"Everyone, hold position," Alexander commanded, raising his hand as they entered a small clearing.

  In the center stood a smooth stone obelisk, approximately two meters tall, its surface inscribed with faintly glowing symbols. Unlike the natural formations they'd encountered during their first day in the Whispering Woods, this structure was clearly artificial—a deliberate game element.

  "Tutorial monument," Alexander identified, approaching it with measured steps. "Standard introduction to basic systems."

  The team gathered around the monument, maintaining the perimeter security protocols Alexander had established. Morning sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, casting dappled patterns across the stone surface.

  "I'll analyze first," Alexander said, reaching out to touch the monument's polished surface.

  The moment his fingers made contact, a cascade of information flooded his interface. Text and diagrams materialized in his field of vision, categorized and structured in a precise hierarchy.

  Welcome, Pyer. Basic Game Systems Tutorial Initiated.

  Alexander scanned the information methodically, his eyes narrowing as he processed the data. "Interesting. Elijah, access the monument and tell me what you see."

  Elijah stepped forward, pcing his palm against the stone. His eyes moved rapidly as he absorbed the information. "Inventory management, resource gathering, basic crafting... and something about perception filters?"

  "Valeria, Riva—your turn," Alexander directed.

  After each team member had interacted with the monument, they compared findings. Alexander's suspicions were confirmed: the information provided varied slightly for each of them.

  "Css-restricted information," Alexander noted, activating his interface's recording function. "As expected, our Architect-css interfaces are receiving more comprehensive data."

  He began organizing what they'd learned, categorizing each game system in his mental framework:

  "First: Inventory Management. Each pyer has a personal inventory with weight and volume limitations based on css designation. Architect-css receives a 30% higher capacity threshold." Alexander demonstrated by accessing his inventory dispy—a grid-based organization system that appeared in his field of vision, showing the items they'd already gathered.

  "Valeria, what capacity does your interface show?"

  She checked her dispy. "Twenty standard units, with weight distribution optimization."

  "I'm seeing twenty-six units," Alexander confirmed. "Elijah?"

  "The same as yours," Elijah replied, still studying his own dispy. "With additional notes on rare item preservation methods."

  Alexander nodded. "Css advantage confirmed. Riva, what about you?"

  "Twenty-three units, with special allocation for medical supplies," she answered.

  "Next system: Resource Gathering," Alexander continued, methodically documenting everything. "The monument confirms what we've already discovered—specific gathering actions are required for different resources. Wood requires chopping motions, pnts need precise extraction gestures, and minerals must be struck with appropriate tools."

  Valeria demonstrated by approaching a nearby bush bearing small red berries. She performed a gentle pinching motion with her fingers, and the berries detached cleanly, disappearing into her virtual inventory. A small notification appeared in her interface. "Resource quality appears variable," she noted, checking the inventory dispy. "These are showing as 'Standard Quality Whispering Berries.'"

  "Quality gradation confirmed," Alexander said, adding this to his documentation. "The interface indicates four quality levels: Poor, Standard, Superior, and Exceptional. Higher quality likely impacts crafting outcomes and consumption benefits."

  As the morning progressed, Alexander systematically tested and documented each system introduced by the monument:

  "Crafting operates through a combination interface," he expined, demonstrating for the team. "Components are selected from inventory and arranged in a virtual workspace. Patterns determine successful creation. Some patterns are provided, others must be discovered through experimentation or documentation."

  He created a simple water container from bark and pnt fibers, selecting the components from his virtual inventory and arranging them according to the pattern instructions provided by the monument. The interface dispyed a progress bar as the crafting process completed, then a notification appeared confirming the successful creation. The finished container appeared in his inventory with an option to equip or use it.

  "Environmental Interaction follows standard protocols," Alexander continued. "Most surfaces can be climbed with appropriate skill checks. Water bodies are fully interactive with swimming mechanics. Temperature affects pyer status with both cold and heat management requirements."

  Elijah, who had been quietly testing various systems, looked up suddenly. "There's something interesting here about perception thresholds."

  "Expin," Alexander said, turning his attention to his brother.

  "According to my interface, certain environmental elements are only visible to pyers who meet specific perception requirements. Some items, pathways, or even creatures might be invisible to us until we develop the necessary perception abilities."

