Rayna sat in the courtyard a few days later, going over her notes as excited players waited in line for the portals. The mood of the tutorial group had risen drastically now that even the most timid players could level up. It only took three Level 1 Robis to get to Level 2 and the simulation line was almost empty, since it wasn’t worth the effort.

Emma hadn’t been as upset about Rayna’s recklessness as she had been expecting. The only thing that earned her an earful was the Masochist title, which, Rayna promised her, wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

Emma proceeded to prove her wrong by doing the math. Even if she only got the minimum damage to receive the title, that would be a hundred thousand damage over five days. On average, that meant twenty thousand points of damage a day. Or more than a thousand points per hour if you didn’t count the time that Rayna spent sleeping.

Which was a lot.

Thankfully, Emma forgot all about the title when Rayna showed her the Fountain of Life Amulet, her library artifact and Phira.

She instead chastised Rayna for putting Mana into her library artifact instead of her amulet. Phira agreed with Emma, making it two against one.

Rayna smiled and shook her head. There was no winning when Emma was stressed out.

“Still not going in?” Emma asked, plopping down next to Rayna with a grin. She was covered in sweat and blood, having just come out of the portal, but Rayna was getting used to the smell.

“I’m still working on my strategy,” Rayna said.

“You’re overthinking it. Go in and kill some Level 1 Robis until your Endurance is higher, then start working your way up to more difficult monsters. You’re not too far behind and that amulet is a huge boost.”

“You’re going in enough for the both of us,” Rayna said. “What was that, your fifth trip?”

Emma was already Level 5. Rayna refused to let her own jealousy push her into premature action. It was more important that she figured out her options if she was going to make the most of this opportunity.

“Ninth, if you count the simulations.” Emma said. “But that Level 5 Emurian would have sliced me to ribbons, so I don’t regret testing my limits.”

Rayna nodded. The strategy became popular after a few people got themselves killed the first day, despite the warnings from both Janet and the System. Since then, confirmation messages had popped up whenever someone approached the real trial, as well as danger ratings when you picked your monster.

It seemed the Administrator was still improving the trial whenever he noticed a problem, which was actually an encouraging thought.

“So, what’s wrong with the Robi approach?” Emma asked. “They’re easy enough to kill. It’s basically free Experience.”

“They’re not enough Experience,” Rayna argued, handing Emma her notebook.

Robi — 20 Exp/level

Cruennix Wolf — 50 Exp/Level

Emurian — 100 Exp/level

Vulpinox — 75 Exp/level

Forest Gecko — 100 Exp/level

She had taken notes on a few hundred monsters so far, but Experience gain was highest on her list of priorities when it came to choosing an opponent.

“It would take a Level 5 Robi to match a Level 1 Emurian. The Experience isn’t worth it.”

Emma raised her eyebrows. “We haven’t tried half of these monsters. Where did you get these numbers?”

Rayna held up her library, which was currently morphed into a book called, The Beginner’s Guide to Monster Hunting. “I have a book on the subject. Phira confirmed that it’s accurate up to Level 25. After the First Ascension the Experience gains are more random.”

“Have you shown Janet?” Emma asked.

Rayna nodded. “She’s already copied all of that down. She said she’d turn it into a list and post it on the forum.”

After the tutorial resumed, the forums had all merged, making it possible to share information between the groups. It was a bit hectic, but the Tutorial Leaders were given moderator roles, so Janet was helping to keep everything organized.

Emma grimaced. “I’ve been fighting monsters that only give thirty Experience per level? No wonder my growth has been so slow!”

Rayna nodded. “That’s why I’ve been waiting this long. I need to find a monster that’s slow enough that I can outrun it, but squishy enough that I can actually kill it. Which means that it can’t specialize in Endurance or Dexterity. I’m hesitant to go after something that specializes in Strength because one hit might kill me before the amulet’s healing kicks in.”

Emma looked up from Rayna’s notes. “You’re picking up on all of this quickly. I thought you didn’t like RPGs.”

“This isn’t game logic, it’s Ember logic,” Rayna said. “I learned it all from the bestiaries.”

Emma chuckled. “Figures, you’d get interested in all of this as soon as it wasn’t a game. All right, what’s your plan?”

Rayna frowned. “I think I narrowed it down to one monster, but you’re not going to like the one I picked.”

* * *

“This is quite possibly the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Emma said.

She stood next to Rayna in line, trying to talk her out of her plan, despite the fact that it was almost Rayna’s turn to enter the portal.

Phira stood behind her, looking concerned. “I have to agree with Emma; this doesn’t sound like a good plan.”

“Thank you!” Emma nodded at the Tinkerer.

“I’m starting with a Level 1,” Rayna argued. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll run back through the portal and I’ll just have wasted an attempt.”

“Then why not just go for the simulated portal?” Emma asked. “It can’t hurt to check.”

