Chapter 2: The Price of Plot
The System's Payday
Elias didn't wake up immediately. He came to slowly, the smell of sterile cleaners and faint floral magic replacing the stench of burnt ozone and troll sweat. He was lying on a soft, very comfortable bed.
Alfea, School for Fairies.
He blinked, staring at the high, arched ceiling of what was clearly the school's infirmary. A gentle, green light pulsed from a nearby potted plant. He felt stiff, sore, but surprisingly... stable.
He checked his vitals.
[HP: 95/100]
"Huh," he mumbled, testing a cracked rib that now felt merely bruised. "The System must have used the reward money to buy me healing."
He was right. As he sat up, his vision filled with a cascade of golden, celebratory text that he'd missed while unconscious.
[QUEST ACCOMPLISHED: THE FIRST SPARK]
* Reward: 500 XP, 250 SP, [Tutor Status Unlocked], Reputation +50 (Fairy of the Sun and Moon).
* Level Up! LEVEL 1 \rightarrow LEVEL 2
* Stat Increase! +5 HP, +5 Stamina.
* SYSTEM POINTS (SP) BALANCE: 200 SP
* INVENTORY UPDATE: [Low-Grade Healing Potion x1] Purchased automatically for Host survival.
Elias sighed, the overwhelming relief warring with the cynical satisfaction of his video-game brain. He'd survived a critical plot event, leveled up, and gained enough currency to start building his future power.
He quickly opened the [SHOP].
Skill: [Mana Control Lvl 1]
* Allows the user to sense, draw, and utilize trace amounts of magical energy.
* Cost: 100 SP.
Skill: [Basic Plasma Bolt Lvl 1]
* A weak, non-elemental ranged attack.
* Cost: 250 SP.
"Finally. Some utility," he muttered, instantly purchasing the Mana Control skill. The System deducted the points, and a strange, warm tingle spread from his core, spreading like a gentle electrical current through his limbs.
[SKILL ACQUIRED: MANA CONTROL Lvl 1]
[NEW STAT UNLOCKED: MP (Mana Points): 10/10]
[NOTE: Your current MP regeneration is extremely low. Manage your resources wisely.]
Elias pressed his palm to the bedspread, focusing the strange, new energy. A minuscule, green spark of pure magic—no larger than a grain of rice—flickered and vanished. It was pathetic, but it was his.
"Progress," he sighed, leaning back.
The Fairy and the Non-Magical Specialist
The door to the infirmary opened, and in walked the two girls he'd last seen battling trolls: Stella and the new girl, Bloom. They were clean, their outfits repaired, but Stella still looked frazzled.
"Oh, you're awake!" Bloom said, rushing over with genuine warmth. She held a small, woven basket of fruit. "They said you'd be fine. They used a healing potion on you—the kind that takes a few hours to work."
Stella, however, stood with her arms crossed, looking at him with intense scrutiny.
"'You'll be fine' is a huge understatement, Specialist," Stella said, her voice dripping with skepticism. "You jumped into a troll fight, got yourself nearly squashed, and then you had the nerve to tell the girl who saved my life to throw dirt at the enemy."
Elias held up his hands defensively. "It wasn't just dirt, Princess. It was Pocket Sand (Fine Grade). A crucial tactical distraction."
Stella's beautiful face twisted in disbelief. "Tactical? It was insane! Why did you jump in? You're not even a fighter! You're from Red Fountain, but you don't have a weapon, and the healers confirmed you have zero innate magical energy! You're non-magical!"
This was the crux of his dilemma. He couldn't be a Specialist because the System was demanding he become a hybrid hero—a wielder of the Dragon Flame. And he couldn't be a normal student because the System forced him into the center of danger.
He decided to tell a partial truth.
"I saw you were out of energy, and your flank was exposed," Elias said, locking eyes with her. He put on his best 'sincere hero' face, a role he'd only ever practiced in his head. "I may not have magic, but I have training in strategy. A three-second stun is enough time to reposition, or to allow backup to land a hit. I just... needed to buy time for the people who do have power."