  Alexander frowned slightly. "That's not in my information set. Show me."

  Elijah projected his interface view for Alexander to see. There, among the standard tutorials, was indeed a section on perception thresholds that Alexander's interface hadn't dispyed.

  "Curious," Alexander muttered. "Css-based information that favors your specific attributes rather than mine. Make sure you document this completely."

  As the sun climbed higher, they discovered two more tutorial monuments, each providing additional system information:

  Combat mechanics were expined in detail—targeting systems, damage calcutions, critical hit zones, and defensive maneuvers. The monument provided practice targets that materialized from the ground, allowing the team to test basic combat functions.

  Navigation systems included a multi-yer minimap, tracking functions, and environmental markers. Alexander was particurly interested in the "revealed area" persistence—areas they explored remained mapped in their interfaces, creating a growing knowledge of the territory.

  By midday, Alexander had compiled a comprehensive database of all basic game systems. He organized the information meticulously, creating a shared knowledge repository that the entire team could access.

  "This appears to be the extent of the basic tutorials," he announced, reviewing his documentation. "Note that certain advanced systems are merely referenced without full expnation. Those will likely be introduced progressively as we encounter them."

  Valeria, who had been testing the durability mechanics on various equipment items, approached Alexander. "I've identified something interesting in the monument data. According to my interface, there are css-specific interaction nodes throughout the environment that only certain pyer types can access."

  "Show me," Alexander said.

  She projected her findings. Indeed, her Servicer-css information included details about specialized interaction points that weren't mentioned in Alexander's tutorials.

  "Each of us should compile all css-specific information," Alexander decided. "We need to maximize our collective knowledge advantage."

  Riva, who had been experimenting with the medicinal pnt crafting system, joined them. "I've discovered that combining certain pnts creates detection potions that temporarily enhance perception attributes. This might help with those perception thresholds Elijah mentioned."

  Alexander nodded approvingly. "Good work. Document the recipes and required components."

  As afternoon approached, Alexander called the team together to review everything they'd learned. He dispyed his organized database through a shared interface projection, allowing everyone to see the systematic breakdown of game mechanics.

  "We now understand the fundamental systems," he stated. "This knowledge base will serve as our foundation moving forward. Each of you will be responsible for maintaining expertise in specific systems: Elijah, perception and navigation; Valeria, combat and security; Riva, medicinal crafting and resource quality assessment."

  The team acknowledged their assignments, each already accessing the relevant sections of Alexander's meticulously organized database.

  "Tomorrow we'll begin practical application of these systems," Alexander continued. "We'll establish resource gathering routes, craft essential equipment, and expand our exploration radius."

  As they returned to their camp, Alexander walked alongside Elijah, who seemed distracted again, his eyes scanning the forest in that peculiar way Alexander had noticed yesterday.

  "You found information I didn't," Alexander said, not accusingly but with analytical interest. "The perception thresholds. Is that connected to what you've been sensing in the forest?"

  Elijah hesitated before answering. "Maybe. The tutorial mentioned that some pyers have natural perception affinities that the Game responds to. I think I might have one of those."

  Alexander considered this. It made strategic sense—their father had always said Elijah possessed unusual perceptiveness, while Alexander excelled at command and control.

  "If you're detecting things the rest of us can't see, that's a tactical advantage," Alexander said pragmatically. "Document everything you perceive that seems unusual. We'll incorporate it into our knowledge base."

  Elijah nodded, but Alexander noted a certain reservation in his brother's expression—as though there were aspects of his experience he wasn't ready to share.

  Back at camp, as evening approached, Alexander finalized his system documentation, creating an organized reference that could be expanded as they discovered more about the Game. He reviewed the day's work with satisfaction: they had efficiently learned and cataloged the basic mechanics, identified css advantages, and established specialized knowledge areas for each team member.

  They were proceeding exactly according to pn—methodical, efficient, and thorough. Yet as Alexander stored his completed documentation in his interface, he couldn't help but wonder about the information that had been provided to Elijah but not to him. What other differences might exist in how the Game presented itself to each of them?

  For a system that had seemed straightforward in the briefings, the Game was already showing unexpected complexity.