"I’m out, my loyal listeners – it’s time for some delectable, heavenly nectar! You know it’s gotta be the one and only Wasted Gold from BMF! Let me drop one last gem on y’all, the sequel to Three Empty Leashes – it’s ”
- DJ Demophon Kerner, on K-RAD LA, April 1st, System Year 453
“PAST,” I sighed, “how the fuck do I get out of here?”
[YOU HAVE NOW GAINED THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE TO BE PROMOTED TO LEVEL 3! CONGRATULATIONS, CITIZEN! WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PROCEED, SIMPLY SAY ‘LEVEL UP’!
TO COMPLETE THE TUTORIAL YOU MUST FINISH YOUR LEVEL UP, ACCEPT YOUR REWARD, AND SELECT YOUR BONUS SKILL! THEN I WILL OPEN THE EXIT PORTAL!]
“Reset user settings,” I stated hopefully.
[NO CAN DO, CITIZEN! YOU MUST COMPLETE THE TUTORIAL BEFORE CUSTOMIZING YOUR P.A.S.T. INTERFACE!]
“Fuck it, fine,” I grumbled, moving to sit on the dirt and lean on the boulder. “Level up.”
[WELCOME TO LEVEL 3! YOUR ADVANCED CLASS GIVES YOU 8 CLASS STAT POINTS AND 4 FREE POINTS PER LEVEL!]
“Stop.” PAST cut off, and I used Inspect.
I feel… way worse than those numbers show! Hard to believe my health is that high. It must be because when my max health went up from 28 to 31, I got three more to my current health. So I was at 11 before. Same with everything else. Too bad there’s no stat for mental health, because that would be funny to see right now. It’s hard to trust this is really over, I want to get out of here as soon as possible!
I contemplated my free point for a moment before deciding I was too tired and hungry to come up with a different idea than putting it into Barrier again, so I told PAST my decision and rode out the results for – hopefully – the last time. As I lay there panting, PAST spoke again.
[YOU HAVE ALSO ACCUMULATED ENOUGH ESSENCE FOR AN ITEM! DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE YOUR ITEM NOW?!]
“Do I have to?” I wanted it, but I wanted out right away even more.
[YOU DO NOT!]
So of course I decided I needed to keep lying down for a few more minutes. Once I’d recovered, I stood and walked over to my newly-manifested System chest with the number ‘3’ inscribed on the top.
It’s crazy that I got three Levels today! I know Tier 0 is supposed to go by fast, but the Standard Tutorial only gives one. I guess that’s the real reward for almost dying a bunch of times! More Levels, more loot. And more monster guts all over me…
Inside the chest I found a glowing object about the same size as a mod, but instead of a smooth ball, it was faceted like a gem. The moment my hand touched it, the gem melted into me and a rush of knowledge tumbled into my brain. It was a Spell gem, I realized, and it contained the Tier 0 rune Force. The rune was more complex than any of the Cantrips I knew, several swooping lines contained within a perfect circle.
I was momentarily dazzled by the idea of having magic, real magic, not just the stupid Cantrips that literally almost everyone could do. Then I realized that I didn’t have a focus to impart a modifier rune, so I probably couldn’t do shit right now.
I should be able to infuse it into my gun, though, I can’t wait to find out what that does! I might have tried it right then but that killjoy PAST butted in again.
[BY REACHING LEVEL 3, YOU HAVE EARNED A NEW SKILL! YOU HAVE ALSO EARNED A BONUS SKILL AS A QUEST REWARD! YOU MUST SELECT YOUR BONUS SKILL BEFORE EXITING THE TUTORIAL!]
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Quest Completed: Advanced Tutorial
Required Objectives: Survive the Tutorial
Rewards: Bonus Skill, Exit Portal
“Do I have to select both Skills now?”
[YOU DO NOT, CITIZEN! ONLY THE BONUS SKILL MUST BE SELECTED AT THIS TIME!]
