So as not to be caught, Lokan, who had been leading the goblin horde at a precise, calculated distance, arrived at the town hall. The log-built hall was the largest structure in the village, though in a slash-and-burn settlement like this, that wasn't saying much.
"Activating fire-resistance scroll."
As the goblins closed in right behind him, Lokan used the scroll and dashed into the burning town hall.
Whoosh!
Sparks flew as soon as he entered, and scorching heat assaulted his lungs, making it hard to breathe. The hall was already an inferno; without the fire resistance magic, he would have been burned and suffocated in moments.
Huff. Gulp!
To counter the health he was losing, Lokan chugged a low-grade HP recovery potion. His vitality, which had been perilously close to zero after a couple of goblin strikes, began to slowly climb.
'Come on, come on.'
The critical question was whether the goblins would follow him inside. Even with their battle madness, would they leap into a fire pit that drained their health just by standing in it? If this plan failed, he'd have to start over from scratch.
"Kit!"
Their screeching was the answer. They charged in after him.
"Haab!"
The moment he heard their cries, Lokan sprang into action. He swung the Woodcutter's Single-Edged Axe, smashing it into one of the fiery support pillars holding up the town hall.
Crack! Crack! Thud!
The wood, weakened by the flames, gave way after a few powerful blows. It helped that the axe had an inherent advantage against wooden structures. The axe's durability plummeted from the intense heat, but it didn't matter. Its usefulness ended with this tutorial anyway.
One, two, three.
He targeted the key supports. A searing pain shot through his side—not from the scroll's effect failing, but from a goblin that had managed to get inside and stab him with a knife.
"Hey!"
Lokan halted his work on the pillar and struck the attacker down. He kicked the body away, took a swig of a stamina potion, and poured the rest onto the wound. It was only a low-grade potion, so his health didn't instantly refill, but the steady recovery was a relief.
"Kit! Kit!"
When he turned, the building was in chaos. Goblins filled the space, forced inside by the commands of their armored captain. The scene was almost comical; they were coerced into the blaze but were now too overwhelmed by the heat to effectively attack or flee.
The Goblin Captain, however, was in the worst state. His iron armor was heating up, cooking him alive from the inside. He was suffering more than anyone.
"It's over!"
Lokan delivered the final blow, shattering the last crucial pillar.
KRRRUMBLE!
The town hall began a complete collapse.
"Kwaaak!"
Screams echoed from under the collapsing rubble as Lokan lunged for the corner he had scouted earlier, trying to squeeze into a gap between already-fallen wreckage.
'Ugh!'
It wasn't easy. The collapse was rapid. A large beam slammed into his back, slashing his health bar dramatically. Smaller debris continued to chip away at his vitality as he hit the ground. He quickly drank his last remaining health potion, but it was clear one or two more direct hits would mean game over.
'Please… … !'
Lokan scrambled forward. He jammed the axe's handle into a crevice in the shuddering rubble, using the Woodcutter's Single-Edged Axe as a makeshift support to prop up a small pocket of space just as the final cascade of debris rained down.
KABOOM!
In the next moment, the entire town hall collapsed.
[You have completed the tutorial.]
After a moment, what unfolded before his eyes wasn't the blackness of death, but the tutorial completion message. It seemed that eliminating all the goblins in the village automatically completed the tutorial.
[Unbelievable achievement! You defeated an opponent more than 10 levels stronger than you.]
[The title 'Descendant of David' has been acquired.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[Unbelievable achievement! You won a battle against 17-to-1 odds.]
[The title 'One in Seventeen' has been acquired.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[Impossible Achievement! You have perfectly cleared the tutorial.]
[The title 'Nothing is Impossible!' has been acquired.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
"This is it!"
He had earned all three major titles. Two Unbelievable achievements and one Impossible achievement! Although Lokan had earned several titles labeled 'Unbelievable' in his past life, this was his first encounter with the 'Impossible' designation.
He was itching to check the title effects immediately, but unfortunately, he would have to wait until arriving in the starter village, 'Pocket City'.
