Chapter 1

The gazes of two gods were locked on the thousands of tiny, holographic screens that were spread across a wall. Each screen followed a different person as the final pre-integration moments of the hundredth and first universe neared their end.

“Oh, this is going to be good—my very own tutorial. It only took three hundred and fifty thousand years to get here,” said Voghillia Vorg Valvoria, nervously rubbing her bluish-white hands.

Passing the myriad of near-death experiences that were required to reach godhood was hard enough. But impressing the System enough to be granted the right to author a Tutorial was another league above that.

“Calm down, Voggy. It’s just a tutorial. You won't even remember your first tutorial by the time you get to my age.”

Voghillia glared at the cyclopean ancient across the marble hall they shared. That was easy for him to say. He was a primordial god that everyone looked up to. Compared to him, she was naught but an infant. And sure, tutorial takers were only mortals, but embarrassing herself could earn her an unpleasant nickname that could linger for eons—not to mention the rewards that were at stake.

“Oh, by the way, Voggy, did you account for momentum in your calculations?” The ancient god said as his eyes locked onto one of the tiny screens.

“Momentum?” Voghillia tilted her head.

“Yeah, you know. Mass times velocity. Objects in motion. What happens when someone already in motion begins your tutorial?”

“What do you mean? They enter at a randomized starting location within the tutorial. What else is supposed to happen?”

“No, nothing. But what happens if they’re moving?”

“Moving? I dunno,” Voghillia shrugged. “They stop?”

“Your tutorial isn’t by chance made of jelly?”

“No. There’s a forest, some ruins, and even a mountain range. Why would there be jelly?”

“It’s just, I think this one might be a problem,” he pointed at the little screen.

Turning her gaze toward where he pointed, Voghillia expanded the screen across the entire wall with a single thought.

There, in all his glory, was a man holding onto a rail and leaning out of a doorway. The man was wearing a bike helmet and a backpack and was looking over his shoulder. His clothing fluttered in the wind, and a blanket of clouds shrouded the land below.

“What is he doing?”

“I believe they call this

skydiving

.”

“Oh… I see… momentum.”

“Yes, momentum.”

Letting go of the railing, the man hurled himself from the plane, stretching out his arms as he embraced the pummeling winds.

“This isn’t good, is it?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Voggy. It’s entertaining for me, at least. What shall we call you? The Goddess of Meat Paste?”

“Wait, he might be okay, right? What if he lands in a tree? I know there are some bushy ones in the forest. There’s a lake, too!”

“Ohohoh, this is going to be good.”

Voghillia swallowed, her gaze shifting back and forth from the screen of the falling man and the countdown timer for the tutorial.

“Terminal velocity reached.”

“Shhh, I’m concentrating!”

“Five, four, three–”

Voghillia’s godly heart just about stopped as those last seconds ticked, her eyes widening as the falling man reached for his chute release.

Come on, pull it!

“Two.”

“One.”

*Splat*

“Bahaha!” The ancient god burst into laughter, rocking back and forth as tears welled in his eyes.

Voghillia blinked in sober silence. It wasn’t just the mockery that bothered her. This was the first Tutorial she was managing, and there were special Titles and Achievements up for grabs. One of which required 100% participation. There were many ways a god could screw up, and inadvertently reduce participation numbers, and apparently forgetting to account for momentum was one of them.

There had been nothing ceremonial about the death. One moment, the man had been falling through clouds, and the next, he had crashed against the hard bricks of the tutorial ruins at full speed.

“Don’t look so down, Meatpaste.” The ancient god wrapped an arm around Voghillia’s shoulder. “At least I’m loving this!”

Voghillia stared in horror at the splatter on the ground. Poor human. He probably didn’t even have time to react to the fact that he was in the Tutorial before he got splattered, and now his soul was drifting away.

“Wait, his soul is still there,” she said.

“It is…” replied the ancient god. “How?”

“I have an idea.”

“Wait, what are you doing, Voggy?”

Her fingers danced through the air, celestial ribbons of mana swirling around them.

“You’ll see.”

***

YOU DIED!

Quest Failed: Complete the Tutorial!

Achievement: Who needs tickets anyway?

Somehow, you have managed to enter the Shadow Trials without qualifying.

Reward: +5 All Stats

Title acquired: Shadow Trials Trailblazer.

Be the first in your sector to enter the Shadow Trials.

Reward: +10% All stats, +20% experience when completing trials in the Shadow Trials.

Chain Quest Received: The Shadow Trials. Find a path through the Shadow Trials and complete all stages before you for an opportunity to stand before a god and ask for their blessing!

Gradually, as the text faded, twisted and confused memories restructured themselves in Aaron’s mind as he lay sprawled across obsidian tiles. Moments later, he began to breathe, then convulsed like a fish out of water. Then his eyes flung open, and he gasped for air.

