John was many things before the system, but normal wasn't one of them. Sure, you could see him on the street and not bat an eye, even speaking to him or working with him you may not see past the exterior, but getting to know him is where his illusion falls apart. He wasn't a bad guy, he was just… different somehow. Like there was both more to him and less than the average person, a paradox of a man.

* One of John's college professors, one of the few survivors of earth to reach beyond ordinary mortality.

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John walked for a couple minutes before getting anywhere, and where he got is not exactly what he was hoping for. ‘What the actual fuck is that thing??’ John is, of course, thinking this about the horror scene in front of him. Focusing on the being, he lets out a small yell as another damnable blue screen pops up.

Demon Gremlin

Level: 2 (Elite)

John is, apparently, not a lucky man, as it turns out even that small yell was enough to alert the abomination to his presence. The gremlin turns its head from its meal, a huge deer or moose by the looks of it, and engages with the man intruding upon its clearing. Recovering from the fright of the blue screen, John gets to his feet just as the gremlin gets within striking distance and lets out a scratch. John, evidently not thinking too hard, blocks with his fleshy, fleshy arm as opposed to trying to dodge.

John lets out a scream of pain as the slash hits his wrist. Out of sheer instinct he attempts a punch in turn, missing the gremlin entirely. The gremlin shows a sneer, not the pained look John had been hoping for. 'Shit' John thinks as the gremlin dashes in for another attack. Remembering the pain of one slashed section of flesh, John elects to try to dodge. A quick sidestep to the left and John is out of the way with inches to spare. Inches, which are made up by a distortion in the air between his flesh and the gremlin's long nails, leaving a gash in his shirt and abdomen.

Realizing how badly this could go if he isn't careful, John starts to think of ways he could go about not dying. At first he thinks maybe he could run away, but after being closely followed for a solid 30 feet with the gremlin jumping from branch to tree trunk to branch again, he rethinks his strategy. 'This thing is clearly feral or something, I have to end this quick' John thinks, giving up on the idea of running away, and turns back to the gremlin now running at him head on. John, thinking quickly, though mostly on instinct, let's out a punch as fast as he can in the direction of the gremlin's horrible little face. The gremlin, midair with a ton of momentum, has little in the way of dodging ability, and takes a rock solid hit directly between the eyes. A horrible cracking sound is produced by the gremlin's skull, ending the fight decisively.

Congratulations! You have defeated a Demon Gremlin (Level 2)! Experience has been awarded. Additional experience awarded for defeating an elite! As the first to defeat a monstrous being in your tutorial, you have earned a title(s)!

[Avid Monster Hunter (Tutorial Title)]

You have defeated a monster quickly and decisively, showing great ability for hunting. Or you just enjoy bloodshed +10% experience from monstrous beings. +25% damage against monstrous beings if you identify a weakness or use the environment to your advantage. Y'know, like a hunter.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

[One Punch Man]

You have defeated another being of greater level in single combat with 1 hit, a feat of strength not commonly seen. +50% damage to the first strike in a battle, +100% if that first strike is a punch. +10% experience if you kill your foe in a single opening punch.

Your title [Avid Monster Hunter (Tutorial Title)] has been upgraded!

[Strategist Frontrunner (Integration Title)]

During your integration, you were among the first 1000 beings to defeat an enemy in any legendary difficulty tutorial during integration, showcasing prodigious ability for battle strategy. Or you just really enjoy bloodshed, and have no self-preservation. +25% experience from monstrous beings. +100% damage against monstrous beings if you identify a weakness or use the environment to your advantage. Y'know, like a strategist.

John didn't know how he felt about the system's use of English colloquialism and Earth culture, but felt it was something that should likely not be at the front of his mind considering the situation. The situation of course being the deep and long cut on his wrist. John isn't exactly a paramedic, but he does know that one should strive to keep their blood inside their body. He also knows that a cut longways down the wrist, like his, is definitively bad news for his ongoing health. He tries to rip some cloth off his shirt to use as a makeshift bandage but, not being an action hero, only succeeds in causing himself pain from the cloth digging into his skin.

He then proceeded to take his pants off, leaving himself in just boxers, and wrapped the leg around his arm to try and keep the blood inside himself. It worked about as well as a bandage may have, but he gave up on the idea when he thought of the gremlin trying to scratch at his bits, especially once considering how easily it had scratched through his shirt. He needed all the armor he could get, even if it was torn to shreds on the first hit. Plus, he had dignity. He wasn't going to run through the forest half naked unless he was forced to, damn it!

Thinking fast, John put his now-bloodsoaked pants back on and sat down by a tree and tried to direct mana at the wound. Not knowing what mana is or does, he figured that if it's anything like he's read in books, visualizing it fixing the wound might help. He attempted to get a grasp of the mystical energy inside himself, and after a couple of tries felt a tug on his mind when he pulled at his mana. Focusing on the image of his wound knitting back together, he directed his mana towards his cut wrist. Immediately the wound began to itch like there's no tomorrow, and the only reason John didn't scratch it is because he didn't want to go digging around in a wound with dirty fingers. Infection without medicine could only end badly, and the pants had dirtied the wound enough. After a minute or so of trying to heal the cut, John fell back, mentally exhausted. He felt an itch, but it's not the itch from his arm, which he notes is now bleeding slightly less prodigiously than before. It's more of a metaphorical itch in the back of his mind. Going to scratch it, he is immediately happy he was sitting down, as he would have fallen over from the jump that the blue screen gave him once again.

Congratulations! You have gained the skill: [Mana Manipulation]!

Mana Manipulation LV.1

A beginner in the arcane arts and you're already experimenting! Masters across the multiverse would weep with joy for such a curious apprentice. (Rarity upgraded from common to uncommon due to prior theoretical knowledge)

Mana Manipulation level up!

Mana Manipulation level up!

Mana Manipulation has become LV.3 through use.

'I have got to get used to that, I can't be startled by every box I see or it's going to end badly. More likely I'll end badly in that case,' John thought, dismissing the screen. The wound, now bleeding slightly less than before, is enough to give him pause. John feels that it's possible to direct more mana at the wound, but also feels it would put him on his ass more than he already is. The lightheadedness of mana exhaustion combined with the lightheadedness of blood loss quickly puts John to sleep. His last thought before sleep overtook him is 'I hope I don't wake up to one of those things gnawing on my insides like that deer or moose or whatever.'