55. S: Special Edition Guide

How to Level up... What are Stats and how do they work... How to acquire Skills and their types... Safe-room Layout and how to change it... All of those, in addition to some greeting words, summarize the introduction and early pages of...

“... LSO’s System Manual(SE): a guide for newbies.”

Muttering that in a low voice, I raise my head and look at my wet face reflected in the mirror, clearly showing my fatigue... Mental fatigue, at that.

“... Not like it will last, though... Not with the instant healing and all...”

Saying so and feeling my mood reaching new lows, I...

“Haaa...”

I sigh and then reach for a towel next to me as I start wiping my face. Only to then suddenly stop my action, and instead blankly stare at the mirror... Nevertheless, this...

“This looks cool, ha?”

Saying that and looking at my reflection, I can’t but admire my avatar and the efforts spent on it. Also, don’t I look more handsome now? A little more masculine too... Still, if I have something that I like, then...

“It has to be the eyes and hair color... I mean, it really looks... how to say it?... Nice? Natural... Aah... hmm... Yeah, Natural, guess that’s the word.”

Saying so and feeling my mood improving, I once again comb my hair back and then pose but... Sadly... there’s no recording feature... even though the manual spoke of it...

“Sigh... Guess that will wait till after tutorial.”

It’s kinda sad... Nevertheless, it’s not a problem... compared to surviving the tutorial, I mean. Though speaking of recording...

“I guess, it’s been a while since the last time I did record something... Excluding, club activities, of course...”

But was it three years? Four? I guess I didn’t film a lot after middle school, mostly writing instead. No, I guess I did film sometimes when feeling like it, but... I was mostly focusing on club activities and even when free, I would at most rewrite the chronicles.

“Though if at that time I had an Avatar creation menu as great as this one, then the story would have been different...”

“... But alas, there are no allies on my path.”

Saying that and smiling, I stand there staring at my face for a while, and then when finally feeling my head calmer, and my concentration higher, I slowly turn around, open the door, and move back to the desk and chair where I left the manual.

Then finally sitting down, I look to the side glancing at the silver box as I take some sweets before then moving my attention once again to the manual, and...

“Ah, I stopped here.”

Saying that and enjoying the sweetness of chocolate, macaron’s tempting texture, and then the unique flavor of marshmallows, I... I suddenly freeze in place. Then paying attention to my sneaky actions, I smile wryly, before then closing the silver box, pushing it to the corner, and then focusing once more on the manual. And so...

“Tutorial... finally...”

Muttering that, I clear my head and then start reading it. The part most concerning me, of course. And here it is...

“The Tutorial... is a process to familiarize the chosen candidate with the game... Now, this part is obvious, so...”

“Ah, here... When a Trial’s participants number is insufficient, and new candidates are invited... a Special Tutorial start...”

“... To Filter the Useful Candidates...”

“......”

“hmm... But what if they are not useful though? What happens then?”

Feeling my throat drying and saying that, I stare at the ‘Filter the Useful’ for a while, before then taking a deep breath, and resuming the book.

“A special tutorial’s meaning is to fill the deficiency in participants number of a trial, as such... The tutorial’s difficulty, complexity, and content, all depend on the trial’s level...”

“... A tutorial can be cleared in two ways... One, clearing all its mini-scenarios... Two, when a sufficient number of candidates clear it...”

But, wait... Does that mean that even if I don’t do anything and just wait, the tutorial can be cleared? As simple as that?

“......”

“Nah... it’s probably a trap... clear as day, it’s a trap... I mean, seriously? ‘Wait and the Tutorial will clear itself’? what kind of bullshit is that? And what kind of idiot will fall for it?”

“Seriously... Fuuuuh...”

... A-anyway, trap or not, I guess I am already here so let’s just do what I can and see if it’s possible to clear the tutorial...

Thinking so, and calming myself, I once again check the manual and resume...

“When clearing the tutorial, candidates are assigned to one of the four Areas...”

“hmm... Dark Forest, Lonely Plain, Silent Desert, and Blind Snow... So...”

“So clearing the tutorial will directly send you to your assigned area for a trial, is it?”

“Haaaa... Trial, ha?... Hmm, let’s see...”

“Oh, here... To clear an Area, you need to... Either, directly reach the obelisk...”

“Or to finish the Trials and reach it...”

So, an obelisk and trials, ha?... will that feel familiar... but anyway...

“Let’s see... Trial... Trial... Oh, Trials are periodical events of LSO and the simplest way to clear an area... but is it, though?”

“Well, anyway... Trial’s contents and difficulty depend on participants’ level, layer’s depth, and... luck?”

So it’s all about luck, ha? Seriously? And also what’s that? Depth? Layer’s depth? Haaaa... well, let’s just read...

“... Each Trial has an objective, theme, or requirement to be met, and those are called Scenarios... Oh, so the tutorial is mini but not the trial, ha? Seem interesting, no? Or maybe, dangerous is the best description?”

Saying so and feeling my curiosity rising, I look once again to the manual, and there...

“Scenarios can be mainly three types...”

And there I found an even more curious thing.