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Chapter 3 - [Ice Ninja Fragment] 3

The Reciter floated in the star-swept void, arms crossed and brow twitching as golden hues shimmered faintly behind him like the remnants of old stories long concluded. He watched the scene unfold—watched as the Player named Gara, Story Guide and master of [Root of All Things], had just ended the climax of his most prized Fragment—[Ice Ninja]—with a friendship request.

[…He just asked the Calamity Dragon to be friends. And it worked. What am I watching?]

His voice echoed into the void, unheard by anyone but himself and the indifferent stars.

He sighed and shifted, robes rippling like mist in gravityless space. He cast a glance at the other Fragments playing behind him, dozens of golden panels slowly orbiting his presence like moons. Among them, Replica Reciters stood motionless in front of their own Fragments, each one reciting one of his lesser stories—fragments that barely pulled in a tenth of the audience of [Ice Ninja].

Replicas. Simulations. Perfectly accurate in delivery, tone, timing. But not real. Not him.

[Of course, this one had to be the real me. My favorite one. My masterpiece. My only F-Rank Fragment worth anything, and he's ruining it with improv comedy.]

He rubbed his temples as another burst of laughter came from the side—an invisible wave of Reader reaction washing in from those watching Gara's run.

He felt the pull of it all. The absurd popularity of the moment. Hundreds watching, hundreds reacting. The Fragment's data spiked in real-time, fluctuating unpredictably. Popularity soaring, feedback chaotic, some praising Gara as a genius, others crying that the Dragon Fight was skipped, and many just tuning in to see what would happen next.

And still… it wasn't supposed to go this way.

[I could've recited one of the safe ones,"] the Reciter muttered. [I could've handled [Frost-Fanged City] or [Blade & Honey] myself and let the Replica do this. But no, I had to be dramatic. I had to personally recite my magnum opus.]

He stared back down at the Fragment's visualization—the peak of Mount Ranzai, the Calamity Dragon now gently lowering its massive head toward Gara.

The Reciter's eyes dimmed a little.

[He stole the climax and made it a tea party.]

And yet, as he watched the mountain glow beneath a rising sun, and as the Dragon's eyes narrowed not in fury but in thought, he knew one thing with certainty:

The story—his story—had changed.

And it had done so in a way only a living, unpredictable Player could make happen.

Even if it annoyed him quite a bit.

The Reciter's expression shifted gradually.

What began as twitching annoyance softened into bemused contemplation. Then, as more golden windows bloomed around him—each one showing a new Reader connecting to the Fragment—his eyes began to glow again. Brighter this time. The shimmer of golden hues behind him pulsed like a heartbeat.

He turned slowly, watching as names flooded the Recitation space. Reader IDs. Observer tags. Rewatchers. Commentary overlays. Dozens became a hundred, then that became hundreds. Streams of data curled around the Fragment's name: [Ice Ninja].

[…That many already?] he murmured.

He spun to face the fragment's display again. Gara, smiling like a kid who just bought candy, stood beside the Calamity Dragon, the two of them talking. Talking. The Dragon even looked relaxed. The air was filled with sunrise, melting ice, and rising warmth.

And the system metrics weren't just glowing—they were blazing.

Core Production had more than tripled. Emotional resonance had spiked. Viewer Retention was now at 94%, which was absurd for an F Rank Fragment, especially this late in its story. New Viewers weren't bouncing either—they were staying. Some were replaying older scenes. Others had already bookmarked the whole run.

Someone had even started a tag:#FriendshipClearsFinalBoss

The Reciter's lips slowly curled into a grin.

[…So that's what this is. A comedic subversion pivoting into a resonance storm. He didn't kill the Dragon… but he killed expectations.]

He looked down, voice softer now:

[And expectations were always my greatest enemy with this one…]

The [Ice Ninja] Fragment had always hovered near the top of F Rank, held back by its predictable structure. Beautiful setting, fun techniques, a good story—but one with a known ending. A solid product. But not surprising.

