Lan felt like he was being flushed down a toilet, or maybe he was being flushed up a toilet? He wasn't too sure what the hell was going on as the current dragged him through an endless expanse of twisting tunnels.'
It was serenely beautiful in its own way. The glowing jellyfish twisted and writhed within the stream, pulsating in an ethereal array of blues, purples and dark reds.
But perhaps the strangest feeling was that of breathing underwater. He didn't inhale water, per se. Whatever fruit he ate didn't suddenly make his lungs capable of breathing water. Instead, he extracted the oxygen directly from the water through his skin.
The fruit simply eliminated the need to breathe altogether.
It was calming as he drifted like a log on a stream, lying back and allowing the current to carry him after the little bastard.
However brief, having a moment to relax was a gift in times like these. For he knew the second he arrived in the land above, he would have to get right back to fighting and killing.
Only now, he couldn't afford to die. Not once.
He had been seriously considering killing himself so that he would just respawn with a healed hand, but if he did that. The title would be gone. The title that he had come to realise was infinitely more valuable than his first impression of it.
For everyone else, an increased number of epiphanies would be invaluable, sure. But with the way Lan's talent worked, something that made his inspirations more frequent would vastly increase its effectiveness.
'What are my options?' Lan wondered, taking the time to think everything over.
'I can focus on trying to kill the others, then I won't have to worry about dying. But… after seeing George's ridiculous strength, do I think I could actually kill him? No. Never mind David and Thea, whose strengths I don't fully understand yet.
Right now, my best option is to get the skills from the third step, which should make me stronger. Then, I reach level 10, get a class and vastly increase my strength. From there, I should focus on the steps and whatever Archie's schemes are.'
Lan certainly hadn't forgotten about Archie. No, far from it. He was just up ahead, and when this little water slide ended, Lan would be on him like a tonne of bricks.
For how long he floated, Lan wasn't sure. But the general trend was upward. He was gradually nearing the surface, and his best guess was that he would surface around the crafters' town since that was beside the ocean.
'Hm… since there aren't going to be beast waves anymore, will I still be able to access the steps as easily?' A thought struck Lan. 'Hopefully, fewer people will be attempting the higher steps, making it easier to get a spot. If not… I can do a little cleaning,"
The tunnel took a sudden, sharp turn upwards and narrowed down drastically. Lan felt like he was getting squeezed inside the barrel of a canon as pressure built up around him.
He accelerated rapidly, the water building up behind him and blasting him out of the tunnel. He shot into the open ocean and continued barrelling upwards, firing out of the water's surface and skidding across the waves like a skipping stone.
After almost ten seconds of this, Lan began to slow down as he neared a pristine sandy beach surrounded by towering cliffs that… If he wasn't mistaken, Archie was in the midst of climbing.
"Archie!" Lan screamed, swimming rapidly to the shore and running up to the side of the cliff.
Looking straight up, he watched as the boy struggled to climb, his mangled foot holding him down like a leaden anchor.
The boy looked down, and his already pale face went sheet white. "Shit," He cursed, clenching his teeth as he looked up at how much further he still had to climb.
Lan began scaling the wall rapidly, his experience climbing up the inside of the volcano helping immensely as he jumped from foothold to foothold.
"Oi! I'm going to catch you, and when I do, you're going to give me what I'm owed!" Lan bellowed, blurring up the side of the cliff.
"No, you're not. And no, I won't," Archie snapped back, taking out his sword and using it like a pick. He drove it into the rockface and began hacking his way up the side of the cliff.
"Two can play at that game," Lan muttered, using the scythe to haul himself up the cliff at blinding speed.
The cliff was huge, sure, but the people climbing it were barely human at this point. They were unbelievably strong, and their reactions were superhuman. In barely half a minute, they were neck and neck, nearing the top.
"Get the fuck away!" Archie cursed, hacking off a chunk of rock and throwing it down at Lan.
Lan batted it away with the scythe and dragged himself another few metres higher, grinning like a madman as he neared Archie.
