After hearing those messages, Derian was transferred to a blank white space that seemed to stretch for infinity as fairy-like things slowly emerged from the void, slowly becoming more and more real until finally a sound effect of bells ringing was heard as they suddenly vanished and appeared right before him.
''Greetings, incarnation, I-''
However, Derian didn't bother letting them speak, quickly saying, ''Request to bypass the ''Stream'' codename 06-30-1905, my access perms are 3818151415192514111211920919385. Even if my access perms have not been granted, this ''fey'' unit has no ''tragedy'' built in within itself to deny incarnation Derian Synkler.''
The small fairy, who in truth just looked like a miniature human female with wings, had their sclera the only thing that showed for a moment as its body went completely limp for a few seconds, but soon pupils returned to their eyes as they flew to Derian's shoulder and sat down on it.
And with a smirk, Derian thought, 'Nice, so the novel didn't lie about how to hack the tutorial fairies. Now I won't need a constellation, but instead I can just use the shop function without restrictions—'
But his thoughts were forced to a halt as he felt a soft impact on his cheek, causing him to stagger back a few steps.
Which greatly surprised Derian as the small fairy spoke, ''That's for forcefully making a contract with me, you bastard!''
This put genuine surprise in the heart of Derian as he rolled his one exposed eye down just enough to see the fairy as he asked, ''How are you talking? I thought fairies of the 0th floor didn't have the ability to think due to being artificial fey created by the tower?''
The small fairy on his shoulder only let out an annoyed sound and looked away before reluctantly saying, ''That would be the case normally; however, I am the ''King Of Fey'' for the artificial fey and therefore the control center for all artificial fey. I need to have a personality unlike my artificial counterparts since the tower cannot recreate a true fey without access to the Flower Garden.''
Derian's eyebrows rose. 'The King of Fey? Why would she respond to a basic bypass code?' He'd read about her—barely a footnote in the novel. Kim Min-hwan had used the bypass code countless times, but the King of Fey herself had never shown up.
''Why did you come personally?'' Derian asked, genuinely curious. ''The code should just hijack a random tutorial fairy, not summon their administrator.''
The King of Fey shifted on his shoulder, her wings fluttering in an almost agitated manner. She leaned closer to him, taking a small breath near his collar, and then her eyes widened.
''You—you smell like the Flower Garden,'' she said, her voice carrying a note of wonder and longing. ''How? How do you have that scent on you? Humans shouldn't be able to access that place. Even true fey are rarely born there anymore.''
'The Flower Garden?' Derian's mind raced. The field of flowers where he'd woken up after dying. The humming that seemed to wish for space and time to fall asleep. The warmth that had wrapped around him like a embrace.
'The Flower Garden?' Derian's mind raced. The field of flowers where he'd woken up after dying. The humming that seemed to wish for space and time to fall asleep. The warmth that had wrapped around him like an embrace.
Was that place connected to the Flower Garden the King of Fey was talking about? His skill had taken him there when he died, but he didn't really understand what it was or why.
''I don't really understand it myself,'' Derian said carefully. ''It's related to my skill, I think.''
The King of Fey pressed closer, almost nuzzling against his neck in a way that would've been embarrassing if she wasn't the size of his thumb. ''It's so warm,'' she murmured. ''Like home. Like the place we're supposed to return to but can never reach.''
Derian felt oddly uncomfortable thinking he might be in a Subaru situation, like he was intruding on something private. ''Is the scent really that strong?''
''Strong?'' The fairy laughed, a tinkling sound like bells. ''It's overwhelming. Any fey would be drawn to you like moths to flame. We're creatures born from tragedy and stories, but the Flower Garden is where we're meant to rest when our tales end. You smell like endings. Like peace.''
'So that's why she came,' Derian thought. 'The scent is like a beacon to fey. It probably doesn't affect humans or constellations, but to something born from the tower...'
''Well, since you're here anyway,'' Derian said, pushing aside his discomfort, ''I might as well make use of the situation. Shop.''
A translucent window appeared before him, visible only to his eyes. The tower's shop system—normally restricted during Floor 0 to prevent incarnations from gaining unfair advantages. But with a hijacked fairy, especially one as high-ranking as the King of Fey...
