This time, the people outside did not look confused or panicked.
I saw some people with storage type soul-bound items, start absorbing bits and pieces of rubble.
Other people with soul-blades and offensive soul-bonds, started cutting up and deconstructing other parts of the environment.
I took a moment to pull up my system messages.
<14,844,194 remaining>
No one could get hurt while in the tutorial, and people with afflictions such as having an elderly, infant, or wrongly gendered body would normally have a shapeshifter soul-bond to help alleviate that.
I ignored these.
A few minutes passed, and the usual messages appeared as reclaimers started moving forward.
…
I started to make some bacon and eggs using the ingredients in my pantry.
I thought about it for a moment, and added some extra. I was expecting a guest after all.
…
…
A moment later, a portal appeared in my kitchen.
I plated up the food, and brought it to the kitchen table.
A young looking woman stepped through, sweat glistening on her forehead.
“Make yourself comfortable, I made food if you’re hungry”
She looked suspiciously at me.
“This better not be a bribe” She said as she sat down at the table.
“Because I am starving.” She grimaced.
“I don’t have the best spawn condition” she explained.
She picked up a fork and knife and started quickly eating.
I raised an eyebrow, and started eating.
After we had finished, I tidied up and sat back down.
“We better get to business” She stated, as she brought out a ghostly looking tape recorder.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Mines a fun one”
I brought out my diary, and had it transfer its recording of my speedrun loop.
“It’s an interesting one, though I wouldn't consider it a success.”
“I’ve seen them all, I doubt it would surprise me” she said as she closed her eyes, and sat back in her chair.
I let her absorb for a few minutes as I got up and started cleaning the dishes, I could leave them, but it was just a habit.
She gasped as she finished absorbing the memories.
“You proved me wrong mister, that was something”
“Am I in any trouble?” I asked.
“Nah, you are not the first to do something truly breaking like that. You would have been kicked out of the run a few seconds later” She said.
“Why haven’t I heard of anything like that before though?”
“They were people in stage three adjustment, in the early days. They either got caught up in the purge, or had requested their records sealed under the adjustment accords”
My lips formed a tight line. Some people took longer than others to adapt to the changes. Some required help. Others… couldn’t be helped.
“It was a good run though, and there is an official, yet secret and tightly regulated category for it.” She smirked at me. “You only get one official run though, since it is in fact, Illegal to participate”
“Do I at least get to know how I ranked?”
“Nope!” She grinned at me.
“Aaaand here’s your official warning, your nadas, and your reports”
She brought out a large stack of paperwork.
I sighed.
*******
The line to exit the tutorial wasn’t long.
Usually I left early, but after finishing the paperwork, I was among the last to leave.
I quickly finished the hand-to-hand test on easy, and exited the tutorial.
*******
Sitting on a grassy knoll on the first floor, I watched as trees were eviscerated and processed to make the dwellings that people would live in for the next month.
I kept the prompt up in my vision.
<(00:00:05 remaining) remaining of the tutorial>
<14,844,194 remaining>
<(00:00:03 remaining) remaining of the tutorial>
<14,844,194 remaining>
<(00:00:01 remaining) remaining of the tutorial>
<14,844,194 remaining>
<14,844,193 remaining>
<(29:23:59:58) remaining of the first floor>
<14,844,193 remaining>
Somewhere out there, someone remains trapped in the Tutorial, and all of the collective efforts of humanity haven’t been able to find him.