Until now.

The Reciter's grin faltered for just a moment as the notification he'd expected... never came.

No rank up.

Not yet.

Just the steady hum of rising metrics. Close—so close—but still hovering just below the threshold.

He crossed his arms, floating still in the glow of a thousand observation windows. His eyes narrowed.

[…Tch. Not yet, huh?]

But then he glanced back at the metrics again. The engagement curves. The emotional depth charts. The chat overlays that scrolled things like:

"Bro FRIENDZONED the final boss!!!"

"I came here for fire and blood, but this is BETTER."

"I need to see what happens next. Do they get matching cloaks??"

And he chuckled.

[…Fine. Fine.]

His arms relaxed. The irritation from earlier now felt like a distant itch. Because even if the Fragment hadn't ranked up yet, it was rising. Every laugh, every surprised Reader, every buzzed comment was momentum. And he, a Reciter, was the conductor of that wave.

It would reach E Rank. He could feel it. And when it did, it would be because of this. Because Gara didn't fight the Dragon.

Because he befriended it.

[…Maybe I should've made this a branching route from the beginning,] he muttered to himself.[No. No, it's better this way. Unexpected. Raw. Real.]

He hovered in the void, leaned back with one leg crossed over the other, and let the story keep spinning, golden hues swirling quietly behind his silhouette.

[Alright, Gara. Let's see how far you can push this using your ridiculous, wonderful disaster you call [Root of All Things].]

...

Gara breathed a long, relieved sigh as he stared up at the gigantic dragon now resting its head on the snowy ground before him. The blazing tension that had gripped the mountaintop just moments ago was gone—no fire, no death, just a cold breeze brushing over white stone and scale.

The dragon's massive orange eyes blinked slowly, then narrowed—not in hostility, but confusion. Its ancient, echoing voice rumbled out again.

"I did not hear your name clearly earlier. Repeat it, please."

Gara blinked, then let out a short laugh, brushing snow off his shoulders. "You serious? This is the fourth time I've come up here and you can't remember me?"

The dragon paused.

"I remember your face," it said finally. "But not your voice. You never spoke."

"That's 'cause I'd get burned to ash the moment I tried to say something," Gara replied, hands on hips, grinning wide. "Kinda hard to make conversation when I'm doing my best impression of a torch."

The dragon was silent for a moment. Not in guilt—just… processing. Like a machine trying to understand a joke without the concept of humor. Dragons, after all, weren't human. And in the Story World, few non-human species truly grasped emotions beyond their practical or instinctual purposes.

And Dragons were the worst among them, especially those from the Injuka Clan like this one was suspected to be.

Gara chuckled again, not minding the lack of reaction. "Don't worry about it. I didn't come here expecting laughs."

He stepped closer, the ice beneath his boots crunching as he crossed into the shadow of the dragon's folded wings.

"So, now that we're friends…" he said, tilting his head. "Can I ask you something?"

Gara then smiled lightly, letting the mountain wind carry his words. "My name's Gara," he said, voice steady and clear now. "And my story name is [Root of All Things]."

The dragon's enormous head tilted slightly, as if cataloging the information. Its scales shimmered faintly in the filtered sunlight piercing the mountaintop clouds.

Gara continued, keeping his tone casual, almost conversational. "What I wanted to ask, now that we're friends, is… what's your name? And your story name too, if you don't mind."

The dragon blinked slowly. The air around them felt thicker for a moment, like the story itself was holding its breath. Then, in that same ancient, time-worn voice, the dragon spoke:

"My name is Marcus."

There was a pause. And then:

"…My story name is a mystery. For now."

Gara raised an eyebrow at that but didn't push. He just gave a nod and smiled again. "Alright, Marcus. Fair enough. Everyone's got their reasons."

'Huh… so he is hiding something,' Gara thought, glancing at the beast's massive frame. 'A dragon refusing to share his story name? Yeah, it probably reveals something big. Maybe where he comes from, or who he used to be. Could be connected to the Injuka Clan too... but if he's not ready to talk about that, I shouldn't force it.'

