Chapter 6: Tutorial boss (6)

[Warning: User’s magic is too vast.]

A voice echoed in my mind.

[Cannot summon to the specified coordinates.]

[Cannot move to the specified coordinates.]

[Cannot maintain the specified coordinates.]

Where was this place? This time, my surroundings were bleached white.

It was a pure white hell, a place devoid of shadows, where only light existed.

I stood motionless in such a place.

‘What in the world is this…?’

I moved.

Though I knew not where I was, I kept moving.

Surely, an exit would appear eventually.

With that belief, I pressed forward.

[Randomizing summoning coordinates.]

[Moving the Demonkin, ‘Cyan’, to the designated coordinates.]

‘My vision is darkening.’

Then, I felt the space around me shift.

Now that I thought about it, it mentioned randomizing coordinates.

Normally, upon exiting the tutorial, one should be transported to a starting city appropriate for their race.

Yet, it seemed that was not possible.

Where, then, was I being sent?

‘Perhaps it’s Earth.’

Foolishly, I entertained such a comforting thought.

I soon realized that thought was nothing more than a desperate wish.

Instead of wishing to be transported to a place like Earth, I should have hoped for a stable, uneventful destination.

-Fwoosh!

“…”

For instance, I should have wished to land somewhere with ground beneath my feet.

Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was a blue sky.

Yes, only the blue sky.

Looking around, it was blue sky.

Even when I glanced down, only sky met my gaze.

“…Haa.”

I let out a deep sigh.

Come to think of it, I had experienced something similar half a year ago.

I had hoped never to endure such a thing twice, yet here it was again.

“I suppose things were going too smoothly.”

And so, once again, I plummeted from the sky towards the ground.

…Please, let no one be passing below.

****

The scent of grass grazed my nostrils.

The wind rustled through the branches.

I could tell with certainty that this wind was different from the one that blew through the Twilight Forest.

I realized this was an unfamiliar space, distinct from a mere forest of trees and grass.

“Where am I?”

[~Field Stage~ Tevere Forest East Ruined Sector.]

Surveying my surroundings, the area appeared to be ruins.

While some parts were slightly more damaged due to my fall from the sky, most had seemed this way for a considerable time.

‘Normally, escaping the tutorial spawns you in the capital city of your race’s territory.

But this isn’t it.’

This was a ruin deep within a forest, not a town.

From what I recalled, such places were commonly encountered in Novel Online if one chose the Human race.

Other races, like Elves, were associated with forests.

Demonkin and Celestialkin usually played in their respective Demon Realm and Celestial Realm, while Beastkin and Dwarves typically operated in cities or deserts.

‘…I need to be careful.’

That meant I wouldn’t be able to rely on the protection of my own kind.

While Demonkin were a formidable race, possessing powerful base stats, their physical capabilities fell short of Beastkin, and their magical prowess was slightly inferior to Elves.

Could they be considered an upgraded version of humans?

However, for the sake of balance, Demonkin had many vulnerabilities.

The most dangerous of these was ‘Holy-attribute’ magic.

In the game, it was a perfect counter, dealing a staggering four times the damage to Demonkin.

It was so potent that a direct hit from Holy magic at the same level could instantly kill a Demonkin.

Therefore, despite various defensive measures, extreme caution was always necessary.

If I were to encounter a Holy Mage of my level, a single misstep could prove fatal.

‘I don’t know how similar this is to Novel Online, but…’

I rose to my feet.

I touched the horns protruding from my head.

These horns were essentially an advertisement of my Demonkin nature, and that could be incredibly troublesome.

One of the problems with Demonkin was that all other races, excluding their own kind, were hostile towards them.

Consequently, I couldn’t even converse with NPCs of other races unless I raised my trust level with them beyond a certain point.

If I kept walking around like this, I might end up being raided like a boss monster.

I’d rather not.

“Haa, I still can’t use magic properly.”

I closed my eyes.

And painted an image in my mind.

The magic I was about to use was a transformation spell called ‘TransForm’.

More precisely, it was a spell that altered only one’s outward racial appearance, and it was one of the many spells I had possessed in the game that I had strived to recover over the past half-year.

It was also an essential skill for Demonkin players wishing to travel to other continents.

-Fwoosh!

