Tutorial (4)–annoying lackeys.....
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Lackeys.
Official they are called Guides.
But to me, they are nothing more than lackey.
They’re the unsung gears of the Tower—an essential part of its vast and complex system.
Every floor of the Tower is supervised by a Floor Administrator, powerful figures responsible not only for maintaining order but also for managing multiple tutorial zones.
With over 1,000 tutorial zones spread throughout the Tower, each Administrator is assigned to oversee ten of them.
Of course, they can’t do it alone.
That’s where the Lackeys come in.
Lackeys are the workforce of the Tower.
They support the Administrators and ensure that everything from training quests to survival mechanics runs smoothly for the newcomers.
Even among Lackeys, there’s a hierarchy:
- Senior Lackeys – The experienced ones.
Each is responsible for three to four tutorial zones, often trusted to make key decisions in their Administrator’s absence.
- Junior Lackeys – The middle tier.
These are the main field workers who interact with Players, manage resources, and report on zone activity.
- Rookie Lackeys – The newcomers.
Often confused, easily overwhelmed, and prone to making mistakes—but still a vital part of the system.
The people who enter the Tower are called Players.
Once a Player clears a certain number of floors or completes notable challenges, they earn the title of Ranker.
And among those, a select few become High Rankers—the elite.
Together, Lackeys, Players, Rankers, and High Rankers form the ecosystem of the Tower.
They work, fight, train, and bleed to keep the cycle going.
Some mentor, some challenge, some climb toward greatness.
And then... there are the exceptions.
The lazy ones.
The annoying ones.
The ones who somehow always have a reason to nap, vanish, or pass the work onto others.
Like the one flying right in front of me.
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[Congratulations! You've cleared the quest!]
[Your rewards are being given...]
[Your innate skill is being activated....]
[Your status window is activated...]
'Damn lackey! If she had been even a second later, I would've been in serious danger.'
I cursed under my breath, biting down the frustration.
“Hello, players! I’m your guide, Fiona!”
She declared cheerfully, wings fluttering and pink hair dancing in the breeze.
‘What guide? She’s just a junior lackey...’
I laughed bitterly to myself.
Originally, Lackeys were supposed to appear the moment Players arrived—to guide and assist them through the chaos.
But she had shown up only after the first deadly quest had ended, with blood still fresh on our hands.
The others looked at her, confused and cautious.
Her appearance was clearly inhuman.
'A faerie?'
Height no bigger than a teenager girl.
Glowing butterfly wings on her back.
Cotton-pink hair flowing unnaturally, as if it had its own rhythm.
A soothing voice that felt like a lullaby against a battlefield.
“Who are you?” a woman stepped forward and asked suspiciously.
“I told you, I’m your guide! I’m here to help you,” Fiona replied with a serene smile.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I stared at her shamelessness, still bitter.
‘Guide, my ass... lazy lackey just showed up after the hard part was over.’
“Can you send us home?” a man asked from the crowd, desperation clinging to his voice.
“I’m sorry, but... your home no longer exists,” she said gently.
The crowd erupted.
“What do you mean?!”
“That’s not possible!”
“Send us back!”
“We can’t stay here!”
Their voices trembled with disbelief, anger, grief.
Fiona raised both hands, her wings glowing softly.
“I know you are sad, confused, and agitated... but please bear with it for now.”
The moment she spoke, the air changed.
Her voice carried a subtle magic—calming the storm within everyone’s heart.
‘That’s definitely a skill,’ I noted, narrowing my eyes.
‘Mental pacification or mood manipulation... something fairy-like.’
“This is all for your own good,” Fiona continued.
“To prepare you for the dangers that lie ahead.”
“Really?”
one man asked skeptically.
“Yes. After completing the tutorial, you will enter the Tower proper. And as you climb... you will gain strength, skills, superpowers like this.”
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
In an instant, dozens of glowing butterflies burst into the air.
They danced across the field, touching the injured, the fallen, and the burnt corpses of the shadow wolves.
Soft pink light spread across the field like a wave of silk.
The injuries vanished.
The blood disappeared.
Torn clothes mended themselves.
