Too many days of being stuck inside, doing endless research and making difficult decisions about editing my DNA, had worn a rut in my brain. So, I was having trouble switching gears suddenly. A tiny bit of my brain hadn't stopped thinking about remaking myself into a superhuman warrior, even as the rest of me was baffled by what Gilda had just suggested.

For her part, Gilda quietly stood up and came behind me to rub my shoulders gently. Then she leaned over and whispered sweetly into my right ear.

"There are times when play can also be a form of work."

At first, I thought Gilda was suggesting we go outside on a spacewalk, which was both a terrifying and exciting idea. However, based on what she had just said, she had something else in mind, but I couldn't predict exactly what. Confused, but even more than that, feeling self-conscious over how close she was, I figured my best bet was to keep my mouth shut and instead focus on enjoying the shoulder rub. Over the next few minutes, most of my frustration disappeared, and I almost forgot that I was previously frustrated. Seemingly unconcerned by my lack of verbal response, Gilda kept rubbing my shoulders a bit more firmly and continued speaking.

"The most important thing is for you to relax. Once your body and mind relax, you can easily go outside."

I didn't care too much about what she meant anymore, simply enjoying the moment for what it was. Gradually, I fully relaxed into the rhythm of her movements and felt the last of the mental stress of the week evaporate.

"Thanks, Gilda."

"My pleasure."

Even without seeing her, I could almost sense her smile. Then, I barely heard her whisper, "Begin simulation program 001."

Suddenly, I wasn't inside the spaceship anymore. Instead, I sat on a fallen log in the woods. Gilda was still behind me, but she had removed her hands from my shoulders and stepped back a bit.

"What do you think, Willie?"

Stunned by the change in scenery, I couldn't even respond. This place was so much like the woods back home that it took me several moments to begin processing what was happening.

"Now that there sure is something. How did we get out here?"

"We are currently in a simulation run by the main computer. Your real-world physical senses are all replaced by digital stimuli. You could think of it as something akin to a waking dream."

"Everything feels so real... but you're saying it's like a dream? Does that mean I can do anything here?"

"Not exactly. There are rules in this place that are very similar to reality. The purpose is actually for combat training. But a video game would be a good analogy from your own experiences.

"A video game... for combat training?"

"Yes, well, I told you before I can't use magic myself, but I can help you learn the basics and practice. That is a part of the reason for the existence of this simulation. Your progress through various simulations will be monitored and rated. Later, that data will be compared to that of your magical warrior candidate peers to help guide training and ranking."

I thought I remembered hearing about game-like simulations used for military training on Earth. So maybe this made perfect sense. Regardless, being out in the familiar forest scenery was calming for me. Even if it wasn't real, it sure felt like it.

"Because this is the simplest training simulation, it is fairly open-ended. So, what would you like to do, Willie?"

Giving her question a bit of thought made me realize how much I had desperately wanted to stretch my legs.

"Can we move around in here?"

"Certainly. The simulation is massive. We could stay here for a very long time, though virtually no time would pass on the outside."

That caught my attention. It wasn't obvious why time would pass differently between here and the real world.

"What do you mean?"

"Here, inside the simulation, information is being processed at a very rapid rate. Specifically, information is processed as fast as your brain can handle. A few hours here could be just a few minutes outside. It is one thing that makes this a useful skill training tool. Well, that and the fact that you can't die here."

"Yup... not dying sure is a nice bonus. Anyhow, I've been feeling the need to move my body around. Maybe we could go for a walk?"

"Sure, but before we do, just let me warn you that monster encounters will be scattered throughout the environment. You are very likely to encounter one sooner or later."

I suddenly had the images of the kind of sci-fi alien monsters that hunted humans in the movies pop into my head. But I was pretty sure that wasn't what Gilda meant.

"Why the heck are there monsters here? For that matter, can you explain what you mean when you say monster?"

"Certainly. A monster is usually an animal, specifically an animal capable of using mana to produce magic. As I said, the purpose is to train. However, you hopefully will also find the experience of hunting monsters enjoyable."

"Well... I guess I did like hunting back on Earth. I don't have any weapons or gear, though."

"Magic is a tremendously powerful weapon. And any other weapon you use will be augmented by magic. However, magic itself will always be your best weapon."

"I see... So, the idea is for me to learn to use magic while hunting monsters?"

"Yes. Once you get a feel for it, using magic becomes easier. Just like any other skill."

I suppose this was Gilda using the sink-or-swim teaching method. Still, I was so happy to be out of that spaceship I didn't mind much.

"Is there anything I should know before we run into one of these critters?"

"I believe you hid your visual user interface earlier, correct?"

"Yeah, I don't like that thing in my face all the time."

"Well, when hunting, you will want to enable it. Perhaps you should review it before we begin."

I couldn't contain a frustrated sigh from escaping before I grumbled a reluctant, "Fine."

I reluctantly focused on the word 'assist.' Immediately, the visual user interface popped into view. It had a bunch of icon menus and a slew of information lines and graphics that changed as different objects entered my field of view. All this nonsense stuck in my field of view definitely made everything feel more like being in a game. In everyday life, this visual overlay was just an annoyance, but maybe here, I should embrace it as part of the fun of playing a game.

"So, what should I be looking at here?"

"The first thing you should always be aware of is your stats."

I focused on the icon with the word 'stats' below it, and a small grouping of graphics moved from the corner to the center of the screen and expanded to show more detail. There were many categories. Some didn't even make sense to me. However, it looked like I was weak.

Species: Human
Name: Willie Jennings

Damage - 0/100
Stamina - 75/100
Mana - 100/100

Strength - D
Durability - D
Speed - D
Dexterity - D
Intellect - C

Skills:
Languages (3), DNA Editing (1), Identification (1), Riding 1, Herding 1, Marksmanship 1, Tracking 1, Field Dressing 1, Fire 1

Magic Skills:
None

Looking at these stats was disheartening. I'd already invested a lot of time and energy in understanding the use of the nanites to strengthen myself. However, I was still getting failing grades in everything but Intellect.

"Gilda, why are my stats so low? I thought all that stuff we were doing to my DNA was supposed to be making me stronger."