Possessed as a Tutorial-Exclusive Cheat Character

1 – Ruins, Albion (1)

I organized my thoughts.

I felt like that was the first thing I should do.

” …Hm. “

The city of Dragons, Albion, is under attack from the moment it begins.

The machine civilization that seeks to destroy all life in the world.

Harvest.

Albion, which became the first target of the machine nation, resisted in the last city, but eventually was wiped out by the machine lifeforms. Young dragon were pushed to escape, but ultimately chose to fight rather than escape.

As a tutorial character, the choices were not free. It was compulsory and the actions that suited his personality were automatically determined.

Young but noble.

Choosing to fight rather than end the conflict.

I might have been fascinated by his choice, which I would never have made. risking his body to save others.

Isn’t that the embodiment of ‘coolness’?

But… it’s supposed to be that way…

“Me.”

I’m not sure if it’s okay to express it as ‘me.’

But for now, it’s me. Yes.

I am me.

” … Why am I alive?”

Drakan clearly dies.

At the end of the tutorial.

But why is this body alive now?

In the ashes of the ruined city of Albion, where nothing remains destroyed and burnt, I stood up.

In front of me was a steel giant, ‘Titan,’ with a broken body unique to each race created by the advanced civilization that penetrates Frontier Online.

I caressed the broken and burned machine with my left leg and right arm missing.

I know.

The name of this Titan.

“…Flametail.”

There is no way I wouldn’t recognize the craft that I’ve played with thousands of times.

The Titan that collapsed around me was staring at me, motionless. It felt like a mother embracing her child.

After escaping from Flametail’s embrace, I patted Albeon lightly. The destroyed buildings and the ruins left nothing but silence.

Destruction itself. It was the final touch of a Harvest Down that kills everything alive and turns it into materials.

I quickly returned to Flametail. After spending several minutes, I was finally able to open the core part attached to the Titan’s chest.

I haven’t deeply played the main game. I was only interested in the tutorial.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t know anything about this place. If I had an interest, I would usually research offline.

I knew enough about Titans. I even knew that this core part was the most important.

It is the power source of the Titan and the auxiliary AI that supports the pilot.

I heard that in the main game, high-grade cores couldn’t be obtained even with money. Especially the cores of dragon-type Titans were very expensive.

Taking it with me seemed right. It might become my ally despite being somewhat heavy.

I still couldn’t understand. Why did I suddenly end up here? Why was Drakan, a character who should have died, still alive?

And on top of that…

Why was the Titan in front of me, whom I had little connection with Drakan, surrounding me?

The friendship between the pilot and the Titan didn’t seem proportionate to the time spent together.

It didn’t make sense that such an auxiliary AI was protecting me as if enveloping me. Because the starting point of the tutorial was the day Drakan Lundbell first boarded the Titan.

“…For now.”

I turned my head. I decided to search the desolate Albeon.

I can’t just stay still like this. I started walking with the core in my arms.

First, let’s start by surviving.

Somehow.

…

Albeon was literally empty. Under the invasion of Harvest, like a swarm of locusts, there was almost nothing left.

Harvest, the machine nation that wants to exterminate all sentient beings. Under their atrocities that began from the farms, Albeon had become a literal garbage dump.

“…There’s nothing to eat.”

The broken refrigerator had nothing. There were no normal furnishings, and everything was in ruins.

“There’s… nowhere to rest.”

The buildings that I surveyed were all in ruins. Fortunately, there were no corpses.

…Which was to be expected. Harvesters don’t leave corpses. They take the bodies of those they kill and turn them into fuel and materials.

They truly are terrifying. The natural enemies of living beings.

However, that doesn’t mean they were invincible.

The beginning of Frontier Online starts with the downfall of the Dragon City. And with that beginning, the harvesters cease their advance.

It was also set that they suffered significant damage while demolishing the Dragon City. It could be seen as a recoil from destroying the strongest force on the planet Terra.

As strong as the dragon race is. They were even a species that had all their abilities set at the highest level in fandom.

…They were also a race that players couldn’t choose. In the first place, besides humans, players didn’t have any other options.

I raised my gaze and looked directly at the horns hanging above my head.

Indeed, this body belongs to the dragon race. It flawlessly reproduces the handsome face of the Draconian.

