Shadow Husband:I Have a Hidden SSS-Class System-Chapter 6: THE TUTORIAL BEGINS

5:47 PM - KUSUMA RESIDENCE

Sekar returned home exactly when she said she would—five o’clock, not a minute late.

She found Rama in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Vegetables chopped with mathematical precision. Rice steaming. Everything perfectly domestic.

"Darling." She wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You didn’t have to cook."

"I wanted to." Rama continued stirring the pan. "How was the gate?"

"Cleared. No casualties. Standard A-rank dungeon—nothing we couldn’t handle." She pressed a kiss to his neck. "I’m going to shower. Don’t let the food burn."

"I won’t."

She disappeared into the bathroom, and Rama let out a breath he’d been holding.

The A-rank gate. While Sekar had been fighting monsters that could level buildings, Rama had been meeting other Players, learning he wasn’t alone in this.

The gulf between their worlds was vast.

But not for much longer.

His phone buzzed. Message from the Player Network.

[SARI: Still on for tonight? 11 PM. Don’t be late.]

[RAMA: Confirmed.]

[SARI: Good. This dungeon is unmapped. Could be dangerous. Bring your A-game.]

Rama checked the System clock. Five hours and thirteen minutes until the meeting.

Plenty of time to maintain the perfect husband routine.

10:43 PM

Sekar was asleep.

She’d fallen asleep watching a drama on her tablet, exhausted from the A-rank raid. Her breathing was deep and even, one arm draped possessively across Rama’s chest even in unconsciousness.

Carefully—very carefully—Rama extracted himself from her grip.

She stirred. "Rama...?"

"Bathroom," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"Mm..." She rolled over, hugging his pillow instead.

Rama waited two full minutes, watching her breathing pattern, confirming she was truly asleep.

Then he moved.

He’d prepared everything in advance. Dark clothing in the bathroom. Emergency excuse prepared. Phone location spoofing app active.

Rama changed quickly, activated [Presence Concealment], and slipped out of the penthouse.

The building’s security was extensive, but Rama had mapped every camera, every guard rotation, every blind spot.

He used [Shadow Step] to teleport between dark corners, avoiding detection entirely.

Three minutes later, he emerged onto the street, invisible to the world.

A motorcycle waited at the corner—rental, untraceable, arranged through the Player Network.

Rama checked his phone one last time.

No messages from Sekar. No alerts. No suspicious activity.

Perfect.

He revved the engine and disappeared into Jakarta’s night traffic.

OLD PORT DISTRICT - 11:04 PM

The meeting point was an abandoned warehouse that had once been used for shipping containers. Now it was a graveyard of rusted metal and forgotten cargo.

Sari, Adi, and Budi were already waiting.

"You’re late," Sari said, checking her watch.

"Traffic," Rama replied.

"Sure." She didn’t believe him, but she didn’t press. "The gate is two blocks east. B-Rank. Appeared three hours ago. No guild has claimed it yet because of the location—too remote, profit margin too low."

"Which makes it perfect for us," Adi added, grinning. "Loot split four ways beats six-way guild splits any day."

Budi remained silent, arms crossed, scanning the surroundings with veteran paranoia.

"One problem," Sari continued. "This gate has a weird energy signature. The association flagged it as ’abnormal’ but didn’t elaborate. Could be nothing. Could be something."

"Which is why we’re scouting first, not committing," Budi finally spoke. "If it’s too dangerous, we retreat. No heroes. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Let’s move."

The gate stood in an empty lot between two collapsed warehouses.

It pulsed with sickly green light—definitely not the standard orange of B-Rank gates.

[UNSTABLE GATE DETECTED]

[RANK: B (CORRUPTED)]

[WARNING: ABNORMAL ENERGY SIGNATURE]

[RECOMMENDED PARTY SIZE: 6-8 HUNTERS (B-RANK OR ABOVE)]

The System’s warning was more severe than usual.

"That’s not normal," Adi muttered, staring at the swirling portal.

"We noticed," Sari said dryly. She turned to the group. "Vote. Do we enter or abort?"

"Enter," Budi said immediately. "Corrupted gates drop better loot. Risk versus reward."

