Chapter 4

Miyuki and the others hid behind a building. Yu peeked around, watching people start to run, then glanced above to see titans emerging from the big hole.

"My house is there—mom!"

"Eren!"

Yu's attention snapped as he heard it. He saw two kids running past him. He followed where they were going, then glanced back.

"That titan is gone. We should start to run; Titans are coming this way."

"Alright! Let's kill titans, boys!" Yoshiteru exclaimed.

They ignored him as the blue screen started to pop up.

[Tutorial Floor is starting!]

[Marley's warriors are attacking Paradis Island. The Colossal Titan is destroying the Wall of Maria, allowing titans from outside the wall to enter Shiganshina District.]

[Objective: Survive and Rescue!]

[Find Carla Yeager, who is currently trapped under the wreckage, and bring her to safety before the titans do!]

[Time Limit: One hour]

[Attention!]

[Players might die inside the tutorial floor, you might start considering your skills and teamwork!]

[Good luck!]

[01:00:00]

[00:59:59]

"The fuck, you're fucking too late! We don't even have basic weapons! I'm basically the same as before!" Hachiman said furiously.

"Be quiet! They will find us here."

Hachiman shut his mouth.

"Alright, we need to find her. ASAP. The problem is, we don't know where she is."

"Chris. I've seen them."

Miyuki glanced at Yu with surprise.

"You mean…"

"Yes. Two kids, a boy and a girl with a red scarf, ran somewhere. There's no doubt about it."

Hearing that, Yoshiteru nodded proudly.

"Come on, lead the way."

There was no need to verify if he was lying.

They knew that this dude rarely joked about something.

Running through the chaos, the boys focused solely on their quest.

Yu squinted his eyes.

Initially unsure of their destination, this place was essentially a maze, but he tried to guess their path.

"Yu-chi! Are we going the right way?" Miyuki asked.

At Miyuki's question, he felt certain they were on the correct path.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Yu looked down a bit. The road was muddy, basically just dirt with no pavement. He could see two sets of footprints that were very consistent.

In this chaos, no one would head this way since they were going in the opposite direction to evacuate. They were headed towards the part of the wall breached by the Colossal Titan.

After assessing it, Yu was sure he was leading the boys the right way.

[Passive skill: Tracking has been awakened!]

[You′ll be able to track and analyze your surroundings better.]

Suddenly, a message popped up in front of Yu.

"A skill?"

Yu widened his eyes. What just happened?

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing. We're here."

There was no time to verify it as they arrived.

"Good job, Yu-chi! I didn't know you were good at this," Miyuki said, impressed.

Yu began to recall that he had never been good at this sort of thing before. But they had found the house thanks to him.

[00:56:16]

A large boulder had crushed the house. They saw two kids trying to lift the house's ruins.

They arrived and saw a woman trapped in the rubble. She smiled helplessly when she looked at these teens.

"Please get these kids out of here! The Ti-Titans are coming. Hurry, please!"

"I'm not leaving you, Mom!"

"Just this once, listen to me, Eren! Take Mikasa with you, hurry!"

However, the boys didn't listen to her as they put their hands on the timber of the house.

"Lift it, boys!"

Their expressions started to change as they felt the weight of the timber.

But then...

Even though they put all their strength into it, the timber only lifted a bit.

"Damn, it's too heavy!"

"Shut up! That Smiling Titan is coming. Hurry up! Boys, keep grinding!"

When they heard Miyuki's words, they could feel the ground trembling.

A big shadow cast itself over the street beside them, igniting their survival instincts even more.

"UAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" x4

They shouted, veins bulging as they pushed with their untrained hands. Carla Yeager could feel the timber slowly lifting. She knew she didn't weigh down the timber anymore. Despite the pain she felt, she started crawling out of the ruined house with her last will to survive with her children.

"Mikasa! Help me with my mom!" Eren shouted.

The boys watched as the woman left the ruins and released the timber.

Boom!

Their breath was out of control, and Hachiman's ass rushed to the ground. He looks at his hands and trembles.

