice rocked the air, leaving no room for questions.

“You there! I can see right through your disguise. Disgusting man, you can’t hide from the Volcanic Imp race.”

Jun froze in horror. He cast his eyes to the floor as adrenaline surged throughout his body.

Caught! I’m already caught! I haven’t even gotten to the entrance!

“Catch him!”

Soon there was a scuffle, followed by a loud yelp.

“Caught are you? What do you have to say for yourself?”

It’s not me?

Jun nervously glanced up from his standing spot. The girls in front also paused as they inspected the scene just ahead.

A slender man, wearing thick makeup and a ruffled bouffant dress, was floating in the air grasping at his neck. His legs kicked and flailed in search of the floor.

Pointing at the man with a lazy finger, was an exotic woman with crimson glowing skin and a demonic tail. Her silken and ruby colored dress was parted at her thigh, revealing a shapely leg.

That’s a Volcanic Imp?!

Jun was dumbstruck. He could vaguely make out small black horns protruding from her forehead, but they only accentuated her sultry appearance further.

“You don’t need to respond. Scum. Filth.”

Another Volcanic Imp appeared from within the shadows of the cave, cutting a similar appearance with only slight differences.

Lulu clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

“Idiotic man. Didn’t he know that Volcanic Imps can detect a male through pheromones alone? You’d have to disguise your entire essence to avoid being found, which is impossible without some sort of special grade artifact.”

They can detect males through pheromones?!

Jun’s face paled even further.

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m going to die like that guy right there.

The voluptuous guard tilted her finger up, and the man’s body floated higher into the air. Before she could do anything else, the other guard spoke up.

“Wait, death would be too easy. We need to set an example. Strip him, hang him on the mountain cliff for all to see. We can let each of our visitors throw one stone a piece as they enter—at least until he dies.”

Jun’s heart nearly stopped beating altogether.

“What the fuc-“

He cursed under his breath before catching himself.

“That is quite an embarrassing death I must say.”

Shireen commented and the rest of the girls nodded in agreement.

“Aaahh!!”

Clothes poofed into smithereens and the man was thrown into the mountainside by an intangible force. A series of chuckles and laughs spread amongst the crowd.

“He gets what he deserves. He should know better than to sneak into Volcanic Imp City.”

Tiana shook her head and continued toward the cave with the rest of the girls following her lead.

Fuck. Fuck! What can I do?!

Jun’s stomach with coated in lead as he dragged his feet toward a fate worse than death. The distance grew shorter as the cave’s mouth widened like an inescapable maw.

At this very moment, Jun would have preferred walking into a true volcano instead.

“Ahh! Help!”

A jagged stone neatly targeted the captured man’s groin, leaving him whimpering with fresh tears.

Yea, no way I’m going through that. It’s only a B rank mission, I can still abandon it.

Just as he was about to turn heel and cancel the mission.

“Wait… but what if I…?”