The safe zone finally stabilized, the glitchy edges smoothing into proper stone walls and glowing lanterns. It almost looked… cozy.
But nobody was relaxing.
Zell was pacing like a caged wolf. Rina spread maps and notes across a table. Bugsalot was—well—eating a suspicious amount of glowing mushrooms.
Me? I was still recovering from my little "fight-my-evil-self" session. My jaw hurt, and I wasn't even sure if it was real or just psychosomatic.
---
The Plan
"So," I said, tapping the map Rina had drawn. "We need to get to the Architect's Core. That's the place where this whole messed-up system originates, right?"
Rina nodded. "It's not just the origin. It's… the heart. If there's anywhere that can fix your corruption—or make it worse—it's there."
"Sounds fun," I muttered.
Zell stopped pacing. "Fun? You call fighting an army of system guardians and walking into the home of an entity that can literally reprogram reality fun?"
I shrugged. "Better than being stuck doing math homework."
Rina gave me that teacher glare. "…You're impossible."
---
The Packing Problem
Before heading out, everyone started packing supplies. Easy, right? Wrong.
Zell: "We need rations."
Bugsalot: already munching through half of them "Got it covered."
Rina: "We need potions and mana scrolls."
Me: accidentally drinks one because I thought it was juice "Oops."
The system chimed in helpfully:
> [New Status Effect: Mild Stupidity – Duration: 5 minutes]
"You drank a Mana Potion like an energy drink. Smooth."
"HEY!" I yelled at the screen.
Bugsalot snorted so hard he almost choked on a mushroom.
---
The Warning
Just when we thought we were ready, the safe zone lights flickered.
A system window opened, not in my usual glitchy blue, but in harsh red:
[System Alert: Hostile Force Approaching]
[Enemy: Debug Hunters]
[ETA: 2 hours]
Zell's fists clenched. "They're sending hunters this soon?"
Rina's face paled. "Not just hunters. Debug Hunters are like… elite assassins the system spawns to eliminate anomalies. Yuto, they're here for you."
"Wait, wait, wait," I said, raising my hands. "You're saying… the system itself just hired assassins to nerf me?!"
Bugsalot chuckled nervously. "Uh… maybe we should leave now?"
---
Decision Time
The group looked at me.
Zell was ready to fight.
Rina wanted to sneak away.
Bugsalot? He just wanted more mushrooms.
I rubbed my temples. "Okay… team meeting. Do we run, fight, or… do the dumb Yuto thing and improvise?"
The silence that followed told me everything.
Yeah. We were definitely going with option three.
---
To be continue...