Brandon took his time reading and re-reading what seemed to be the most absurd event that he could even think of, how could something or someone stop time, and wipe all constructions and all human made stuff ever created, it was mind blowing. It was just an absurd. At the same time, it was clear to him that this was not a joke nor a prank, this would indeed happen, with the screens apart from what was written there was a feeling, something behind it, a sensation, much like a gut instinct that everything was meant to be and it would be.

The world seemed to have hit a milestone, something grand, it was about to change in a way that it was hard to even grasp, the thought made him feel sick of his stomach, thinking about all the fantasy novels and movies, they didn’t seem so fantastic now, changes are scary.

He was asleep when the screens woke him up, still unsure if it was a dream or not, he lied there unmoveable.

Gathering his thoughts after thinking about the information he decided to proceed, after all, there was nothing he could do but move forward.

The next screen presented to himself was a bit unexpected.

Choice>

Congratulations

You’ve been Selected on a 30% chance of all humanity to be part of the Tutorial. Would you like to proceed?

YES/NO

At this moment his heart skipped a beat, 30% was fat part of the population but he still felt blessed for being selected, this seemed like a life changer. He wondered if people he knew, his family, his wife, would also be selected…

He wished he could communicate with her, she was lying by his side, he could feel her there by his side but he couldn’t move nor speak, he wanted to ask her what difficulty she would choose if she got selected or if she would rather stay so he would too.

He remembered that if he decided to go to the tutorial he would have to stay away from Earth for 3 months, the idea seemed alien to him. He could also refuse but he knew from reading through the first screen that if he stayed on Earth, he was more likely to become some sort of constructor, farmer, or some low ranked fighter… He would have to band with people, it would be madness, he could imagine the people that stayed behind struggling for food and shelter, he knew fully well how people threatened would react, Earth had had a few pandemics and harsh weather conditions of late that people’s behaviours were clear to him. It would be the survival of the fittest.

He knew his only sensible action would be to go to the tutorial.

Brandon mentally selected YES, and he was prompted to choose a difficulty, he was aware he would have to from what he had read before, but he didn’t know how hard it would be for him to make a choice, deep inside of him he wanted to impress, he was never one to not take risks, he was always too intense and straight forward with what he wanted. He had done well in life; he was on his early thirties and had been working with the trading market for a few years. So he knew he had to take risks to be successful.

No extra information was given about how difficulties would change your tutorial, he knew harder difficulties would have a shorter-time safe zone and it would seem harder to encounter other people, also humans were harder to find, gear would be better but monsters would be stronger.

“Decisions, Decisions…”. Brandon pondered. His mind was working extra time as he tried to figure out what to do, so far in life he had done well, he had a few good friends, a wife on which he loved some great stories to tell, different places he visited and a couple different places he lived. He didn’t want to be a nobody after the Integration.

So, he chose the Extreme difficulty.