Luckily for him, his death had been so quick and absolute that he had no memory of it. One moment he had been falling through the sky, and the next he was here.

“Ahem.”

“Whaa?” Aaron groaned, rotating his shoulders as he pushed up and onto his rear. Stretching his arms and cracking his neck, he glanced around.

His brain was still foggy from dying, and was unable to make sense of the completely black chamber lined by ominous purple flames he found himself in.

“Ahem.”

“What is it?” He muttered, turning to the sound of pompous throat clearing. “My head feels like it's been sent through a tumble dryer.”

Standing before him was a stick-skinny, pale-faced man dressed in a perfectly black tuxedo.

“Welcome to the Shadow Trials, Tutorial taker.”

“Tutorial taker? Shadow Trials?” Aaron’s face scrunched up. “What the hell are you on about? Where—owwow, my head. Can I get a glass of water? It feels like a mallet is whacking away up there, and my throat is drier than the Sahara.”

Trial? Tutorial? The words barely made it through the thumping that had taken up residence in Aaron’s head.

“Dying will do that to you.”

“Dying?” Aaron repeated in a moment of clarity.

He didn’t remember death itself, but he had the vaguest memory of scrolling text rolling past his eyes. What was that, anyway? He wondered. Was that what happened when you died? Was this the afterlife? This place was kind of extra. Black on black tiles and bricks were quite the decorator’s choice.

No pearly gates, clouds, or fire and brimstone… could this be?

“So wait, is this meant to be Purgatory?”

“No. You’re very much alive. Like I said, this is the Trials of Shadows. However, the reason you’re here and not dead is somewhat of an exploit. Not that it matters much. All you need to know is that you’re stuck in here with me until the Tutorial ends.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Wait, hold up. I’m alive, okay, so that’s sorted. But I don’t know if it’s the ringing in my head or dying, but I’m not following the rest. What’s all this stuff about a tutorial and a shadow trial? This is a lot to take in.”

“Right, I suppose you missed your introduction due to your grisly end. Welcome to the hundred and first universe integration into the multiverse, yada yada.”

“Don’t yada yada me, that sounds important!”

“Fine. You know how you live on a big ball of rock?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, that, and every other big ball of rock in your universe, has been integrated into the multiverse. Suffice it to say, everything you knew is going to be a little different. Oh, and there’s a System.”

Aaron was still confused, but he kinda knew what a multiverse was. They were common enough in fiction, after all. Multiple universes. Basically an excuse to have a bunch of random shit all pressed together without having to explain it with too much detail. But a System? That could mean anything. He needed a little more explanation.

“A System?”

“Yes. Usually, you would learn about the System and integration during your Tutorial. And quite frankly, teaching you about it isn’t my job.”

Seriously?

Too much information had been thrown at Aaron too quickly, but he wasn’t one to mope around and get caught up in details. He was a doer, an adventurer of sorts, and if there were a way out or an explanation for every insane detail he had just absorbed, he would seek it out.

“C’mon, just give me a quick rundown. Have some empathy. I just woke up in this creepy place after apparently dying, a fact I’m still far from wrapping my head around. I don’t even know if you’re full of shit, or if everyone I know is okay. Fuck, I don’t know what to believe right now!”

Aaron wasn’t about to just take this weirdo’s word, but despite everything, there was an instinctual pit in his stomach telling him that the man wasn’t lying.

“Fine. But I’m making this short. Everyone you know has just begun their tutorial. That will mean different things to different people, but for most, it’ll mean trying to survive.”

“Survive?”

Okay, it was still confusing, but at least he was getting somewhere.

“Yes. Survive. The tutorial is an opportunity to learn the System and get strong, but you must also survive what it throws at you. And that’s rarely easy for most.”

“And if they die during this tutorial, do they come here?” Aaron probed.

“No. They die. The only ones capable of sending you here are the gods. For whatever reason, one of them has decided to spare you the endless nothing of death. But such an act wouldn’t have come cheaply to them, and I wouldn’t go expecting any others to get the same treatment.”

The mention of gods juxtaposed against the nothingness of death felt contradictory to Aaron, but he wasn’t about to argue the specifics under the circumstances.

“Hold up! Okay, so you’re saying I’ve been resurrected by a freaking god? Cross that one off the bucket list. But color me skeptical. I wasn’t even convinced gods existed until moments ago. Now you’re trying to tell me that they’re not just real, but one decided to resurrect me for some reason? Why the hell am I so special?”

“No idea,” the assistant shrugged. “And I don’t care whether you believe a word I’m saying or not. You pestered me for an explanation. Take it or leave it.”

“Okay, fine. Thanks for trying, I suppose? What about this System thing? What’s that all about?”

