Chapter 65: Peace Before Chaos

The gigantic corpse of the Eater of Brains lay motionless in the center of the arena. Purple blood pooled beneath it. The giant eye had completely lost its glow. Its tendrils no longer moved. Its horrifying presence was finally gone.

Nobody stood there with both hands on his hips. He looked upward. "Alright." He pointed dramatically toward the sky. "Ren! Call me back!"

The system immediately responded.

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[Stage Four Complete]

Returning User To Tutorial Chamber

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Blue particles began appearing around Nobody’s body. Pixelated light spread across his arms. The arena slowly started fading away.

Nobody grinned. "Finally leaving this place....This place smells like brain juice."

The system responded.

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[Statement Accurate]

(˶ᵔᗜᵔ˶)ﾉ

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"Thanks."

FWOOOOOOSH..!

His body dissolved into particles. The arena disappeared.

Then....

FLASH.

Nobody landed back inside the tutorial chamber.

THUD.

"...Home sweet home. I mean home chamber home"

The familiar blue transparent walls surrounded him once again. The comfortable tutorial chamber felt almost luxurious after fighting that giant psychic brain monster.

Ren was already sitting on his couch. A smug grin resting on his face. Almost as if he had been waiting specifically to make fun of Nobody.

Which....he probably had.

Ren slowly opened one eye. "Good job."

Nobody immediately looked proud.

Ren smirked."...In defeating the brain monster using your brain."

Nobody stared. Then he groaned. "Oh come on. That was terrible."

Ren’s smirk only widened. "I thought it was pretty good."

The system suddenly appeared.

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[Humor Evaluation]

Acceptable

¯\_ (ᵕ—ᴗ—)_/¯

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Nobody pointed between them.

"You two are just making fun of an innocent NPC like me. Sad...." He walked toward the couch before dropping onto the floor dramatically. "Still..." He looked upward,"...Smacking that bitch was so satisfying."

The system immediately appeared beside him.

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[Agreement]

You Got That Right( •̀⤙•́ )

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Nobody pointed proudly. "See? Even the system agrees."

Ren chuckled quietly.

Nobody crossed his arms. "That bitch was playing with my emotions."

The memories from the illusion returned briefly. The fake wedding, the fake rejection and the feeling of helplessness. Even now it left a bitter taste.

Nobody clicked his tongue. "Seriously...That monster played dirty."

Ren leaned back slightly. "Well..that was part of your training."

Nobody looked over.

Ren’s expression had become more serious now. "If you had broken easily....you would have failed the stage."

The chamber became quiet for a moment. Nobody thought about it.

The monster hadn’t really been testing his strength. It had been attacking his mind. His doubts, his fears. The things he didn’t want to think about.

Nobody scratched the back of his head. "...Well...That is right." He sighed. "But still....That thing was a jerk."

Ren laughed. "Fair enough."

At that moment....

Blue particles suddenly burst out beside Nobody.

FWOOOSH....

Blossom Bunny appeared. "Atta!" The little summon stumbled slightly after materializing. Several scratches still remained on its body. Its ears drooped slightly from exhaustion. Yet the first thing it did was run straight toward Nobody. "Atta! Atta!"

Nobody immediately smiled. "There you are."

Blossom hopped onto his shoulder. Then checked him repeatedly. Almost as if making sure he was still alive.

Ren watched quietly. Then smiled faintly. "...You seem injured."

Blossom turned toward him. "Atta?"

"...But still worried for Bowlcut."

Nobody immediately pointed. "See? That’s called friendship."

Ren ignored him completely. "Let me heal you." The rabbit mentor casually snapped his fingers.

SNAP!

The entire tutorial chamber reacted instantly.

Blue energy flowed through the air. Soft particles surrounded Blossom Bunny. The wounds on its body began disappearing. The scratches and the bruises vanished. Its tired posture gradually straightened. Within seconds it looked completely healthy again.

Blossom blinked. Then looked at itself. "Atta?"

Ren smirked. "There. Good as new."

Blossom immediately saluted. "Atta!"

Nobody reached over and gently patted the bunny’s head.

The little summon happily closed its eyes.

"You did a good job, my buddy."

"Atta!"

"No seriously." Nobody’s voice softened slightly. "If you hadn’t kicked me out of that illusion.....I would’ve been in serious trouble."

Blossom puffed out its chest proudly. "Atta!"

Ren watched the scene quietly. Then spoke. "You know...for such a weak summon...it saved your life quite a few times."

Nobody immediately nodded. "Exactly." He pointed toward Blossom. "This little guy is carrying my entire career."

Blossom looked extremely pleased with itself.

Ren chuckled.

The system suddenly appeared.

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[Combat Summary]

Blossom Bunny Contribution:

Significant(ദ്ദി ˙ᗜ˙ )

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Nobody pointed excitedly. "SEE?! The system certified it."

Blossom raised both paws victoriously. "Attaaa!"

Nobody leaned back against the couch and released a long sigh.

"...Man....I survived another stage."

Ren smirked. "Congratulations."

