***Lisa Brightwood***

Throughout her short life, Lisa had experienced more than one turning point. She had lost more important people than a person her age should, and she had achieved more than most would in their whole life. September 27th, 2015, however, became a turning point not only for her but for the rest of humanity.

That day, Lisa was visiting an important person who, she firmly believed, would one day wake from his coma—every day before going to sleep, she prayed for his recovery. While she talked with the wonderful woman who was likely to become her new mother in the near future, she heard a strange voice inside her head. The reaction of Ms. Lurker and the hospital workers proved that she wasn't going crazy. Soon, a gentle light covered her whole body, and the next moment, Lisa found herself in a pure white room.

A futuristic-looking android welcomed her, introduced himself as a Tutorial Guide, and explained the situation. In short, the entirety of their species was kidnapped from Earth and placed either in the Tutorial to give them a chance to prove their worth or in the Safe Zone to either prepare for said Tutorial or to wait until everyone else was done with it. As an able-bodied adult, she was placed in the former category, and so her first Trial started.

It was so easy that Lisa doubted anyone could fail it unless they did so intentionally. First, she answered a bunch of questions that reminded her of a very basic psychological test. Then, for the "hard" part, she needed to kill a monster. . . which sounded way more dangerous than it actually was.

She was given a weapon the Guide called an "automatic wand", which looked like a hybrid between a police baton and a sci-fi laser sword. Her opponent was a harmless-looking mass of green slime the size of a dog. The battle, if you were shameless enough to call it that, was over in a moment.

Lisa pointed the wand at the slime, pressed the "fire" button, and the fireball released by the weapon evaporated the poor thing without giving it a chance to move. She wasn't even sure if it could actually do anything other than wiggle in one place. Before she could feel sorry for the unfortunate monster, she was teleported to a different place.

The same Guide greeted her, but this time she found herself in the middle of a large city that was straight out of a sci-fi movie. It was filled to the brim with other people, each being accompanied by an android that didn't look that much different from her own. If each of the robots didn't have a designated number and letter on their shoulder, she wouldn't have managed to recognize the one assigned to her—R3982, they called themself.

According to the Guide and the holographic messages from the System, this was Tutorial City Y—the place where she would spend her time between the Trials for the next three years. The System and the Guides managed the place, so it was literally impossible to commit any crimes here.

After being escorted to the living quarters allotted to her, she was informed of her privileges. Apparently, until she completed the first three Trials, her options were very limited. She couldn't contact anyone she knew, including her family, her movements were restricted to the territory of her living quarters, and her food was bland.

Her neighbors were all sorts of random people from different corners of Earth, so the chance that she would meet someone she knew was close to zero. After completing the first three Trials, things would be different, though—she would get access to a wide variety of privileges, gaining freedom to choose where she wanted to live. In total, there were Seven Trials, and completing each of them led to more and more rewards. Starting after the Fourth Trial, a Player was given access to the database that allowed them to find their friends and family. It was her first objective, but she didn't miss the fact that just reuniting with them wouldn’t be enough. Even from the little information she had, Lisa concluded that in this changed world, you needed the power provided by the System to protect what was dear to you.

Enticed by the potential benefits, Lisa chose to proceed to the second stage of the Tutorial without even taking time to rest.

The Development Trial's length very much depended on the starting condition of a person and on their choices. It could either last for months or for less than an hour.

The Trial location was a huge training center with only ten inhabitants, not including the androids. Lisa and the other nine girls were each given a room of their own, and the only condition to complete the Trial was Converting their Essence. One of the girls who was fit enough to qualify as a Lifewalker from the get-go completed the Trial in less than half an hour.

Lisa couldn't help but feel that that girl had acted recklessly. From what she gathered, the training center presented them with the opportunity of a lifetime. It had facilities to train both the body and the mind and used technologies that hadn't existed back on Earth. Apparently, it had superfoods that made a person lose excess weight rapidly or restore one to their peak after a workout way faster, leading to better gains. Not only that, but mind supplements made it possible to train one's brain effectively, which was an extremely slow process back on Earth. There were even some strange training regimes to improve Charisma and Luck.

Lisa checked her initial Attributes.

Body: 12 (STR: 38% - END: 62%)

Nerve: 18 (AGI: 39% - BAL: 61%)

Mind: 16 (INT: 65% - WIS: 35%)

Spirit: 14 (CLA: 52% - WIL: 48%)

Fate: 18 (CHA: 63% - LUC: 37%)

As a semi-professional dancer, Lisa had trained her Balance and Endurance to a very respectful level, giving her enough Attributes to enter The Path of Life. As one of the top students in an elite school, her intellect was above average, opening The Path of Soul. And, for an actor like her, having high Charisma was a given, but even so. . . she was still some distance away from being qualified for The Path of Harmony.

Lisa really wanted to see her loved ones as soon as possible, and she could choose to end this Trial quickly just like the other girl. But she had never been someone who could accept mediocrity. She didn't expect perfection from herself or others, but choosing the easy path wasn't for her.