That was good. Selecting a Skill was a big deal, and big deals should get proper consideration. I didn’t think I had a lot of consideration left in me at that moment.
“What are my bonus Skill options?”
Class Skill Selection – Bonus Skill:
Tactical Reposition: During combat, recover a small amount of your mana every time you move into new cover
Type: Triggered
Cooldown: 1 minute
Instant Replenishment: Immediately refills your bandolier to full capacity
Type: Active
Cost: Same as standard replenishment
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Quick Step: Take a step that covers twice the usual distance
Type: Active
Cost: 1 stamina
Cooldown: 10 seconds
I wandered back towards the entrance of the final chamber to retrieve my gun while I thought. The only one I’d heard of before was Quick Step. It was a pretty common Skill, and even though it didn’t sound great, it would become useful when Leveled up. I’d be able to cover more distance with each use and the cooldown would get even shorter. It was a useful, generic Skill. I could see where it might have helped me a bit during the Tutorial, but I didn’t feel like it would have made a huge difference.
Instant Replenishment looked even less useful at first glance. My bandolier refilled reasonably fast and it didn’t take a lot of concentration to do it. The Skill would get better as it leveled, maybe saving mana compared to doing it the normal way.
If it refilled my magazine instead of my bandolier, or even both, then it would be amazing. Maybe it could get there eventually.
The first Skill, Tactical Reposition, was definitely the most complex, and I needed some clarification.
“PAST, what does ‘moving into new cover’ mean?”
[TAKING OR MOVING INTO COVER MEANS TACTICALLY HIDING FROM THE ENEMY BEHIND SOMETHING STURDY! NEW COVER MEANS HIDING BEHIND A DIFFERENT OBJECT THAN YOU WERE BEFORE!]
That wasn’t super helpful. “Does it have to be a natural object like a rock or can it be man-made?”
[WHERE THE OBJECT COMES FROM DOES NOT MATTER!]
I gathered my remaining wits and considered it. Running out of mana was a big concern, as my fight with the flying bugs had shown me earlier.
If I’d had this Skill earlier when I fought those flying monsters, I would have had plenty of mana left when I fought evil me. I wouldn’t have been able to use it in all of my fights, but it probably would have worked with the rocks in the tunnels where I fought the goblins and the spiders. The spiders just swarmed me, but once I get out of here hopefully I won’t be fighting alone very often!
I spent a ton of time today sitting around waiting to absorb more mana, even with a couple of safe rooms to help. I was lucky I didn’t get killed the one time I came into a fight running low. I know for Spell-based Classes it’s really important to take Skills that help conserve mana or recover it more quickly. I’m not a caster but I’m still mostly relying on mana instead of stamina.
“I’ll take Tactical Reposition.”
[BONUS SKILL SELECTION CONFIRMED! OPENING THE EXIT PORTAL NOW! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE ADVANCED TUTORIAL!]
A tiny point of bright light appeared a few yards in front of me, quickly expanding into an oval shape maybe seven feet tall and three wide in the middle. As it grew, it dimmed into a smokey grey color. In fact, it looked a bit like a dark cloud might if you stuck it behind a piece of perfectly clear glass. Eagerly, I reached out and touched it. In the moment before I was teleported back to Sunland, I realized I’d made a huge mistake.
[CONGRATULATIONS ON PROVING THAT YOU ARE A REAL AMERICAN HERO! USER SETTINGS NOW CONFIRMED!]
NOOOOOO………
With that, the Tutorial is over! Arc 2 will kick off tomorrow, and Az will actually talk to other people instead of that stupid System... Too bad she's gonna be stuck with PAST's lovely personality, since she missed her chance to change her user settings. Oops.
If you've made it this far, I'd really appreciate a rating or review! Please help me get this story off the ground, because I have a lot more to come and I'd love to get more people reading! Let me know in the comments if you picked up this chapter's Easter eggs!