"... (bleep)..."

  Noel mumbles frustration under his breath. His eye twitches as his axeless hand is held out, as he is facing this utter failure.

  The Guide Jelly watches as Noel does not make an Axe of Light. It is confused by this. Was its explanation insufficient? Every arrival, coming before Noel, has been able to conjure an axe on instinct. Sure, some deviate from the Element of Light, but creating an axe is one of the most simple actions a Niwaki inhabitant can ever do. Noel struggling to make an axe is... concerning.

  Regardless, the Guide Jelly must continue. The Guide Jelly just politely beams, floating to Noel's side with a consolatory look on its face. "Uhm... [Noel]? To repeat, please focus with all—"

  "(BLEEP)!" Noel shouts out in frustration, taking a moment to pull his hand back and punch the tree. Punching the tree should work, punching the tree always works in video games when someone doesn't have an axe. He doesn't need a stupid axe, he can take down this tree with his own bare hands!

  ... except, he can't.

  Noel can't do that. Noel punches the tree, and—as expected—lets out a scream in pain as punching the tree hurts his hand. "GAH! (BLEEP), (BLEEP), (BLEEP)ING (BLEEP)!" he screams out, hopping back on one foot as he holds his knuckles in pain.

  The Guide Jelly visibly widens its eyes as Noel does this, visibly worried. Noel has resorted to useless aggression already, trying to use his bare hand to chop a tree down. The Guide Jelly can see that Noel's punch did nothing to the tree, no impact whatsoever, and it tries to correct Noel. "N... No, no, [Noel], punching the tree is very ineffective! Here in Niwaki, you need to make the [Axe of Light] first, and then—"

  "IT'S NOT WORKING!" Noel angrily shouts at the Guide Jelly, rubbing the back of his hand vigorously. "I CAN'T MAKE THE STUPID (BLEEP)ING AXE, MY HEART AND SOUL AREN'T WORKING!"

  The Guide Jelly blinks at Noel. It understands that Noel is upset and that Noel is very frustrated. The Guide Jelly's voice softens as it tries its best. "W... Well, [Noel], I'm here to help you make the [Axe of Light]. Now, please, take a moment to—"

  This is annoying Noel even further. His blood boils as he changes the topic, changing to something that isn't the stupid axe. "YOU KNOW WHAT, HELP ME WITH SOMETHING ELSE! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" Noel grabs the shoulders of his potato sack of a shirt, drawing attention to the outfit as a whole. "WHY AM I WEARING A STUPID (BLEEP)ING POTATO SACK FOR CLOTHES?! YOU COULDN'T HAVE GIVEN ME ANYTHING BETTER THAN THIS ITCHY (BLEEP)ING SACK?!"

  The light of the Guide Jelly dims as it nods, going along with this conversation change. "Y... Yes. New arrivals in [Niwaki] always start with those [Starter Clothes]. Usually, alternate [Gear] and [Cosmetic] options appear once the [Player] reaches [Level 3]."

  Sheer disgust forms on Noel's face. "L... LEVEL 3?! ARE YOU ARE TELLING ME... THAT I HAVE TO LEVEL UP TWICE TO FREAKING TAKE THIS THING OFF?!" Noel shouts.

  "Well, it's not that far," the Guide Jelly answers, wobbling gently. "[Level 3], to be honest, is actually just a matter of a few—"

  "ALSO, WHY?! WHY IS IT THAT EVERY TIME I CUSS, IT MAKES A LOUD SOUND?!" Noel promptly shouts, irritated by that sound now, fully aware that every time he says a bad word... it's promptly accompanied by a loud censor tone. He's only NOW realizing that's happening. "I'M NOT ALLOWED TO (BLEEP)ING SWEAR?!"

  Another change in topic. "Oh, that... that is the [Swear Filter]. Here in [Niwaki], one must be in this world for a year and be above the age of 18 to turn off the [Swear Filter], so you, uhm..."

