LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 5: Tutorial.2
"Everyone! Look at the other platforms. I think there are other people on them," said the heavy warrior Xavier, drawing everyone's attention. When I looked at the closest platform, my enhanced vision came in handy as I was able to distinguish some details.
It seems there were 10 individuals on the other platform as well, and as I looked around, I saw they were on all the others around me. I could still see some bursts of light on some of the other platforms, but after a minute or two, everything went silent, and the tutorial truly began.
Start of the Challenge
[Mission: Introduction]
Duration: 3 months.
Category: Survival.
Objective: Survive throughout the challenge period.
Rules: Accumulate Challenge Points.
Summary: The vast and dangerous Abyssal Forest is filled with threats and opportunities for newcomers. Wild monsters roam its depths, always on the hunt. Defeat these creatures to earn CP and strengthen your skills. Who knows, maybe an opportunity to face the powerful Lords of Creatures will appear in your path.
Tutorial Points Rules: CP is earned by killing beasts, divided among the contributors. When killing another initiate, half of their CP will be divided among the contributors.
Final rewards based on CP and the number of survivors.
Total survivors remaining: 1200/1200
CP collected: 0
As I was reading the information, I suddenly felt the pillar beneath me tremble slightly as I began to be slowly lowered. I quickly composed myself and checked that all my equipment was properly in place. As I did this, I wondered how I could be so calm in the face of the situation and noticed that everyone else was strangely calm as well, though this varied from person to person. Perhaps it had something to do with willpower, or more likely, it was due to dependence on a certain individual.
Throughout the conversation, Lucas was the guiding light for everything. He made sure only one person spoke at a time, that useful information was extracted, and that everyone had their turn. It was an unspoken rule that he was the leader of the group. A rule that, of course, I had absolutely no intention of contesting.
The group calmly discussed the action plan during the descent, with Lucas taking the lead once again, of course.
Everyone agreed to focus on the first aspect of all this: Surviving. Everyone had weapons and potions; warriors and deadly shots had 3 health potions and 3 stamina potions each, while the spellcasters and Beatrice had 3 health potions and 3 mana potions.
In addition, all we had were the clothes on our bodies. The rest of the internal discussion mainly revolved around the strange details of the tutorial, like the seemingly random duration. We also came to an agreement that hunting beasts was a necessity. None of us liked it, but we needed to eat somehow. Based on the tutorial rules, it didn't seem possible to escape violence. We also collectively agreed that we would not antagonize any other survivors unless we had no other options.
I didn't agree with everything, but I didn't want to play the devil's advocate or start unnecessary fights. I had already noticed before that I might be a bit atypical. I really didn't understand the lack of willingness to hunt. Personally, I was even excited by the idea.
"First, we'll need to locate water, food, and shelter. The flora doesn't seem to be the same as Earth's, so we can't rely on our current knowledge of what is and isn't safe to eat. We should try to see if the identification skill can help distinguish edible plants from poisonous ones.
The system also mentioned beasts, so hunting will likely be an option, if not necessary, to secure a food source," said Lucas. "But we also need to be careful of the other survivors."
"We shouldn't be aggressive, but we also won't be seen as weak. The chances are that we'll have to hunt beasts, as the system says, to grow stronger and survive. If we work together and do our best, I'm sure we can all make it home safely."
The little speech was a bit redundant, considering we had already gone over these points, but it seemed to put everyone on the same page. Once again, I was reminded of why Lucas was the youngest department head my company had ever had. He achieved this by relying solely on his competence and charisma, along with a bit of nepotism, but that was almost expected in the job market today, or well, before today.
The only thing that bothered me a little was seeing Beatrice staring at Lucas with stars in her eyes. Not that this was the time or place for such foolish thoughts. The pillar was getting closer and closer to the ground.
When we finally reached beneath the tree canopy, I spotted several bird-like creatures hidden in the trees, though I couldn't distinguish any details. Two months... I would have to survive two months in this forest.
As we were just a few meters from the ground, I prepared myself for what was to come.
The pillar finally touched the ground, and we found ourselves in a clearing. Strangely, the pillar beneath us seemed to go through the soil, leaving only grass beneath our feet, with no evidence that the massive pillar had ever existed.
I took a deep breath of the fresh air and tightened my fist around the bow. I felt a bit of nervousness. But more than that, a strange sensation began to bubble inside me. Excitement.
My dull world had changed, and I had no intention of making that damned forest my tomb.
The group had previously considered our immediate plan of action upon reaching the ground, with the first goal being to find a safe place to set up camp. The artificial sun in the sky seemed to have moved a bit during our short stay, indicating a day-night cycle.
Xavier made the polite guess that the night would be even more dangerous than the day. If beasts inhabited that forest, they imagined some of them had to be nocturnal. The threat of other humans taking advantage of the cover of darkness couldn't be ignored either.
After leaving the clearing where the pillar had sunk into the ground, we wandered through the forest. The tension of everyone increased as we found ourselves in a much more confined space. The first goal was, hopefully, to find a water source to set up camp near. Due to the dense tree canopies, it was impossible to spot anything from the top of the pillar, so we had to enter blindly.
As we walked, awe-struck by the environment, I felt strangely relaxed. Despite my vigilance for whatever might be lurking behind the trees around us, I had the sense that nothing would catch us by surprise. I was still listening for potential dangers, of course, but it was a difficult task since it wasn't exactly a quiet forest. Birds chirped, distant roars from beasts were frequent, and the rustling of leaves as the wind blew was louder than I was used to. This was probably tied to my slightly heightened perception.
When Xavier, the frontline warrior, passed over a small hill, he suddenly stopped. Lucas quickly approached to stand next to him. I was right behind, but I could still hear them due to the proximity.
"What are those things?" Xavier asked, looking down the hill to another small clearing. I walked up to them, being the last to arrive. I looked at a group of what I assumed were the beasts mentioned, of some sort.
"They look like large badgers. Although, judging by the deer-like thing they're eating, I think they've really upgraded their diet," Lucas replied, turning to the rest of the group. "We already agreed that we might need to hunt. These things don't look too dangerous, so we should be able to handle them. Any ideas?"
I looked at the large badgers. Four of them, each the size of German shepherds. The way they were eating the deer-like thing, they definitely had sharp teeth and claws, tearing into the meat of their prey. The perception of the surroundings seemed dull, to say the least, since none of the creatures had noticed us yet, even though we were only 30 meters away.
The feeling they gave me wasn't one of danger at all. In fact, I had the sense that dealing with them would be easy.
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