When the Apocalypse began, we were all drafted into the tutorial. Many of us thought it was a joke at first, a prank being recorded for our friends and family to watch on the telly at home. It wasn’t.

Wilfrid Pember - Historian - The Start of the Apocalypse

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Silas woke to a baby blue sky and not to the rock-ceiling he had slept under. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and stared a long moment, but the sight didn’t change. Immediately assuming he had been kidnapped, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep even as his drowsiness cleared, his heart beating fearfully in his chest. Gripping the knife in his pocket, he waited awhile but heard little more than the wind lapping up his ear like the gentle wash of waves.

At his wits’ end, he clumsily leapt up from the sleeping bag and brandished his weapon threateningly, scanning his surroundings at once. A heartbeat later, he dropped the knife and shook his head with bulging eyes: there was only swaying grass for as far as he could see. He wobbled back and fell onto his sleeping bag, his head swimming.

Moments later, in an attempt to regain his bearings, he questioned himself in hope of an answer. How had this happened? Why had this happened? Was he on a reality TV show about deserting unwilling participants in the literal middle of nowhere? These questions spun about his head as he rubbed his temples. Eventually calming down, or as calm as one could be in such an insane situation, he decided to test the final question.

“Hello?” he said meekly, waving his hand simultaneously. His eyes darted across the plains, searching for hidden cameras.

Welcome to the tutorial.

Silas froze, a sheen of sweat emerging off his forehead. He didn’t need to look around to know that the androgynous voice had spoken directly into his mind, not with sound but with meaning itself.

Who are you?

I am the System.

What system?

I am the System.

What do you want from me?

I am to guide you through the tutorial.

Tutorial? For what? While he didn’t have much experience with games, he fondly remembered the few he had played with his siblings. The thought of them weighed down on his mood.

Your host planet, 7011-213-F, is being fused with two other planets, 7002-980-F and 7031-411-F, to create Planet 7042-189-E.

As a result, all inhabitants of the three planets have been drafted into the Test of Merit, offering a chance for said inhabitants to become Sovereigns and reject this measure and any future measures imposed on your planet. To prevent your ascension to Sovereignty, the current owners of all three planets, the Ratkin Conglomerate, have also joined the Test of Merit.

The Test of Merit will evaluate your worth to the cosmos. This tutorial is intended to guide you through its basics.

Silas gulped. Had someone fed him a strong hallucinogenic as he had slept? But if that was the case, why was this vision so consistent with itself. Perhaps this was a lucid dream then, and he was still asleep? Deciding to test this theory, he slapped himself and cringed at the pain, cringing more still as he opened his eyes to the same surroundings.

Fine then, how do I become a Sovereign? Even the terminology confused him. Planet numbers, Ratkin, Test of Merit, Sovereigns: wasn’t the Queen a Sovereign? If not her, what about the various other rulers on Earth?

To become a Sovereign of your planet, you must become a D ranked individual within six months.

Right, and how do I do that?

That will be explained to you after you pass the tutorial.

As irritating as it was for the System to flick aside his question, Silas found it oddly relieving as he figured it meant it wasn’t worth worrying about for the time being. Probably. But what was he supposed to worry about now then?

Taking in slow, deep breaths, he tried to compose himself. Focusing on the word tutorial, he thought back to an RPG he had played years back and the character screen it had displayed during the tutorial. It was a ridiculous thought, but he supposed it was worth a try.

Show me my attributes! Characteristics? Status?

A glassy screen appeared in front of him. He groped for it, but his hand passed through without resistance. Closing his eyes, he saw it was still there, surrounded by darkness: it seemed to be a translucent image superimposed on his vision.

Silas Wycliffe

Age: 18

Level 1

Mana: 0/38

Strength: 9

Agility: 14

Constitution: 6

Arcana: 0

Perception: 19

He nodded thoughtfully. Given his lifestyle on the streets, it made sense his constitution was so low alongside his strength. As for agility and perception, he had been training both his entire life, only surviving eighteen years with his dad by always reading a step ahead and learning how to reduce the force of blows in case he was wrong. Lastly, he was surprised to see he had such a high mana capacity, even though it was empty. He figured he wouldn’t be able to use it until he had points in arcana.

While the numbers were food for thought, they weren’t anything to lead off, so he asked a more basic question.

What is the tutorial?

The tutorial is designed to prepare you for the Test of Merit and to reward you based on your ability during it. There are four difficulties with increasing risk and reward: easy, normal, hard, and extreme.

He wondered what his limits were. Can I complete the tutorial on extreme difficulty?

Yes.