However, this does not mean there is no danger.

"Fuck…" Miyuki cursed as the system started to pop up.

[Player Hikigaya Hachiman in state of fear; all stats will decrease by 30%]

Miyuki looked at Hachiman.

"A-aaa-aah! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! Why am I even here in the first pla—"

Miyuki walked over to Hachiman, grabbed his shirt, and punched his cheek.

"Nolan! Get your shit together! There's no point in regretting now!"

"Are you crazy?! Why are we here in this chaos without even basic weapons?! We're a suicide squad! The system… the system is fooling us—kiek! I'm sorry, Komachi."

"Stop being a crybaby and start giving her first aid!" Miyuki punched him again. "Keep fighting or you'll die for real!"

Hachiman felt the pain on his face somehow calming his mind. He knew this was nothing compared to fighting the Dragon Monarch. At this point, if he didn't use his head, he wouldn't be able to live the family life he always wanted. But why was it so hard to move after seeing this horror?

"Challenges keep coming at me," Yoshiteru grinned at the Smiling Titan. "Has my heart ever beat this fast before? I can't recall. But I'll never back down."

With that fat belly, would he stop?

"Yeah, I'd win. Let's see if you'll keep that smile, you fucking titan!" He glanced back. "Wait here, I'll distract the titan."

Yoshiteru ran with all his might as the boys watched in disbelief.

"Stop! Dammit! Nico! Let's stop Rudy, uh, whaa…." Miyuki glanced around for Yu.

He was nowhere to be found.

Miyuki smiled, veins pulsing on his face. Hachiman froze in fear, Rudy charging at the titan like a lunatic. Where the hell was Nico?

"Here, you piece of shit!"

The titan glanced at Yoshiteru. He smiled as the titan looked his way. He could become their shield. He would protect them no matter what.

"The hell…"

Yoshiteru stopped running as the titan showed no interest, continuing to walk toward them.

"Shit! The titan is only interested in us? Th-that must be an abnormal titan."

Hachiman paled as he watched the Smiling Titan ignore Yoshiteru. Even though the titan was slow, it was still terrifying.

Amidst all this.

"Keuk!"

Yoshiteru's heart burned with rage. In his past life, he and the others were always involved in fights. He always enjoyed it and won. But now, his enemies weren't even interested in him.

"This humiliation! I won't let this slide. Stop there, you fucking asshole, and fight me!"

Yoshiteru screamed.

[Active skill: Decoy has been awakened!]

[The enemies will solely be attracted to you and prevented from targeting your allies for 10 minutes!]

[You'll be able to use active skills without mana and cooldowns on the tutorial floor]

"Yes! That's right! Your opponent is me!"

Yoshiteru grinned as the Smiling Titan stopped and glanced back.

To keep the titan away from them, Yoshiteru had to start running.

"I can do this, come on!"

That shout gave him more motivation. He needed that. The titan was closing in on him from behind. Yoshiteru could feel that it might catch up to him. However, he pushed himself to run even faster.

[Active skill: Sprint has been awakened!]

[You'll be 30% faster for one minute.]

[You'll be able to use active skills without mana and cooldowns on the tutorial floor]

He grinned, "Let's go!"

"What is happening?"

Miyuki wondered.

He looked at the titan as it started to turn back and pursue Yoshiteru. Wasn't that titan abnormal or something? How could that fatso run so fast?

"Ahhh!"

Carla screamed as she saw blood rushing from her left foot. Her left foot was gone, likely crushed by the rock that had collapsed her house.

"Help! Please help my mother!"

Eren rushed forward, shouting, "Big brother! Help! Help my mother!"

He grabbed Miyuki's shirt. Miyuki gritted his teeth.

"Alright—"

"Carla!"

Suddenly, a man descended from above. The sound of wires screeching could be heard. Miyuki's eyes lit up as if saying Bingo! That guy must be a soldier.

"Hannes!" Eren shout.

Hannes, a well-built man with short blond hair and a thin dark mustache, arrived and touched the ground.

