Chapter 173: Shards of the First World

Samael had just revealed something important. A new layer beneath the mechanics of that world. The System might be absolute, but tutorials… tutorials could be shaped. By gods. And not just to train or level participants, but to observe them, test them, filter them. To search for worthy bread.

But this tutorial, the one Luke was facing, was different.

“What do you mean… the place where the System originated?” Luke asked, curiosity sharpening his voice.

Samael drew a breath.

“It’s only a theory. Not even gods like me know the full truth about the System. What we do know is that it began in a single universe. A universe that no longer exists. And over the ages, it spread. Absorbing. Infiltrating. Expanding into others. Until it reached yours.”

He paused, eyes drifting around the chamber.

“But this tutorial… this one is special. Because part of it wasn’t supposed to be here. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to exist at all.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “You mean… the wall, the city, the castle…?”

“All of it,” Samael confirmed. “All of it came from the first universe. The one where the System was born.”

“Then why not just ask someone who lived there?” Luke pushed.

Samael met his gaze.

“Because that universe is gone. And so is everyone who lived in it.” He gestured subtly to the cavern around them.

“And the last remaining fragments of that original world are inside this tutorial.”

Now it made sense. That’s why this place drew so much attention. Why so many gods were watching it.

Samael’s gaze lingered on the cavern walls.

“What the gods can observe from the outside is limited. Only what the System allows. And sometimes, even that comes with a delay. If someone initiates a private conversation, the System shields it. Certain events, we can view live, like when you opened the gate to the Capital. But most of the time? Only filtered pieces. So we don’t know what’s truly happening here. Even if we want to explore it, we can’t. Only you can uncover the mysteries of this place. Things that some call myth. And others… would rather pretend don’t exist.”

Luke exhaled slowly.

“So… not even you know what’s inside that castle?”

Samael shook his head.

“No. The main challenge belongs to the System alone. No god touches it. But the smaller parts, yes. We’re allowed to insert elements, give rewards, influence minor aspects, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the core mission.”

Before Luke could ask anything else, Samael raised a hand.

“That’s as much as I’m allowed to tell you about this specific tutorial. If I go any further, I’ll be pulled back.”

Luke understood. He wasn’t going to get more answers like this. But there was something important he’d just confirmed.

“So… gods can shape tutorials,” Luke murmured. “I mean, normal ones. Not like this one.”

Samael chuckled softly.

“Of course. Like I said… the bread metaphor. Every god picks their own.”

That line led Luke toward a question he’d been carrying deep inside. But he couldn’t be too direct. Not yet. First, he had to test the limits. He decided to aim outward. Something external. A safe question. Just to see how far he could go.

“And what kind of god interfered in this tutorial?” Luke asked. “Are you talking about the ones the World Government serves?”

Samael laughed, shaking his head.

“Far beyond that. Look… I wasn’t even interested in your universe at first. But I managed to join this tutorial as an investor. And I wasn’t the only one.”

He crossed his arms, speaking as if he were explaining something obvious.

“This tutorial was open. An ambitious proposal. Rare. Any interested deity could participate, intervening, suggesting, shaping small pieces.”

Luke processed the weight of that revelation.

“And even while the tutorial is active, other gods can still interact with it. Some just observe. Others, like me, introduced small variables. Missions. Orbs. Rewards. All within the limits of what the System allows.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

That was when something clicked.

If special mission orbs could come from gods… then what about the Assassination Contract?

Luke quickly pulled up his interface and tapped the special orb he’d been carrying since the death of the Orc Captain:

*Assassination Contract (Exclusive)*

Objective: Assassinate the Lord Orc.

The Lord Orc hides deep within the forest, near the mountains, in the final orc settlement at the base of the ridge. He spends his days enthroned in savage grandeur, commanding raids against tutorial participants.

Your elimination of a Captain Orc has marked you as a real threat to his dominion.

Requirements:

– You must go alone.

– Bringing allies will cause the Lord Orc to relocate.

Reward: (???)