He exhaled softly, steam curling from his mouth. 'Better to leave the Injuka question for another time.'

Instead, he looked back up and said with a small laugh, "Guess I'll have to earn that name too, huh?"

The dragon nodded its gigantic head in response, slow and deliberate, sending a gust of warm air rolling down the mountaintop. Then it waited in silence, unmoving.

Gara chuckled softly in his thoughts. 'Guess I'm gonna have to do all the talking, huh? Not that I mind… but man, this is the most awkward Final Boss I've ever made friends with.'

He cleared his throat and stepped a bit closer, his ice shield now slowly melting behind him. "Hey, uh… have you ever had friends before?"

Marcus shifted his head slightly, eyes blinking once before he answered in that deep, resonant voice. "No."

Then, after a long pause, as if searching through words he wasn't used to, he added, "I am not sure what it means to have friends… but I want to learn. And I am… what was it called again…? Glad. I am glad you asked me."

Gara blinked. Then a wide grin spread across his face. "Well that's a good start," he said, laughing gently. But inside, something tugged at his curiosity.

'He really is trying, huh?'

Out loud, he asked, "So… are you trying to learn more about emotions? Like on purpose?"

Marcus nodded. "Yes. That is the reason I came to this Fragment."

That made Gara freeze slightly. "Wait—came to this Fragment? As in to learn about emotions?"

Marcus tilted his head, as if considering how much to say, then nodded again. "I agreed to become the Final Boss Fight of this Fragment in exchange for being allowed to observe. I wanted to see how people… interact. How they express their feelings. To listen to the Reciter. To hear how he… recites. I wanted to understand how emotions shape a story. And how they… affect the Readers."

Gara's eyes widened.

'So he's a Contracted Player after all… that explains it. He's not just a beast frying Players to earn more Cores... Nope, he has a goal here... Haha, kinda like me I guess.'

Gara crossed his arms thoughtfully. "You're a Contracted Player then?"

Marcus nodded a third time, the movement shaking frost off the mountaintop. "Yes."

Gara stared at him with renewed interest, now understanding the depth behind the dragon's mysterious aura.

'He's studying emotions. Through us. Through me. Through the Reciter.'

Gara cleared his throat again, the mountain air crisp as ever. "So, uh… how long are you planning to stay in this Fragment? Y'know, playing the role of the Final Boss?"

Marcus blinked slowly, his massive eyelids casting a brief shadow over Gara. "Another month or so."

Gara tilted his head. "Why a month?"

Marcus was quiet for a moment, as if calculating the right words. "Because I will need the month after it to prepare for something."

That piqued Gara's curiosity instantly. He almost leaned in, mouth open to ask what exactly needed preparing—but he paused. Something about Marcus' tone, or maybe just the way his massive form settled again, made Gara decide to back off. For now.

Instead, he pivoted. "Y'know, you're here to learn emotions, right?"

Marcus nodded.

"Well," Gara said, grinning, "I'm here to learn techniques."

Marcus rumbled low in his chest, confused. "Techniques? But you have played this Fragment four times. You should already know the techniques it offers."

Gara gave a sheepish nod. "Yeah, I've pretty much mastered everything this place teaches. All the Ice Techniques. Even made a few new ones myself."

The dragon blinked. "Then why return?"

Gara's grin widened. "Because this time, I'm not here for Ice."

Marcus' confusion deepened. "But the Fragment does not offer anything else. Only the path of the Ice Ninja."

Gara pointed up at him. "I know. That's why I'm not here for the Fragment."

He then patted his chest, the smile turning more playful. "I'm here for you, Marcus."

The dragon's orange eyes narrowed slightly, shimmering with curiosity.

"I want to learn Fire. And not from the Fragment… but from you."

Marcus almost froze, his giant crimson form eerily still on the mountaintop. A low rumble escaped his throat—not threatening this time, but stunned.

