Reinhal was quiet at dawn.
The copper-stained sky bled pale orange through warped glass windows, casting shadows like cracks across the wooden floor. I sat at the edge of the bed, flipping through the Item Codex in my mind. I knew this town. Knew its routines. Knew what most players missed.
There was a hidden merchant here.
Not in the market square. Not in the alleys either.
He lived beneath the forge.
> [Quest Tracker Updated: "Change Your Fate" – Objective Progress: 2/7 Days]
Still ticking.
Still alive.
---
I left Serin resting, bandages fresh and her breathing light. She muttered in her sleep—words I didn't understand. I wasn't sure if they were dreams or memories, but they sounded like names. Names that didn't belong here.
She shouldn't exist.
In the game, there was no "Serin" in the Tutorial. No character with that name or backstory. But she had an invitation to the Academy. That wasn't random. It was deliberate.
She was either a glitch… or something overwritten.
Either way, I couldn't afford to waste time.
---
The blacksmith wasn't open yet, but I didn't need it to be.
I walked past the display of iron gear and ducked behind the shed. In the corner was a rusted drain. Most players ignored it. A minor detail.
But in the game, it was a vent shaft—leading to a hidden room tied to a forgotten NPC.
> [Hidden Location Detected: Reinhal Underforge – Access Granted (Player-Level Override)]
My vision shimmered briefly.
I smirked.
Bingo.
---
The room below was warmer than I remembered. Pipes hissed with faint mana steam. The glow from runic etchings painted the walls in flickering gold.
And there, hunched over a warped table, was Veren—an old man with goggles too big for his face and hands stained with flux.
He looked up, startled.
"…Who are you?"
"A collector," I said calmly. "Looking for things the surface doesn't sell."
His gaze narrowed. "No one's supposed to know this place."
"They don't," I said, tossing a scrap of copper onto the table. "But I do. Because I remember your quest."
> [Hidden Quest Triggered: "The Old Tinker's Trade"] Objective: Help Veren repair the Forgotten Core Reward: Player-Bound Artifact – Type: Adaptive Relic
Veren grunted. "…You've got nerve."
"Just knowledge."
---
Over the next hour, I helped him restore an ancient piece of tech-magic gear—an Adaptive Relic, a beginner-level artifact that scaled with user input. It had been bugged during early patches in the game—overpowered if used right, completely useless if you didn't understand the mechanics.
And I understood it.
While he worked, I stole glances at his stats.
> [Veren - Master Craftsman (Hidden Tier)] Affinity: Tech-Magic Hybridization Morale: 61%
Hidden Trait: Remnant of the Pre-System Era
Not just a side NPC.
He was a living leftover from before the system reset the world.
The moment we completed the circuit, the core pulsed with light.
> [You have obtained: "Adaptive Relic – Bound Prototype (V1)"] Type: Artifact (Upgradeable)
Trait: Slotless Equipment / Integrates with Player Signature
Bonus: +5% Stat Adaptation Based on Learned Combat Patterns
This thing wasn't for direct offense.
It was a learning engine.
The more I fought, the more it adapted—recording enemy patterns, reacting faster, syncing with my choices.
It made knowledge a weapon. Literally.
---
"You're not just a collector, are you?" Veren asked slowly. "You speak like someone who's seen the end of things."
"I've seen enough," I replied. "And I know it's coming."
He didn't press, but the look in his eyes changed. From suspicion to something else.
Recognition.
---
I left through the back route, slipping out before the forge opened.
By the time I returned to the inn, the Adaptive Relic had already synced with my status.
> [New Trait Activated: "Battle Reader" (Lv. 1)]
Effect: Grants predictive insight into enemy openings during live combat
Based on prior data analysis
A cheat?
Not quite.
Just memory. And an understanding of how to exploit a broken system.
---
Serin was awake, sitting up and rubbing her shoulder.
"You're up early," she murmured.
"Couldn't sleep. Got something useful though."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the faint glow beneath my collar where the Relic had embedded.
"What is that?"
"A shortcut."
"To what?"
I smiled faintly. "To surviving what comes next."
---
> [Quest Update: Tutorial Extended – Remaining Time: 3 Days] Status: Unknown Observers Detected
I froze for a second.
So the system was watching. Not just passively. But adjusting.
I glanced out the window toward the mana rail that cut across the horizon—cracked, silent, and dead.
But it wouldn't stay dead for long.
Because in three days, we'd reach the Central Fortress.
And when we did…
Everything would start for real.