Welcome

"Alas, how I wish I could linger, to revel in this delightful…"

"Now."

Suddenly, a massive figure, already poised in a throwing stance, moved his huge arms with incredible speed, releasing what looked like a javelin due to its size, but to anyone else, it could very well be considered a ballista's arrow—and quite a large one at that.

The javelin arrived just as the skeleton goblin in dark leather armor was about to plunge his daggers down to finish Virgil. With no time to continue the attack, the goblin was forced to leap back. Simultaneously, without even looking at what had attacked him, he threw a couple of smoke grenades all around, strategically placed to completely block the view from where the attack had originated.

"The rescue time, I suppose," the goblin spoke, but the words sounded too close to Virgil. "What a joke." Virgil noticed his skull had been severed; he had been killed. As his skull dropped to the ground and he began to dissipate, he heard the goblin's last words as he vanished from the field: "I would tell you my name, but… who's going to listen to it?"

Dante had seen many things since arriving in this new world. Even though he had not seen anything outside of the Tutorial yet, he had encountered a wide array of oddities, from a talking, jestering skeleton that played terrible chess, to a vending machine in the middle of an underground area selling bench presses, to the mere concept of skeletal goblins! And, of course, Bobs. Yet, this turn of events still surprised him.

First, there was a ridiculously overpowered skeletal goblin. Then, a massive javelin appeared out of nowhere, attempting to save Virgil. And, even though Virgil ultimately died, the mere attempt at rescue in this underground world was miraculous to him—a totally foreign concept. Never, in all his plans to overcome this new section of the tutorial, had he contemplated the possibility of external assistance. He was sure he would face a plethora of obstacles, but external help? Absolutely not. He believed The Game did not play by those rules. Or… so he thought.

And how did he know that the entity sending the javelin was trying to save him and not merely aiming to kill the goblin that attacked him? Well, because the entity — which had attempted to save Virgil — had spoken to him just as the javelin was launched.

"Come see us after you come back. We are here to help."

It was a kind of voice that went directly into Virgil's head, just moments before he was killed by the goblin.

Dante had brought Virgil back but was unsure of how to proceed. Should he send Virgil there? Was it a trap? But then he reconsidered. Would an enemy capable of deterring that goblin need a trap to take him down? Absolutely not. They could just come to this fort themselves—who's going to stop them? This fort was as good a defense against any enemy at that level as a piece of paper armor is against a bullet.

And so, he glanced briefly at Virgil, and they both nodded.

***

Alice was slightly shocked by the swiftness of the event. Merely a couple of minutes after she had mentioned it to the Amazonian, Thaleia had mastered her second skill. Apparently, the pressure under the Minotaur's aura had been extremely beneficial for mastering a Might-related skill. She navigated to Thaleia's skills accessible through the granted permissions in the Party menu. 

Strength Boost (R1 L4) (Basic Mastery)

Gain 24 Might.

---Passively grants 20 Might (base attribute).

Duration: 135 s

CD: 285 s

The concept of the skill hadn't changed much, but the benefits had more than doubled from before. For one, it passively granted 20 Might, as a base attribute, meaning it was enhanced by Thaleia's base attribute boosts. The skill maintained its active component but now granted 20% more stats, which stacked on top of the passive boost. It was indeed a drastic improvement. But … It wasn't enough.

"That was incredible, Thaleia. I knew you could do it," she paused, then continued writing, "Unfortunately, I believe we need more than that to defeat this enemy."

"I believe the same. Although I am confident in parrying a strike without ending up with a mangled arm, the difference in strength is still huge. Defeating Olex, as far as I know, is out of the question."

'Wow, that was an unexpectedly rational response.' Alice noted that the Amazonian was well aware of her own and the enemy's capabilities. 'Well, maybe she should say, as expected of a seasoned warrior.'

"Try to gain mastery now of the Agility Boost. I will try something out and see if it works."

The Amazonian nodded, and Alice continued on her front. She knew she was close to something.

***

In the time it took Virgil to reach the camp, he noticed that things were not exactly as he had expected. The skeletons had used the infrastructure of the previous neutral camp and expanded it to accommodate, well, an army—a massive one, numbering over a thousand warriors. Several small tents were already set up, and numerous skeleton warriors were on patrol. These warriors appeared much stronger than any they had encountered before, clad in well-designed metal armor. Their shiny shields bore a crest: a skull adorned with an old helmet, and a rusty sword cutting diagonally across.

Virgil decided against attempting a sneaky approach, as that would have been futile and pointless. Instead, he chose to simply walk into the camp. The patrol merely nodded their heads as he passed, remaining mostly stationary and continuing with their duties.

He was looking all around when he noticed a skeleton clad in long, thick brown robes approaching him. However, it wasn't just the curiously dressed skeleton or the one beside him, donned in an old armor and a rusty sword, that caught his attention. It was the huge being standing behind them that truly stood out. This entity, similar to the golems he had seen in RPG games, towered over three meters tall. The oddity lay in its composition; unlike the typical golems made of clay, stone, or metal, this one, like every other damn thing in this Tutorial, was made of bones.

