[Then let the first tutorial begin!]
The system declared in a voice that resounded through the air.
It was as if she was commanding the atmosphere, and in reality, she was doing just that.
{Tutorial 1.
Objective: Kill at least one undead before the time runs out.
Details: -
The moment the timer hits the zero mark, undead would be summoned. One per person, and as said in the objective, each person has to kill one undead.
The power of those undead could be limited to the strength of a 10-year-old, and anyone below 10 years of age does not have to kill an undead if they can't. They just have to survive.
There will be rewards given to those who complete the tutorial, but since it is a tutorial, the reward you receive will not help you in the long run, they will just give you a good start.
Time before the tutorial: 60 seconds.
Reward: 10 coins/ undead.
Tutorial special offer: The more undead you kill the more you earn: -
+1 undead will give you +2 coins.
+2 undead will give you +3 coins.
…..(Extend)
Penalty: --- (No penalty for the first tutorial)
Tutorial duration: 10 minutes.}
The moment the game system's words fell, the illusionary blue screen that everyone could view, now showed them new information.
The information was being recited in their heads, so even if there was someone who couldn't read it, they would still get it.
It was the information about the 'tutorial' that the system was talking about.
'Undead?'
Alex wondered inwardly.
He didn't really see a problem in killing the undead, and since they only had the strength of a 10-year-old, it made things easier for him.
"Undead? What are those?"
Some brave guy from the village gathered up courage and implored while raising his right hand.
He was scared, horrified even, but he still asked the question that everyone had in their minds.
[Oh, they are dead people walking about, nothing serious, I have some information about this world, and in movies, you guys call them zombies.]
The system replied in an uninterested tone while waving her hands.
'If they can't even defeat an undead, then they are useless.'
This was what she thought.
Undead, with their power limited to a 10-year-old, is even weaker than the goblins, who are known to be the weakest of all beasts.
So, if they can't even kill these things, how are they going to fight the beasts that are roaming all around the world?
"Movies?"
"Zombies?"
"What are those?"
But the villagers who lived away from the modern world didn't know what those things were.
The only one who knew anything about those things was Alex.
So, the villagers started whispering among themselves.
[Shut up! So annoying!]
The system could take all that murmuring so it shouted in frustration.
[Why are all the mortals so annoying and idiotic?!]
The system yelled at no one before she turned toward the villagers and pointed at her head.
[Use your brains a little, you idiots.
Don't you see the timer? You will know what they are once you see them in 10 seconds!]
The system's words hit the villagers hard because they realized that they were really behaving like idiots, but who could blame them?
Things were changing a bit too fast for any of them to adjust.
However, when they saw the timer again, the countdown was already at 1 second.
*Tick*
Everyone heard a sound of ticking just when the timer reached zero inside of their heads.
'Where are they?'
Alex wondered as he looked around cautiously.
He knew that the undead were supposed to be as weak as 10-year-olds, but he knew that it couldn't be that easy.
Even if it was a tutorial, and it was supposed to be easy, he could tell that it wasn't easy.
Especially when he saw a smile appearing on the game system's face as she spoke.
[Here they are.]
The next moment, a hand appeared from the empty ground next to the dead bodies of Mr. Pandey and Prateek.
Then another, then another, and then another.
Slowly those hands started reaching out to grab something, and taking the supports of the ground the body that those hands belonged to started coming out.
"W-Wha…"
"Mother….?"
"N-No, it can't be…."
"He was supposed to be dead…."
....
….
..
.
Many such words left the villagers' quivering lips.
'Family members…'
Alex could easily guess what was happening from the reaction of the villagers.
The undead were most likely the people that died before and were buried.
Alex turned toward the system and this time instead of a smile, he saw a grin on her face.
She was grinning as she saw the villagers break down.
The villagers were having an emotional breakdown since the people who were slowly walking toward them were the people they once cherished.
The speed of the undead was quite slow, all of them moved one step at a time, so Alex knew it wouldn't be that hard to kill an undead.
He was about to rush at one when he suddenly heard a broken voice from his side.
"A-Akshay...?"
The voice was filled with pain, regret, sorrow, longing, and joy.
It was Gulshan who uttered those words as he tried to move toward the one of the incoming undead.
Alex just held his shoulder.
He didn't say anything.
He was sure that just like the other villagers, it must be one of their family members.
"A-Alex, why are you stopping me….?
That r-right there is my son, let me go…"
Gulshan tried to struggle against Alex's grip as he pointed at a boy.
Alex followed Gulshan's gaze and was stunned for a moment.
'His eyes….'
Alex stared at the boy with black hair and golden eyes.
Although the boy's face was rotting and his skin was pale, Alex could still see his eyes.
'Golden…'
They were golden in color, just like his.
'I see….'
Alex finally realized why they treated him so nicely, why they cared for him as they would for someone close to them, and why he saw familial love in their eyes whenever he looked at them.
Alex then turned toward Gulshan and stared into the man's eyes.
"Look at her."
Alex gestured for Gulshan to look at Misty, who was still standing in the same spot alone, and trembling.
All of this was a bit too much for her 13-year-old mind to handle.
"B-But Akshay…."
Gulshan tried to protest but Alex tightened his grip on Gulshan's shoulder.
"Look. At. Her."
Alex spoke in an icy voice that sent a shiver down Gulshan's spine.
His head automatically turned toward Misty, and then he saw it.
The crying face of his only daughter.
The broken and tear-stained face of his daughter as she looked at the undead, who was once her brother walking toward her.
"T-That's not big brother…."
Misty muttered when she saw Gulshan looking at her.
"N-No, Misty, that's your big brother."
However, Gulshan still didn't want to believe that the thing walking toward them was not his son.
"N-No…"
Misty shook her head as her tears flowed down without stopping.
"W-Why don't you believe me-"
Gulshan was about to raise his voice, but Alex's icy voice cut his words.
"Now look over there."
Gulshan felt the same chill run down his body, and just like before, his body moved on its own.
"That guy is just like you…"
Alex spoke as he pointed at a guy who was about to reach an old undead that he called his mother.
That guy was just a step away.
"Now look at him closely..."
Alex purred out those words.
Gulshan, who couldn't move his body due to some reason, continued to look at it.
However, the next second, his eyes widened in horror.
"ARGHHHHHHHHH!"