"I’m in," Adi agreed.

They looked at Rama.

This was his first real Player Network mission. His first time entering a dangerous gate with people who knew about his System.

He could be himself here. No hiding. No pretending to be weak.

"Let’s do it," Rama said.

Sari nodded. "Stay tight. Watch each other’s backs. If anyone gets in trouble, we retreat as a group. No one gets left behind."

They stepped through the gate together.

The world inverted.

One moment, abandoned port. The next, they stood in a massive cathedral-like structure made entirely of black stone. Pillars stretched upward into darkness. The air reeked of decay and something else—corruption, like rotting magic.

[YOU HAVE ENTERED: CATHEDRAL OF THE FALLEN]

[DUNGEON TYPE: CORRUPTED - SPECIAL INSTANCE]

[OBJECTIVES: UNCLEAR]

[WARNING: EXIT MAY BE RESTRICTED]

"Exit may be restricted?" Adi read aloud. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means we might not be able to leave until we clear it," Sari said, her voice tense. "Everyone, combat formation. Now."

They arranged themselves automatically. Budi at front—he was a Tank-type Player like Rama. Sari and Adi in mid-range for DPS. Rama covering the rear.

The first enemies appeared within seconds.

[CORRUPTED ACOLYTE - LEVEL 38]

Humanoid figures in tattered robes, faces hidden behind cracked porcelain masks. They moved with unnatural, jerking motions.

"Undead type," Budi called out. "Aim for the head or the core. Standard tactics."

Three Acolytes rushed them.

Budi activated a skill—[Fortress Stance]—his body glowing with golden light as he became an immovable object.

The Acolytes’ attacks bounced off harmlessly.

Sari and Adi unleashed their skills. Phantom blades and shadow magic tore through the enemies with surgical precision.

Rama hung back, watching, learning.

These were experienced Players. Their coordination was flawless. Their skill usage efficient. Their damage output insane.

The Acolytes died in seconds.

"Too easy," Sari muttered. "This is a B-Rank corrupted dungeon. Where’s the real threat?"

Her question was answered immediately.

The cathedral’s ceiling cracked open.

Something massive descended.

[CORRUPTED GUARDIAN - LEVEL 45 - MINI-BOSS]

A ten-meter-tall statue animated by corrupt magic. Stone body. Four arms, each wielding a different weapon. Eyes glowing with green fire.

"Spread out!" Budi shouted.

The Guardian’s hammer came down like a meteor strike.

Budi caught it with his shield, the impact creating a shockwave that cracked the floor. He grunted, knees buckling, but held firm.

"Little help here!" he roared.

Sari and Adi attacked from the sides, their skills chipping away at the stone body.

But the Guardian’s HP bar barely moved.

"It’s too tanky!" Adi called out. "We need more damage!"

The Guardian swung its sword in a wide arc, forcing everyone to scatter.

Rama analyzed the situation.

The boss had high defense but slow attack speed. Its movements were predictable. And it was focused entirely on Budi, who was holding aggro.

Classic tank-and-spank scenario.

But they lacked burst damage.

That’s where Rama came in.

He activated [Phantom Strike] and charged.

His sword multiplied into illusory afterimages as he struck the Guardian’s leg joint. The blade found a crack in the stone, driving deep.

Critical hit.

The Guardian’s HP dropped five percent from one attack.

"Rama! What the—" Sari stared at him.

"Keep attacking!" Rama shouted. "Aim for the joints! The stone is weaker there!"

He didn’t wait for confirmation. He activated [Shadow Step], teleporting to the Guardian’s other leg, and struck again.

Another critical hit.

The Guardian roared—a sound like grinding stone—and tried to swat Rama away.

But Rama was already gone, teleporting behind it, targeting the spine.

Budi caught on immediately. "Focus fire on the joints! Do what he’s doing!"

Sari and Adi adjusted their attacks, targeting vulnerable points.

The Guardian’s HP plummeted.

Thirty percent. Twenty percent. Ten percent.

The boss entered its rage phase, attacking wildly, weapons swinging in chaotic patterns.

"Rama, get back!" Budi warned.