“This

System Thing

, as you put it, is everything. A conduit for the power of the multiverse. A means for ants like yourself to make something of yourself. Prove yourself, either via killing, crafting or completing quests, and you shall be rewarded with experience which will allow you to grow.”

“Wait, like a video game?”

“Precisely. The System should have peppered your world with enough references to the System and how it works that it should be relatively easy to understand for most.”

“Wait, so video games exist… because of this System thing?”

“More or less.”

“Okay, let’s run through this. I died, was resurrected by a god, and placed into some weird hallway to complete trials. I can also gain experience and level up like a video game. Did I miss anything?”

“No, that’s about it. The important stuff, anyway.”

He wanted to retort:

bullshit.

But honestly, he believed the guy. He couldn’t exactly explain why, but he did.

“Okay…” Aaron trailed off as he tried to make sense of it all. “So, what am I supposed to do now?”

“I don’t know, wait?”

“Didn’t you say that this is some kind of trial? Also, if I understood correctly, everyone is out there learning to use this so-called System and leveling up, and all that. Shouldn’t I be doing the same? What’s going to happen if I don’t know how this System works? You know, you dropped a real bomb on me. This isn’t some flat-pack assembly. I think I need that tutorial. Can I go back?”

“No. Like I said earlier, you’re stuck in here until the tutorial finishes. And as for what will happen to you, that is an open-ended answer. But I would assume either death or slavery is the most likely outcome for you.”

“Wait, what?”

“Did I stutter? You have no idea what you’re walking into. Just like the games you played back in your world, everyone else is out there leveling up while you’re sitting here with that dumb expression on your face. By the time the tutorial is over, your fellow humans will be like gods compared to you. Not real gods, of course, they’re much scarier. But you get the gist.”

“So I’m fucked? I’m stuck here, and in the meantime, some kinda of bullshit magic is turning everyone else into superheroes?”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“Great, just great,” Aaron groaned.

Once the shitty news settled down, Aaron shook his head in frustration. This wasn’t the first time somebody had told him he was screwed. The doctors had told him he’d never walk again after he crashed his motorbike, and he blitzed the rehab. And he hadn’t settled for walking, either. He had pushed himself until he was sprinting a hundred meters as quickly as he had back in college, not to mention jumping and rock climbing.

“What about this trial thing?” He said, returning his gaze to the smug assistant. “You said this was the shady trial place or something.”

“The

Shadow Trials

,” the scrawny man corrected. “That’s where you are. The place meant for the best of the best of your universe, filled with trials and opportunities to allow them to take a step beyond and possibly make connections with the greater multiverse. Unfortunately for you, you’re zero, so these trials aren’t meant for you. You’re not even supposed to be here, but I suppose some god thought it would be funny to toss you in here anyway.”

“So, I can’t take any of the trials?”

“Well, you could,” the assistant rolled his eyes. “It’s theoretically possible.”

“Wait, it is? Why didn’t you lead with that?”

“Because it would have been pointless. You can’t complete the trials, so what point would there be in you taking them? As I said, you’re level zero. You didn’t even begin the Tutorial, let alone finish it. This place is designed for the top-ranking Tutorial takers from across your entire sector: a prize and an opportunity for those who rose above their peers to rise further still—a System-ordained opportunity at greatness. And you, well, you’re a fly: a nobody, a nothing—a smudge on the wall. You don’t even deserve to be here.”

“Right,” Aeron nodded contemplatively. “But if I were to complete these trials, I could learn how this System stuff works and get stronger, right?”

“Have you not listened to a word I’ve said? This Trial is designed to challenge the best of the best—the cream of the crop. A means to sharpen steel against steel. There’s no chance you will be able to complete the trial. You can’t. It’s simply not possible. Even if you were a generational talent, which I find hard to believe since you’re sitting here before me instead of taking the tutorial you’re meant to be, it’d still be impossible. You have nothing. You are nothing: no Levels, no Stats, no Skills, no Abilities. No Titles. Nothing!”

“Titles? Wait, I think I saw something like that flash before my eyes when I got here?”

“Oh, yes, right. You get a Title for reaching this place. Whoopdie doo. One Title is hardly going to get you over the line. And I’m already getting tired of listening to you. I suggest you find somewhere to sit quietly and wait.”

“Tell me about it,” Aaron rolled his eyes.

Yeah, buddy, I’m not enjoying being stuck in here with you any more than you are.

“Nice talking to you,” Aaron said, brushing himself down as he stood. “But this wouldn’t be the first time I was told I couldn’t do something. I’m not even meant to be walking, and look at me go.”

“Oh?”

“Caught your attention, did I?”

“Hardly,” The assistant huffed.

