Tutorial [3]

"Would you like to form a team with me?"

"O-oh n-o, I mean Y-yes! Yes, I would!"

With my gaze fixed on the flustered male in front of me, who subconsciously tried to cover his almost naked body, a slight smile graced my face.

Lionel Steel.

The male character of Tower Ascendance.

Like me, he also came from Earth. Unlike me, though, he had a life back on Earth which I didn't.

What this basically meant was that one of his goals in the novel was finding a way to return back home.

However, there was still some time before he could concern himself with that.

Right now, we had to survive.

Yes, we.

There was a reason I approached Lionel among the other main characters here. It wasn't just because he was the true main character; my main reason for wanting to cling onto his thigh in the guise of a team was because he was also the strongest among them now.

Though he may not look different from any other normal 18-year-old aside from being particularly handsome, he was someone who could take on five grown adults by himself easily. His prowess came from how he was raised.

Though most of the challenges ahead could not be compared to fighting grown men, in the first level of the tutorial, it was enough for a head start.

With my knowledge of the tutorial Floor, I had to make use of the time available to me to get stronger.

"I think it's a good idea to arm ourselves before we head out, don't you agree?" I said gently to Lionel with a smile.

"Y-yes."

Perhaps because of my calm demeanor, he appeared less nervous.

Compared to the formidable force he would become in the future if nothing went wrong, the current Lionel was still just a child.

I was not one to talk, though. I am young myself, just 26 years of age.

T-that's young, right?

Without wasting time, Lionel and I made our way to the area in the cave where various weapons were laid out.

Swords, spears, shields, bows and arrows, and even uncommon weapons like halberd were scattered around.

Just like in the novel, Lionel chose a sword.

A rather cliché choice for a main character, but one that was understandable based on what I knew of Lionel.

Back on Earth, though civilization had advanced and things like cold weapons became irrelevant and old-fashioned, it wasn't like they were completely abandoned.

There were still people who practiced using them for various reasons, like flashy sports and so on.

Lionel, on the other hand, just happened to be the descendant of a traditional family in a rural area where old practices like training with a wooden sword from a young age were still upheld.

Unlike others who chose the sword like Lionel, Lionel was the real deal when it came to handling the sword.

Among the other main characters here, only one could handle a weapon to an extent that was considered useful in the tower, especially in the tutorial, but there was a reason I didn't approach him.

Even if I could survive with the knowledge I have of the novel, I still needed some things to progress in the way the author wrote it.

I did not want to accidentally alter the course of events and create a butterfly effect that changes everything I knew.

I also had to remind myself that knowledge was something that could be dangerous.

Depending on the situation, it could act as a double-edged sword.

Just because I had knowledge of future events didn't mean I was some sort of main character.

I had no redeeming feature to even consider myself one. I was as average as average could get, so I had to be careful.

With this in mind, my choice showed my stance.

Unlike Lionel and many others who chose offensive weapons, I opted to be on the defensive side.

I chose a shield, one that was about half my height. Due to its larger size, it was quite heavy but durable. The weight prevented me from selecting another weapon, but I was okay with it.

"A-are you done?" I heard Lionel's voice beside me. He still seemed nervous.

"Yeah. Let's start moving," I replied, to which he nodded in response.

At this point, several people grouped in teams were already making their way out of the cave.

As I did the same with Lionel beside me, I turned to look at a few specific people.

The identical twins I had my eyes on earlier had teamed up with the middle-aged man who limped on one foot and were currently choosing their weapons.

The lady who was maniacally laughing before as she hugged herself was now crying while pulling her hair.

"...."

'Seems like nothing's changed. Everything is still progressing as it was in the novel.'

In fact, that was a slight change.

For one, Lionel was supposed to end up alone, but due to my involvement, that wasn't going to happen again.

In the original setting, though Lionel was as healthy-looking as he could be, his slender body and pretty face made others slightly unwilling to team up with him, thinking he'd end up a burden, and his shy tendency prevented him from pushing to join.

The situation now was different.

While I was aware of the possible butterfly effect that could occur due to my involvement, for the sake of my survival, risks had to be taken.

Thankfully, my actions didn't change the original narrative very much.

Though some people had formed teams to venture out of the cave, the majority of the people here decided to stay.

Three other main characters still teamed up just like in the novel, and the catalyst to awaken the last one, that 'lady' was already in place.

With several thoughts flashing through my head, I made my way out of the cave with Lionel.

From now on…

…it's me against the tower.

*

In a dimly lit room, several holograms displaying various scenes illuminated the darkness.

On one of the screens, a man could be seen talking to a group of people.

"Seems not all of them are brainless fools," a voice echoed in the dark room.

The light from the hologram revealed the features of the speaker.

A humanoid creature with a single large horn protruding from its head, clad in a black suit. It had long red hair and a somewhat slender figure.

The floor master of the tutorial Floor, also known within the tower as the tutorial Floor master.

"With how incompetent their performance earlier was, I was starting to think that for the first time in the tower's history, this group of chosen 'outsiders' would be the first case where all of them were wiped out," the tutorial Floor master remarked.

Taking a momentary pause, the floor master continued speaking with a tone that showed a slight disdain.

"However, can they compare with the chosen participants from within the tower?"

Losing interest in this group of outsiders that appeared worse than their predecessors, the floor master shifted focus to the other holograms displaying various scenes.

After all, they weren't the only participants in the tutorial Floor.

******

A/N: Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading today's chapter. I've done my best to make everything clear, but if there are any points of confusion, please let me know. Your feedback is invaluable!

Make sure to leave a comment and share your thoughts on the current progress.

Also, most of the chapters in this novel will be very long.