At the same time Lan entered the fourth step.


    Archie breathed heavily as he stared into the cave. He could smell the smoke that drifted from within, but the conversation he would expect to accompany it was absent. Of course, considering the two people inside, this was not unusual.


    He clenched his fist and walked in.


    George and David sat languidly around a crackling fire at the end of the shallow cave. David somehow looked even bigger than before, looming over George, where they sat beside each other. While George looked much the same. He was still wearing his school uniform without a scratch, although his curly, auburn hair looked a little bedraggled. It had been days since he showered, after all.


    When Archie walked in, they both squinted at him, exchanging a thoughtful glance. Archie could tell they weren''t nervous or the slightest bit afraid of him, just wary. ''That hurts; you could at least pretend that I''m a threat,''


    Although, if he was honest with himself, he wasn''t. Just at a glance, he could see how many stat points George had. It was insane, impossible even. The boy was closing in on level 20, by the looks of things.


    ''I bet if I had a talent like his, I would be high levelled too,'' Archie thought. He liked his talent; it was useful in its own way. But it gave him little agency. He could see an opponent''s strength or even weaknesses when he eventually improved his talent. But he still wouldn''t necessarily be strong enough to beat them, even if he knew all this.


    That was why his clan were informants and spies, masters of subterfuge. He had previously said that all members of his clan had to wear a blindfold, but that wasn''t strictly true. That only applies to active members, the ones on the record. There a plenty of others that hide out of sight, gathering intel and waging wars of information that the common man isn''t even aware are being fought.


    ''That was never going to be my role in the clan, though,'' Archie sighed, shaking his head. As a child, he had dreamt of being a super spy, one that could overturn nations and collapse corrupt governments with a word. But growing up is learning that your dreams are just that, dreams. Archie will never be a spy. He will never be a shadowy informant leading rebellions. Archie is the heir, and the heir''s job is little more than a mascot. A puppet that the clan makes dance on whatever strings it decides to pull.


    "I come in peace," Archie held up his hands and smiled, doing his best to disguise his nervous jitters as confidence. ''Why am I so worried? I came here to die,''


    David and George frowned, but eventually, they just shrugged dismissively. David gestured towards a log opposite the fire, and Archie sat on it, letting the heat soak into him. He stared across the fire at the pair, hoping they would start the conversation. It would be much easier if they could just give him a way in.


    ''Bah, what am I expecting from these two?'' In the end, it was little more than wishful thinking. Archie took a deep breath, running over the script he had written one last time.


    "Hi," He said, his voice shakier than he would have liked, "I am here to propose a deal,"


    George frowned, glancing at David as though he had just heard a bad joke.


    "Listen, I know you don''t trust me. Why would you?" Archie almost tripped over his own tongue as he spoke. "So, I will tell you the deal, and after, I''ll make you trust me. How does that sound?"


    David scratched his thick, black beard thoughtfully, "Alright, Little man. We will listen,"


    Archie felt like a great weight had been lifted from his chest, and words began to spill out, "Okay, so I know you guys have been going on a rampage of sorts recently. You''re killing everything from here to kingdom come, and as a fellow team member, I appreciate that. But here''s the deal, if we want to win the tutorial and get properly recognised. If we want to shock the world. We need to beat the Prince," Archie was solemn when he finished talking, staring intently at the silent pair.


    "Impossible," David rumbled, his blue eyes twinkling in the firelight.


    "Ah, but that''s where you''re wrong. If, and this is a big if, I can find a way to kill the Moon Strider. Would you two be capable of holding her and her insane possie off? George can do crowd control and get rid of all her little minions while David guards your back. How does that sound?" Archie knew this was a hard sell, and he wasn''t expecting them to agree immediately.


    David scowled, "We get nothing from that plan,"


    "I know-"


    "Listen, Little man. If we do not benefit from your scheme. We will not participate."


    Archie smiled nervously, "No, of course, I get that. And I can''t offer you anything for killing the Moon Strider since that reward will go to whoever deals the final blow. But I was thinking of offering payment in a different form."


    David and George nodded, encouraging Archie to continue.


    "I can tell you the coordinates of an ocean temple. The number of monsters there is extravagant beyond belief, and I believe it may even be possible for you two to hit level 25 before the end of the tutorial if you go there,"


    "We were already promised a dungeon location from you," David rumbled, his voice deep and unforgiving.


    "Of course, of course, I get that. Which is why I will give you the location whether or not you guys help me. But…”


    David and George narrowed their eyes.


    "Since the temple is underwater, you will need certain resources to take full advantage of it,"


    "Resources?" David echoed.


    ''I''ve got them now!'' Archie flashed his signature grin before continuing, "For example, a title that lets you breathe underwater."


