The Guild hall was in chaos when they arrived. Adventurers crowded around the quest board, voices raised in argument. Marge stood behind the counter looking like she'd aged ten years in the past few hours, processing what seemed like a hundred frantic reports at once.
"...completely corrupted, I'm telling you! The slimes were Level 15!"
"...sealed itself! My party barely made it out alive!"
"...three dungeons in the region, all showing signs of.."
Kade pushed through the crowd, his bulk making a path for the others. "Marge! What's happening?"
She looked up, relief flashing across her face when she saw them. "Thank the gods. You're alive. The Thornwood?"
"Corrupted," Lyra said grimly. "Sealed itself, boss was enhanced to Gold-rank equivalent. We cleared it, but something's wrong with the dungeon network."
Marge's expression darkened. "You're the fifth party to report corruption today. Bronze-rank dungeons are spiking to Silver and Gold difficulty. Some are sealing themselves. Others are..." She hesitated. "Overflowing. We've got monster hordes forming in the eastern woods."
"Overflowing?" Finn went pale. "How bad?"
"Bad enough that the Guild Master's called for regional reinforcements. We're issuing a town alert tonight." She pulled out forms. "I need your full report. Everything you saw."
The next hour was tedious paperwork. Lyra handled most of it—describing the corruption, the enhanced boss, the dungeon lockdown. She carefully edited out the part where Nero had rewritten reality, instead attributing the boss's defeat to "exploiting a weakness in its corruption matrix."
Again, not technically a lie. Just... selective truth.
Marge accepted their report, paid them their reward (twenty silver instead of fifteen. Hazard bonus), and sent them away with a warning to stay alert.
"Town curfew starts at sunset until this is resolved," she called after them. "And if you see anything strange, report immediately."
If only she knew how strange things already were, Nero thought.
They ended up at The Broken Wand, a tavern that was exactly as dingy and atmospheric as its name suggested. Dark wood, dim lighting, the smell of alcohol and cooked meat. Adventurers filled every table, all talking about the dungeon crisis.
Kade secured them a corner booth—away from prying ears and curious eyes. Food arrived: roasted chicken, bread, vegetables, and ale. Nero ate mechanically, his mind racing. Forty-two Corruption. Forty-eight to seventy-two hours before hunters arrived. Dungeons across the region going haywire.
Coincidence? Or related to me somehow? "This is all too much." Nero Sighed.
"Alright," Lyra said once the barmaid left. She leaned forward, her voice low. "No more deflecting. We need to talk about what happened in that dungeon."
Nero set down his fork. "Yeah. I figured."
"You can manipulate reality," Finn said bluntly. "That's not a skill. That's not even a legendary ability. That's something else entirely. So what are you really?"
"I'm human," Nero said. "I just... I have a glitched system."
"Glitched how?"
He pulled up his status screen—the one only he could see—and concentrated.
"Show them." he said. "Let them see what I see."
His Debug Mode flared, and suddenly the translucent blue interface materialized in the air above the table where all three of them could see it.
```
═══════════════════════════
NAME: Nero Cross
RACE: Human (Outsider)
CLASS: UNASSIGNED
LEVEL: 5
═══════════════════════════
STATS:
STR: 18 | VIT: 19 | AGI: 20
INT: 25 | WIS: 22 | LUK: ???
HP: 190/190
MP: 250/250
CORRUPTION: 42/100
═══════════════════════════
SKILLS:
[ERRØR] Reality Debug Mode (Passive)
[ERRØR] Exploit Detection (Active)
[ERRØR] Patch Rewrite (Active) - CORRUPTION COST: Variable
[LOCKED] Rollback Protocol - CORRUPTION COST: 30
COMBAT SKILLS:
[Basic Swordsmanship - Lv 2]
[Basic Evasion - Lv 3]
TITLES:
[Outsider] [Dead Man Walking]
[Tactical Retreat Master] [Code Breaker]
[ĘŘŘØŘ ỮŞ€Ř]
═══════════════════════════
⚠️ CORRUPTION WARNING ⚠️
Current Level: 42/100 (MODERATE RISK)
Effects: Minor reality distortion, increased glitch visibility
At 100: TERMINAL EVENT (Death/Transformation)
```
The three of them stared with intensity.
