Ezra was falling.
Not like a regular cliff fall, but like diving into a digital hole, with a "whoooshhh" sound effect straight out of a soap opera. Around him, binary numbers flickered, strange symbols danced in the air, and the background kept shifting like a broken screensaver.
[GLITCH ZONE ACCESSED: DEV_WASTELAND_045]
"Great," Ezra sighed, "looks like I've entered the place even the developers didn't bother to fix."
He landed—on an old dusty mattress with rusty springs poking out everywhere. A "BWOING!" sound followed as his body bounced slightly.
The room resembled a digital garbage dump. Transparent pillars, unfinished 3D objects, donut-shaped rocks, and a nameless NPC stood facing a wall, repeating the same phrase:
"The potato is not ready... The potato is not ready…"
Ezra got up slowly, still at 1 HP.
"Yep, this isn't a dungeon. This is glitch hell."
***
After wandering through a bugged corridor for several minutes, Ezra found a hidden room.
It was filled with CRT monitors, tangled cables, and... an old glowing terminal with blue glitching light. A line of text blinked on the screen:
[CHEAT CONSOLE - ABANDONED TEST NODE]
Restricted Access: Only for Players With Status = ERROR
Ezra stared at it.
"Status ERROR? That basically sums up my life right now."
With trembling fingers, he hit ENTER.
The monitor flickered rapidly. Text appeared like automated typing:
[Command: /give legendary_weapon] → INVALID
[Command: /unlock_godmode] → REJECTED
[Command: /debug_spoon] → ACCEPTED
Suddenly, a blinding light appeared above him. From it descended an object...
A spoon.
More precisely, a bent wooden spoon with strange carvings on the handle. Written in Comic Sans font:
[DEBUG SPOON]
Damage: ???
Effect: Existential Crisis
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "WHAT THE—?! This insane game... I was expecting a divine sword."
As he gripped it, his hand trembled. The spoon hissed. The handle made a dial-up modem noise.
"If this explodes, I'm suing this dev... even if I'm already dead."
***
Suddenly, the terminal lit up again.
[Unauthorized Presence Detected]
[Replicator Entity Activated: EZRA.EXE]
A glitch portal opened, and stepping through was… himself.
But this version wore jet black armor, had glitching red eyes, and wielded a massive boss-tier sword.
"You're... me?" Ezra froze.
"I'm the version of you who accepted the Villain Route in the 2019 alternate ending event. Remember? The one you turned down because of karma?"
Ezra: "WAIT, THIS GAME KEEPS HISTORY THAT DEEP?!"
***
[BOSS FIGHT INITIATED: EZRA VS. EZRA.EXE]
Ezra.EXE lunged forward, unnaturally fast, like a PvP cheater. Ezra could only dodge while yelling:
"THIS ISN'T FAIR! I'M HOLDING A SPOON!!"
But amid the panic, the spoon vibrated. Suddenly, it glowed with glitchy blue energy and blocked the sword!
"IS THIS A SPOON OR A LIGHTSABER?!?"
Ezra parried. Glitch sparks flew. The chaotic fight continued: Ezra.EXE's strikes were deflected, reflected, and one deflection caused a random chicken NPC to spawn—and explode.
[BUG TRIGGERED: ENTITY_CHAIN_EXPLOSION]
[Damage redirected to Ezra.EXE]
Ezra.EXE staggered, his form cracking like broken glass.
"You… did it?!" Ezra couldn't believe it.
But then, Ezra.EXE laughed—a distorted, glitching sound—and vanished into a portal.
[Boss escaped. You'll meet again.]
***
Catching his breath, Ezra looked at the spoon.
Its carvings had changed.
[SPIRIT OF SPOON: PHASE 1 UNLOCKED]
Ezra pinched his own cheek. "Okay, this HAS to be a dream. Please let this be a dream."
***
Walking further, Ezra found another terminal.
[Do you wish to know the truth about Oblivion Rift Online?]
[Y/N]
Ezra stared at the screen. It blinked, like testing his will.
"I already have a glitchy spoon that can smack a boss. My life's already absurd. What's the risk?"
He pressed Y.
Suddenly... the room collapsed. A loud hum filled the air. A giant corrupted AI appeared from the shadows:
A cube labeled "PROJECT: OBSIDIAN CORE."
[Admin Override Detected.]
[Memory Fragment Unsealed.]
Flashes flooded Ezra's mind:
• A secret developer office.
• A digital consciousness experiment project.
• Players... mysteriously disappearing.
Ezra dropped to his knees.
"Wait… is this game… not just a game?"
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: FIND THE TRUTH]
Difficulty: ???
Reward: Unknown
Ezra stared toward the ORO horizon. Glitches were spreading into the sky.
The bent spoon in his hand glowed.
"I don't know if this is a nightmare or destiny. But one thing's certain…"
He stood tall.
"I'm going to bug this world from the inside."
—
To be continued...