Three days had gone by since he managed to created the three-way link needed for corporeal manipulation; to move objects around, bend and form them without touching them. It turned out that the three-way link was not the final step before being able to manipulate anything, not even the small rock.

  That very day when he had managed the link with the rock and his staff, he had jumped right into action and tried to manipulate the rock, but he had hit a bottleneck. There was no magic to be found. Within three hours, his mana pool had been drained, and he had to wait many more before he could get any meaningful amount of mana to try again. Through using magic, Pi’ve experienced how taxing it was on his mana pool. He realised how easily a wizard could be drained of mana, and how vulnerable his class was if not careful.

  He put his mind back on the quest, he was sure he was going to find the cave soon. The bright day turned dark as night began to settle again, and Pi’ve wandered about in the forest with his staff alight, thinking about many things. He was thinking about his particular situation the most; him on his way to becoming a wizard; the Jin, or the system as it was also called; the entity; his growth and stats; magic; Thergiam and more.

  What he also thought about from time to time, was that dreaded memory which seemed so far away now. This place, and the situation he was now facing was so far from the place he had come from. How could he anticipate having to fight a monster, losing his father and almost drown before he was rescued by a merman? He had been put in a scenario where all the fear and sadness could be easily covered with fascination and his childhood dream. It was perfect. It was— not perfect. Far from perfect.

  Tears streaked down his cheeks. They felt warm and itched as the tears dried, and the pent-up anger he felt inside. Why had he survived? Why had he been the only one who had been saved by Gaudol? There were several crew mates in the water, but they were gone. His father too. There must have been a way for this to have happened without all those deaths…

  His father had told him so many times about sea creatures from his voyages in the past. Great serpents and giant squids attacking the boat. Sharks, and turtles with spikes on their shell. But they had always shot them dead or scared them away. Once he even had brought meat from one of the serpents with him.

  But now… He was gone. He knew that. It was not a dream. It was all real, but even if he did not become a wizard, and he woke up in Gaudol’s library, he would be dead. Even if Gaudol and his house was only a last dream before the ocean took him, his father would still be dead.

  Revenge was never the way to redemption. Many people had reminded him of that. After Pi’ve’s mother’s death, Pi’ve wanted someone to be responsible so he had someone to blame. Revenge was a way to make right what had been taken from him. Those thoughts had emerged again, and this time, he had a target: The crab.

  It was a motivator. A motivator to become strong. To have something to strive for, and to make everything right again. Then, when he became strong enough, he would summon everyone back again.

  He placed his hand inside the satchel. He had to train and become stronger. Now. The rock tumbled across the forest floor, and he readied himself. All his inner anger and determination for revenge fueled his motivation, and he linked to the stone. It went well, and he felt strong. His stamina was almost full, and his mana pool had filled up, so he began to search inside for a way to move the rock. It lingered inside his head, and with his will he tried to move the rock. He could feel his mana flowing, and this time it did not stop at the staff. The mana carried along the wooden staff and through the link and onto the rock itself.

  He opened his eyes and fixated on the rock. It began to tremble. A major feat in itself, but that was not enough. Float, damn it! Mana began to flow out of him at a rapid pace, and he would soon be out if it kept up. 40 mana… 36 mana.. 27… 19…

  He felt it begin to rise. Slowly, and then—The rock lifted off the ground. It floated! It lingered in the air for four seconds before it fell to the ground, and Pi’ve felt a dizziness envelop him and he fell to the ground. Darkness. He felt nothing, knew nothing. How long would he be gone for? Oh no! Will I wake up in the library? Please, no—

  He walloped in his defeat. Despair. Utter failure.

  *DING*

  Skill gained: [Corporeal Manipulation (Uncommon)] - Basic manipulation of items and materials. Through your link you may manipulate anything, if your will is strong enough.

  *DING*

  Race [Human] has levelled up: lvl 3 -> lvl 4 +3 free points. Stat points from class [Wizard - Initiate Mage] has been allocated, +1 free point. Max health is increased with one (1) point.

  Pi’ve awoke to see that the night had settled around him again, and in his sleep— or unconsciousness— he had gotten a skill. He read it and was excited by what it said. He finally achieved it. He had managed to do corporeal manipulation. He felt information stream into his mind about the skill, more than what the description said, and he got a feeling on what the skill could do for him as a wizard.

  It was a multi-tool. Not only lifting and pushing; it was great for building, alchemy, even as a defensive spell in battle. He could crush, bend, stretch and put together things, but he was not ready for that, first he needed practice. The rock had lifted a few inches off the ground, but that was nothing. One day, he would be able to lift a boulder a hundred feet up into the air, and throw it just as far.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  He also gained a level. He wondered if this levelling pace was normal in regards to others; there was no way to tell. He could see for himself when he joined the real world. It may become apparent when he leaves this tutorial and join the wizarding society himself.

  He brought up the status screen, and saw that points had been allocated already, and also that he had four free points to allocate, three from race and one from class. He decided that he would place three on strength, making it 12 points, and the last point on willpower, also making it 12.