“Doctors said I’d spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. Problem was, one little motorbike accident isn’t enough to keep Aaron Dober from anything, let alone walking.”

Aaron bounced on his toes to warm his body up and demonstrate his mobility.

“Should I be impressed?”

“Well, it’s kinda cool, isn’t it? Oh, whatever. I get it, I won’t be getting through to you. Just sit here and keep my seat warm, I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Do you even know where you’re going?”

“Well, there’s only one direction,” Aaron pointed ahead.

“You’re really not getting it, are you?” The assistant said as Aaron began to walk down the obsidian hallway.

To be fair, Aaron really didn’t know where he was going or what he was going to do, but that wasn’t about to stop him. If he were stuck in here, then he would try to make the most of it. Screw just accepting death or slavery.

“Okay, fine,” said the assistant. “Let’s see how long you’ll last.”

Reaching the end of the hallway, Aaron came to a huge, circular stone tablet. It was similar to a clock, except with seven oddly placed dials, each labelled with the name of the corresponding trial. And when he stepped before it, a holographic screen appeared before his eyes.

Welcome to the Shadow Trials, challenger. Select a trial to begin. Complete a stage and be rewarded. Complete all stages to master the trial. Complete all trials to master the shadows.

“Ookay. A little edgy, but I get it,” Aaron nodded.

This must have been the trials mentioned by that smug assistant. They were a little creepy, but he really didn’t want to ask that guy any more questions. His condescending tone was getting to Aaron, and well, the instructions were simple enough. He either found a way to complete the trials, or he was fucked.

Shrugging, he reached out, pressed one of the dials, and an interface appeared, allowing him to select a trial and a shadow. Hovering his hand over the selectable options opened a description.

Select a shadow to attempt the trial challenge beside. Shadows are avatars of the gods. Follow their guiding path, or learn from their mistakes.

Oookay, that sounds straightforward enough…

Scrolling through the options, he decided to settle on the Trial of Travels after a brief contemplation, since it sounded like some kind of race.

Trial of Travels: A Trial of stamina, speed, and agility. Make your way through the course to reach the finish line, though that might not prove as simple as it sounds.

The Trial of Travels sounded simple enough, if not slightly ominous. Still, he had always been decent at track and field, and well, it sounded better than the other options.

I guess this is it.

Aaron exhaled. He’d thrown himself in the deep end many times before. Just take a deep breath and hope for the best.

As he confirmed his trial selection, a list appeared with shadows to pick. The shadows themselves had strange, alien-sounding names. Since he considered this a practice run, Aaron selected randomly and ended up with Oozagh the Rotund. With his shadowy friend selected, Aaron shrugged, accepted the conditions, and entered the trial.

Instantly, he appeared in a narrow corridor beside the shadow of an ogre-like man, only a meter or so of space between him and the walls on either side. A timer above him started, counting down from five in bright, digital numbers.

Aaron lowered himself into a sprinting stance and kicked off against the ground with all his might the moment the digital display twisted into “GO!” Barely a second later, spikes shot out from the ground, walls, and ceiling, like a wave of sharp, steel death chasing after him.

Aaron barely made it a few steps before he was impaled from all directions. Several seconds later, he reappeared, sprawled across the tiles before the smirking assistant.

“How’d it go? Prove me wrong yet?”

Groaning, Aaron looked up. “That sucked. Wait, I’m not dead? You forgot to mention that part.”

“Oh, did I? Well, yes, the Trials of Shadows are in a special dimension. You can’t actually die here. Not permanently, at least. But I fail to see how that changes anything.”

“Doesn’t change anything?” Aaron exclaimed and bounced back to his feet. “Mate, what are you even talking about? I can attempt these trial things as many times as I like? The way I see it, all I have to do is keep throwing myself in, and I’m sure to figure this place out sooner or later.”

“You are clearly still failing to grasp how large the gulf between you and somebody who has finished the tutorial is, let alone a top ranker. But if you insist, I can’t stop you.”

“And you have clearly never met Aaron Dober before. I don’t back down from a challenge, not now, not ever.” Aaron’s grin bent manically. “If there’s a way to beat this thing, I’ll be the bastard to do it!”

The assistant yawned, fanning his mouth as Aaron stormed back down the hallway.

Several seconds later, he was back again, sprawled out on the tiles.

“Getting tired of dying yet?”

“I’m not even getting started.”

“At least pick a class and make this interesting. Oh, and take this,” the assistant said, throwing Aaron a black robe and matching black shoes. “We keep these around in case challengers arrive without enchanted items. For modesty.”

Aaron looked down, realizing that holes had been stabbed through his clothes, and quickly covered up a particularly revealing hole with one hand and took the robe with the other.

“Class?!” He exclaimed as the assistant’s words finally settled. That sounded important.