"Eren! Damn it, we need to stop the bleeding and go!"

"I'll do it… I'll do it!"

Miyuki widened his eyes as Hachiman regained his composure. He had once been a volunteer and knew how to aid someone who had lost a leg.

Hachiman thinks, at this point, if he became useless, he wouldn't survive.

"Oi! Be careful, kid! We have to leave her to Doctor Yeager!"

Hannes was about to move, but Miyuki stopped him.

"At this rate, she'll die from blood loss. Leave her to him."

"Kiek!" Hannes gritted his teeth.

Miyuki was glad Hachiman had overcome his fear; he knew Hachiman would do his job better than him. Then Miyuki glanced down.

"Gimme that sword."

"What the hell?"

Miyuki clicked his tongue. There was no time to argue. He snatched it forcefully and grabbed the ODM control handle, pulling the cable hard.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing? Do you know what you're doing?! You're damaging my ODM gear!"

Hannes screamed.

Miyuki had just ruined the right side of the controller grip. The controller grip was crucial for controlling the omni-directional mobility and attaching the blade. If it was destroyed, Hannes couldn't use the ODM gear properly.

"Cut the bullshit. I bet you won't use it to kill the titan either."

Hannes glanced and then paled. The Smiling Titan was currently chasing someone. Miyuki ignored him as he connected the ODM controller grip to the blade.

Shing!

"Hachi, I'll leave her to you!"

He then rushed towards the Smiling Titan.

"Come on, come on, come on."

I can do this!

From his memories, Chris knew Miyuki always rode his bicycle or walked anywhere.

He could feel that Miyuki had good stamina.

[ODM sword has been obtained!]

[Rarity: E]

[The blade of the sword is made from Ultrahard steel, which is both supple and strong, capable of rending Titan flesh.]

Miyuki could see Rudy up ahead. In his right hand, he gripped the sword he had just acquired. Miyuki knew he couldn't use ODM gear and had never wielded a sword before. But this sword would have to do.

His eyes locked onto the titan as it squatted, its large hand reaching for Rudy. Rudy's eyes lit up with confidence.

Grab!

"Kuek! Let go, you shithead!" Rudy shouted, struggling to escape the titan's grasp.

Slash!

Miyuki swung the sword at the titan's fingers, cutting them off.

"What?"

Miyuki didn't understand how he managed to do that.

Hadn't he gained any superpowers yet? He remembered that this tutorial was a quest to earn a class. Currently, the status window wasn't fully active because the system required him to acquire a class first. Once they completed it, the system would assess their battle performance, right?

[Passive skill: Swordsmanship has been awakened!]

[This skill applies only to swords. You'll be able to use swords better.]

The system popped up in front of Miyuki.

"A skill?"

Miyuki mumbled then looked up.

The Smiling Titan turned its attention towards Miyuki.

"Hell yeah!" Yoshiteru cheered as he saw Miyuki slash down the titan's finger. "Let's go, bro—"

Bang!

The titan quickly used its other hand to send Rudy flying.

"Kueek! cough! cough!"

Rudy's back slammed into a building wall. At the same time, its remaining hand searched for Miyuki, but the titan couldn't find him.

"Take this!"

Miyuki swung the sword hard, aiming for the titan's left leg.

Slash!

He managed to sever the muscle, causing the titan to lose balance. Miyuki didn't stop there; he swung the sword in his right hand and slashed the titan's other leg.

Slash!

Shaking, the titan lost even more balance.

Bang!

With a loud bang, its upper body crashed into the building.

"Huft! Huft!"

Miyuki looked at it, panting hard, then snapped back to reality.

"Rudy!"

He rushed over. Yoshiteru was leaning against the wall, blood coming from his mouth, eyes rolled up. Miyuki checked his pulse and found that Yoshiteru was still breathing.

"Sigh…" Miyuki looked at him again, "Wakey wakey! Wakey wakey!"

After slapping Yoshiteru's face several times, he began to regain consciousness.