If I remember correctly, this body is almost invincible in battles.

Of course, it assumes that I have acquired all combat skills.

I looked down at the Flame Tail nestled in my arms. I wanted to ask all the questions that came to mind to this living artificial intelligence.

But what would I gain by asking the Core that the body obtains?

I sighed. Albion is not a safe zone. As soon as the tutorial ends, I will be within Harvest’s territory huddled up.

There are currently no troops, but machines soldiers that gradually strengthen their bodies could attack at any moment.

Moreover, there is also the issue of food. To survive, I had to keep moving.

Move…and move…

…Huh?

“Oh… come to think of it…”

Something happened.

I have cleared countless tutorials. I memorized all the lines from the script. I was fascinated by Albion and even searched through community sites for known information.

And now that I think about it, there was something.

A hidden secret facility in the underground of Albion.

“…Ah.”

There might be something there. It happened when Frontier Online had been open for more than seven years, during the time when players were exploring Albion and discovered the empty underground facility that seemed to have concealed something.

It was like a hidden underground community. There wasn’t a speck of dust inside, but…

What about now?

I started moving my feet. I recalled the map that represented the underground facilities of Albion and took my first step forward.

One dark interior with no sign of light. Unable to see ahead, the person continued to descend, relying on their senses.

They stumbled a few times in the middle but stood back up. They wanted to go outside, but they resisted the urge.

If they give up now after coming this far, everything will truly be ruined. Carrying the heavy core, they couldn’t walk barefoot towards another city whose whereabouts were unknown.

“…….”.

The sound of their breath broke through the silence.

Gradually, their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. Things that were once invisible started becoming visible.

A complex interior. A chaotic and torn-apart interior.

Thanks to the faint and sporadic illumination, I could keep going.

Snap.

I immediately held my breath upon hearing the sound. A red light moved swiftly within the dark space.

There’s something inside.

I cautiously tilted my head. The limb-walking mechanical lifeform, a monster that made metallic sounds with each movement, looked this way for a moment.

The sound of their breath is different from the ordinary. It is like air being forcefully sucked into multiple tiny holes.

“…….”.

Harvest.

The harvester’s janitor…!

I immediately swallowed my breath. In the darkness, I tightly held onto the core and squinted my eyes.

The metallic sound soon faded away. The red light that illuminated the darkness also disappeared completely.

I felt death right beside me. I glanced at my trembling feet.

Nevertheless, I stood up.

I had to keep moving. To survive.

I continued to navigate through the twisted terrain like a maze. There were moments when I almost crossed paths with the harvester’s janitors, but I miraculously managed to escape.

Getting lost and finding the way again became a recurring pattern.

My hungry stomach started growling. The strength in the arm holding the core began to fade.

I took breaks intermittently, but now my body and mind reached their limits.

But fortunately, I was able to reach my destination.

“…I found it.”

Other than the fact that patterns were engraved in the corner, it was just like any other wall.

I extended one hand while holding my breath. I gently pressed certain parts of the pattern, which sank inward.

Actually opening it was new to me. But how many times had I seen it in videos?

Creak.

A sound came from beside me. I immediately turned my head. Someone was turning their head in the long corridor.

Harvest’s janitor.

I moved my hand faster. The door began to open slowly. It was opening at such a slow pace that it was almost yawn-inducing, so I immediately shoved my entire core inside.

Crunch!

The sound of dust splitting apart. Harvest’s janitor moved. Raised arms lunged towards me.

I forced myself into the crack that had reluctantly opened.

And…

There was a sound of flesh being pierced.

Swoosh.

A hole appeared above the wall where I forcibly squeezed myself in. Part of my clothes tore, and for a moment, I felt as if my leg had been caught.

My palm suddenly grew hot.

As if something had penetrated through it.

“Screaaam!!!”

Desperately, I wedged my body in further. Trembling and with a sense of unease, I somehow managed to slip inside and clutched the core tightly with one hand.

A sharp steel leg grazed past me. I staggered and rolled my body. The sound of my clothes tearing all the way.

A sharp noise came from behind. The door that had been open started to close. Due to squeezing my body forcibly inside, every part of me was scratched by something.

A sliding steel leg struck near my head above the core. With all my strength, I swatted away the janitor. It was my last attempt and resistance.

