Chapter: 10
Tutorial Zone. A skill that creates a space for conducting tutorials and makes you the master of that space.
A sense of omnipotence surged within me, as if anything were possible.
“What’s going on? Why won’t this open?”
As a novice master, the first thing I did was block the entrance.
These days, it’s become common to include a skip function for seasoned players, but the essence is that all processes must be completed before you can enter the main game.
There’s no room for sneaking out midway.
– Progress procedure (Real-time autonomous progress is also possible.)
– Clear conditions
Just then, as I pondered what to do next, a status window popped up to guide me.
You could say it’s a tutorial for the purpose of a tutorial.
‘Genre refers to the game genre, right?’
After browsing through various categories like FPS, horror, etc., I chose the casual action genre that caught my attention.
If it had just been Maria, it would’ve been one thing, but I couldn’t possible subject Princess Ryona, who had clearly grown up like a sheltered flower, to any more bloody experiences.
After all, in the tutorial zone, dying just means you get revived, so you can’t exactly deal with enemies reliably.
‘I’ll handle the progress myself… but do there have to be clear conditions?’
It’s a bit picky to insist on fairness when everyone’s on the same side.
Seeing them even talk about fairness makes it seem like unreasonable conditions won’t fly.
‘By the way, what’s the maximum duration if the clear condition is based on elapsing time?’
‘Wasn’t the limit 30 minutes to begin with? Then I’ll just run out of time when the clock runs down.’
With this, the fateful dice were rolled in my hands.
All that remains is to make the most of the time and conditions given to me.
It felt strange to bring up the status window that I had only seen with my eyes.
The fact that I could treat the formidable opponents I had just faced as mere ‘elements’ fueled my enthusiasm to progress.
I called back the girls who had been safely tucked away.
Thus, the thief, who was trying to get away, was forcibly put into a standing stance and left frozen.
“What, what is this…!”
“Oh.”
“Hmmm… It’s not like it’s suddenly going to, you know, come loose or anything…?”
Princess Ryona still wore an apprehensive expression.
In contrast, our brave Maria approached the scarecrow out of curiosity and even gave it a poke.
Two hammers popped up from the ground. The two selected chicks were still figuring out what was going on but complied diligently anyway.
When it came to Maria, she picked it up as if she had been waiting for ages. She swung it with an impressive focus toward the target.
BAM-BAM-!!
“Ugh-!!”
A dazzling effect exploded upon the swing.
With “Wow!” reactions, the girls’ eyes sparkled. My effort to reference some cash items from their memories paid off.
As for me, thoroughly enjoying the scenario from the sidelines, especially with the cute font numbers indicating damage, I found it utterly satisfying.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
The number displayed was 3. In other words, 3 damage.
‘Nominally.’
In practical terms, that would have comfortably taken down a normal dragon. I used my swordmaster character’s regular attack as a benchmark.
Maria, already doing well herself, became even more spirited upon opening, practically dancing around. She even whipped up a technique on the spot and showcased it – pure chaos!
At this point, Princess Ryona, who had been hesitating, also began to timidly swing her hammer. It took but little time for her to ride on Maria’s enthusiasm.
—
As the skill’s duration neared its end, the two players kept tormenting the dummy without a hint of fatigue.
“Take that, take that!”
To be precise, from a certain point onwards, it became Princess Ryona’s solo stage.
Once she started having fun, she became more proactive than Maria.
She swung her hammer relentlessly, even while Maria took a quick break.
“Maria, wake up! Let’s try that joint technique again!”
“Sure!”
May this be the beginning of an inseparable friendship.
The princess was thrilled to make friends her age, and we were delighted to gain royal connections. Isn’t it a neat ending that only leaves laughter behind?
“This time, I’ll raise the angle of my arm a bit more! Maria, slow it down by half a beat!”
“Absolutely.”
Seeing those girls shine with excitement genuinely warmed my heart. I was so relieved to be able to set the genre at will.
Even if the victims themselves punish the culprits, if the process felt cruel, well, there’s a world of difference between imagining something cathartic and witnessing it in real life. Especially doing it yourself.
In contrast, this felt like an almost magical girl experience center. Even the screams were dulled down, preventing harm to the children’s delicate psyches.
“Die, die!! You enemy of Rayhem! Scream more in agony!!”
…Isn’t it?
“Ah… Revenge and tormenting others is such an exhilarating feeling… Watch me, Rayhem…!”
…Sorry, citizens of the empire. It seems I’ve awakened something deep inside her.
Speaking of which, the royal family of Pedoricon each had their distinct quirks.
Somebody will definitely face the consequences in the future, but I hope you’ll consider it as just an unfortunate mishap that happened during the rescue mission.