    George frowned, closing his eyes and thinking deeply. Eventually, he nodded, and Archie continued. "The location of that title is also within a dungeon, and I am willing to offer it to you along with the water temple as long as you agree to hold off the prince."


    "And why should we trust you?" David boomed, his deep voice echoing throughout the cave.


    "Because…" Archie produced his sabre from behind his back and stood up. David reacted quickly, jumping to his feet. But Archie made no move to attack. He knew that David and George wouldn''t trust him as long as he had the title. So, he just had to die.


    With a grunt, he drove his sabre through his chest, not stopping until the hilt touched his sternum.


    As blood dripped from his open mouth, he produced a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it across the campfire.


    "I''ll see you in a week," Archie''s words came out gurgled as he bled out, disappearing into motes of red light.


    George and David exchanged a glance before picking up the piece of paper and reading it. Their expressions almost glowed, and without a word, they left the cave and headed East, disappearing into the forest.


    ***


    At the same time, elsewhere in the tutorial.


    "Mark, are you listening to me?" Hannah snapped. She was standing precariously on the edge of a chasm, staring straight down into oblivion.


    "Huh?" Mark shook his head, trying to ignore the heart palpitations.


    "Jesus Christ, man! I don''t care if you''re scared of heights. If you drop me, I will haunt you forever!" Hannah yelled, glaring at Mark.


    Mark took a shaky breath and tugged on the rope around Hannah''s waist. "I won''t drop your fat ass, so just get going. Why am I even friends with you anyway?"


    Hannah''s eyes widened, and she kicked Mark in the shin, "Because you don''t have any other friends, that''s why!"


    "Hey, that''s not true. There''s Derick, and… yeah… that''s it,"


    "Where the hell is Derick anyway? It should be him doing this sort of crazy shit, not me!" Hannah almost growled, glaring down at the abyss beneath her.


    Mark swallowed hard, remembering the insane look on Derick''s face when they had respawned. The fact that his rival had killed him seemed to drive the boy mad. He kept muttering, ''Speed, speed, he beat me for speed.'' While pacing in abstract circles.


    "He said he was going to train somewhere…." Mark said lamely, not even sure what that meant.


    "When I get my hands on him," Hannah mimed, strangling someone, shaking her head in exasperation.


    Mark could tell this aggressive outward appearance was a front. She was nervous, terrified even. And he couldn''t blame her. What they were doing was dangerous to the extreme, and even the knowledge that their death wasn''t permanent didn''t change the inherent fear of the activity.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, "We''re on the Prince''s team, so we don''t even need to try that hard. She''s going to beat the King of the Night either way,"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Yes, I''m sure!" Hannah grunted, "What use is getting through the tutorial if we don''t show any ability? We must prove to everyone, including ourselves, what we are capable of. Also… If we do this, then maybe, just maybe, the Prince will have us back,"


    "You know she doesn''t give people second chances," Mark pointed out glumly.


    "I know that, but even if we can''t be part of her group anymore, she can still put in a good word for us when it comes time to do our mandatory service. Would you like to get stationed on the asteroid belt, or god forbid, we end up as invaders?"


    Mark shook his head.


    "No, I didn''t think so." Hannah took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.


    "Just remember to pull on the rope three times if anything goes wrong!" Mark reminded her.


    "Is that so I can pull you down with me?" Hannah laughed nervously.


    Mark chuckled, "No, it''s so that I can get a head start when I run away,"


    Hannah rolled her eyes and stepped out over the edge of the chasm. Her feet found nothing but air, and she began to fall.


    Mark hurriedly grabbed the slack in the rope and pulled it tight. It was the longest rope they could make, woven from hundreds of vines that had gathered over the last twelve hours. They could only hope it would hold Hannah''s weight and pray.


    Little by little, Mark lowered Hannah down the side of the chasm. She was quickly swallowed by the darkness under the earth.


    She could just barely see the walls of the pit. They weren''t smooth but covered in deep pockmarks, inside of which rested things she would rather not think about. ''I need to be quiet. If I wake the night drones up….'' She shuddered just thinking about it.


    Every time the rope creaked or groaned, a little bit of her soul died from the fear the sound spawned.


    ''Will it really work?'' She wondered. Of course, she wasn''t going to admit this to Mark, but Hannah highly doubted the Prince would forgive her. Especially when the person they let into the tutorial had gone on to be in the top 100 of the points rankings. Not only that, but since he was called Unknown on the leader board, all they had to go off of was Mark''s vague recollection of his face and abilities, which wasn''t much help to anyone. ''We screwed up, big time,''


    Hannah held onto the rope so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was shallow and seldom, if at all. In her mind, she kept repeating the phrase, ''I am invisible. You can''t see me,'' It was wishful thinking, but it seemed to be working.


