The girl, still trembling from Jax's earlier threat, tried to speak. "Please, can you stop? He had—" But Jax's menacing smile silenced her mid-sentence. "No. 99998," he sneered, "didn't I say no one cuts me off?"
She shrank back, fear etched on her face, knowing what was coming. But before Jax could act, Amadeus stepped in, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him. "Calibrator Jax, if you'll excuse my interference, No. 99998 didn't cut you off—you hadn't spoken for a while."
Jax's smile widened, growing more sinister with each word Amadeus uttered. Undeterred, Amadeus pressed on. "And are you even allowed to do this? You're just the manager of this tutorial. Does that give you the right to kill a participant?"
The air thickened with tension. Jax's expression remained unchanged, his eyes boring into Amadeus like twin daggers. Show me how much you can interfere, Amadeus thought, his face a mask of calm.
Then, as if a switch had flipped, Jax's demeanor lightened. He turned to the boy. "Of course, I won't kill him. That would be against the rules." The boy stopped trembling, relief washing over him as he returned to his normal state. Jax's laughter boomed through the clearing. "See? He's fine! I haven't touched a hair on his body."
Amadeus's mind whirred. So, he's just an observer. What he did to the boy wasn't supposed to happen. Good. That means I don't have to worry about him meddling further.
The girl glanced at Amadeus, her eyes wide with confusion. She thinks I'm a good guy now? Amadeus almost laughed. She's naive.
Jax turned his attention back to the group. "Now, let's get to the important part." He gestured to the boy, who nodded weakly. "The tutorial mission is simple: survive three monster waves, each harder than the last. To pass, you must contribute at least 10% of the total damage dealt to the monsters."
Amadeus's brow furrowed. Contribute 10%? he thoughts. as Jax continued.
"There are two main areas: the Barrier, a safe zone, and the Deep Forest, crawling with monsters. Stay in the Deep Forest at night, and you're as good as dead. Oh, and remember, this is a team-based tutorial. You'll need to work together."
Team-based? Amadeus nearly laughed. It's a battle royale disguised as cooperation. The contribution system ensured that only the strongest—or the most cunning—would claim the rewards. With the ability to dominate and take up to 40% of the contribution, one person could easily doom the others.
Jax's voice cut through his thoughts. "Now, I'll give you a chance to check your stats." With a snap of his fingers, system screens flickered to life before each participant.
[User Amadeus Stats]
Health: LV 0 / 20
Mana: LV 0 / 20
Endurance: LV 0 / 20
Strength: LV 0 / 20
Agility: LV 0 / 20
Intelligence: LV 0 / 20
Level 0 in everything? Amadeus's stomach dropped. Is that even possible?
Confusion rippled through the group. Jax, ever the showman, grinned. "Ah, you're probably wondering about the levels. The minimum is Level 1, and it's simple—the higher your level in that state, the stronger that state becomes."
Amadeus's heart sank further. Level1 is the minimum. Does that mean I'm somehow below that??
The elf girl, Nienna, raised her hand. "How do we raise our levels?"
"Points," Jax replied with a smirk. "You'll earn them by killing monsters. Check your database for more details later."
Amadeus glanced around. The beast man, Vegaz, was grinning like a fool, clearly pleased with his stats. The others wore poker faces, hiding their true feelings. Smart. The weak don't want to seem vulnerable, and the strong don't want to reveal their hand. Amadeus, however, had no such luxury. I have to hide my weakness as long as possible. If they find out I'm Level 0, I'm dead.
But Jax wasn't done. His demonic smile widened. "I see you're all trying to keep your stats secret. But this is a team-based tutorial, remember?" His voice dripped with mockery. "Maybe you're just shy. As your kind manager, I'll help you out."
With a clap, Jax snapped his fingers, and the system screens expanded, displaying each participant's stats for all to see. "There! Now you can get to know each other better and form teams."
Amadeus's blood ran cold. He's forcing us into conflict. A timer appeared, counting down from one minute. "You have sixty seconds to familiarize yourselves. Then, I'll leave, and the tutorial will begin."
Amadeus clenched his fists, frustration boiling inside him. He's not helping—he's throwing us to the wolves. He glanced at the others, their eyes now fixed on him with a mix of pity and mockery. They know I'm the weakest.
But there was no time to dwell on it. I need a plan. He quickly memorized the stats of the others. Most had Level 1 stats across the board, but a few stood out:
Vegaz (Beast Man): Level 6 Strength and Health. A brute.
Nienna (Elf Girl): Level 6 Mana and Intelligence. A mage.
Albus (Lazy Boy): Level 6 Agility and Endurance. Fast and resilient.
Then there were the mid-tier participants:
Ixer (Punished Boy): Level 4 Agility and Health.
Lexia (Noble Girl): Level 4 Strength and Agility.
Five others had a single Level 4 stat, and four were completely average with all Level 1s. And then there was Amadeus—alone at the bottom with Level 0 in everything.
Jax's voice rang out again. "As a parting gift…" He snapped his fingers, and weapons materialized in each participant's hands. Swords, axes, bows, daggers, and wands appeared, each suited—or not—to their wielders.
Vegaz scowled at his dagger. "This is a joke." Nienna struggled to lift her sword, her Level 1 Strength barely sufficient. Albus twirled his dagger with practiced ease, a faint smile on his lips. Ixer adjusted his bow, nodding in approval, while Lexia examined her longsword with a critical eye, clearly experienced.
Amadeus stared at the small wooden club in his hand. Is this supposed to be a weapon? A system notification popped up:
[Notification]
Strength requirement: 1 — Not met.
This weapon cannot be used.
Perfect. Just perfect. Amadeus unequipped the club, watching it vanish in a flash of white light, his frustration simmering beneath a calm exterior.
The timer ticked down to ten seconds. Jax's form began to dissolve into rays of light. "I guess you've all gotten to know each other. My work here is done."
Amadeus's mind raced. As soon as he's gone, it's every man for himself. But if I play this right, I can survive the opening chaos.
Jax's face lingered, his smile wicked. "I wish you the best of luck—you're going to need it." With that, he vanished completely.
The timer hit zero.
The tutorial had begun.