The orcs were dead. Finally. The path to the sewer entrance lay open, and for the first time in days… there was a glimpse of hope.

Hope that the other side of the wall might hold safety. Shelter. Answers.

Allison stood among the bodies, breathing heavily, his katana dripping with blood. "I can't believe we actually pulled it off…"

Luke didn't respond. He walked silently from corpse to corpse, stabbing each one without hesitation. Just to be sure.

The sound of steel sinking into flesh echoed through the quiet.

"We only won," Luke muttered, wiping his kukri on an orc's tattered tunic, "because part of their forces ran toward the burning tree."

Allison approached, pulling a ring off his finger. "Speaking of which… here's your Fire Ring."

Luke took it back. The plan had worked better than expected. The orcs had charged into the woods with blind fury, weapons drawn and murder in their eyes.

"They didn't even hesitate," Luke said flatly. "Didn't stop to question. They just wanted to kill whatever they found."

Allison nodded.

Nearby, Princess Charlie was methodically piercing every fallen orc with her sword. Just to be safe.

Luke opened his system window. Before the battle, he'd spent a free stat point in Vitality. But now—after leveling up his new class—he had more to allocate. Three, to be exact.

His eyes flickered with something close to excitement. He was getting stronger.

Name: Luke Level: 5 Rank: F Class: [Demonic Assassin (Lvl 9)] Race: Half-Demon Profession: - Titles: [Dark Lord] Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon] Health Points (HP): 286/430 Mana Points (MP): 47/260 Stamina: 148/220 Soul Fragments: 13/1000

Stats: Strength: 37 Agility: 46 Endurance: 22 Vitality: 43 Perception: 37 Intelligence: 26 Free Points: 3

Inventory: [Throwing Knife Holster], [Demonic Twin Kukris], [Ring of Fire], [Stalking Crocodile Chestplate], [Crypt Guardian's Gloves], [Novice Adventurer Set]

Class Skills: [Basic Blade Handling (Common)], [Profane Knife Throwing (Uncommon)], [Twin Blade (Common)], [Basic Dark Dash (Rare)]

Race Skills: [Identify (Common)], [Demonic Perception (Uncommon)], [Dark Blood (Uncommon)]

Bloodline Skill: [Servant of the Dark Lord (Unique)]

Servant: [Princess Charlie (Skeleton) - Lvl 3]

He applied the three new points without hesitation.

Stats Updated:

Strength: 37 -> 38 Endurance: 22 -> 23 Intelligence: 26 -> 27 Free Points: 3 -> 0

Luke sighed and closed the screen.

"I got a new pair of boots and leveled up my race," Allison said with a grin. "Guess we're all growing stronger. Ready to move out?"

Allison paused, then added, "No offense… but your face looks like it got hit by a wagon."

Luke touched the side of his face.

Cuts. Swelling. One eye nearly shut.

"If a woman saw me right now…" he murmured, "Terrible first impression."

Charlie turned to look at him.

He stared back at her blank skeletal expression.

"What?"

Allison coughed awkwardly. "T-they'd still think you're cool."

The three of them made their way toward the intact cabin on the edge of the camp. But something tugged at Luke's thoughts.

"I thought you were just a swordsman," he said flatly. "But I saw you using ice magic."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Allison froze mid-step. "You… saw that?"

Silence stretched between them.

"Look," Allison sighed. "I've got secrets too, alright? It's not personal. But I'm not exactly eager to announce I've got magic to a stranger traveling with a creepy skeleton lady."

Luke shrugged. "I'm not judging. Just surprised."

Allison slid his katana into his inventory.

"But don't count on it in every fight. My ice magic's weak. Basic stuff, limited use. Just a few tricks… for now."

They moved forward again, boots crunching against the debris. Smoke still rose faintly from the far side of the village.

Up ahead was a single wooden cabin—still standing.

"But can swordsmen even awaken magic?" Luke asked, eyes narrowing. "Sounds more like a mage thing. Or… did your class mutate?"

Allison stopped in his tracks.

He pressed his lips together and looked down, hesitating before he finally spoke.

"There is a class evolution for Magic Swordsman," he admitted. "But I haven't met the requirements. My power… didn't come from that."

He looked up, gaze meeting Luke's with surprising weight.

"I suspect it came from the same place yours did."

Luke's eyes sharpened. "What do you mean?"

