The light receded like fog drawn into the lungs of the world.
What remained felt… real.
Michael stood on a narrow stretch of pale stone suspended in darkness. The air shimmered — scentless, still. There was no HUD cluttering his view. No minimap. No quest log. Just breath, and bone, and space.
Then—a soundless click.
[STATUS WINDOW OPENED]
A panel flickered into existence before him. Smooth, translucent, edged in light. It curved slightly, as if it had weight. As if it belonged to the world around him.
[STATUS — MICHAEL]
Class: Sellsword
Level: 1
HP: 100 / 100
MP: 40 / 40
STATS:
Strength – 5
Agility – 4
Vitality – 5
Perception – 3
Intelligence – 4
Spirit – 4
Unspent Stat Points: 5
Michael blinked. His eyes scanned the panel instinctively, lips moving without sound as he read the values.
Strength. For hitting harder.
Agility. For moving faster.
Vitality. How much he could take before the world crushed him.
Perception… that one felt strange. Not quite combat. Not quite clarity. Something in between.
Intelligence and Spirit — likely tied to magic or mental fortitude.
He crouched low and pushed off with one foot.
His avatar responded sluggishly, like he was wading through water or wearing ankle weights.
"Too slow," he muttered.
The word Agility pulsed faintly.
He hovered a hand toward it. The interface waited — no pop-ups, no warnings. It let him choose.
He moved two points into Agility.
The change was immediate. His body felt lighter. The drag in his step vanished. He shifted again — a sidestep, a pivot. Faster. Cleaner.
Three points left.
He studied the others.
One point into Intelligence — just in case.
One into Spirit. It might help against whatever status effects this world decided to throw at him.
The final point hung between options. He frowned.
His gaze dropped to the stone beneath him — smooth, featureless, soundless. But there was something off about it. Something waiting.
His finger drifted to Perception — and clicked.
[STAT ALLOCATION COMPLETE]
The window dimmed, pulling slightly away — still accessible, but no longer dominant.
Somewhere beneath the platform, a distant click echoed upward. Not a sound so much as a sensation — internal, subtle, but undeniably real. Like a seal had shifted.
Then the ground beneath his feet rumbled faintly.
Thin veins of white light spidered across the platform, tracing edges, sigils, and unfamiliar glyphs.
And the voice returned, emotionless and clear:
"Initializing Tutorial Environment…"
The void peeled open like silk. Fragments of terrain fell into place — broken archways, moss-eaten stone, a pale sky that hadn't yet chosen a color.
Ruins extended outward in every direction, suspended over blackness.
Then came a soft chime.
[Objective: Survive and Adapt]
This tutorial cannot be skipped.
Michael drew in a slow breath.
"Let's begin."