In the end, Lisa decided to give it her all to train to become a Truthwalker. It wasn't just about her success, either. She had people she wanted to protect at all costs.

For the sake of her family, for the sake of her friends, and for the sake of her dream, Lisa Brightwood chose the thorny Path to Glory.

***Lex Lurker***

While still lying in the warm bed designated for VIP patients, I raised my head to look in the direction of the voice. The white cat met my dumbfounded stare with the apathy of a recluse who had lived for centuries.

Was I tricked by Luxuria or some other mischievous deity?

In a very human-like fashion, the cat shook its head.

"You really think too much of yourself if that’s the first thing you assume. Why would divine beings be interested in an insignificant mortal like you?"

Now I was pretty much sure that it wasn't a trick or a hallucination. And that was bad, because when cats started talking, it meant that all Hell was about to break loose.

The cat's mouth moved in a barely perceivable way, but the resulting sound was as loud as an adult's voice. I didn't doubt that some strange magic was at play here because feline vocal cords just weren't designed to simulate human speech.

It hasn’t even been a day since the dimensional fusion, and yet pets have already gained sentience. . . If things proceed at this pace, when the rest of humanity gets back, Earth will belong, not to monsters, but to cats and dogs!

"Who did you just call a pet, boy? Also, I'm not really a cat. I was just forced to borrow this body for the time being."

The cat really liked to grumble, just like an old lady. By the way, I had decided to call it a "she" for the time being as the voice was obviously feminine, and she seemed to be female.

"And now you’re calling me old? I initially wanted to give you some extremely important advice, but I’ve already started to regret opening my mouth so soon."

"W-wait a minute!" Perhaps too late, but I noticed the reason behind the subtle sense of incongruence I felt since the beginning of our conversation. "Are you reading my mind? T-T-That’s a serious violation of privacy!"

"So what? Are you going to sue me?"

This pussy was really cheeky in spite of how innocent it appeared with its fluffy white fur and wide sky-blue eyes.

Just you wait until my fellow humans get home. I'll hire the best lawyer to get maximal moral compensation from you.

Without letting my guard down, I asked the obvious question. "W-who are you?"

"I'm the person assigned to observe the actions of the new Moderator Candidate and to share with him the information he lacks because he skipped the Tutorial."

"I-in other words, you are here to help?!" I asked more enthusiastically than intended. Perhaps learning that I was not completely alone in this hostile environment made me cheer up a bit.

"Haah. . ." She sighed helplessly. "I'm not really obliged to help you. My only orders were to observe your actions and to answer your questions in case they are related to the things others learned in the Tutorial. Initially, I planned to use this loophole in my orders to avoid any questions altogether. After all, if you don't even know that I can talk, you won't ask me anything, right? But you were just too pitiful to ignore."

Oh, so my inner struggle awakened her conscience? I'm glad that such a kind person became my companion!

"Stop it, please. I know that you are lonely, but try not to feel too attached to the stranger you just met. I know that cuteness can be disarming, but this is not even my real body in the first place. Also, I advise you to not try to get unnecessary information out of me. I'm someone who prefers silence, after all."

She was slightly too talkative for a self-proclaimed taciturn "not really a cat".

By the way, do you feel guilty for possessing that innocent kitty's body?

She gave me an annoyed glare and declared, "Let's talk business, human."

Escaping inconvenient questions, are we?

Wait, I think we skipped a very important part of a normal conversation, I tactfully noted. My name is Lex Lurker. Nice to meet you.

After a short pause, she replied, "You can call me Ciesta."

Why would someone call their child "afternoon nap"? It's not surprising that she ended up so lazy that she'd rather pretend to be an ordinary cat who can't talk than to actually explain some basics to me.

"You are thinking of siesta," the cat pointed out. "My name starts with 'C'. But yeah, my parents do have a strange naming sense. You wouldn't believe what my dad called his first pet. . ."

Slightly ashamed, I realized that whatever the name her father chose, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as what I named my own cat. There was a time I wondered if he'd run away from home because of that.

‘Afternoon nap’ continued, "And yeah, I’ve already learned your native tongue. I remember being told that my associate this time would be a silent type, so why can't you just stop all those annoying thoughts?"

How about you stop reading my mind? It's a win-win if you ask me.

"Fair enough." She shrugged her miniature feline shoulders. "So, do you want to continue the useless bickering, or do you want to hear what I have to say about your dilemma?"

Does she even need to ask? Bickering all the way! This is the first time in my life that I’ve talked to someone so easily! Of course, I loved Lisa deeply, but maybe I just met my real soulmate?! Perhaps only someone who can read my mind like an open book can truly have an engaging conversation with me. Of course, Luxuria could do the same thing, but she's too scary.

Ciesta hid her face behind her paws, in embarrassment I was sure. "Oh, dear Goddess. . . What did I get myself into?"

Anyway, now that our introductions were over, it was time to get to the point.

If I remember right, you said that I think about useless things? Sorry to disagree, but this choice is incredibly important.

