Walking was going to take some relearning. Each step felt like my leg felt like a spring waiting to launch forward. I kept my movements slow and small. Shadara proceeded with her bath, and I dried myself off. I redid my braid and stared at my still-wet clothes. They were fixed, but I wasn’t about to walk around in them. I grabbed another towel and attempted to dry them as quickly as possible.

As I waited, I pulled out another set of clothes from Killa’s bag of holding. I liked the jacket, so I kept it out and dried it. The rest I put in the bag until I needed a new set of clothes. Shadara was sitting in the bathtub, and an errant thought ran through my mind.

Why did I push her out of the way that one time? I barely knew her at the time. Am I just that desperate for friends?

I shook my head. It’s too late to question myself. What’s done is done, and now I have another friend. One I can’t let anything happen to. When that thing comes for me in whatever form, I’ll have to keep its attention on me no matter what. I took another step. But first, I need to get used to walking again.

I paced back and forth, learning how different my legs felt. It was surreal to be able to have so much control and yet so little at the same time. A lot more mental effort went into each step, as I had to manipulate each muscle. It was odd because I instinctually knew how to, but I just wasn’t practiced with it.

The more I paced, the faster I went. Unfortunately, the small room didn’t leave me much room to see what I was capable of now. I’d have to leave the city and stretch my legs. A warm feeling in my chest blossomed. I wanted to feel how fast I could go. The desire to test myself was odd, but I kind of appreciated it at the same time.

Shadara was quick with her bath, but drying off was another story. “All that fur must really be a pain to take care of,” I said as I helped her dry off by handing her another towel.

“It has its perks.” Shadara took the towel and started drying her tail. “But yeah, it can be annoying the longer I go without a bath. I’m just lucky my fur is on the shorter side. I’ve seen some beast men with fur as long as your hair.” The thought of so much hair or fur sent a shiver down my spine. “But thanks for the help.”

I scratched the back of my head. “Yeah, it’s no problem.” My energy bar was getting dangerously low again. “Um, two things. If you don’t mind.”

Shadara walked towards the door with her clothes on, giving me a wink. “Anything.”

I help up a finger. “First, I really need to eat. And not just a little either.” Then I lifted a second finger. “Then can we leave so I can practice running?”

The panther woman paused and turned her head, an eyebrow raised. “You really need to practice running? What did you do to yourself that caused you to forget how to run?”

I shook my head. “It’s not that I forgot how to. It just requires more thought and coordination.”

“Fine, is it another one of your secrets?” Shadara scowled as she opened the door. “You’ve still got some food left in the room. But I’d say we can head out tomorrow. It’s been a busy day, and I don’t know how you’re not tired.”

Now that she mentioned it, I’m not tired, just hungry. I followed my friend. That’s a mystery that can wait until I’ve filled my stomach, or more accurately, filled my energy bar since none of it reaches my stomach. I sighed. There’s probably an augment that can replace all my digestive organs now that I’m not using them. Don’t show me them, Orange. I’m not ready for that.

We returned to the room, and the platter of meat was still there. I quickly devoured it, all while Shadara watched me. Her staring was unnerving.

“Yes?” I finished the meat and licked my fingers clean.

She just smiled and waved her hand. "It's just that the more strangeness I see from you, the more I can’t stay away from you. You’ve got your secrets, and from what I can guess, there's a good reason to keep them. But again, my curiosity is driving me wild.” She wasn’t looking at me, but through me as she raised her hands and flexed her fingers, exposing her small, sharp claws. “The anticipation is intoxicating. I’ve got to know now.”

I looked at my energy bar. It was a little over half. “You said we should head out tomorrow. I’ll need to eat even more. Maybe we can find a slime or some potions before we do.”

Shadara deflated. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

I sighed. I might as well give her something now. “If we make it to the fifth floor and learn a way to kill the thing hunting me, I’ll tell you everything.”

The panther woman grinned and pointed a finger at me. “I’ll hold you to that.” Then she frowned. “And now you’ve made me so excited, I probably won’t be able to sleep for a while.”

I chuckled. “Sorry.”

She shrugged. “Eh, it’s not your fault. I’ll be in the room next door. You’re not going to be one for sleeping together, are you? Especially after seeing your bashfulness in the bathroom. After all, I sleep without any clothes on.” I turned and blushed. “I thought so.”

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“Wait,” I called to her. “Can I just say one more thing?” Shadara turned and smiled. “Thanks for being so pushy.”

Her grin grew wider. “What can I say? A little push can go a long way.” She waved her hand as she moved to leave. “Try to sleep. Whoever’s up first wakes the other. Alright?”

I nodded, and she left. The silence in the room suddenly felt heavier. I took off my jacket and boots as I climbed into the bed. It wasn’t bad. A little stiff, but it’ll get the job done. I wonder what they made the mattresses and pillows out of.

I held up my arm blade and stared at it. The next thing I really should do is put this thing away.

As I stared at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think about how my fights went today. Yuholla was right. I need to learn how to fight. Orange, is there a way you can teach me to fight?

We require combat logs of proficient fighters. Once we have those, we can use the preview simulation to create an environment for the host to watch, learn, and practice.

