ROR Chapter 5: Bloodbath (3200 words)

(You can find the rest free in the collection section of my page.)

Zach was on his way, going deeper. His viewer-count was still increasing rapidly, along with his followers.

In the beginning of the tutorial, the viewers all of the universe try to find the most interesting contestants to follow their run.

The most views are taken by those with the highest stats, since they are most likely going to be winners, and then the views are divided between those who can entertain, those who can keep the viewers engaged, those who can do something unique, and finally, the murder hobos.

So the contestants try to tick mark more than one of these option to get the max results.

Those with low stats get the least number of views, since there’s no point following someone who’s going to die soon. These contestants are usually used for betting to see how quickly they die.

Zach was among this category.

But, there are cases when a few of these ‘weakest’ individuals manage to survive longer than usual, whether through luck or through skill.

This effectively shifts them to the Underdog scenario. In this case, things change entirely. Viewers flood their streams because they want to see just how it was that they had survived and how long they can keep the miracle going.

Zach knew that views were important. Exceedingly so. But, he knew that he wouldn’t have to worry about them. Because, for better or worse, he was that wretched dog that was even under the underdog.

Even 12-year-olds have higher levels than him.

Had it been possible to for contestants to participate in betting, or if he had someone outside, he would have had them bet on his survival. Because right now, everyone was betting on his death. It was just a matter of when.

As he kept advancing, the forest got denser. And just when Zach was beginning to wonder where all the monsters have gone, it happened.


!

The branches he was trying to remove suddenly moved on their own, sharp thorn suddenly protruding out of them.

But, Zach had already moved away even before it had happened.

‘Huh?’

He realized it was his new skill [Danger Sense] at work, alerting him of danger.

‘Might have actually made the right choice in class selection.’ He thought.

Drawing his sword, he slashed out at the vines.

[Inhuman Insight]

Activating his trait, it was only then that he realized, he was in deep shit.

[Gloomvine Creeper Lv 7]

[Gloomvine Creeper Lv 8]

[Gloomvine Creeper Lv 6]

The trees he was surrounded with were actually Gloomvine Creepers, carnivorous tree monsters that disguise themselves as ordinary trees.

They eat lure the prey in until they’re in the middle, and then boom. They attack with their heavy vines barbed with poisonous thorns.

'Gotta level up the Danger sense,' Zach realized

The skill did sense the danger, but only after he was already in the monster’s lair.

His [Inhuman Insight] could have helped found the spotted the Tree beforehand, but it was a long walk, and Zach couldn’t keep the trait active all the time, with Authority being so important to him.

Vines attacked him from all direction.

Seeing the danger he was in, Zach decided to use traits rather than skills.

He activated inhuman Insight, and trajectories appeared in his vision, showing the path each vine was going to take. Then he thought of the best way to counter. He also managed to judge that there was most likely no need to activate the other Traits.

[Mana Control]

[Mana Blade]

[Swordsmanship]

Two arcs were drawn in the air, cutting off the vines in the immediate surroundings.

Then he ducked, waited for a second and then slashed in 360 twist, cutting off a majority of vines attacking him through perfect timing.

Using the gap he had created; he went straight for the nearest Creeper.

SLASH

'Fuck!'
But, when he slashed at it using the mana blade, he failed to cut it completely, getting shaken instead due to the rebound.

‘What an embarrassment.’

The trees were thick and sturdy, and this [Mana blade] was simply not powerful enough to cut through it.

[Obsessive Control]

The mana gathered once again on his blade. But this time, the control was extreme. The amount of mana was more, and it was compressed, sharpened, to reinforce the blade.

Zach swung the blade again, and this time, it managed to cut cleanly through.

[You have killed a lv 6 Gloomvine Creeper]

[-+5 points]

[Mana Blade lv 2 -> lv 3]

[Mana Control Lv1 to lv2]

This is how he learns and levels most of his skills.

First comprehend them through Insight and then learn them through Control trait, thus making it much easier for him to level up his skills compared to the rest.