It sure was convenient that I could talk to her without opening my mouth. If only this was possible with everyone. While my social anxiety didn't trigger that much because the other person looked like a cute pet, usually, I didn't feel comfortable when talking to people, especially to girls.

If I could have talked telepathically like this with Lisa back then, I wouldn't have struggled so much with my confession and I could have gotten to the rejection way faster.

Not commenting on my shameless inner monologue, Ciesta explained to me her view on my Path choice.

"When you tried to decide on your future Path, you only considered three things—short-term benefits, long-term benefits, and your own feelings. But you missed two of the most important aspects of your current situation. Can you guess what I'm talking about?"

Something that I missed? My circumstances are unusual, that's for sure. . . for example, I'm the only earthling who was left on the planet and skipped the Tutorial. But I'm not sure how it should affect my choice.

"Indeed, you've skipped the Trials, the Development Trial in particular. Do you know that only after entering this particular Trial's ground would sentients receive the notification about Essence Conversion? And this is a place without any monsters to kill."

And?

"I'll get back to it in a minute if you still can’t figure it out after I'm done with all my hints. Can't you guess what the second factor that makes your situation special is?"

Well, I met a Goddess, and now you are here to help me! That’s an advantage over the other Players, right?

". . ." She watched me silently, implying that I needed to continue thinking.

Let's see. . . You are here because my candidature was recommended by Luxuria as a potential Moderator. I think that shouldn't be a common event.

"Yeah, and ?"

And then I’ve received a strange Quest as a result?

"Bingo. The Quest. Did you forget its conditions?"

Of course not! I thought as I secretly checked to be sure.

Objective: Slay any Elite Boss with a Level equal or above yours. Solo kill with at least 90% contribution.

Reward: 1 Bronze Moderator Token

Difficulty: Nightmare

Time Limit: 1 planetary cycle

Failure: Change the Connection Type from Player to System Servant

"It's not surprising that you are completely ignorant of what soloing an Elite Boss means, so let me enlighten you. An ordinary Boss requires the joint power of eight Players to defeat, assuming their Levels are equal. And to win against an Elite Boss, even the cooperation of sixteen skilled Players isn't necessarily enough. Do you get it now?"

Yeah. . . I'm screwed. Is becoming a System Servant is as bad as it sounds? And why would there be such a harsh punishment for failure?

". . ." Ciesta didn't answer for a moment, as if pondering what she should reveal and what she shouldn't.

"Genesis System is all about the redistribution of resources. Can you imagine how much Essence it costs to gift someone with the privileges of a Moderator? Who is going to pay for that? Those who failed, obviously. Individuals talented enough to apply for this role can be considered a very precious resource."

So it's like a pyramid scheme, huh? You didn't answer my other question, though.

"Do you plan to give up already? It doesn't matter how difficult the life of a Servant is if you aren't going to become one, right?"

It's not really an answer, though.

"What I can tell you for sure is that you are going to lose your freedom. Do you understand now what your priorities should be? It doesn't matter what you feel or what your plan is for the rest of your life. You need to think about which choice is going to help you complete this challenge within a year. Everything else is secondary. Let me give you another hint—both options you have considered so far almost certainly will lead to your failure."

Seriously?! And what are you suggesting I do instead, then?

Turning away from me, she started to lick her paws just like a real cat, ignoring my questions.

After an excruciatingly long minute, she gave me a side glance. "Do you expect me to give you all the answers for free? What is the point of me wasting my time guiding someone who's going to become a System's Servant anyway? If you can't even complete the first of the tests on your own, then what are the chances that you'll succeed in the end? This is but the first Quest out of many. And failing any of them will lead to the same ending."

As much as I didn't want to acknowledge it, she was right. The predicament Luxuria had gotten me into was way worse than I had imagined. I was just an ordinary guy, not some sort of hidden genius with the ambition to take over the world. If not for Ciesta’s intervention, I would have already made a decision that would have led me to my doom.

In a graceful motion, Ciesta jumped from the table to the bed, sitting a hand's reach away from me. "Still, if I just watch, I would feel guilty for you over your fate. If I didn't plan to help you at all, I would have just continued my cat act."

Staring right at me with her large blue eyes, she continued. "Here's the deal—I’ll give you ten minutes to figure out the answer I have in mind on your own. If you reach a satisfactory conclusion, then I'll acknowledge your potential just a little bit. In that case, I would take it on myself to help you with advice on your journey, at least for the time being. If you fail, well. . . It would mean that there's really no point in me doing anything other than just following my direct orders. I would still answer your inquiries related to the Tutorial, but that's it."

"T-thank you for your generosity," I mumbled.

I felt that it was just common courtesy to thank your benefactor verbally, even if they could just read your mind. This was why I forced myself to say those embarrassing words, even if it was mentally draining. I was sure that my Mental Fatigue increased just a little bit as a result.

Her condition seemed to be harsh at first glance, but she didn't have any obligation to help me in the first place. As I decided not to waste her kindness, I immediately started to think of a way to solve the ‘puzzle’ before me.