After two full days inside the Inner Domain—training, refining, syncing—Kazen exited with sharper instincts, heightened awareness, and new techniques imprinted into his reflexes. The Sea of Code shimmered for a moment as he re-entered, then faded entirely.
The system pulled his attention to a new location.
> Sector Unlocked: Glitchspire
> Sync Requirement: 50% (Met)
> Objective: Investigate Signal Interference Origin
The name alone made his instincts tighten.
Kazen opened a rift gate and stepped through.
He emerged into a sky of fractured geometry—triangular landmasses floating in the air, some looping endlessly in physics-defying spirals. A massive tower stabbed the sky in the distance, pixelated at the top like corrupted memory.
> Environment Status: Unstable
> Gravity: Semi-Consistent
> Anomalies Detected: 3
"This feels like a trap already," Kazen muttered.
Patchling peeked out from his shoulder. "The Glitchspire is one of the last remnants of the Forgotten Code. It shouldn't exist, but it refuses to be deleted."
Walking carefully, Kazen passed statues of frozen players—real people, their data shells glitched and flickering.
> Status: Permanently Logged Out
> Cause: System Rejection
He clenched his fists. Whatever corrupted this sector… it wasn't a virus.
It was intentional.
At the base of the tower, a swirling gate blocked the path forward. Its frame was made of code that hissed and burned when he approached.
> Entry Lock Detected
> Requirement: Soul Signature Override OR God-Key
Kazen didn't hesitate. He triggered Rewrite.
> Rewrite: [Gate Permission - User Override: TRUE]
> MP Cost: 68
> Success Probability: 91%
> Processing...
The gate screeched and bent inward. Then it shattered into digital dust.
Inside, silence.
The air was thick with broken sound—snippets of voice chat, server code, ancient music themes—all clashing in static harmony.
And at the center, standing quietly before a massive core, was a humanoid.
Dressed in full black, no face, only a mirrored helmet.
It turned slowly.
> Warning: Encounter Initiated
> Entity: System Mirror – Level 15
> Status: Adaptive AI
> Ability: Copies Target Code and Combat Style in Real-Time
Kazen's body locked for a moment.
"System," he said. "Engage battle mode. Full overwrite access. Let's see if I can fight myself."
The battle began.