Chapter 53: The Final Lesson
Chapter 53: The Final Lesson
Adam softly opened his eyes with a calm smile on his face.
Kuruma stopped moving, its clenched fist loosening slightly. It suddenly lost its connection to Kiryoku. It could feel every other player in the room except Adam.
It made it feel strange. It wasn't sure whether Adam was now dead or not.
"Time to end this..." Adam tossed his shield to the side and moved his shortsword into a reverse grip. "Little God..."
His leg muscles swelled, threatening to burst through his trousers, and he roared like a wounded beast. His veins popped out of his skin as he let out a final battle cry, channeling all of his remaining energy into one last strike.
Crack-the ground beneath him cracked.
Donald and other players retreated from Adam, shocked by the aura he was giving off. He looked like an unfathomable creature.
...
"His attacking intention is... gone!" Dakota cried out.
"If Kuruma's Kiryoku was at a higher level, it could still sense Adam's aura, which is much harder to hide. But, unfortunately for our little Chaosbeing, its Kiryoku is weak!"
Ron smirked and said, "The fight is over."
...
CRACK, BOOM!
The ground exploded!
Adam launched into the air, flew across the room in a flash of light, and left a light blood trail in its wake. He appeared behind Kuruma, a small smile on his face, and behind him, Kuruma's head dropped to the ground with a thud.
Kuruma's tall body collapsed to the ground, lifeless and motionless.
Ding, ding!
Strange dinging echoed throughout the room, and then stairs appeared from the ground, leading up towards the destroyed ceiling. There, a lonely door made out of walnut stood closed. It was unlocked.
"I-it is done!" The players cheered, and some of them collapsed on the ground out of exhaustion.
"Again, he got the kill..." Ramon looked at Adam's back, then scoffed and stepped up the stairs towards the door in the ceiling.
Hannibal instantly followed after him.
Adam moved the back of his hand across his mouth, cleared off the blood, and slowly straightened his back. His legs were shaking, and his face was paler than before, but he still smiled.
'I forgot about the pleasure of fighting...' He chuckled, shook his head, and went to pick up his dropped shield from the ground.
After he strapped his shield to his back, he noticed the looks of other players. There was respect, admiration, and a hint of fear in their eyes.
It was a look he had gotten very used to in his past life-after all, he was a famous Prime Mercenary and one of the generals of the Star Faction.
However, this time it was different.
'I can't really explain, but I prefer these guys' gazes compared to the awe in my past...' Adam thought to himself. 'I always felt like they wanted something from me, as I was unmarried and wealthy. They never truly cared about me as a person, only what I could provide for them.'
He shook his head, removed those unwanted memories from his mind, and then followed behind other players as they ascended the stairs to the door above.
...
"How many died?" Dakota walked over to one of the mercenaries that were working in the control room's far corner.
The mercenary nodded and quickly typed something on the holographic keyboard. After finishing the calculations, the mercenary was speechless for a moment.
"Well?" Dakota raised an eyebrow.
"Z-zero..." The mercenary whispered in shock. "No one died..."
"What?!" Dakota shouted in shock.
"It was because of Adam." Ron walked over to her, still dressed in his fancy armor. "He didn't allow anyone to die."
"Is this the first time?" Dakota asked.
"It is..." Ron chuckled. "This is the first time there have been zero deaths in one of the groups on the third floor."
"Adam, he..." Dakota felt a cold sweat roll down her forehead.
"A monster, that's what he is." Ron then patted Dakota's shoulder and said, "They're
returning. Your lesson should begin, no?"
"A-ah right..." Dakota nodded and looked at him, then asked, "Are you ready?"
"I am..." Ron chuckled. "The end of the tutorial starts..."
...
Stepping through the walnut door, the players appeared back in the safe area. They all sighed in relief and took seats on the benches, even on the ground. They were all exhausted. However, the most exhausted person, Adam, stayed standing, as he didn't want to look weak. It was important for the Tank of the group to stay strong. It made others feel safer knowing that someone powerful was always there to protect their backs.
While the players were sharing their plans with their friends; some planned on taking a shower, some planned to go read, and some planned on grabbing something to eat.
A door to the side then suddenly swung open, and Dakota, dressed in a fluttering dress with a calm smile, walked over to them.
"Congratulations to everyone." Dakota said, and her next words caused players to groan. "Time for the next lesson."
"Argh, fuck that!" Ramon stood up and rubbed his back. "We just finished a long ass fight. I am going to take a nap!"
"If you refuse the lesson, you'll get kicked out of the tutorial." Dakota said with a smile. "So, go on, take a nap."
"Tch..." Ramon clicked his tongue and angrily crossed his arms, but he didn't leave.
The players, with annoyance on their faces, followed behind Dakota and soon arrived at the auditorium. They took their usual spots and tried to make themselves comfortable, but the seats weren't that nice.
At the back of the auditorium, on the highest seat, Adam sat with a relaxed expression. This was nothing compared to the New World's harsh living conditions.
Of course, New World had nice places to sleep, such as guild buildings where there were soft beds and warm blankets. However, sometimes the mercenaries had to sleep out in the wild and inside dungeons where the conditions were much more challenging.
At least, in the auditorium, there wasn't a danger of Chaosbeing jumping out of somewhere and attacking you while you were resting.
"This might bring smiles to your faces, but this is the last lesson of the tutorial!" Dakota
announced.
There were a few sighs of relief, but some players also realized that the tutorial must be near the end. It had been a long three weeks, and some started to feel emotional that the ending was so near and they'd be able to meet their families and friends again.
"The fourth lesson is about the guilds and their Tiers." Dakota said and crossed her arms behind her back. "We've already sent all the guilds information about each of you and your current success in the tutorial.
"After the tutorial, some of you might receive guild invitations. In those invitations, that come in a form of letter, should have the name and the ranking of the guild in them. "The Tiers of the Guilds are simple. The weakest guilds are Tier 4, and the strongest are 0.
"There are only seven Guilds in Tier o. Those are called Seven Ancient Guilds. They're quite special, and they won't be inviting any of you. They're not allowed to; otherwise, they would always pick up the best recruits.
"To keep up the balance between Seven Ancient Guilds and others, a pact has been made. They're not allowed to recruit members from the tutorial, but they can recruit for their subsidiary guilds, where it is possible to advance to the Main Guild if you prove yourself.
"Still, choose wisely. You might never advance, and I suggest taking your time with the decision. There're many other powerful guilds beside Seven Ancient Guilds where you would be treasured and valued for your talents.
"It is important to choose a Guild that will try to help you grow and reach your full potential!"