"Hello! Welcome, [Player], to the World of [Niwaki]!"

  Hmm.

  The Guide Jelly does it again.

  Another new person appears out of nowhere in this tutorial area, the Guide Jelly teaches them how to chop down trees, mine stone from rock, open their menu, fight an enemy, and level up. Once all those steps are complete, the new arrival is permitted to keep walking.

  Noel has a lot of time to think as the Guide Jelly just carries out this tutorial for random person after person. Noel counts 21 so far, 21 new people who have completed the tutorial with flying colors. Number 22 is pretty fast, too. Noel sees person after person just breeze through this five-minute tutorial, with no struggles whatsoever.

  Feels like watching a song and dance, having a front seat to a musical about doing taxes for some reason.

  Axe of Light, Pick of LIght, Stats Menu. Slay.

  Level up, thank you, walk to town, play.

  Axe of Light, Pick of LIght, Stats Menu, Slay.

  Level up, thank you, walk to town, play.

  It's catchy. Noel kind of sings this in his head as Arrival #22 does this. It's a back-and-forth rhythm of instructions. Like a ticking metronome, or a swinging pendulum on a grandfather clock.

  The Guide Jelly just breezes through these guys and girls, kind of like waving its hand like magic. They come in, they do those tasks, they head to the village. Rinse and repeat.

  Ironically, Noel calls this a "song and dance" when these people are the farthest away from singing. Most of them remain silent and mute altogether, not saying a word to even the Guide Jelly. It's a little eerie, but Noel's the same way. If he doesn't want or have to talk to someone, he doesn't. These arrivals have his blessings to be quiet the whole way.

  Without talking, then... Noel feels like it's a bother to describe all the people who come through the tutorial. It's like, people with average builds coming into the area, spawning into the area one after the other. Noel knows he's a living person who came from another world, but there's no guarantee these new arrivals are as well. Maybe they're actual people who share his fate, maybe they're just computer avatars for some deities treating this like a video game, or maybe some third reason Noel's too lazy to come up with.

  Though, as he thinks this, the exception suddenly appears in Number 23.

  New Arrival 23, the 23rd person to show up after Noel began counting, is a buff and muscly guy with tan skin and a mullet haircut. He looks like just some kind of workout-aholic, a guy who could bench press a bus if he wanted to. The potato sack outfit on his body is too small for him, funnily enough. The dude's midriff is showing, and Noel has to stare at his six-pack abs the whole time

  Of course, Noel can choose to look away, but like... they're glorious. Even a straight bean like him can admit this arrival's amazingly hot. He exudes raw energy.

  Looks aren't deceiving, furthermore. In his tutorial, Number 23's probably the most impressive so far. Number 23 uses the axe in one chop, and down the tree falls. Number 23 uses the pickaxe in one strike, and quickly the stone shatters.

  Noel takes the time to watch as the guy doesn't even use a sword! Instead of a "Sword of Light", he conjures GAUNTLETS! Fist weapons. His "[Fists of Light]", as the Guide Jelly calls it! It's so bisexually vicious, and Noel watches this hunk of a guy gloriously beat and magnificently tenderize the boar.

  This guy has to be DLC. If not DLC, he's just... he's born like this. The 23rd arrival is just built different!

  Man.

  Ah.

  Well. Honestly, Noel's facing a losing battle here.

  The Guide Jelly told him not to be disheartened, and the Guide Jelly made him promise that he would not give up. Noel has to do his best to conjure the axe, and conjure the axe he must. But who wouldn't be disheartened, though, seeing about two dozen people breeze through the tutorial with overwhelming ease?

  It's like trying to study for a school quiz on math, and you're a D student working your butt off only for the guy next to you to get a 100% without even trying. What's even the point of success if everyone else is better than you?

  Noel knows that Niwaki's going to have people like that guy. Maybe New Arrival #23 is going to be the fan-favorite community main character. Maybe he will become the Hero of Legend fated to defend the realm, slay the bad monsters that plague the land, and bring peace to all of Niwaki until its next threat arises. Then, New Arrival #945 will be the next hero, and then #1,620, #4,291, #7,542, and so on. Maybe #1, that generic Mary Sue kind of girl, will become the next hero after 50 years of journey and adventure.

  There's no place for Noel here, as he doesn't aspire to do all of that. He knows his limits, he knows what he can't do. Noel is simply not hero material.

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  Beyond that, Noel takes the time to think small-scale. Let's say that he finishes the tutorial. Noel thinks to himself that there's probably another tutorial out there, yet another small and easy task he cannot do. Imagine he has to cook using the... oh, maybe, Noel's taking a guess here, the "[Cooking Pot of Light]"? He has to make a cooking pot, but he just can't make the pot. Then, the hypothetical Cook Jelly will say he needs to learn how to cook, and he spends like... one month, maybe two months, just trying to cook properly, and then that's it. He would have wasted so much time only to make a mediocre plate of beefsteak.

  No, no, food probably doesn't work like that. If he needed to use a magic cooking pot to make his food, the Guide Jelly here wouldn't be so comfortable in promising to help Noel conjure the axe. It's more than likely that Noel could probably snack on something at the very least to nourish himself. Maybe the Guide Jelly will make him eat the raw boar meat dropped by the tutorial creature.