Allison's glance flicked toward Charlie. Then back to Luke.

"My ice power… it came from my Bloodline," he said slowly. "Just like your skeleton did."

Silence stretched between them.

Allison crossed his arms. "You can't summon a familiar without at least reaching level 10 in your race. So that skeleton of yours—it's not a normal summon. If I had to guess, it's tied to your lineage. Just like mine."

Luke didn't reply.

He could've hidden Charlie. He could've sealed her back into his soul the moment Allison showed up. But he hadn't. He needed all the help he could get. Especially when traveling with a stranger.

Once we cross the wall… keeping Charlie visible won't be an option.

They stepped into the cabin.

"I've got a question," Luke said, side-eying Allison. "If your powers are ice-based, how did you nearly freeze to death? Shouldn't you be immune to cold?"

Allison flushed. "W-what? You have knife skills, doesn't mean you're immune to getting stabbed, right?"

Luke chuckled. "Good answer."

***

They searched through the wooden houses of the abandoned village. Looking for clues. Resources. Any sign that someone else had come this way—dead or alive.

Luke hoped other humans had reached this place before them. But so far… nothing.

Only silence.

And for the first time since this tutorial began, Luke felt the weight in his bones. His body ached. Hunger gnawed at his stomach. His eyelids grew heavy. Days without proper sleep. Living on scattered fruits and sheer adrenaline.

"I think we should rest," Allison said, surprisingly fresh. "I leveled up, so I'm not tired or hungry anymore. But you? You look like you got run over by a warhorse."

They approached the last cabin—the largest structure in the village. Luke picked up a worn mug from the ground. The wood was cracked, but the shape…

It was made for a human hand.

He frowned.

"All the furniture, the utensils… they were designed for humans. No way an orc could use this."

Without another word, he tossed the mug aside and kept walking.

"This world was created by the tutorial," Allison said, stepping over some broken debris. "All of it designed for humans like us. Look at the houses, the ceiling height. If this were really an orc village, the doors would be huge. Half of them wouldn't even fit through here."

They stepped into the main house—the one that would've belonged to the village leader. But it was just ruins now. Broken walls. Ashes. Silence.

Luke ran his fingers along a splintered table. "This tutorial…" he murmured. "Doesn't feel like something that ends in a few weeks."

Allison lowered his head. "Feels more like the kind that lasts months."

They both knew it. They just hadn't wanted to say it out loud.

Luke moved through the ruined house, checking each room with clinical focus.

"I never really understood much about tutorials," he said. "Could barely find anything about them online."

Allison nodded grimly. "The World Government censors it. Everything's locked down. Unless you've been selected, you're kept in the dark."

Luke stopped and looked back at him. "But you know something, don't you?"

Allison nodded. "There are several types of tutorials. Most work like a Training Field—you can't leave until you hit a certain level. Others are more rare. Like survival types… where people get dropped on an island and have to endure until the timer runs out."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Like a battle royale?"

"Exactly."

"But this one… this one's different."

Allison stopped in the middle of the room. "It didn't give us a timer. No minimum level. Just a single objective… and it's too simple."

Luke understood what he was getting at. "Find the portal."

Allison crossed his arms. "Right. Too simple to be real. And then it mentions the 'Lords' who'll try to stop us."

Luke felt a chill run through his spine when he heard that word again.

They stepped into a wider room—half storage, half chaos. Broken furniture. Stacks of chopped wood. The orcs had repurposed it into a crude supply depot.

At the center sat a large, weathered sheet of parchment.

Drawings.

They moved closer.

Stick figures—humans. Next to them, arrows pointing from orcs holding weapons. And over the humans, a giant red 'X'. On the other side, a monstrous orc seated on a throne.

"This is a warning," Allison muttered. "They were ordered to kill humans."

Luke stared at the sketch of the throne. "And someone's commanding them."

He'd seen something like this before. A being on a throne.

The memory of the Forgotten Temple dungeon surged back. That overwhelming pressure. That sensation of being watched by something far beyond his level.

And now—here, again. "Lord."

Coincidence?

Before he could dig deeper into the thought, Charlie came sprinting into the room. She pointed furiously at a door in the back.

Luke and Allison drew their weapons instantly. But Charlie shook her head. It wasn't danger.

She was pointing.

"The princess found something," Allison muttered, following her.

They reached a door. Carved into its wooden surface… a simple symbol.

A treasure chest.

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