"Jesus Christ, will you just stop running away, man. Why can't you just hold your end of a bargain!?" Lan swore. "Wait… Is that your penalty or something?"
"Nah, I'm just a selfish guy. My penalty is actually pretty straightforward," Archie replied. By now, he had almost reached the crest of the cliff.
"Oh really? Tell me more about this weakness of yours,"
"Sure, it's a big secret, so don't tell anybody about this, but my penalty is actually getting my head cut off,"
"Wow, what a unique weakness! I actually will also die if my head gets cut off, isn't that such a coincidence?" Lan laughed, nearly reaching the top of the cliff himself.
Archie glanced over at Lan, "You and me are like brothers in this aspect. We shouldn't fight. Let us make peace, brother!"
Lan smiled warmly, "I will make peace with you, brother… After I get my payment,"
Archie's face fell, and he finally hauled himself over the top of the cliff, Lan following barely a second later.
Arriving at the top of the cliff, Lan's face was bright red as he stared at Archie. The boy was defeated and collapsed in exhaustion on the grass at the top of the cliff. He just stared at the monotone sky.
'Should I just kill him now? No, if I kill him right away, I won't get the dungeon locations. But can I even trust those, considering they come from him?' Lan was conflicted as he tried to decide what he should do.
"I hate it here…" Archie muttered glumly.
"Huh?" Lan glanced down at Archie, frowning, 'I know. I'll wait until he gives me everything, and then right before he enters the third step... I'll end him,'
Lan walked over slowly, methodically. He sat down beside Archie and smiled. "So, about that payment…."
Archie rolled his eyes, "You'll get your shitty payment, Jesus!"
Lan patted Archie's shoulder and smiled like a shark, "I knew I could count on you,"
The pair sat in silence, then. Catching their breath on the lonely clifftop.
"It's nice to be out of the cave…." Lan thought aloud. He wasn't sure why he said it, but it felt nice all the same.
"Is this any different?" Archie gestured at the manufactured world around them. The fake sky, the ocean that hadn't changed in a million years, the trees that had never grown.
"…No"
"I just want to be out of here, you know? I just want to be free to do my own thing. Back on earth, I never got that chance. Every day was, study this, fight with this weapon, eat this, go to bed at this time. I never had the chance to do anything I wanted," Archie blurted, lying flat on his back and facing the artificial sky.
Lan sighed, "That freedom can go too far, though,"
"How so?" Archie asked.
"If nobody is there to care about you, to tell you when to do your homework, what to eat, what to wear… It's awfully lonely," Lan muttered.
"I suppose…"
"Besides, there are only ten days of the tutorial left, right?"
"Only ten days… Jesus, I have so much to do." Archie groaned, sitting upright.
Lan followed suit, staring at the bruised and battered boy. "First things first. Pay up?"
Archie nodded grimly. Staring out over the vast ocean before getting to his feet, "I will,"
***
The first thing Lan noticed when he arrived back on the path that led to the entrance hall was the people. They were everywhere, and every single person was in a hurry. Nobody walked. They ran.
"I guess the time crunch is a bigger deal than I thought," Archie commented.
"Ha, you don't say, who's fault was that I wonder?" Lan glared at Archie.
Archie looked down at his feet awkwardly.
Lan rolled his eyes; he had already had enough of Archie's bullshit.
It didn't take long to arrive back at the visitor centre, on his own feet this time, which was a nice change. Far more people than usual were milling about the hall, and the clan representatives were acting with a palpable hint of desperation.
Shaking his head, Lan walked past the hall and up the path, where he arrived at the bulletin board.
By now, few people were checking the rankings or reading the new tutorial brief. They were too busy fighting for their lives from the looks of it.
They walked up to the board and began to read.
Tutorial difficulty – Hard
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Rewards – Doubled (includes experience, title bonuses, and class unlock)
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
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Trial – Kill the man on the moon.