  Noel responds by screaming his lungs out, his anger reaching its peak. The knowledge that he is being swear-filtered is just adding fuel to the fire at this point. Every time he swears, he'll have to hear a loud and incessant "bleep". He has been stripped of his freedom of speech.

  Promptly, Noel channels this anger into another desperate rage-filled struggle. He goes up to the tree once again and begins slapping, aggressively slapping the tree to do something. Slapping the tree hurts less than punching it. If there's even a microscopic, tiny bit of success in slapping the tree, Noel's going for it.

  Each pathetic smack of his palm against the wood is accompanied by a livid "(BLEEP)!" as Noel swears like a filtered sailor. Noel goes at the wood, beating this wood with a fleshy and weak hand, just going "(BLEEP)! (BLEEP)! (BLEEP)! (BLEEP)! (BLEEP)!" Again and again, exhausting both hand and throat in a futile and useless effort.

  The Guide Jelly winces in worry at each attempt, watching Noel with unease. It does not know what to do now, what to say to him. Once again, it thinks to itself... it must do its best. "Uhm. [Noel]—"

  "STUPID! FREAKING! WOODEN! TREE!" Noel shouts, managing to downgrade from constant swears as he continues to shout. He upgrades to kicking, however, using his foot to stomp and kick the tree. The results are... self-explanatory. Considering he's not even wearing any shoes, it's not faring any better, and the tree remains unharmed.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  "Uhm... [Noel]?" the Guide Jelly calls out again.

  "GO DOWN ALREADY!" Noel screams at the tree, taking a moment to wrap its arms around the tree. He tries to pull it out this time, wood against his body as he leans back. Noel still isn't strong enough to hold himself to the tree the whole time... but, even if he is, he's not heavy enough to use enough leverage. The tree will never budge.

  "[Noel]...?" the Guide Jelly repeats, floating right up to the man.

  Noel finally looks back at the Guide Jelly, and screams out: "WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

  "... for you to perform the [Sit] action for a moment?" the Guide Jelly asks, pure worry in its eyes as its white, glowing light is gone. It is only a floating orange thing.

  Noel seethes for a bit, staring at the tutorial creature for some time. His breath is heavy, and he just looks at the Guide Jelly with... a calming gaze. "... okay."

  "Okay..." the Guide Jelly repeats.

  Noel sits down on the grass, just staring at the dirt path. Deep in thought, just...

  "... can... can you help me understand what the heart and soul is...?" Noel asks. "What... what am I doing when I use those? How do those go into creating the axe?"

  The Guide Jelly rests an appendage on its face. "Hmm. I am not sure. The heart and soul are straightforward concepts. The idea with every [Player] so far has been... they hold their hand out, they put their heart and soul into it, and the [Axe of LIght] forms. It is as straightforward as that."

  "Nothing else?" Noel asks. "Nothing at all? You just... tell people that? Heart and soul?"

  The Guide Jelly nods.

  "So you don't have any... backup plan? Nothing to teach the supposed player any other alternative?" Noel asks. "Like, an axe is all there is?"

  The Guide Jelly nods. "Unfortunately, no... chopping the trees in [Niwaki] requires you summon the [Axe of Light], or some other manner of [Elemental Axe]. There is no way around it, at least... not at your current level."

  "Makes sense..." Noel mumbles, sighing and covering his face in his hands. "What about... making me an axe yourself? Can you not make an axe?"

  ... the Guide Jelly shakes its entire body from side to side, to simulate shaking its head. "Not for teaching you the basics. You must make the axe yourself."

  Noel scratches his chin. "You can't give me the materials for creating a makeshift axe?"

  The Guide Jelly's eyes widen. "A [Makeshift Axe]? That... that is heard of, but it is not effective enough to cut trees."

  "Okay, that's (BLEEP), why—?" Noel begins to speak, feeling himself getting annoyed by that. He takes a deep breath, and... instead... asks more calmly. "Why... do makeshift axes not work?"