'Tolkien only got the 'Unique' grade title, 'The Avenger'.'
If that was the case, his own titles might even be 'Epic' grade. As Lokan buzzed with excitement, a small cluster of lights appeared before him.
[Tutorial participation rewards have been distributed.]
[You have acquired Hard Barley Bread × 10.]
[You have acquired 50 Bronze.]
These were the basic rewards, given regardless of performance. However, they were items he had missed in his previous life by skipping the tutorial. In The Lord, infamous for its user-unfriendliness, every early advantage was critical.
'Ah, when I think of the trouble I went through without these… … .'
Lokan gritted his teeth at the memory. When he arrived in Pocket City, he'd see many users in the same predicament he once was.
[Additional rewards will be paid according to your tutorial results.]
[You have acquired Unknown Box × 5.]
'Oh, five boxes!'
The Unknown Box was, as the name suggested, a mystery box. It was a special tutorial reward.
'While the real prize is the titles,' Lokan thought, 'these are also a huge help early on. The more, the better.'
'Some people even traded these, if I recall.'
Since the Unknown Box was essentially a random loot box, rumors spread that items of 'Rare' grade or higher could be found inside. It was later revealed that these shabby, hole-ridden wooden crates typically contained only Normal-grade items.
'Wait… … Why do these look so different?'
But as Lokan examined his reward, he felt something was amiss. It was great to get five boxes, but they looked nothing like the ones he remembered. No, he recognized them, but they weren't supposed to come from here.
Four were sturdy iron chests, and one was a shiny silver chest. It seemed his perfect tutorial clear had upgraded the quality of the Unknown Boxes.
'Amazing. Incredible.'
Iron chests could contain items up to Magic grade, and the silver chest up to Rare grade. Of course, it was still random, but at this stage, no equipment found in the wild could be better.
"Heh heh heh!"
He couldn't suppress a low chuckle. Even after his consciousness shifted to Pocket City, Lokan stood there smirking, drawing a few odd glances. But it didn't matter. This was a time when newcomers were running around like madmen, trying to understand the game systems. He was never the type to care about others' opinions anyway.
'Now, let's see.'
While others scrambled to figure out the interface, level up, and find quests, Lokan had no such need. Instead, he fell into a happy dilemma: should he open the boxes first or check his titles?
'First, the titles.'
His curiosity about the titles won out.
[First][Descendant of David][Unique]
You have defeated an opponent more than 10 levels stronger than you.
You are the first to win this title.
[Hold Effect]
-Increases all stats by 10% when fighting an enemy of a higher level.
[First] [One in Seventeen] [Unique]
You won a battle against 17-to-1 odds. Numbers mean nothing to you.
You are the first to win this title.
[Hold Effect]
-Increases defense by 10% when fighting multiple enemies.
-Defense increases by up to 30% proportionally to the number of enemies.
'Wow!'
Both 'Descendant of David' and 'One in Seventeen' were 'Unique' grade titles, their effects enhanced by the 'First' bonus. Compared to the similar titles he'd earned in his past life, which offered flat stat increases, these percentage-based effects were astonishing. Both were titles whose true power would shine in the late game rather than now; percentage effects scaled with growth.
'Both are end-game titles.'
The 'Descendant of David' title, in particular, would provide a massive stat boost later on. It was no wonder that nearly every top-ranked player in his previous life possessed it. Guilds would even orchestrate events early on to help their prospects acquire it.
'I can shorten my progress significantly.'
The irony was that these titles were ironically easier to get at a low level with skill and planning than later with better gear, as enemies grew stronger and more numerous. In The Lord, where monsters were already tough, consistently fighting higher-level foes was a bloodbath without a special class. Obtaining these 'Unique' rank titles now was a monumental stroke of luck.
'Well then… … .'
He was satisfied so far, but one last thing remained. The title from the 'Impossible' achievement!
He checked its information with bated breath.
"… … It's an opener."
That was the first word Lokan uttered after reading the title's description.