Mike’s stomach flipped inside out.
His vision warped.
A spiraling tunnel of light — no, energy, no, code — spiraled around him, twisting into patterns his brain wasn’t built to interpret. Each turn felt like the world was trying to unzip itself.
He screamed.
Or maybe he tried to scream and the sound dissolved into digital static.
Then the tunnel collapsed.
Gravity returned with a vengeance.
He slammed face-first into soft dirt.
He lay there a long moment, sprawled like a tragic pancake, and groaned into the ground.
“I hate… everything.”
If he had a mirror, he was certain it would confirm he currently looked like a man who had been thrown by a malfunctioning cosmic printer.
He pushed himself up and spat out dirt.
Again.
That was becoming a concerning trend.
When he finally got his bearings, he blinked several times.
Because the tutorial zone… actually looked nice.
A warm sunlight filtered through tall trees with golden leaves. Gentle breeze. Flowers that glowed faintly with mana. A small river nearby babbling peacefully. Birds chirping in pleasant, not-trying-to-kill-you tones.
Mike stared.
“This looks… shockingly normal.”
After the Predation Groves, any zone that didn’t immediately try to murder him felt like a luxury resort.
He looked down.
Finally — FINALLY — he had clothing.
Basic, plain, brown training clothes: tunic, pants, boots. Nothing fancy, but it covered everything important.
He lifted the fabric, sniffed it.
“…It even smells clean. Huh.”
He checked for pockets.
No pockets.
He sighed.
“Of course. Heaven forbid I store anything.”
Then, mid-grumble, he noticed another difference.
A faint golden glow hovered beside him.
A floating orb about the size of a tennis ball, radiating a soft, warm light.
It pulsed once gently, almost… friendly.
“And what are you?” Mike murmured.
[System Tutorial Assistant Activated]
Designation: T-Guide_02471 (Beginner Model)
Purpose: Assist new candidates in navigating early tutorial progression.
The orb bobbed up and down.
Mike blinked. “I get a helper? Like a fairy guide? A floating Alexa?”
The orb made a soft ding.
Correction:
This unit is neither a fairy nor an Alexa.
This unit is an optimized tutorial assistant.
“Are you… self-aware?”
This unit is 0.005% self-aware. Enough to be helpful, not enough to unionize.
Mike snorted. “You say that, but you sound dangerously close to developing personality.”
Incorrect.
Any resemblance to consciousness is purely coincidental.
The orb dimmed for a moment. Mike could swear it was pouting.
“Well,” Mike said, pushing himself fully to his feet, “where exactly is this? Some kind of starting forest?”
Correct.
Location: Tutorial Zone 1 — The Meadow of First Steps.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Recommended for new System users.
Mike exhaled, relieved.
“Good. Good. I can handle ‘Very Easy.’ That sounds like my level.”
Alert:
Zone difficulty automatically adjusted due to your class designation.
Final Difficulty: Easy+
Mike froze.
“What does ‘Easy+’ mean?”
It means slightly harder than Easy.
“How much is slightly?”
This unit cannot answer that without causing anxiety.
Mike groaned loudly. “What does my class have to do with anything?!”
The orb bobbed politely.
Unique Classes produce unpredictable resonance.
The System automatically increases environmental complexity and encounter variance to better adapt to your growth potential.
“That sounds like it means ‘the world gets harder because the System thinks I might break it.’”
That is an accurate summation.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Mike massaged his temples. “Perfect. Fantastic.”
He took a deep breath and looked around.
The area was beautiful.
Peaceful.
Comforting.
Which was suspicious in itself.
The tutorial assistant orb drifted in front of him.
Objective:
Your first task is simple.
Defeat one (1) Small Forest Creature.
Reward: Basic Combat Interface Activation.
Mike nodded. “Alright. Small creature. Like a rabbit? A bird? Something manageable.”
Correct.
Possible creatures: Softfur Hare, Leaf Sprite, Meadow Shroom, Baby Slime.
“Baby slime sounds gross. Let’s avoid that one if we can.”
Acknowledged.
Scanning for nearby harmless targets…
The orb glowed brighter, emitting a pulsing sonar-like wave.
A few seconds later:
Target Identified: Softfur Hare
Distance: 50 meters ahead.
Threat Level: Extremely Low.
Mike smiled for the first time since leaving Earth.
“I can do a rabbit. Rabbits I can handle.”
He moved forward through the forest with cautious optimism.
The sunlight warmed his skin.
Birds chirped overhead.
Leaves rustled softly in a calming breeze.
He relaxed a little.
“This is more like it. Nice. Peaceful. Nothing giant trying to eat me. I can breathe.”
Warning: the orb chimed.
Due to your class resonance, low-threat creatures may exhibit unpredictable behavior.
Mike squinted. “Define ‘unpredictable.’”
The orb hovered silently.
“…Define it.”
Unpredictable.
Mike sighed. “Fine. Let’s go see this hare.”
He stepped between two young trees into a small clearing.
There it was.
A Softfur Hare — a little creature, snow-white fur, long ears, tiny nose twitching as it sniffed the air. It looked adorable. Harmless.
Mike almost melted on the spot.
“Aww.”
The hare lifted its head, looked at him… and hopped closer.
Mike crouched.
“Hey buddy. Sorry about this. I, uh, need to punch something to unlock my combat interface, apparently.”
The hare tilted its head cutely.
Mike reached his hand out—
Lightning flickered faintly at his fingertips.
It was minor. Barely visible. But it was there — the same spark from the bear fight.
The hare’s eyes widened.
Its fur puffed up.
It trembled.
Then, with a panicked squeak, its entire body glowed.
“What—?”
