Yuli and Velt strolled through the bustling, crowded shopping-mall of the starting area, weaving between clusters of players and neon signs. Yuli broke the silence with a teasing tone, "Hey, small guy, are you sure co-oping a tutorial would work?"
Velt shrugged, replying with an unconvincing air, "I never tested it..."
"Cool," Yuli said casually as he kept walking.
This guy is so weird, he acts like an NPC... Velt mused internally, trailing after him.
After a few paces, Velt called out, "Yuli..." causing Yuli to pause mid-step.
"Huh?" Yuli replied, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"You're going in the wrong direction," Velt informed him while pointing toward another corridor.
"Right, I knew that," Yuli said, pivoting and heading in the direction Velt indicated.
No thought in his mind... echoed Velt as he watched his companion veer off.
They eventually reached an area dominated by a massive sign proclaiming "Tutorial!" In the center stood a single, enormous magical teleportation pad where players, one after another, stepped on and disappeared in a flash of light.
"This must be it," Yuli observed with a hint of excitement.
"Yeah, it is," Velt agreed.
"So, you think if we step on the teleporter at the same time, we'll both get sent to the same tutorial?" Yuli asked, a playful lilt in his voice.
"That's how it should work... or at least I think so," Velt replied uncertainly.
"I'll trust your word," Yuli said, nodding.
"Well, before we try that... how can I really trust you?" Velt pressed, eyebrows raised with skepticism.
Yuli's face shifted into genuine confusion. "What?!" he exclaimed, clearly taken aback.
That's the most emotion I've seen out of him thus far... Velt noted internally.
"Moments ago, you were out in the jungle one-shotting bosses on your own, and now you're willingly following a weaker stranger to do a tutorial with him?" Velt jibed, half amused and half incredulous.
"Yeah? I don't see a problem with that. You saying that you don't trust me?" Yuli shot back.
"Well, yes... This is all too random and... out of the ordinary," Velt admitted.
Yuli smirked, "Well, I don't trust you! What if you try to kill me or something in the tutorial?"
"Like hell I could even do that! Literal shockwaves from your attacks earlier were evaporating my entire body!" Velt retorted defensively.
Yuli grinned, "It's not my fault that you're just weak."
"I—I can't really argue with that," Velt conceded.
"Right, so if we have no reason not to trust each other, why not work together?" Yuli proposed.
"I still have no reason to trust you! Besides, you're completely missing the point of what I'm trying to say..." Velt started, then Yuli interrupted.
"You're not understanding my kind of trust. As long as you're not trying to kill me, I'm fine. I could care less about your background or intentions—as long as it doesn't take me out of this world," Yuli explained, his tone unwavering.
"That kind of mindset would definitely get you killed, man..." Velt warned.
Yuli shrugged with nonchalance, "It's the mindset I live by."
Velt chuckled, "I respect the commitment." In response, Yuli tapped the bottom of his massive war-hammer on the ground.
"I respect you respecting me," Yuli replied, his voice light even amidst the serious conversation.
He's really just a simple guy... Velt thought, shaking his head in amused disbelief.
Soon enough, it was their turn to step onto the teleporter. "So, we'll step on the teleporter at the same time?" Yuli confirmed.
"That's the plan..." Velt answered hesitantly.
"But how do you think we can get in at the same time?" Yuli asked thoughtfully.
"I really have no clue," Velt admitted.
Yuli grinned slyly, "Maybe if we hold hands, it'll count as one entity." Velt stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and amusement in his eyes that silently screamed, You're joking, right? Yuli's expression remained dead serious as he extended his hand.
No fucking way. Velt thought, then laughed as he finally grasped Yuli's offered hand. With that, they stepped onto the teleporter together.
In a flash, they found themselves transported to a generic-looking dungeon—a vast, dimly lit maze dominated by a massive pit with a sheer wall running alongside it and land on the other side.
"Small guy, you've done the tutorial before, right?" Yuli inquired, his tone more matter-of-fact than before.
"Yes, and I have a name—it's Velt," Velt corrected, slightly defensive.
"Velt, you said you never completed this tutorial before, right?" Yuli prodded, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Yeah, it's hellishly tough for someone like me to get through it. After so many tries, I figured out the best way to run through this dungeon," Velt admitted.
