I don't remember when I lost consciousness again. Not needing sleep and yet deciding to sleep is something beyond my understanding. Normally, you rest when you're tired, but…
"How is it that I sleep so much if I don't feel tired?"
I woke up with a certain little creature staring down at me, as if it had been stalking me all night. The moment I opened my eyes, its shrill voice launched into its apathetic mockery.
—Amazing. The hero-in-training who was determined to surpass Arthur is taking a vacation like he's at a spa. Want me to bring you a coconut with a straw? Or would you prefer a massage?
—The massage wouldn't be bad… if I could feel anything —I replied as I stretched and stood up.
—With that level of discipline, you're sure to reach Platinum…
All I could do was shoot the little creature a dirty look. It raised a paw as if surrendering the argument. Today, without a doubt, I would face the Taurus node—but I didn't feel fully prepared.
I was still level 2, with barely two abilities, and although [Search V] remained a useful cheat, I wasn't convinced I was ready to face higher-level challenges—specifically, relying on myself.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, all I could think about was how empty the room felt. The bed sat in the middle of an inert metal cube. I let out a long sigh before murmuring, almost without thinking:
—I wish I could take a proper bath…
There was no real reason to want one: the concept of dirt didn't seem to exist in the Nexo. My clothes repaired themselves every time I returned here, and even if I smelled bad, no one could complain—not like they could smell me, right?
But as always, this limbo where I'm "surviving" surprises me with strange gifts. In one corner of the room, made of the same material as the walls, a bathtub began to form.
Steam rose from it, as if the water were warm. Next to it appeared a bathrobe, shamelessly inviting me to relax.
—Alright, I like this.
Axio covered his little eyes the moment I started dropping my clothes, piece by piece. The empty room now had a pair of socks and underwear scattered on the floor, giving it a bit of "life."
Just as I expected, when I sank my stress into the tub, I became aware of my situation again. The water felt real, so to speak. I could perceive the gentle pressure of the liquid against my body… but I couldn't experience the pleasure of a warm bath.
—This is really disappointing —I murmured, submerging my face in the water.
—What? You're not enjoying the comforts provided after clearing a trial?
—Very funny… wait, comforts? —my eyes lit up as I pointed at Axio, who slapped his own face in disappointment.
—Seriously, do they have to chew everything for you? —The little one dissolved into bubbles and reappeared floating comfortably in the tub beside me—. Every time you clear a stage, the system compensates you with one mundane wish inside your room. As long as you have it clearly in your memory.
"Could I… ask for someone?"
—I know what you're thinking… it won't work. You could summon a doll with someone's appearance, but it would never respond or treat you like the real one. At best, it'd be like having a robot that mimics your memories of that person. Honestly, I have no records of that ever working—unless you want a toy se—
—Leave it.
I discarded the idea immediately. It would be too much, even for the system. Besides, what good would it do to summon a residual image of my father or Ale?
"That would be an even worse punishment."
Just imagining a mannequin with Ale's face made my stomach churn. She was always independent, and even if it were an illusion, I couldn't keep her on a shelf. In the end, the idea of summoning things into your room lost all meaning.
—Axio —I said to the axolotl, who seemed to be enjoying the bath more than I was—. During trials, I feel exhaustion and pain… why not outside?
—How should I know? —he replied lazily, almost ignoring me—. When you can talk to the bosses, ask them.
—You're seriously useless.
—Thanks, almost as much as you were in the coliseum —the little creature shot back sharply.
—Whatever. Today, no matter what, I'll clear the Taurus floor just to shut you up.
Pretending to relax with my arms stretched out in the tub, I flicked a finger to bring up my status screen:
[Mr Nobody / Level 2 / Metal Rank]
That gave me access to two new abilities, both costing 15k credits. With what I had, I could buy the missing one and slightly upgrade [Pause]. Even playing carefully, my first mistake would mean permanent death.
"Thanks to my beloved and caring 'owner': every time I die, another zero gets added to the cost of my resurrection. What a way to ruin our friendship before we even meet."
I won't deny that time manipulation and computer-grade mental agility justify the cost… but knowing that any mistake would be my last had me on edge. If there was another way to earn credits, I had to find it—but I was well aware Axio wouldn't tell me anything useful.
Since reaching level 2, my stats had improved slightly. I still didn't fully understand how they worked. The message said the points were distributed based on my past actions, like the "effort values" from a certain pocket monster game. That confirmed that being passive in combat wouldn't get me anywhere. I had to figure things out myself, and talking to Axio was like talking to a wall.
When I checked the Party template, outside of the "games" it looked more like a glossary of people I had teamed up with. I wasn't surprised to see Hercules or Jeanne d'Arc at the top. What unsettled me was that beneath them were two crossed-out slots, as if names had been erased from a notebook. Further down, I found [Geronimo] and…
—Wait a second… —I slowly sat up in the bathtub—where are Manuela and Sucre?