    As she was slowly lowered into the nest, where the King of the Night resided, her intrusion did not wake up any of the night drones. This might, of course, be due to the fact that, in recent days, the Prince had culled a vast number of their population. It may also be because, during the day, the night drones hibernate. Or perhaps It was just blind luck. Whatever the reason, she made it to the bottom without a scratch, landing softly on the tightly packed dirt.


    While the walls of the chasm were absolutely covered in hexagonal holes, like that of a beehive. The floor was smooth and untouched. On one end of the chasm, a huge hexagonal tunnel drove deep into the earth, guarded by four enormous night drones, the likes of which Hannah had never seen before.


    Thankfully, they seemed not to have spotted Hannah. But she could see them clear as day. Or rather, she could see their system tag. It glowed in the dark like a venomous flower, the bright colours warning her not to go near if she wanted to keep her life.


    Lvl: 15 Knight of the Night


    Hannah gulped and tugged on the rope once before untying it from around her waist. With this, her lifeline vanished, pulled back up by Mark. She watched it disappear above her and sighed. ''It''s a good thing I don''t need a certain number of points to complete the tutorial now,'' She thought morbidly.


    Hannah''s ability was straightforward as far as talents came. She could sense things in a method not dissimilar to echolocation. When she stomped on the ground, she could send out vibrations that bounced off things and returned to her, allowing her to map out her surroundings. The reason Mark and Hannah had come to the belly of the beast itself, and the reason Hannah had dived headfirst into the final boss''s nest, was to make this map.


    To someone like the Prince, a map of the King of the Night''s nest was invaluable.


    Hannah pinched her arm and took a deep breath, calming herself. She needed to be calm for this to work. She stomped the ground as quietly as she could, sending out a wide pulse of mana into the surrounding rock.


    As It flared out and washed over the pockmarked walls and down into the guarded tunnel, the night drones began to stir. They may not have heard her before, but they could feel her mana. It was like a slap in the face.


    The first chirp sent a chill down her spine, and she burst into a run, barrelling headfirst towards the guarded tunnel. ''I need to get as much of this place mapped out as possible!''


    Thousands upon countless thousands of insects the size of a dog, some even larger, crawled from within the holes in the walls. It looked as though the entire chasm was alive, as every inch of the walls was covered with chirping insects.


    Hannah breathed heavily, panting as she sprinted towards the tunnel. The four guards that were almost five levels above her cocked their insectoid heads and hissed. Each one was about the size of a horse and had the tail of a scorpion, with the body of a sleek, more streamlined ant.


    ''Holy shit!'' Hannah wheezed as she neared them, going against her every instinct and speeding up.


    The four scorpion tails blurred as they lashed towards her, but through some miracle, she managed to avoid them, ducking between two sweeping blows and racing down the tunnel with death on her heels. The deeper she went, the harder it became to complete a map of her surroundings. It seemed as though the rock this far down was so dense It became harder to penetrate.


    ''I''ll just get closer then!''


    She kept running and running, her feet pounding on the rocky floor. Behind her, hissing and chirping echoed throughout the tunnel, deafening her.


    Up ahead, she could sense a thick barrier that, no matter what she tried, her echolocation couldn''t penetrate. When the end of the tunnel finally came into view, she gasped in horror. And that was the last thing she ever did. A forked tail blurred from the darkness and impaled her against the wall.


    Hannah woke up in a cold sweat in the entrance hall, gasping for air.


    "I need to tell them…." She muttered, eyes wide and terrified.


    ***


    Mark stood nervously beside Hannah as she presented the endless maps she had drawn to the Prince''s aide. He was a slender boy who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before pouring over the plans.


    "And you say these are accurate?" The aide muttered as he quickly flipped from page to page.


    "Yes. They are accurate to a degree. I can''t say for sure that the final room contains what I suspect it does," Hannah said clearly, wiping her brow.


    "How certain are you," The aide asked grimly, his jaw clenched.


    "90%", Hannah replied without pause. She knew what she had seen.


    The aide scratched his head and cracked his knuckles, frowning. "This isn''t good. If what you say is true, the plans will need to be changed,"


    Hannah and Mark nodded dumbly, unable to offer anything to this conversation. They didn''t even know there were plans, never mind what they might change to.


    The aide looked like he was having an internal debate before he reluctantly opened his mouth again, "Would you be willing to infiltrate the nest again, this time with proper guards?"


    Hannah took a shaky breath, "Yes…." She managed to squeeze out.


    Mark nodded as well, his expression solemn "This time, I will come with you,"


    "Thanks," Hannah whispered, calming a little.


