Tutorial Phase?

"When you said you wanted to let the snake fight it, you didn't say anything about becoming bait!" Furcio screamed as he ran past Ethan.

"I didn't?" Ethan asked.

Ethan and Furcio sprinted through the canyon, the thudding of their footsteps echoing against the rocky walls. Behind them, a large scorpion-like insect led a swarm of hundreds of insects, their menacing clicks and buzzing intensifying the urgency of their escape.

Furcio shouted, "Ethan, what's the plan now? We can't keep running forever!"

Ethan, still running, threw a quick glance over his shoulder. "Remember the snake? It's our ticket out of this mess."

Furcio's eyes widened in realization. "You mean...?"

Ethan nodded. "Yup, let the snake do its thing. We just need to get to the spot where it's waiting."

Earlier, when the snake recovered, it almost immediately started chasing them. Again, it was not what Ethan expected but games are different from real life so he had to simply run away to survive.

Luckily, Ethan's familiarity with this dungeon proved to be very useful as they were able to make the snake move to a new location while using themselves as bait for the Queen.

The relentless pursuit of the insect horde drew nearer. The canyon walls seemed to close in. Furcio couldn't help but glance back, his eyes widening at the approaching swarm. He could take care of ten or twenty of them, but not hundreds at the same time!

Finally, they reached the spot where the snake was coiled. Its once-injured scales now gleamed with vitality. Ethan and Furcio skidded to a stop.

As expected, the snake ignored them as it hissed and lunged toward the oncoming horde. Its agile movements and sharp strikes created a whirlwind of chaos as insects scattered in all directions.

"That snake is a beast!" Furcio said.

"Isn't it?"

The battle between the snake and the insect horde immediately started. The canyon echoed with hisses, clicks, and the occasional thud of the snake's strikes. Soon enough, Ethan and Furcio seized their chance and darted through the narrow passage.

They emerged on the other side, panting but exhilarated. They did not need to see the end of the fight to know that the snake won. The fact that they saw the exit to the dungeon nearby was enough proof that they were able to kill the Queen.

**Survival Mission Part 2**

**Objective:** Congratulations on venturing into the treacherous dungeon. Your goal is to navigate and survive without resorting to violence, utilizing your wits and strategic prowess. The mission is to safeguard yourself while demonstrating exceptional planning and problem-solving skills.

**Rewards for Successful Completion:**

- **Experience Points (EXP):** 5 EXP

- **Reputation:** 1 Reputation Point

- **Skill Points:** 2

**Status:** COMPLETED

**HIDDEN QUEST TRIGGERED**

**Mission Name:** SAVING THE Serpent

**Objective:** Save the serpent inside the dungeon.

**Description:** The serpent inside the dungeon is in dire need of saving. The mission is to rescue the snake without resorting to violence, navigating the treacherous dungeon and ensuring the serpent's survival against an impending insect horde.

**Rewards for Successful Completion:**

- **Experience Points (EXP):** 10 EXP

- **Reputation:** 2 Reputation Points

- **Skill Points:** 5

**Status:** COMPLETED

Ethan's eyes lit up when he looked at the EXP and Skill points. "The reward is actually that good?"

He quickly summoned his total stats.

**User Name:** Ethan Kim

**Race:** Human?

**Experience Level:** Novice Level 2

**Basic Stat:**

- **Health Points (HP):** 8/15

- **Energy Points (EP):** 15/15

- **Strength:** 5/15

- **Agility:** 5/15

- **Intelligence:** 9/15

- **Charisma:** 4/15

- **Experience Points (EXP):** 35/30

- **Reputation:** 14/10

**Abilities:**

- "Counterstrike"

- "Persuasion"

*[EXP Maxed Out! Ready to upgrade?]*

*[System Advancement Ready]*

*[Upgrade completion will mark the conclusion of the Tutorial Phase, initiating the commencement of the first phase within the system.]*

Ethan blinked. 'Upgrade? He could upgrade even if his basic stats were too low?'

He actually expected to be able to update to level 3 after maxing out all of his stats!

Tutorial Phase? Was this system broken after all? He was not informed about any Tutorial phase, at all!

And what is this first phase?

Again, his expectations were quite wrong.

He sighed inwardly. 'Alright,' he thought. 'Go on… do the upgrade!' Perhaps, he will find all the answers very soon. Right now, he still had things to focus on aside from this useless system.

*[Upgrade Protocol Initiated]*

*[User Access Temporarily Restricted During Update]*

*[Update Progress: 23:59]*

"Shall we get going?" Ethan straightened his back when he noticed Furcio staring at him.

Furcio agreed, and the two secretly went back to the mansion, completely avoiding any detection from anyone. Once he arrived, he quickly gave Furcio some Magic stones as payment before he went back to his room to examine the water that he had taken from the dungeon.

Just as he expected, the water is still useful outside the dungeon! It seems that only players cannot take items from the dungeon! The game was probably designed like that so players will spend money on the game!

A loud knocking interrupted his stupor. He quickly opened the door and saw Jihoon outside.

"Did something happen?" he asked when he saw Jihoon's anxious expression.

"Young Master, please let me in," Jihoon said. However, he already walked inside Ethan's room before Ethan could even respond.

"Did something happen?" Ethan spoke, his brows frowning.

"I believe trouble might be coming," Jihoon spoke, his tone grave. However, he was not even looking at Ethan. Instead, he opened a secret compartment behind Ethan's bedside table. After entering a password, there was a hiss, and Ethan's bed moved up, revealing some stairs underneath it.

"Please let us go inside and talk," Jihoon said.

Ethan looked at Jihoon. Then without having second thoughts, he went into the stairs that led them to another door.

"Please use your fingerprint, young master," Jihoon said.

Ethan complied, and the door opened. He looked around the bunker-like room complete with a bed, computers with four large monitors, and some other essentials.

"This is a highly secure room. Please stay here for the time being as I believe those

people will be arriving soon," Jihoon said.

"Those people?"

"Your uncle..."

"Uncle?" Ethan arched an eyebrow. He was not even aware that he had one.

"We received news that he is already on his way here with members of SEP. They believe that… you are responsible for your grandfather and older brother's death. If I am right, they are going to be arresting you and taking you to another facility for investigation. We cannot let that happen."

Ethan was at a loss for words. What the heck is going on?

....

Please do not mind the system. It is just like a bug in this world. :)