The Tutorial

[The Tutorial will start in 5 minutes.]

[Players are being paired together.]

Disbelief.

Conflicted.

Rin couldn't help but feel emotional, staring at the floating words in front of him.

'This is... I'm in the...' He thought while looking around him.

The tall and frail Rin found himself in a large cubic room.

'Back to the start...?'

His hair was dark and short.

'My left arm is back...'

Rin opened and closed his left fist.

A familiar feeling he had lost years ago.

'I might just cry...'

He looked down.

'Huh, clothes like these aren't common in the Tower... Also, was I really this skinny in the past...?'

Rin wore a black baggy T-shirt and black jeans.

The ground, ceiling and walls were made of grey sturdy-looking stones.

Rin sighed heavily as he sat on the ground.

His thoughts raced.

It wasn't his first time here, but that didn't mean he could take it easy.

'The beginning of the Tutorial... I thought I would come back a couple of days in the past... Or at most, go back to three years ago when I lost Miya... But this...'

She was Rin's long-lost lover.

A lover he had spent three eyes trying to forget about, but ultimately couldn't.

Rin's amber eyes stared at the ceiling for a bit.

'Shit... Gotta calm my thoughts. Let's focus on this Tutorial Floor. The rest comes after. Gotta think practically. Let's leave. The thinking. For later...' Rin thought.

He took a deep breath in.

Immediately, his conflicted emotions and feelings were shut down.

'It's unexpected. Starting back from zero. I can use this to my advantage... Maybe it is for the best. Restarting from the beginning, before any of my numerous mistakes were made. Starting with our first meeting, Jack.'

Jack was the first person Rin had met upon entering the Tower.

It was also the last person he had seen before regressing to the past.

To Rin, Jack was like a brother.

He was also the person Rin owed his life to.

'We'll need to do this a lot better. And I'll need to make sure Jack settles into his Tank role as soon as possible-'

[Starting equipment will now be handed to you.]

'Guess I'll see you in a bit, huh?' Rin thought before chuckling lightly.

[Select one of the following options.]

Three screens appeared in front of him.

'Should I choose the same as last time? My heart is racing just at the thought...'

On the first screen, a sword and a dagger.

On the second one, a bow with a certain number of arrows.

On the third one, a heavy-looking bat and a shield. Both made of wood.

'Of course, you'll choose the third one again. It suits you best anyways. I'm sure you're freaking out right now. Although you were much calmer than I was back then...'

Rin selected the second option, just like he had long ago.

'Shooting an arrow... I can't wait. Since losing my left arm, I had to change my fighting style entirely...'

His heart started racing.

A quiver full of arrows and a bow appeared on the ground.

The next second, he appeared in front of Rin.

"What the hell?" The person shouted, armed with a bat and a shield.

Tears were about to stream down Rin's face.

His brother-in-arms, whom Rin had seen getting slaughtered hours earlier, was standing in front of him.

Still, Rin did his best to veil his emotions.

"Hi! I'm Rin." He said, somewhat enthusiastically.

"I'm Jack...? But that's not important. How can you sit down so nonchalantly? Did you enter the Tower without meaning to?"

Jack was a big guy.

Standing at about 195 centimeters tall, he could tower over Rin easily.

A gentle face and broad shoulders.

Rin stared at him for a bit, lost in thought.

'The beginnings of the world's greatest Tank, alongside Hercules... And my comrade ever since the Tutorial.'

"We're supposed to wait so sitting down felt right. Anyways..."

More floating words appeared, this time in front of both participants.

[Courageous challengers, we welcome you to the Tower.]

'Not the best introduction, but it beats last time. After all, I was so scared I had an arrow aimed at your neck the moment you appeared... Looking back, we did laugh about it a lot, huh?' Rin thought as he chuckled lightly.

[The Tower is made up of 100 Floors, you are currently on the Tutorial Floor.]

[The 0th Floor is a test of courage, strength and adaptability.]

[Failure can lead to death, but not during the Tutorial.]

[The Tutorial will end once both fighters cannot continue the Test.]

[The 1st Test is about to begin.]

"We got weapons, so I guess the Tutorial is about fighting...?" Rin said as if he had no idea.

"Thought as much. Although it is surprising that we cannot die during the Tutorial. I wonder if that's actually true..."

'It's true we can't die. A protective barrier will appear around us if we can't fight anymore.'

"Not sure, but it would be best if we don't get into a position to find out. Even if we can't die, we might get injured badly." Rin answered while getting up and putting his quiver over his shoulder.

'The quality really is sh*t... The arrows aren't even that sharp and the bow's string looks fragile.' Rin thought with a faint smile.

Using equipment of such low quality almost felt nostalgic.

'F*ck. I just had to be paired with the guy who chooses the bow. Probably a coward, although he looks confident somehow...' Jack thought.

[The 1st Test will start in 10 seconds.]

Instantly, Jack squared up and raised his shield and his weapon.

'Huh? I don't remember him being this quick, although we were at each other's neck during the whole thing which might explain it... Anyways, I'll need you to gain some confidence.'

"Alright, Jack. I'll be counting on you to take the front lines."

"What? So you really are a cowa-"

Before Jack could finish his sentence, the sound of bones hitting the ground caught his attention.

[The 1st Test has started.]

[Defeat the Skeleton[F].]

The Skeleton was about 170 centimeters, shorter than both Rin and Jack.

In its right arm, a sword made of iron.

Rin turned his gaze towards his old friend.

"Well? Are you going to do something?" He asked right after noticing that Jack's leg was trembling ever so slightly.

"Just wait a second. That thing is creepy, almost scary. It has a weapon too. Honestly, it's-"

Once again, Jack couldn't finish his sentence.

This time, it was because Rin ran as fast as he could towards the monster.

"Wait! What are you...?" Jack shouted as he followed him.

A smile appeared on Rin's face.

'Coming to back me up? Is it because I look so frail? That's just like you.'

Once he arrived in front of the monster, the Skeleton raised its weapon with both arms.

"Move!" Jack shouted.

Rin easily avoided the attack by taking a swift step to the left.

'My body feels heavy... Weak... Tight too. But it should be enough for these guys...'

A strong front kick.

SNAP-

The Monster's leg was now separated from its tibia.

The Skeleton tried to stand back up, but one leg was not enough to handle its weight.

"I guess... It's pretty weak." Jack said as he walked up to Rin.

The latter walked towards the crawling Skeleton.

It was waving its sword in every direction desperately.

Rin stepped on the monster's right arm and grabbed its weapon.

"Wanna finish it?" He asked.

"No. I'll take the next one." Jack answered confidently.

[You have defeated 1 Skeleton.]

[You have passed the Tutorial's 1st Test.]

'Now, the second thing that needs fixing. Previously, we could only clear up to the Fourth Test, which meant that the rewards were not amazing. The average pair of new Players will make it to the Third Test, but...'

Rin turned his gaze towards Jack.

The latter looked at him with caution and suspicion.

"Let's aim for the top, Jack."

A smile appeared on Jack's face.

"Yeah. Let's do that."