The only reason his skills are still so low levelled is because Zach got the [Obsessive Control] trait only after he had been locked and put under surveillance.

Imagine him training his room, swinging mana coated blade around that could have easily slashed through the bars holding him, let alone the researchers who let him stay unbound around them.

Yeah, that would have had him shifted to much higher security area immediately.

So, Zach never trained any skill he couldn't pass of as a kid playing around.

That’s why the levels of his mana control and mana blade are still so low.

The lv 6 gloomvine creeper vanished, but it actually left behind a mana stone, making Zach pleasantly surprised. Mana stones are rare drops that have many uses, including recovering mana.

With one tree down, Zach immediately went for the next one, this one being lv 7. The process was similar, but when he killed this one, the tree let out a piercing noise as thorns shot out of its vines.

!!

Zach had already seen the danger coming, but even when he tried his best to dodge and deflect, he was still hit by two of the thorns.

And as if to put salt on the wound, it didn’t drop any mana stone either.

'Damn it,' Zach looked at the thorns piercing his skin, releasing poison into his body.

The usual choice after this would be to escape this place and rest until the poison wears off, but Zach could easily handle poison by just blocking the poison and ejecting it out using his trait.

‘Still, this is going to be a problem,’ he realized. There were a large number of trees to cut. If he keeps going like this, he’d be a porcupine by the time he’s done.

Usually, most of the people have various means to blocks such kind of attacks, and if they don’t, they hunt in parties, leaving the job of shielding to the mages.

Currently, Zach didn’t have either of the options.

‘It has to be done.’

He needs a shielding skill. Looking at it now, he should have learned one a long time ago. But he never really got the chance to learn any skill at the academy due to his extreme aversion to mana and he only obtained [Obsessive Control] after he was trapped.  

This time, when cutting the next tree, Zach tried something different. Instead of trying to dodge the Thorn, he put mana in his sword and swung perpendicular to the incoming thorns.

A light film of mana was left behind, in order to block the thorns.

Contrary to Axel’s expectations though, the thorns managed to easily pierce through the ‘shield’ he had manifested.

But his [Inhuman Insight] saw everything and quickly realized exactly he was wrong and what to do in order to make it work.

First of all, he needs to make the mana dense and interconnected.

And the mana supply needs to be constant, so as to continuously replace the mana that would be left suspended in the air.

The timing needs to be better as well, since the shield only lasts for a brief instance.

While still cutting off the vines that attacked him, Zach tried again, cutting down another Creeper.

This time, when the Thorns were fired, he was ready. 

SLASH

Zach swung his sword in an arc, and a shield manifested in front of him, causing the Thorns to slow down after hit it.

[You have learned the Skill: Sword Shield]

‘Got it!’

Zach clenched his fist in celebration.
Sword Shield. This was exactly the Skill Zach was trying to learn. He had seen others do it and knew the general theory behind it. So with the mana control he gets from his trait and his insight, it was not difficult to replicate it.

This skill doesn’t have the best defence, and only lasts for a brief instance, but what matters that it takes very little mana to cast it.  

A proper shield needs a lot more to cast along with being a bit more complicated to learn. Thus, with his limited time and limited mana, Sword Shield is the best option was Zach.

Now, all that’s left is to level it along with the rest of his skills.

Unknowingly, the Tutorial had become a training ground for Zach, who hadn’t gotten a chance to properly train in years.

And it was important that he trained too, because it was certain that he was NOT ready for what’s to come in the later stages.

Zach continued the training, cutting down one Creeper after another. Soon, he became so proficient that he was able to hold on without having to use his traits.

[Mana Control Lv 5]

[Mana Blade lv 4]

[Sword Shield lv 3]

His skills had levelled up quickly, much quicker than ordinary people due to his traits helping him.

With the viewers increasing, the chat had also gotten filtered, showing the most relevant comments to make it less chaotic. Viewers commented like crazy to have at least one of their comments shown on the chat, as it is sure to receive many likes and replies and their id will also be viewed by many.

