NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Stormfly told me that I needed to fuse this glowing red eye on my socket to compliment my lone and special eye. He also added that an unbearable pain would reach through my body, wishing that I would rather be dead than experiencing hell.

However, I had experienced far enough suffering from what I remembered. I lost my previous life and my sister, Clementine, from the battle in Mainland. And when I reached this place, Match left me, thinking that I would abandon them like what I did with Okami and Ryoshi.

Although I did not have any feelings for the two players, they still escorted us towards this place. If it were not for them, I would not have arrived at this place. Since Alice and this guy told me that those two players were still alive, I would just grasp for those words blindly.

It was thanks to them that I could still continue my revenge against those game developers. 

"Do it, Stormfly," I demanded, and glared at the treasure room's ceiling.

As soon as I agreed with Stormfly's offer, he rested my body on the nearby table. He told me that I should not worry about a thing, since Stromfly had performed this countless times.

Before Stormfly could even start the procedure, he conjured a dozen magic circles surrounding us. Each magic spell had runes exclusively belonging to the dragonewt. My system reacted when it witnessed those hovering texts with sphere-shapes clouding my view.

Within a few seconds, those magic circles entered my body, while most of them rested on top of my left eye. If I could guess it right, these runes were the preparation Stormfly needed to place the eye on my regular left eye socket.

[Warning! Because of the sudden insertion of an organ, you (the player) might feel a sting inside your eye (left eye).]

[Will you permit a foregin organ inside your body? You cannot alter this procedure as soon as this substance enters your eye.]

[yes?]

[no?]

Even when I accepted Stormfly's offer, my system still needed my consent. I, who had already made up my mind, accepted the transfer of this glowing red eye inside my body. So I gingerly raised my hand and pressed the floating screen with the word "yes" inside.

As soon as my hands touched the button, the system shut itself down and waited for the left eye.

"I can see that the system notified you about its consent or whatnot?" Stormfly asked, while waving his hands.

"Yes. This doesn't feel anything, Stormfly," I bravely confessed, while revealing a smirk on my face.

Stormfly chuckled at my comment and retorted, "Oh, Red. It just started."

When he finished his sentence, Stormfly waved his hands and ordered the magic circles to squeeze my eye open. All the muscles on my face diverged, as if someone stretched it open. The left eye from Stormfly's hand flickered, telling me that the size was just right. My system also notified me that the left glowing eye would complete the pair, which would eventually increase my overall power.

The pain that Stormfly introduced did not appear just yet. But it did not take me a few seconds before meeting that throbbing ache around my eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" I screamed, while wiggling my body.

Beads of sweat slowly dripped from my face, which made me blink a million times. My skin also felt an itch that I needed to scratch. However, the pain coming from my left eye had already taken the spotlight.

Although the procedure was solely on my face, the pain reached my lower extremities. It was as if the procedure linked the pain inside my body, which jolted me awake. 

But no matter how hard I tried escaping this place, something pinned me on this table. When I stole a glance at my side, those magic circles I saw before pressed themselves on my body. Those runes weighed heavier than an average player, which locked my movements.

However, I was still thankful that it happened to me. If those magic runes did not do their thing, I would have already ran away.

"Bear with me, Red. The pain will be over soon," Stormflly whispered, as he prepared another set of magic circles floating above me.

I did not have any time to guess as those rushed runes entered my body once again.

"What are...those magic circles for?" I asked, while gritting my teeth. 

Stormfly waved his hands for the umpeeth time and answered, "These magic circles are to stabilize your body and the left eye. According to the game developers, players had to go through this every time they reached an event. That occurrence allowed them to change their eyes without having set-backs inside their bodies. Since they don't feel pain, all that they do is lay on bed and wait for me to finish. However, the game developers realised that these eyes were a bit overpowered. And eventually removed it in the game."

"This method was also taken from the real life scenario from the game developers. It surprised me that the game developers did all of these to themselves by a professional person handling eyes. But in their world, they use anesthesia. It was something that made the body numb, which would make this practice easier. Unfortunately, we don't have that here in Code. The only thing we have are these magic circles that protect the body. It protects the inner cells every time a foreign organ would be inserted inside someone else."

Those detailed explanations by Stormfly kept my train of thoughts occupied. Thanks to that topic he opened, my focus transferred itself towards the information Stormfly gave. However, even though that happened, the pain still breached through my body. 

It was like a needle entered my skin, despite putting some leaves as my cover. Those thin leaves, which were the magic circles Stormfly described, did nothing to me. 

After a few minutes of enduring the pain, Stormfly told me that he was ready to lodge my left eye inside my socket. It was the moment I had been waiting for after a moment fighting back the pain. 

When the glowing orb entered my socket, my body reacted differently and more violently. Every limb attached to my body swung back and forth, wanting to escape. My chest rose and formed a mountain when my lungs gasped the air it could breathe. 

That painful sensation lasted for around five minutes. But it felt like years of suffering when that happened to me.

The magic circles prepared by Stormfly emerged upwards, covering my vision. Various hues radiated the room and filled it with arcane that I had never felt before. 

That mana hovering in the atmosphere condenses itself into tiny balls that lessened my pain. And when those spheres nestled on my skin, the strain happening on my body's site ceased to exist.

However, that did not stop me from shouting my concerns while clenching my fist. And when those five minutes ended, the pain fled my body too.

Ghastly smoke exited my left eye, with something tingling inside of it. When I tried opening my left orb, my vision increased, which also allowed me to sense the mana inside the room.

When I activated my right eye before, it heightened all my senses, including my abilities. It lasted for a short time, but that duration was enough for any fight I needed to finish. 

But that only happened while activating my right eye. After a few months, I finally got myself the other pair that my right glowing eye needed.

As luck would have it, my senses also heightened, even stronger than before. My abilities remained the same, but my system told me they all levelled up thanks to my new left eye. The duration of this ability also increased, which also had a lesser cooldown.

However, that was not all. When the left eye finally found its comfortable place, my entire vision changed for the better. My mana increased by ten folds, which amplified all my skills and attacks. I even earned the title of "Phoenix' beside my name.

When I asked my system about it, a window appeared before me.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Phoenix's power! You could manipulate any fire in your surroundings when two of your eyes are open. Even when you're not focusing on your surroundings, fire elements would not deal damage to you, except if they are mixed with other classifications. Your burning hoodie would grant you the ability to jump higher than usual. It could even grant you fiery wings as long as you level up]

At the end of its sentence, my system told me that I still needed to level up. It was to unlock the fiery wings, which would grant me the ability of flight, which Match could also do. That skill would prove its worth during battles and other transportations. 

I found it better surfing around the sky than walking on land if I would go on a trip.