But Rama had already seen the pattern. Three swings left, two right, overhead smash. Predictable.

He dodged between attacks, each swing missing him by centimeters, and drove his sword into the Guardian’s core—a glowing green crystal embedded in its chest.

The blade pierced the crystal.

The Guardian froze.

Then exploded into fragments of stone and corrupt magic.

[CORRUPTED GUARDIAN DEFEATED]

[EXPERIENCE SHARED AMONG PARTY]

[LEVEL UP! LEVEL UP!]

[RAMA: LEVEL 17 → LEVEL 19]

[RARE LOOT ACQUIRED]

Rama stood in the center of the debris field, breathing hard, adrenaline pumping.

That was the first time he’d fought all-out since getting the System.

And it felt incredible.

"Okay," Sari said slowly, staring at him. "When did you become a DPS god?"

"I’m still learning," Rama replied, dismissing his System screens.

"Learning." Adi laughed. "Right. Sure. That was ’learning.’"

Budi approached, clapping Rama on the shoulder. "Good instincts. Better damage than most B-Rank DPS I’ve worked with."

Before Rama could respond, a new notification appeared.

Not from the System.

From the dungeon itself.

[CATHEDRAL CORE ACTIVATED]

[SPECIAL EVENT TRIGGERED]

[TUTORIAL INSTANCE DETECTED]

[PLAYER: RAMA - YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR ADVANCED TRAINING]

[REQUIREMENT: COMPLETE SOLO CHALLENGE]

[REWARD: ???]

[ACCEPT? YES/NO]

Rama stared at the message.

"Uh, guys?" He pointed at the center of the cathedral, where a new portal had appeared—this one glowing blue, System-blue.

"What is that?" Sari asked.

"Tutorial Instance," Rama read from his screen. "Solo challenge. System is offering me... advanced training."

"Can we come with you?" Adi asked.

Rama checked the notification. "No. Solo only."

Budi frowned. "Could be a trap."

"Or it could be exactly what it says." Sari crossed her arms. "The System doesn’t lie. It’s brutal, but it’s honest."

She was right. In the short time Rama had the System, every notification had been accurate.

"I’m going in," he decided.

"You sure?" Sari asked.

"Yeah. If I’m going to get stronger, I can’t turn down opportunities like this."

Budi nodded. "We’ll wait here. If you’re not back in thirty minutes, we’re coming in after you."

"Deal."

Rama approached the blue portal and selected YES.

The world shifted.

TUTORIAL INSTANCE - COMBAT HALL

Rama materialized in a massive circular arena.

White walls. Perfect lighting. No shadows. No hiding places.

A voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.

[WELCOME, PLAYER RAMA]

[YOU HAVE SHOWN POTENTIAL]

[BUT POTENTIAL IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT REFINEMENT] 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

[YOUR COMBAT TECHNIQUE IS AMATEUR]

[YOUR SKILL USAGE IS INEFFICIENT]

[YOUR STRATEGY IS REACTIVE, NOT PROACTIVE]

[THIS TUTORIAL WILL CORRECT THESE FAILURES]

The brutal honesty was almost refreshing.

"Alright," Rama said to the empty arena. "Teach me."

[TUTORIAL PHASE 1: BASIC COMBAT FUNDAMENTALS]

[OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT 10 TRAINING DUMMIES WITHOUT TAKING DAMAGE]

[TIME LIMIT: 5 MINUTES]

[FAILURE PENALTY: RESTART FROM BEGINNING]

Ten humanoid dummies materialized around the arena, each wielding different weapons.

They attacked simultaneously.

Rama raised his sword and charged.

The first dummy’s spear thrust at his chest. Rama deflected—barely—and countered with a slash that missed completely.

The second dummy’s axe caught him across the shoulder.

[HIT TAKEN - OBJECTIVE FAILED]

[RESTARTING...]

The dummies reset.

Rama gritted his teeth and tried again.

And again.

And again.

By the seventh attempt, he was starting to see the patterns. The telegraphed attacks. The optimal positioning.

By the fifteenth attempt, he completed it without getting hit.