He paused, lowering his voice slightly. "And I knew you were too important to fall."
Stella blinked, the scrutiny in her eyes softening into something resembling respect, albeit grudgingly.
Bloom, sitting beside him, looked deeply moved. "He saved us, Stella. And he did it without any magic at all. That takes real courage."
[REPUTATION INCREASE: FAIRY OF THE SUN AND MOON +10]
[REPUTATION INCREASE: BLOOM +20]
"See? Tactical genius," Elias whispered under his breath.
"Still," Stella huffed, crossing the room to stand over him. "You're an odd bird, Elias de Valerius. But you did save my skin, and by extension, the day. You've earned my thanks." She pulled a small, glittering object from her pocket.
"This is a Fairy Call," she said, placing a simple, elegant silver bracelet on the table. "It's keyed to my magic. If you're ever in that kind of trouble again—which, for your sake, I hope you are not—activate it. Don't be an idiot and try to take on a troll with dirt again."
Stella turned and walked toward the door. "We're going to Alfea. The Headmistress wants to talk to us." She shot him a final, critical look. "You should probably go back to Red Fountain before someone realizes you don't belong here."
As Stella left, Bloom lingered, her gaze earnest. "You should know, the troll was fully blinded when I threw that sand. It let the green fairy, Flora, knock it out. Thank you, Elias."
She squeezed his shoulder, the contact strangely warm, before turning to follow Stella.
A New Quest, A Darker Path
Elias watched her go, a genuine smile on his face. He'd done it. The core group was formed, the plot was set in motion, and he had his ticket into the main story. He was ready to buy a basic attack spell and start training.
Then, the System displayed a new, terrifying message, drowning out the pleasant stats of his success. The text was no longer cyan or gold, but a chilling, pulsating violet.
[MAIN QUEST: THE DRAGON'S LEGACY]
Description: The Host's body contains trace remnants of the legendary Dragon Flame, currently suppressed by the unique nature of the Transmigration. The Flame is instinctively drawn to Bloom, the true inheritor. This imbalance is causing internal system corruption.
Objective: Initiate direct, controlled contact with Bloom's magic to stabilize the latent energy.
Failure: System corruption accelerates. Host's HP will begin to drain permanently, followed by immediate, unavoidable GAME OVER.
Time Limit: 7 Days.
Elias felt the comfortable warmth from his core vanish, replaced by a cold, leaden anxiety.
"Wait, what? Game Over if I don't get close to the protagonist?" he whispered, his eyes wide with horror. "And 'direct, controlled contact' with her magic? She's the Fairy of the Dragon Flame! I'm Level 2! She'd incinerate me!"
He frantically opened the [SHOP], looking for any new, critical item, and saw it at the very top, flashing.
Skill: [Dragon Flame Synchronization Lvl 1 (MANDATORY)]
* A highly dangerous, volatile skill. Allows the user to temporarily siphon and stabilize ambient Dragon Flame energy. Requires skin-to-skin contact with a high-level Flame wielder.
* Cost: 200 SP.
He had exactly 200 SP.
Elias stared at the skill, the chilling reality of his situation setting in. His survival wasn't about fighting trolls or buying pocket sand anymore. It was about stealing power from the main character, and the System was forcing him to pay the ultimate price just to unlock the ability to do it.
He purchased the skill.
[SKILL ACQUIRED: DRAGON FLAME SYNCHRONIZATION Lvl 1]
[SP BALANCE: 0]
Elias gripped the newly gifted Fairy Call bracelet. Seven days. He had seven days to get close enough to Bloom to touch her magic without getting caught, burned, or revealing the dark truth of his System.
What course of action should Elias take to get close enough to Bloom to use the synchronization skill?
* Infiltrate Alfea: Use the "Tutor Status" and Stella's call to stay at Alfea under the pretense of "recovery" to observe Bloom.
* Use Red Fountain's Status: Claim he's there on a reconnaissance mission (as a Specialist, despite his lack of gear) to coordinate with the new fairies.
* The Direct Approach: Simply tell Bloom he needs to touch her hand for a "magical energy analysis" for Red Fountain.