Waking up again, I look around- what I assume to be the Tutorial Chamber is a room with entirely pure white walls, flooring, and ceiling. It’s got two straight parallel walls, with two semicircles at the ends to create a sort of rounded rectangle. At one curved wall, there’s an androgynous, featureless, and humanoid entity of the same pure white the room was, and on the opposite end, 5 gates sat pressed into the wall with one standing up in the middle of the indent. The 5 gates all had a symbol for the 5 teachings the System mentioned, and there was a grey swirling design that looks like the classic portal, just without the color. The leveling gate in the middle of that room sector had its swirling insides with color- it was white, which was a recurring theme with the decor. On one of the longer, straight walls, there was a booth inset to the wall, to the right of the strange figure. It was labeled, “Tutorial Bazaar,” and was evidently a merchant’s stall, with a figure identical to the first. Another translucent blue screen that I’ve mentally started calling a System Window appeared in front of my position in the center of the room, reading:
[Hello, User. This is the Tutorial Chamber. The individual at the end of the room is a System Avatar, you may ask it any questions you have, including making modifications to your Tutorial Chamber or answering clarifications. The gates will transport you to your Tutorial Stages, and the Boss Stage will be unlocked upon full completion. The booth adjacent to the Avatar is the Tutorial Shop- the rewards you receive upon completion of a stage include a performance-specific reward alongside an amount of System Credits you can use to make purchases to help you- items from the shop will be unlocked based on the category of Stages completed. Additional booths related to the Tutorial Stages you complete will also be unlocked. You will return to this Tutorial Chamber upon completion of a Stage. Good luck, User- the summit waits for nobody.]
Okay. I might need to slow down for a second. Everything about this, “Tutorial,” is pretty simple, at least on paper. The implications, however, of the windows I’ve seen aren’t. There’s a large neon arrow pointing to the entire planet’s population of people undergoing their own Tutorials- and who’s to say whether or not other species on other planets haven’t, aren’t, or won’t undergo this. Integration implies being integrated into a larger whole, so I’m leaning towards the possibility of all three. The world’s a lot grander than I thought- and can you imagine all the wizards?! I bet there are entire schools for magic, places of miracles and people who can perform untold feats of mysticism. The general feel for the mechanics the System has mentioned have been similar to those from RPG’s Stella told me a lot about- Classes would be a sort of combat job, while trades could be closer to a standard job. Skills would be special abilities people can gain, and magic/combat are self explanatory. I’d better get ready to enter the Status stage- after all, the quicker that’s over with, the quicker I can be a real magician.
As I approach the gate, I reach out and try to touch the swirling energy inside- It feels solid, and my hand is stopped. Another window pops up in front of me, as if in response.
[Status Gate Selected: Please Confirm Desired Difficulty]
[Easy/Standard/Hard]
“Hard? The other windows said that bigger challenges gave bigger rewards, so… yeah. Hard.]
[Hard Difficulty Selected: Gate Opened.]
I stumble a bit, due to the suddenly intangible energy allowing my hand right through. I take a deep breath, and prepare to undergo whatever kind of challenge awaits me. As my head phases through, I blink my eyes to adjust to the light, and see… a lecture hall?
The rather strange hall has wooden seating and desks layered up amphitheater-style around a blackboard with writing on it. At the top, a header reading, “Status Screen” was shown. It had a diagram of a System Window, with various attributes and other things listed. It looked like this:
[Name]
Health: X/X
Mana X/X
[Race]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Class]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Level: X</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Stat Points Awarded Per Level</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
</ul>
[Trade]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Level: X</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Stat Points Awarded Per Level</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
</ul>
[Strength]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Agility]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Vitality]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Intelligence]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Spirit]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Charisma]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Titles]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Resistances]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
[Skills]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">X</li>
</ul>
The window followed a similar theme to most status windows I’ve seen when playing games with Stella, so it’s pretty easy to understand everything on it. Race would just be me species, level would be a representation of my experience and progress, my class and trade would be my combat/production jobs, and my stats would be numerical representations of my ability. Resistances would be my tolerance for various sources of damage, and my skills would be my abilities. I try to conjure up a window for myself, and after a few tries of, “Open Window, or Open Status,” I realize it’s just as simple as willing it up- no verbal command necessary. My window was identical, but had more slots filled out.
