Reborn as a Reluctant Demon Lord

Chapter 6 - Cheesing the Tutorial

The only good tutorial is a short one, so thanks for hanging in there. Don't worry, we finally make it out in this chapter. Well... Most of us.

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Out of curiosity, I had Sam hit me with a [Fire Bolt] when we got back, just to ensure that I actually was immune to fire damage. My HP stayed the same on my status, so with my curiosity sated, we sat around a bit before wondering what to do next.

I was down to 23 HP and 67 SP. The group determined that was a bit low on health to be comfortable. Meanwhile, I was more concerned by the fact that I didn't get a single level from that fight.

We discussed back and forth about the merits of going out or waiting for my health to come back, and in the end, we decided to get some more info about the second choice before deciding.

We asked around and found one group that didn't have a [Cleric] that mentioned that they healed up just by resting. The fact that Tim and Sam were also basically out of mana clinched the decision that we would just kill time for a bit. Apparently, [Quick Cast] doubled Sam's mana costs, so she was down to 1 point left after 12 [Fire Bolts], and Tim had emptied it all with a single [Overchannel].

"Well, if they get their MP back a lot faster than I get my HP, I could always go die again to get back to full." I joked. The looks the party gave me said that idea went over like a lead balloon. I excused myself and went to my room.

I flopped gracelessly onto my bed and thought I would take a nap for a bit. Then I remembered. Wait. Am I still not tired? Shouldn't I be exhausted after yesterday, fighting all night, and then this fight today? I tried once again to make myself comfortable, but couldn't seem to.

I tossed, and I turned for several minutes before I heard a knock at the door. "Hey Titus, are you awake?"

"Yeah, go ahead and come in."

The friendly neighborhood [Berserker] walked into the room. "I was just wondering if you had a bit to chat. And also if you are doing okay." I sat on the edge of my bed, and he came and sat next to me.

I frowned slightly. "Well, given the circumstances, I think I am doing about as good as possible." I paused. "I don't think it truly feels real yet, so I guess that is why homesickness hasn't kicked in yet."

He frowned. "That wasn't exactly what I was asking about, though that was something I was curious about too. What I am talking about was the fact that you died. And based on what we saw earlier this morning, you have done so more than once. Titus, be straight with me. How many times have you died since coming here?"

I saw no reason to lie. "Dozens. I couldn't get to sleep last night, so I tried to fight those same five ants over and over again."

"Dozens," Garrett whispered. "Titus, do you wish that you were dead? Or that you could simply stop existing?"

"What? No! What on earth would give you that idea?"

"The fact that you have literally gone out there and killed yourself dozens of times!" Garrett shouted as his hand crashed down hard on the bed frame. At the shocked look on my face, Garrett seemed to come to his senses. "I'm... I'm sorry, Titus." He took a deep breath and then continued. "I am.. More familiar with the symptoms of depression and suicide than I would like to be. I didn't see very many in you. I was pretty surprised when I saw you respawning at the obelisk again this morning."

"We're still in the tutorial, and I have to level and get stronger somehow. So I don't think dying a few times is that big a deal-"

He cut me off. "It is a big deal. You are learning that it is okay to die. The system specifically told us no respawns outside of here. So Titus, please. Treat this as much like reality as possible. Run away from fights if you can't make it out alive."