Chapter 3: Anomaly

“What is this?”

Leo asked, staring at the words written on the screen in front of him, but since security were chasing after him, he ignored the message and ran. 

As he raced towards the exit, Leo saw everyone was staring into the air with amusement.

 Leo stopped and looked back to see the security men had stopped chasing him as well. 

Leo's gaze then fell to the words hovering in front of him, he realized he wasn't the only one seeing the strange words, but everyone else.

The words then changed with a mechanical ding and the message read.

[System Integration will begin soon. Those who survive will become denizens of the new world, and those who fail will become abominations. Brace Yourself]

“Brace yourself?” 

Leo repeated, confused, but then he felt a sharp pain sear through his head. He winced and clutched his temples, shutting his eyes as he endured the torment, but then the pain slowly dissipated and Leo felt relief.

Leo cautiously opened his eyes, wondering what was really going on, but his confusion was interrupted by the agonizing screams of those around him, writhing in pain on the floor.

“What in the world his happening?”

 Leo asked, and the text on the screen changed once again, delivering a new message.

[Congratulations Leo on becoming the first player of the planet earth. Tutorial is now available. You will be transported to a special location for a brief introduction. Brace yourself]

“Again?”

Leo hurriedly shut his eyes, expecting a headache to hit him just like the first time, but then nothing happened.

Upon reopening his eyes, Leo found himself in a different location entirely. It resembled a sterile white room, with a desk and chairs in the center, reminiscent of an interrogation room in a police station.

The sheer peculiarity of the situation left Leo wondering if he had fallen into some bizarre dream or illusion.

“I assure you, you're not hallucinating,” a voice broke the silence, startling Leo. 

He turned to see nothing but a white wall.

“Over here,” the voice urged from behind.

Slowly turning, Leo finally laid eyes on the source of the voice--a short humanoid rabbit in a suit, with a hat on, was seated on the opposite side of the desk, staring at him.

 Leo paused for a second, wondering if he was in some sort of bizarre dream. 

“You're not dreaming. I can assure you I'm real. ” the rabbit said.

“Can you read my mind?” Leo asked baffled. He was more intrigued by the situation than scared.

The rabbit shook his head.“No, I can't, but your expression says everything.” 

“Have a seat.” the rabbit gestured.

Leo hesitated for a while, before deciding to sit. He crossed his arms and then spoke, “So, who are you?” 

“I'm Oracle, the overseer of the first tutorial zone.”

Leo frowned at the vague explanation, but the rabbit continued.

“The tutorial is a place where humans slay monsters to get stronger. It's like a training ground for humanity, so they become strong enough to survive the new world. Your current world is the among the lowest of the low, and magical deities have deemed it ready to join the great realm, but to achieve that, your world needs to be upgraded.”

Leo took in the lengthy explanation before probing

“So, who are these magical deities, and what is this great realm? ” 

“I can't answer that question at the moment? But the more you progress, the more information will be revealed.”

“So in summary,” Leo said. “The world is about to be upgraded and for humans to survive it, we need to be trained by slaying monsters in the tutorial, is that what you're saying?”

“Yes.” oracle nodded.

Leo sighed, and rubbed his temples. It all sounded like nonsense to him, but at the same time, it felt eerily real—too real for a dream.

“Okay, let's say I believe this is all true, then what happens to the old world, does it remain the same?”

“Absolutely not, everything changes and a new world order will be formed. One where the strong rule.”

“It's that simple?” Leo asked, and Oracle nodded in reply. 

“You don't have to believe me. My goal is not to convince you, but to provide you with access to my tutorial zone.”

“So you're saying I don't have a choice but to go to this tutorial place.”

“Yes,” Oracle affirmed. “Your current world will undergo a transformation, and only those who adapt will survive. That's the purpose of the tutorial.”

Leo contemplated his situation, a serious expression on his face. According to Oracle, the old world would perish, replaced by an evolved one. This meant he didn't have to go back, to be arrested for almost making his boss impotent, nor deal with his father's loan.

Although he knew the tutorial would present its challenges, it promised a fair chance for everyone, unlike the unjust world he had known where the wealthy held all the power.

