Insomniac Player

The countdown reached zero. For a brief moment, nothing happened.

The forest remained silent; the nineteen participants stood frozen, weapons raised and nerves stretched tight.

Then a notification appeared before everyone.

—-------

➤ [Tutorial Level 1 Activated.]

➤ [Primary Objective: Survive for 24 Hours.]

➤ [Tutorial Death Protection Enabled. Participants cannot permanently die during Tutorial Level 1.]

➤ [Pain remains active.]

➤ [Good Luck.]

—-------

While the last line somehow felt a bit threatening, several people were visibly relaxed at the mention of death protection. This initial response set the tone for how the participants would process the risks presented by the tutorial.

A small group looked significantly less relieved after reading that pain remained active. Damien belonged to the second group.

"Interesting." He stared at the message. "So dying is disabled, but suffering has DLC."

The System ignored his observation, just like before.

Damien was still pondering when he heard something; the nearby bushes rustled.

Something small emerged from the undergrowth; it had green skin and awkwardly large ears. Sharp teeth, like any carnivorous creature. But... it was barely taller than a child.

The creature carried a crude stone blade that looked as if it had been made by someone with no knowledge of basic craftsmanship.

The name was written above that creature. ➤ [ Lv. 1 Goblin]

The monster glanced around, and his yellow eyes landed on Damien. The two stared at each other, as if they were two old friends separated in their teenage years.

The goblin hissed at Damien.

Damien looked around and pointed at himself. "M-may I help you?"

The goblin answered by charging. Damien immediately turned around and ran. The sword in his hand bounced awkwardly with every step.

Behind him came the excited shriek of a goblin that had apparently discovered the joy of cardio.

"This feels unfair!" Damien shouted. The goblin disagreed and continued chasing him.

Damien darted between trees; roots protruded from the ground like traps designed specifically for people who lacked athletic talent.

Unfortunately, Damien lacked athletic talent. While glancing backward to check the distance, he collided with something.

That something yelped; Damien cried too as he fell. He quickly rose to his feet, but what he saw sank his heart.

It was another goblin; that one was even uglier. The newcomer looked surprised and then delighted.

Apparently, finding prey delivered directly to your location was exciting.

The second goblin raised its weapon; the first goblin arrived moments later.

Now there were two; Damien looked at them, and they looked back at him.

Nobody needed a System notification to understand the situation.

Damien resumed running, and the goblins continued chasing.

It was a Tom and Jerry show; the only difference was that two Jerrys were chasing Tom. The arrangement felt mutually understood.

As he sprinted past the main group, he noticed that the others were handling the situation significantly better.

A muscular man swung an axe and sent a goblin flying.

A woman with a spear stabbed another through the chest.

Several participants had already begun hunting the creatures instead of fleeing from them.

One teenager even appeared to be enjoying himself. That was concerning.

A few players noticed Damien sprinting past with two goblins on his heels.

One of them laughed. "Why are you running?"

Another split a goblin’s skull with a sword before looking toward Damien. "They’re just goblins! They aren’t that strong!"

A third participant joined in. "Kill them!"

Damien looked over his shoulder; the two goblins were gaining ground.

He looked back at the others. "I’ve never killed anything before!"

The group blinked. "What?"

The Pakistani guy asked. "Not even a chicken?"

"No," Damien replied as he huffed.

"A rat?" Questioned the Indian guy.

Damien shook his head. "Na-uh."

"A cockroach?" An asian female inquired.

"I escort spiders outside," Damien shouted.

Several players stared at him as though he had admitted to being a serial killer.

One woman pointed at the pursuing goblins. "They’re trying to murder you!"

"I know!"

"Then stab them!"

Damien tightened his grip on the sword; his stomach twisted.

The problem wasn’t logic. Logically, he understood the situation perfectly.

The monsters wanted him dead, and the sword existed for a reason.

The issue was that his entire life had been spent avoiding violence.

He worked at an orphanage, he attended college, and his most dangerous hobby was eating expired snacks from the orphanage refrigerator.

He used to have posters of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Nobody had prepared him for goblin homicide; the discussion ended when another notification appeared.

—-------

➤ [Wave Expansion Initiated.]

—-------

The forest grew quiet; a dangerous kind of silence spread like a blanket.

Then came howls. Deep, loud, and predatory. Every participant turned toward the sound.

They found several wolves emerging from the trees- not ordinary wolves.

These creatures were massive; each stood nearly as tall as an adult’s chest. Muscles rippled beneath dark fur; yellow eyes surveyed the battlefield.

The goblins suddenly looked far less intimidating.

One participant swallowed nervously. "Those aren’t normal wolves."

"No kidding."

The first wolf lunged, and with that, chaos erupted.

Damien chose that exact moment to continue running. To his misfortune, the movement attracted attention.

One wolf noticed him, its gaze locked onto the fleeing human.

The beast lowered itself and sprinted forward; it was fast, way too fast for a wolf.

"Oh, come on!" Damien accelerated.

The wolf’s speed was higher; the distance between them shrank rapidly.

Behind him came the pounding of paws; ahead lay only forest.

No allies, no safety, no convenient heroic power awakening. Just trees, lots of fantasy novel-looking trees.

Damien crashed through bushes and undergrowth, desperately trying to lose the predator.

Branches whipped across his face, leaves slapped him, and twigs snapped beneath his shoes.

But the wolf remained right behind him; its growls grew louder and closer.

Then disaster struck: a hidden root caught his foot. Damien pitched forward; the world spun for him as he hit the ground hard.

The unused sword flew from his grasp; pain exploded through his shoulder.

For a second, everything went still, then he heard the wolf.

Slow and relaxed footsteps; the predator knew the hunt was over.

Damien rolled onto his back; the massive beast approached. Saliva dripped from its jaws; its eyes never left him.

The distance closed. Five meters, four, three. The wolf crouched, preparing to leap.

Damien’s heart hammered against his ribs. For the first time since entering the Tutorial, genuine panic took hold.

There would be no outrunning this. The thing he feared most was happening; he was trembling as if he was going to die.

The thought of his arm being chewed by the wolf sent shivers down his spine.

However, something unexpected happened: a massive shadow appeared from nowhere.

Something huge crashed into the wolf midair.

BOOM!

The sound echoed through the forest. The beast’s skull exploded like a watermelon struck by a truck.

The wolf flew sideways, smashed through a bush, and rolled lifelessly across the ground.

Damien stared at the wolf.

The wolf stared back. Well, the remains of the wolf stared; the rest of it was no longer organized enough to participate.

A gigantic iron mace slowly lowered into view, its form suggesting less a weapon and more a vengeful force sculpted specifically to dismantle the very structure of the body.

Damien followed the handle upward, past powerful arms, past a broad chest, and a familiar face appeared.

His eyes widened; his jaw nearly hit the ground. "No way."

Standing there, holding the enormous mace over one shoulder, was the last person Damien had expected to see in the Tutorial.

The man grinned. "Evening, Damien."

Damien felt his soul leave his body, not because of the wolf.

Not because of the monsters, but because his assigned partner was apparently the one person capable of talking longer than the System itself.

Mr. John, the annoying neighbor.