And where would I be able to do that? Also, didn’t you tell me you couldn’t download Gary?

We never said we would download anything. We can read and memorize the combat logs the next time the host interfaces with a Soul Nexus’s access point. There is one on every level.

Can you explain any more than that? What do these access points look like?

The access point designated as Gary was one such access point. We would suggest that the host wait until they reach the next floor before searching for one. The higher the level, the more access each point will have. We are not permitted to know how such combat logs are collected.

Okay, so we’ll head to the next floor and find one. Does that mean that Gary was telling me to look for the access point on the fifth floor?

That seems the most logical conclusion.

Ugh. Alright, since we’re so close to leaving this floor, that sounds like the best plan of action. We might be able to leave tomorrow once I learn how to run.

If the host wishes, we can run the preview simulation for the host to practice running.

Can I do that while I sleep?

Yes.

Then yes. But can you set up a simulation of the sphinx’s trial?

My eyes closed, and everything around me shifted as I found myself standing at the end of the hall for the sphinx’s trial. Thankfully, there wasn’t a lazy sphinx sitting on the podium. Instead, my doppelgänger, with bright orange hair, sat there, kicking her feet.

“Welcome.” Orange waved her hand towards the gate at the end of the hall. “As long as the host has seen it once, we can replicate any environment. Additionally, any foe the host has slain, we can replicate and, through calculations, emulate their behaviors.”

“So you can basically recreate anything I’ve seen and have me spar against it.” I raised an eyebrow.

“That is correct, but we believe that will not be productive for the host’s long-term goals.” Orange pushed herself off the pedestal and walked towards me. “Practicing unaided only ingrains one’s faults. And with no information on the correct form, the host will not achieve their goal of learning to fight.”

Rather wise advice from her.

“Fair enough.” I shrugged and then pointed to the doorway at the end of the hall. “The timing on that is still the same?” She nodded. “Alright, but before we do that, how about a place where I can run a bit more freely, and if I trip and fall, it won’t hurt as much?"

The environment around me shifted until I was on my high school track. The stadium was empty, and the football field was full of lush, green grass. This will do.

Slowly, but surely, and with a lot of assistance from Orange, I worked my way up from walking to running. I even worked out how to sprint, mostly. My face became very acquainted with the ground, trying to sprint. Thankfully, Orange left out the pain and exhaustion feedback for my impromptu training.

I once again face-planted on the ground for the umpteenth time. Instead of getting up, I rolled over and sat up. Every time I looked at my legs, they looked like normal legs. “Ugh, what am I doing wrong now?”

Orange stood next to me. “The host’s motions are correct, but the timing and balance are off. It seems the host’s brain is unable to send commands as fast as their legs can complete them.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We need to work on your speech. You can use my name and speak a bit more informally.”

“Understood.” Orange gave me a slight bow. “We will endeavor to assist you as much as possible.”

I leaned back and stared at the simulated stars. “Back to what you said. How do I speed up my brain? It’s an augment, isn’t it?”

Orange waved her hand. “Not only. While it will provide you with a substantial increase, it is possible to think faster by just operating at a faster frequency for longer durations. Your mind will adjust.”

I glared at her. “Operate at a faster frequency?” I started rubbing my temples. “What does that even mean?”

Orange nodded, expressionless. “I understand it might sound perplexing. But think of it like this: you know how sometimes you do something repeatedly and get faster and better at it? Your brain can also get faster with practice.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How many more times am I going to keep falling?”

Orange gave me a slight smile. “We can’t compute that. You have already surpassed our projected expectation by 47.67%.” I blinked. “The more you engage in activities that challenge your mind to process information swiftly, the more it adapts and learns to operate at a heightened pace.”

I sighed and lay flat on the ground. “I don’t know if you just complimented me or insulted me. Either this is genuinely difficult and I’m learning much faster than average, or you were expecting me to struggle far more.”

Orange shook her head. “That was not our intent. We simply analyzed all the previous attempts to learn and the speed at which you did so to project the most likely outcome. We were attempting to encourage you to continue through the means of positive reinforcement.”

I had to laugh. “Positive reinforcement, huh? Maybe while you’re attempting to find the information on combat logs, you can learn a bit about human psychology.”

Orange’s eyes narrowed on me. “We are continuously studying various social behaviors. But if the host wishes, we could.”

I rolled my eyes. “And I’m here providing you with a crash course. Lucky you.” I sighed and stood up, reflexively brushing myself off. “So, just keep running until my brain catches up with my legs?”

Orange nodded. “That is a simplified interpretation. Repetitive engagement in activities requiring rapid decision-making will stimulate neural pathways, facilitating faster cognitive processes. You will find incremental improvement through repetition.”

I groaned. “More running and falling. Fantastic advice.”

Orange’s form remained stoic. “Your feedback is appreciated.”

I turned away, waving my hand at her. It’s not worth it. At least she isn’t calling me ‘the host’ anymore. Baby steps. We’ll get to sarcasm eventually.

I ran circles in my head throughout the night, and the subtle knocking on my door was the only thing that snapped me out of the simulation.