Tutorial

Zane slapped himself, and the screen didn't disappear.

He then slapped himself again, just in case.

"What the hell is happening?" Zane leaned against the nearest wall, noting its coldness and how real it felt. This simply couldn't be a hallucination. It was definitely something more complicated. Did that notebook cause this?

Zane's gaze fell on the screen.

It was, without a doubt, the most confusing part of this entire situation. The screen followed him as if it was glued to his body, and Zane couldn't even perceive it with any of his senses.

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[Tutorial 1#]

[Endure the pain and gain more knowledge about the Tower]

[Objective: Hold onto the cube for as long as possible]

[Reward: Answer]

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Zane read through the content carefully, his mind flooding into extraneous thoughts. Feeling frustrated, Zane surveyed the room again. He had spent three good minutes searching for any viable path of escape, scrutinizing each corner. The room was completely empty, and this flying screen seemed to be the only useful thing.

"A tutorial," Zane read aloud, caressing the back of his head. As his words echoed through the room, something emerged from the ground just in front of him. Such a course of events took him by surprise, and he jumped back onto his feet immediately.

Spending a few good seconds in silence, Zane approached the novelty in this room. Just as Zane expected, it was an entirely black cube, which gave off a strange sense of dread.

'The screen says I have to hold it for as long as possible?' Zane thought, extending his hand. Well, there was really nothing else to do other than follow this tutorial. He couldn't break the surrounding walls, could he?

Zane grasped the cube with his palm, and his skin collided with its surface. At first, nothing exceptional happened, but Zane's expression frowned deeply barely a second later.

Alien pictures overwhelmed his mind like a violent wave crushing against the gravy stones. Together with the memories, an immense pain engulfed his entire body. It felt like each particle of his skin was getting stung by a violent insect.

Zane wanted to throw the cube away, however, he didn't dare to. Those pictures filling up his mind seemed much more important than the state of his body. Knowledge seemed unending.

The story of a man traveling across the world, fighting against pirates in order to become the strongest. The route of friendship between two ninjas and many other tales. All this knowledge attacked his brain, and Zane couldn't help but be fascinated.

Unfortunately, all these images started stirring. The pain over the aggregate of his body got more intense, making the experience even more terrible. He no longer concentrated on the pictures and simply tried to endure.

It felt like he was slowly dying as his consciousness started slipping away. He couldn't drop it. All these visions felt too real to be just a simple fraud, meaning that it was an opportunity. He has yet to understand how, but maybe he could use this knowledge to become more powerful.

Zane removed all the useless thoughts, focusing on the image of his dead parents. Hatred boiled from deep within him as the physical pain seemed nothing but a trivial matter anymore.

He had to endure! For the sake of his parents! For the sake of his little sister!

"Hm?" Zane suddenly felt the cube disappearing from his hands as he opened his eyes. He no longer felt any pain, though the stroke on his mind was quite hefty. His thoughts were quite a mess right now, and he leaned against the wall to store everything in its own place.

He didn't know what could he do with this knowledge, but it seemed important enough to remember each little detail. After a few minutes, Zane opened his eyes and inspected the screen.

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[Toturial 1# has been completed]

[The Tower is impressed by your willpower]

[You have been granted a reward: Answer]

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'Answer?' Zane got especially interested in the last part. Now that he has experienced something so extraordinary, he understood that this 'Tower' was anything but simple. Even though he spent quite a lot of time pondering, Zane mumbled the question which bothered him the most.

"What is the Tower?"

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[Tower is the place where contestants have the chance to attain Godhood]

[There are 10 floors]

[Each floor the contestant will be given a mission]

[Only death follows those who don't complete it]

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Zane regarded these words with a frown. They seemed somewhat vague and didn't satisfy Zane's curiosity at all. "What missions will I have to do? How is that knowledge going to help me?"

Even after waiting for a few seconds, no answer developed on the floating screen. It seems that he has misunderstood the contents, and he had only one question. Should have chosen better.

'I have to know more.' Zane thought, seeing the screen once again deforming. He no longer wondered whether it's a hallucination, hoping to instead get gratifying answers from the screen.

To be truthful, Zane didn't have any talent in combat and had even fewer chances of awakening a soul power. He trained every day simply because he was desperate, lost, and fragile. There wasn't any chance of him actually destroying the Vidin Empire when even the greatest soldiers died in the front lines.

Now, however, it could change. If he could gain even some powers from these so-called missions, then avenging his family wouldn't simply be a dream anymore.

-

[Tutorial 2#]

[Objective: Kill the woman in front of you]

[Duration: 3 minutes]

[Reward: Dual Dagger Mastery]

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Zane gulped as his eyes moved across the screen, noticing something rising in the middle of the room. It was a woman, whose upper part of the face was hidden beneath some clothing. Despite that, Zane could feel her quiet breathing.

'Kill?' Zane took a step backward, his back hitting against the wall. He didn't even expect a second tutorial, and now he had to kill someone? It was a bit too abrupt.

As Zane scrutinized the woman, he also caught a glimpse of the stated reward. Dual Dagger Mastery. That's exactly what he needed, and he could even check the legitimacy of the Tower by studying whether he could use the stated powers.

He had to get this reward by any means possible.

"Is there someone here? Please help me!" The woman shouted, trying to break free from the rope binding her hands. She was completely defenseless, and Zane could kill her at any time.

'I have no choice. This is my only chance to become stronger.' Zane heaved a long sigh, his eyes flooding with determination. Silently, he grasped the dagger and made his way towards the woman.

"I know someone's here, I can hear you!" The woman shouted, her lips trembling. "Release me!"

Zane didn't answer, looming over the shadow from behind. He hadn't killed anyone before, but he knew that he would have to face death someday.

He was prepared.

'Your death is for the greater good.' Zane grasped the hilt of his dagger even more tightly, propelling it at the woman's neck. He didn't close his eyes like most of the people would have done, for he knew that death would always linger near.

He saw blood rushing out of the woman's neck as she struggled to breathe until eventually falling against the ground face-forth. Zane noticed the blood spreading across the floor, yet he felt no pity for the woman.

This corpse only reminded him of his parent's death, making him even angrier. Only evil can beat evil. That's what everyone in the army always said, justifying the slaughter of hundreds. It was the harsh truth, which Zane understood clearly.

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[Tutorial 2# has been completed]

[The Tower is excited]

[You have been granted a reward: Dual Dagger Mastery]

-

Outlandish images flooded Zane's mind immediately, causing him to feel an intense headache.