"Lead the way," Yuli ordered firmly. The two shared a charged moment—Velt felt physically surprised by Yuli's commanding tone, while Yuli maintained his dead-serious demeanor.
How can someone so strong take a backseat position so easily? He's definitely going to try something... Velt wondered internally.
"The first part of the tutorial is a basic test of movement," Velt explained as they approached the pit. "The player must make it over that bottomless pit."
Yuli strode over to the edge, peering into the darkness below while hoisting his giant war-hammer over his shoulder. "And you die if you fall into it?" he asked, his tone laced with practical curiosity.
"Not exactly—you get sent straight back to the start of the dungeon. Too bad the rest of the tutorial can kill you forever," Velt replied, with a hint of grim humor.
"Huh, interesting," Yuli remarked. After a few minutes of contemplative silence, he jumped off the ledge. His landing was far from graceful; he barely came close to crossing the pit before plunging into the void. In a flash, he respawned behind Velt.
"I see now..." Yuli noted, rubbing his bruised shoulder.
Velt burst out, "What the hell was that attempt at jumping?"
"Clearly, it was my hammer weighing me down," Yuli shrugged,
Velt then added, "You whip that thing around like a feather. It clearly has something to do with your dexterity."
"It is very low," Yuli admitted, scratching his chin as he examined his stats in thought.
"On the topic of low dexterity, aren't you a paladin? Where's your armor?" Velt prodded.
Yuli laughed, "Armor will only slow me down. I'll just max out my defense next." With a quick flourish, he twirled his massive war-hammer.
Velt started to reply, "Armor would be—" but Yuli cut him off.
"You're immortal, right?" Yuli asked pointedly.
"Uh, yeah, pretty much. Why?" Velt answered, confusion mixing with exhaustion.
"I found my solution then." Without further ado, Yuli jumped a bit into the air, swung his hammer behind him, and released an enormous gust of wind that propelled him forward and over the pit. The force was so tremendous that it shattered Velt into pieces—only for him to quickly reform seconds later.
Velt groaned, "What the hell, man?! That still hurts like crap!"
Yuli chuckled, "It still got me over. Your turn now, Velt."
"For this kind of challenge, if you didn't have enough dex, you could easily run across the wall, but I guess that works too," Velt observed. Summoning his remaining energy, he took a running start and, with surprising ease, leaped across the pit.
"Well, we're both across now, aren't we?" Yuli said as he walked ahead, confident and unwavering.
"Well, yeah..." Velt replied, trailing close behind, both of them stepping further into the unknown depths of the dungeon.
After several cautious steps deeper into the eerie chamber, they encountered a solitary skeleton resting among the flickering shadows.
Velt broke the silence with a wry smile, "Now onto the part that got me stuck."
Yuli replied, "It's only one skeleton."
Velt explained, "This part of the tutorial is supposed to help the player test their build. It starts with one skeleton, but with each round they double. There are ten rounds."
Yuli laughed lightly, "That sounds like no trouble."
Velt shook his head in disbelief. "Skeletons are considered one of the weakest enemies, having the worst resistance to blunt damage. But someone like me, with such a weak damage output—and no HP—finds this nearly impossible."
Yuli grinned, "And that's where I come in, right?"
"Yes," Velt admitted with a resigned nod.
Yuli continued, "What kind of weapons do you have, Velt?"
With a slight shrug, Velt answered, "Uh... What if I said none?"
Yuli raised an eyebrow, "You're straight fists? That's blunt damage, right?"
"My physical strength is horrible. These skeletons are made to be one-tapped. It takes me four hits to kill one!" Velt declared. Without hesitation, he darted toward the lone skeleton. His strikes, though lacking overwhelming force, were precise—a swift combination of three elegant punches and one sharp kick brought the skeletal foe down.
Yuli teased, "You're immortal, why not just sit here for hours beating the hell out of skeletons?"
"That's a lot of skeletons, and a lot of pain. I still get tired and worn out, and I need breaks," Velt confessed.
