The world was white.
Not a clean hospital kind of white. No, this was the kind of white that felt like reality had forgotten how to color. A boundless expanse of glowing marble stretched infinitely, reflecting itself in a surreal kaleidoscope of nothingness. There were no walls, no ceiling—just endless, unbroken light. And in the middle of it all stood Dr. Dimitri Volkov, neurobiologist, world-class overthinker, and freshly baked participant in something called "The Tutorial."
He rubbed his eyes. Still white.
Still not dead.
Probably.
Okay, focus Dimitri. You're not hallucinating. Probably.
A screen popped up in front of him, humming softly with an otherworldly aura. Glowing script spelled out a single directive:
[CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON]
Before him materialized a neat row of floating weapons. Swords. Bows. Daggers. A comically oversized battleaxe that looked like it needed a forklift license to wield. And then—his eyes caught it.
A staff.
Smooth, oaken, and unassuming, it floated gently, like it had been waiting for him specifically. Memories flickered in his mind—childhood afternoons spent in a grassy field behind his grandfather's country home, swinging a broomstick-turned-staff and pretending to be a monk-warrior fighting invisible dragons.
He stepped forward, reached out, and the staff settled into his grip with a satisfying thunk. Warm. Balanced. Familiar.
Something in him shifted.
"Right," he muttered. "Let's see if the body remembers."
And it did.
His feet slid across the marble floor in a practiced rhythm. He pivoted, twirled the staff behind his back, transitioned into a high-arc strike, then a sweep. He stumbled on a spin—*"Ow, okay, clearly the body also remembers I'm thirty-seven and out of shape"—*but the movements became smoother with each attempt.
Oddly enough, he never really got tired. Oh, he felt the exhaustion—burning arms, sweaty palms, the kind of gasping breaths he hadn't taken since university fencing club—but every time he bent over to wheeze out a lung, his body... reset. Fully recovered. Muscles rejuvenated. Stamina back to full.
The glowing UI panel changed.
[12:00:00 REMAINING]
It was a countdown. For what, he didn't know.
And so he trained.
Time became irrelevant in the blank expanse. No sun. No shadow. Only the increasingly fluid movement of a man rediscovering discipline he never thought he'd need again. Each hour brought sharper arcs, quicker footwork, tighter stances. He improvised combinations, mentally naming them things like "Double Helix Crush" and "Neuron Splitter Special."
The nerd in him was having a field day.
But in the quiet between strikes, questions brewed.
Why am I here? What is this tutorial for? And who or what are the Akashic Records?
His only clue was the name. Tutorial. Which meant this wasn't the real challenge. It was preparation. For something worse.
Probably a lot worse.
The timer ticked down.
And when it struck zero, a portal opened.
A swirling void of black ink tore into the marble floor like spilled paint. He stared at it, palms sweating. Staff trembling slightly.
"Well," he muttered. "Can't exactly skip class if the universe enrolled you, can you?"
He stepped in.
***
[YOU HAVE ENTERED FLOOR 1]
If the white room was a void, the next space was its opposite—a riot of sound, color, and scent.
He emerged into an open plain bathed in early morning light. Rolling green hills stretched into the distance, dotted with clusters of trees. A breeze rolled through the grass, carrying the earthy aroma of dew and wildflowers. Birds chirped overhead. It would've been peaceful...
...if not for the glowing text floating above his head.
[OBJECTIVE: KILL HORNED RABBIT]
[PROGRESS: 0/2]
Dimitri raised a brow. "Rabbits? Really?"
How hard could that be?
He found out in ten minutes.
He crouched behind a bush. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His staff rested in his palms, and he stared with narrowed eyes at a creature roughly the size of a housecat, nibbling on a carrot-shaped plant about fifteen meters away.
It looked deceptively adorable. Like something you'd find on a child's pajamas. Soft grey fur. Big ears. Except it had a single, spiraling horn sticking out of its forehead, glimmering faintly with mana.
A horned rabbit. Of course.
Dimitri inched forward.