"Fuck… tch, my back hurts."

Despite his complaints, Miyuki could see that Yoshiteru seemed okay after being knocked into the wall by the titan.

"Any injuries?" Miyuki asked.

Yoshiteru hummed as he moved his hands.

"I'm fine… shit. Nuh-uh, my HP dropped to 85."

At his response, Miyuki could only think that this was the system's doing. It seemed the system hadn't thrown them into this without any means.

"Huff! Huff! Alright... This is a tutorial, right huh? Status."

[Identity]

Name: Shirogane Miyuki

Age: 15

Race: Human

Class: None

Level: 1

HP: 100/100

MP: -

Fatigue: 47

[Stats]

Strength: -

Health: -

Agility: -

Sense: -

Intelligence: -

[Passive Skills]

Swordsmanship (Lv.1)

[Active Skills]

None

He had just awakened a passive skill, Swordsmanship. He admitted he had never swung a sword before, but after gaining this skill, he didn't become a pro. Somehow, he could perform basic swordsmanship, but it was just the basics.

In this case, the newly gained ODM sword had already proven invaluable, allowing Miyuki to sever the Smiling Titan's fingers and save Rudy. Miyuki glanced at the ODM sword in his right hand, gripping the handle tightly. To suddenly gain a skill like this felt almost like a game.

"Roarrrr!"

A roar echoed from behind him.

"Shit!"

Glancing back, Miyuki realized he had only severed the titan's leg muscles, not killed it. He had let his guard down, too focused on his stats window.

"Chris! Get away!"

Miyuki and Yoshiteru jumped to opposite sides, but the Smiling Titan was already too close. It leaped straight towards them, its wide grin opening menacingly.

Slash!

"What?!"

They watched as blood sprayed from behind the titan's head, a blurry figure spinning at high speed.

Boom!

Miyuki and Yoshiteru managed to dodge in time.

The titan's face scraped against the ground, its head crashing into a building.

They looked at the titan, blood gushing from its nape as it ceased moving altogether.

"Sorry I'm late."

The sound of wires screeching filled the air. Miyuki and Yoshiteru looked up to see a guy with black hair descending, two bloody swords in hand.

"My man, Nico!" Yoshiteru grinned broadly. "Dude, you saved us. You were lightning fast back there! Hahahaha!"

Miyuki gave Yu a helpless smile.

So that's where he had disappeared to all of a sudden.

"Yeah. Somehow, I managed to adapt very quickly. It must be the system's doing."

Yu was clad in ODM gear and had swiftly dispatched the Smiling Titan. Miyuki couldn't fathom how Yu had learned to use it so rapidly.

But when Yu believed he could do it, he awakened a skill.

[Player Ishigami Yu has slain the enemy!]

A message announcing Yu's killing of the titan appeared in front of them.

Shortly after, Yu's personal system window showed something else.

[Active skill: Critical Strike has been awakened!]

[Daggers only. Your attacks have become more efficient. You'll be able to deal damage to enemies' vital areas.]

[You'll be able to use active skills without mana and cooldowns on the tutorial floor]

"Huff! Huff! Another skill?" Yu muttered at the message.

"I thought I was going to die. Thanks, man," Miyuki said with a chuckle.

"Hahaha! That was awesome!"

Clap!

Clap!

Clap!

Yoshiteru exclaimed as the boys celebrated with claps and high-fives.

Meanwhile, Hannes couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

"What are they?"

As a soldier, he had never killed a titan before. Yet, these three youngsters had managed to do it.

"The stretchers are ready! Old man! Please lend me your cloak; I'll make a bed out of it."

Hannes turned to Hachiman who had just finished his task.

The other boy with glasses hadn't joined in killing the titan, but he had managed to provide Carla with first aid amidst the chaos.

He knew it would be difficult to carry Carla with her injury.

With a little help from Eren and Mikasa, he had fashioned an emergency stretcher from the house's ruined wood and limited equipment.

As these young ones did their best, why was he freezing like an idiot?