Almost immediately, two skeletons emerged from the gloom. Velt sprang into action. With acrobatic finesse, he flipped towards one, landing four quick, staccato kicks that rendered it inert before cartwheeling to the second skeleton, landing four consecutive punches that sent it crashing to the ground.
Yuli smiled in admiration, "You seem pretty good at doing this."
"Yeah, because I've been doing this tutorial for the past couple of days," Velt explained as he braced himself. "When more of them come, I lack the AOE to take them all on at once."
No sooner had he spoken than four skeletons materialized. Velt charged forward, lunging at one and unleashing four powerful punches that shattered it into fragments. He spun, flipping onto another skeleton and landing two fierce kicks followed by two aggressive punches, demolishing it. A third skeleton attempted to strike behind him, but Velt ducked its blow, countering with a swift elbow before punching it squarely in the face and delivering two solid kicks to obliterate it. Finally, he lunged at the remaining skeleton, punching its ribs with precision before sending it crashing into Yuli, who nonchalantly slapped the bony form into oblivion.
Yuli remarked with a hint of weariness, "I can see how this can get draining."
"Mind helping me speed this up?" Velt pleaded.
"If you can survive," Yuli replied coolly.
Suddenly, eight skeletons burst into existence. Velt's eyes widened in disbelief, "What—"Before he could finish, Yuli swung his hammer with a mighty force, releasing a powerful gust of wind that annihilated the entire horde—and Velt along with them. In a flash, Velt reformed.
"YOU GOTTA GIVE ME A WARNING BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!" he yelled, his tone a mix of anger and disbelief.
Yuli calmly sat on the cold ground, his hammer held aloft as if it were an extension of himself.
"If you want this over quickly, you might as well stand behind me," he advised.Reluctantly, Velt stepped behind Yuli as the next wave, 16 skeletons, spawned. Yuli swung once more, and another gale force sent the skeletal figures into oblivion. The strength of the blow sent Velt hurtling backward into the pit. He reformed instantly beside Yuli.
"Maybe stand a little bit farther," Yuli suggested dryly.
Velt took a few measured steps backward, offering Yuli a thumbs up in an attempt at reassurance. Soon, 32 skeletons filled the arena. With a determined stance, Yuli wielded his hammer and swung mightily, obliterating the undead horde in one fell swoop; yet again, the sheer power of the strike catapulted Velt into the pit behind him. Velt reformed at the same spot from which he had been launched, taking several more cautious steps back. When 64 skeletons spawned, Yuli's unyielding swing eradicated them instantly. However, the overwhelming force still sent Velt plunging into the void. He reformed once more, edging closer to the pit's rim. Now, 128 skeletons emerged.
"Ok, I might need to put a tiny bit more force into this next swing; hold onto something," Yuli warned, rising to his feet and twirling his hammer with a flourish.
Velt glanced around, confusion cresting his features as he found nothing to grasp for support.
"Well damn," he muttered under his breath.
Yuli executed another hammer swing, eradicating the legion of skeletons with pinpoint precision. Unfortunately, the relentless momentum also reached Velt, sending him tumbling into the pit. He reformed, resolved now to jump back across the pit and away from Yuli. No sooner had he repositioned than 256 skeletons materialized. Yuli, swinging slightly harder this time, obliterated them, but an ensuing shockwave propelled Velt into the spawn area's wall with brutal force, shattering him on impact. Yet, as before, he reformed, retreating until his back was pressed firmly against the wall.
Then came the grand finale: 512 skeletons spawned. At this moment, Yuli cracked a small, enigmatic smile and bent over to retrieve a modest pebble from the floor.
"Velt! Want to see something cool?" Yuli called out.
Velt shouted back, "I can't hear you!"
Yuli shrugged, "Whatever, you'll feel it."
Perplexed, Velt exclaimed, "What?!"
With deliberate care, Yuli tossed the pebble into the air. He swung his hammer, striking it with such staggering force that the very air around the tiny stone fractured like fragile glass. The pebble blazed into a fiery comet as it soared toward the enormous assembly of skeletons. On contact, the burning stone instantly incinerated them all, unleashing a shockwave that nearly reached Velt, who was safely distant.