  "Well... it's... uhm..." the Guide Jelly begins to answer, clearing its throat as it awkwardly stares at Noel. "It's because... the trees have evolved."

  "Evolved?" Noel asks.

  "Yes, they evolve... by... becoming stronger with more people learning how to chop them down..." the Guide Jelly answers. "Trees are chopped down, and better trees sprout in their place. The wood in [Niwaki] is stronger and more durable, at the cost of requiring special axes to chop the trees down. Ultimately, however, the numerous axes conjured with the human spirit are triumphant in all cases... so that's why you must conjure the axe yourself... so that you can triumph over any tree you come across, no matter how evolved it is."

  Noel blinks at this, staring at the Guide Jelly in response to this information. "That... that makes sense. So you... you instruct people to create their own axes so that they can cut down any tree?"

  "Yes, that's correct..." the Guide Jelly tells Noel. "I... I didn't want to say it, because... well... uhm—"

  "Keep your reasons..." Noel tells the Guide Jelly. "I get it."

  The Guide Jelly nods, and just... remains seated, sitting with Noel.

  The pair look out into the horizon of Niwaki, idly watching as the day remains as bright as ever. The wind blows through Noel's unkempt hair and makes the Guide Jelly's gelatinous jellyfish body jiggle.

  Noel takes his mind off of the tree and gets... used... to all of this color vomit, allowing his eyes to get used to the oversaturated colors. The Guide Jelly, meanwhile, is just in deep thought about how to help Noel from this point on, wondering what to tell Noel and such.

  "... I want to ask, what happens to the people that don't cut down this tree?" Noel asks.

  "Well... nothing. Everyone cuts down the tree and completes the basic lessons, [Noel]," the Guide Jelly tells Noel. "I have yet to encounter any [Player] that does not eventually overcome the basic tasks. They all stick with the plan, eventually conjuring the [Axe of Light] or some other element. Then, the rest of the guide is gone through, and... they're off to the village over there."

  Noel looks over at the village, and sighs. "And I suppose I cannot go to the village until I finish this basic guide?"

  The Guide Jelly... nods. "I... I cannot, in good conscience, allow an unprepared person to move on without knowing they're ready for life in this world."

  "I see..." Noel mumbles, sighing as he looks down at his hands. He focuses one more time, trying his best, but... nothing.

  The Guide Jelly looks at this, feeling... sad. It is sad for Noel.

  Even so, the Guide Jelly... tries its best to be optimistic. "But do not be disheartened! You are not the first [Player] to struggle... you will eventually get it, I believe in you! You just need to try your best, try your hardest, and it will all work out, [Noel]!"

  The Guide Jelly gives its motivational pep talk with sparkles in its eyes and wiggles throughout its body. With its heart and soul, it believes in Noel, it knows he can do it.

  He may be struggling, but all in Niwaki are capable of conjuring the axe. By being a new arrival, Noel will be able to do so too! Maybe in a special way, maybe in his own special, unique, and innovative way! A way that triumphs over adversity, a way that lets him overcome his impossible, a way that will have him succeed!

  "... okay. I suppose that settles it," Noel tells the Guide Jelly. "Since I can't make the axe, I guess there's only one thing to do."

  "What is that?" the Guide Jelly asks, beaming lightly as its white glow returns, as it is open to hearing Noel's alternative, special, unique, and innovative plan.

  "Get me a tent."

  "Alright! I shall make you a [Tent] and—" the Guide Jelly begins to speak. It stops once it thinks fully about the request, that Noel is asking for a tent to chop down the tree. So its eyes light up in confusion, trying to understand the viability of a tent.

  However, that is not Noel Nakamura's plan.

  Noel Nakamura, in his heart, has decided... to give up. He's not cutting down the tree anytime soon. He is not allowed to leave this area until he cuts down the tree, and he cannot cut down the tree without an axe he makes himself. There's nothing for him to do. Nothing he can do.

  So, he gives up. He can't do it anymore. He's asking for a tent now.

  Noel Nakamura gives up.