"W... What?"

  "Get me a tent," Noel asks and insists again. "There's got to be camping supplies around here somewhere. I need a tent."

  The Guide Jelly remains confused. It is not aware of Noel's plan with the tent. It innocently tries to imagine ways that a tent could be used to chop down a tree, how Noel could possibly use a tent anywhere close to the efficiency of an axe. Makeshift axes do not work on the tree, so a completely random bundle of tent gear has an even worse outcome.

  It thinks and thinks, trying to imagine how Noel could use the tent for the tree. When the Guide Jelly cannot come up with any feasible ways that Noel can use it, it finally asks: "[Noel], how will a [Tent] help you chop down the tree?"

  "It won't," Noel honestly answers, stretching his arms as he stands up. "See, my plan is: I live here now. So get me a tent or something, I'm setting up camp here."

  The Guide Jelly stares at Noel in disbelief. Shocked, stunned disbelief. "N... No! You cannot live here, [Noel]!" it exclaims in protest.

  "Why not? Why can't I?" Noel asks, tilting his head as he walks away from the tree. "Weren't you the one who said something, like, 'We must prepare you for the adventure ahead of you!' Or something like that?"

  "Y... Yes, but preparing you for adventure does not mean—"

  "Well, like it or not, that's my adventure," Noel tells the Guide Jelly. "My adventure is here and now. I must prepare for this adventure, this adventure to cut the tree down. I require assistance to prepare me for my adventure, guide."

  "B... But of all things, you're choosing the assistance... of being given a [Tent]?!" the Guide Jelly asks, flying to get right in front of Noel. "You're asking for a [Tent] instead of any other demands? Nothing about granting you [Special Abilities] or [Magical Affinities] or anything?"

  "Well, yeah. If you could give me the power, you wouldn't be telling me to conjure the axes myself," Noel reasonably deduces. "If that was ever an option, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

  The Guide Jelly stares him down, remaining in front of him. The worst part is that Noel is right, the Guide Jelly cannot just bestow upon Noel great power. Niwaki requires its inhabitants to grow themselves, to develop their skills and strengths. Granting Noel power is out of the question.

  Still, Noel setting up camp in this field is... also out of the question! Not only because these fields are not meant for shelter, it's also because he's actively choosing NOT to chop the tree down! Noel is, essentially, denying the call to action to chop the tree down and progress through basic instruction!

  So, the Guide Jelly tries to talk some sense into him, to try and make him see reason. "Setting up shelter here is... it is unheard of, [Noel]! It's not how [Niwaki] works! You cannot camp out here, you must work towards conjuring the [Axe of Light] and...!"

  Ugh. There it is again, that insistence on cutting down the tree. Noel rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, staring at the Guide Jelly as it tells him to not give up. The more it speaks, the more it reminds him of all those posters of some cat saying to hang in there.

  The thing is, except for the specific thing he is incapable of doing, all other avenues and solutions are gone. They JUST went over how it is impossible to cut down the tree without the Axe of Light, they JUST went over how the Guide Jelly cannot let Noel leave without completing the basic tutorial to Niwaki, and they JUST went over how Noel simply just has to cut down the tree and do the rest of whatever the Guide Jelly wants.

  So the Guide Jelly's just... kind of trying to fit a square in the circle hole, at this point. It's not working.

  Noel understands his limits, and he's set in his ways. He stands firm in the fact he cannot chop the tree down, and is doubling down on his give me a tent plan. "Given your rules and Niwaki's rules here, the best course of action is to get me stuff to make a tent, 'guide'," Noel tells the Guide Jelly. "So guide yourself into getting me a tent, please."

  The Guide Jelly puts its metaphorical foot down. "No! I... I refuse to make you a [Tent], [Noel]! You... must fulfill the basic steps of [Niwaki]! You must chop the tree, mine the stone, and slay the beast! It is as simple as that, [Noel]!"

  "Simple. Right." Noel leans forward, staring into the Guide Jelly's eyes. "Well, I can't chop the tree. So where does that leave me?"