    After nodding thoughtfully, the aide leaned back on his chair and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was suffering a migraine. "This tutorial just won''t go like I planned, huh? First, the difficulty changed, then all the extremely fierce opposition, and now a second boss… Somehow, I''m not even surprised anymore,"


    He looked back at Hannah and Mark, "Tell me, what do you think this squad needs,"


    They exchanged glances before Hannah spoke, "We need you to track down our friend Derick. He''s incredibly stealthy and will be invaluable for this mission. Besides that, I think the most important thing we could use is a distraction,"


    The aide frowned, "A distraction, yes, I suppose that makes sense. The more drones we can lure from the nest, the easier the infiltration will be. If only we had someone like George on our team, he could clear out all those little bugs with a shout." He shook his head, lamenting that most of the Moon Strider team were useless idiots who had been close to the leaderboard when the Prince selected her team. ''All the truly strong people were busy with dungeons, and weaklings filled up our roster,''


    "Tell me," He said, "What do you think is a suitable distraction?"


    Hannah smiled slyly, "Well, we know the bugs don''t like light, so I was thinking a big fire should do the job,"


    "There''s plenty of tinder in the nearby forest," Mark chimed in, fingering the blade of his axe.


    The aide smiled thinly, already planning out everything in his head. "Yes, that should work perfectly,


    ***


    The foundations


    Thorn collected the body; its face was one he had seen many times recently. A boy with greyish hair and a sickly complexion. He hadn''t always looked like this though.


    Just a few days ago, the boy''s hair had been black, and he didn''t look malnourished.


    Then again, just a few days ago was the first time the boy died. Since then, Thorn had seen him ten… twenty times, maybe more even. He brought the body to its plot and buried it beneath the tombstone titled – The Fool.


    "Why does he keep dying?" Thorn wondered aloud. Recently he had gotten into the habit of talking to himself. It helped pass the time and, more than anything, kept him sane. He had a few habits like this.


    The main one was imagining how someone died. Since their bodies were healed perfectly, all he had to go off was their expression, but sometimes that was more than enough. For example, the Fool. Every time Thorn had buried him, he was grinning like a madman. It made no sense to Thorn why someone would revel in their own death. But he supposed that was the difference between him and a human.


    A sudden tingle ran up his spine, and he stopped what he was doing, facing the boundary of his territory. ''Someone is here….''


    Their presence was massive. It weighed down on him like a tonne of bricks. Every movement they made shook his very soul, making him want to curl up in a ball and cry. But he held it together, his curiosity winning out over fear.


    ''Just who could it be? I''ve never met someone else before… Not someone alive anyways,''


    All Thorn''s knowledge was inherited. From the moment he came into being, he already knew everything he would ever need to know. Which was a fairly limited number of things, considering his whole reason for being was to bury people.


    "Thorn, come!" A soft voice echoed throughout the lands, drawing Thorn to its source.


    Involuntarily, he followed the instructions, gliding through the currents to where a man who was completely white, save for his glowing red eyes. Every part of him, from his white leather shoes to his pristine tuxedo was spotless and white. He was standing on a tombstone. It was a tombstone that Thorn had taken particular notice of. Because this tombstone had no name.


    "Sir?" Thorn croaked. Although he didn''t know the man''s identity, he inherently knew the man was superior to him. It was ingrained in his very being.


    "I am a representative of the maintenance crew. Do you know what this means?" The man asked, narrowing his red eyes.


    "I do not, sir. Please enlighten me," Thorn asked, eager to have a conversation about anything at all, really.


    "We deal with…." The man swilled the words in his mouth, tasting them to see if he liked how they fit, "Threats… To the Bridge."


    "Can the bridge even be threatened?" Thorn asked, not understanding how such a thing was possible. From everything he knew, the Bridge was a constant like time. It was hard to even interact with, never mind threaten.


    The albino man nodded solemnly, "It can, and it is, often threatened. That is the purpose of the tutorial. We use it as a trial run of sorts. If any participants are found to house a talent or skill that could possibly damage the integrity of the Bridge, they are dealt with, here and now,"


    "I see, and there is such a person in my tutorial?" Thorn asked curiously, glancing at the tombstone labelled Unknown.


    "There is. And it is your job to see to it that this person is removed before the tutorial ends. Think of this as your initiation. Do not fail me." The Albino man finished his part and turned to leave.


    Thorn rushed after him, "But how should I deal with him? What should I do?"


    The albino man smiled slyly, displaying pointed teeth. "That, is for you to figure out. Farewell."


    After the man had left, and the pressure was lifted from Thorn''s shoulders, he could only stare blankly at the tombstone labelled Unknown.


    ''I need to do some research….''