1 The Strongest Mage and the Pipsqueak
In the vast expanse of the multiverse, where dimensions intersect and realities collide, there existed a realm of extraordinary power and mystique; Yggdraea.
Among its inhabitants were beings of unimaginable might, but among them, two of them were above others, Merlot, the Strongest Mage, and Valiant, the Strongest Fighter.
They stood at the pinnacle of their respective disciplines, their prowess unmatched and their names whispered with awe across the cosmos.
As their legend went on for millions of years, a fierce conflict erupted between Merlot and his arch nemesis, an ancient force that sought to unravel the very fabric of reality.
The clash of their powers resonated across universes, sending shockwaves that reverberated through the corridors of existence.
In the tumultuous battle that ensued, the unimaginable occurred – Merlot fell.
'Fucking cheater...' Was the last thought crossing Merlot's mind as he looked at his eternal rival, Valiant.
The aftermath of Merlot's defeat was cataclysmic.
Reality itself quivered as if wounded, the repercussions could be felt through the infinite multiverse.
Earth, a seemingly mundane world, found itself at the epicenter of this cosmic upheaval.
[Congratulations to all humans for being selected to participate in the Tutorial of Existence!]
This was the message that startled everyone, and before they could react, it was too late.
The unleashed magic warped the laws of nature, birthing an apocalypse that swept across the planet with relentless fury.
Amid the chaos, an extraordinary System emerged, one that had the sole reason of helping humans get used to the new world they found themselves in.
The denizens of Earth, now caught in the maelstrom of mystical energies, experienced a transformation that transcended the boundaries of their known reality.
The System manifested as a series of ethereal screens, displaying enigmatic stats like Strength (Str), Agility (Agi), Stamina (Sta), and Magic (Mag); it granted individuals a glimpse into the arcane forces that now dictated their future.
As the survivors grappled with their newfound reality, Michael Smith was unlucky enough to be still sleeping after getting wasted last night.
Merlot's last act before succumbing to his foe's onslaught was to release all his mana towards a random point in the Universe, before trying to reconstruct his body.
But, he couldn't, at least, properly...
Maybe the Goddess of Fate tried to play a joke on Merlot, but a part of his soul was everything that managed to get away from Valiant.
And coincidence or not, that part of his soul, along with some of his mana, was transferred on Earth, only a meter or so away from Michael.
Because time his time was running out and Merlot didn't have any choice left, he entered inside the body of the 24 year-old young man.
'Who's this pipsqueak?' As Merlot tried to figure this out, something else happened; his soul started to fuse with the young man's and became one.
'Noooooo! This, this...' If he could, the renowned Strongest Mage would have done something he forgot to do for millions of years; he would have cried and shouted that it was unfair.
Unfortunately, his vision started to get blurry, and the last bit of his consciousness was absorbed with the help of the System inside Michael's body.
Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes, before he could do anything, the System's notification appeared before his eyes, surprising him.
"What's this... Screen?" Michael's opened eyes closed once again as he tried to go back to sleep.
The young man still felt how bad his head was hurting after the wild night.
[Ding! Warning: It's recommended that player Michael wakes up and selects a difficulty in the next minute, otherwise the transfer will automatically begin in 5 minutes with a random difficulty]
As the notification resounded in Michael's head, he snapped his eyes open and looked around in the hotel room.
There was nothing.
'Was it just my imagination?' Thought Michael as he tried to make sure there was no one around; and it was really empty...
Not even the hot coworker he spent five months courting, the one that he barely managed to get drunk and come with him to this hotel, not even she was around anymore; having a passionate night with her was everything he wanted to do in the past couple of months.
But now... "That bitch is gone." Realizing that he was no more than a 'friend' to her, Michael shook his head and barely got up from the bed.
Suddenly, a glowing in the corner of his eyes made him aware that something was there, with him.
[System Interface]
As soon as he focused on it, the translucent text got bigger.
[System Interface]
[Name: Michael Smith]
[Age: 24]
[Level: 0]
[Experience: 0/50]
[Strength: 11]
[Agility: 9]
[Stamina: 10]
[Magic:???]
Inventory/Skills/Shop/Coins/Missions
"What the heck is this!" Michael exclaimed as he saw the familiar System he often read about.
