"Wait—fellow players?"
Guinevere blinked as realization dawned. Of course—the simulator is a multiplayer game, the system had hinted as much, but she'd been too oblivious to notice… Had she known, she wouldn't have offended that fairy so badly, nor had to make a hasty retreat with a bucket on her head. But now such musings were pointless. More pressing was…
"What on earth is this hidden condition?" Guinevere frowned. From past simulations, Norwich's Calamity timing had never been random. She had planned, upon early arrival, to hunt down a way to clear those Accumulation Clouds, to instruct Oberon and Gareth to fortify the harbor, to delay or weaken the Calamity. Failing that, she could squeeze more resources from Spriggan to bolster their odds. But triggering this hidden condition had upended all her plans. Now she had to raise their win rate on the fly.
[You and Spriggan negotiate. You explain that Artoria needs to ring the Bell to steadily increase her power, and ask his permission to ring Norwich's Prophecy Bell.]
[Spriggan verbally agrees to Guinevere's request, but then continually finds excuses to delay Artoria's bell-rung.]
"This is odd—aren't we his bodyguards? Why would letting me ring the bell work against him?" Artoria asked, perplexed.
"The answer's simple," Guinevere sneered. "That old miser wants to keep this card in hand. Unless the crisis is severe enough to force your hand, he won't let you ring it."
"But that's fine—we'll make it serious enough ourselves."
[Oberon begins to spread rumors: "Though the Prophetic Child has arrived in Norwich, Lord Spriggan has deceived her and unlawfully detained her in his Vault City—he doesn't want her saving Norwich at all!"]
"I served the Prophetic Child—she is a kind fairy who came to help every citizen of Norwich. Yet the selfish Spriggan has trapped her in his vault so his lands beyond can perish, allowing him to reclaim all those deeds!"
"How can we let such a tyrant lord lord it over us?"
[The townsfolk of Norwich erupt in righteous fury.]
[Oberon fans the flames, urging citizens to demand justice.]
[Thanks to his reputation, his agitation succeeds brilliantly.]
[Residents gather at the Vault City gates, protesting: 'Release the Prophetic Child! We fight for Norwich, not Spriggan!']
"Sir Spriggan, there's unrest outside—what is happening?" Artoria asked, hearing the tumult.
"Ah, just a rabble-rousers' riot," Spriggan forced a smile, wiping sweat. "These hooligans dare to storm the vault. I'll have them dealt with shortly."
[Spriggan opens the Vault City gates and dispatches his guards to quash the protest.]
[But as Spriggan's men move out, over a thousand Morse swarms surge from the sea toward Norwich.]
[Calamity begins.]
As with every previous Calamity arrival, the screen flickered like an old TV, brightness plunging, the air growing oppressive.
[Upon learning Calamity has begun, Spriggan frantically attempts to close the vault gates—but your tampering prevents them from shutting.]
[Panic-stricken citizens rush the vault gates.]
[Spriggan's guard lines break; Norwich's people pour into the vault.]
[Lord Spriggan is seized by the enraged mob, cut down, and his corpse hung from a lamp post at the vault entrance.]
"Now's our chance!"
[With Spriggan fallen, the vault's guards are leaderless and scatter.]
[You and Artoria seize the moment to dash for the Bell Tower, letting Artoria ring the Prophecy Bell a second time.]
[The Bell's toll echoes across Britain; fairies who hear it feel a bittersweet sorrow and repentance.]
[Its power calms the panicked citizens somewhat.]
[After the bell-ringing, Artoria is bathed in radiant light.]
[As her reward, all of Artoria's attributes except Luck increase.]
Strength D → C
Endurance D → D
Agility D → C
Magic D → C
"Ah—the effect isn't as dramatic as the first time; I don't feel any boost to my life force," Artoria sighed, testing her body.
"There may be an upper limit," Guinevere gently patted Artoria's head. "But that the other stats improved is still a welcome surprise."
