Chương 50: (Book 2 Chapter 1)

I kept staring at the system screen, unwilling to believe it. However, those three words were undeniable… First-Ever Tutorial. Any guilt that I had been feeling all this time for being the cause of people's deaths felt like it vanished, replaced by the fear of the unknown. I had been operating under the opinion that the system was so barebones and limited due to us being inside the tutorial, and once we completed it, we would finally have access to everything. That doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

Now, it feels like the system is so limited due to it being new, and that is frightening. But… also a little bit exciting. The question that came up now was that was our tutorial the first-ever, or was it a small part of the first-ever tutorial the system had designed. I clearly remember that our tutorial was designated a tutorial iteration number, so what did that mean? Guess we'll find out when we go back to Earth… Another conclusion I had made earlier shattered as well.

I thought the moment we stepped out of the tutorial, we would find ourselves being contacted left and right by gods or their faction representatives. We would then be assimilated into different factions based on who reached out to whom, and then start learning the best ways to grow stronger, and the basic mistakes to avoid. Instead, it looks like we are all on our own, and we will have to learn, make mistakes, and grow by ourselves. Perhaps the system will also be learning alongside us.

I still remembered its Safe Area 'Clarification' announcement, and hadn't I thought that it had made a mistake back then…? It is very obviously a huge disadvantage not knowing the best ways to grow and the mistakes to avoid. But it also gives us autonomy, and an incentive to experiment, which I love to do. I dismissed the screen and looked around at the people around me. Who knows… this could be the start of our own faction.

Lucas could be the face of the faction and the leader, dealing with all the politics that would surely come his way. Omar would be the leader of the mages, and Marcus the one for Healers. Perhaps Madelline could support Omar, or be the head of her own branch of esoteric magic, and Mason could be something like an explorer, or the Guild Leader of our very own Adventurer's Guild! My mind kept racing.

We hadn't had the time or opportunity to really experiment with production classes like Alchemists, Smiths, or Tailors, and we could now take actual time to set things up for them. We could take things a step even further, and set up a Merchant's Guild. The more I thought, the more excited I got. What would my role be…? I think I would be perfect for… My daydreaming was cut short by Omar waving his hand in front of me.

"Are you done reading through the title yet?" he impatiently asked. Oh right…

"Yes, I have" I answered.

"Good! So, what do you think?" I had another glance around before I spoke again, "How about we wait till everyone is gathered and then think about what it means?" Omar nodded, and immediately went off to gather everyone around. I instead walked over to Lucas, who was still sitting beside Sara's freshly dug grave. I sat down beside him, and he looked up to see me briefly before looking down again. What do I say? I'm terrible at these sorts of things…

Thankfully, Lucas started speaking, "You know, I have no idea why I am like this. How long did I know her for? Ten days? Maybe even less than that. How long has it been?"

"I'm not sure…" I answered. And I really wasn't, the last few days felt like they had been blended in. Ten days felt like a bit too long, but I think it had been at least a week since we had been transported here.

"Back on Earth, knowing someone for ten days, hell, even knowing someone for a month would make you either acquaintances or new friends, at best. And sure, you would be a bit sad at learning if someone you knew died, but you wouldn't be a mess, would you?" he looked up at me as he finished speaking. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I shook my head, not quite knowing what to say. He let out a small snort and looked back down again.

"Who am I even asking, you barely react when someone you have known for years dies…"

"You aren't wrong, but I reacted quite strongly to their deaths too, much stronger than anything I have ever reacted to" he looked back up to me again, his eyes searching mine to confirm if I was telling the truth or not.

"We were all thrust into such an extreme situation that it heightened everything by a factor of at least a thousand, if not more. So, I think it isn't a surprise you are feeling the way you feel, because I think a few days here felt like a few months outside. Hell, if even I became an emotional mess for some time, you can't really blame yourself for feeling the way you are."

"You really felt something?" Lucas asked in surprise. I nodded, "But it wasn't sadness I felt, it was guilt. It was my plan which ultimately led to their deaths, wasn't it?" He shook his head strongly at that.

