LOCATION: TOWN SQUARE
CITY: SYSTEM-GENERATED GRIMWATCH, ALLOVIA
GRIMWATCH INSTANCE #32607
DATE: JANUARY 1, 2027 | TIME: 6:00 AM
The fountain in the plaza bubbled softly, giving off a calming effect. It was early morning in the medieval town, and rays of sunlight broke through the trees, dancing across the falling water.
Diane Livingston took a deep breath. She was concerned about Gerald. Where was he?
Yet as soon as those worries began to surface, something in her mind eased her concerns and urged her to step forward.
That was when a screen appeared in her field of vision. It was translucent, but still clearly readable. A soft voice spoke into her mind.
---
Welcome to the Tutorial
Please remain still for full interface calibration.
Time to activation: 00:01:59
---
Diane did as the message suggested and stood still, watching the countdown tick downward to zero.
What is this?
---
Interface calibration complete.
System calibration in progress.
Analyzing anatomical and neurological structures to ensure compatibility.
Time to completion: 00:01:59
---
Diane watched the second countdown go by, and the screen shimmered, replaced by a new one.
---
System Message
Diane Livingston
Welcome to the System.
The System exists to guide, support, and elevate your growth.
Through effort, intention, and choice, you will unlock potential far beyond your former limitations.
The serums you took have enhanced your body. You are aware of the improved health and extended lifespan.
But your world is also being transformed, and this Tutorial will prepare you for what lies beyond.
You will learn many things during your time here. You will learn about your new body. You will choose a combat class and learn how to fight and defend yourself.
You will learn that humanity on the planet Earth is not the only intelligent life form in the universe.
Finally, you will learn that your universe is not the only one. It is part of a multiverse that is larger and more expansive than you can currently imagine.
Your loved ones are safe.
Your body sleeps and is guarded by powerful sentinels watching over humanity during this time.
Do not worry.
Focus on your growth.
Prepare for Combat Class Selection.
---
Diane heard murmurs all around her as the screen vanished. Most everyone buzzed with excitement and anticipation. A few cried, but they were comforted by others.
The people surrounding the fountain were of various ages. It had become harder to tell since Rejuvenex had brought everyone’s age closer to thirty-five.
But there were also several kids who were clearly high school or college age here. And, strangely enough, Diane noticed several women who held onto children that were much younger.
Children are here, too? What is this about?
She was about to ask the man next to her, when the screen came back.
---
System Message
There are four combat class archetypes available:
Fighter, Rogue, Mage, and Healer.
Standby for a preview of each.
---
The screen closed, and Diane felt as if she were standing next to an arena. There was no crowd, but the tension in the air was palpable. She was off to the side and two men were inside the ring.
As they both began to step forward, a voice that seemed to come from both nowhere and everywhere at the same time, narrated what she saw.
“Fighters specialize in physical combat and battlefield control.”
The two men inched closer, carefully gauging their opponent’s movements.
One held a massive battle axe in two hands, the polished steel of the axe head glistening in the light. The other wielded two short swords.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
As they clashed, the narration continued.
“Whether striking with brute force or holding the line, Fighters will use any means available to overcome and overwhelm their enemies.”
The fight went on for a few minutes. The giant with the axe swung in a low horizontal arc. The second man executed a nimble dive roll over the swing, coming up behind his opponent, and held his two swords against the larger man’s neck.
The fight was over.
The narration finished with: “Primary stats for a Fighter are Strength, Endurance, and Vitality.”
The scene shifted around Diane. She stood in place while the landscape changed, going from daylight to dusk.
She stood on a street corner in another old, medieval town.
A lone figure stood crouched on a rooftop, barely visible against the night sky. It appeared to be female, and she held a bow with an arrow nocked.
Diane followed her gaze and saw two men walking down the street, slightly drunk and chatty.
The narration began.
“Rogues excel in speed, finesse, and adaptability. Masters of mobility and stealth, they strike from unexpected angles and avoid danger through precision and awareness.”
As the men drew closer to the Rogue’s perch, she stood silently and drew back the string. Diane could see her exhale as she loosed the first arrow, then she was surprised at how quickly the Rogue reached for another, nocked, and loosed that one too.
The two men fell to the ground below before either could even yell out.
“The primary stats for a Rogue are Dexterity, Perception, and Endurance.”
Once again, Diane felt a sensation of being pulled through space, and she was now at the edge of a battlefield. Fighters clashed. Rogues shot arrows or parried and jabbed with daggers in skirmishes across the land.
Then, ten feet in front of her, a man stood with robes and a tall staff in one hand. The other hand held a ball of fire the size of a baseball.
“Mages harness advanced neuro-synthetic pathways to shape energy, distort perception, and disrupt the battlefield. Their power lies in control, calculation, and the ability to weaponize unseen energies.”
