Kael didn't sleep.
He couldn't.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it again.
The wolf disappearing.
The players… gone.
The thing in his room.
That glitching creature.
"…this is real."
He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands.
They looked normal.
Nothing special.
Nothing different.
But he knew.
Something inside him had changed.
---
"…I need to test this."
He stood up slowly.
The room was quiet again.
Too quiet.
But this time—
He didn't panic.
He was ready.
---
"Come out."
Nothing happened.
Silence.
---
"…figures."
Kael exhaled.
"Then I'll go back in."
---
He sat down.
Put on his headset.
Closed his eyes.
And logged in.
---
Instant.
No loading.
No transition.
---
The world returned.
The same village.
Same sky.
Same players.
---
But Kael knew—
It wasn't the same anymore.
---
He looked around.
People were talking like nothing happened.
Laughing.
Trading.
Fighting monsters.
---
"…so they don't remember."
Or—
They respawned.
Reset.
Like normal.
---
"…but I remember."
That was the difference.
---
Kael clenched his fist.
"…good."
That meant one thing.
He wasn't part of the normal system anymore.
---
His hand moved.
The sword appeared.
Instant.
No animation.
No menu.
Just—
There.
---
"…so I can summon it."
That was new.
---
He stared at the blade.
Still flickering.
Still unstable.
---
"…let's test something else."
---
Kael walked out of the village again.
Same path.
Same field.
Same wolves.
---
But this time—
He wasn't here to fight.
---
He opened his hand.
Looked at the sword.
Focused.
---
"…duplicate."
---
Nothing happened.
---
"…okay…"
He frowned.
"Maybe I need to drop it first."
---
He released his grip.
The sword fell to the ground.
Clang.
Real.
Solid.
---
Kael stared at it.
"…that still shouldn't be possible."
---
He reached out again.
Touched it.
---
The world froze.
---
[Inventory Conflict]
---
The message flickered violently.
---
"…there it is."
---
[Item Has No Data]
---
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…no data."
Same as before.
---
"…then what happens if—"
---
The message glitched.
Harder.
Stronger.
---
The sword—
Split.
---
Two identical swords.
On the ground.
---
Kael froze.
"…no way."
---
He slowly picked one up.
Then the other.
---
Both felt real.
Same weight.
Same cold presence.
---
"…I just duplicated it."
---
No cost.
No cooldown.
No limit.
---
"…this is broken."
---
He looked around quickly.
No one nearby.
No witnesses.
---
"…good."
---
Kael took a deep breath.
"Let's try again."
---
He dropped one sword.
Held the other.
Touched the one on the ground.
---
The world froze again.
---
[Inventory Conflict]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
---
The screen flickered violently.
---
"…come on…"
---
Then—
---
Three swords.
---
Kael stepped back.
"…this is insane."
---
His heart started beating faster.
---
"This isn't just a bug…"
"This is…"
---
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because he didn't know what to call it.
---
Power?
Cheat?
Error?
---
"…something dangerous."
---
Kael picked up all three swords.
---
The moment he did—
His vision blurred.
---
"…ugh—"
---
A sharp pain hit his head.
---
[Warning]
---
The message appeared suddenly.
Red.
---
[Too Many Instances]
---
Kael froze.
"…too many?"
---
The swords in his hand flickered.
Unstable.
---
"…so there's a limit."
---
Good.
Bad.
He didn't know yet.
---
"…let's reduce it."
---
He dropped one sword.
Then another.
---
The pain faded.
Slowly.
---
"…okay."
Two swords were safe.
Three—
Was pushing it.
---
"…good to know."
---
Kael looked at the remaining sword on the ground.
---
"…what if I leave it?"
---
He stepped back.
Didn't pick it up.
---
Nothing happened.
---
The sword stayed.
Real.
Permanent.
---
"…I can create items…"
"…that shouldn't exist."
---
That realization hit hard.
---
"This isn't just for fighting."
"This can break everything."
---
Kael's breathing slowed.
---
"…I need to be careful."
---
For the first time—
He felt something else.
---
Control.
---
But that feeling didn't last long.
---
The air changed.
---
Heavy.
Cold.
---
"…again."
---
Kael looked up.
---
The sky—
Glitched.
Longer this time.
---
A crack appeared.
Thin.
But real.
---
"…that wasn't there before."
---
The crack spread slightly.
Then stopped.
---
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…it's getting worse."
---
A message appeared.
Not like before.
---
Clean.
Sharp.
Clear.
