Ch 4: The first tutorial [pt2]

[Congratulations to all those who survived the first tutorial. We will now begin the second part of the tutorial.]

The omnipotent voice echoed worldwide, causing humans to look up in fear.

The zombies had finally disappeared, but the despair felt by the world seemed far from over.

Soma also looked at the darkening sky and knew what the next tutorial would be about.

[Your next tutorial is to collect and hoard. Gather 50 monster cores to progress through the level. You have a week to gather as many as you can.]

That was all the voice said before the eye closed and the red room faded.

"I-Is it over? Is the nightmare over?"

One of the hopeful fools looked at the sky in terror, fervently wishing that the world would return to normal.

But her wish was granted by a roar, followed by more roars around the area.

Large, snake-like monsters broke the surface, causing the exhausted humans to let out a frightened yell.

[Safety areas have been opened across the map. Every hour in the safety zone will give five coins]

"What's this? Is this a map? Then, are those green spots safe areas?"

Someone asked with a hopeful voice.

"A-Ah, it's here. One of the safe spots is here."

A man yelled as he stepped into the green line.

The counter on the screen increased.

5

"It must be a safety spot. Hurry, get in there."

A man yelled, quickly picking up his kid and running.

People rushed to get to safety, but Soma did not follow them.

This was a trap, and these people were unlucky enough to fall for it.

"H-Hey, are you not running to safety? The monsters will get you. Hurry up, come with me."

Someone tugged at Soma's sleeve to drag him toward the safety dome. 

But how can someone who had yet to hit level 2 drag Soma, who was already level 10? 

"Let me go. If you think that going to that dome is safe, then you are putting your life in danger. There is no way something that put all of humanity in danger would ever do something this nice."

Soma's words caused the man to stop dragging him and pause.

"Well, what you said is true, but-"

-Ringggg

[Capacity of the safety area had been filled. Reduce the load within safety limits. The area will be dispelled in 1 minute]

The system warned, causing everyone to panic.

Those who were in the safe zone and those who were rushing toward it looked stuck.

"See, I told you. There are no free deserts in the world."

Soma pulled his arm away and started to walk away. He needed to start killing these monsters as soon as possible if he wanted to grow.

"Hey, where are you going? There are monsters that way-"

The older man asked in a worried voice. Soma decided to help the old man out one last time.

"Old man, if you want to survive, go to the station and lock yourself in the bathroom. Do not come out no matter what happens, and when it's time to submit the cores, kill someone to get their cores. That is the only way you would survive."

Soma warned the elderly but doubted the man would take his advice.

Compassion was the first thing this tutorial was telling you to abandon. It had no place in the tower or a fight against the outer entities.

These people will learn to pick their fights soon.

...

-Clash

-Boom

Soma jumped out of the flaming window as the building burned behind him.

He had finally managed to level up enough and hit Level 12, the initial level where he could start buying things for class specifications.

He also gathered enough coins to buy the skills he wanted.

"Shopkeeper, where are you? I need to buy things from you."

Soma called out, and the fairy appeared out of thin air.

"You are such a cruel person. What do you want now?"

The shopkeeper asked with a pouting face. 

Soma did not miss the mischievous look in the shopkeeper's eyes as he looked at Soma.

"I want to buy explosives and ice crystals. Also, give me immunity potions."

"Explosives? What do you think you can do with those things?"

The shopkeeper asked, but Some looked at him with blank eyes. 

Some pretended to reach for the fairy again, causing the small thing to yell and tremble.

"Fine! You can have your explosives and ice crystals and fire crystals."

The fairy sold the things to Soma, and it was finally time for him to challenge the world boss.

Each tower floor had a boss that gave hefty rewards if you killed it, and the tutorial was no different.

The only difference here was the level of skills Soma had.

"Oh well, I am already level 12. I might as well make good use of what I have available."

So, it was time to head underground where the snake queen was.

Some would have never dreamed of doing such a thing in his previous life.

But this time, Soma had his preparations done in time.

[You have consumed an immunity potion. Status effects resistance +50%. The potion will last half an hour.]

This small window was going to be Soma's saving grace.

The worst thing about the snake queen was her venom.

Not only was her blood full of poison, but her subordinates (kids) were also venomous when touched.

Soma needed to buy these potions if he wanted to kill the boss.

"Let's see. Yes, my stats and level are high enough not to cause me any trouble with the boss."

Soma walked into the underground, and he instantly got jumped and snaked on all sides.

Most of these snakes were as tall as horses and agile as well.

He dodged the ones that fell from the sky.

"You all are cold-blooded creatures, right? I wonder how well you will do against someone using frost aura."

Soma asked before he allotted his five skill points into Mana stat.

[Mana +7]

It was a pathetic score, but it was enough for his sword to emit a cooling aura.

The sudden cold caused the snakes to step back, but there was nowhere to run.

"Now, let's play a game of tag."

Soma's sword cut through the snakes like they were rope.

The poisonous blood fell on his arms, causing burns to appear. 

But the immunity potion did its job, causing Soma to resist the poison.

[Immunity potion is resisting the poison in your body.]

[Immunity potion is purifying your body of the poison.]

[Poison immunity increased by 10%. Low-level poisons do not affect you.]

The system prompt came in time, and Soma was able to breathe properly once he felt the poison leaving his body.

'Ah, this hurts. Being poisoned is no joke.'

Soma wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

But before that, he needed to finish the upcoming fight.

The snake queen realised that Soma was here to challenge it and instantly raised its hood in defence.

More and more snakes started attacking Soma, causing the poison to fall faster on his body.

[Immunity potion has successfully resisted the poison. Poison resistance increased by 1%]

The more Soma killed the snakes, the more he heard this message. 

But the more he used his sword, the colder his body felt. His hands were beginning to freeze due to the cold aura the sword was giving off.

Soma consumed a fire crystal to offset the cold's effect on his limbs instantly.

Instead, his insides lit up, and Soma breathed out in relief.

[Fire crystal has offset the cold aura of Ice Jewel. Resistance to cold has increased for a limited time.]

The newfound warmth allowed Soma to fight harder and faster than before.

The snakes began to fall around him like frozen flies until the snake queen was the only thing left in that small nest. 

It reared its fans toward Soma, intending to eat him when Soma decided to use his energy into a single strike.

[You are exceeding the upper limit for fire crystal's effect. Status condition acquired: Frostbite.]

Soma's actions dulled a bit as his hands began to cool down. 

But the momentum behind his initial strike carried Soma's actions forward.

The sword pierced right through the snake queen's stomach, causing it to cry out in agony.

[Congrulations: You are the first to kill a boss-level monster. 10,000 coins have been awarded.]

[Leveled up. Current level 15.]

[You have achieved the maximum ceiling for this test. Would you like to continue?]

That should have been the end, but Soma held his sword, ready to counter the incoming wave of monsters.

"Would I like to continue? As if I have a choice. Where else would I find such a good exp farm?"

Some quickly picked the 'yes' button, and the system receded.

'It should be about time for that fairy's curse to activate. Let's see how much worse my opponents will get this time.'