“The simulation will give me half the Experience of a Level 1 Robi. I’m already too far behind as it is.”

“What about a Cruennix Wolf?” Phira suggested. “You should be able to dodge it easily, considering you have twice the Dexterity.”

“It’s too high in Strength and I’m prone to bleeding out. I don’t want to deal with something that relies on sharp teeth. Not to mention, the Forest Gecko and I are similar in stats, I should be able to handle it.”

“That Information is highly suspect!” Emma said. “There’s nothing about the monster’s tactics, where it came from, the author even questions whether or not they exist!”

“Well, they do, since they’re in the options. And I got the stats from the System archive. They’re accurate.”

Stolen story; please report.

“That wasn’t my point, and you know it.”

“Look, I get that this is risky, but I think I can handle it, and the faster I get my Endurance up, the better. My best bet is to grow quickly before I get killed. A Level 1 Forest Gecko will get me almost two levels and its attack power is nearly non-existent. From those stats, my guess is it relies on speed or stealth, both things that I have counters for.”

There were only two people in front of Rayna now. She was running out of time to convince her friend.

Emma crossed her arms. “Then I’m going with you.”

“Then we would have to fight two of them to make it worth it. That’s more risk than me just going in by myself.”

“No need,” Emma said. “I’ll just watch. I can step in if you’re in trouble, otherwise the System won’t award me any of the Experience, so you won’t lose any.”

“I’m going in alone,” Rayna said firmly. “Look, Emma, I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but I have a better chance of surviving than you do if things go sideways.”

“Uh-huh? How do you figure?”

Rayna pulled her amulet out from under her shirt. “This thing reacts faster than I can. There’s enough charge in there to heal me more than fifty times over, but I can’t use it on other people.”

Emma opened her mouth to argue but Phira jumped in.

“Rayna’s right. If she is going to challenge a Forest Gecko, it’s best she does it on her own.”

Emma turned to the Tinkerer. “I thought you were on my side!”

“I am on no one’s side,” Phira said. “I am simply agreeing with a correct statement. That amulet is a far better safety precaution than a Level 5 Healer. And if you’re there, she might make a mistake trying to protect you and end up getting you both killed.”

Emma didn’t look happy, but she had run out of arguments.

“I promise I’ll bail if it looks dangerous,” Rayna said. “My self-preservation trumps my pride.”

Emma sighed and relented. “Come back in one piece, or I’m coming in there after you.”

“I don’t think that will work,” Phira said seriously.

Rayna chuckled. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

She stepped up to the portal, waiting for her prompt.

!!Warning!! You have approached the portal that leads to real monsters. Failure in this trial may lead to serious injury or death! Are you sure you wish to proceed?

Rayna confirmed and another prompt appeared.

Please enter the portal.

Rayna stepped through, emerging in a small stone room. She had heard descriptions of the windowless trial room from other players, but nothing could have prepared her for the smell.

Rayna gagged, running to the wall to puke as the acrid stench of blood and bile filled her nostrils. It took a full minute for her stomach to calm down enough that she could continue the trial. Phira wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and Rayna figured she must have retreated back into her stone.

Welcome to the adjusted trial: Real.

Note: you have entered the portal that leads to a trial against real monsters. If this was a mistake, please turn around and exit through the portal.

Attempts remaining: 99/100

Two confirmation messages seemed a little excessive.

Please choose a monster and level. If you are not sure what monsters are available, you can refer to your System Menu for a list. Remember, the monster cannot be more than two levels above you.

“Forest Gecko, Level 1,” Rayna said aloud.

The monster you have chosen is considered highly dangerous at your current level. Are you sure you wish to challenge a Level 1 Forest Gecko?

Rayna hesitated. It didn’t look highly dangerous from the stats, but Janet said the System’s danger warnings had been fairly accurate so far. Should she back out?

Rayna dismissed the idea. If she hadn’t been curious about the Forest Gecko before, she certainly was now. She wanted to see what was so dangerous about this monster, and as she told Emma, she could turn around and run through the portal if this turned out to be a bad idea.

With that thought in mind, Rayna confirmed her choice.

Nothing happened.

Rayna pulled out her awl pike, waiting for something to jump out at her. If the monster was invisible, that would explain the danger rating, wouldn’t it?

Seconds stretched into minutes, but nothing appeared to attack her.

A message appeared, nearly startling Rayna out of her skin.

There are no Level 1 Forest Geckos within range of the trial room. Please choose how you would like to proceed.

[Choose another opponent] [Teleport] [Forfeit]

Rayna frowned. “Teleport?”

Teleporting player out of the trial room…

“Wait, no!”

It was too late. Light shone in Rayna’s eyes, and a moment later she was standing in a dark forest. She squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden change of lighting.

“Trigger-happy, senseless, moronic—”

Rayna’s muttered tirade was cut short as a bad feeling came over her. It was the same feeling she had noticed when she approached the portal during the first trial.

