Chapter 19: The Outlier Selection
The grand doors of the Library—now the official headquarters of [THE EXCEPTIONS]—stood open, but the atmosphere inside was tense. The blue glow of the Guild-Stone acted as a beacon in the half-rendered twilight of the Capital, drawing in those who felt the "System" was a cage rather than a savior.
Elara sat at the central mahogany table, which had been restored by the guild's stabilization field. Before her sat a glowing interface, the newly unlocked [RECRUITMENT_BOARD].
[CURRENT APPLICANTS: 142]
[FILTERING BY: ANOMALY_RATING...]
"Most of these are just people looking for protection," Kaelen said, leaning against a bookshelf while tossing a small data-shard in the air. "They saw you humiliate Gideon, and now they think this library is a safe-zone where they can level up without breaking a sweat."
"We don't need 'Players', Kaelen," Elara said, her eyes scanning the scrolling list of names and stats. "We need Exceptions. People whose existence breaks the standard logic. If we only take the strong, we're just another version of the Bit-Keepers."
Joran walked in from the courtyard, his brow furrowed. "There's a girl at the gate. She doesn't have a level. Or a class. The System just shows her as [ERROR: DATA_PENDING]."
Elara stood up instantly. "That's exactly what I was looking for. Bring her in."
The girl who entered looked no older than sixteen. She was small, wearing an oversized technician's jacket covered in glowing patches. But it was her eyes that caught Elara's attention—they weren't kaleidoscopic like Elara's, nor were they digital like Kaelen's. They were Empty. Literally. Where her irises should have been, there were two flickering "Loading" circles.
[INDIVIDUAL: MINA]
[LEVEL: ???]
[CLASS: ???]
[THREAT_LEVEL: UNKNOWN]
"I heard you're the one who broke the Loom," the girl said, her voice sounding like a layered audio file, multiple tones overlapping. "I came because the Monolith keeps trying to 'Format' me, but it can't find my directory."
"You're a [GHOST_DATA] entity," Kaelen whispered, stepping closer to scan her. "You exist in the world, but the System's database has lost your pointer. How are you even standing?"
"I eat 'Loot'," Mina said simply. She pulled a Rank F Data-Shard from her pocket and took a bite out of it like it was a piece of candy. "If I don't consume raw code, I start to de-res. I don't want to join a guild. I just want a place to hide where the Purifiers can't track my signal."
Elara looked at the girl. In a world of rigid levels and defined roles, Mina was a walking impossibility. She was a "Bug" that the system had failed to delete.
"If you join us, Mina, you won't have to hide," Elara said. "We're going to build a network that the Overseers can't touch. But I need to know—what can you do besides eating code?"
Mina tilted her head. The loading icons in her eyes spun faster. She reached out and touched a nearby chair. Suddenly, the chair didn't just move; it [TRANSFORMED]. Its wood turned into steel, then into glass, then into a pile of unrendered cubes.
"I can change the [OBJECT_PROPERTIES]," Mina said. "But only if I've eaten enough of that material. I'm a 'Scavenger' of the source code."
[NOTICE: POTENTIAL GUILD MEMBER IDENTIFIED]
[UNIQUE ABILITY: CODE_ALCHEMY]
Before Elara could respond, the Guild-Stone began to pulse with a violent red alarm.
[WORLD_EVENT INITIATED: THE FIRST PURGE WAVE]
[LOCATION: SECTOR 04 - THE ARCHIVE DISTRICT]
[OBJECTIVE: PROTECT THE GUILD-STONE FROM THE 'DEBUGGER' BATTALION]
"Gideon wasn't lying," Joran said, drawing his sword as the windows of the library rattled. "He signaled the Overseers. They aren't waiting for the contest to end. They're sending a Purge squad to delete the Anomaly at its source."
Outside, the patch-work sky turned a deep, bruised purple. From the clouds, several massive, white pods descended, trailing lines of golden light. These weren't the small drones from before. These were [S-01 EXTERMINATORS].
"Mina," Elara said, turning to the girl. "You want to hide? Help us hold this Library, and I'll give you every piece of loot we find in the next three nodes."
Mina looked at the approaching pods, then at the glowing Guild-Stone. A small, glitchy smile appeared on her face. "Deal. But I need something 'High-Level' to eat first."
Elara pulled out the [ARCHITECT'S FIRST KEY] she had won from the Archive Boss. It was a Unique item, priceless in its potential. She handed it to the girl.
"Don't eat the whole thing," Elara warned. "Just take what you need to buff us."
Mina took a bite. The effect was instantaneous. A golden aura exploded from her, and for a moment, the entire Library's data-structure shifted.
[GUILD BUFF ACTIVATED: TEMPORARY_ADMIN_SHIELD]
[ALL MEMBER STATS: +50%]
[ENVIRONMENTAL_STABILITY: LOCKED]
"Let them come," Elara said, her eyes blazing silver as she stepped out into the courtyard to face the Exterminators. "The Exceptions are officially open for business."