In Remedy's spartan room — a simple futon laid directly on the floor, a crude desk, dumbbells scattered everywhere, a jump rope, and boxing gloves.
As if he had just finished an intense training session.
Remedy's body lay sprawled on the floor, right in the middle.
He slowly opened his eyes, confused.
What happened to me?
Then the memories burst forth, bare and unfiltered.
Loss of control over his body, suffocation, pain, pain, pain.
Then… "Devour."
He jolted awake, panic filling his eyes.
That was what terrified him the most. His interface…
Without waiting a single second, he invoked it.
— Status Window.
His eyes lit up.
The interface slowly formed in front of him.
It was no longer blue.
But green.
[SDR ACTIVATION…]
[CONGRATULATIONS TO REMEDY FOR BECOMING SDR'S HOST]
He understood immediately.
His old interface had been destroyed, replaced by an entirely new one.
[ACTIVE ROLES: CREATOR – INJECTOR – BINDER]
[DOMAIN: VIRUS CONCEPT]
He frowned.
He didn't understand.
[YOUR ROLE "CREATOR" ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE VIRUS CONCEPTS.]
[YOUR ROLE "INJECTOR" ALLOWS YOU TO INJECT THESE CONCEPTS INTO TARGETS.]
[YOUR ROLE "BINDER" ALLOWS YOU TO BIND USERS TO THESE INJECTED CONCEPTS.]
[USERS WILL THEN USE THESE CONCEPTS IN PLACE OF THOSE IMPOSED BY REALITY]
Using virus concepts instead of those of reality?
That was literally bypassing the rules and laws of the world.
Remedy froze.
Him? A nobody with no profession, no talent?
He was now going to bypass the rules of the world?
The very rules that hadn't even deemed him worthy of a profession?
A smile slowly formed on his lips.
[DO YOU WISH TO CLAIM THE WELCOME PACK?]
[THE PACK CONTAINS: ONE FREE CONCEPT CREATION AND 3 FREE INJECTIONS INTO ANY TARGET]
— Me, a piece of trash… I still have a chance to defy fate and change my life.
— Claim.
[WELCOME PACK SUCCESSFULLY CLAIMED]
[3 FREE INJECTIONS INTO ANY TARGET.]
[CONCEPT CREATION IN PROGRESS…]
[CONCEPT CREATED: FEATHER'S WEIGHT
DESCRIPTION: THE TARGET'S WEIGHT WILL BE THAT OF A FEATHER FOR USERS.]
For users, the target's weight is that of a feather, but for everyone else, it retains its real weight.
— Basically, I can wield a weapon weighing several tons without even feeling its weight.
He nodded in approval.
Then—
Knock knock…
— Remedy… Remedy. Are you there?
— Yeah, one second.
He interrupted his exploration and went to open the door.
— Sora?!
— What are you doing, Remedy? You said you were going to buy a weapon.
His eyes widened as he finally remembered.
— Ah, right. You're right. I accidentally fell asleep.
— Don't tell me you're training hard on the eve of the exam?
She turned around, as if about to leave.
— I'm telling Mom.
— Huh…? No… Wait!
Remedy grabbed her hand in panic, deep fear written all over his face.
If Flora found out Remedy was exhausting himself before the exam, he'd be saying goodbye to it for good.
— I-it's not what you think. Warm-up… yeah, that's it, warm-up before the exam. Just warming up. Haha…
He was so panicked he could barely improvise.
Now that he finally saw a way out, of course he was terrified.
— Hmph… Liar.
— I won't say anything, so you'd better not overdo it.
Then she murmured to herself:
— I don't want you to die…
— What did you say?
Remedy asked, completely lost.
— Nothing…
She turned away.
— You should go get your weapon now…
— By the way, those lenses are kind of scary.
She left, leaving Remedy alone, full of questions.
???
Remedy returned to his room.
He began getting ready to head out.
Then his gaze landed on his reflection in the mirror.
— Hm?
— My eyes…? They've turned green?
He pulled his eyelids apart to observe them more closely.
— Is that why she mentioned lenses?
It must be because of the system, since it's green too.
He struck a pose, admiring himself.
— But scary? I actually think it looks pretty nice…
---
Remedy made his way through the slums' narrow alleys.
A hooded cloak concealed him from head to toe.
The calculations had already been done.
10,000 credits sounded like a lot, but in this era, it wasn't enough to find a good weapon in a guild.
Not even a beginner's weapon.
So the choice was obvious.
He stopped in front of a massive door, hidden between two dilapidated buildings.
The black market.
Shady transactions, stolen and resold goods… basically, a market with few restrictions and few rules.
Remedy tried to enter.
But two guards at the door blocked his path.
— Stop! Where do you think you're going?
— This isn't a place for kids. Go home.
Remedy slowly lifted his head and stared at the guards.
His gaze was calm. Cold. Completely devoid of hesitation.
— What am I doing? I'm here to do some shopping. Isn't it obvious?
Silence fell.
Their gazes locked. A brief, silent confrontation followed.
It was a test.
A test to see whether he really had what it took to enter the black market.
Then—
— Ahem… of course, dear customer.
The guards stepped aside.
— Our apologies. Enjoy your shopping.
Remedy said nothing.
He walked through the door.
To his surprise, the inside looked more like an underground bar than a "black market." A long counter occupied the center of the room, with staff standing behind it.
He approached the counter.
— Welcome! What can I do for you? an employee asked.
— Show me the list of Rank E equipment.
— Rank E (level ≤ 15)? One moment, please.
The employee walked away to retrieve it.
Remedy observed his surroundings while waiting.
So this is the black market everyone talks about? It's completely different from what I imagined…
Then—
His eyes met a familiar face.
That girl… I feel like I've seen her somewhere before…
Before he could think further, the employee returned.
— Here you go, dear customer.
He handed him a tablet.
Remedy took it and scanned the list.
Venom-Fang Dagger — Poisoned Dagger — Level 7
Moonlight Clear Bow — Bow — Level 8
Twilight Saber — Saber — Level 9
…
There were good beginner weapons on the list.
But what Remedy was looking for was a truly heavy weapon.
Then his gaze stopped on one entry.
Great Hammer
Type: Heavy Blunt Weapon
Rank: E
Level: 9
Length: 2.11 meters
Weight: ≈ 1 ton
Durability: 900 / 900
Description:
A large, heavy, and solid hammer that deals blunt damage.
It was the perfect weapon for Remedy.
He smiled beneath his hood.
He could already imagine injecting his virus concept into the hammer.
But his smile faded when he saw the wall standing in front of him.
— It's… 25,000 credits???
Remedy's heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
He had jumped so badly he almost had a heart attack.
He was nowhere near the price.
It seemed fate wasn't going to let go of him that easily.
Like an inseparable couple.
---
Chapter 2 — End