Willow
Health: 60/60
Mana (Locked:) 90/90
[Race]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Human</li>
</ul>
[Class]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Level: 0</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Stat Points Awarded Per Level</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
</ul>
[Trade]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Level: 0</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Stat Points Awarded Per Level</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
</ul>
[Strength]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">6</li>
</ul>
[Agility]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">7</li>
</ul>
[Vitality]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">6</li>
</ul>
[Intelligence]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">9</li>
</ul>
[Spirit]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">8</li>
</ul>
[Charisma]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">3</li>
</ul>
[Titles]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
[Resistances]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Psychic Resistance I</li>
</ul>
[Skills]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
My stats seem to indicate that humans generally fall in the single digits for stats pre-System- with double digits being peak? Maybe 10’s the limit? I don’t have enough information to know. I’m honestly feeling pretty good about everything, besides Charisma, but I don’t want to talk about it. It’s a sensitive subject, and I’m definitely not avoiding it. My biggest questions are: What’s a title, and why do I have a Psychic Resistance? But, before I can tackle these, a different window adjacent to mine pops up.
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
[First Objective: Complete! (Open Status Window 1/1)]
[Next Objective: Use the training facilities to get your stats up to all 10 or higher]
[Reward: 5 Free Points]
Definitely living up to the Foundation name- looks like the System wants me up to snuff for the next Stages. Wondering where these, “Training Facilities,” are, I look around- up past the seating rows, there’s a door in the back. I walk up the creaky stairs, and push through the door- there’s a dusty old room, and it’s filled with a bunch of, well, stuff. There were piles of equipment, mostly shoddy, labeled with various attributes. I guess it’s time to get started- no time like the present. Strength training, which is just a bunch of weights, seems pretty easy- just lifting. After attempting to lift one, I’ve realized that appearances are deceiving, the world is full of liars, and weights are cruel. These are easily the heaviest things I’ve ever had to move- They’re basic curling weights, but looking at the labels a little more closely, I read, “45 lbs.” 45? FORTY-FIVE?? That’s… way too much. That’s also… the smallest size. I think the System hates me. At least a little bit. Okay, time to get to sufferi- work. Gotta love good old work.
Dear System,
The first thing I’m going to do with my magic is launch a giant, superheated explosive at your windows.
Your victim,
Willow.
After digging into my deepest force of will, I loosen my arms, breathe, and lift with everything I can. It was enough to get about half a curl before I started to drop, and then I had to lower it. Repeating this for about 20 repetitions, each getting more and more painful, I suddenly got a notification, which is what I’m admiring now:
[Strength Training: +1 Strength]
Bringing me to a grand total of 7, the weight suddenly gets… a LOT easier to lift. My body feels good, and I see a little bit of definition in my arms. I’m able to lift the one pretty easily now, and I’m pretty sure that means I have to grab a second for my other arm to get any more stats. The System does have its whole strive for success motto and all that. Time for more sweat, quite possibly blood, and far more possibly tears.
8, 9, and 10 all go by after a few hours. I just keep increasing the sizes with every increase, and grit my teeth. I’m pretty sure Psychic Resistance helps with focusing through the pain for an extended period of time. There’s a mirror at the end of the room, which I use to see the physical effects- and wow, I kind of look ripped. Lifting my soaked shirt, I’ve totally got abs. And I only worked out arms? So, were these circumstances special, or is it always this easy to earn stat points No matter what, I don’t even care, because I’ve achieved FREEDOM! Sweet, sweet liberty from the shackles of curling. Next up: Agility. There are weights for my ankles and wrists, and a track. I know what I have to do, and something breaks on the inside. It’s definitely not my heart, I swear.
You all know the drill- bigger and bigger weights, harder and faster jog, the works. My vision goes blurry after the 2nd hour, and I start getting a bit delirious after the 3rd. Still, though, the stupid red track has been conquered by the newly agile me. Another 10.
