The air inside the Grid grew heavier with every pulse of the Compression Field.
From a distance, the Core Nexus flickered like a beating heart, throwing streaks of blue light across the wasteland.
Leice and Zack moved quietly along the broken rails of an abandoned transit line. Wind carried static; the remains of holographic billboards sparked as they passed.
[Compression Phase Five: Active]
[Safe Zone Radius: 8 Kilometers]
[Remaining Participants: 274]
Zack stumbled over a loose panel.
"T-That sound… does it mean people just died?"
Leice didn't answer. His focus was on the translucent interface hovering beside him.
[Skill Activated: System Override]
[DP Spent: 100]
[Scripting Layer Access – Partial]
Lines of code scrolled before his eyes, half-transparent against the ruins.
He traced them with one hand, muttering under his breath.
"Trigger points… spawn data… NPC alignment markers… good."
The system hummed softly in acknowledgment, adapting to his commands.
Zack peered over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking for traps."
It wasn't a lie—just not the whole truth.
In the original game, this was the area where the Main Hero's First Trial Event occurred.
He remembered every line of dialogue, every flag, every choice.
If he could intercept it before Zack triggered it naturally, the system would recognise him as the active participant.
That meant EXP, rewards, affinity boosts, and—most importantly—control over the story's next phase.
If the system still follows base logic… then hijacking the route should be simple.
They reached a junction where the tracks split into three directions. A faint holographic glyph shimmered above the center—a dormant event marker.
Leice stopped. His eyes narrowed.
[Hidden Quest: Trial of Resolve – Status: Inactive]
There it is.
He drew Breakam One and slashed across the air, sending a pulse of energy into the glyph. The marker flared to life, lines of data cascading downward like rain.
[Skill Activated: Memory Sync]
[DP Spent: 50]
[Transferring Trigger Permissions…]
Zack blinked at the sudden light.
"W-What's happening?"
"World maintenance," Leice said dryly. "Keep still."
The glyph's light spread across the floor, forming a circular pattern of symbols. The entire rail yard trembled as the simulation loaded an event long buried under layers of combat updates.
[Event Triggered: The Trial of Resolve]
[Quest Owner: Zack Sillena]
[Linked Participants: 1]
Leice raised a brow.
Let's fix that.
He opened the system menu again.
[Command Input: Transfer Quest Ownership → Player: Leech Code]
[DP Spent: 200]
[Verification Complete]
The glyph's color shifted from gold to silver.
Zack didn't notice—he was too busy staring at the glowing terrain around them.
A deep rumble followed. A massive construct rose from the sand—an armored guardian made of fractured stone and code. Its eyes burned with blue fire.
[Trial Guardian: Echelon Prototype – Level 45]
Zack stumbled back.
"T-That's… impossible! That's way above beginner level!"
"Welcome to life," Leice said, stepping forward. "You handle the left flank. I'll take the rest."
Zack raised his sword shakily. "I can't! I'm not strong enough—"
Leice snapped his fingers.
[Skill Activated: Stat Mirage]
[Effect: Temporarily equalize target's base stats to 50% of player's current level.]
[DP Spent: 300]
Blue light wrapped around Zack; his eyes widened as strength flooded his limbs.
"Wh-What did you do?"
"Upgrade patch," Leice replied. "Now move."
The guardian lunged. Zack screamed but met the strike; sparks scattered as metal met energy. Leice blurred behind the construct, Breakam One transforming into a scythe mid-swing.
He cut through the guardian's shoulder, tearing code apart. The monster roared, spinning with seismic force.
[Damage Received: 0]
[Counter Active]
Leice sidestepped, slicing across the weak points. Each strike was deliberate, almost surgical.
[Skill Activated: Limit Chain – Break Sequence Mode]
[DP Spent: 150]
Breakam One split into six fragments, circling the guardian like predators.
They struck simultaneously—light bending inward before the creature exploded into a shower of code.
Silence followed. Dust settled.
Zack fell to one knee, panting.
"W-We actually did it!"
Leice wiped nonexistent dust from his coat.
"We?"
The system chimed.
[Quest Completed: Trial of Resolve]
[Reward: 10 000 EXP | Title Unlocked: Code Challenger]
[Main Hero Assisted – Progress redirected to Player: Leech Code]
Leice smiled faintly. Perfect.
He glanced at Zack. The boy was still staring at the disappearing guardian, eyes wide with awe and disbelief.
"That was your trial," Leice said casually. "Congrats on surviving."
"But… I didn't even—"
"You learned," Leice interrupted. "That's enough."
The boy's confusion lingered, but the adrenaline drowned it out.
He looked up to Leice with something close to respect.
"Thank you… I don't think I could've done it alone."
Leice nodded once. "That's the point of a party."
He didn't need to tell him the truth—that every reward, every achievement had already been rerouted to his own account.
[Remaining Participants: 243]
[Compression Phase Six Approaching]
[Safe Zone Radius: 6 Kilometers]
Wind screamed across the broken plains as the field drew closer again.
Leice closed the system panel. "Move. We're heading east."
Zack frowned. "Why not toward the Nexus?"
"Too obvious. You never walk the path the story wants you to."
Zack hesitated but followed. Their footsteps echoed against the fractured steel.
Above them, faint static gathered—light bending into a silhouette.
A figure stepped through the data mist, hair like pale gold, eyes the same blue as the sky before dawn.
Her armor bore the mark of the Sillena Crest—twin wings bound by a chain.
She stopped a few meters ahead, gaze sharp but steady.
"Zack?"
The boy froze. "S-Sister…?"
Leice's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So the next piece arrives early."
The system blinked one final message:
[New Character Detected: Aria Sillena – Alignment: Neutral]