"From me?" he repeated, archaic voice echoing faintly through the mountain wind.

Gara nodded without hesitation. "Of course from you. Who else in this Fragment even has fire? There's no Fire Ninja here, and even if there was, they'd be super weak compared to a full-on dragon."

He grinned, raising a brow. "I mean, come on, you're the Final Boss."

There was a beat of silence before Gara added, more thoughtfully, "Actually, while we're on the topic… I've been meaning to ask. I know [Ice Ninja] is only F Rank and caps everything accordingly, but you... you feel like you're way beyond that. E Rank at least."

Marcus tilted his head, then nodded solemnly. "You are correct. I am an E Ranker. And I am close to breaking through to D."

Gara's eyes widened slightly, though he didn't look all that shocked—more like satisfied. Inside his thoughts, he grinned.

'Knew it. That explains everything. No wonder I got roasted so fast in the third run, even after trying to fight back.'

He remembered the battle—charging up his Ice Techniques, forming shields and spears, even combining it with Wood Constructs to trap Marcus… all melted away in moments.

'Still, I didn't give it my all either. If I'd summoned the Geru Sword… activated everything [Root of All Things] has to offer… I might've had a chance.'

A short pause in his thoughts.

'A chance here, I mean. Inside the Fragment, with Marcus' real strength being capped at F-peak.'

He looked back up at the massive dragon lounging like a sleeping beast atop the mountain.

'No way I'd survive even a second against him if he used his true E Rank power. Close to D? Forget it. I'd be ash.'

He chuckled lightly to himself, rubbing the back of his head. "So yeah. What do you say, Marcus? Will you teach me fire?"

Marcus went quiet, the mountain wind gently rustling the edges of his massive red wings as he mulled something over.

Then, with the slow certainty only an ancient being could carry, he spoke.

"Sure," he rumbled, "I will teach you fire… but not now. After two months. In the Town of No Return."

Gara blinked. "Huh?"

A beat passed—then everything clicked.

His eyes went wide. "Wait—" he took a step back, finger shooting up to point at Marcus, voice cracking from disbelief, "Don't tell me… the thing you're quitting [Ice Ninja] to prepare for is the [Ticket Hunting] Event? The one happening in two months at the Town of No Return?!"

Marcus gave a single, heavy nod, his voice echoing like a slow gong.

"Yes. I already possess a ticket to the Final Express. I must reach D Rank before the event begins… so I may enter as a D Ranker."

Gara just stared at him for a second. Then suddenly threw his head back and laughed in pure shock.

"Brooooo! WHAT? You've been camping out here as the Final Boss of a tiny F Rank Fragment and you've been hiding a Final Express ticket this whole time?! You're nuts!"

Marcus didn't react.

Of course he didn't.

He was a dragon.

Gara took a deep breath, fingers brushing back his messy blue bangs as he tried to calm down. "Alright, okay," he muttered. "Let's focus."

He looked up at the massive dragon. "Do you… have a spare ticket? Or at least know how to get one?"

Marcus shook his massive head slowly. "No. Mine was given to me… by my father."

Gara's brow twitched. "Of course it was. Of course you're one of those dragons."

"I do not understand what that means," Marcus said flatly.

Gara just waved it off. "Nothing. Doesn't matter. So you've got yours handed to you—what about people like me, huh? People who grind their way through Fragments like lunatics?"

Marcus's eyes narrowed slightly. "You can always take part in the [Ticket Hunting] Event. Steal one for yourself. That is the purpose of the event, is it not?"

Gara gave a long, tired sigh. "That's actually my current plan, yeah. But let's be real, man… that event's gonna be crazy. All the top-tier Players at my level are gonna be there, disguised or otherwise. You think I'm trying to snatch a ticket while [Steel Mouser] is lurking behind a bush waiting to slice someone in half? I like living, thanks."

Marcus didn't respond.

