Sniff sniff!
Sami inhaled the rich scent of noodles and broth as he stepped into the store. It was a welcome change from the acrid stench of waste and engine smoke outside.
The noodle store was narrow, its walls patched with sheet metal and layered with graffiti and neon art. Along the sides ran long steel counters that served as tables, and behind them sat bolt-fixed stools welded to the floor.
Upon glancing around, Sami realized he was the only customer. He walked over to one of the stools and sat down. A moment later, a fat man in a dirty white apron shuffled up to him. He had only one arm, and in that hand he carried an old crediscan.
"Broth or fry?" His voice rasped like someone who'd smoked half his life away.
Sami thought for a moment before answering politely. "Broth, please. And extra noodles."
The man tapped at the crediscan, then set it down on the counter in front of Sami. "That's fifteen hundred."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and disappeared back into the cramped section that served as the kitchen.
'Fifteen hundred? Now I see why your store is empty.'
Sami picked up the Crediscan, rolled his jacket sleeve back, and paid by scanning his serial number before dropping it back on the counter.
Then something caught his attention. In the corner, a wall-mounted speaker crackled with static, carrying a woman's voice as it reported the news. Sami turned toward it, listening.
"… it has been determined that the next lunar eclipse is bound to take place on June 21, which is exactly two months from now. Many agencies are opening their doors to the recruitment of derivators with combat or high-ranking utility derivatives in preparation for this. The Ministry of Public Safety also reminds those who wish to venture beyond the veil during the lunar eclipse to ensure they do so at the city centers of their respective sectors.
"In other news, a man identified as Alejandro Ramírez has been discovered to be the ringleader of the Iron Vultures gang, which has been operating in Sectors Eight and Nine. Authorities are currently—"
The news was still ongoing when Sami stopped listening, his attention shifting to something the woman had said earlier.
'Derivators…? Wait… didn't Vel become a derivativor after finding his concept object?'
Sami rubbed his chin, replaying the memory fragments. As he began piecing them together, his eyes slowly widened as a thought struck him.
'If he's dead and I've transmigrated into his body… does that mean… I'm a derivator?'
His jaw dropped at the possibility.
Everyone in this world was said to have some sort of innate, dormant supernatural power called a derivative. This derivative could be anything, from a weak utility gift to a devastating combat power. However, not everyone could unlock this their innate power and become a derivator, as the condition for awakening was tricky and difficult.
To awaken as a derivator, a person needed to find their concept object. It could be anything: a sword, a brush, a book, a coin, a key, or even a simple trinket. But that was the problem. You could never know in advance what it was. That meant you had to touch every object you came across until you found one that resonated with you and triggered your awakening.
Even then, the search could be brutally difficult. Imagine if your concept object was an expensive item, something you could never afford to lay your hands on. If you were poor, you might live and die without ever even having the chance to come across it. Or what if it was an object unique to a particular place or sector, like a padlock? If you were born in a wealthy home in the upper sectors, where all the doors had automatic locks and everything was high-tech, you would likely never encounter such an item, unless by some improbable stroke of fate.
Also, concept objects are usually oddly specific. For example, your object might be a shoe, but not just any shoe. It could be a particular kind, like sneakers, sandals, or boots. This meant it was a good idea to be versatile and not fixate on one type of thing if you hoped to find your concept object.
For reasons like this, there weren't that many derivators.
Vel, while he was alive, had always dreamed of becoming one. Not just because they were different, with powers beyond ordinary people, which in this world meant a better chance of surviving, but also because being a derivator opened up a lot of opportunities to live a better life, especially if you awakened a high-ranking derivative.
Unfortunately for Vel, he was killed almost immediately after he found his concept object and awakened. He never even got the chance to figure out what his derivative was.
Well, now that Sami had taken over, it meant he had transmigrated into the body of an awakened derivator, sparing him the struggle of searching for his concept object like countless others who never found theirs.
Sami leaned back. He needed to confirm it and discover what Vel's derivative had been.
As he considered how to check, he suddenly remembered that communicators had built-in scanners, which derivators could use to access their profile.
Sami pulled out his communicator and tapped it, causing a hologram to appear on the tiny screen. He then raised his left hand to the headphones, switched on the mic, and spoke in a low voice.
"Do I have any information on me with regards to my awakening as a derivator?"
The communicator immediately responded in a synthetic female voice, while the words scrolled across the holographic screen:
[Input Serial Number]
Sami raised his hand to the screen, and a light flashed in response.
[Initializing...]
[Yes. After awakening, your profile has been updated with your derivative information. You can now access this information on your profile.]
Sami's lips curled upward. "Great. Pull up my profile then."
The holographic display expanded and new information began to pop up.
Name: Vel Simon [Derivator]
Stage: [1]
Concept object: [Mirrors]
Derivative: [Multiplici —
The words were still appearing when the display abruptly froze.
'Huh? Why'd it freeze up?'
Sami tapped the corner of the communicator but the holographic display only sputtered. Then… after a moment, new messages blinked into existence, replacing the profile data entirely.
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
"What the…"
Sami blinked, confused, his fingers hovering over the device as if that might make it suddenly start working again.
"Did I really end up buying scrap?"
His frustration began to grow, but just as he was about to curse, the display sputtered, and new messages appeared:
[Neural signature mismatch]
[EST Signature Unidentified]
A few seconds passed before another message popped up:
[Would you like to redo identification?]
"Redo identification? What does that mean?"
Another message popped up beside it.
[Would you like to update your identification information as well?]
Sami stared wide-eyed, utterly puzzled. He had no idea what was happening. The requests hovered for a moment before he finally answered in an uncertain tone:
"…Yes?"
Instantly, the holographic display went blank. After only a few seconds, it blinked back to life:
[Updating identification…]
[Updating Neural signature...]
[Updating EST signature...]
It paused for a moment, then:
[Profile updated]
Then… just like before, the holographic display expanded and the profile began to populate, but this time, something had changed:
Name: Choi Sam-woo [Derivator]
Stage: [1]
Concept object: [Mirrors]
Derivative: [Multiplicity]
Derivative description: [This derivative operates on the principle that two or more can exist or be derived from one. As such, it grants the derivator the ability to create multiple personas of himself, each with unique traits and attributes tied to their nature.]
Derivative rank: [Seven]
Personas: [2]
Current derivative attributes: [Choose Persona to view attributes]
Traits: [Choose Persona to view traits]
EST: [4%]
EST points: [1/10000]