“Still can’t use it properly, I guess?”

I examined myself in a cracked mirror within the ruins.

My appearance hadn’t changed much.

Yet, one comforting aspect was that the horns on my head had shrunk considerably.

They were small enough to be hidden by my hair now.

Furthermore, since both my horns and hair were white, no one would likely notice unless they meticulously parted my hair to examine them.

“Then, I suppose I should figure out where I am.”

I took a step forward.

Just then.

[—Kugh! Damn it, it’s an ambush!]

[—Uwaaah!]

[—He, help… *cough*!]

“What is that sound?”

The screams of people reached my ears.

Not just one, but several voices.

Simultaneously, the strong scent of blood wafted on the wind.

Perfect timing.

I had been wondering how I would get out of the forest, having landed in the middle of it again without a map, but if I rescued those people screaming, I could at least get directions.

…If they refused, I could always resort to threats.

“About 200 meters to the east, I presume.”

Judging by the direction of the screams, it was likely correct.

I headed in the direction of the sound.

****

[~Field Stage~ Tevere Forest East Ruin Sector.]

I moved through the trees.

As I did, I noticed strange footprints.

‘These footprints… they’re not from a horse.’

Yet, they were considerably large for a horse, seemingly from a creature twice the size of an ordinary one.

Such enormous footprints in a dense forest like this certainly pointed to a monster called a ‘Minotauros,’ if my guess was correct.

While the common depiction of a Minotaur was a creature with a bull’s head and a human body, Novel Online had created something far more grotesque.

In short: bull + human + horse.

It had the head of a bull, the upper body of a human, and the lower body of a horse.

They looked like a fusion of a Minotaur and a Centaur, and were known as the Reapers of the Forest.

They even appeared in low-level zones occasionally in groups, serving as an anti-bot measure by periodically clearing out new players.

Some of them even appeared as field bosses.

“Kugh… This is dangerous.”

Had I walked for about ten seconds?

The voices of people grew closer.

‘There they are.’

[Sentinel Minotauros – Lv.60]

[HP: 15,000 / MP: 100]

[▶The Sentinel Minotauros of the Forest, primarily inhabiting deep woods, devours anything that trespasses into its territory.]

Soon, I saw the people, surrounded by several Minotauros.

Let’s see, ten in total.

The same number as a typical Minotauros patrol.

Fortunately, there was no field boss in sight.

That aside, what about the people there?

[Swordsman ‘Rain’ – Lv.51]

[Cleric ‘Aria’ – Lv.35]

[Dwarven Mage ‘Thomas’ – Lv.40]

[Elven Archer ‘Rasiel’ – Lv.75]

…That looks like a definite wipe, no matter how I look at it.

The group, seemingly a party, was barely holding on with a ‘Wall of Protection’ cast by the Cleric.

However, its collapse was only a matter of time.

Moreover, the Mage’s level was low, and even the highest-level member, the Elven Archer, couldn’t land a proper effective hit on the Minotauros due to their ‘Thick Hide’ trait.

Thick Hide was an absurdly powerful trait that reduced physical damage by 50%, compensating for the Minotauros’ relatively low HP.

While they did take 1.5 times more magic damage, the problem was that the Mage was not only low-leveled but also a Dwarf.

Yes, the Dwarven race, whose magic power was even lower than Beastkin.

‘Raising a Mage as a Dwarf? Are they insane?’

I was greatly surprised to witness someone cultivating what was commonly known as a ‘trash character,’ but seeing that this place differed slightly from the Novel Online I had played, I could understand it.

‘Perhaps they don’t know it’s fundamentally flawed.’

Besides them, there were ordinary humans, presumably merchants, who were not combatants, and the strewn bodies of those whose lives had already been extinguished.

“Ugh, ugh… Mr. Rain! I can’t hold on any longer!”

“Just hold on a little longer, Aria! Thomas is preparing the teleportation spell, just two more minutes!”

“Two minutes will be tough.

Holy magic doesn’t have a good affinity with forest monsters; it’ll break soon, so brace yourselves.”

Perhaps because she was the highest level, that Elf seemed to grasp the situation well.

As the female Elf said, Holy magic, while powerful against Demonkin, had a weakness against monsters imbued with corrupted mana; its holy power became tainted, halving its effectiveness.

