The First Lesson

The players got seated in the auditorium.

As Ron sat on the last row with his arms crossed, the players saw another door from the front of the auditorium open.

A long-haired woman with a book in hand walked in and took a spot in the middle of the stage. She then turned to look at the players, who occupied barely 1/10th of the seats available.

The woman's eyes seemed to bore into their souls, as if she could see right through them.

"Ron, are there any more Coinfeeders on the first floor, or has everyone either died or arrived here?"

"Around a dozen cowards are left on the first floor." Ron said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "They should arrive here soon."

"Hmm..." The woman shook her head and said, "We don't bother giving them lessons. Tell them to go on missions or something and give them their room keys."

Ron nodded.

"Well then..." The woman opened the book and then slammed it shut loudly. "My name is Dakota. I am your 'teacher' for the duration of the tutorial. I'll teach you the basics of the game mechanics and some other game-related things you should be aware of.

"This is the Safe Area of the tutorial, and since it has safe in the name, this is supposed to be place where players can move safely without the constant danger of being killed.

"That also means, we won't allow other players attacking each other in here.

"If we catch you, there'll be punishment.

"Now that I have said that…

"Has any of you read the help manual yet?"

Near the back of the auditorium, only one hand raised, and it belonged to Seth.

As soon as Seth raised his arm, he frowned and looked towards Adam, who was barely keeping his eyes open as if he wanted to fall asleep.

'Why didn't he raise his arm? He said that he also read it.'

"Only one." Dakota shrugged her shoulders. "More than I expected."

Ramon and Hannibal groaned as they couldn't care about lessons. They wanted to go check the missions and the selection of weapons.

"All right, today's lesson is weapons and skills." Dakota pointed towards the blackboard behind her, grabbed a chalk, and began writing down the usage of the weapons. 

"First of all, each weapon has its own base damage." Dakota said. "Say information, and you'll receive the information about the weapon."

Some players looked surprised and tried it out. To their surprise, they received information about their weapon.

Adam also whispered. "Information."

***

[Weapon: Pitchfork]

[Rank: Basic]

[Max Damage: 23-25]

[Durability: 75%]

[Description: Usually a farmer's tool, but in the hands of seasoned warriors, it can become a mighty weapon]

***

Dakote wrote about the rank of the weapon and about the damage.

"As you can see, the rank of the weapon is basic, the lowest rank. No matter what you do, you cannot increase the ranks of these weapons.

"That's why, mercenaries often change their weapons if they find a higher-ranked one. Higher-ranked weapons have higher max damage and won't break as easily.

"However, there are weapons that can evolve out there in the world, but none of you need to know about those now.

"The basic weapons will be the highest-ranked weapon you can find in the tutorial. On the outside world, basic weapons are treated like garbage, but in here, it is your lifeline."

Some players nodded keenly.

After Dakota finished writing and drawing, she turned to the players and said, "Has anyone noticed that you are sometimes capable of creating more damage than the base damage?" 

Donald nodded casually and glanced at Ramon, who managed to create astonishing 50 HP damage, which would be a strong enough attack to kill any of the players.

"If you hit any of the vital points of your opponent, you can double the base damage." Dakota said and pointed at the blackboard. 

"That is called Critical Hit. However, there is also a thing called Instant Kill. It doesn't matter how much damage your weapon does; if you do Instant Kill, your opponent dies immediately.

"That can only happen one way.

"Beheading!

"Your opponent can't survive without a head; that should be common knowledge!"

While players nodded, Seth was taking mental notes of everything—he planned to write them down after they were done with the lesson.

"Also, the durability of the weapon is important." Dakota said. "In this tutorial, you cannot restore your weapon's durability. It is another challenge of the tutorial. Outside the tutorial, only blacksmiths can restore your weapon, and it is crucial to do so.

"If the durability reaches zero, it will break and be unrecoverable!"

Dakota then wiped off the stuff about weapons and moved onto the skills.

"One last thing about weapons: their ranks will be on the mission board. Check them out when you have time. Now, let's move onto the skills."

The players watched as Dakota scribbled something on the blackboard—soon, they saw a drawing of scroll.

"Skills can be learned through Skill Scrolls." Dakota said. "They can even be purchased here, in the Safe Area. However, even if you purchase the scroll, you won't learn it immediately.

"To learn the skill, one has to learn it by himself and practice it until it becomes part of you—part of your core being.

"When you check the information about the skill, it will show the current completion progress. You'll have to reach 100% by simply trying to learn the skill.

"Once it reaches 100%, you can use the skill by just saying the skill's name out loud—no one else will hear you say that, and they would only see your lips move.

"The ranks of the skills are the same as the weapons, but the higher the rank, the harder it is to learn a skill.

"One skill took me 6 months to learn, so it definitely isn't easy. So, from early on, try to find a weapon that suits you, then find skills for that weapon, and it will be much easier than trying to learn skills for a weapon you don't know how to use!"

"Do not underestimate the value of high-level weapons and skills; they can be even more valuable than having a higher level, as if you only focus on your level, you'll be in big trouble against mercenaries who are higher-leveled than you!

"Only your stamina, HP, strength, and agility increase, which do indeed make you stronger, but you still cannot do more damage if you don't decide to purchase higher-leveled weapons, which cost a lot."

The players nodded thoughtfully.

"And lastly, the last thing for today's lesson." Dakota opened the book in her hand and slammed it shut. "You all are Coinfeeders—the lowest rank. In this world, your value is as much as sidewalk trash."

"Hmph." Ramon scoffed loudly near the back row of the auditorium.

"Heh." Dakota glanced at the rude player and said, "If any of you complete the tutorial, you'll automatically become a level 1 player.

"Also, you'll receive your mercenary card and officially become the second rank—Mercenaryman.

"Which is still low, and you'll be basically trash that has a little bit more value.

"However, the higher your rank becomes, the more valuable you'll be. You can acquire riches beyond your wildest fantasies; however, some players value fame and respect even higher.

"If you become strong, people will respect you.

"Perhaps, you'll remember this day, perhaps fondly, perhaps not, but still, any of you can become something of worth, but it won't be easy as only one death puts you right back to the bottom.

"If you want to find out just how far the hierarchy goes..." Dakota pointed to the door that leads out of the auditorium. "On the mission board, there will be mercenary ranks posted.

"For now, the lesson has concluded. Take your room keys from Ron and go do what you want.

"Also, the door to the second floor won't be available for y'all yet. The previous group, which arrived here before you, hasn't cleared it yet.

"When the boss spawns next time around, it will be your turn. So, rest, train, and get used to your life in the tutorial.

"That's all."