As Leo pondered, one question lingered in his mind. “Before I left, I saw everyone else writhing in pain, clutching their heads… Can you explain what that means?”

Oracle hesitated, his brows furrowing as he gazed into the distance. Leo recognized the look—it mirrored the confusion everyone had experienced when the strange text had first appeared.

“Wait, you mean the integration hasn't finished.”

“Integration?” Leo pressed.

Ignoring Leo's question, Oracle consulted a floating panel that was invisible to Leo's eyes.

As he reviewed the list of humans assigned to his zone, he noticed that all but one remained greyed out. That single exception shone with white light—Leo himself.

He refused to believe it, how could one assimilate with the system so fast? A human at that.

“Hmm oracle are you alright?” 

Leo asked seeing the confusion on its face. Oracle then leaned forward and said in a serious tone.

“The rest of the humans, were in pain because they hadn't finished integrating with the system, which is expected, but you…you managed to integrate with the system in seconds. ” 

“Is that a bad thing?” Leo asked, furrowing his brow.

“Yes it is," Oracle replied with widened eyes. “You're an anomaly, and you shouldn't exist.” 

Leo's heart raced, and he leaned backwards, contemplating whether Oracle's words were a discovery or a threat?

The rabbit, noticing Leo's unease, calmed his self and clarified. “It seems like you've misunderstood my intention. I don't intend to get rid of you, even if I wanted to I couldn't. As, I'm not allowed to hurt the players.”

Leo frowned, what oracle said didn't ease his worries, it only made him more cautious. 

“But you will if you could?” Leo asked, but Oracle simply shrugged.

Leo then sighed, there was no point in panicking over something he had no control over or understood. 

He didn't even know how he appeared here, and just a few minutes ago he thought this was all a dream.

“So what you're saying is, I'm a freak because I'm the first to integrate with the system?”

“No,” Oracle shook his head. “You're an anomaly because you're the fastest to sync with the system. The fastest I've ever seen since I became an overseer, and that was a long time ago. As the fastest, you will probably be granted a privilege like a special title that enables you to power up faster than the norm. Then you get an ability, which you'll find out more about it as soon as you explore the tutorial.”

“I also get an ability? Does it have anything to with me breaking a record?”

“No, everyone gets abilities, unique to each individual. You'll get yours once you start the tutorial,”

“This special title. It wouldn't attract the wrong attention like those deities you mentioned now, would it.” Leo probed.

“I can't guarantee it will not. But you don't need to worry, just like I can't hurt you, no other higher being can touch you during the tutorial. After that, well, it's up to whether you do something rash to get their attention.”

Leo sighed, feeling both relief and dread at the same time. 

“My luck is bull crap as always,” Leo shook his head.

“You will be beginning the tutorial alone…”

“Wait, why am I going in alone?” Leo interrupted.

Oracle gave Leo a look of exhaustion before he spoke.

“Time in the tutorial runs slower than that of your world. To be exact, a week in the tutorial is one year in the real word. It'll take a few minutes before the rest of the humans integrate with the system, which means you have a couple of days to yourself before humans starts popping up. If anything you get a head start to level up before the others, and with the privilege, you will be given, rising to the top should be easy.” Oracle explained.

The thought of venturing into a dangerous world filled with monsters terrified Leo, but he was also excited as well.

His old world was painful, and he suffered a lot, but the new world offered opportunity, a chance to begin anew and make something of himself. 

“Alright when do I start?” Leo said, a determined expression on his face. 

Oracle nodded at this, then snapped his finger, causing a floating panel to appear in front of Leo.

[You will be transported to tutorial zone in 10 seconds]

[Brace Yourself]

 Leo chest began to thud. In ten seconds, he would be in a world filled with monsters, drastically different from his office work. 

“No pressure.” Leo exhaled, placing his hand on his chest. 

“Its good to be afraid, just don't let it cripple you, when your life is in danger.” Oracle advised and Leo nodded.

“It's was nice meeting you, Leo.” Oracle said as he stood on the chair. His height was like that of a toddler, very cute looking.

“Likewise.” Leo grinned before he blinked away from the white room.