Therefore, in this situation, the best course of action was to simply cast buffs from the rear.

Acting like a Mage in this scenario was futile.

And their level was as low as a beginner’s.

I couldn’t fathom what kind of party this was.

[—Kwooooh!]

“They’re coming!”

-CRASH…! CRUNCH!

Under the Minotauros’ attack, cracks appeared in the Wall of Protection.

Its duration seemed to be running out, and taking hits like that would only shorten it further; it was a foregone conclusion.

“Ah, no! Cracks in the Wall of Protection…!”

It seemed about time to intervene.

This felt like a sufficiently critical situation, so I should be able to get proper directions to a nearby city.

Still, they were fellow humans; I didn’t particularly want to seize things by force or resort to threats.

…Though I would if necessary.

My goal was to find the ‘Fragments of the World’.

Specifically, to open a gate back to my home, Earth.

-Thump.

I stepped out from the bushes, revealing myself to them.

“Wait, who is that wo—”

[Kneel.]

I whispered the incantation in my mind.

-Thud!

The air around them grew heavy, causing not only the people but also the Minotauros to drop to their knees.

“Kugh?! My, my body suddenly got heavy!”

“Without an incantation…? Is she a High Mage…?”

Their reactions were a bit, no, very cringeworthy.

Well, there was no need to chant aloud like some old-fashioned fantasy.

I simply had to visualize the spell in my mind.

During the lonely half-year I spent alone, I had invested time into recovering the magic I had lost.

The countless skills I had used in the game.

Novel Online’s skills, ranging from 1-star to a maximum of 6-star, would increase in power and prestige with each star gained.

For example, Teleport, or spatial transfer, varied widely in performance depending on the level, but it was first learned at 2-star.

Its power would increase with each promotion.

“Just bear with it a little longer, I’ll release you soon.”

“Kugh! This is Graviton…! No, is it Giga Graviton!”

The Elf looked at me and spoke.

Oh, that Elf knew about this.

What I had just used was the superior version of the skill Graviton, commonly known as ‘Giga Graviton’.

This could also be learned upon promotion to 4-star.

[Giga Graviton – Area Magic]

[Attribute: Physical / Range: 100m / Max Targets: 1-1000]

[▶A magic that manipulates gravity within a certain range, inflicting effects such as confusion, stun, and restraint on targets within its area.]

It wasn’t a particularly powerful spell, nor was its destructive force very high, but as a wide-area debuff magic, it was excellent for mass slaughter… no, for use against multiple opponents in PvP.

If I truly wanted to, I could flatten everyone here, but then I’d lose my chance at directions or anything else.

I had originally recovered this spell to use it to sit on a magic tower’s guardian while reading a book, but it found a new use here.

‘Now, I just need to dispel the magic on these guys.’

I approached the party.

‘Wall of Protection only blocks physical attacks, so it can’t stop Graviton.

It won’t break it either, though.’

However, this Wall of Protection was troublesome for dispelling the magic.

I needed to get close to withdraw my mana, but it prevented my approach.

It might cause some mental damage to the Cleric, but dispelling it separately would be too bothersome, so I’d just break it.

-CRACK!

It shattered with a mere flick of my hand.

Being Holy magic, it stung a little, but it was tolerable.

“Ugh, what?

How could it be so simple…?”

Ah, fortunately, it didn’t seem to cause confusion or anything like in the game.

Of course, they appeared shocked that their magic had been so easily nullified, but given the overwhelming level difference, it was inevitable.

[Release.]

“Hah, haah! I’m alive… My body feels lighter now.”

As I released Graviton, everyone wore expressions of relief.

I had even gone easy on them; why were they so dramatic?

Top-ranked players, who would ignore stacked stuns and charge forward, were truly like something out of a horror movie.

I suppose I should understand, given their low levels.

“Excuse me, who are you—”

“What are you doing?

Now that your bodies are free, shouldn’t you have something to do?”

“…That woman is right.

Dealing with those monsters is the priority right now.”

The now-freed Elf drew her bow and spoke.

Perhaps her experience set her apart; she was far better than the others.

In a situation like this, dealing with the monsters took precedence over my identity.

For now, I had no desire to stain myself with the blood of filthy monsters, so I would leave the rest of the cleanup to them.