"Oh, what a pleasure to have you here, benefactor," began the skeleton in robes. His voice was the same one Virgil had heard before, but now it filled the air around them rather than resonating in his mind. It was a voice so pleasant and reassuring, it seemed to wrap the listener in a cloak of camaraderie and goodwill, the kind of voice that could charm and disarm with its mere timbre. "I hope your trip has been well."

Virgil merely stared at the skeletal 'monk' in silence. There was, in fact, nothing he could say; as of that moment, Virgil was incapable of speech. After a brief, somewhat awkward silence, the monk continued.

"I see you are a skeleton of few words, or perhaps you lack the ability to speak at all," he said, advancing with a grace that matched the cadence of his words, his hands gesturing as if weaving the very air into his narrative. He bore the air of someone who would be perfectly at home in the pulpit of a grand cathedral, inspiring his congregation. "In any case, I believe you are curious about how all of this came to be. But do not fret; we shall assist you in understanding both the situation and our presence here." He gestured towards the back of the camp. "Let's carry on this conversation in a more comfortable setting, shall we?"

Virgil simply nodded and followed the trio to the largest tent situated at the heart of the swiftly assembled encampment. It must be noted that Virgil had reached this camp in less than three hours, having run all the way from the fort, and in that short span, the army had shown remarkable efficiency in setting everything up.

The golem remained outside, leaving just the knight in rusty armor, the monk, and Virgil to enter the surprisingly opulent tent. Inside, the central focus was a large wooden table, its surface polished to a sheen and covered by an expensive red carpet that added a touch of regality to the surroundings. Atop this, candles flickered gently, casting warm, dancing shadows across the tent's interior. The tent was spacious, the air filled with the soft, comforting scent of sandalwood from an incense burner in the corner, creating an atmosphere that belied the martial exterior. Cushioned chairs surrounded the table, offering a semblance of comfort in the otherwise austere camp. Rich tapestries hung from the tent's supports, depicting scenes of skeletal warriors in battle, their threads glinting with metallic embroidery that caught the light of the candles. Despite the tent's luxurious appointments, there was an underlying simplicity to it, a reminder of the transient nature of camp life, even in such elaborate settings.

"So, I guess we should adhere to proper etiquette and introduce ourselves first," the skeletal monk, positioned at the other end of the table directly across from Virgil, initiated the dialogue once everyone was seated. "You may call me Cervix Marrowrend, one of the Vertebral Acolytes of the Spine Bishop." He executed a slight, refined bow from his chair. He then gestured towards the skeleton warrior in rusty armor beside him, "And this is the Rusty Knight, a distinguished veteran from the House of the Queen's Knight."

The acolyte paused momentarily, seemingly anticipating a response from Virgil, who merely offered a subtle nod in acknowledgment. "I surmise you are unable to speak... or perhaps you simply choose to remain silent. Regardless, we shall not pry into your secrets nor inconvenience you further." The flame within Cervix's eye sockets danced in harmony with the flicker of the nearby candles, casting a transient glow.

"Let me cut directly to the matter at hand. A certain high-ranking individual has taken an interest in your unique... capabilities, shall we say. This entity regards you as a prodigious talent worthy of cultivation, one who could significantly benefit the Kingdom in various capacities. This figure's concern lies not with your past but with your potential future, and, I must add, is prepared to make a substantial investment in you—an investment, I daresay, of a magnitude unprecedented in my experience," the acolyte elaborated, imbuing his words with deliberate significance.

"You might wonder why. This 'figure' requires no justification for their actions, but, if I may offer a speculative insight, it likely pertains to your remarkable ability to elude permanent death and to rapidly augment your strength. Ah, forgive my oversight in neglecting to mention a crucial detail earlier," he interjected, pausing as if to gather his thoughts before delivering a significant announcement. "We have been monitoring your every action from the beginning."

While Virgil remained stoic and unaffected, Dante on the other side grew increasingly tense. He almost dropped his can of popcorn—a super-deluxe, 200-TC can of popcorn, no less. The notion that they could be under surveillance was something he had entertained; however, the reality of being actively spied upon without having any clue about it had eluded him. Yet, upon reflection, considering the enemy's overwhelming strength, such espionage seemed trivial. His watchtowers were effectively just ornamental. Perhaps they'd serve better as quaint, vintage decorations in a backyard.

"But fear not, I mention this only to convey our familiarity with you and... that entity you safeguard within the fort," Virgil's eyes briefly flared yet his composure remained unbroken. "Again, we intend no harm. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is the obligation of any Kingdom to scrutinize the emergence of new powers, and we were merely fulfilling our duty."

'Damn, this dude's voice is nice to hear, almost as if everything has been a natural course of action... well, from their point of view, it is. But... what the fuck is happening in this Tutorial? Where are the minions and the normal path to the boss? What happened to the grinding? How... how did I end up being offered a sponsorship from the enemy I was supposed to kill?' While the conversation at the table flowed smoothly, with Virgil maintaining an Oscar-winning poker face, Dante's thoughts were running rampant in the throne room as he munched on his popcorn.