Vitality, how well you can take and recover from injury. Directly correlates to how much Health one has. To train it? You get beat up. At the section of the glorified junk closet, there’s a training dummy. It has 6 arms, with boxing gloves on. There’s also a chair. You know how I thought the System hates me? The System hates me, my bloodline, my joy, and everything related to me. I sit in the chair, feeling a growing dread. The dummy, a wooden mannequin who has far too many arms whirls to life. And I mean whirls. The arms, connected to rotating segments of the torso, start to whip around and thrash me. Hit after hit, my exceptionally real handsome face gets knocked to the sides, and my chest starts to smart. And all I have to do is sit there and wait for more punishment. Hard mode is extremely, how do I say, hard? Yeah, that fits. After I get the inevitable notification, I search the back of the dummy, which turned off when I stood up, and found a settings dial. Turning up the severity, I sit back down for what I’m sure will be a jolly good time.
It’s over. It’s so nice, you know, not getting smacked around all that time. A feeling I think I’ll have a newfound appreciation for. Either way, my Vitality’s at a 10 and my skin feels really tough- plus, I don’t think I’ll be having any trouble with sickness. Next up in the array of poorly-veiled torture schemes: Intelligence! I’m looking forward to this one- I’ve only got one point left, and from what I can see, the station’s full of puzzles! Do the puzzles have boxing gloves inside them? No! They’re just sweet, sweet puzzle boxes, little wooden cubes covered in locks and writing.
Needless to say, that was far too short. It only took two boxes and maybe 30 minutes. Not very difficult, to be honest. Although… is there any reason I can’t do more? Because I didn’t see a time limit anywhere. There are some really big boxes on the shelves and desk that could probably pose a challenge- they look fun, too. I do want to try and get my stats past 10, to see what happens.
11 after a special piece that involved a giant cypher on the back that I had to translate, 12 after a sort of Rubix Cube with pieces of varying size that needed to be aligned, 13 after a nesting series of vaults with dials, 14 after having to input a cypher through a 3D cubic grid to translate it to new symbols for the code, and 15 was… a lot. It was the size of my head, and I had to solve every side for a unique pattern, then put it together for a full constellation, then swipe pieces across a grid with one missing unit to rearrange the stars. It was super cool. Turns out that hitting 15 was a secret requirement- I got a notification.
[Secret Requirement Met: Hit 15 in one stat in the Foundation stage (15/15)]
[Reward: Secret Objective Revealed: Hit 15 in all Stats in the Foundation stage (1/6)]
[Objective List:
Hit 10 in all stats (4/6)
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Reward: Ability to End Foundation Stage; 5 Free Points</li>
</ul>
Hit 15 in all stats (1/6)
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Reward: Performance Increase in Foundation Stage; 10 Free Points</li>
</ul>
No. Nope. Not doing it. I don’t want to. This is bullying, if you think about it. I’m absolutely not and will never do it.
Okay. So I’m doing it. I’m super determined and have always believed in myself. I’ll continue to cycle through the stats, and go back for the current 10’s. Spirit’s up next- there’s a meditation pillow, some incense, and a book on meditation with breathing techniques. I light the incense, which feels a little strange but does smell nice, and settle in. I enter a sitting position, close my eyes, and attempt to, “see my soul.” With my, “inner eye.” That’s not insane or anything- it’s totally normal. But then, I see a soft yellow permeating my body. My eyes are closed- how the hell can I see?? Also, why is my soul yellow? But… it’s not fully? It’s got streaks of red and blue inside, through these vein-like channels. I can tell the red would be my standard veins, maybe representing my Vitality and its energy, but could the blue be- mana? FOR MAGIC?! It was mentioned to be locked on my status screen, and while the red is flowing, the blue looks… stagnant. Wow. As I look deeper into the channels, I start to try and control the energies. They ebb and flow, and the more I circulate them, the better my control is. That’s what Spirit is- control of energies and the soul. I practice my focusing breathing, and after who knows how long, I’m up to 15- it was actually pretty interesting. A little calm before the storm of Vitality training to 15. (I will never forget the transgressions of the system.)
Charisma. My Achilles heel and antisocial nature all rolled into one stinking 3. There’s another book at this station- it says that Charisma is about your sense of self, your ability to understand and change emotions, and a bunch of mumbo jumbo involving talking to people. I focus on the emotional understanding and sense of self- stuff that kind of ties into Spirit. I feel all my emotions, my fear and anxiety from this huge change in my life to my joy at the prospects of a vast magical world. I see my fear for Stella’s wellbeing, my sadness from how alone I am right now, my keen interest in the puzzles from Intelligence, and so much more. I never even considered how deep the emotional spectrum ran- it’s all inside me, and it throws me for a loop. I then move deeper into the why’s of my reaction- this happened, this was the feeling, what’s the in-between? It’s really, really hard- I’ve always felt out of touch with my emotions, and those of others. This exercise actually really helps. It takes forever, and Psychic Resistance has to come in to make sure I don’t get overwhelmed, but I eventually reach 15. When I do, I get multiple notifications- Objective progress, but also Psychic Resistance getting another tier.