The restrictions were gone.
Derian's lips curved into a smile as he began scrolling. This was it. This was the Kim Dokja strategy—use administrative access to cheese the system before anyone else even understood the rules.
[Tower Shop - Unrestricted Access]
[Current Balance: 0 coins]
[Administrative Override: Enabled]
[Free Item Allocation: 3 items under 1000 coins]
'Three free items under 1000 coins,' Derian thought, his mind racing through everything he'd read in the novel. 'Kim Min-hwan never mentioned this perk. Either he never triggered it, or the King of Fey never showed up for him.'
He started scrolling through categories. Weapons, armor, consumables, skills, artifacts...
''What are you doing?'' the King of Fey asked, still perched contentedly on his shoulder, basking in whatever scent was emanating from him.
''Shopping,'' Derian said simply. ''Since I've hijacked your administrative access, I might as well take advantage of it before the scenario starts.''
''Clever,'' the fairy admitted. ''Though I should warn you—once Floor 0 ends and the stream goes live on Floor 1, the constellations will notice if you have items you shouldn't. You'll need to be subtle.''
''I'm always subtle,'' Derian lied.
He scrolled past the obvious choices—powerful weapons, rare skills, protective artifacts. Those would draw too much attention. What he needed were items that seemed unremarkable but had hidden utility. Things that would help him survive without making it obvious he'd cheated the system.
'Let's see... Basic Enhancement Elixir, 300 coins. Looks like a common consumable but actually increases stat growth efficiency by 15% for a week. That's subtle.'
He mentally added it to his cart.
'Wanderer's Cloak, 450 coins. Reduces presence detection by 20%. Perfect for avoiding aggro during the tutorial.'
Added.
'And for the third item...'
Derian paused on a entry that made his heart skip a beat.
[Pocket Watch of Distant Hours - 850 coins]
[Description: A damaged timepiece that no longer tells time correctly. Occasionally shows moments that haven't happened yet or already passed. Useless to most, but those touched by temporal anomalies might find it interesting.]
[Effect: ???]
Derian decided to not pass over this thing and actually think about getting it to maybe be like the ''pink haired bitch'' who used it on Kim Min-hwan to try and break them in one of his earlier cycles.
'A temporal artifact,' Derian thought. 'The description says it's damaged and useless, so no one would question why I have it. But if my skill can interface with it...'
He added it to the cart without hesitation.
[Confirm purchase: Basic Enhancement Elixir, Wanderer's Cloak, Pocket Watch of Distant Hours?]
[Total cost: 1600 coins]
[Administrative override applied: Cost reduced to 0 coins]
[Items will be delivered to your inventory.]
Derian mentally confirmed, and felt a slight weight appear in the inventory space that had opened up when he'd entered Floor 0. Three items, acquired before the scenario even began, without spending a single coin.
''Satisfied?'' the King of Fey asked, amusement in her voice.
''For now,'' Derian said. ''Though I'll probably regret not grabbing a weapon when the monsters start spawning.''
''You still have your administrative access to me,'' the fairy pointed out. ''Once you earn coins from the scenario, you can purchase more items. And unlike other incarnations, you won't have restrictions on what you can buy.''
That was true. The bypass code gave him unrestricted shop access for as long as he maintained control over the King of Fey. Which, according to the novel, should last until he either released her or died permanently.
The white space began to dissolve around them, reality bleeding through at the edges. Derian could feel solid ground beneath his feet again—metal flooring, the familiar sway of a train car.
The world solidified.
Derian found himself laying back down on the Seoul Metro train floor, exactly as it had been before he was pulled into the white space. The other passengers were still there, frozen mid-panic or mid-confusion. Kim Min-hwan was still in his arms though unable to keep his arms around them, that cigarette still unlit in their mouth. It was as if no time had passed at all.
Other incarnations around him were starting to move again, blinking as they returned from their own white spaces, checking notifications, looking around in confusion.
< Main Trial #1 – Team Bonding>
Category: Main Difficulty: E Clear Conditions :Make a group with those around you. Time Limit: 30 minutes Reward:500 coins Failure:???