[Welcome to the Tutorial A-0]
"It's time to pick a weapon, huh..."
The Dimensional Rift
It is said to be the most important structure in a cradle, as every cradle has one. It serves as a door to other worlds and vice versa.
Players have theorized that the Dimensional Rift and the Cradle's Heart are part of a single entity. This would explain why there was one instance where a player recklessly destroyed the gate, causing everything to collapse, which made all the players in that cradle furious at that one player.
[Please pick your weapon, King Fran]
"You already know my choice."
[Understood.]
[Obtained and Equipped Beginner Sword (C)(100%)]
[Base: (Strength: 20%, Agility: 10%)]
In King's Cradle, weapons and armor work slightly differently. Instead of being independent objects, they are bound to the user and supplement their stats.
[Strength 1 (34%) -> Strength 1 (54%)]
[Agility 1 (52%) -> Agility 1 (62%)]
"Let's first get the easiest Passive Skill."
Surrounding Fran was a circular, enclosed space made of stone, well-illuminated by the torches surrounding them. In front of Fran was a training dummy, which was marked as [Living Entity] in the status window that popped in front of him.
"Hah...!"
Poke. Poke. Poke.
[...]
It was a sight to see.
Poke. Poke. Poke.
It was definitely fast.
Fran had stabbed the training dummy with his sword multiple times and showed no signs of stopping. Although it was poking, it was more accurate to say he was just nudging it.
"There...!"
[Endless Strike Lv. 1 (R) Obtained]
[Base (Agility: 100%)][Passive]
[Whenever three consecutive strikes have hit a target within 1.5 seconds, gain (Agility 10%) stack for 5 seconds for a maximum of 20 stacks. Time is refreshed for every stack gained.]
[Requirement: Hit a living entity 100 times with a bladed weapon within 50 seconds. Damage must be inflicted with each hit.]
"Hah.... That's one. It's not easy, even though I was cheating it out. Now..."
Skills were obtained through a certain requirement. Most of them, however, had very strict or demanding requirements—some players would even play a whole week without ever getting one. That was mainly because the game never tells you how to get them; it was all up to you to figure it out.
Fran, as the one who is renowned to be a world player, of course knew some ways to take advantage of the system that King's Cradle had.
<<----------->>
[Vulnerable Strike Lv. 1 (U) Obtained]
[Base (Intelligence: 40%, Agility 10%)][Active]
[Activate: Show a [Living Entity]'s vital points for 3 seconds. Gain (Strength 50%) on vital points.]
[Requirement: Hit a [Living Entity]'s weak point 3 times within 1 second. Damage must be inflicted with each hit.]
"That was... almost impossible! This body is still so weak." Fran slumped to the ground as if his muscles gave out.
Still panting, Fran wiped his sweat. Even with the Agility boost and doing the bare minimum on the requirements, he was still barely able to get the skill. He didn't expect it to be harder than it looked, since he had always used the same strategy every time he started a new character.
When he arrived at the cradle, his body and mind had remained the same back before he was transported in King's Cradle. Having seen his status for the first time a while ago made Fran feel uncomfortable. Who knew human capabilities could be quantified into a simple status screen, he thought.
[Fran Asroth ✦]
[Lvl. 1]
[Equipped Beginner Sword (C)(100%)]
[Strength - 1 (54%)] [Agility - 2 (72%)] [Intelligence - 2 (47%)] [Endurance - 1 (16%)] [Stamina - 1 (42%)]
[Unique Gift - King's Authority]
[Vulnerable Strike Lv. 1 (U)]
[Endless Strike Lv. 1 (R)]
"With this, I'll be able to clear the first stage." As if proud of himself, he let out a big sigh.
[Are you going to clear it yourself, King Fran?]
"No, we will head to the heart right away."
<<----------->>
[What's wrong?]
Arriving at the heart, Fran couldn't help but be awed. Sitting at the center of everything was a gigantic floating golden crystal. Rays of light hit and dazzled Fran as he inched closer. He noticed that below was a circular disk, scribbled with writings that he couldn't read or understand.
"My body feels lighter than ever, and my senses seem to be more awake than usual. It's still hard to believe that my own body could improve this much over a game's system."
[You're like a country bumpkin, King Fran]
Of course, Fran knew the game system well. Stats aren't just limited to combat, it also means that your body will reflect the changes on your body. However, it was hard to believe something like "My brain power is 2x better" when he was just playing the game previously.
"What's your Intelligence Stat at, Axy?" Fran curiously asked.
[Confidential :\ ]
Fran stopped after being directly under the Cradle's heart. He'd always wondered how this thing was able to float.
"Let's summon now."
[With you under here?]
Axy genuinely sounded confused, being unable to read Fran for once.
"Yes, please do so as I instruct you to—"
<<----------->>
[Summoning 3 Otherworlders -> Common Wishing Ticket x3 consumed]
Slowly, the radiant golden crystal enveloped its light on the dome that encased it. Bright was not enough to describe it; it was like the sun, without the heat. In fact, Fran described it as warm and comforting—almost blinding.
[Summoning Successful]
[Welcome to Cradle EVO-C1191.]
The voice spoke, and it could be heard from a mile away. It was neither loud nor quiet, but it was clear and maintained the same volume no matter the distance. That's right, this was usually an announcement made by the King's "Spokesperson", as Fran called it. It was odd, now he knew the reason why they were always different voices every time from different Cradles.
"Huh...?" A meek voice resonated with the now-silent dome.
"Can you stand?"
A hand reached out to the perplexed voice. The voice, confused, reluctantly reached out to the extended hand.
"Where...?"
"I'm not sure myself, I just woke up, the other two are still asleep."
"The other two... Huh!?"
The person jumped; besides them were two people lying on the floor—motionless. They quickly scanned the surroundings, as if to make sense of the situation.
"This is...! Just like the Cradle's Heart! I was just—" They cried out.
"You play King's Cradle too?"
"Too...? Who are you?"
"I'm Fran Asroth, I'm as confused as you are..."
In front of Fran was a woman older than him, who looked to be in her late 20s, She wore a jacket and sweatpants and had her hair tied up.
[You have a nasty personality, King Fran. Here is their status:]
[Moo Hee-Young ✦]
[Lvl. 1]
[Strength - 1 (11%)] [Agility - 1 (72%)] [Intelligence - 1 (47%)] [Endurance - 1 (89%)] [Stamina - 3 (11%)]
[Unique Gift - Stamina Boost]
[Gain a permanent +1 on Stamina.]
"This is... A rare 1-star...!"