She lifted her pike, examining her surroundings for the source of her gut feeling.

The shadowy forest had a thick layer of underbrush that rustled with every movement. The canopy stretched high above Rayna’s head, woven so densely that barely any sunlight filtered through to the ground. Bioluminescent moss grew on the tree bark, providing just enough light for Rayna to see by.

It was made obsolete a moment later by the appearance of the monster she had chosen to fight.

Rayna’s heart thudded in her chest as an absolutely massive Gecko climbed over a fallen log. It was the size of a Great Dane, with sharp teeth lining it’s jaw in rows like a shark. It shone in the darkness, casting the forest in an eerie pale blue glow. Its milky white eyes stared straight ahead as it sniffed the air.

[Forest Gecko — Level 1]

Yeah, no. I’m out of here!

Rayna turned around to run through the portal, but it hadn’t followed her to the forest.

Eldar, if you’re listening, give that choice a damn confirmation button!

Your suggestion has been noted.

Rayna could almost laugh at the ridiculousness of her situation.

So… since you apparently are listening, you wanna teleport me back?

There are no trial rooms available at the moment.

Seriously? Well, then teleport me back to the tutorial. I’m okay if it loses me the trial. Just get me out of here.

Your proximity to the Forest Gecko poses a problem with teleportation. Please dispatch the monster to ensure that it will not follow you to the tutorial area.

So, no help from the System.

Rayna found the menu to disable pop-up notifications—something Emma had shown her the day before—and muted the System for now. She didn’t want a badly timed notification distracting her and getting her killed.

All right, don’t panic. It’s just a big lizard. You can take it. You just need to get close before it realizes you’re there. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering it’s as blind as a bat.

She made a mental note to tell Janet that tidbit of information so she could add it to her steadily growing monster guide.

Rayna took a step forward.

A loud snap cut through the silence as Rayna’s foot came down on a twig.

The monster swiveled toward Rayna with a speed that should have been impossible with its Dexterity. It bit down on Rayna’s arm.

She screamed, pain lancing through her arm as her pike fell to the ground, but before Rayna could even try to retaliate, the Gecko released her and jumped out of range.

Rayna’s amulet activated immediately, healing the small wound. Despite how much it had hurt, the attack hadn’t taken more than a hundred Health. The creature’s Strength was just too low to do any real damage.

Rayna picked her pike up off the ground. “All right, let’s do this.”

She charged the monster, aiming for its throat.

The Gecko let out a startled snarl and scrambled backwards, caught off guard by Rayna’s sudden assault. She managed to land a slice on the monster’s back, but the Gecko was faster than her. It spun around, biting her leg. Then, just as it had done the first time, it leapt out of reach, watching Rayna from the side of a tree.

What is it waiting for?

Rayna stood still, hoping she could lure the monster into trying to bite her again.

The ploy worked. Rayna brought the butt of her pike down on the monsters head just as it closed its mouth around her leg.

The Gecko snarled in surprise and backed off again, hissing angrily at Rayna.

“Same to you,” Rayna said, grimacing at the pain in her leg. Even with the amulet auto-healing her wounds, it took a little over a minute for the pain to subside. She wasn’t sure if this was a psychological thing or a limitation of the artifact.

The Gecko was more careful after that and Rayna had to practically chase it around the forest; slicing, taking hits, slicing some more.

If the Gecko’s Endurance hadn’t been so low, the battle would have been endless. Even with the small cuts adding up, it took Rayna a full ten minutes to kill it. The monster had to have some sort of healing skill like Rayna. There was no way it would have lasted this long otherwise.

But eventually, the Gecko succumbed to its wounds.

It collapsed, breathing heavily, and Rayna finished it off with a quick stab to the head before it could muster the energy to continue.

Despite how long it took, the fight was pretty anti-climactic.

“That was highly dangerous?” Rayna mused aloud.

Emma could have easily tanked the Gecko’s attacks without healing. And anyone with a decent amount of Strength could have finished off the Gecko in a single hit. Rayna supposed that she would have trouble killing the Gecko if she couldn’t keep up with it, but being able to run away shouldn’t classify the monster as dangerous.

Rayna pulled her pike out of the Forest Gecko and sat down on a log, stowing her weapon in her Inventory.

She frowned at the monster. Something felt off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The monster was still glowing, but it was definitely dead, and Rayna wasn’t getting bad vibes anymore.

Could monsters be sensed if one was paying enough attention? That would have been useful information.

The forest seemed to buzz around her as she was drawn toward the downed Gecko. She reached her hand out and touched the monster’s smooth skin.

Light flowed from its body and into Rayna’s, spreading through her with a gentle warmth that soothed her aches and filled her with energy.

When she pulled her hand away, the Gecko’s body was melting into the ground, leaving nothing behind but bloodstains in the shadowy forest.