Another message popped up in his retina as soon as he asked this.
[Ding... Opening message logs...]
As Michael was still shocked by the 'System' appearing in front of his eyes, another screen with text appeared.
[Congratulations to all humans for being selected to participate in the Tutorial of Existence!]
[A new journey awaits you due to the colossal amount of mana surrounding your planet, the Peak awaits your challenge!]
[Ding! Since the players' planet is not a world officially recognised by the System, some adjustments are required]
[In order for humans to get adapted to the new environment of the planet that will begin its metamorphosis, a period of One(1) Year is required!]
[Operating modules... Selecting common areas... Ding! Optimal areas for humans has been created!]
[Tutorial Zone: Chilly Forest, Raging Wastelands, Human Empire, Rocky Mountains, Sage's Abode, Fallen Bastion, Gates of Doom, Fate Odyssey, God's Fall Zones are now available]
[It is recommended to start from the first zone, as the danger of being instantly killed in the other zones is EXTREMELY HIGH]
Michael had enough time to absorb a lot of information during the few minutes he checked the system over and over again.
[Ding! Ten seconds left for player Michael Smith to choose the zone difficulty before proceeding with the transfer...]
"Huh? What, difficulty?" Quickly taking another look at his message log, Michael was surprised to see another message there.
[Ding! Warning: It's recommended that player Michael wakes up and selects a difficulty in the next minute, otherwise the transfer will automatically begin in 5 minutes with a random difficulty]
"Oh, shit..."
Looking at the 5 seconds left, Michael hurriedly shouted, "Select Difficulty!"
5...
[Ding! Available difficulties: Easy, Challenging, Hard, Hell, Impossible]
4, 3... The system's countdown reached 2 seconds when Michael opened his mouth and shouted, "Select Hard difficulty!"
Even if he rushed with his decision, Michael didn't want to go at it from the 'Easy Difficulty', as he thought that with so many difficulties over it, the 'Hard' one which was in the middle seemed to be the best.
As he finished mouthing his words, a prompt came from the System.
[Unable to choose a difficulty due to Player Michael Smith being too late. Proceeds to choose a random difficulty...]
As Michael saw that, his pupils enlarged a bit, as he realized that he was too late.
'Pretty sure it will be fine, what are the chances for one of those menacingly sounding difficulties to be selec—'
Feeling as if someone trolled him in a video game, Michael watched in despair as the words Impossible Difficulty glowed with a blood red light in front of his eyes.
[Congratulations player 'Michael Smith' for selecting the Impossible Difficulty! As the one and only player to select this difficulty, the penalty of having your stats and experience reduced by 90% is removed!]
[Commencing the transfer... Tutorial of Existence... Impossible Difficulty...]
"You motherfuc—" Michael couldn't finish cursing as a white light suddenly enveloped his body, before he completely disappeared.
His body, mind, and soul, all of them hurt like hell.
'ARGH...' Because Michael could feel everything that happened inside his body, he was shocked when a sudden wave of pain hit him, making him wish he was dead.
'Whoever did this, don't let me find you, ever!'
Before Michael lost his consciousness inside the white light, another screen popped up in front of his eyes.
[Ding! Tutorial of Existence Main mission for Impossible Difficulty: Survive for one year inside the Tutorial. 364:23:59:59 left]
Trying to open his mouth and speak once more, Micheal couldn't, as he completely lost his consciousness and fainted.
Unknowingly to him, another 'thing', that was inside him, was aware of whatever was happening with him right now.
'So it begins once more...' Thought Merlot, before he tried to use his mana, the mana taken by the System and integrated into Michael's body.
'I see... So the Tutorial of Existence began once again, and the being I had to link my soul to is now on the way to face off the Impossible Difficulty...'
'We're both doomed...' Sighing, Merlot looked ready to accept his fate.
'I guess this will be the end of I, The Strongest Mage to have ever lived.' As Merlot began to contemplate in silence, his soul suddenly shook as if it was on the verge of exploding.
'I don't give a damn about the System's rules!'
'Break for me!'
In a last attempt to use his powers, Merlot did his best to tweak with the machination known as Fate...
