—Gavin—

  Gavin couldn’t believe how wild that Office Boy was. He killed Gavin’s makeshift team in a matter of seconds, and then somehow dodged Gavin’s homing longshot. That was the insane part: Office Boy moved from looking at his World Screen to dodging a bullet in a split second.

  That wasn’t natural, Gavin thought. He was level 31—there was no way any normal person could dodge his homing bullet. It stressed him out as he approached the 5th Avenue entrance with his fledgling. He lifted a classic walkie-talkie he had found in a car with camping equipment and pressed a button. “Where’s Office Boy?” he asked.

  “Still looking out the 4th Ave door,” a woman’s voice replied after a pause, releasing a “shhh” sound as the receiver clicked off.

  “Okay,” Gavin said, but he didn’t believe her. He didn’t believe her. He supposed he had given himself trust issues for life after this stunt, but so it goes. Right now, he just needed to survive. So he yanked the terrified fledgling by the shoulder, saying, “Say a word and you’re dead, got it?”

  The woman nodded nervously, terrified of him. He felt like a monster for threatening her, but that’s just how things were.

  The door swung open, and Noah, the leader of the 5th Avenue mercenaries, walked out.

  Gavin jogged up. “Oh, thank God. I thought the door would be tied down again.”

  “Nope,” Noah said. “It’s smooth sailing today. If you pay the piper.”

  Gavin’s voice broke as he said, “What do you want?” He already completed the tutorial, so he wasn’t that stressed. Luckily, his fear of dying was high.

  “Your weapon,” Noah said.

  “O-Okay,” Gavin replied. Just don’t kill me. He tossed a sword at the man’s feet. It’s not like he needed a conventional weapon anyway. His rifle was made of mana.

  “Good, good,” Noah said. “Come on in.”

  Gavin grabbed his fledgling’s hand and ran to the door. Noah was so calm and collected that Gavin wasn’t on guard. That’s why, even with his superior stats, he didn’t dodge in time.

  Noah grabbed his face, and then Gavin felt his head bubble with tumors. “W-Wait,” Gavin pleaded, but it was too late. His head exploded, and black velvet descended over all.

  —Kyle—

  The blonde mercenary came downstairs to relay that the sniper was dead. “It’s done,” she said.

  “Cool,” I said. “Thanks.”

  She kept standing, swallowing hard. “Hey, I—”

  “We’re cool,” I interrupted. “I’m not a hero. I’m not trying to start shit. Just… stop with the murder, kay?”

  She looked at the ground, her expression grave and remorseful. “I’m Alice,” she whispered. “I’m not sure if you care, but… I’m a person. Just… trying to make it.” She was trying to justify her actions. I didn’t believe she was being genuine, but I recognized her as a human, if only for her desire to justify herself.

  “Kyle,” I replied. “See you around.”

  I said that, but I didn’t plan to make friends with her. That said, there could be a day when we needed to join hands for some tutorial or another, so I kept things neutral as she walked away.

  Suddenly, the door opened and a new group filed through.

  You have aided another Chosen during sub-tutorial “Aid the Chosens”

  That was the perfect cue. I turned to the others. “The sniper’s dead. There’s still an hour and a half until the end of the tutorial. I’ll defend you from mercenaries until then.” I meant it, even though I wasn’t expecting rewards now that I wasn’t killing mercenaries.

  To my shock, they kept coming through.

  You have aided another Chosen…

  You have aided another Chosen…

  You have aided another Chosen…

  It was insane to watch—and David was grinning from ear to ear. “What are you at right now?” he asked.

  “Ten,” I answered. “It’s insane.”

  “Yeah. That’s one hell of a hot streak. I’m high just watching you.”

  I didn’t like that language. “That’s rich coming from you. You’ve got to be the luckiest person I’ve ever met.”

  His expression crumpled like a squeezed soda can. “Uh… well…”

  A chime sounded while we were talking.

  Congratulations! You have completed the tutorial “Protect the Fledglings.” Make your way to the auditorium to receive your rewards and instructions.

  Time until gathering: 00:09:59

  “Damn, I didn’t even notice how close we were,” David said.