"Uh... yay?" Velt remarked uncertainly as a pebble plummeted from the ceiling, striking his head and shattering him. He reformed with a sigh, shaking off the disorientation before leaping back across the pit and advancing toward Yuli.
"Easy, right?" Yuli queried with a teasing tone.
"That was still somehow painful, but still, this is the farthest that I've gotten," Velt responded, a note of mixed relief and exasperation in his voice.
Together, the duo pressed forward along the winding path. The air was thick with anticipation as they stepped deeper into the unknown.
"What's next, Velt?" Yuli inquired with a spark of excitement in his tone.
Velt replied matter-of-factly, "Well, this is a tutorial and not a quest, so the next stop after this is the boss."
Yuli's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Any catch to this boss?"
"This boss is level 15. It's intentionally impossible for anyone level 0 to beat. We're supposed to lose, and then have some higher-level player come and save us."
"Scripted, huh?" Yuli observed with a wry grin.
"Yep."
Yuli's challenge was immediate. "I've always been the kind to take on the impossible. You tryna beat the boss?"
Velt hesitated, incredulous. "What... Dude, it's literally impossible."
Yuli countered with unwavering confidence, "You won't know until you try. We could get a sweet reward out of this."
Velt shook his head slowly. "It's built for us to lose."
Yuli shrugged off the worry. "And we're built to win. You literally can't die."
"Well, it's scripted, so probably the moment I do get my ass beaten, some random dude comes out of nowhere to sweep in and save me, ending the tutorial," Velt explained.
Yuli's tone turned inquisitive, "What exactly triggers the script?"
"Being at... low HP... Oh my God."
Yuli furrowed his brow, "From what you explained, you're always at 1 HP. If you die and respawn immediately—back at full HP—the script shouldn't trigger, right?"
Velt stared at him in disbelief, his thoughts tumbling over one another: Is this guy actually having logical thoughts!?
He retorted, "What about you? If you get hit once, you're down! That would surely activate the script."
"Don't worry about me; I can help myself. Besides, I've been beating up things higher level than me all day," Yuli boasted.
"Nothing in that jungle was level 15. Level 10 is the max for enemies there."
Yuli's tone grew mischievous. "You're making it sound more fun. I might actually get a challenge."
Velt sighed. "What if you get that challenge, and what if you die from it? I don't think the tutorial is built for two people at once."
"When it happens, I'll think about it," Yuli replied coolly.
"In a pool of blood..." Velt murmured, leaving his thought unfinished as they continued their journey.
High above, hidden in the murky shadows of an overhanging cliff, a slender figure in purple armor observed the pair with keen interest. Cloaked entirely in regal violet, her face remained concealed, yet her cascading red hair and the imposing broadsword at her hip betrayed her identity. There was no doubt—she was a woman.
She mused softly, "How... odd. Two players in one tutorial?" Her eyes flicked toward the duo with measured scrutiny.
"The one with the hammer is outputting level 30 levels of power with his strikes—impressive for someone who hasn't even leveled up. And the one with the white eyes... I don't recognize his race. He appears human, but it's clear that he isn't." Folding her arms, the Purple Knight continued, "The tutorial is meant to be a place to learn, yet these two are breezing through it like it's an actual dungeon. Perhaps I shouldn't intervene after all... maybe I should just let them serve as an example."
After a few more measured strides, Yuli and Velt emerged into a vast chamber where a colossal Black Knight awaited. The figure was so gargantuan, it seemed even Yuli's hammer was no match—a mere plaything compared to the massive presence before them.
"So, are you convinced that we can take this thing down?" Yuli asked, his voice steadier than before.
Velt's tone was grim, "If you die... you die, bro. I'll gladly let the script take control."In response, Yuli clutched his hammer tighter, his resolve hardening.
"That's one way to agree to doing this," Yuli declared.
The immense Black Knight slowly rose from his chair, his towering figure casting a long shadow over the chamber. With deliberate precision, the knight raised a heavy hand toward the sky. In a flash of crimson lightning, a massive black sword materialized in his grasp. His eyes ignited with a fierce red glow, signaling that he was ready for battle. A smile tugged at the corner of Yuli's mouth as he met this imposing challenge, while Velt's expression contorted into one of sheer terror.