After around one year the Integration officially ended, during that time all of humanity was transported to artificial realms that would help them to cope with their new ways of life, the tutorial was there to ensure humans had the necessary skill and understanding for the world they would now enter. While most of them got transported into fairly easy tutorials (easy by system standards), the system analysed each person before making a decision. With this method it was ensured that there would be enough crafters, healers, farmers, but also guards and soldiers got special tutorials to prepare them for the new world.

But there was of course a group of people that didn't fit any of these roles, people with a free spirit and lots of potential that would be wasted in lesser classes. Warriors, archers, mages, classes not focused on building something but hunting the monsters that infested the new world. With classes focused on killing things it attracted…a specific kind of people. The darker side of humanity filled these roles, the broken, the mad, the violent. But it was necessary, while the others were made to uphold civilization these classes were made to expand it. The forerunners as the wider universe called them, people dying on the front so the rest can move into the cleared spaces. While the forerunners were important they died the most of all tutorial attendees, so the ones surviving their tutorial were usually the strongest of the bunch. Like Ethan, who managed to achieve a lot during his tutorial, but now…now it was time to prepare for what comes next. Because conflict was on the horizon

When Ethan stepped through the portal that had appeared at the end of the library, to him it felt like time was passing slowly and his mind was preparing for all the things he could encounter on the other side of this portal. While waiting for his transportation to end the familiar weight of Nora appeared on his shoulders, while a small chain appeared around his neck at the same time. An egg shaped jewel hanging from it, he lifted the jewel with his hand and tried to identify it.

[Seraphic Frost Owl Egg] [The Egg of the Seraphic Frost Owl, the last known egg known to you in this universe, the progenitor. Kept in stasis for hundreds of years the child inside is waiting for the perfect moment to hatch.]

The last gift Jeriel gave him, a gift that was his only child, his offspring he guarded for centuries. The last of its kind, if Ethan couldn't find more of them out there in the wider multiverse, he hoped that one day he could revive the companions of the winter elves to their former strength. He sighed and let go off the amulet which contained the egg. Nora sensed his unease and wrapped tighter around his arm, these days they didn't need to talk at all to understand each other perfectly, even if their bond was fresh on the timescale of the rest of the system it was an unbreakable bond which only strengthened over time.

He grabbed his staff when he felt the energy around him shift, the mana felt weird to Ethan, like it was folding onto itself…in a way. He cracked his neck and waited for the odd feeling to pass, the transport to his old world seemed almost complete.

Without much flare or fanfare did he appear in a forest, a forest that looked sick. Like a wounded beast that barely hangs on to life while maggots its flesh this forest was filled with mushrooms that looked like slimy, pulsing organs. Ethan coughed only seconds after appearing here, the spores released by the mushrooms invaded his airways and tried to infect him…he coughed again before slamming the end of his staff into the ground, freezing everything around him in a massive radius, the spores drifted like snow to the ground, now frozen from his magic.

He coughed again, pale blue blood splattering on the floor after he expelled whatever infected him. Ethan was lucky that he had enough vitality to not die instantly from these things, other classes could be in real trouble.

The ice soldiers that previously accompanied him were gone so he used a large chunk of money to create new ones, silently they formed a ring around him, guided by his thoughts. Only when he felt safe enough did he inspect his surroundings more closely. He was obviously in a forest but instead of green trees and the earthy smell of nature he only encountered white, sickly amalgamations covered in those pulsing mushrooms. After making sure he wasn't in any danger, besides the threat of growing mushrooms inside of his own body, he checked the notification that appeared.

*Update* Congratulations tutorial attendee! You're one of the remaining 3.954 billion people that managed to complete the tutorial of this integration! Sadly 4,188 billion people died during the integration! Recommendation…a moment of silence….

…. …. ….

*Update* Greetings Ethan Delaney! You're in the top 10 million of all tutorial attendees! Become a cornerstone of your world Gaia (formerly Earth) and guide the people into a brighter future! *Update* Title unlocked - Guide of Humanity

Ethan raised an eyebrow, the shock clearly written all over his face. Over 4 billion people died during the integration, in tutorials that were supposed to teach one the ins and outs of the system, which admittedly, it did a really bad job at. Even if he wanted to think about all the consequences of losing so many people, the system wasn't finished with the news it had to provide. Reluctantly Ethan opened the next notification.