[PHASE 1 COMPLETE]

[TIME TAKEN: 4 MINUTES, 37 SECONDS]

[EFFICIENCY: C-RANK]

[PROCEEDING TO PHASE 2]

[PHASE 2: SKILL INTEGRATION]

[OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT 5 ELITE DUMMIES USING ONLY SYSTEM SKILLS]

[NO BASIC ATTACKS ALLOWED]

[TIME LIMIT: 3 MINUTES]

This was harder. Rama had to use [Phantom Strike], [Shadow Step], and [Steel Body] in combination, chaining skills together seamlessly.

He failed. A lot.

But each failure taught him something new.

How to animation-cancel for faster combos. How to position for maximum damage. How to manage cooldowns and mana consumption.

[PHASE 2 COMPLETE]

[EFFICIENCY: B-RANK]

[YOU ARE LEARNING]

[PROCEEDING TO PHASE 3]

[PHASE 3: FINAL TEST]

[DEFEAT: YOURSELF]

A mirror image of Rama materialized across the arena.

Same level. Same stats. Same skills.

But it fought perfectly. No wasted movements. Perfect skill rotation. Optimal decision-making.

This was what Rama could become.

The doppelganger attacked.

Rama lasted twelve seconds before being destroyed.

He tried again. Eighteen seconds.

Again. Forty-five seconds.

Each attempt, he learned. He adapted. He improved.

On the twenty-third attempt, Rama finally won.

Not through overpowering his mirror self, but by doing something unexpected—something the perfect AI couldn’t predict.

He used [Shadow Step] not to dodge, but to teleport behind his opponent and trigger [Provoke], forcing the mirror’s attention away at a critical moment.

Then he struck with everything he had.

[FINAL TEST COMPLETE]

[TOTAL TIME IN TUTORIAL: 2 HOURS, 47 MINUTES]

[OVERALL EFFICIENCY: B+ RANK]

[REWARD CALCULATING...]

[UNIQUE SKILL UNLOCKED: ADAPTIVE COMBAT - RANK A]

[EFFECT: Combat efficiency increases the longer you fight the same opponent. Maximum bonus: +50% to all combat stats after 5 minutes.]

[ADDITIONAL REWARDS:]

[+10 TO ALL STATS]

[SKILL BOOK: PERFECT GUARD - RANK B]

[TITLE ACQUIRED: DEDICATED STUDENT]

Rama collapsed to his knees, exhausted but triumphant.

The tutorial had been brutal. But he’d learned more in three hours than he had in years of being a Hunter.

[TUTORIAL COMPLETE]

[RETURNING TO PARTY...]

The world shifted again.

CATHEDRAL OF THE FALLEN

Rama reappeared in front of Sari, Adi, and Budi.

They were sitting on debris, clearly having waited.

"Three minutes," Sari said, checking her watch. "You were gone three minutes."

"What?" Rama checked his own phone. She was right. "But I was in there for almost three hours."

"Time dilation," Budi explained. "Tutorial Instances run on different time streams. Classic System behavior."

"How did it go?" Adi asked.

Rama pulled up his status.

[PLAYER STATUS]

Name: Rama Kusuma

Level: 19

Title: Solo Conqueror, Dedicated Student

STATS:

Strength: 59

Agility: 49

Vitality: 124

Intelligence: 49

Mana: 69

He’d nearly doubled his power in one session.

"It went well," Rama said, unable to hide his grin.

Sari smiled back. "Good. Because we still have to clear this corrupted dungeon."

"And your wife is probably wondering where you are," Budi added.

Rama checked his phone.

One message from Sekar, sent twenty minutes ago.

"Can’t sleep. Where are you?"

His blood ran cold.

"I have to go," he said immediately.

"We understand," Sari nodded. "Go. We’ll finish this dungeon and split your loot share later."

"Thanks."

Rama activated [Shadow Step] and vanished.

He had exactly zero time to get home before Sekar panicked and tracked his phone.

The double life was getting more complicated by the hour.

But as he raced through Jakarta’s empty streets, Rama couldn’t stop smiling.

He was getting stronger.

And nothing—not even his yandere wife—was going to stop him.