Glorious Vanity (SI LitRPG)

After seeing that Freyr wasn't about to go completely off the rails and murder everyone around in a bloody rampage, I turned my attention to the blonde man standing in the center of the room. The Guide who would handle the fallout of the second scenario and then open the way to the next one... as well as the person who had taken over the Administrator role.

Lucifer stared back at me and smirked before shifting his attention to the crowd. "Well then. I have to admit that I'm surprised at how many of you are still alive. The previous Administrator was quite adamant about eliminating a good number of you before opening the way to the training grounds." His blue eyes swept around the room, settling for a few moments on four people.

The isekai protagonist, Akira.

That crazy guy with the axe, John.

The cultivator lady, Sakura.

...And then surprisingly not Freyr, but that one (probably) Korean guy wielding a spear off with the Chosen that hadn't taken a side yet.

That was important to note. I had taken Freyr's side now, for better or worse, so those four were people I'd need to keep an eye on.

And figure out how to beat. Because from the way things were turning out... I had a feeling things were going to end up that way sooner rather than later.

John spat on the ground and said, "Crazy bastards. So you really were trying to kill us off, huh?"

Lucifer held up his hands. "Now, now. As the Guide, I can swear on my name that I had nothing to do with it. Like I said, and like my friend over there mentioned, those were the acts of the previous Administrator." He smiled. "I can assure you that it is my every intent to raise you fledgling warriors into proper Babel contenders."

John narrowed his eyes. "Like I believe that."

Lucifer shrugged. "Believe it or not. That's up to you. But whatever the case..." He swept his gaze across the crowd again and said, "You all face another choice. As you are all aware by now, this is a harsh place, but it is also rewarding. And I am sure that many of you are eager to set out to fulfill your ambitions already... So here are your options." He waved his hand.

The moment he did, a soft chime echoed and a window appeared in my field of vision.

From how everyone else reacted, it seemed they received the same message.

[Message from the Guide]

Due to the abuse of discretion by the previous Administrator, Babel has approved an early exit of the tutorial to those who wish it. Appropriate compensation will be provided.

Alternatively, it is possible to proceed through the tutorial to the Training Grounds Scenario under the new Administrator's supervision. However, due to the previous Administrator's actions, the difficulty has been greatly sharpened and risk of death is likely. Accordingly, greater rewards will be provided.

[Choice]

>Leave the Tutorial and enter Babel

>Stay and continue to the Training Grounds

[Please, make your decision.]

The message didn't mention what the compensation would be, but it was probably something big considering that the Administrator apparently defied causality to try and off Freyr. And it seemed the previous guy didn't go out quietly either and probably rigged whatever we had to do in the Training Grounds scenario.

Lucifer would be supervising and was probably incentivized to make sure things were at least 'possible', but that didn't mean it would be easy.

So...

"Yeah, fuck that noise." John shook his head and said, "Keep going in a rigged game? Screw that. I'm leaving." He hefted his axe over his shoulder and glanced over at Freyr. When he did, he grinned and said, "Though, I'm guessing Miss Knight will stick around, right? After all, your weak volunteers need all the help they can get." He chuckled and then waved, vanishing into thin air. Shortly after, the demons following him vanished as well.

Akira flicked his knife around and hummed. "Training... Eh. I think I'm strong enough." He reached out and tapped the air in front of him before turning back to wave at Freyr. "Good luck, Miss Freyr! I'll figure out how to make some sashimi on the other side and send it your way later."

"Ah." Freyr nodded and then smiled. "Best of luck to you, Sir Kadashi!"

He smiled and then vanished in a flash of light, along with the group of women following him.

That left just Sakura's group, the Chosen who had flocked around that spearman, and then the ones who gathered around Freyr.

...Who were also looking at me with various degrees of envy, jealousy, and suspicion for being so close to Freyr.

Of course, I didn't pay any attention to them. Instead, I focused on the remaining two people that Lucifer had marked out.

That Korean spearman wasn't moving, declaring his intent to remain. As a result, the Chosen around him didn't go anywhere either.

Sakura noticed that and laughed. "My. How bold of you all." She shifted her gaze to the spearman and then smiled. "I suppose they must really believe in your skill, Mister Spearman."

He didn't respond. Instead, he turned his head to look at me, confusion and caution in his gaze.

I clearly didn't recognize him, and it didn't seem that he recognized me. Instead, it was like he was seeing something that didn't fit... So, according to how things were playing out, that guy was probably a regressor.

Great.

Sakura giggled and said, "Strong and silent. I suppose that's fitting." She stretched and then looked back at her group. "If any of you wish to leave, feel free. Don't hold back on my behalf."

One man stepped out from the group. A bodybuilder type of guy with heavy platemail and a long halberd. Smacking his chest, he said, "We will follow Senior Sister wherever she goes!"

Sakura sighed. "Well, I suppose I should have expected that." She shook her head and then looked over at Freyr. "What about you, Lady Valhalla?" She shifted her gaze towards me and the others around Freyr and said, "Will you take the chance to train your forces as well? Or are you going to rely on your Divine connections instead?"

Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on Freyr.

It was a simple question, but also one with nuanced implications.

Would Freyr leave? After all, of the large group she originally had, only a few remained, and they weren't all that great. In contrast, once she was outside the Tutorial she could rely on the powerful forces that belonged to her family... which probably consisted of the elite heroes that Norse mythology had to offer.

Of course, if she did that, her reputation that she started to build up as a defender of justice and heroic individual would vanish. Even if she started from scratch again, it'd be hard.

On the other hand, if she stayed in the Tutorial, there was a high likelihood of another ridiculous event occurring. Probably not to the level of another Divine Myth, but still something deadly.

So it was a test of character. A cunning question that Sakura posed to lay the foundation going forward. To set her own forces and mold as a 'leader' among the Chosen.

And in response to that...

"What do you think, Vain?"

...Freyr turned to me.

Dammit. Maybe I should have used Loki's Blessing and just bailed after all...