Return of the Woodcutter

"What do you mean?" Aito said, his tone softer than before because of Ogoro\'s kind gesture, but it still contained traces of suspicion.

The giant of a man scratched his grey hair, searching for a "soft" explanation. How was he supposed to explain that he had killed people for a living during his first life, without causing concern or discomfort to the other party?

"I… have trained my whole life in the usage of various weapons," Ogoro said, looking sideways, using a half-truth to mask the entire picture. "Anyway, it\'s yours. This isn\'t enough to repay you for saving my life, but it is a good start. Please, accept it."

Aito stared at the bead. Compared to the grey one he had already ingested, this one had no symbols inside, on top of being red. He then turned his gaze toward the giant, who was politely bowing. Ogoro looked sincere, there was no denying that. Nevertheless, Aito couldn\'t help but hesitate.

Gods, evol monkeys, the island, and other past events. He had seen too much, leading him to have serious trust issues.

"Before you refuse," Roan intervened. "Let me tell you one thing… maybe two. These types of beads are very expensive. Its purity is one also significantly high, not the best, but close enough to come in third place."

Aito was about to object, but the Guide interrupted him.

"Furthermore," Roan said, pointing at the Japanese man who was still bowing. "This man standing in front of you, despite being classless, is known to be undefeated, and for a reason. His knowledge of the art of combat is indisputably the best in the Tower. Apart from the moderators, I\'m certain that nobody can beat him in a fair fight."

Aito sighed. If what Roan said was true, then he desperately needed this bead, but his overthinking habits now bordered paranoia. Although it had kept him alive until now, it also prevented him from accepting such a precious gift. Since he could check the actual content of an item with his candle, there was no real reason to refuse. But what if the candle deceived him? What i—

\'What is that man doing?\' He thought, wondering why Ogoro was on his knees. Aito soon realized that it was the famous Japanese Dogeza position he had seen in animes, where one prostrated to express an apology, to pay respect, or in this case to ask for a favor.

"My family has the tradition to repay a life with a life," Ogoro said, face down against the ground. "Which basically means servitude."

It was that particular tradition, that had been hammered into him, that forced him to stay in the family. Since he had been born in it, he had to repay his birth, dedicating himself to the family.

"But I do not intend to return to a life of servitude." The giant added. "In exchange, please accept my knowledge. Also, I\'d be willing to help you one time with anything as long as it doesn\'t involve suicide or harming my sister."

\'Anything, hun?\' Aito thought.

What the man in front of him implied was simple: if he was asked to kill, he would. That kind of mentality couldn\'t belong to someone ordinary. At least, Aito was certain the giant had already killed in his past life. As for what he had been or who he was, Aito couldn\'t care less.

If that guy was as good as Roan said he was, he could probably help him accomplish Belmond\'s unreasonable request. That\'s all that mattered. So, for now, he decided to trust Ogoro\'s words.

"Thank you," Aito said. "It won\'t go to waste. Concerning your help, I need time to think about it. So please stand up, this situation is embarrassing."

Ogoro did as he was asked, then searched the pocket of his white linen pants, his pectoral muscles contracted under his leather armor from this simple gesture, and stopped when he finally grabbed something.

"Here, take it. It\'s a pass that will give you access to my room, R02." Ogoro said, handing over a red ticket. "Feel free to come by during cooldown hours."

"Cooldown hours?"

"Your Guide will explain everything to you along the way." The giant replied, "Now if you\'ll excuse me, I\'ll have to deal with an angry crowd for handing over the prize they were after."

Ogoro bowed slightly and walked in direction of a confused crowd that was trying to understand the situation.

Aito attached the necklace around his neck, picked up his weapon and shiny rock, then turned towards Roan, who was staring at him with inquisitive eyes.

"Hum, you really look unkempt." The Guide said, "I think you should at least get a haircut."

"No need," Aito replied. "Just lead the way."

Roan shrugged, then pointed at the candle. "Place your hand on it. A notification will appear. You accept. You teleport to your room. I come. I explain. Then I give you a tour of everything else. Voilà, the program in a nutshell."

"…"

"What\'s that tired expression for?" Roan asked. "Didn\'t you want to speed things up? Then chop, chop, get to work!"

"…"

***

Aito, followed by Roan, walked out of a black portal to enter his temporary dwelling for the remaining time of the trial. A luxurious apartment of a hundred square meters, almost similar to what could be found on Earth but minus the televisions, phones, and any other modern communication device.

It contained a kitchen, dining room, living room with sofas, his own private room with a kingsize bed, a bathroom equipped with a bathtub that looked more like a jacuzzi.

Brick walls framed Aito\'s new dwelling, somehow giving out calm vibes. There were no electronics. Instead, the few things that needed energy to operate used mana from a core installed inside.

To operate it, Aito would only need to infuse it with a small amount of his own mana. It would then trigger the mechanism that will draw upon its own mana storage to function properly, the same goes if he wanted to stop it.

"Interesting," Aito said, standing in the living room while looking at the rectangular stone fixed high up to the wall, from which cold air came after he activated it using a blue knob-shaped object inserted into the wall—he had practiced mana infusion using his candle only a few times since Valinar\'s appearance, so it had been a bit difficult.

Roan nodded. "Hehehe. I see you found the room cooling system. It works just like an air conditioner by sucking in heat and spitting out cold air. Deliciously comfortable during hot weather!"

"I suppose it is," Aito said, turning towards Roan. "What\'s next?"

"In a hurry, hun? Okay, okay. Next is the second floor, which we also call the Mall because of its similarities to a shopping center. You\'ll find many shops there, ranging from weapon shops to barbers. Also, I\'d recommend leaving your personal effects here. It\'s a secure location, after all. Apart from a god, nobody can enter the room without your consent."

But that\'s exactly what worried Aito. He could leave his ax here. The candle, however, should remain with him at all times. As for that piece of shiny rock, he wasn\'t even certain what it was.

"Roan, do you know what that rock is?" Aito said, showing the Guide an item that was as large as his past viking shield and averaging thirty or forty-centimeter heights.

"Hum. Hum. Hum. Look at that shiny thingy. Never seen before. Looks like metal. Steel? Meh, steel is an alloy. Hum. I don\'t know." Roan said, holding his chin between two fingers. "But Ainar, a good friend of mine, might just be able to help you."