"…Anyway," Gara continued, "the real issue is, I'd rather acquire a ticket the normal way. Get one early. Problem is—I have no idea how. It's not listed in any section of the Blue Trade Records, which is wild. You'd think there'd be a guide."

Marcus hummed thoughtfully. "If not for my father… I likely would not have acquired one myself. In truth, I wonder if I would have cared to board the Final Express at all…"

Gara snorted. "Well, I do care. I'm as jealous as can be. Actually, now that I think about it… there is one guy I know who could get me a ticket."

He paused, then sighed again, more dramatically this time. "But that guy's an idiot. And greedy. He asked me for a freaking WHITE CORE to get me one."

Marcus tilted his head. "That is… absurd. Is that not the equivalent of a billion Green Cores?"

"Right?! That's what I said!" Gara flailed his arms. "Man thinks I'm made of money or something. I'm still out here farming F Rank Fragments for drops like it's my day job!"

"…Is it not your day job?"

Gara groaned. "Not the point, Marcus!"

Marcus blinked, his enormous, ancient face completely emotionless.

"…You're the worst friend," Gara muttered.

Marcus tilted his head, massive eyes unblinking. "How am I the worst friend? Did I do something wrong?"

Gara blinked, then let out a weak laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "No, no, I was just joking, man. Don't take it seriously."

Marcus's voice rumbled, deep and confused. "But… you said it. Was it not meant to be taken seriously?"

Gara slapped his own forehead. "Oh boy. Right. Okay, lesson one—we're gonna need to work on your sarcasm radar. It's a vital survival skill."

Marcus blinked again. "I see… This is confusing."

"Yeah, emotions are messy like that," Gara sighed. "But hey—how about we make a trade? I'll teach you all about emotions… and you teach me fire techniques. Deal?"

Marcus pulled his head back in surprise, smoke drifting from his nostrils. "I was going to teach you fire anyway. We are friends. And I have learned… friends help each other."

Gara chuckled warmly. "Exactly. And that's why I'm helping you with emotions. So technically, we're both doing our part."

The dragon nodded slowly, a low hum in his throat. "You do have a point. You are right."

"Of course I am," Gara said with a wink. "Lesson two: always act like you're right, even when you have no clue what you're doing."

"…That does not sound emotionally healthy."

"…Okay, wow, we might skip to lesson three."

Their talk continued.

And far above, in the dark space scattered with shining stars and soft golden hues, the Reciter hovered in silence—no longer with clenched fists and furrowed brows, but with arms folded loosely and a contemplative look in his cracked-glasses-covered eyes.

At first, when Gara ruined—no,rewrote—the final boss battle into a bizarre heart-to-heart, the Reciter had been livid. How dare he twist the climax of his most carefully constructed F Rank Fragment into a tea party with a dragon?

But now…?

Now he watched the growing audience—avatars flickering into view across the Golden Space observation windows, some even rewinding the moment Gara said "Let's be friends." Comments flooded in, laugh emojis, heart reactions, speculative posts asking if Marcus had some mysterious story lineage tied to legendary dragons.

The Core production was surging. Notifications pinged in the Reciter's peripheral vision:

[Core Output +33%]

[New Viewer Milestone Achieved]

He sighed, then gave a small laugh. [You annoying little gremlin,] he muttered, his voice echoing through the void. [You actually made this better.]

The Fragment's entire trajectory had shifted—and so had the Reciter's heart. This twist… this friendship twist… had taken a quiet little Fragment on the verge of fading out and turned it into something buzzing with new life. If it continued like this? If Gara kept pushing storylines off the rails in just the right way?

Well, the Reciter thought, adjusting his lab coat, maybe it really would reach E Rank.

And maybe, just maybe… he'd be totally fine with that.

But it wasn't just the Fragment that reaped the benefits of this unexpected twist.

Both Gara and Marcus possessed Stories of their own—and with the flood of new Readers arriving to watch them, their personal Core production was experiencing a surge too. In the Story World, Cores were everything. They were currency, the energy that powered a Story's abilities, the fuel needed to Rank up, the heartbeat of existence itself. Their colors represented their strength: Green for F Rank, Blue for C Rank, White for A Rank, and so on.