  ... but the boar meat is collected by the players after slaying the boar. The Guide Jelly can't just take meat from the players, so Noel dreads what else the Guide Jelly will have available. Maybe Noel will have the peasant diet of eating clumps of dirt and grass. That will be his diet until he starves to death from malnourishment.

  Eh. That's a problem for when Noel gets hungry. He guesses he has a few days or so before he has to consume anything, he's fine.

  For now, though... Noel feels like he's sick and fed up with seeing new arrivals succeed. The 24th person arrives shortly after the 23rd person leaves, and now that person's set on succeeding easily too. Noel can't stand to see the stream of new arrivals anymore. So he takes a moment to go into the tent, hiding away in the confines of the tent and blocking himself from seeing the outside.

  The tent's pretty small, but it's something. Beggars can't be choosers. It's more than perfect for one person with no other belongings. Lying in the tent feels so much better than lying in the grass. The Guide Jelly's even taken the time to make a sleeping bag and a cozy little lantern for him, too.

  Noel decides to turn the lantern on, lighting it up and filling the tent with warm light. Then, he worms his way into the sleeping bag and lies inside it. Maybe it's best to take a little break from all his spectating to... muster the focus and energy needed to conjure the axe.

  ... though, Noel has to say, this sleeping bag is actually really comfy, comfier than a real bed. Everything about this sleeping bag feels exceptionally safe. Noel feels rejuvenated by just lying in this sleeping bag. Noel feels the worries melt away from his body as if this sleeping bag is refreshing his body after all the wear and tear. It's like a snuggly, cozy, comfy blanket wrapping around his body like a burrito.

  Maybe Noel can get to work on the axe after a few minutes or so... maybe an hour or two. Maybe after resting, Noel will have the spirit necessary to conjure the axe. Maybe that's all Noel needs, a very... very long sleep in this tent to rejuvenate himself to his full.

  In fact, maybe Noel gets to level up from just sleeping in this bag. If he sleeps and spaces out and thinks about things, he'll get a buff to his intelligence and wisdom or whatever. That's how that works for professionals who play chess, right? They sleep and make their minds sharp, and become so amazing at chess that they can play chess. Niwaki probably works the same way, sleeping and thinking about things will make Noel smarter!

  Only one way to find out: by doing it.

  Noel closes his eyes and just snoozes, embracing the feeling of just sleeping, of just snoozing his time away. A cozy, gentle wave of relaxation fills his body as he takes a deep breath in... and a deep breath out. Meditating, doing all that nonsense that he tried to do the first time. If this somehow makes an axe, then so be it. Noel's sleeping.

  Noel thinks deeply about things, using this peace and quiet of his to truly think about everything.

  How long has it been since he arrived? How long has it been since he came to this world? How long has it been since he... died, and got reincarnated into this world? It's certainly been a while. It feels like it's been a while. Being stuck in a tutorial for, like, five... maybe six hours? It's likely the equivalent of five to six days for Noel.

  Noel hasn't checked anything related to time on Niwaki yet, but he wonders what the scale of time is. Maybe an hour on Niwaki is an hour for Noel. Maybe an hour here will feel like two hours. Maybe an hour here is three minutes?

  Could it be possible that time is frozen for him, though? Maybe this beginner's field does not advance in time until the lesson is over. The sun will not set until he sets foot in that village. That could be the case, that he'll never see the night sky again until he finally progresses in this... tutorial.

  ...

  Eh... only time will tell. Literally.

  Even if time is frozen, the tent is dark enough to block out most of the sun... Noel can think very hard, and see the stars if he wants. Every star imaginable, right before his eyes. A cast of night over his body as the white specks of light twinkle above. He can stare at the stars, just gaze deeply into the beauty of space.

  There are worlds, planets, and entire solar systems out there. The universe is vast and immense, and Noel can see the whole universe lying before him. Who needs the world of NIwaki... who needs the world of Earth? One could just stare into the sky, and see everything that lies out there, everything that could ever be out there.

  If Noel can imagine and see the night sky, then anything is possible in his mind. Whatever Noel thinks about, it becomes real. He can see it now. He doesn't need a real adventure, he doesn't need an entire quest. Noel can imagine himself doing all those things.

  In fact...

  ... Noel thinks about himself chopping that tree.

  Noel, in his mind, conjures the Axe of Light. Noel imagines himself cutting that tree again and again. Every time it falls, it comes back to life, and Noel chops it more. His swings are precise and powerful, and his inventory fills with stacks upon stacks of wood. Noel dominates over that freaking tree in his mind.

  Noel's Axe of Light alone is the most powerful tool in all of Niwaki. None compare to his spirit, Noel thinks. If he is to fight using the Axe of Light to defeat his enemies, he will come out on top in triumphant victory. Piles upon piles of people beneath him, mountains for him to stand over.

  Noel can do it all. Noel can ride horses, slay dragons, and fistfight sharks. Noel can rule kingdoms, marry princesses, and behead insolent criminals. Noel can befriend knights and wizards, rangers and thieves, priests and dancers.

  Noel is the strongest arrival in all of Niwaki. Everyone wants him, and everyone wants to be him. He's simply amazing, he's the best person in this entire world.

  All that glory and experience happens in his mind, and Noel can live it all in the comforts of his sleeping bag. He smiles brightly at how amazing he is, how absolutely impressive he is. His eyes light up as he smugly smiles and widens his cocky grin, and he...

  ... goes to sleep, passing out in pride.

  Noel is out like a light, and the lantern next to him turns off.