*Update* Your planet, Gia, was gifted a special reward during this integration! Your very own deathworld! We hope you enjoy the challenges it will provide and help you grow even stronger!

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[Deathworld - System Creation] [A place of varying size which is designed to be a hostile environment. Those that seek to become stronger can enter the deathworld through special tokens, these can be earned via different methods. The deathworld for the planet Gaia was placed in the orbit around it for convenience.]

Ethan looked to the sky, there even larger than the moon by multiple sizes a planet was visible, what greeted Ethan was a world colored in sickly greens, burning reds and lifeless gray. The only thing remotely nice about the planet was a slim ring of lush green right around the equator. The whole thing looked artificial but he shuddered when thinking this was a planet designed to literally kill you.

Before he could continue studying the planet and the messages provided by the system he heard something moving in the brown bushes that filled the forest ground. Ethan snapped his head around and scanned his surroundings with his eyes, the ice soldiers held their shields up and their spears were ready to strike.

When he heard the next shuffling of dry leaves Ethan spotted the movement of the bushes. He turned towards the threat, his staff held high and his magic ready to be unleashed on the unknown entity. But in the next moment he cracked a smile, out of the bushes walked a tiny creature.

The creature only reached his knees and looked kind of cute, it's body was green and brown, both arms and legs looked more like tentacles or vines with the head being a floor, colored in a deep red. Ethan, still cautious, sent one of the soldiers to shoo it away, he had no interest in killing the only bright thing in this forest.

But when his soldier reached the flower monster, thorns erupted from its arms and legs, spikes that looked more like teeth lined the edge of the flower itself. With more speed than Ethan would attribute such a creature did it attack the soldier that had approached it. Without thinking about it Ethan froze the flower monster on the spot.

The second it fell to the ground again the monster exploded into small frozen chunks, what followed was an ear piercing scream that was filled with sorrow. More of the flower monsters rushed from the bushes, throwing themselves at the soldiers like plant-life berserkers. Ethan cranked his aura up to the max and watched the flower monsters stop in their tracks, his aura locking them down. But in the next second a black fireball flew from farther away right towards him.

Hastily he constructed multiple shields and two of his soldiers threw themselves in front of him. They evaporated, instantly, his skill not high enough for enough durability. But his shields held, his eternal ice working its magic. He snapped his fingers and one bigger soldier appeared, this one equipped with two simple swords.

Ethan called out into the forest. "Show yourself! I don't want to fight you but if you provoke me I will defend myself!" He watched the trees around him, the soldiers stood in front of him with their shields raised, the large soldiers secured his back.

Slowly a small woman stepped from between the trees, her head covered in thick red locks that fell down to her hips, her face marked by countless freckles that stood out on her pale skin. Brown eyes stared at Ethan, a look of hatred burning in them. She looked weak but like him she was commanding impressive forces.

"You killed my flower man, you jerk! They were only doing their job!" she fumed and a slew of swear words followed from her. "You shouldn't kill any plant! After all, they're much better than humans! My plants will show you how to behave!"

After a silent signal all flower men charged at Ethan and his three soldiers but while she was maybe strong enough, her minions were not. Without hesitation he influenced them with his aura and let his two soldiers cut them down as fast as possible. The large soldiers ran forward, Ethan on his heels already casting a spell.

The moment his aura touched the woman's body he focused his aura on her while simultaneously summoning chains to bind her completely. With his stronger aura he easily captured the woman who in turn looked fearful and broken, gone was the confident swearing woman. Ethan sighed and watched a massive female looking tree stop too, moments before unleashing a black fireball.

Alright, we just got back to…Gaia, would you like to talk first or go back to fighting? Because…" he tapped the chains binding her, the countless eyes of his aura watching her constantly. "...I have the upper hand."

He gave her a smile before asking the next question. "Won't you tell me your name?"

She grumbled and tried to get rid of the chains or the aura but nothing worked. In the end she relented and lifted her head, her face a stone mask as she introduced herself. "I'm…Liliane, Liliane West."

Ethan grinned. "I'm Ethan Delaney, it's nice to mee-"

*Update* Preparations complete, war participants will be transported in 3…2…1…

"Fuck you system…" Ethan managed to mumble before he was sucked into another teleportation.

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