{Tutorial Stage 1/10 "The Basics"}
An important lesson the dungeon teaches is that you should be a realist.
Humans aren't created equal. Genetics play a huge role. Take e.g. height, which plays an important factor in basketball, swimming or volleyball. A Basketball player, who is 5,5/ 167 cm, has to have so much more skill than others to match up to them. There is no fairness in fighting too, the winner takes it all and the loser will be forgotten.
But the dungeon can give great favours, but even she can't create things out of nothing. You have to obtain your resources from others or in this case other races. Even my master the god of war Ares hadn't figured out why or who made us fight each other in these stages. While we can't resist the dungeon, the dungeon can't help but let us fight against each other to let us obtain equal opportunity by growing stronger in the early stages.
{Quest: You're in the fire stage. Go in as deep as you can in 7 days and obtain resistances for your future adventures}
{Unlimited Healing Potions available in Safe Zone/ Inventory}
Light flashes before my eyes, I arrived. I look around not seeing anything but a tunnel in one direction. A few steps ahead is a dividing line and a barrier above it separating the safe zone and the testing ground.
I undress completely and lay the standard rags, which are given to everyone, beneath me on the ground. I notice my not existing muscles and lag of general fitness as my 16-year-old self is a bit malnourished.
I run across the alley not to waste time as I have a lot to catch up to.
As I smell a nauseous scent of burning flesh but my years of experience keep me from getting worked up about it.
{Willpower: +1}
There he is, a small fire imp. But I underestimated my malnourishment as I was out of breath after running for about 30 sec, I had to end this fast.
{New Skill learned: Silent Steps}
I approach him fast take a big swing and..... SHRIEK
{New Skill learned: Strike}
The weapon is stuck in his skull, I retract the glaive and push the end of the weapon in his face as he turns to face me.
He falls down, shocked, but still not fatally wounded. I grab my chance and strike his face... SHRIEK
He struggles to climb back up but I kick into his jewels. Finally alternating between striking and kicking until his struggles grow weaker.
{Strike: Level 2}
{New Skill unlocked: Glaive Weapon Proficiency (His Weapon just "makes it easier to gain proficiency"(cf. Chapter 2))}
He vanishes into flames and leaves behind a small fire, which I hurriedly put into my mouth while running back.
{New Stat unlocked: Fire Resistance +0,1%}
Having burnt at least two layers of the skin including burned out and literally burned muscles are tough to deal with.
I stare out into the fiery red stage from the safe zone as my skin begins to push black mass out of my body. Because the safe zone has a hidden stat, +750% natural regeneration, I refrain from using the allure of the healing potion even though the pain is unimaginable. But the healing potion wouldn't increase my muscle tissues as natural regeneration does.
{New Skill unlocked: Faster Natural Regeneration: +0,5%}
{Willpower: +2}
{Vitality: +1}
There is a famous saying, by a now nonrelevant character, for the dungeon especially the tutorial: "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often" (cf. Winston S. Churchill)
I thought about that saying as I rush back into the favour giving red alley with hungry eyes.