Nobody closed his eyes briefly. "Don’t make it sound like there are twenty more waiting."

Ren’s silence lasted a little too long.

Nobody slowly opened one eye. "...Ren."

Ren smiled. "...Get some rest, Bowlcut."

Nobody immediately pointed. "THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER."

After talking for a while longer with Ren and Blossom Bunny, Nobody finally stood up. He stretched both arms. His entire body felt heavy. Just exhausted. The kind of exhaustion that came after surviving multiple near-death experiences. "...I am going to sleep."

Ren waved lazily from the couch. "Try not to dream about giant brains."

Nobody immediately pointed. "Not funny."

The system appeared.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[Sleep Recommended]

৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)

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"Finally....Something we agree on."

Blossom Bunny jumped onto his shoulder. "Atta!"

The two left the tutorial chamber together. The metallic hallways were quiet as always. Blue lights illuminated the path toward Room 1308.

Nobody walked slowly. Half awake and half asleep. "...Goodnight, Blossom."

"Atta."

"...Goodnight, system."

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[Goodnight User](˶ˆᗜˆ˵)

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Nobody smiled slightly. Then entered his room.

The door closed, the lights dimmed. And for the first time in a while he fell asleep almost instantly.

....

Meanwhile...

Inside the tutorial chamber...

The room was unusually quiet. Ren sat alone on the couch. His usual smirk was gone.

The floating monitors around the chamber displayed streams of data and information.

For several minutes..... he simply stared at one particular screen. Thinking.

Then....a new screen materialized before him.

FWOOOM.

A silhouette appeared. Its appearance was completely obscured. Distorted. Even its voice sounded warped. Impossible to identify.

The entity spoke first. "How is the candidate performing?"

Ren folded his arms. "Better than expected."

The distorted figure remained silent.

Ren sighed. Then leaned back slightly. "...But it’s too dangerous for him."

The figure immediately replied. "Danger is necessary. Only through danger can we see how much potential he possesses."

Ren frowned. "I understand that."

The floating screen flickered.

The distorted entity continued. "He has already exceeded multiple projections. His growth rate is unusual."

Ren looked away briefly. Then spoke again. "Even if he’s strong...sending him to another world with a Demoness involved is too much for him to handle."

Ren’s crimson eyes narrowed. "He might fall into real danger."

The distorted figure remained calm. "That possibility exists."

Ren clicked his tongue.

"Tch. I tease him sometimes. I call him Bowlcut. I make fun of him." A small smile appeared briefly. "But I’m still his assigned coach." The smile vanished. His voice became firmer. "I can’t let my trainee be hurt like that."

The figure remained silent. Then finally responded. "If something truly dangerous happens....you are permitted to interfere."

Ren stared at the screen. Then he released a long sigh. "...That’s the problem."

The distorted figure tilted its head slightly.

Ren continued. "Stage Five is already supposed to be dangerous. That’s normal. But the world you’re sending him into..." His expression darkened. "...that place has a higher danger rating than even the final stages of this tutorial."

The floating screen flickered. No response came.

Ren leaned forward. "He’s still growing. He’s still inexperienced. Half the time he survives because of luck."

The distorted figure replied calmly. "Luck is also a form of strength."

Ren immediately groaned. "I hate when higher beings say things like that."

The figure ignored the comment.

Instead....

a new image appeared on the floating screen.

A dark world, ruined castles, black skies, crimson moons and burning landscapes. And far away....the silhouette of a woman sitting upon a throne.

Even the image alone felt dangerous.

Ren looked at it silently. "...Yeah. Exactly...That place."

The distorted figure spoke. "The Demoness World."

The name alone sounded ominous.

Ren slowly shook his head. "...Bowlcut is going to freak out."

The figure almost sounded amused. "He always does."

"...True." Ren couldn’t even argue.

The floating screen displayed additional data.

Mission information, threat levels, restrictions, potential outcomes.

Ren read through everything. His expression became increasingly unpleasant.

Finally....he leaned back and closed his eyes. "...I will interfere if my trainee gets hurt."

The distorted figure nodded. "Acceptable."

Ren opened one eye. "But only if absolutely necessary."

"Agreed." The figure slowly began disappearing. Its distorted form dissolving into particles.

Before vanishing completely..it spoke one final sentence. "Prepare him well, Ren Lexion..His current world will have drastic changes in future..He must prepare himself for that."

The screen disappeared.

Ren remained seated. Looking toward the hallway that led to Room 1308. "...Prepare him well, huh?" A small smile appeared. "...That idiot still thinks Stage Four was hard."

He imagined Nobody screaming after learning about Stage Five. The image almost made him laugh. Well.. almost.

But beneath the amusement....there was genuine concern. Because for the first time since the tutorial started, Ren wasn’t worried about the monsters. He was worried about what waited beyond the tutorial. And that worried him far more.

The coach slowly stood up. Looking toward the sleeping quarters. "...Get some good sleep, Bowlcut....You’re going to need it."

Far away in Room 1308...Nobody remained completely unaware, sleeping peacefully.

While the next stage quietly approached.