And worst of all…
The corpses of the shadow wolves faded into glowing dust.
‘This damn lackey!! The claws and fangs could've been harvested for materials...!’
I grit my teeth again.
Meanwhile, the other Players looked around in stunned awe.
It was magic beyond anything they had seen—and it had just erased all trace of what they endured.
“I wish I could answer all your questions... but unfortunately, I don’t have the time.”
Fiona said, putting on a sorrowful expression.
‘No, you’re just too lazy.’
I muttered under my breath.
“What do you mean by that?”
A woman asked, feeling suspicious.
Fiona simply smiled and raised a hand.
“Because it’s time for your next quest.”
“What?! Another quest?!”
“You mean we have to fight again?!”
“We’ll die at this rate!”
Panic once again swept through the crowd like wildfire.
‘Have they still not figured it out?’
I thought, sighing.
But this time, a few people stayed calm.
“Everyone, please settle down first.”
A deep voice cut through the noise.
It came from a tall man with a muscular frame, his tone steady and commanding.
'A soldier?'
He wore a uniform of soldier.
On his shirt was his name, Gavin.
“Let’s hear what Fiona has to say before we panic.”
Reluctantly, the crowd fell quiet and turned to the fluttering fairy.
“Don’t worry,” Fiona said sweetly.
“The next quest won’t be like the last one. This time, you won’t be alone.”
Suddenly, a system notification echoed in everyone’s mind:
[Your next quest is being assigned...]
[New Quest: Coming of Darkness (2)]
Type: Survival, Gathering, Defense, Teamwork
Difficulty: D-
Condition: None
Objective: Survive in the forest until the portal to the next zone opens.
Description:
The forest has been tainted by darkness.
Various beasts and monsters now roam its depths.
At the top of the food chain are the deadly Shadow Wolves, who dominate the forest at night.
During daylight, they remain hidden in the deepest parts of the woods.
But as night falls, they emerge to hunt.
Your task is to gather resources during the day and defend your camp during the night.
Work together, build defenses, and make use of everything the forest offers.
Warning: Do not venture too deep into the forest.
That is the Shadow Wolves’ domain—and entering it unprepared is a death sentence.
Time Limit: 7 Days
Rewards:
- Unlock: Access to the Next Tutorial Zone
- Quest: The final trial
- Tower Points(TP): +2,000
[Quest Begins! Good luck, Players.]
“Fighting monsters for a week?”
“Isn’t that insane?”
“Won’t that get us killed?”
The panic began to ripple through the group once again.
“But how is it easier?”
Someone demanded, turning to Fiona.
Fiona fluttered slightly above the ground, her pink hair drifting like silk and her wings gently pulsing.
Despite the tension, she smiled sweetly.
“Let me explain,” she said.
“But before that… please think the words ‘Status Window’.”
Confused murmurs followed, but people began to obey.
‘Status Window’, I thought.
A clear, translucent blue screen appeared in front of me.
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[Player Status Window]
Name: ????
Class: None
Level: 2
Affiliation: None
Trait:
-Cold-blooded: Keep your mind clear and logical, even in dire situations, unaffected by emotions.
Core Attributes:
- Strength (STR): 14
- Agility (AGI): 17
- Intelligence (INT): 21
- Vitality (VIT): 13
- Dexterity (DEX): 12
- Endurance (END): 14
Additional Attributes:
- Perception (PER): 11
-Willpower (WIL):14
-LUCK : 8
Combat Stats:
- HP: 520 / 520
- MP: 640 / 640
-Fatigue: 61
Skills
Innate Skill:
- Glimmering Eyes (Unique)
-Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: None
Titles: None
Progression & Resources
- Tower Points (TP): 1,500
- Status Points: 5 (unallocated)
---
“This is your Status Window,” Fiona said.
“It shows your basic power level and growth. But first, please set your names.”
That was Tower policy—letting Players choose their own names upon entry.
A small gesture of control in this chaotic place.
'Set name to Rago.'
I thought.
Immediately, the “???” changed to Rago.
"Alright, now let me explain your levels, attributes, and skills," she said, straightening up with a professional tone.
