> And somewhere deep in the academy systems, a red dot blinked next to his name—marking him for a new level of attention. And danger.
---
Kairo had barely recovered from his sparring session with Lina when the headache started.
Not the "I-failed-an-exam" kind, but the "why-do-I-suddenly-see-coding-matrices-in-the-air" kind.
Everywhere he looked, faint translucent glyphs shimmered like strings of divine code. Overlaid names, stats, strange error logs. It was like his life had been hijacked by a mystical UI developer with a caffeine problem.
"I swear, if my vision starts buffering, I'm uninstalling reality," he muttered.
> [Warning: Divine Network stability compromised]
[Emergency Debug Protocols engaged]
[You have entered: Quarantine Layer – Internal Trial Space]
"Huh—?"
The hallway around him blurred, pixelated, and before he could blink, it was gone—replaced by a wide circular arena surrounded by floating runes and… chickens.
Yes. Glowing divine chickens. Pecking around like they owned the place.
Kairo blinked twice.
"I've been kidnapped by a software god with a poultry obsession."
A golden window popped up.
> Welcome to the Divine Network User Trial Program
By continuing, you accept the terms of chaos.
Trial Objective: Survive.
> [Timer: 60 seconds]
[Opponents spawning…]
"Oh, this is gonna suck."
---
The First "Trial"
One chicken looked up.
Its eyes glowed red.
It exploded.
The shockwave sent Kairo flipping backward into a pile of digital hay.
More chickens turned.
"Wait, are they—OH GOD THEY'RE SUICIDE BOMBERS!"
He ducked just as another chicken dive-bombed from above.
> [Emergency Skill Unlocked: Panic Dodge Lv. 1]
(Triggered by 500% increase in heart rate)
Kairo zig-zagged across the arena, desperately swiping on his phone like he was trying to win an auction.
> [Scan Complete: Divine Trace – Shadow Walker Detected]
New Skill: Blink Step Lv. 0.1
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Activation? Y/N
"Yes yes YES!"
In a flash of light, he vanished just as a cluster of chickens detonated behind him.
"Okay! I blinked! I can teleport now! I'm basically Nightcrawler with a phone plan!"
> [Warning: Blink Step caused minor pants damage.]
Kairo looked down.
"...Oh come ON."
---
Trial Complete
The chickens vanished in a puff of gold light.
> [Trial Successful]
Rewards:
• Divine Thread (x1)
• Minor Glitch Core
• Achievement Unlocked: "Chickened Out But Survived"
> [Network Moderator Approaching… Standby.]
"Wait, what does that mean—?"
The light above changed color—from divine gold to ominous crimson.
A tall figure descended from the void like a glitch wrapped in velvet. Cloaked in code, face hidden by a shifting pixelated mask, they hovered inches off the ground.
"User: Kairo Jin," the figure intoned. "Unauthorized access. Your Sync is abnormal. Your presence… unauthorized."
Kairo raised both hands. "Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are. I didn't ask to be bonded to the weirdest divine app on the market."
"You should not exist in this form. Protocols must be enforced."
The air grew heavy.
> [Danger Level: Lethal]
[Escape Impossible]
[Suggestion: Say Something Stupid]
Kairo blinked.
"So, uh… are you single, or is your glitch aura just really defensive?"
The moderator twitched.
> [Moderator Confused. Reaction Delay Increased.]
"Oh, I'm buying time," Kairo whispered, "I'm very much buying time."
Suddenly—
> [Divine Message Incoming]
Sender: ???
Message: "Let him be. He's under our observation."
The moderator paused. Glitched. And slowly… faded away.
> [Network Link Stabilized. Temporary Moderator Override Granted.]
> You are now flagged: "Variable Asset – Tier 3."
Observation Level Increased.
Proceed carefully.
Kairo dropped to his knees.
"What the hell was that?"
> [Reward: Shadow Mark – Passive Evasion Boost]
[Phone Battery: 2%]
"Seriously? I almost die and all I get is a dodge buff and a low battery warning?"
He looked around.
The trial arena faded—and the hallway returned.
But not everything was the same.
People were walking by like nothing had happened, except… every time they passed him, his phone screen flickered, scanning.
His reality had changed.
He wasn't just leveling up anymore.
He was being watched.
---
Later That Night – Dorm 17B
"I got attacked by exploding chickens and a glitchy ghost in a hoodie," Kairo said flatly.
Juno, brushing his teeth, nodded. "Standard Tuesday."
"Oh, and now I'm being monitored by some secret divine committee."
"You want me to pretend to be your therapist or your hacker friend?"
Kairo sighed. "Yes."
> [Message Received: New Challenge Incoming]
[Rank Defense Match – Scheduled Tomorrow]
Challenger: Tobin Velgar
Stakes: Forced Rank Drop or Public Humiliation]
"Oh come ON."
Juno smirked. "Welp. Guess we're fighting fire with fried chicken now."
---
And so, the countdown began. Kairo vs. Tobin—round two. Only this time, Kairo had more than sarcasm and dumb luck… he had data. And maybe, just maybe, the beginnings of a cheat code revolution.