"I heard that right… Paul Bunyan, the giant who leveled mountains, remembered for his kindness and his… stupidly large blue bull."
I almost slapped my forehead when I realized the obvious. Of course—unless my body remained petrified and cautious—this pair of men had just murdered me and were now approaching so amicably.
I don't know what kind of face I was making, but Paul, who was still holding out his hand, ended up pulling it back, clearly confused. The Apache, lips pressed tight, looked me straight in the eyes. Involuntarily, my hand went to my throat, which made him take the initiative and speak.
—Geronimo —he said in a deep, calm voice—. I want to apologize. What happened in the valley wasn't personal.
His voice was sincere, and his face genuinely seemed ashamed, but my hands wouldn't stop trembling. I wanted to say something, but my throat choked, like when my blood had poured out of it.
—I have an idea —the mountaineer interrupted with that lively voice that clashed with his atrocious performance in the arena—. How about, to make up for it, we invite you to eat? I imagine you're short on credits.
"Like hell."
I couldn't imagine sharing a table with the people who had literally just killed me, but… something in Geronimo's eyes made me consider the idea. To begin with, I didn't have a place to fall dead, and at best, I could take advantage of the situation and squeeze some information out of them. So I had no choice but to nod.
—Well… alright —I said in a trembling voice.
Both smiled broadly at me, so pure they looked like door-to-door salesmen. For a moment, I forgot how bloodthirsty they had been.
Together we walked to one of the gigantic dining halls. Sitting across from me, they made a message appear on the table on a screen that read:
[Recovery Meal: 3k]
"3k credits! Axio wasn't joking when he said not to even think about eating."
These prices are outrageous considering the risk. But Paul pressed the button three times, making three steaming plates appear before us.
The food was strange: meat that shimmered like crystal, dense bread that looked like stones, and tasteless yet foamy drinks. If you think water tastes like nothing, you haven't tried this. In truth, nothing had the slightest flavor. Everything was bland, as if I were chewing cardboard in different textures.
"Good thing I didn't pay for it. I'd feel scammed."
—First time? —Paul said, noticing my obvious look of disappointment—. This is what we call "recovery food." It's nothing like what we remember as food. Honestly, I doubt it has any real purpose beyond reminding us that we can eat, hahaha.
He laughed without restraint as he kept chewing.
—You must have a lot of questions, son —Geronimo said kindly, extending his hand—. The system doesn't usually explain anything; if you have doubts, go ahead. It's part of the compensation.
I still didn't trust them, but it was the best opportunity I was going to get.
—Yeah, that Axio guy didn't explain anything about how this works —I brought up my system screen, but neither of them showed any interest.
—Sorry, but we can't see your status screen if that's what you're trying to show us —Paul said.
—But if what you don't understand is how it's structured, I'll explain: first, look at your star, beneath your name on the left side—Geronimo continued.
"My star… perfect. There isn't a damn star anywhere on this panel."
I didn't want to say it; I didn't want to expose myself in front of my killers. Besides, I couldn't shake the thought that my HUD was different because of that "gift." Assuming the neural network was my star, I decided to play along, nodding as if I had found it.
—When you choose one of the points, you have to press it. If you meet the conditions, you'll need to pay the ability's cost to unlock it. Credits can be spent to unlock your star, level up, or buy services in the Nexo.
—Remember that everything here runs on credits —Paul added—. So keep the big three in mind: one, have enough to stay in the game. Two, unlock your entire star as soon as possible. And three, level up whenever you have spare credits. All of that is vital if you don't want another knife cutting your throat, hahaha.
"Haha, very funny."
I let out a long sigh. My HUD was clearly different from what they were describing, but at least we shared something—my name. Beneath the neural system, when I pressed on my name, more information unfolded.
I only had 10k, and with that I could either level up [5k] or buy a skill [10k]. Following video game logic, I assumed the level cost would increase, so after spending a long time analyzing the screen as if I had a wide variety of options, I pressed the only available skill to unlock.
[Search: Unlock Condition LV1 / Cost 10k CNProvides a clear view of player positioning, the floor boss and their movements. The higher the level, the more precise the data provided; each time the skill levels up, related mapping and participant skills are unlocked.]
With no other viable option, I pressed the digital key that, with a click, declared:
[You unlocked Search I]
—A reconnaissance skill —I sighed.
—Wow, those are rare. You'd better get used to it before heading into a trial —Geronimo said.
—So why don't we go to the training area? —Paul interrupted again, but this time he didn't think twice, because before I could respond he had already grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the dining hall, with Geronimo following us with a resigned smile.
On the other side of the dining halls was an enclosed field, very similar in structure and layout, but instead of tables it was divided into small courts protected by fences. Paul released me inside one of the fenced areas. My legs were already trembling, and despite not having sensations, I could swear I was breaking into a cold sweat as I found myself once again at the mercy of this pair.
Paul watched me for a moment before asking:
—And your weapons?
—I don't have one… —I admitted. Without hesitation, he tossed me his.
The axe was so heavy that I fell to the ground with it, which made the mountaineer burst into loud laughter.
Geronimo quickly picked up the weapon and returned it to his companion, extending his hand to help me up.
—Let's start with this instead —he said, handing me a knife that had tasted my flesh. I instantly pulled my hand back, letting it fall to the ground.
"Are you seriously handing me the murder weapon, brother?"
—Watch your foot! —Geronimo shouted, stepping back—. What did you do for your reflexes to be so… nonexistent?
"Well, I played video games, read novels, and watched anime. Though if studying were a sport, I'd probably be more qualified than you."
I couldn't deny my uselessness in combat.
Then, a tune—a song I used to hum at work to lift my spirits—echoed: "Eureka." With pride, I straightened up, lifted my head, and answered.
—I was… a great general.