  "Trying your hardest, your best to conjure the [Axe of Light]!" the Guide Jelly exclaims.

  "Okay. What if I can't... or, hypothetically, don't want to conjure the Axe of LIght? What do you think I should do then?" Noel asks.

  "... an... an [Axe of Fire], an [Axe of Water], an [Axe of Earth], maybe an—"

  "Nothing else? Nothing but axes for me to conjure with my 'heart' and 'soul'?" Noel quotes, mockingly. He stares and peers into the Guide Jelly, encouraging it to say anything else.

  All the Guide Jelly can tell him is: "... well, axes are the best thing to chop trees, so—"

  "Right, I'll say it again. Guide, please give me materials for a tent," Noel demands.

  "No," the Guide Jelly answers, visible worry on its face.

  "Okay. That's that, then."

  Noel has walked a fair distance into the tree. Finding a spot, he then sits down in the grass, arms crossed and making himself all comfortable in the open. He plants himself down, and stubbornly just sits in place, refusing to move.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "... so you're going to just... sit in place?" the Guide Jelly asks.

  "Until I get a tent, yes," Noel tells the Guide Jelly, giving a smug smile at it. "That's my plan."

  The Guide Jelly stares, actively STARES at this man. Words could not describe the creature's thoughts right now. Noel is, officially, the first and only new arrival to give up on its tutorial.

  It has no idea what to do, now. It's never been at a loss for words on teaching a new arrival before. Does it insist that Noel work, that Noel should try even harder to get the axe out? Noel is too much of a unique case to say anything. It truly, truly does not know any other alternatives to help him.

  If only he can spontaneously obtain the capability of summoning the Axe of Light, then this entire situation can be resolved in an instant. The Guide Jelly wants nothing more than to give him that power, to give him a slight nudge to obtaining that courage and perseverance. However, Noel's correctly deduced that it cannot do that. It all has to be Noel.

  The Guide Jelly has to do something more to help Noel. But how does the Guide Jelly encourage him to keep trying? Noel doesn't have the drive to continue, so maybe if it does something to...?

  Before the Guide Jelly can come up with anything for Noel, its eyes blink and it instinctively turns to the path. It reacts immediately to its senses, feeling drawn in that direction, drawn to look away from Noel.

  Why? Because right before its eyes... someone appears on the path! A woman in rags, looking around at the bright blue skies, the fluffy white clouds, and the lush green grass.

  Another new arrival has arrived... so soon?!

  The Guide Jelly is panicking. The Guide Jelly isn't even finished with Noel, yet! It's not in the right headspace to instruct this arrival, Noel has inflicted onto it thoughts of insecurity!

  Regardless, it must carry out its duty to guide and teach the basics. So it pats its own body, patting its face with its jellyfish appendages before... it floats over, ready. "Hello! Welcome, [Player], to the World of [Niwaki]!" the Guide Jelly exclaims, beginning the same explanation.

  Noel keeps his seat in the grass, arms still crossed as the Guide Jelly does the whole song and dance of teaching Niwaki's basics to this woman. He has a proper chance, now, to listen to whatever the Guide Jelly's supposed to tell them.

  It's... very unsettling, the more he thinks about it.

  Noel is effectively just watching someone about to breeze through what he struggles to do. The woman, the new arrival that the Guide Jelly is focusing on, is following the Guide Jelly's words unquestioningly and perfectly. She doesn't speak all that much, she quiets down and just listens to the Guide Jelly like a diligent A+ student. The Guide Jelly just goes on and on about Niwaki, and this woman is eating it all up.

  Right before his eyes, the Guide Jelly instructs this person to create the Axe of Light it keeps going on about, and then the tree is chopped. Noel watches how the chopping task is supposed to be done. The woman creates the axe, the axe chops into the tree, the tree falls to the ground. From the tree's fall, the entire tree spontaneously poofs into...

  ... bundles of wood, already tied together?

  Noel sees this and blinks, bewildered by this. Noel thought he was joking when he compared the Guide Jelly to a tutorial NPC. So, this entire world is just some glorified video game, huh?

