02 - Tutorial

"Before I explain anything about the game, I'd like to see what you look like."

She snapped her fingers as if doing some strange spell.

[Teleportation of all Players in the 10th Area is starting…]

Lucian was shocked to see such a message appear before him.

'A real-life interactive screen… I really thought that I would've only seen such a thing in video games. Angels, teleportation, mana, a completely different world with all sorts of races… Incredible.'

Lucian had no choice but to compare what was happening to him to the novels he had written all his life. They were quite similar, and Lucian simply couldn't believe he might be experimenting with something straight out of a webnovel.

'Still, I wonder… how is this even possible?'

Unfortunately, the angel was the only one who could answer this question since she came from the Otherworld. Also, Lucian was pretty sure she wouldn't answer his question based on how she had acted previously. That's why he simply waited for the countdown to reach zero to get teleported.

[Teleportation in 3…2…1…]

Lucian's vision became blurred for a few seconds before becoming crystal clear right after. He looked at his surroundings, wondering where he had ended up. It didn't take long for him to understand, as he was in the middle of the Hollywood Walk of Fame street.

On the giant street, there were a lot of people panicking, acting like they were all about to die. They ran around, shouting, crying, vomiting. Even Lucian was scared. However, he was a lot less expressive than most. Trevor, on the other hand… was very expressive, maybe a little too much.

However, Lucian would have ignored him even if Trevor was about to die. He knew that his survival was riding on this. The angel had made it extremely clear that only half of them would survive and be able to reach the Otherworld.

"Silence, humans! When did I give the permission to start talking?! Do you even want to survive!"

Even while she scolded them and threatened them, no one listened to her, completely ignoring her warning.

"Seems like I have no choice, huh?"

Lucian heard many shouts around him, and he honestly couldn't blame them. It was a logical reaction. However, Lucian knew that panicking wasn't the solution. It was in those crucial times that one needed to stay attentive. He knew about it very well because of all those apocalyptic novels that he had written for Trevor in the past.

"If you don't want to stay silent, I will have no choice but to punish you."

She pronounced those words in a very calm manner with a warm smile on her face. It looked as if she wanted people to disobey her. And that's exactly what they did. Most continued shouting and running everywhere like madmen.

"...Seems like I have no choice but to make an example out of someone here."

She pointed at a random person who was panicked and exploded his head. She wanted to make sure that they would be taking her seriously. Even if she was beautiful and looked like an angel, the truth couldn't be further away from it.

Just like she had mentioned earlier, she came from the Otherworld… a world very different from what Lucian and all humans had experienced. In that world, she belonged to one of the strongest families there is… the Celestials. This year, they were the ones who were given the responsibility by the system to look over the Tutorial, which is why Ariel was chosen.

Everyone who saw the human's head explode stopped moving instantly. The ones running around also stopped shouting. No one wanted to go through what that person did. Some vomited, and some were on the cusp of doing so. It was a horrible sight for everyone that was nearby.

"Everyone done? Can I finally explain the game?"

No one uttered a single thing, meaning they were ready for the explanation.

"Tsk! I hoped for another one, but it seems like that won't be possible. Well, whatever." She took a deep breath. "For your information, I am not part of the mysterious people who have created the Otherworld or anything like that. I was just sent here because of my family and because the system allowed me."

'So, basically, she can control what's happening here because the system is letting her do so? Is the system, the little screens that appeared in front of us?'

"However, for the time I'm here. I have all the power in the world, but once you enter the Otherworld we will sort of... be equals. Ok, enough about that. Let's start talking about this game. First of all, you guys have probably noticed, but you are in the 10th Area, which means that the game you will be going through is the tenth hardest."

'10th one? Meh, it's not too bad…'

"This deadly game is basically a Tutorial for what will happen to all of you inside the Otherworld… As you can probably guess, the Otherworld won't be the most welcoming for newcomers, so make sure to get as strong as possible during the Tutorial. It will give you a much easier time in the Otherworld."

Lucian nodded when he obtained the angel's information, gobbling everything he could get.

"Before the Tutorial starts, I will teach you about some things that could become quite useful to survive. So listen to me." She warned them about listening, but she honestly couldn't care less if someone wanted to ignore her as she continued her explanation right away.

'So, the deadly game prepares us for what will come after…'

"First, you have all received weapons to defend yourself against the monsters that will soon invade your planet. Those weapons can vary from person to person. It can be a bow, a sword… All that you need to know is that it's the weapon that fits you best."

Someone in the crowd was courageous enough to open their mouth. "How do we access our weapons?"

"I will show you how to access your weapon soon enough. Keep listening. Apart from the weapons, some of you have received a special skill to help you in the upcoming Tutorial. Those will be unique to every single one of you. The ranks of those skills will be divided into Common, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary Ranks."

'This really is just like a video game. Even the rankings are the same.'

"Your stats potential will also be divided in those ranks, so make sure that you remember them. Also, you might think surviving is the only thing you must do. However, those who hide until the end of the Tutorial won't have the greatest time in the Otherworld. I can tell you that much… Ah, I think everything has been said, right?"

Ariel didn't seem aware of what she was saying as she looked into the sky, as if questioning herself about having forgotten something. Shortly after, she looked back and seemed sure of herself.

"Yep, I think I did. Well, try to survive."

As she said those words, messages that resembled the Teleportation ones popped up in front of everyone's faces.

[The Tutorial will start in five seconds.]

[5…4…3…2…1…]

[The Tutorial has started.]

[First Tutorial Event: Defeat the 2000 Zombies attacking the tenth Area.]

Shock appeared on everyone's face when they saw what the Tutorial would be about… fucking zombies. While panic started to install itself onto a lot of people, Ariel realized she had made a small mistake.

"Ah, shit! I did forget. Each time you kill a monster, you will obtain 100 points. Those points will be extremely useful at the end of the Tutorial as you can exchange them for many different things, such as weapons, skills, and class awakenings…. Also, if you want to see your stats, skills, overall talent, and your weapon. Simply utter Status Window, and you will access everything."

As she finished that sentence, she disappeared by waving her arm upward. It was as if she had never been on Earth in the first place. While she disappeared from everyone's sight, shouts started coming from left to right.

Everyone was desperate to learn about what their Status would look like.

Lucian was also desperate as he put his hands together, praying to whatever god, who might be watching him right now.

'Please give me something good… Please!'

Lucian knew that if he could get a good Status Window, he could turn his life around completely. If he could get one of the cheats that the main characters usually had, this whole Tutorial would be a walk in the park.

"Status!"