"Listen, you aren't responsible in any way. Hell, if that army had come here, we would all be dead. It was your plan that saved everyone here, and don't you forget that" he said sternly. I looked around a bit at the crowd of people, busy discussing the system announcements or the huge fight that had just gone down. I looked back at Lucas again and let out a chuckle, "Wasn't I the one who was supposed to be comforting you?" He let out a short chuckle of his own, "You, comforting someone?

That is a trainwreck waiting to happen" We both let out a small smile at that, and fell silent again, looking towards the graves. Mason had found a few stones large enough to be put in place of headstones, and had taken the time to carve out the names of those who had died on each. I didn't know what would happen to it all when the tutorial ended and the system whisked us away, but there being headstones on the grave felt good, somehow. Soon, Omar came up to us, asking both of us to gather with the group.

We got up, and I placed my hand on Lucas's shoulder before he could move ahead.

"You alright?" I asked. He looked back at me, and gave a soft smile, "I will be…" he said, before turning and following Omar. I walked towards the group as well, and we had almost joined up before the system decided that it had been long enough without its interruption. Ding! Individual Tutorial rewards assessed. Would you like to view your assessment? Oh, looks like it's finished processing. Yes!

Tutorial Assessment – Alex Grant (Tutorial Iteration # 52783) Overall Assessment: You faced off and defeated numerous monster species alone, including different elite monsters. You took calculated risks, and found uncommon ways to defeat monsters. You successfully experimented with mana on your own despite having a physical-focused Class. You were the driving force behind the tutorial's ultimate boss battle, but your actions caused the Tutorial to conclude before the majority of Users reached their projected level.

Your actions led to the tutorial concluding five days ahead of planned schedule. Overall, you did admirably well, and your fights against the elite monsters and the boss enhanced your score considerably. On the other hand, your rushed decision meant you and your peers are under-levelled, negatively affecting your final score.

Final Rating: A Rewards: Exp gain increased by 20% for one month Inventory Slots increased by 3 Loot gain enhanced by 30% for one month One Rare Skill Stone One Skill Upgrade Token (Rare) 25 Gold Coins I took my time reading through the entire screen, and I remembered that I had forgotten about some of my forest of beginnings rewards during the tutorial, so I committed all rewards to memory.

The system basically confirmed that I had rushed that decision against the goblins, but I really couldn't think of any other way we could have faced off against that army. Maybe instead of my assumption that the whole army would attack, the system had planned on them attacking in waves, starting from the weakest goblins first? That could have allowed us to level up significantly.

But the fact of the matter was, that I didn't know what the system had planned, and thus I reacted having the worst-case scenario in my mind. What I did know was that my actions had caused my final scoring to fall, but I had still gotten an A rating, which means that there are possibly higher ratings as well…? Perhaps S, or even SS and SSS…? Shaking my head to clear those thoughts away, I instead focused back on the screen.

I was right, the tutorial had an iteration number, so it could be that all iterations were collectively called as 'The Tutorial', or it could be that as we completed our tutorial earlier, we were given the first tutorial title. The most interesting reward of all was the Skill Upgrade Token, which was something I hadn't seen before. However, if I was being honest, I expected a bit more from the rewards. Can't really say I'm surprised though, the system has really been stingy throughout…

Good thing we got a bunch of stuff from the final fight itself. I dismissed the screen to open my inventory, but instead another system screen took up my vision. Ding! Tutorial completed. Prepare to be transported back to Planet 646287. Once again, I was not given any actual time to prepare, but was instead instantly whisked away by the system. The world shattered again, and space folded in on itself, before I suddenly found myself face down on hard concrete.

Without giving me a chance to get my bearings, the system dropped another bombshell. Ding! Due to Planet 646287 not being up to the System's standards, it has been merged with Planets 324785, 2185, 67945, and 187512. Due to the merger, significant terraforming has taken place. The System has benevolently decided to transport Users within the same tutorial iteration close to each other. Continue to grow and adapt. Good Luck!