"Stop! I'm not a child—don't pat my head all the time. They say it stunts growth," Artoria pouted.
Though she protested, Artoria tip-toed and pressed her head into Guinevere's hand, clearly enjoying the gesture.
"Fairies' growth stops after maturity—so will you really grow any taller?" Guinevere teased.
"That's for other fairies—the ones who never ring the Bell," Artoria declared proudly. "But I'm a growing fairy—every bell-ring helps me grow!"
"Well… maybe?" Guinevere glanced at her armor plating, chose kindness over honesty, and said, "Yes, you are, I'm sure you are."
Artoria's smile dimmed slightly.
"Then I won't pat your head so much from now on?" Guinevere asked. He withdrew his hand… only for Artoria to seize it.
"Don't say never—just not too often. A little won't hurt; I have plenty of growth left." She beamed.
Seeing her so happy, Guinevere decided sometimes a kind lie is necessary.
[Your Fairy Eye reads: Guinevere thinks you've stopped growing, but to cheer you, he told a kind lie.]
[So, you decide to pretend to believe him for his sake.]
[Meanwhile, you're determined to stop him from never patting you again—it would be too sad.]
[You retrieve from Guinevere the gold he extorted from Spriggan and immediately purchase a premium pack worth 138 million mo-pounds.]
[Thanks to the pack's bonus, you gain 27 Bond Crystals worth 270 million.]
[You spend 15 Crystals to raise Guinevere's Endurance and Magic to C.]
You have 12 Bond Crystals remaining.
[At Guinevere's suggestion, you hurry with him to the Vault City gates.]
[Freed from Spriggan's influence and learning the truth, you denounce him before the crowd, vow to repel Calamity, and pledge to protect Norwich.]
[Clad in your new finery and bolstered by your magic, the residents believe in you as the Prophetic Child, and, guided by Oberon, calm down.]
[Then Guinevere steps forward and persuades the remaining guards to abandon Spriggan's corpse and unite with the people against the coming Calamity.]
[You and Oberon join forces and seize command of the defenses.]
[Under Oberon's direction, and with Calamity still distant, Norwich's citizens orderly enter the vault.]
[Next, you leave Oberon to maintain order while you, Guinevere, and Gareth depart the vault to halt Calamity at the docks.]
[Masses of Morse swarms land from the shore and surge toward you.]
[Since most fairies have taken refuge in the vault, few remain outside; the swarms gain no extra strength.]
[You quickly engage in close combat with the Morse swarms.]
[Thanks to your greatly enhanced Magic, your support buffs are far stronger—an unexpected boon Artoria discovered in the second simulation.]
Fairies fight only with innate magic, so her enchantments were often dismissed as gimmicks. But to humans like Guinevere, and to Gareth wielding mithril weapons, external enchantments were powerful. Artoria's magic granted spectacular boosts beyond what they achieved alone—a revelation that delighted her. Now she too was indispensable.
[With your buffs, Guinevere's attributes surge dramatically.]
[All of Guinevere's stats except Magic temporarily rise to C+.]
[Re-empowered, Guinevere's swordsmanship becomes terrifying: each step surrounds him with a field of moonlit blade energy, an impassable domain of steel.]
[With your aid, he storms into the Morse swarms alone, slashing like a tidal wave. Even the relatively weak Morse are crushed in droves; their tide through the streets is shattered by his blade.]
[Inspired by his valor, you and Gareth press forward together toward the docks.]
Yet despite the simulator's glowing text, Artoria remained tense. She knew that until "that thing" arrived, the true Calamity had not yet begun.
[Soon you carve a blood-slick path through the crowded Morse tide and reach the docks.]
Ahead, no Morse remain. The sky is blanketed by endless black clouds; the sea has turned inky. Towering obsidian waves crest—and within their depths a hollow, filthy shadow stretches forth from the abyssal ocean.
The real battle begins now.