Tomorrow

Kai exhaled sharply, feeling the weight of the battle settle over him. His body screamed with exhaustion, his muscles tight from overuse, but the tension in his grip remained firm. He let out a breathless chuckle, scanning the battlefield—or rather, what was left of it.

"Level 50? That's what you were?" He muttered, his voice hoarse. "Figures. All those undead practically counted as a power boost, huh?"

He shook his head, rolling his shoulders, wincing at the deep ache that ran through him. "No wonder he was talking like he'd already won."

Then, before he could dismiss the notifications, another alert materialized in front of him.

__________

System Alert

Bonus EXP Calculated:-

Defeated [Gorran, The Shatter hide Juggernaut] (High-Rank Tutorial Boss) - Large XP Gain-

Seized control of [Darren's Territory] (Enemy Leader Defeated) - Moderate XP Gain-

Defended your territory from [Vaelin] (Final Tutorial Conflict) - Large XP Gain-

Claimed Vaelin's territory upon victory - Moderate XP Gain-

Gained dominion over the final three tutorial territories due to Vaelin's conquests - Massive XP Gain-

Claim all territories in Tutorial - System Recognition Awarded

You have leveled up!Level 38 → Level 43.

New Titles Earned!

[The First Lord]"You have accomplished more than any other participant in this tutorial. Your legend begins here." +10% to all stats.

[Duke of the Fallen Realms]"Your nobility rank has increased due to overwhelming conquest. As a Duke, your claim upon land carries greater weight. Additional benefits locked until the tutorial concludes."

____________

Kai stared at the notification, his tired mind struggling to process what had just happened.

"Wait, what?"

He blinked, eyes flicking over the words again, as if expecting them to change.

Bonus experience? Fine, he expected some kind of extra reward. But claiming all territories?

Hadn't the other tutorial zones still been standing?

He scrolled back, re-reading the details. His brows furrowed. "Gained dominion over the final three tutorial territories due to Vaelin's conquests…"

That meant—when Vaelin had made those other camps surrender, they technically became part of his rule.

And now that Kai had killed him…

Everything Vaelin had owned became his.

"Oh."

His gaze flicked across the battlefield again, this time with a different weight pressing on his shoulders.

He hadn't just won.

He had beaten the tutorial harder than anyone else.

Kai let out a slow breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "So what, I just... won the whole damn game?"

Another window flashed into existence, offering an expanded breakdown of the Duke title, but he waved it away for now. That was a problem for later. Right now, he was already on the verge of passing out from exhaustion

With a groan, he stretched, rolling his sore muscles as he took one last glance at the battlefield. The fires were dying down, the wind carrying away the last of the embers.

He smirked as he eyes closed.

"Guess that makes me the final boss now."

_________

The first thing Kai registered was warmth.

Not the searing heat of battle, not the crackling blaze of his own sword's fire, but the soft, golden warmth of a tent.

His eyelids felt heavy, his body weighed down with exhaustion, but the air around him was calm.

A stark contrast to the last thing he remembered—swinging with everything he had, feeling Voidfire Fang carve through Vaelin, hearing that final system chime declaring the tutorial's end.

Now, there was no battle, no burning, no undead crawling out of the dirt.

Just the muted sounds of voices outside, the occasional rustle of footsteps, the distant crackle of a dying campfire.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he wasn't fighting.

Kai let out a slow exhale, forcing his eyes open.

The canvas ceiling of the tent above him was familiar—Sasha's tent.

The same one they'd used back when this was just a ragtag group trying to survive, long before territory wars and final bosses.

His body ached in places he didn't even realize could hurt, his arms felt like lead, and there was a dull, rhythmic pounding behind his skull.

Still, as he shifted, testing the limits of his sore limbs, a small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The moment he pushed himself up, a chorus of voices erupted outside.

"He's awake!"

"Finally! I was starting to think the boss fight killed him after the fact."

"Someone get him some water before he starts monologuing."

The tent flap flipped open, and suddenly, he was surrounded.

Sasha, Talia, Darren, and a handful of others all crowded into the small space, their expressions ranging from relief to amusement.

Sasha crossed her arms, smirking. "I was half-expecting you to wake up and start another fight."

Kai groaned, stretching out his sore limbs. "Nah. I figured I'd give it at least ten minutes before I break something again."

Darren let out a deep laugh, clapping him on the shoulder hard enough to make Kai wince.

"That was insane, Kai." His voice was full of respect, a rare weight behind the words. "We were watching the whole thing. I've never seen anyone move like that."

Juno nodded from the side, arms crossed, an unreadable look on his face. "You didn't just beat him. You made him look like a fool. When he wasn't poking holes in you that is."

Kai smirked, rolling his neck. "Well, he did do half my job for me. He spent so much time making speeches I figured I might as well just end the conversation permanently."

That got a round of laughter.

The tension that had built over the past days, the fear of death, the overwhelming weight of the tutorial—it all seemed to lift.

For the first time since this whole thing started, they weren't just survivors anymore.

They had won.

And now, for a little while, they could breathe.

As the excitement settled, Darren's gaze flickered toward Kai's side—where the greatsword still rested, propped up against the cot.

The sword he had taken from Darren after their duel.

The one that had almost become Kai's signature weapon.

Almost.

Kai followed his gaze, then, without hesitation, grabbed the sword and tossed it toward Darren.

The man caught it, eyes narrowing slightly. "You giving it back?"

Kai stretched his arms, yawning. "Yeah, doesn't suit me."

Silence.

Then—the entire tent erupted into laughter.

Talia wiped at her eyes. "So after all that, you just… don't want it?"

Kai shrugged, smirking. "It's a great sword. But I'm not a greatsword guy."

Juno chuckled. "That's gotta be the first time I've seen someone return a stolen weapon out of personal taste."

Darren rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in his gaze. He twirled the blade once before resting it over his shoulder. "Fine. I'll take it back."

Sasha leaned against the tent pole, shaking her head. "I swear, Kai, you make less sense the stronger you get."

Kai stretched again, grinning. "Yeah? And yet, here we are."

More laughter. More lighthearted banter.

For a moment, it was like the tutorial hadn't been hell.

For a moment, it was just them.

Alive. Together.

Waiting for whatever came next.

System Alert: Tutorial Concludes in 2 Hours.

A quiet chime interrupted the moment, a soft notification appearing before all of them.

"You were out for 22 hours, the system gave us 24 as soon as the Colossus fell" Juno explained. 

The words lingered in the air, the final countdown beginning.

Sasha was the first to speak. "So… this is it."

Kai hummed. "Looks like it."

Talia smirked. "You think the real world is gonna be worse than this?"

Kai let out a slow exhale, eyes flicking to the dying campfire outside.

"Definitely"

______________________

The next two hours passed in a blur of conversation, laughter, and a strange, lingering sense of finality. No more battles. No more monsters. No more desperate fights for survival. For the first time since the tutorial began, they weren't strategizing, scouting, or preparing for the next wave of death. They were simply… waiting.

Some sat around the fire, swapping stories of fights that now felt like legends, moments that had once been terrifying now retold with the ease of seasoned warriors reminiscing about old scars. Others checked their gear, not out of necessity, but habit—because none of them knew what came next. Because even though the System had declared the tutorial over, it hadn't told them what awaited on the other side.

Kai stood at the edge of the camp, watching the horizon, feeling the weight of something unseen pressing against the world. The countdown was nearly up. The tutorial was ending. And whatever lay beyond this place—it was time to face it.