Across the universes, hundreds of deities were suddenly stripped of the System product they had purchased. Most were outraged, storming across the void to the MSI tower, only to find it shattered and abandoned. None of them truly understood what happened, and so it was that rumors began to spread about the great fraud of Chariel.

Meanwhile on those worlds where the System’s guidance and support was stripped, many people suffered as their livelihoods suddenly increased in difficulty. Routine tasks that many utilized their skills to accomplish with ease found themselves failing. Trades like blacksmithing were finding themselves producing lower quality products than ever before.

Yet the largest group to be affected were the adventurers. Those who used weapons found themselves clumsily fighting like it was the first time they had ever wielded their weapon. Mages and healers found their spells either slow or nonexistent as incantations were not remembered with accuracy. Many died as defensive abilities failed to trigger, and hits from monsters that they might have before shrugged off became fatal.

Monsters seemed to increase in power mid-fight, causing those engaged in battle to need to flee. However, once a monster was defeated, neither could it respawn. As generations would continue without the System, in time each of the remaining monsters were culled until they became nothing but legends.

Dungeons suddenly closed, trapping those within on their independent planes of existence. All of those within would end up being lost due to injury or worse, dehydration and starvation. Many opted to end themselves upon this realization.

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Olivia sat behind the large desk that had once belonged to her father. Another long night had left her so drained that she had not made it to bed.

“Miss Orethurta? Miss Orethurta? You have that meeting with the division leaders in an hour.”

She woke with a start at the voice of her secretary. Glancing around, she still struggled to come to grips that she was no longer in another world. She was home, despite home no longer being the relaxing, carefree place she had enjoyed before. Now it was a constant series of meetings and paperwork about running OES as the new owner. Fortunately, it all seemed to come to her naturally, as though she had been doing these tasks for years.

The new age for OES was dawning.

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Yet there was one world where things seemed unchanged. A small world, containing a vast array of terrains and environments to explore and traverse. There, in the center of a series of rolling hills wound a river from a nearby forest off into the distance. Next to the river sat a small wooden cottage, at least that is what its builder called it. Actually, it was large enough that most considered it a mansion upon viewing it. A wooden fence surrounded nearby fields, whose plants produced all sorts of food at a pace only achievable by magic.

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There, Tess sat in a rocking chair on the porch, calmly enjoying the breeze with her eyes shut. It had been a long time since the fall of the System, but she still looked as young as she had during her time trapped within the Tutorial. Apparently being able to wield Chaos itself slowed the aging process even more than any genetics.

“More tea, My Lady?”

“Oh,” Tess said, opening her eyes, “Yes please, Hannah.”

Hannah, the woman who Tess had once saved from a criminal organization and entrusted the care of her adopted children to, had come along when Tess had returned to collect them. Now, she served as a housekeeper for Tess, despite the latter’s initial protests. Tess looked out towards the meadows, spotting Favi training with Charles in the sword as Gwen was sitting in a patch of flowers. The children had grown so much that they were nearly adults now.

“Is it that nasty stuff you made by mixing cucumbers in?” Hepha asked.

Hannah glared over at the retired adventurer-receptionist.

“No.”

“Good, I’ll have a refill too then.”

Hannah looked irritated, but did refill Hepha’s cup as well, since she was Tess’s guest at the moment. The elderly woman had also come along when Tess had scouted her for instructors.

She had a need for instructors as Tess was building something she called the Tutorial Academy. It was someplace she was intending to utilize in order to train anyone who would come into the ability to wield Chaos. Her first class of students were those she and Charles had carefully selected and brought here to become eventual instructors. Each of these people had undergone a rigorous evaluation by the pair, and many had been rejected.

“Thank you, Hannah,” Tess commented.

“Of course, My Lady. Please let me know if you need anything else. We can’t have you stressed.”

“I am capable of helping myself still,” Tess said in protest.

“Please, My Lady. Nothing is more important than your health right now. Please let me handle everything else.”

With that, Hannah departed before Tess could get in another word.

“You’d think I was an invalid with how she’s acting,” Tess muttered.

“Get used to it,” Hepha said, “Once the baby’s here, it’ll be worse.”

Tess gently placed her hand on her own swollen belly as a smile crept across her face.

“I suppose.”

Tess looked back out towards the horizon, taking in the majestic view of the distant mountains. Things were changing, but this was the place where she was meant to be. This was the place where she was, indeed, the master. For Tess, it was, and would always be, the Tutorial.