As Diane watched, the fireball in the Mage’s hand grew larger until it was the size of a bowling ball, then once again doubling in size before he raised his arm high above his head and threw the ball forward.
It landed in the middle of a throng of enemy combatants, who all screamed as the fire burned through their armor, before dropping onto the ground.
“Primary stats for Mages are Intelligence, Wisdom, and Perception.”
The Mage left the scene, and another figure wielding a shorter staff entered the same space.
A wounded Fighter lay on the ground, his hand clasped over a wound that was bleeding heavily.
The gruesome nature of the scene almost made Diane choke, but what happened next made her smile.
“Healers are the medics, doctors, and nurses. They are able to top off one’s health during a fight, sometimes even providing beneficial buffs to help turn the tide of battle. Healers are the only Combat Class that can bring someone back from the brink of death. As long as nanites still move in one’s body, the Healer can save their life.”
Diane watched as the Healer kneeled next to the Fighter. She reached out a hand, holding in a few inches over the man’s wound.
Diane could see energy from the Healer’s staff flow through her body until it reached the outstretched hand. A glowing white light emanated from her hand and found the gash in the Fighter’s side.
As the light began surrounding the wound, the Fighter grunted with pain, but slowly his pain eased, until Diane actually saw the skin stitch itself back up.
“The primary stats for Healers are Wisdom, Vitality, and Intelligence.”
Then, without warning, Diane’s consciousness was yanked back to the fountain in the plaza. The calming sound of the water was a stark contrast to the copper tang and the muddy smells of the battlefield.
She exhaled in relief.
Another screen appeared.
---
You have been provided a preview of each of the four combat class archetypes.
What is your preference?
Fighter
Rogue
Mage
Healer
Please note: this is only your base class. Over the course of your development, your path will open up many possibilities.
---
She read through the information twice. She had kids in college. She knew about video games and role-playing games.
Diane had even played tabletop Dungeons & Dragons with a group of friends when she was in high school.
But still…
“This is a lot to take in,” she muttered.
Diane thought about it for a minute.
The Fighter and Rogue were definitely not her style. It was down to Mage or Healer. She didn’t need to think long before she knew which way she was leaning.
Diane was a nurturer. A teacher and a gentle soul. Healer was the obvious choice.
Unsure of how to actually select it, she just thought:
I choose Healer.
---
System Message
You have selected Healer as your class.
Congratulations on completing your combat class selection.
May the journey ahead of you prove fruitful.
In this Tutorial, you will be presented with tasks and objectives to accomplish. How you achieve these objectives will determine your path of development.
Your Tutorial will change locations overnight on certain occasions. Completing objectives will award experience points and progress.
Your overall progress through your personal Tutorial can be seen any time by thinking “Progress.”
Now that you have selected your starting combat class, it is time to learn about the weapons that will tread the path alongside you.
This will be your first task in the morning.
Please note the following:
- Time continues to pass in the world outside, but time inside the Tutorial can stretch and dilate depending on various factors.
- Once again, you are safe. Your body slumbers as Vitalyx and Rejuvenex continues to build and strengthen you.
- You cannot die within the Tutorial, but you can, and likely will, experience pain. Embrace it. Let it make you stronger. Become resilient.
- Choose strength over weakness. But always choose wisdom over strength.
- Your interface includes a Messaging feature. Think “Messaging” and focus on the person you wish to communicate with.
For today, enjoy your town. Meet your neighbors, for you will challenge yourselves alongside each other for much of this Tutorial.
---
One thousand people, crowded around the fountain in the large town plaza, all went through the same introduction at once.
After the screens closed, there was just a moment of silence before people began introducing themselves.
Handshakes, hugs, patting each other on the shoulder. It was surprisingly cheerful and upbeat.
“I could use some coffee,” Diane said. “Care to join me?”
The two women she’d been talking to agreed and the three headed back to the inn to start their first morning there.
With coffee. As a great day should begin.
<
LOCATION: VARIOUS
AREA: GLOBAL
DATE: JANUARY 2, 2027 | TIME: 6:00 AM
Across the world, as humanity slept and went through their own Tutorials, fifty thousand previously inducted individuals were very busy.
As soon as January 2nd rolled around in each time zone, a number of tasks were kicked off.
This time, without any need for secrecy, the teams openly transported the components for 3D Forges to the sites and began assembly and installation.
The concrete foundations had been poured for two hundred sites around the world. Teams of ten people each handled the installations.
Kaylon Systems had been busy during the final half of 2026. They had produced fifty more Aetherdrones. All were launched on January 2nd and were programmed with new flight patterns that were no longer concerned with staying out of sight.
Because, when eight billion people exited their Tutorials and began using System skills, the Core Council wanted to be sure there were enough nanites to handle the extra load.