Ø  [He changed his class!

Ø  A class change? Which one did he choose?!

Ø  Survivor? It’s a common word, so it should have been a class. But why have I never heard of it?

Ø  INHERITED?!

Ø  HE GOT AN INHERITED CLASS!

Ø  CRAAAZZYYY

Ø  Who had it before him?!

Ø  I tried typing it but it seems its getting filtered!

Ø  Same here! What the hell?

Ø  Any information that can help the contestant gets automatically filtered. Don’t you guys know that?

Ø  An Inherited Class appeared in the tutorial. This is going to be HUGE!

Ø  How is this information helpful?!

Ø  Guys, just search the class. You HAVE to see this!

Ø  It’s an old class. Never thought I’d ever see someone else have it.

Ø  Damn, it can be this broken?

Ø  He hit the jackpot!

Ø  What were clearing conditions?

Ø  Must be insane since no one other than him has inherited in all this while.

Ø  He is finally going deeper! I thought he was going to keep grinding at the spawning point.

Ø  Yeah, not much progress so far.

Ø  Look at it from his perspective. He is only level 10 right now. What did you expect?

.

.

.

Another monster!

Ø  Searched it! Damn, this guy is in trouble!

Ø  So many of them!

Ø  He’s only level 10. These monsters are going to be difficult for him

Ø  Damn! He couldn’t really cut it! He’s cooked

Ø  Still amazed with his reaction speed.

Ø  What? He managed to cut it!

Ø  Just how good is his mana control?

Ø  It’s not the mana control. Must be his trait.

Ø  And what is his trait?

Ø  He got hit! He got hit by the poisonous thorns!

Ø  The thorns and poison got yeeted out lol! Just what is this guy?

Ø  New viewers, his trait has poison immunity, stat boost, and excellent mana control. And we have no idea what it is.

Ø  Wait, was that a shield?

Ø  No, it was an attempt at making a shield. It doesn’t seem like he has the skill

Ø  He doesn’t have any shielding skill

Ø  HE DOES NOW!

Ø  What the hell? He learned it?

Ø  How?! Is learning skills so easy?

Ø  Look at him spamming it for no reason. Is he… Is he actually training it right now?

Ø  Training in a tutorial while being level 10 is absolutely wild!

 

Zach was harvesting points with each kill, now having become an expert at Gloomvine Creeper hunting. He was now clearing 6 monsters per minute, making it an ultimate grind.  

But just when he had settled into a rhythm, he suddenly encountered another opponent, or rather, a body lying in the clearing not far away.

Zach approached the body in order to investigate. Now getting a closer look, he saw that the person really did seem dead, having his neck twisted 180 and limbs bent at an odd angle.

While going to check for loot, he also realized that it didn’t seem to be the work of the tree, making him turn on [Inhuman Insight], going on alert mode.

And as soon as he did so, he backed away from the body, raising his guard. And it was good that he did, because right then, the mouth of the 'body' opened and a liquid jet shot out right at the place where he used to be.

SSSSSSS

The small grass burned off and even the soil itself started sizzling as the liquid touched the ground.

“Seriously?” Zach was genuinely scared. He threw his sword, nailing it through the forehead of the freak.

“A toad race,” he muttered. “Knew it.”

As soon as he had turned [Inhuman Insight] to look for the person who had killed this guy, he had instantly found out that he, no, it’s a she. He found out that she was actually alive! At the same time, he had also recalled the race characteristics of this person.

She’s a Frapian, which are also called the toad race to their features having a resemblance with toads. Their acid is extremely strong and has multiple uses, thus being sold galaxy-wide.

Once he put two and two together, he knew what was coming. And it was good that he did, because by the time danger sense would have kicked in, it would have already been too late.

Axel finally checked for loot, and wasn’t surprised to find pretty much nothing except for a shield. But Zach was already expecting that. Instead, he carefully cut the guy’s guts open.