  “Me either,” I replied. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  There were over two hundred people in the auditorium, many fledglings. We had lost a third of the Chosens—mostly from people killing each other. I thought of Edgar, Jacob, and Troy. I thought of Emily’s team. I thought about the vultures and the mercenaries. It was brutal.

  I hoped that the tutorial had been a weeding-out mission. If we had more tutorials like that, I doubted many people would survive.

  Luckily, I wasn’t alone on this journey. To my surprise, Brooke sat beside me. She wasn’t going out of her way to make conversation, but her presence spoke louder than words. I felt an indescribable feeling of relief that she stuck around. Brooke’s magic was instrumental, and her decisive mindset and willingness to act were invaluable. Plus, I liked her as a person. Not only did she save me, but she also helped me find Danny and then took care of him.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I was glad she stuck around.

  Brooke wasn’t the only one to stick around. Remy, who had just recoiled from me just a few hours ago, plopped down behind me, making a scene of it.

  “You’re not avoiding me anymore?” I asked dryly.

  “No need. I thought I’d catch mercenary if I touched the blood on you.”

  “I haven’t washed up yet.”

  “Details, details,” she said casually.

  I couldn’t help but crack a smile as I turned toward her, but it didn’t last long. Remy might’ve pushed past her fear to speak to me, but I could tell by her trembling body that the fear was still there. I couldn’t fault her reaction, but it still bothered me. I hoped she’d adapt. She was someone I felt could bring a little light to this hellish world—if only a little.

  The chime came a few seconds later, and a huge red box appeared in the auditorium.

  Congratulations on passing the second tutorial!

  You have all earned one information request. Those who helped other Chosens protect their fledglings will receive one item reward (per team member) per fledgling they aided. If your team’s aid was critical to completing another team’s mission, your team leader will be able to utilize those teams, as well as their fledglings. If your party did not receive aid, you will have autonomy to utilize your fledgling or join groups. You will receive a personal notification regarding your placement now.

  The team leaders who aided are listed below:

  Kyle Taylor: 10 (Team: 18)

  David Kim: 3 (Team: 3)

  Kevin White: 2 (Team 2)

  Derek Hyde: 1 (Team: 1)

  …

  Noah Jones: 0 (Team: 0)

  The list went on, moving down through forty groups, most of which had zero.

  “Wait…” a woman whispered behind me. “Why did you get one? You killed the sniper.”

  The leader of the mercenaries, whom I had heard referred to as Noah, whispered back, “Because he wasn’t trying to kill anyone.”

  “Yeah, but still… We did help those people, right? Those Chosens would’ve died without us. Besides, we killed the vultures.”

  “I know, and that sucks. But it's all about the wording. It says, ‘Aiding people in protecting their fledgling.’ They knew this would happen.”

  “Oh… that’s bullshit.”

  I didn’t like that the mercenaries were annoyed that they weren't rewarded for solving the problem they created. That said, I said nothing. I focused on the next text box on the wall, instead.

  A chosen representative will now explain your current situation.

  Henry Keen walked out in his Pink Floyd t-shirt, a little worse for wear compared to the last time he explained our situation. He put on a smile regardless and spoke to us with his strange telepathy.

  Hello, again. I’m glad to see that you’ve made it here alive. It’s been… one hell of a ride.

  Some Chosens responded with nervous chuckles. Others’ expressions were ice-cold.

  Now that we’re here, let’s talk about fledglings. Fledglings are Chosens who have powerful classes but lack combat ability. You’ve protected them. Now, your team can use or trade them.

  Let this be clear: fledglings are immensely powerful. Unlike you, they may stay in the safety zones until the end of the Tutorial, providing valuable services.

  So treat them well.

  I squeezed Emily’s hand, overjoyed that she would be in relative safety for the rest of the tutorial. She smiled back, eyes downcast afterward. I could tell she felt guilty that I wouldn’t be in the same boat.

  Let’s talk about teams, Henry said. All individuals have been assigned a team; if you protected a fledgling without aid, your most contributing member will be made team leader unless the role is transferred. If your team was critically aided by another team in the last tutorial, you will be assigned to the team leader who aided you.