"Corruption? What's that—" Lyra read aloud. "At one hundred, you die?"
"Or worse. The system isn't clear." Nero dismissed the screen. "Every time I use my glitch abilities—the ones marked ERROR—my Corruption increases. Strong uses cost more. The boss today cost me fifteen points."
"And you're at forty-two," Kade said quietly. "You're nearly halfway to this—Terminal Event."
"Yeah."
"So using your abilities is killing you," Finn said. "Slowly."
"Pretty much."
Silence fell over the table. Adventurers laughed and argued around them, oblivious to the existential crisis happening in the corner booth.
Finally, Kade spoke. "What happens if you just... don't use them? Can the Corruption go down?"
"I don't know. The system doesn't say."
"And these... Debuggers?" Lyra's eyes were sharp. "Your system mentioned them. What are they?"
Nero hesitated. "Probably Hunters. I believe they track down people like me—glitch users and Kill them before their Corruption spreads or they could even become dungeon bosses themselves."
"You can become a dungeon boss?" Finn looked horrified.
"Apparently. At one hundred Corruption, I'm either dead or... something else. The system warned me specifically that I'd be classified as a threat to reality itself."
"Jesus," Kade muttered. He drained his ale in one long gulp. "Okay. Okay. So we've got maybe three days before hunters show up looking for the glitch user who killed a corrupted boss. We've got dungeons going insane across the region. And we've got Nero sitting on a time bomb that could either kill him or turn him into a raid boss."
"That about sums it up," Nero agreed.
"Great." Kade signaled for another drink. "So what's the plan?"
"Plan?" Nero blinked. "You're asking me for a plan?"
"You're the one with the apocalypse countdown. Seems like you should have thoughts."
Nero looked between the three of them. "You're... you're not going to turn me in?"
Lyra's expression softened slightly. "You saved our lives today. Whatever you are, whatever danger you represent—you're also the reason we're sitting here having this conversation instead of being dungeon loot."
"Plus," Finn added, "if we turn you in, we'd have to explain how we know about the glitch abilities, which means admitting we let a reality-hacker live. Guild would sanction us at minimum, possibly arrest us as accomplices."
"So it's self-preservation," Nero said flatly.
"It's loyalty," Kade corrected firmly. "You're part of Vanguard. I meant what I said—we don't abandon our own. Yeah, this situation is terrifying and complicated, but we'll figure it out. Together."
Something in Nero's chest loosened. That warmth again, stronger this time.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Don't thank us yet," Lyra said. "We need to be smart about this. First: Nero, you need to choose your class. System Specialist is the obvious choice now."
Nero pulled up his class selection screen and selected System Specialist without hesitation.
```
[CLASS SELECTED: SYSTEM SPECIALIST]
[This is a UNIQUE class - you are the only one]
[Class bonuses applied]
SYSTEM SPECIALIST BENEFITS:
- +5 INT, +3 WIS per level
- Expanded Debug Mode capabilities
- Reduced CORRUPTION cost for ERRØR abilities (-20%)
- New Skill Unlocked: [Code Analysis]
- New Skill Unlocked: [System Mapping]
[WARNING: This class will mark you as unusual]
[WARNING: Advanced system users may detect your true nature]
[CLASS LOCKED IN]
[Welcome to the game behind the game]
```
"Done," Nero said. "I'm officially a System Specialist."
"Second," Lyra continued, "we need information. Why are dungeons corrupting? Is it related to you, or is something else going on?"
"Could be the dungeon network itself glitching," Finn suggested. "Nero may not be the only anomaly in the system. Maybe that's why reality's breaking down."
"Cheerful thought." Kade commended.
"Third," Lyra pressed on, "we need to prepare for the Debuggers you mentioned. If it's true that they're coming for you, we need to know what we're dealing with. Capabilities, numbers, tactics."
"I don't know much," Nero admitted.
