Chapter 5: Tutorial (1)
[Nyaauh... A late summon...]
With a small, kid-like voice ringing in her ears, Misha slowly opened her eyes. Her sight was blurry and the only outline she could make out above her was... a cat head?
Her head was throbbing for a while. When her vision finally adjusted to the brightness, she found herself staring at a floating black cat.
"..."
A floating cat... and it was talking... Was she dreaming?
Misha closed her eyes again. Maybe she was still dreaming?
[You’re awake nya!]
Yep... it was still there.
The creature flew backward when she slowly sat up.
[I was this close to smacking the hell out of you nya!]
"What...?"
[How dare you sleep when someone as great as I was chosen to be your guide nya!]
Guide? The word immediately caught her attention.
Was she finally inside the tower?
[You are currently located at the Basement Floor of the tower...]
The words faded in the background as Misha focused on her surroundings.
The sky was clear and bright, the breeze carried the gentle rustling of the leaves, and the cool air grazed softly against her skin.
There were no buildings in sight, only a vast forest stretched in every direction. Massive trees towered overhead, their branches spreading high into the sky. It somehow made her feel like she was in a prehistoric time. The branches didn’t have many leaves on them, so the sky was clearly seen through.
[Hey!]
The creature suddenly flew inches from her face, blocking her view. Misha nearly jumped.
[Are you even listening?! Eyes on me nya! What are you even looking at?! Do you want me to blow up your head?!]
"Sorry..."
[Hmp!]
Now that she could see it properly, it looked even stranger. It had black fur, a single horn on its head, two tails, and tiny wings. Its golden collar had an oversized blue gem attached to it.
Aside from that, its weird way of talking was rather... cat-like?
"I was just, um... It’s just my first time."
It rolled its eyes as if that wasn’t obvious enough. [Of course it’s your first time! I’d be more surprised if it wasn’t nya!]
It crossed its arms and huffed. [Anyway, welcome to the Basement Floor of the Tower nya! I am your guide, Kongkong, but you may call me King.]
"..."
Misha was speechless. What kind of name was that?
Noticing her reaction, King squinted his eyes suspiciously. [Do you want me to blow up yourr head nya?]
Misha immediately raised both hands. "No!"
[You laughed!]
"I didn’t!"
[You were thinking it nya!]
"I wasn’t!"
[You absolutely were!]
Misha instantly waved her hands in denial. "No, no, it’s a cute name! It also sounds cool! King Kongkong! Right! It’s a very cool name!"
[Obviously!] He puffed out his chest proudly as he grinned. [My master gave it to me nya!]
Since the creature before her looked more like a real cat, she couldn’t help but think that it was rather cute.
Misha felt the urge to touch it, but she stopped herself before reaching out. She knew better than to be fooled by appearances, no matter how adorable they looked. After all, cuteness could still kill.
"Um... Can I ask something first?"
[You already are nya nya.]
Misha decided to ignore that for the sake of her sanity. "Have you met some men named Mateo Kian Reyes and Caleb Reyes?"
King tilted his head and blinked cluelessly. [I have memorized all the Tower Raiders names but I never heard of them.]
"Oh..." The disappointment hit harder than she expected. Fortunately, King wasn’t done talking.
[Well, no one uses their real names inside here nya.]
Misha immediately looked up at him. Her expression brightened as hope filled her eyes. If real names were not used, of course, her brother’s names would be different!
[Anyway, as I was saying, this is the Tower of Hellfire, nya. The Basement Floor is the starting point. The actual tutorial stage starts from Floor 2 up to Floor 10 where you’ll get the chance to practice your skills and increase your stats. This floor is where your awakening reward is granted nya!]
"So I’m not awakened yet?"
[I just said it, right? Of course not! Awakening is the reward you’ll earn once you complete the basement tutorial quest nya nya. So of course it’s not given freely! This tutorial stage is essentially a culling process, nya. If you are worthy, then you will be rewarded. It’s as simple as that!]
This was different from what she knew since Misha thought she would be awakened the moment she entered the tower.
[Now then, simply say ’Status’ to bring out your status window.] King instructed.
This was a common and popular concept familiar to most people because of modern technologies. Misha was rather excited to see what her status window looked like.
"Status."
「 〔 STATUS WINDOW 〕
Nickname:
Name: Misha Reyes
Level: 2 (EXP: 70/150)
Rank: ☆
Class: None
Affiliation: Tower of Hellfire
—
<TITLE>
None
—
<TRAITS>
Analytical Thinking (Lv. 1)
Calm Under Pressure (Lv. 2)
Sleep Deprivation Resistance (Lv. 2)
Steady Hands (Lv. 1)
—
<SKILLS>
Microscopic Examination (LOCKED) 」
"Why is my skill locked?" It was the first question she asked. "This is the basic skill required for being a medlab scientist."
[That may be the case outside the Tower but things work differently the moment you’ve been summoned here nya. You should check the descriptions. Just say ’Skill description’ and it will show you nya.]
She nodded in understanding. "Skill description."
「 Microscopic Examination (LOCKED)
Description:A special analysis developed through repeated laboratory observation. Enhances the user’s visual perception, allowing them to observe abnormalities such as mana contamination, toxins, and parasites invisible to the naked eyes. 」
"Is this going to become my awakening skill once I complete the tutorial on this floor?"
[No, that’s just an extra skill you already got. The reward will be different nya.] He grinned widely at her.
"Then how about my ranking? Will it change once I awaken?"
[Yes. Everyone starts at 1-star during the Tutorial Stage. Your star ranking is determined by the ability you’ll acquire. Most humans fall between 1 to 3 stars, though a rare few managed to awaken 4 to 7 stars abilities nya. Anyway, you’ll be given a chance to level up if you remain 1-star after awakening since climbing the tower will give you plenty of opportunities to grow stronger nya nya.]
"I see... "
[If that’s all, before we start, please enter your Tower Name nya.]
She blinked a few times in confusion. "A what?"
[Your Tower Name.]
Misha looked down at her status window. Only then did she notice the blank nickname section.
"Oh..." That made sense.
[Inside the Tower, your old life is left behind nya!] King pointed dramatically toward the sky. [This is your chance to be reborn nya nya!]
"A new name huh..." She paused to think for a few seconds before she finally thought of one. "Misha Apocalypse. I want to be known as Misha Apocalypse."
King stared quietly at her for a while. [Are you serious?]
"Yes."
[This is permanent, nya.]
"Yes, yes."
The cat slowly covered his face.
[This will be the only chance you’ll get to change your name.]
"Yes! It has a cool ring to it, right?" She grinned at him.
The cat-like guide couldn’t help but sigh in defeat. [Very well...]
「 Congratulations! Your Tower Name has been registered as ’Misha Apocalypse’! 」
[Let’s start the tutorial now, shall we?]
Ding!
「 〔 TUTORIAL QUEST 〕
Goblin Extermination (0/5)
Time Limit: 3 Hours 」
Huh...?
"F-five goblins?"
An eerie smirk appeared on King’s lips, sending chills down her spine.
"I never killed even one goblin..."
[Most people haven’t nya.]
"W-wait! How about giving me a weapon? I can’t kill barehandedly!"
[I will now be deactivating the barrier.] The grin on King’s face widened. [As I said, only those who are worthy will be rewarded. Good luck nya nya!]
With that, he disappeared.