  I received a chime and a notification.

  You have become a team leader.

  You have critically aided 10 groups.

  Would you like to name your team now?

  No, I thought, fighting to hide my grin. I didn’t want people to know how stoked I was, but my expression didn’t matter.

  “I’m not sure I have the right to complain, considering I wasn’t the most charitable during this last tutorial,” Noah prefaced. “But don’t you think this is a bit of a farce? That guy has an army now.”

  That one comment put a target on my back. Suddenly, my reputation tanked, reframing me as a Trojan horse who exploited the system while also convincing others that I was a hero.

  “I’m the reason that army’s alive,” I countered coldly, turning back to face him. “I saved all of these people from you, the mercenaries, poachers, and vultures. Are you trying to pick a fight?”

  His face cramped. “It’s a valid question.”

  It is indeed a valid question, Henry interjected. But you needn’t be concerned. Team size isn’t fixed. Chosens can change teams at any time, with or without their team leader’s consent. That said, the fledglings must stay with the team leaders they’re assigned to, unless traded or the teamleader fuses with another team.

  Noah sighed in relief. He could now obtain an army that rivaled mine, which made me feel uneasy. Power meant everything in this world. Tonight, I had to bring more teams to my side—at any cost.

  Now that we’ve covered teams, let’s move on to your next tutorial, Henry continued. Starting tomorrow, you’ll engage in a bounty hunt. You and your teams will kill beasts and rescue citizens in exchange for survival rewards that you can use to obtain weapons, clothing, and magical items.

  The rewards are connected to citizens. There will be a team reward for those who contribute to a kill, and individual rewards for those who personally contribute to the hunt. Please keep in mind that contributing is the only means to obtain rewards. Poaching citizens is prohibited. Killing Chosens is prohibited. Maiming Chosens is prohibited. Doing any of the three will result in immediate elimination.

  I could imagine Noah’s face behind me.

  In a moment, you’ll be issued a space within the library for your team. These rooms are chosen based on the size of your team and will be reassigned if necessary. That’s all I can tell you. You’re free now to spend or save your rewards on the tenth floor.

  Henry left, leaving the aiders to file upstairs. About 30 people ascended the escalator with Brooke, David, and me. Among them was the black man with the flute, a large frat-boy-looking guy, and a strange man with long, sandy hair, whom I had saved. Surprisingly, he aided someone before we aided him.

  I noted them and entered the tenth floor. The library looked the same as when we had picked out weapons, but there were now clothing racks, boxes, crates, and duffel bags.

  I scanned the reward options and found them quite surprising. One was a set of boxes that said “Food for Kyle Taylor's group.” There were a ton of members in my team—and an extravagant amount of food to match. There were also coolers and cooking equipment, with images that displayed pork chops, steaks, and even ice cream.

  If this is the food selection…

  I walked to the clothing section, and my eyes shone. There were combinations of clothing: leather jackets and shirts, boots and socks, pants and hats, and the like. The items came in sets of two, and each cost one reward. I had ten, so I didn’t hesitate to buy a full outfit. I needed another boot after throwing mine!

  I chose a leather jacket made of “scoro bear” hide, marketed as being able to withstand regular attacks from beasts below Level 30. The shirt was made of modified cotton that could allegedly survive most non-magical attacks from Level 25 entities. I obtained a full outfit, including an adventurer’s hat, which I figured would help more against human snipers than against beasts.

  Black jacket, boots, and belt—tan pants and white undershirt, I would look exceptionally dapper for the apocalypse. After I washed up and changed, of course.

  Three rewards down, I decided to buy the food. General selfishness would likely prevent anyone else from choosing the option, unless someone managed to coerce someone into giving up a reward for the benefit of others. Thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with that. Instead, I continued on to the weapons and found something that I wasn’t expecting.

  I have a 3-book contract for this novel, so it's being written, and it's long. There are 48 unedited chapters, so you can feel assured it's being posted. There just may be delays here or there.

  In retrospect, there isn't more to say. Enjoy!