"Then we research. Quietly. The Guild archives might have information—legends, historical accounts, anything about system enforcers."
"I can handle that," Finn said. "I'm good at finding things people don't want found."
"Fourth," Kade said, "we keep Nero alive and un-corrupted. Which means limiting his glitch ability usage. Only in emergencies."
"Agreed," Nero said immediately. He had no desire to speed-run his way to Terminal Event.
"Fifth and finally," Lyra said, looking at each of them in turn, "we keep this between us. No one else knows. Not the Guild, not other adventurers, not even parties we trust. This stays with Vanguard."
"Agreed," Kade and Finn said in unison.
Nero felt something shift in his chest. These people—virtual strangers two days ago—were risking everything to protect him.
I won't let them down, he promised himself. Whatever happens, I'll keep them safe.
His system pinged.
```
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE]
Kade Morrison: LOYAL COMPANION → SWORN BROTHER (80/100)
Finn Cooper: CAUTIOUS TRUST → TRUSTED ALLY (50/100)
Lyra Ashford: WARY ALLY → COMMITTED TEAMMATE (45/100)
[PARTY BOND STRENGTHENED]
New Ability Unlocked: [Shared Fate]
- When fighting alongside party members you trust, CORRUPTION gain is reduced by 10%
- Party members can sense your condition and provide support
- In dire circumstances, party members can temporarily shoulder your CORRUPTION burden
[You are no longer alone in this fight]
```
Nero blinked rapidly, not trusting himself to speak.
"Alright," Kade said, pushing back from the table. "We've got a plan. Nero gets stronger, we research Debuggers, we figure out what's wrong with the dungeons, and we keep our reality-hacking friend from exploding. Easy."
"Nothing about this is easy," Lyra said.
"Well, not with that attitude."
Despite everything, Nero laughed. These ridiculous, loyal, utterly insane people were going to get themselves killed protecting him, and he couldn't even be mad about it because it felt too much like hope. They left the tavern as the sun set, the town crier calling out the curfew warning. Streets that had been bustling were now emptying as people hurried home.
"We should rest," Lyra said. "Tomorrow, we start training Nero properly. If he's going to survive what's coming, he needs to level up fast."
"Agreed," Kade said. "Power-leveling montage starts at dawn."
"Please don't call it a montage," Nero groaned.
"Too late! It's a montage now!"
They split up—Finn heading to the Guild archives, Lyra to check in with contacts about the dungeon situation, Kade walking Nero back to the inn.
"You good?" Kade asked as they walked. "And I mean really good. Not 'I'm fine while internally screaming' good."
Nero laughed. He considered lying, then decided against it.
"I'm terrified. I've been here two days and I'm already on the verge of being hunted by literal reality police while slowly corrupting toward some sinister nightmare. So no, not good. But..." He glanced at Kade. "Better than I was this morning. Because of you guys."
Kade clapped him gently on the shoulder. "That's what parties are for, mate. Shared trauma and emotional support." He grinned. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow we're going to push you hard. Level 5 to Level 10 in one day if we can manage it."
"That's possible?"
"With the right dungeons and enough pain? Absolutely." Kade's grin widened. "I Hope you like fighting."
After Kade left, Nero collapsed on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Two days. That's all it had been since he'd died at his desk. Two days since waking up in a forest with a broken system and no clue what was happening. Now he had a class, a party, and a countdown to potential doom.
"Progress?" he thought hysterically.
His system displayed one final notification before he slept.
```
[MAIN QUEST UPDATED: "Survive"]
New Objectives:
- Reach Level 10 before Debuggers arrive (2 days, 18 hours)
- Discover the source of dungeon corruption
- Find a way to reduce CORRUPTION score
- Keep your party alive
- Don't become a dungeon boss
[Difficulty: HARD]
[Failure: Death/Worse]
[Reward: Survival and answers]
[The game has truly begun]
[Good luck, Error User]
```
Nero closed his eyes.
"Two days," he thought. "I just need to survive two days."
Somehow, he didn't think it would be that simple.