The first day was a bit chaotic to say the least.
I don't know how many players are among the 297 but according to food supplies, a lot had inventories, which actually was a very good opportunity for me. I asked Verdamona to make a list of everyone with inventories under the guise of 'providing enough food for everyone.'
Of course they had to. In the game, the students survived on Fluvium flesh and had to cook it to survive the seven days. They melted snow to drink water and soon, this was their schedule. Thankfully, all Outers have space like inventories from the system so they prepared beforehand with food and water since they knee the plot.
And of course, this made my world easier. Out of the 297 students, only 57 had inventories, meaning the other 240 were just ordinary students. This was actually good news since their names were now on the list Verdamona wrote and I managed to skim through them. This was a massive piece of information. Seems that these Outers were in their own group because all of them had bracelets.
No one had reason to suspect me because I didn't plan to show myself but I did carry tents. The university has shops for almost everything since it's on an isolated island so I bought tents. And to my shock, Xaessiarerich had one too. It was as if she expected something wrong to happen. She wasn't an Outer though. With Three Questions, I managed to figure out that she's not.
Am I really the only one who was transmigrated into the main cast?
Anyway, the tents were set. There were actually four tents in total; two from me and two from Xaessiarerich. Naturally, she and I took one and left the other to Verdamona and Thales. As for the remaining one, we used it to keep the supplies. With Verdamona leading them, this was her decision and both Outer and student knew that following her was necessary since they are weak.
Back in my tent, I could do whatever I want without anyone looking and so, I managed to take out snacks from my System Inventory. I also had a sleeping bag unlike the others. Who knew that having a system storage would be so handy?
That's when I began to think about my life as Phasnovterich.
Phaser was never mentioned until the fourth act but the game did show clues of him. In every part of the heroine's journey, he was always there, just... never introduced. He was there during the winter lockdown and pretty much any other place the heroine was involved. Even though I changed the plot, it still progressed according to schedule, meaning that no matter what, the plot would just go on without hitches.
I've gotten stronger in his physical capabilities and string summoning. Since Argemenes don't use their Flux unless their lives are in extreme danger, I can't use mine recklessly. Summoning strings isn't my Flux. It's the biological weapon I was given by one of the Abyssal Houses, similar to Xaessiarerich's claymore weapon. I had to activate it with my Xana and that's it. It wasn't my Flux.
The Argemenes cannot to use their Flux unless they are in extreme danger or they're about to die. They're given very powerful weapons to use to act as a secondary Flux. Also, their bodies are experimented on as children with Fluvium DNA. This enables them to have immense regeneration. The more Fluvehearts they eat, the higher their regeneration and physical capabilities. However, eating too much could cause them to transform into Fluviums so they don't eat much. Fortunately for me and my sister, we re immune to Fluve Corrosion so we can't turn to Fluviums.
This was information that I knew from my memories of being in this body. It was never revealed in the game which actually surprised me. The game did mention about the experiments in Xaessiarerich's past stories but it never mentioned anything about them having regeneration or anything else involving the family's secrets.
°°°°°
Morning in the Fluve Field was something I wasn't prepared for. Yesterday it was chaos and gore but when the first light slipped over the cliffs, it was… beautiful.
The entire field pulsed faintly with pale blue luminescence like we were standing in a sea of stars that had fallen onto the ground. Mist rolled across the ice and crystal growths shimmered faintly as though they were alive. The Fluvehearts embedded in dead husks glowed like lanterns marking a graveyard trail. Even the corpses of the Fluviums looked less horrific in that glow. They're still disgusting, don't get me wrong, but draped in a kind of fragile beauty that wouldn't last.
Because I knew it wouldn't last.
The Fluve Field's glow only happened at dawn. By the time the sun climbed higher, it would vanish, leaving behind only snow, ice, and death. I couldn't help but stare. It was like the field itself was mocking us, offering beauty for five minutes before shoving us back into survival hell. I sat on a rock, chewing on dried snacks I'd pulled from my inventory (thank you, inventory, my one true love), when I sensed movement at my side.
Thales Erdict dropped down next to me without a word. He didn't sit the way most people do. He crouched like a predator, his arms resting loosely on his knees, sword propped against his shoulder. His eyes followed the blue light in silence before flicking to me.
"What are you doing?"
"Thinking," I said, because it was easier than saying scheming.
"That's rare for you."
"Funny. You'd be surprised how much thinking I actually do when I'm not saving everyone's asses."
That earned me the faintest twitch of amusement from his lips but I didn't let him push the silence back on me. I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.
"Thales… I know where to find clues about the Azure Sword."
The way his eyes snapped to me told me I hit the bullseye. He recovered quickly, of course.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, but I do. The Azure Sword. Legendary, isn't it? Every noble in Erdict drools over the stories. You're not exactly subtle about your obsession."
His grip tightened slightly on his sword hilt.
"Why do you care?"
"Because I want to know why you want it. What's the plan, Thales? What's the endgame?"
For a moment, I thought he'd tell me to shut up, that this wasn't my business. But instead, he sighed.
"I want to be ruler of House Erdict."
"Straight to the point. I like it."
He glanced at me. "What would you do if you had the sword, Phaser?"
"If I had it? Probably pawn it for snacks. But you? You'll get power, recognition and a seat so high in the family no one can touch you. That's what you're really after, isn't it?"
He didn't answer. He didn't need to. The nod was the confirmation. I nodded slowly, then dropped my tone.
"I can help you find it."
That got his attention. His gaze locked on me, suspicion sharpening into interest.
"Why would you?"
"Because I've got my own objective. And for that, I need Fluvehearts that can't be harvested by normal kids playing soldier. So here's the deal. I help you track down clues to the Azure Sword, you help me hunt powerful Fluviums. Simple. We get what we want, and no one else has to know."
He studied me for a long time. His eyes weren't the kind you looked away from. Then finally, he extended his hand.
"You're insane but fine. Deal."
I clasped his hand firmly, a sharp grin pulling at my mouth. And that's when it happened. A faint chime rang in the back of my mind, followed by glowing letters flickering across my vision.
[System Message: Thales Erdict has been registered as a normal being. He is NOT an Outer.]
I almost laughed. My grip on his hand tightened just a fraction. I pulled back, hiding the smile tugging at my lips.
"Good. Then it's settled."
He gave me a curt nod.
Looks like I've got myself a powerful ally. This is going to be fun.