What followed was a long and, frankly, dry lecture.
Still, the player paid close attention.
This was important, after all.
The system was simple enough once broken down:
To level up, you need to accumulate a specific amount of experience points (EXP).
Once you level up, you’re granted five status points to distribute as you wish, and each of your Core Attributes increases by one point automatically.
Attributes are divided into two categories: Core Attributes and Additional Attributes.
- Core Attributes are the main stats—these increase automatically with level-ups and can also be manually boosted by assigning status points.
- Additional Attributes, on the other hand, can only be increased through manual point allocation, certain items, or special titles.
They don't improve with level-ups unless specifically invested in.
These are like in-game achievements—rewards or acknowledgments granted for specific feats or milestones.
Some titles are purely cosmetic or symbolic, while others provide permanent boosts or passive effects.
It’s a bit of a gamble.
Finally, there are skills—abilities created and regulated by the Tower’s system.
“Think of it this way,” she explained.
“Becoming a master chef in the real world might take ten years of training. But in here, one cooking skill can replicate that expertise in seconds.”
They essentially compress years of knowledge or technique into a single usable command.
Whether it's combat techniques, crafting, detection, or even persuasion—skills make the impossible possible for players.
"Got it?" she asked, tilting her head.
The player gave a slow nod.
It was a lot to take in…
But this knowledge was the foundation for survival in the Tower.
“Umm… what’s an innate skill?” a nervous woman asked, raising her hand.
“Oh! It’s a special power that exists deep within you,” Fiona answered brightly.
“Most people never awaken theirs in your world, but here… some of you may discover it naturally. Don’t worry if you don’t have one—it’s very rare.”
I glanced back at my innate skill.
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[Glimmering Eyes]
-Rank: E
- Type: Innate
- Mana Consumption: 5 MP/sec
- Cooldown: None
- Proficiency: 0%
- Effect: Automatically adjusts your vision to suit any environment or condition.
- Description:
A unique innate skill granted only to you. Glimmering Eyes enhances and protects your vision in real-time, adapting to darkness, intense light, underwater, smoke, illusions, and other obstructive conditions.
It allows you to perceive your surroundings with perfect clarity, even in the harshest visual distortions.
- Visual Cue:
Your left eye glows with a radiant gold hue, leaving behind faint shimmering particles with each blink.
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It seemed simple now… but I knew better.
It was a fragment of the power I wielded once—as Abbys.
For now, it was weak, incomplete.
But the potential was there.
“Any other questions?” Fiona asked.
The crowd remained quiet—not because there were no questions, but because they had too many.
“Alright then,” she continued.
“Let me help you survive the second quest.”
She raised her hand and clapped softly.
From thin air, small winged creatures appeared—pixie-like beings, glowing faintly with different colors.
'Rookie lackies..'
“These are rookie guides,” she said with a grin.
“They’ll handle trade for now. You can use your Tower Points to purchase essential items.”
I glanced back at my status window.
TP: 1,500.
1,000 from completing the quest.
300 from killing those three Shadow Wolves.
200 for first kill.
“Tower Points are the currency of the Tower,” Fiona explained.
“You earn them by completing quests, slaying monsters, or selling items.”
“So… we really have to hunt monsters to earn points?” a man asked.
“Yes, but don’t panic. Check your inventory. There’s a Player Guidebook inside. It lists monsters, point values, common drops, and survival tips.”
Everyone quickly retrieved the book.
“At first,” Fiona advised, “stick to smaller, weaker monsters—One-Horned Moles, Fang Rabbits, Razor Foxes. Use the day to gather resources, strengthen your group, and buy materials. Nighttime is for defense. Work together, survive, and grow.”
Her voice was calm but firm.
A hint of empathy mixed with detached professionalism.
The crowd looked more composed now.
A few even nodded to themselves.
'Fools.'
They weren’t entirely wrong.
That is the correct method for this quest…
But it’s never that simple.
“Alright then. Good luck, everyone. I’ll see you later!”
And just like that, Fiona vanished, leaving behind the confused players.
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Note: A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, and French folklore), a form of spirit, often with metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural qualities. (Wikipedia)