The hare exploded into motion faster than Mike expected and charged him like a furry bullet.
“WHAT THE—?!”
Mike yelped, stumbling backward.
The hare slammed into his shin with surprising force.
He almost fell.
The orb chimed helpfully:
Alert:
Creature behavior impact detected.
Your Chaos-Lighting resonance triggered an adaptive response.
“ADAPTIVE?! It’s a rabbit!”
The hare squeaked furiously and launched itself again.
Mike dodged left.
Barely.
The hare missed his leg by a hair’s breadth and thumped into a tree.
It shook its head, dazed, then turned toward him with murder in its tiny eyes.
Mike shouted, “I DIDN’T EVEN HIT YOU YET!”
The orb hummed.
This unit recommends striking back.
Mike gritted his teeth.
“Fine!”
The hare launched itself again.
Mike stepped aside and swung his leg in an arc — more instinct than technique — and gently kicked it.
Because he couldn’t bring himself to actually punt a cute animal.
“Sorry, little guy—!”
His boot connected.
Lightning sparked at the exact same moment.
The hare flew several meters, flipped twice in the air, landed on its back, kicked once… and went still.
Mike froze.
“…Did I just… did I… oh no.”
Creature defeated, the orb chimed cheerfully.
Good job!
Mike stared at the unconscious rabbit.
“I’m a monster.”
It is only fainted.
It will recover.
Probably.
“Stop saying probably!”
Combat Interface Unlocked, the orb continued proudly.
A new window opened.
[COMBAT INTERFACE ACTIVATED]
Basic combat functions enabled.
Unlocked: Attack / Dodge / Parry (Beginner)
Unlocked: Mana Resonance (Awakening)
Unlocked Trait: Instinctive Spark
(Your body may produce minor lightning arcs during emotional spikes or panic.)
Mike stared.
“‘Instinctive Spark?’ So that’s why things keep electrocuting themselves when I freak out?”
Correct.
“That sounds… dangerous.”
It is considered a feature.
Mike rubbed his face hard.
“Okay. Tutorial zone. One enemy down. What’s next?”
The orb drifted upward.
Next objective: Defeat two (2) more starter creatures.
Progression requires demonstrating consistent combat ability.
“Two more rabbits?”
Possibly.
Scanning.
Mike looked around, mentally bracing himself.
“Alright. What’ve we got?”
The orb pulsed.
Then chimed.
New target located.
Creature: Meadow Shroom
Threat Level: Low
Behavior: Passive unless disturbed.
“Oh thank god. A mushroom.”
He started walking.
“That sounds easy. Just… stomp on it, right?”
The orb bobbed.
Caution:
Resonance spikes may impact fungal behavior.
Mike slowed his steps.
“…What does that mean for a mushroom?”
The orb didn’t answer.
It didn’t have to.
Because as soon as they entered the shroom patch — dozens of little mushroom creatures dancing lazily in the sunlight — Mike felt a tiny spark snap between his fingers.
The nearest mushroom suddenly turned toward him.
And its face opened.
Like a mouth.
Too wide.
Too toothy.
Mike backed up.
“Oh no. No no no. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?”
Adaptive aggression response triggered, the orb explained.
Your class is very… persuasive.
The mushroom lunged.
Mike screamed.
“WHY IS THE TUTORIAL LIKE THIS?!”
The mushroom screeched and charged.
Mike dodged.
Lightning jumped from his hand involuntarily.
The mushroom exploded in a puff of glowing spores.
Mike gagged. “Ugh—!”
Another popped awake.
Another screeched.
The orb chimed politely.
Congratulations.
You have engaged in multi-target combat.
“NOT INTENTIONALLY!”
Two mushrooms leaped.
Mike flailed, dodged, kicked one, punched another.
More lightning. More sparks. More involuntary chaos.
One mushroom inflated like a balloon and burst.
Another tried to bite him and got stunned by a spark from his heel.
He fought like a man trying not to die and trying not to inhale any glowing spores at the same time.
Finally—
The last mushroom toppled over.
Mike collapsed onto his knees, breathing hard.
“I want to go home.”
Nice work! the orb chimed.
Two (2) additional creatures defeated.
Basic Combat Training Complete.
A window opened.
[TUTORIAL RANK UP]
Level Up! LVL 1 → LVL 2
+1 STR
+2 AGI
+1 INT
+1 LIGHTNING (Locked)
+1 CHAOS (Locked)
New Skill Unlocked: Spark Blink (Unstable)
(A short-range dash with unpredictable side effects.)
Mike stared.
“‘Unstable.’ Why is everything unstable?!”
The orb pulsed gently.
Because you are a Chaotic Stormbringer.
“I didn’t choose that!”
Your soul did.
Mike groaned into the ground.
He wanted to argue.
He wanted to scream.
He wanted to lie down for an hour.
But the orb chimed again.
Next objective:
Find a safe shelter for the night.
Night hazards escalate by 300% for beginners.
“Three hundred percent?!”
This is why shelter is recommended.
Mike lifted himself to his feet.
“Okay. Shelter. Right. Let’s do that.”
He took a breath.
And then, from somewhere deep in the forest, far in the distance, a long, echoing roar vibrated through the trees.
Not a hare.
Not a mushroom.
Not even close.
Mike paled.
“…That wasn’t a beginner creature, was it?”
No.
“Is it coming here?”
Unknown.
Your resonance tends to attract interesting things.
Mike clutched his head.
“I hate my class.”
This unit understands.
Please proceed quickly.
And Mike, shaking slightly, began moving toward the deeper forest — ironically searching for safety in a place that absolutely did not guarantee it.
The sun was starting to lower.
Night was coming.
And something was coming with it.
Thank you for reading!
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