I felt it was time to intervene and start laying out plans as the skill was coming to an end.
While the thief was momentarily knocked out, I called out to the excited Princess Ryona, asking her why she had suddenly gone quiet.
“Eh? Oh… Yeah! What’s going on??”
After calling her three times, she finally responded, wiping away drool that had been trickling down.
Maria, knowing what to do, didn’t require my prompting to focus.
“That’s quite disappointing… No, that’s a serious issue. Our safety hasn’t been secured yet…”
“Did you plan something in advance?”
“Sure! Go ahead! It’s all to keep me safe, right? Just tell me! What do you need?”
At her core, she was a kind girl, albeit a tad impulsive when it came to new thrills.
I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern for how casually she could say ‘anything,’ but I still saw this as a fortunate opportunity for me.
I opened my mouth to thank her for the royal family’s minimal safety training.
“The most valuable thing I have…?”
Princess Ryona’s face turned crimson with embarrassment.
It makes sense, given the lack of clarity in my request; it probably came off as if I was demanding compensation outright.
“So you want my body… in other words, my purity…?”
“Big brother, you pervert. Such low standards!”
“I thought you were exceptional, but I never expected you to bluntly desire the body of a royal, let alone mine, an 8-year-old… Ugh… I get that it’s urgent, but could you give me just a bit of time to think about it…?”
“You think I look at you the same way, big brother?”
“Ah… So that’s what it was? You should have said that earlier… I misunderstood. Hehe…”
“Too bad.”
Without giving me room to clarify, I swallowed my words, fearing I might end up saying something even weirder.
Maria’s comment? I let it slide, assuming I just misheard her.
“Will this work?”
Meanwhile, the true Princess Ryona produced a brooch. It was a red brooch marked with the imperial emblem, one I recognized.
“I’ll just say I lost it. Don’t worry about it. Use it however you need! Is this good enough?”
In the last 30 seconds, I detailed our plan and asked Maria to safeguard the princess.
“…Be careful.”
Whoosh- The tutorial zone dissipated like a fading hologram.
The plan commenced without delay. While our opponent was regrouping, we retreated as far back as possible.
“Y-You arrogant brat—!!”
Even thirty minutes of torture would only incapacitate a Class A or higher fighter for mere seconds.
The man rapidly regained his fighting spirit and charged forward with a frightful determination. Much more so than for the girls swinging hammers, he harbored a deep grudge against me, the one who created the whole situation.
Whoosh-
I hurled the brooch with all my strength, not even attempting to dodge the incoming dagger.
He likely aimed for the heart, but unfortunately, there’s no critical point there. Nowhere at all.
‘He should’ve aimed for the head.’
Not finishing in one blow is, alas, your defeat.
“You little punk, what’s your true identity…!”
BOOOOOOM—!!!
An explosion of immeasurable value engulfed the surroundings. Amidst it, chaotic flailing to break free appeared futile.
The puppeteer’s mana threads ensnared us. We had acquired a sturdy meat shield.
—
A performance of a broadcaster’s tribute to explosive equipment, with fireworks beyond comprehension passing through the scene.
The man who was struck got up, groaning, but surprisingly kept himself upright.
I had offered one of the world’s most expensive items, but given that it was a skill with the lowest acquisition difficulty, its effectiveness was sadly underwhelming.
“Haah, haah… What is that thing, a scarecrow?”
‘Oh, has the robe flown away?’
The man’s state was nearly one of madness. This time, he ran towards me without hesitation, determined to successfully target my head despite the pain.
Well, I guess I’ll just count numbers wait patiently.
3, 2…
Clang-!
He came a little too soon.
“…Huh? Huh…?”
“Is this the monster that the girl mentioned? Thank you for your hard work. I truly appreciate it. The explosion allowed me to pinpoint your exact location.”
A silver full plate armor clad her entire frame, aside from her head, contrasting beautifully with the cute pink ponytail of the warrior girl.
She swiftly took command of the battlefield, not even glancing at the enemy before her as she expressed gratitude.
‘Even after having struck them multiple times, they’re probably only middle schoolers. The Philia Empire remains oddly unchanged…’
“What is this? This is absurd… Why is the Knight Commander here in such a place…?!!”
“I am the 4th Knight Commander of the Imperial Knights, a member of the Four Holy Emperors. It’s Izuri Pa Chest.”
Surely, he never expected it.
“I have come to retrieve Her Highness, the Princess.”
What kind of person had they trifled with?
Gulp, h-cough… You’re finished now…
“Ah, aahhh…”
In memoria for the one who lost his wits, I found myself closing my eyes.
I wasn’t sleepy, but I couldn’t deny how cozy the earthy floor felt.
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