Clicker System 7 Frigid Water

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 pa.s.sing 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 pa.s.sed, 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 ma.s.ses 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.

Tang Gon had made a few marks on the ground by dragging his feet but when he went back and searched, they were gone. This was unnoticeable at first with how limited his vision was but after several attempts, Tang Gon knew that there was something else.

This was a frightening experience and Tang Gon wanted to call out for the system, but he knew that the tutorial areas were dead zones. In the past, he had tried to no avail and this was no different. Not to mention, Tang Gon had a feeling that should he even try, whatever was with him would know.

As of right now, Tang Gon was not in the mood to play around with his life. There was a potential risk and there was a potential danger to his life. Tang Gon knew that at this moment he was too weak and every little small thing could end him.

There was only one way to get out and that was to become stronger. The system was obsolete and his summons was unsummonable. Tang Gon could only count on himself, but even then he knew that he had to be careful to get out.

Throwing these thoughts to the back of his mind, Tang Gon continued walking. There were the constant screeches and sounds from around him, but nothing jumped out to grab him. There was no particular path ahead so Tang Gon could only pick a direction and stick to it.

It was tiring mentally to be constantly on the guard and physically to be so tense.

'Should I run.'

Several times, thoughts of running ahead appeared in his head, but Tang Gon threw them out. This was not the time or place. Who knew what was out here in the darkness. Everything had to be taken slowly and carefully. He wanted to get out, but not at the cost of his own life.

Several more times, Tang Gon would pick up his pace and jog ahead, but every time Tang Gon would remind himself to take it slowly. There was still that lingering presence that would make itself known from time to time.

This was truly the limit of what was called an endless walk. The past tutorial was similar in the exploration of the unknown areas, but even then there was a clear and visible destination in mind. This was taking him to no particular location and at times, Tang Gon felt that he was just going in circles.

Luckily, the fog gradually lightened as he stepped ahead. This helped in improving his mood, but the presence around him also increased. It was roughly around this moment that the first sign of life was found.

It was out of the corner of his eyes, but Tang Gon was sure that he saw a small flash of fur before it took off. This was also roughly around the time a worn path appeared along with some small shrubs and bushes.

Gradually, the path twisted and turned before leading into the ma.s.sive undergrowth. The fog was still present, but now the surrounding was bursting with life. Flowers were on full bloom and soon tall trees filled his entire field of view.

It was at this moment that Tang Gon realized he was lost. It was a sudden experience knowing that the path he had moments ago been walking on simply disappeared from underneath. He turned around in an attempt to relocate it, but it was of no use. The general direction of the path was now covered in dense forestry.

He wanted to turn around, but at this moment he knew it was impossible. It was easier to continue along this path rather than retracing his steps as there was simply no point in going back, the only way to pa.s.s was to keep moving.

As a result, Tang Gon would walk, jog, and run past all of the landmarks that appeared. There was no use in trying to keep a map because every time Tang Gon tried to retrace his steps, the landmarks would change. It was a futile effort and knowing this only made Tang Gon sigh.

The only thing that he could do now was to set his mind at peace. He needed a break and seeing the lake ahead, Tang Gon decided to rest for a bit before continuing.

The path around him was flat and surrounded by a large field of flowers that would sway and dance every time Tang Gon walked by. A few steps past this field was the lake that stretched across the horizon, but was still too small to be called anything else.

The water was still, but gusts of wind would come from below the surface and freeze the surrounding parts of water before fading. It was a miraculous sight with so many oddities and creatures that Tang Gon had never seen.