‘There you are,’ he thought pulling out a small pouch-like organ from the torso. This was the acid-sack, made out of extremely durable material. After carefully sealing it, he pocketed the sack.

'Next time, let's not approach an dead bodies,' he decided.

Strapping the light shield to his back, he went back to hunting Gloomvine Creepers.

And he hunted for a few hours straight, making him reach level 11. He’d long run out of mana, using mana stones to use his skills.

Only then did he finally take a break. Just when he was beginning to relax, though, something happened.

The ground started to vibrate. And then, not far away from him, the ground burst open and tree started to grow, going higher at a rapid pace.

On top of it was a shinning halo, as if to attract everyone’s attention.

‘A mad grab!’

Zach’s eyes widened, his heartbeat speeding up.

Mad grab is the event when treasures are spawn in random locations in the tutorial. Inside that halo, there were essential supplies, and chance of obtaining treasures and high-grade weapons.

So, whenever one spawns, it causes the contestants to madly rush over and grab whatever they can, hence the name.

Also, other names for it are bloodbath and carnage claim, which perfectly explains what usually happens around it.

Now, in general, with his current strength, Zach wouldn’t even dream of participating in one of these.

The problem was, it spawned just a few metres away from Zach.

Zach didn’t waste any time to think. He was running before the tree could grow more.

Within seconds, he had reached the stem that was continuously growing.

?!

But, another person reached the location at the same time. It was a Therian, a green skinned race with four eyes and fast legs. The person spotted him around the same time as Zach.

He slowed down, using his spear to block Zach.

[Inhuman Insight]

[Lv 25]

Realize the level and judging the level of person, Zach increased his speed, putting mana in his feet. The person extended his spear, but Axel’s sword was already raised before the warrior even made his move. The spear got deflected and the warrior a got kneed to his chest, containing of all Zach’s momentum.

The warrior flew far away while Zach latched onto the growing tree, starting to go up. But right now, he was still a prime target, as someone who was the closest to the drop. So, climbing higher, he hid himself in the giant bushes, waiting for the tree to fully grow.

Soon after, Zach began to see numerous figures starting to emerge from the forest. A contestant latched onto the tree, just like Axel, but another pulled him down as they both began fighting.

Before they were finished, a third and a fourth contestant arrived, also joining the melee.

While they fought, thinking the final winner to be one of them, a silhouette zoomed past them, directly jumping up the tree.

The four warriors were left standing, unable to react as the person was too fast, having already climbed several metres up. Arrows and projectiles were hurled at him from the people who had been watching from afar and waiting for the right moment.

But aiming was too tough at the moment, with the person climbing so fast and the tree also growing at an incredible rate.

Now that he got a closer look on the person, Zach realized who it was. It was a Chimetarian, a green skinned race resembling monkeys. It had a trait, one related to speed.

The Chimetarian climbed the trees incredibly fast, until it finally reached Zach.

 

But Zach didn't react, waiting for the right moment. The reaction speed of this opponent was going to be off the charts. And once he evades Zach's attack, it's over for him. So, he only had one chance..

 

"Now!" 

 

Zach didn't attack when the Chimetarian came right underneath his hiding spot. Just as the Chimetarian was about to pass him, Zach extended his foot and kicked the guy on his knee joint, hard. 



With his head facing upwards and the kicked coming complete from the blind spot, the Chimetarian was unable to react as he let out a howl, his bones snapping off as he began free falling. 

 

He did eventually manage to catch one the branches to hang on to, but with that leg, he wasn't going to be able to climb again. Also, after the fall, he had once again gotten low enough that those below could once again see him, thus making him a shooting target. 

 

With no competition and no one being able to see him through the dense foliage of the tree's branches, Zach began climbing up, looking up at the that sweet, golden halo. 


Since he had gotten on right when the tree started growing, it didn't take him long to climb to the top.

When he finally reached the platform above, though, he found someone already standing there.


 ....

A.N.: please do leave a like so that I know how many people are reading it