Every Story, whether belonging to a Player or to a Fragment, had a fixed daily Core output. Gara's Story—[Root of All Things]—for example, normally produced 8 Green Cores per day. That was his stable baseline.

But when a moment truly captivated the Readers—when it resonated—the Story System reacted. Temporary boosts from attention were common, but rare were the moments that caused the fixed production rate to rise. What had just unfolded between a red-haired ice-and-fire-hunting Player and a lonely dragon yearning to understand emotions was exactly that sort of moment.

Right then and there, [Root of All Things] surged in approval.

From a fixed rate of 8 to 10 Green Cores per day—a permanent rise.

As Gara talked with Marcus, a soft ding echoed in his ears, and a glowing notification appeared in the corner of his vision:

[Story System Notification]

Fixed Core Production Rate Increased

Story: [Root of All Things]

Previous Rate: 8 Green Cores / Day

New Rate: 10 Green Cores / Day

— Cause: Sustained Reader Engagement & Narrative Impact.

Status: Update Permanently Registered.

Gara immediately jumped up, startling the massive dragon before him as he whooped with joy.

Marcus shifted slightly, blinking in surprise. "What… is the matter?"

Still grinning wide, Gara laughed. "My fixed rate just went up! From 8 to 10! That's permanent! I actually got a real boost—more daily Cores every single day!"

The dragon tilted his head, pausing in thought, his tail curling slightly behind him. He looked almost… unsure.

Gara raised a brow, then chuckled. "Hey, friends are supposed to congratulate each other when something good happens to one of them, y'know?"

Marcus lowered his massive head slightly, the glowing ember-like light in his eyes flickering in a way that might've been confusion—or maybe embarrassment.

"Congratulations… Gara," Marcus rumbled in his deep, ancient voice. "Is this… the correct emotional response?"

Gara laughed even harder. "Yeah, that's the one! You nailed it, buddy."

Marcus tilted his head. "I feel… warm inside. Is that… pride? Or indigestion?"

"Let's go with pride," Gara grinned, wiping a tear from his eye. "Unless you've been eating molten rocks again."

"I do eat molten rocks," Marcus admitted sincerely.

Gara snorted. "Then let's definitely go with pride."

—End of Chapter.

-------

[PRIVATE SYSTEM CHANNEL: POST-STORY REVIEW – TEXT LOG]Participants: Gara [Root of All Things], Reciter of [Ice Ninja] Fragment.

[Reciter]: [What was that chapter?]

[Gara]: You're welcome.

[Reciter]: [You turned the Final Boss Battle into a friendship seminar.]

[Gara]: And you're rolling in Cores now. Say it. Say I'm a genius.

[Reciter]: [I will not. But I am considering rewriting the ending to every Fragment I manage. "The Power of Friendship" arc in every storyline now.]

[Gara]: Do it. Just give me royalties.

[Reciter]: [You jumped in the air because your core rate went from 8 to 10. It's not a lottery win, it's a pay raise at a haunted temp agency.]

[Gara]: 8 to 10 is a 25% increase, thank you. That's millionaire behavior in Green Core economics.

[Reciter]: [And then you had to explain emotions to a dragon.]

[Gara]: Hey. His name is Marcus. He's my friend. He congratulated me.

[Reciter]: [He said "Congratulations" like he was reading it off a broken toaster.]

[Gara]: Progress is progress.

[Reciter]: [You treat my Fragments like they're escape rooms. With optional lore.]

[Gara]: Optional? I eat your lore for breakfast.

[Reciter]: [...Fine. But if Marcus starts crying in the next chapter, I'm revoking your Fire Techniques.]

[Gara]: Too late. I'm making him write poetry next. Call it "Flames of Friendship."

[Reciter]: [I hate you.]

[Gara]: Love you too, buddy. ❤️

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