  This minor revelation catches his intrigue. He stands up and walks a little bit closer as the tutorial continues, as the Guide Jelly... makes a large rock appear out of nowhere, a large chunk of stone. This new player creates a pickaxe, the... the "[Pick of Light]". Then, once the player is done, the rock explodes.

  There's a strange sense of comfort in seeing this. Noel is just watching a live example of a video game tutorial level, like, for real. It feels less intimidating, like... it's all just some video game. It should be as simple as that. Maybe doing the axe thing is just some funny video game thing.

  How much of it is a video game, though?

  Hmm.

  Noel keeps watching and learning through this tutorial. He watches with intrigue, learning more about Niwaki's video game logic as the Guide Jelly instructs the player about the wood and stone. He just eavesdrops on the Guide Jelly's explanation about opening the... the "menu"?

  Does this world have a menu system?

  Wait, that means HE has a menu, he's part of this menu system! Noel quickly copies the motion to open a menu, and a menu appears right above his wrist! A big screen hovers over his wrist, a whole rectangle!

  Basic video game knowledge is not going to fail Noel, maybe this menu has some information and insight into properly attaining the power to summon axes! He looks closer at the menu, reading it for anything, and...

  ... every tab on this menu is marked with question marks.

  Nothing is available for him whatsoever. All of it is locked behind question marks. Noel is, fundamentally, staring at a useless rectangle.

  Hm.

  ... so, after checking out the useless menu and having his hopes crushed, Noel just goes back to watching the new player, watching her perfect little self breeze through these trials.

  The tutorial reaches the point where this new player must fight the enemy, a boar with monstrous green eyes.

  "Good! Now... uhm... k... kill it," the Guide Jelly tells this player, its voice shaking a little. "K-Kill it, now."

  Mm. Someone's nervous.

  Anyway. Noel just idly watches as the player hacks and slashes at a still boar, a boar that just takes each slash. Every flashing red "-5" coming out of the boar confirms and emphasizes to Noel that this whole thing is just some video game.

  Mm. Noel guesses (to make himself feel better) that a lot of the amazing, limitless adventures probably just follow the same old fantasy stories and video game logic. It probably isn't that great. Once you play and read one fantasy, you've read a dime a dozen. Noel doesn't have to complete this tutorial, maybe...

  ... maybe?

  ... hm.

  Soon, the new player finishes slaying the boar, a the Guide Jelly teaches the new player a little bit more. In essence, teaching it about the level system, the stats and inventory tabs, and the next destination. She just walks along with her wood, stone, and meat.

  So that's what it looks like to move on to the village, huh...? Noel stares and watches as this woman walks off, and...

  ... and Noel gets an idea. If he can't finish the tutorial, then... what if he just... follows that woman? What if he follows the departing adventurer to town as well?

  Say that Noel convinces this new player to travel with him, or him to travel with her. Either or. If Noel gets a yes, she'll... she'll be able to do all the things he can't! If she says no, then it's no big deal, he can look around the village for anyone else new in town!

  Noel's realization comes rather late, but... but this is his alternative! This is his ticket out of this impossible tutorial! It's not like the Guide Jelly will mind... Noel will be out of its hair, metaphorically. The guide will understand, Noel thinks.

  So Noel makes a mad sprint for it, breaking off into a quick run on this path and after this woman. He runs and runs, aiming to outrun the Guide Jelly if he is stopped.

  Seeing Noel run past, the Guide Jelly's eyes widen. "W... Wait! [Noel]!" the Guide Jelly shouts, concern in its eyes as it desperately flies after Noel.

  Noel does not stop. He runs at full speed after the new arrival, excitedly calling out to her. "Wait! Wait, I need to talk with you!"

  The woman doesn't stop for him, though. She pays him no thought whatsoever and is just moving on to the village. The perfect little Mary Sue of a new player.

  That isn't going to dissuade Noel, though!

  Glee is on his face, fully set on this idea. His eyes are bright and enthusiastic, elated beyond belief as he runs! All he has to do is catch up, and—!