His mind grew frayed as he considered his options: choose extreme, which he could theoretically succeed despite its intimidating title, or choose to play it safe. He remembered his last night, especially how he had wished God to give him one more chance. Who else could have done this other than God? What else could this be other than the chance he had begged for?

A memory of his siblings played in his head, followed by one of his dad. Sucking in a breath, Silas clenched his jaw and grimaced. I choose extreme.

Warning: you have a high chance of dying during this tutorial. Do you wish to continue?

As expected. Silas thought back to the bridge, standing by the guardrail, watching the dark blades of water below. Sooner or later, he would have made the leap, ending his tragedy of a life. At least this way he had a chance to make an impact on the world; maybe this way he could gain the power to protect those he cared about. This was his God-given chance!

I still choose extreme.

Good luck, Silas Wycliffe.

[Teleport: proceed.]

****

Green tinted light flooded his vision as he peeled his eyes open. He blinked away the irritation and looked around. The surrounding trees stood in rows like troops on the march, their cloud-like crowns forming a thin canopy far above. Their branches stirred gently in the wind, and the fresh spring air invigorated him. Leaves littered the forest floor in shades of green, copper, and ash; he kicked them aside and found the ground beneath harder than expected.

After spending some time familiarising himself with the setting, he finally addressed the System. What are the details of the tutorial?

You must survive in this dangerous, foreign environment. To pass this tutorial, you must slay the Alabaster Mink.

You have been provided aid to help achieve these tasks, one being the map.

Map

The translucent screen appeared again, this time showing the local topography with coloured regions for special areas. He was in the grey area identified as the safe zone. Different coloured regions showed monster-infested areas, the furthest one displaying a red blinking dot, showing the position of the alabaster mink. At least the System wasn’t subtle about the hints it gave.

Nearby, you will find crates containing basic armour and weaponry for you to choose from. A black mark appeared on the map close to Silas’s position. The safe zone contains the essentials for you to survive, and it provides a boost to recovery. However, be aware while you are free to set your pace, both the recovery boost and the protective barrier around the safe zone will be disabled after two weeks.

Lastly, as you have chosen the extreme difficulty, you have been awarded 15 attribute points to increase your initial survivability. You are recommended to choose a class on reaching level 20 as it will further increase survivability. Good luck.

Silas exhaled deeply. The aid, while welcome, sprouted a sense of foreboding in him. Still, there was no use in thinking about it, so he set off towards the crates. He carried on him half a packet of dry crackers, coins, a knife, his sleeping bag, and the clothes on his back. It seemed the System had forgotten to bring along his rucksack, likely because he hadn’t been in contact with it in his sleep, but there was little he could do about that.

He was relieved to see the safe area lived up to its name as the forest was peaceful, almost idyllic. Finding a freshwater spring and several berry shrubs on the way, he sated his hunger and thirst. As he reached his destination, he easily spotted the wooden crates and took inventory of what was inside.

Altogether, there were several types of swords, maces, axes, polearms, shields, and different sized armour sets and boots. The weapons looked fresh off the forge, and their edges shone cruelly. There were also more curious additions like a winding metal chain and bow and arrows.

Starting with the armour set, he was surprised by its comfort compared to his dirty, tattered clothes. Its plated exteriors were remarkably tough and its cloth undercoats countered chafing. While its considerable weight was an issue, he was willing to endure it given how reliable the armour set seemed. Even the boots appeared to be military-grade.

Following this, he got a feel for the weapons to find one he liked. Although the prospect of bloody violence brought a tightness to his chest, he figured it was a mandatory part of the tutorial, especially given the extreme difficulty.

As he lacked combat training, he focused on utility when making his picks, namely a light two-metre spear as his primary weapon with a buckler and handaxe hooked to his waist as backups. He had picked the spear because of its reach advantage and the axe because it was amongst the easiest to use. Compared to these weapons, his knife was laughably dull, so he ditched it at once.

Feeling satisfied, he headed back to the freshwater spring and peered at his reflection.

His time on the streets had left him gaunt and hollow-eyed, his matted brown hair dangling over his forehead. He had a patchy beard across his chin and several bruises across his smirched skin, although the armour hid most of them now. Still, even the armour looked overly large on him because of his reed-like figure. His appearance had repulsed many a stranger on the streets, and he knew that would continue being the case considering he was now armed on top of filthy.

Kneeling down to pool water into his hands, he washed his face thoroughly and allowed the cool water to clear his fatigue. Refreshed, he looked back at the reflection and offered a weak smile. Maybe this tutorial wouldn’t be bad after all.