The Dreamer's POV

<Day 7 of the Tutorial>

[10:52 AM, Saturday 6th of May, 2024]

"How... how can this be?" I muttered, slumped in my makeshift base, an abandoned warehouse a few buildings away from my previous hideout.

My face wore a pallor of disappointment, and despair gnawed at me.

I was distraught, my eyes sunk with weariness, my body unable to bear the weight of my failure.

"I believed I could do it. I really did," I whispered, my voice heavy with regret.

On the sixth day, after defeating the Colossal Demon, I was convinced I could push myself to Level 15.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Even after killing over a hundred Demons throughout the sixth day, I only managed to reach Level 9, and I've been stuck there ever since."

"I can't even reach Level 10, let alone Level 15, and the Tutorial is almost over."

Once it reached 11:00 AM, the Tutorial would conclude, rendering my efforts pointless.

Moreover, there were hardly any Demons left in my vicinity, and I didn't want to venture too far from my base.

'I should have been more proactive, hunted down more Demons, or even spent more Currency,' I contemplated but immediately dismissed the thought.

'No, thinking that way won't help.'

Leveling Up was inevitably going to get more challenging as I progressed. How many more Demons would I need to kill before I Leveled Up again?

Two hundred? Three hundred? Maybe even five hundred? Impossible.

I couldn't possibly kill that many.

"Reaching Level 15 was an unattainable goal from the start," I realized.

In the end, I could only find contentment in the progress I had made and watch as the clock counted down to the Tutorial's conclusion.

{Time Left until the end of the Tutorial: 000 hrs: 02 mins: 30 secs}

I waited, bracing myself for the next challenge, but first, I anticipated my rewards.

{Time Left until the end of the Tutorial: 000 hrs: 00 mins: 10 secs}

I could only hope that all my efforts were worth it.

~DING!~

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

<The Tutorial Has Ended>

{Congratulations, User! You have overcome the first stumbling block, and you are now fit to officially begin the race.}

<User's accomplishments have been recorded>

{You are the overall best candidate in your Zone, being the first to subjugate a Demon, and also being the one to kill the Boss. You also possess the most Currency, and you have the highest Level}

<You will be rewarded for these achievements>

"Well, it seems there's both good news and bad news," I mused aloud.

The good news exceeded my expectations. I had always believed that the Colossal Demon was unique, as I had never encountered another like it since that incident. But it had never crossed my mind that it might be the Boss.

'And to think I thought there were others...'

No, it was probably smart of me to have assumed the existence of stronger enemies. It made me cautious.

'Or maybe it held me back? Well, dwelling on that won't change a thing now.'

The Tutorial had ended, so there was no point in regretting what might have been.

"Besides, isn't it already impressive that I got the highest score overall?"

The fact that I held the highest Level and Currency and that I was the top candidate in my Zone, meant I didn't perform too badly.

"In all honesty, it's not an exaggeration to say I did exceptionally well, is it?"

Yes, it hadn't been easy, but I had persevered and put in the work. I had earned this victory.

... But then I considered the bad news.

"Just as I feared, I haven't officially started the race. The Tutorial was just to acquaint everyone with what lies ahead."

Frankly, the thought of what awaited me next sent shivers down my spine. Thankfully, those unsettling thoughts were short-lived, thanks to the calming composure that washed over me during moments of mental anguish.

~DING!~

The System's chime drew my attention away from the unsettling future and back to the rewards I was reaping.

Literally ignoring the stick and focusing on the carrot.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

<Here Are The Rewards Given For Your Achievements>

~Three Treasure Chests (Rare)~

~1,000 Currency~

~New Exclusive Skill: <Visualize>~

~New Non Exclusive Skills: <Sprint> and <Focus>~

~Additional Level Up (1 Level)~

"A-amazing! To think... to think I am receiving all of this!"

Before I even had a chance to grow even more excited about my rewards and revel in my curiosity, I was interrupted.