Snap.
A twig cracked underfoot.
The rabbit's ears twitched.
"Wait—!"
It bolted.
"OH COME ON!"
He gave chase, legs flailing like a baby giraffe learning parkour. The rabbit zigged. He zagged. The rabbit zagged. He fell into a bush.
It was faster. Much faster. Every approach failed.
For six straight hours.
He began studying them.
From a distance, he observed patterns—feeding habits, preferred terrain, escape routes. He adjusted his breathing, kept his center of gravity low. Every time he moved, he checked the ground. No twigs. No dry leaves. Just soft grass. He practiced crawling until his elbows hurt. Until the ache in his knees became numb.
He didn't just hunt.
He became a hunter.
Then, the screen blinked.
[SKILL ACQUIRED: BASIC STEALTH]
He smirked. "Now we're in business."
The sun dipped lower, casting golden hues over the rolling grass. A rabbit grazed near a slope.
Dimitri was already behind it.
He exhaled, every inch of his body tense, focused. The wind blew, masking his scent. He crept within striking distance.
Snap—
He lunged.
The staff swung in a clean arc, connecting with a heavy thud.
The rabbit was flung sideways with a screech, horn sparking, but it was too late. Dimitri followed up with a second strike, smashing down with precision and controlled rage.
The rabbit fell still.
[1/2]
He had no time to rest. Another rabbit, drawn by the noise, charged. It was faster, angrier, and actually kicked him square in the stomach.
"OW—Okay! That's new!"
He rolled, dodging a burst of mana from the horn. It sliced through grass like a hot knife.
He ducked, countered with a sweeping strike, then jabbed with the staff's tip. The impact stunned the rabbit long enough for him to slam it down again.
The second rabbit crumpled.
[COMPLETED FLOOR 1]
[REWARDS CALCULATED]
[UNLOCKED: BASIC STATUS]
[YOU HAVE RECIEVED: 10 GOLD COINS, 1x LOW HEALTH POTION]
Dimitri collapsed to the ground, chest heaving. Blood splattered his clothes. His arms trembled. The horned rabbit's lifeless form lay nearby.
It wasn't much.
But it was his victory.
He wiped the blood from his cheek. The crimson stood out against the green grass.
"This... isn't Earth anymore," he whispered. "This isn't the old world."
Strength was everything here.
And knowledge?
Knowledge was survival.
He looked at the horizon.
"Alright, Akashic Records... let's see what you're really hiding."
****
Cities transformed into wild kingdoms.
Domestic animals - once docile, now awakened - reclaimed concrete jungles. Not through violence. Through evolution.
A German Shepherd in downtown Manhattan now moved with predatory grace. Intelligence sparked in eyes that once begged for treats. Muscle groups redesigned. Sensory perception expanded.
In Chicago, a cluster of house cats developed telepathic communication. Not cute. Tactical.
Subway systems became hunting grounds. Abandoned skyscrapers - ecological laboratories.
Nature didn't just reclaim. It redesigned.
Some creatures had been preparing long before the planet's awakening. Dormant genetic potential. Waiting.
The planet's evolutionary surge became their catalyst.
A Rottweiler in Seattle developed armored skin. Not fur. Metallic membrane structures that could deflect small caliber rounds.
Pigeons in Tokyo? Developed echolocation. Hunting capabilities that would make bats jealous.
But none compared to the transformation happening in the hidden cave.
Waterfall cascading. Geological music.
A cocoon. Massive. Pulsing.
{Ding! Planet is undergoing evolution..}
{Mana in surroundings increased}
{Host is accumulating more mana....}
{Evolution mutation is occurring...}
{Slightly changing host's evolution}
{Race: Griffin -> Noble Metallic Griffin (uncommon+ - Rare++)}
Silence.
Then movement.
Blue eyes.
Not just blue. Sapphire pools of pure potential.
The cocoon fractured. Not violently. Precisely.
Something was being born.
Not just a creature.
A sovereign.
*Picture of Noble Metallic Griffin*