Plop!

Harvest’s janitor, who had been desperately squeezing himself into the gap, let out a cry. His body got partially stuck due to the closing door, which closed faster than expected.

Thrashing legs were slowly crushed. The torn upper body unable to overcome the pressure of the closing door fell right in front of me.

Fading crimson light.

Transparent liquid pouring instead of blood.

“Cough… Cough…”

The surroundings fell silent again.

Complete darkness, without even a fluorescent lamp.

I groped my way inside.

It hurts. But gradually, the pain began to diminish. Perhaps it’s because of the superior physical ability of my breed.

The palm that had protruded was not as painful as before. However, that didn’t mean the bleeding had completely stopped.

Above all, the pain I felt for the first time in my life was excruciating.

The moment I was hit, I wanted to give up everything.

My body is hot. Hunger and thirst intensify.

I continued to push through the darkness. Eventually, I reached something while navigating the unknown.

Something hard. The core I had been clinging to rolled away.

I have no strength left. I can’t move anymore.

“…Gen…Gang…”

Did I wander for hours in the darkness? Crossing diagonals…

I couldn’t stand up when I tried. This body wasn’t one that had survived during the war in the first place.

Energy and physical fitness are bottoming out.

…First….

Even if it’s just for a moment, I need to rest…

“…How.”

I heard a voice.

But I couldn’t lift my head.

I just closed my eyes.

“How did you get here…?”

. . .

I opened my eyes.

I scratched my head. My fingertips hit the horn and hurt, so I rubbed my hand.

A lazy yawn. Eyes that don’t open well.

After nodding off for a while, I finally remembered what happened to me.

“……!”

I jerked my head up. A light that was already on.

The place where I was sleeping was a temporary bed. As if someone moved me here, even a pillow was placed under my head.

What on earth…

I hurriedly opened the closed door and ran outside.

And.

I stood still.

“…Wow.”

Machines move. As they climb over the gaps of the giant iron beings that fill the square, sparks of violet flames rise here and there.

What lies before me is an unknown world that combines with an ancient civilization.

In the bright lights, gases of dragon-shaped are lined up in order. Each of them is a titan similar to Flame Tail.

The number of them was countless.

Among the huge giants, complicated machines moved. As if it were natural, they cleaned the inside and checked the parts.

The sound wasn’t loud. All there was, was the sound of wheels rolling and sparks popping.

I checked the machines. All the moving machines were unmanned. They were automatic maintenance systems for the dragon clan that only executed pre-programmed commands.

Then, where are the people?

I searched the surroundings thoroughly. However, I couldn’t find any trace of people. Then, what was the last voice I heard?

In the end, I returned to the original room with nothing found. However, unlike when I left, the door was completely closed.

A sense of presence was also heard inside. It seemed like things had reversed. I swallowed my dry saliva.

I slowly opened the door.

“…Ah.”

Our eyes met. Like me, the horns of a dragon. The eyes that looked calm.

The pale, white hair was long enough to reach the toes. However, for some reason, the pink eyes looking this way seemed somewhat crooked.

A beautiful person. But what is it?

…A feeling of looking dangerous.

“…What’s your name?”

“Seo…”

I was about to casually say my name when I quickly modified it.

“Dr, Drakan Lundbale.”

“Drakan. I remember. But it’s strange. It was so strange that I checked it again. But the verification result showed that there were clearly no surviving dragon clan members. All life reactions of all dragon clan members inside Albeon disappeared in an instant. But how are you still alive?”

“…What?”

“Drakan. A young elite soldier. Have you heard of my name?”

She put her hand on her chest and whispered.

Her vacant eyes were hollow as if they were going to be sucked in.

“I’m Scarlet Peridot, Head of the Military Support Division 2. How about it? Do you remember? I don’t want to burden a child who has just awakened, but I hope you can answer my question

Scarlet Peridot.

It’s an unfamiliar name.

“…I don’t remember…”

“I see. In that case, let me change the question. Please prove to me that you’re not a machine lifeform disguised as a dragonkin, infiltrating Harvest.”

Something was whispered in the hand of the woman who introduced herself as Scarlet Peridot.

A chilling pistol.

The barrel was pointed at my head.

“It’s best to start from how you came back to life after your life signs went out.”