~DING!~

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

<Here Are The Rewards For Your Survival>

~One Treasure Chest (Common)~

~100 Currency~

~Item: <Tower Pass (Floor 1)~

"Wait a minute, there are rewards just for surviving too?" I whispered in amazement as I perused the list. It might not have been as impressive as the first one displayed, but any reward was still worth celebrating.

'So, regular folks receive the survivor's reward. Well, they did a commendable job enduring, so that actually makes sense...'

Nonetheless, I couldn't help but feel immense relief that I had chosen to actively hunt Demons. It had not only made me stronger and more experienced, but the rewards were also far superior to the standard ones.

"New Skills, Treasure Chests, more Currency... I can't wait to check them all out!"

And, let's not forget, I had finally reached Level 10 after a long and strenuous journey!

"Status Window."

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: Mikey Rael

- Race: Human

- Level: 10

- Life Force: 2/2

- Energy Level: 1/1 (+1)

- Combat Ability: 2/2 (+2)

- Stat Points: 27

- Currency: 1,500

- Role: <The Dreamer>

- Authority: <Dream/Nightmare>

- Titles: <Visionary>, <The One Who Saw The End>, <Chosen One>, <Survivor>

- Skills (Exclusive): <Dream>, <Nightmare>, <Visualize>

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): <Sprint>, <Focus>

- Items Equipped: <Rock>, <Enchanted Rock>

- Alignment: Neutral

[Additional Information]

You can see the future and past by living it. It is a coveted power worthy of desire, but a scary one to possess.

"Ah, I also have a new Title. This is going so well!"

There was only one thing left to do now.

'Hehe!'

The moment I wanted to start checking out the new stuff I got, I got yet another notification from the System.

~DING!~

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

<Congratulations To All Who Have Survived>

{However, even though all of you performed admirably, there are those who truly shone in the Tutorial. They will now be acknowledged in order of their achievements.}

"Oh? They're actually doing something like this?"

My heart began to race inexplicably. An electric thrill surged through my body as I stared at the screen, filled with anticipation.

'With everything I've achieved, I should be among the top, right?'

It seemed only logical. I had defeated a Boss and persevered through countless trials. Most people would have died if they were in my shoes, but thanks to my abilities, I survived.

I didn't consider myself arrogant, but…

I couldn't help but wonder where I stood among these exceptional survivors. Would my name be one of the first to flash across the screen?

[Tutorial Leaderboard]

Caleb <Zone 23> Francis Baker <Zone 24> Lucy Fer <Zone 666> Kirito Kageyama<Zone 944> Sasha Brown <Zone 1> Levi Davis <Zone 400> Park Hyun Soo <Zone 990> Hakeem Ahmed <Zone 134> Mikey Rael <Zone 25> Lisa Scofield <Zone 26>

[End Of List]

For a moment, my mind went blank as I scanned the list from bottom to top, and my thoughts ground to a halt.

Why?

The sheer volume of information was overwhelming.

There was just too much to unpack.

"H-how can this be...?" I stammered.

While I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at not securing the top spot, in a more grounded moment, I realized that it made sense.

After all, being among the Top 10 in the entire world was still a remarkable achievement.

Names like Caleb, Francis Baker, and especially the weird one, Lucy Fer, instantly etched themselves into my mind.

I couldn't help but wonder what extraordinary feats had catapulted them to such high rankings.

However...

"Why is her name here?" My gaze lingered on the Number 10 spot on the list.

"Lisa Scofield. That's... 'her' name!"

Why was this person bearing the same name as the bitch who betrayed me?! Wasn't she supposed to be dead already?

'And she's just one Zone away from me. This is... I don't know what to make of it...'

Was this the same Lisa I had known? Was she still alive?

If that was the case, how had I come into possession of her Currency?

No, there were more pressing questions.

If this truly was Lisa... if she was truly alive...

"What will I do if I see her again?"

*

*

*

[A/N]

Looks like things aren't as simple as Mikey thought.

Who are these rankers in the leaderboard? What impact will they have on Mikey in the future?

... And who is the girl called Lisa?