[Resistance Increased: Psychic Resistance I -> II]
Nice bonus- nothing super important, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Finally, I have to cycle back for the physical brutality that is Strength, Agility, and Vitality. Strength and Agility are… tolerable. I have to work extremely hard, and my sweat is coming off in units best measured as gallons, but I can keep up the mental focus with my new resistance, and the feeling of progress is nice. Vitality, on the other hand, can go shove its System loving, overgrown troglodyte looking, goblin feet eating self where the sun doesn’t shine. That horrifying dummy had to be turned to the maximum settings for hours. HOURS OF DUMMY, just thump-clang-bash-boom-smacking across my poor face. The bruises only lasted for maybe 15 minutes, because of my new vitality, but still. It’s the psychological scarring that doesn’t fade. But, because I’m super cool and never even doubted myself, my status screen looks like this now:
Willow
Health: 150/150
Mana (Locked:) 150/150
[Race]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Human</li>
</ul>
[Class]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Level: 0</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Stat Points Awarded Per Level</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
</ul>
[Trade]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Level: 0</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Stat Points Awarded Per Level</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
</ul>
[Free Points]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Strength]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Agility]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Vitality]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Intelligence]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Spirit]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Charisma]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">15</li>
</ul>
[Titles]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
[Resistances]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Psychic Resistance II</li>
</ul>
[Skills]
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">None</li>
</ul>
The free point rewards come rolling in, and I decide to split them between Intelligence and Spirit, for mana and mana control. 10/5 split and I’ve got 250 Mana and can really cycle my energies. From there, I’m all set to leave the chamber- but with my new Mana and Spirit, I see something in my channels, which I’ve started to sense vaguely without meditation. I slip fully into the meditative state by breathing, and realize what’s wrong with my channels- there’s a lock around my heart, where all the channels connect. I don’t know what it is, but it’s preventing my usage of Mana. If I try to move my mana, it’s just… stuck. I try and I try to get my soul around the lock, and to move my mana around it, and things start to budge, if just barely. I manipulate the shape of my soul, in such a way, that it pulls from the lock- excising it from me. My mana gets looser and looser, until the lock finally- snaps. It was taken away from my soul and pressured too hard, finally bursting. Then, my mana starts to circulate. The blue channels start to pulsate and cycle like my vitality, and it’s fascinating. Mana is so… pretty? I love the way it looks, like it’s simultaneously there and not. Then, a screen pops up.
[Hidden Requirement met: Unlock mana channels without system assistance. (1/1)]
[Reward: Title: Mana Savant (Allows the user to easily perceive mana with their standard senses, and increases the effect of intelligence on mana pool size by 25 percent.)]
That seems extremely strong. 25 percent larger mana pool. And, my eyes can see motes of mana in the area- it smells like mana, and it feels like I took a blindfold off. On to the end of the stage; however, I’m ready to exit. Going back down the lecture hall, I take a look around. There’s a door at the end of the room, to the side. I attempt to open it, grasping the bronze knob when yet another window pops up.
[Would you like to end the Foundation stage of the Tutorial?]
[Yes/No]
I will a “Yes,” and the System pulls up a new window:
[Congratulations on your completion of the Foundation stage! Your performance evaluation is as follows.]
[Main Objective (10 In All Stats) Completed: 1 Point
Hard Difficulty: 3 Points
Secret Quest (15 In All Stats) Completed: 3 Points
Secret Quest (Unlock Mana Channels) Completed: 2 Points]
[Total: 9 Points - Extremely High Tier Performance!
Rewards: System Credits x9
Unique Reward: Mana Clay]
High Tier- That seems good. On the other hand, what does Clay have to do with Mana? I’ve got questions, but I want to get back to the Tutorial Chamber, so I step through the door. I’ve worked pretty hard- I’m proud of myself. I’ve never been the best worker, but I’ve never been this motivated, either. I think this is going to be good for me. A real step towards finding who I am, but more importantly, who I can be.