---
[Observer Connected]
---
Kael froze.
"…again."
---
[Target: Unknown Entity]
---
"…that's me."
---
[Analysis Failed]
---
Silence.
---
"…good."
---
For a second—
Kael smiled.
---
"You can't read me."
---
But then—
The message changed.
---
[Action Required]
---
"…what action?"
---
The world froze.
---
Players stopped moving.
Monsters stopped moving.
Even the wind stopped.
---
Everything—
Paused.
---
Only Kael could move.
---
"…not again."
---
Footsteps.
---
Behind him.
---
Slow.
Heavy.
---
Kael turned.
---
A figure stood there.
---
Not a monster.
Not a player.
---
Something else.
---
Humanoid.
But wrong.
---
Its body was made of light.
White.
Clean.
Perfect.
---
Too perfect.
---
"…system?"
---
The figure tilted its head.
---
"…you're not human."
---
It took a step forward.
---
[Correction Process Initiated]
---
Kael's eyes widened.
"…correction?"
---
The figure raised its hand.
---
The air twisted.
---
Pressure hit Kael instantly.
---
"…ugh—!"
---
It felt like something was trying to pull him apart.
Erase him.
Rewrite him.
---
"…no."
---
Kael gritted his teeth.
---
"I'm not—"
---
The pressure increased.
---
Stronger.
Heavier.
---
His body flickered.
---
"…I'm not going to disappear."
---
Kael raised the sword.
---
The blade glitched violently.
---
"…if you want to fix me…"
---
He stepped forward.
---
"…then try."
---
The figure moved instantly.
---
Too fast.
---
Kael swung.
---
The world froze—
---
For a moment.
---
The blade touched the figure.
---
And—
---
Nothing happened.
---
"…what?"
---
The figure didn't disappear.
Didn't glitch.
Didn't break.
---
It looked at him.
---
[Error Confirmed]
---
"…what do you mean error—"
---
The pressure exploded.
---
Kael was thrown back.
---
His body slammed into the ground.
---
"…ugh—!"
---
He coughed.
---
"…this thing…"
---
It wasn't like the others.
---
It wasn't affected.
---
"…so not everything can be erased."
---
The figure stepped closer.
---
[Delete Process Started]
---
Kael's eyes widened.
"…delete?"
---
The air twisted again.
---
Stronger than before.
---
His body started breaking apart.
---
"…no—"
---
His arm flickered.
---
Disappearing.
---
"…I'm not—"
---
Kael clenched his fist.
---
"…I'm not something you can delete."
---
The sword pulsed.
---
Hard.
---
Loud.
---
Like it was reacting.
---
Like it was angry.
---
"…then let's break it."
---
Kael stepped forward.
---
Into the pressure.
---
"…if I can't erase you…"
---
He raised the sword.
---
"…then I'll break the system itself."
---
He swung again.
---
This time—
---
The blade didn't hit the figure.
---
It hit the space around it.
---
The world—
Cracked.
---
A loud sound echoed.
---
Like glass breaking.
---
The figure froze.
---
[Critical Error]
---
"…there it is."
---
Kael pushed forward.
---
Again.
---
Swing.
---
Crack.
---
Swing.
---
Crack.
---
The space around the figure shattered.
---
Distorted.
---
Unstable.
---
The figure flickered.
---
[System Instability Detected]
---
"…good."
---
Kael smiled slightly.
---
"You're not perfect either."
---
The pressure weakened.
---
Just enough.
---
Kael moved.
---
One final step.
---
One final swing.
---
The blade passed through the crack—
---
And everything—
---
Collapsed.
---
Light exploded.
---
Sound vanished.
---
The world broke.
---
Then—
---
Silence.
---
Kael stood there.
Breathing hard.
---
The figure—
Gone.
---
"…I did it?"
---
No message.
No system.
Nothing.
---
The world slowly resumed.
---
Players moved again.
Monsters moved again.
---
Like nothing happened.
---
"…no."
---
Kael looked up.
---
The crack in the sky—
Was still there.
---
Bigger now.
---
"…I didn't fix it."
---
"I made it worse."
---
The sword pulsed again.
---
Satisfied.
---
"…what are you?"
---
No answer.
---
Only silence.
---
And above—
---
Something else moved.
---
Behind the crack.
---
Watching.
---
Waiting.
---
"…this isn't just a system anymore."
---
Kael tightened his grip.
---
"…something bigger is coming."
---
And this time—
---
He knew.
---
He wouldn't be able to run.