7 Frigid Water (1/2)

Another transfer later and Tang Gon found himself back inside the cave. Every time this happened, Tang Gon would glance around, but before he could do anything else, the system would transfer him to the next location.

There was that one time he had several minutes to himself, but other than that, the system would snap and move him. It was very punctual, despite being flawed in everything else. It was a constant push or be pushed with the system because regardless of his wants or needs, the system would push.

As a result, time became nonexistent with how regular and strict his schedule became. The past several days, weeks, or perhaps years with the system was unknown. There was no indication of time passing and Tang Gon never felt the need to eat or sleep inside the tutorial.

The few times that he did sleep was more of a routine than a necessity. The system never gave any time limit, but Tang Gon wanted to finish and this meant a constant pursuit. Everything was good and the schedule that he made for himself so far was being kept.

The only issue was that there was no food anywhere inside the tutorial, but Tang Gon never felt hungry because of the system. So eating and other basic bodily functions were never an issue. It was the farthest thing from his mind while he was exploring the tutorial lands.

This time, Tang Gon had a few minutes to himself before the system transferred him. There wasn't much to explore so Tang Gon stayed put and waited. As far as he could tell, this cave seemed to be the central exchange point between the system and Tang Gon.

The last three tasks were time-consuming and effort draining. All Tang Gon could hope for in this last one was that it will be fast and quick. Thankfully, the system initiated a taskbar in the lower right-hand corner of the interface that would appear every time Tang Gon progressed.

[Finish Tutorial 3/4]

At least now Tang Gon knew that the next one was going to be the last. A few more minutes passed, and Tang Gon was transferred out of the cave and into the tutorial area. This time, there was an entrance leading out to the tutorial area.

Fog covered his surroundings and as far as he could tell, the room that he was in was rather small and empty. He could just barely make out the outline of the wall and looking around, there were only this room and a single door leading out.

And unlike the room that was rough and desolate, the door appeared to be intricate and almost delicate to a point. But when pushing outwards, Tang Gon realized that the door was thick and made of dense wood causing his initial judgment to be wrong.

Nothing special appeared after Tang Gon opened the door. The world outside of the room was simply more dark and empty. The only difference was the fog that covered everything below the waist, but glowing cobblestones could still be seen scattered and randomly placed around the surrounding areas.

It was a solemn atmosphere with pure blackness and the occasional glow from underneath. The fog was a mixture of masses clumped together. At times it was dense and others it was light and airy. This should have been the same type of fog in the room, but because he had stepped out and wandered about, the room was entirely gone.

Tang Gon would have loved to wander about some more, but because of the current mysterious surroundings, his thoughts were in disarray. There was simply no time to worry about the fog or his surroundings. It was time to escape and finish this tutorial.

Settling his thoughts, Tang Gon began to explore the tutorial area. Everything so far was bizarre but there were no exceptions or shortcuts Tang Gon could take to get ahead. The only thing left was to walk towards the sound of the swinging gates in the far distance.

Shuffling footsteps could be heard on the ground as Tang Gon approached the gate. Every sound imaginable could be heard, but nothing could be seen. Groans, moans, and scratching could all be heard. The only thing that could be seen was a brittle gate incapable of stopping anyone.

This was the only landmark in the vast empty hollow grounds. Tang Gon went inside only for the gate to slam shut behind him. This time, Tang Gon was shocked to see that the original tattered gate was now shiny and without any of the original indents and claw marks.

A little unsettled, but unable to go back out Tang Gon continued walking further in, believing that this was most likely another test by the system and that his current performance would later decide the quality of the reward he would get.

However, the unsettling part about this ordeal was that every time he looked backward, the scenery appeared to have changed. It was rather hard to tell with the fog, but everything did seem to change.