  Status

  Name: Pi’ve

  Age: 20

  Race: [Human - lvl 4]

  Class: [Wizard - Initiate Mage]

  Profession: N/A

  —

  Health - (93/93)

  Mana - (84/120)

  Stamina - (80/80)

  —

  Stats

  Strength - 12

  Toughness - 8

  Intelligence - 20

  Wisdom - 12

  Willpower - 12

  Perception - 14

  Endurance - 8

  Free points - 0

  —

  Race skills

  [Inspect (Unique)]

  Class skills

  [Conjure Light (Common)]

  [Corporeal Manipulation (Uncommon)]

  Profession skills

  N/A

  Titles

  [One and only (Unique)]

  Almost all of his stat points had reached double digits, except endurance and toughness. His health and stamina was filled, and mana was three-fourths full, and that felt good. He remembered then that he had passed out again just as his mana had run out. He remembered that last time he had run out of mana, he had fainted too. It occurred to him that mana may be some kind of life energy of some sort. Not the kind that keeps him alive, but keeps him awake and going. Everything above twenty he had felt no difference, but below twenty and his body began to tingle and itch, like when you had had too little to drink or eat. But stamina seemed like the most obvious to have that effect. What was stamina then?

  It had to be drained if he strained himself physically, right? Pi’ve wanted to test this theory, so he gathered himself, lit his staff, and found that it lit up a little more than before than the previous night, and could see the ground a little easier. He set out on a run, and found that it was easier than he expected. He had never liked long walks or running, and had always set out way ahead of time to ensure he did not have to exert himself much.

  He ran through the forest, quickly passing the huge trees, and searched the forest floor for holes. A couple of times he saw depressions and hoped for it to be the cave, but every time it was a fox hole, or an indent made by a root or something similar.

  A quick look at his status screen after half an hour told him that he had used thirty stamina. So that confirmed it: stamina was being used under physical exertion. He was not out of breath, though he did feel that he had used energy, and that he was not accustomed to running, judging by the soreness in his legs and ankles. His physical being was not exempt from strain.

  Pi’ve roamed around in the dark forest with his staff alight for most of the night, spotting berries and fruits to eat along the way. He did not seem to need much food, but he figured that was a part of the tutorial, as gathering food was not one of the objectives. Walking down a slope leading to a stream running downwards the forest, the entity emerged. Pi’ve jumped and exclaimed ‘Woah!’.

  ‘You are close to the cave. Your intuition has led you right. My doubt in you diminishes.’ The entity said. Pi’ve just nodded at the snarky comment, but felt elated that he had come close to the cave. That stream would probably lead him to it. ‘If you have learned corporeal manipulation by now, then you will probably be able to enter, but, mind you, it will be dark. You should learn to cast light, when there is no light to guide you.’ The entity said.

  Pi’ve did not understand at first what the entity was saying. He had learned to cast light. ‘I have learned to cast light. You know that.’ Pi’ve said, and set his staff alight to show the entity.

  ‘Congratulation. Now that— Yes I know, you have learned— you have learned to cast light,’ the entity said. Something was very wrong about him, or it. ‘you ma-ay enter the— congratulation on learni— c-cave…’ its voice faded away.

  *Tutorial sequence altered. Quest is undergoing a change. Please wait…*

  The text appeared in front of Pi’ve and lingered for a moment. He did not understand what had happened. Had he failed the quest? No, it would have said something different then. Tutorial sequenced altered? Was he supposed to learn corporeal manipulation before casting light? Learning the conjure light spell had been much easier, so why did it want to do it this way?

  In the distance, he heard a loud crack and a thump that shook the ground down the sloping of the forest.

  *Tutorial quest has been changed. Please proceed…*

  The entity appeared again.

  ‘The system has assessed that you have the ability to think on your own. The sequence in which the tutorial was supposed to happen has been altered; therefore, the quest has been altered to accommodate that.’ The entity said, and then a stone appeared, just like the one the first quest had appeared on, and there was text on it.

  So there had been an arranged order in which I should have done this quest, or tutorial. He read the text.

  Quest final

  Wizards pave their way through the world through great magic and intellectual prowess. For as long as they have existed, the protection of humanity has been their primary duty.

  Inside the forest there is a cave which is both concealed and shut by a hidden locking-mechanism. Your quest lies in finding this cave, entering, and finding the Forgotten King’s grave, bringing him back to his people. For even in death should people be paid their due respect and retrieved for their loved ones to bury.

  Note: Proficiency in corporeal manipulation is crucial before entering the cave. Be aware of traps and beasts. Stay alert.

  Several things had changed with the quest, but the most obvious change for Pi’ve was that the quest said final, meaning that he did not have to do several more after this one. Maybe they had all been coalesced into one. But why?

  ‘Why is there now just one quest?’ Pi’ve asked the entity.

  ‘You have shown that you are more than just a simple man, but one that makes your own path. You have jumped the sequence of the tutorial by learning magic you had no reason to know was possible, and so the system has made the tutorial a one quest run. The difficulty has been elevated, but you only need to finish this one quest, and you will be brought back, with substantially better rewards.’ The entity said.

  Pi’ve did not know if this was better than having the easier quest, and more of them, but if the system thought that he was on a good path, then he would listen to it.

  ‘You will still have to accept the new quest, or keep the previous one.’

  Do you accept the quest change? Note that declining will revert you to your previous quest, and having already accepted that quest, you do not get the choice to leave. [Accept] or [Decline and keep old quest (rewards upon completion will be reduced)].

  Well, it is obvious what the Jin system wants me to do, and I do not want lesser rewards, obviously.

  Pi’ve chose to accept the quest. No way would he opt out of the best reward. He had no idea what they would even be, but rewards tend to be good, and who would refuse substantially better rewards?