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The Moon Strider has awoken and is waging war against the King of the Night. Pick your sides and fight. Only the winning side passes the tutorial. (Although exceptions will be made for the top 100 fighters on either side)
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Moon strider – 5000/5000
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King of the night – 3456/5000
Archie's face dropped the second he saw the board. "What the fuck is this? Why are we picking sides now? This isn't how the tutorial is supposed to work!"
Lan looked at Archie with hitherto unseen levels of frustration. "Why did I actually believe you knew what you were talking about?" He wondered aloud, staring up at the sky.
"This isn't looking good," Archie muttered, pouring over the trial repeatedly.
"Oh really? I wonder who's genius plan caused this? It wouldn't be you, would it?" Lan groaned.
"No, but seriously, this looks terrible. The only reason everyone would be on the side of the Moon Strider is if the Prince is on that side," Archie fidgeted furiously, his eyes darting about rapidly.
"Just who is this Prince guy?" Lan asked. He had heard their name a few times now. In fact, it was currently number one on the leaderboard.
Archie's face palmed, "Not a guy, the Prince is a she."
"Huh? How does that make any sense?" Lan asked, 'Sounds like some of his usual bullshit,' He thought privately.
"That's what everyone else would like to know. But the last person who asked her was used as a target for her archery practice,"
"Jesus,"
"We won't win if it's against her. I can tell you that for free. She's far and away the strongest young pathfinder earth has had in a long time, except maybe the Farmer. But he isn't quite as strong individually,"
"Well, is the farmer on our team then?"
Archie pinched his brow, concentrating intensely, "Probably, those two are always competing for the top spot."
"Great, if he can compete with the Prince, we are sorted,"
"Nope, he can compete with the Prince on his own, sure. But the Farmer is just that, alone. He's some average kid from the farming districts. He has no status or connections. On his own, he's tough as shit, but he doesn't have the same backing as the Prince. I heard a rumour her parents are actually A-rank. A fucking Rank! And if I have heard that rumour, you better believe everyone else has heard it too."
Lan frowned. It wasn't looking good, "So are you saying that all the strong people will side with the Prince to suck up to her?"
Archie nodded slowly, "Pretty much,"
"That's brilliant!" Lan exclaimed, looking wildly relieved.
"How the hell is that brilliant!?" Archie shouted, pulling his hair nervously.
"If all the strong people are on the other team… Won't it be way easier to get into the top 100?"
Archie froze, his face lighting up with a toothy grin, "You're right!"
Despite his injured foot, Archie began dancing a jig around the leaderboard, which was now divided into two sections.
On one side was the Moon Strider team, and on the other was the King of the night. Without wasting much more time, Lan and Archie registered for their team.
Unknown – 27th – 967 points
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Archie – 88th – 455 points
"Would you look at that? I'm already near the top," Lan grinned, turning to look at Archie, who was busy scowling.
"What's wrong with you?"
Archie looked over at Lan, "How the hell do you have more points than me?"
Lan looked at Archie like he was an insect before replying, "Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because some prick trapped me in a pit with hundreds of fucking ants!"
"Oh, yeah,"
'Fuck, I hate this guy. I know it's a bad idea to kill him, since he'll definitely go after me when he respawns, but I can't help myself,'
"I'm definitely going to kill you after the third step by the way, I just want to remind you of that," Lan dragged his eyes from the leaderboard to the other side, where his jaw nearly hit the floor.
Prince - 1st – 7680 points
"How…" Lan was lost for words. He had no idea how something like that was even possible.
Archie shook his head solemnly, "I told you, she's unbeatable. Even the Farmer only has 5000 points,"
Lan sighed and looked off towards the distant fighter town. "So, when am I getting the goods?"
"I'll write up those guides, and then I'll go to the steps," Archie replied.
"Sure," Lan nodded. He wasn't really sure what to expect from the next step. It seemed convoluted and extremely difficult.
They first walked along the path, noticing the suspicious glares from everyone passing by. The tensions in the tutorial seemed to be growing to a dangerous point.
"I don't like this," Archie whispered.
"Me neither. I mean, we saw how injured that moth insect was. There's no way it can beat the Moon strider when it has that glowing rock," Lan grumbled.
