A Gamer's Guide to Beating the Tutorial

On a snowy New Year's Eve, Fennrick negotiates one last hurrah in a seedy internet cafe, but at the stroke of midnight, he receives a tantalizing invitation: "You have been invited to join the Tutorial." And when presented with the available difficulty levels, he makes the obvious choice: Hell. Soon, Fennrick finds himself in frenzied, violent combat, and it's a toss-up as to which he'll lose first: his life or what little sanity he has left. With his criminal record, estranged family, and nonexistent future, he's ready to accept death.

When former MMORPG champion (and current indebted, isolated madman) Lo Fennrick joined the Tutorial, it seemed grit, dedication, and a willingness to kill were all he needed in order to beat each hellish floor. But as he enters the ashy wastes of this next one, he finds a familiar face awaiting him—alongside a challenge that might prove to be more than he can handle.

Lo Fennrick has been through Hell—literally. Surviving the levels of the Tutorial has been hard enough. His body has taken beating after beating, and his mind has disintegrated numerous times over. But on top of all that, it seems the gods have voted on his removal from the game, which would condemn him to an unknown future. Their aversion is hardly unexpected. After all, he's already assassinated an emperor, murdered the king of Acheron, killed thousands of others, and eaten human flesh. Few would be disappointed if he suddenly exploded into a cloud of confetti.