Chapter 9 - 09: The New skills
---
A few hours later, Kai gradually awoke as the faint light of the system interface came on. His battered form hurt with exhaustion, and his eyes stung for a moment. With the effort it took to open them, another system announcement appeared.
[Ding! > SYSTEM Notifications: Newbie Pack Unlocked.
"Congratulations, host. Tutorial done. Your first victim has fallen. Take this Newbie Pack as a welcome to your first victory.]
Kai groaned, fighting to roll himself up. "Newbie Pack? Gosh. You’d think after all the suffering, I’d be happy to accept a gift?" he snarled, grinding his mandibles in a combination of incredulity and exhaustion.
He rose to his feet, his voice a whisper: "I fought for every breath. Now I’m being given a pack?" Sarcasm and fatigue tinged his tone.
The computer type voice interrupted, "Tutorial completed. Your Newbie Pack was given. The true challenge lies ahead."
Kai snorted. "The true challenge... of course. As if I was having a picnic." He breathed out, his voice infused with acidic humor. "Okay, well let’s see what you have to offer, Newbie Pack."
He stroked the icon of the Newbie Pack with a trembling claw, and a swirling vortex of holographic images whirled before his eyes as he scrolled through the contents.
The system’s smooth, creaseless voice came from the interface,
[Ding! "Newbie Pack data opened."