"That's got to be our first priority, then. Get rid of the rock, and then the Moon Strider will be crippled,"
"Easier said than done. You saw how it blew away all those insects surrounding it," Lan pointed out.
"Hm, if we go after it during the day, we might stand a chance,"
"You're right… I've just had a thought, actually," Lan paused mid-stride, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"What?" Archie asked.
"Well… Now that we are on the same team, maybe the night drones won't attack us anymore,"
Archie also paused, mulling it over, "I think you might be right. Why don't you try it tonight?"
"Nah, I think you should be the one to give it a go. Since you don't care about dying and losing the title," Lan snapped.
"Who said I don't care about losing the title?"
"You did,"
Archie smirked, "That was only when George and his big mouth were around. I could take you,"
Lan almost laughed out loud, "Ha! Sure, you could! And pigs could fly,"
Archie frowned but didn't press it. They walked the rest of the way to the fighter town discussing possible ways to kill the Moon strider and the weaknesses it may or may not have.
Half an hour later, they were standing outside of what remained of Lan's house. Being on the outskirts, it had been destroyed in the previous beast wave that the fighters hadn't bothered defending properly.
"I'm sorry about your house," Archie mumbled.
Lan looked down at the collapsed heap of rotten wood and couldn't even muster an ounce of sadness. He felt like a great weight had been lifted from his chest or a chain removed from his ankle. Now he wouldn't have to sleep on a bed with nails poking through the mattress! If he looked at it that way, this was actually a good thing.
"I'm not sorry. Not one bit," Lan turned to face Archie, grinning. "Besides, I don't want anyone to know where I live. If they find out… they might just try and take my title in my sleep," He looked at Archie pointedly.
Archie coughed into his fist, hiding his face awkwardly, "I would never do something like that..."
Lan rolled his eyes, "Let's get going to the steps?"
"Yeah, sure,"
They had to walk through the city centre to reach the path to the steps, and Lan once again found himself at the square.
"Hold on, I'm going to grab some food," He pointed towards the big bubbling pots of broth in the centre of the square.
"Same; I can't remember the last time I ate," Archie licked his lips eagerly and followed Lan over to the nearest pot.
There were a few people lined up, but they quickly arrived at the front of the queue, where a baby-faced young man wearing a stained apron held a wooden ladle over his shoulder like a baseball bat.
"Which side are you on?" He asked with a sigh.
"Uh… Does it matter?" Lan asked.
"Well, I'm not about to serve food to the enemies, am I?" The boy pointed out.
"Hm, that's fair. We are with the King of the Night,"
The boy looked at them like they were beggars, "Kindly, piss off,"
Archie looked like he wanted to argue, but Lan grabbed his raised arm and dragged him to the next pot, and then the next pot, and then the next one after that.
"It looks like there aren't many cooks on our side," Lan grumbled when he finally held a bowl of soup in his hands.
"Yup," Archie didn't offer much response. His face was buried within a roughly carved wooden bowl.
With a great sigh, Lan finished the soup and pocketed the bowl. He already had a few ideas for using it as a weapon. "What's going on over there?" He asked, pointing to two big groups of pathfinders that had gathered on opposite sides of the square.
Archie finished his food and looked up, glancing at both groups dismissively, "Looks like those are the two team representatives, so to speak. They are probably giving people their missions and things like that,"
"I see; I suppose there does need to be someone to coordinate everything for us," Lan commented.
"It doesn't look like the Prince or Farmer are there, though. They're probably off in some dungeon or trying to clear the steps," Archie added
Lan nodded, "Speaking of the steps, we should get going,"
In his hands, Lan held the plans Archie had drawn up. A lot of the stuff to do with the Moon Strider was useless from the looks of it. But the dungeon locations were priceless. Somehow, after reading them a few times, he could remember them perfectly. 'Maybe it's my increased Mind,'
He decided to hide these plans in the forest on the way to the steps. Even if he wouldn't forget any of them, it was still nice to have them in writing. If nothing else, he could roll up the plans and use them to beat Archie to death should he trick him again.
The walk to the steps wasn't long, and with their vastly increased Dexterity, they could run faster than most cars. Add to that the fact that their wounds were healing rapidly, and they reached the sheer steps in barely five minutes.
There, they found thousands of people sitting in two distinct groups on opposite sides of the stone platform.
One group was obviously smaller than the other, which Lan assumed meant that the group was on their side, what with their lower numbers and all.
A few people took appraising glances at their shredded robes and bloody scars, but most just passed over them. Being obviously wounded was certainly not a sign of weakness. Who knew what level person they were attacking?
They walked between the two divided groups up to the sheer steps and pressed their hands against the cold surface of the rock.
Alert: The Third Step is at 230/200 Capacity. Join queue [Y/N]
Lan scowled and hit yes, seeing a notification from the system that he was now placed 231st in the queue. 'I'll wait until just before I go into the trial, and then I'll do it,'
Archie wore a similar scowl on his face as he and Lan went to sit down on the side with fewer in number.
They picked a spot near the edge and sat down together. "I suppose it's not the end of the world. At least now our wounds will heal before the third step starts," Archie pointed out.
"Yeah, true. Why don't we start prepping for the trial now?" Lan asked.
"How so?" Archie lent in, clearly intrigued.
Lan fiddled by cracking his knuckles as he spoke, "Well, I was thinking, if we talk about what skill we want to make, it could help speed up the process. And maybe if we listen to each other's perspective, we could glean something from the process,"
Archie scratched his chin thoughtfully and nodded, "I see. That could definitely be helpful… If you knew a single fucking thing about skills,"
"Hey, no need to get mean. If you just explain it to me, I'm sure I could offer a fresh perspective on it,"
"Ugh, ok. It's not like I have anything else to do," Archie groaned, settling himself in for a long bout of explaining.
"Right, well, the first thing you should keep in mind is that all skills use mana. The best way I can describe them is that they work like muscle memory but are activated by mana.
You know how something like playing an instrument becomes second nature after you do it long enough. Or, if you want to get even more simplistic with it, think of breathing. You aren't thinking about each breath you take; you just sort of… Do it,"
"I get that," Lan nodded. He had been reminded of the difference very recently when he had eaten the fruit that stopped his need to breathe. It was a jarring experience.
"Well, a skill is like a pre-programmed muscle memory activated by mana. And most skills are easy enough to learn since, like breathing, they come naturally to us. We never had to figure out how to breathe; it's second nature.
And skills gained from your class or from special events like dungeons, quests, skill crystals, etc. Work the same way. You will be able to use them instinctively.
However, creating your own skill involves a profound understanding of the muscle memory you have to learn. Imagine trying to learn to breathe, having never done it before. You need to thoroughly understand the act itself, whatever that may be, and then watch how the mana moves through your body when you complete it.
This is called a skill signature or array. Keep note of this array in your mind; once you fully picture it, you can make the skill."
"But if you can do whatever you are trying to do anyway, why make a skill in the first place?" Lan asked.
"Because skills make it easier and more efficient to do that thing. Whether in time or mana. And skills can be upgraded,"
"I see…" Lan nodded slowly, "So, what skill are you hoping to make?"
Archie scratched his chin, squinting as he thought it over, "My plan was to adapt my talent, which allows me to see how strong something is. I want to make a skill that allows me to see weaknesses,"
"Oh, I see. And how would that work exactly?"
"First, it is technically possible for me to see something's weakness if I use my talent to look for the absence of strength. Which is basically like trying to read back-to-front writing from my perspective. I just need to understand how that process works and then encapsulate it inside an array."
"Do you think you'll be able to do it?" Lan wondered.
Archie looked down at his hands thoughtfully, "I will. I have to."
"What about you? Do you have any idea what skill you might make?" Archie asked.
Lan remembered the feeling of using the acid to attack the tree. Channelling mana through a liquid would probably constitute a skill.
"I do, and if it works, you'll be the first thing I kill with it,"