Two hours sounded like plenty of time.
Two hours with me in charge? Yeah, that's basically a disaster waiting to happen.
---
The Countdown
We left the safe zone immediately, Rina insisting we travel fast and silent. Zell kept scouting ahead, while Bugsalot… hummed loudly and tried to whistle with no lips.
Meanwhile, I was trying really hard not to think about the giant, scary, system-programmed assassins headed our way.
[System Reminder: ETA: 1 hour 37 minutes]
[Friendly Advice: Write a will.]
"Wow, thanks," I muttered. "Very supportive."
---
First Encounter
The forest path narrowed. Strange static floated in the air like digital snowflakes.
Zell froze. "They're close."
Before I could even ask "how close," a sharp crack echoed. A glowing javelin slammed into the dirt where I'd been standing two seconds ago.
[System Alert: Debug Hunter Lv. 50 has engaged you!]
"Oh, come on! Level fifty?! I'm like, what, level 9 and three-fourths?"
Out of the shadows stepped three figures. They weren't human. More like knights sculpted from pure code, armor shifting like glitchy pixels, eyes glowing red.
And they all looked like they wanted me deleted.
---
Panic Mode: Activated
Zell drew his blade. "Stay behind me."
"Behind you?!" I yelped. "Dude, their javelins don't care about geometry!"
Rina whispered, "They're not designed to fight groups. They target the anomaly—you. If we split them up, you might survive."
"Oh cool," I said, backing away. "So I'm basically a walking 'delete this' button?"
[New Quest: SURVIVE]
"Easier said than done."
---
The Fight Begins
One hunter lunged at me. Its blade sliced through the air—only for my system to glitch again.
Instead of taking damage, my screen popped:
[Error: Damage Overflow]
[Result: Damage reflected x10]
The hunter froze, then exploded in a shower of corrupted pixels.
I blinked. "...Did I just uno-reverse card him?"
Zell stared. "That shouldn't be possible."
Rina smirked. "It's Yuto. Literally everything about him isn't possible."
Bugsalot cheered, "YEAH! ONE DOWN!" before immediately tripping on a root.
---
The Chase
The other two hunters didn't waste time. They both dashed after me, blades humming.
"Zell! Little help!" I screamed, sprinting through the forest.
He intercepted one, locking blades, while Rina threw a burst of light magic to blind the second.
I, meanwhile, was running for my life like a track star possessed.
[Stamina: 2%]
"Congratulations, you're dying tired."
"Not helping, system!" I wheezed.
---
A Lucky Break
Cornered against a cliffside, I did the only thing that made sense.
I jumped.
"YUTO!!!" Rina screamed.
Mid-fall, my system glitched again.
[Error: Fall Damage Calculation Failed]
[Result: Flight Enabled (Temporary)]
"Whaaaat—?!"
Suddenly, I was hovering, flapping my arms like a confused chicken while the hunters stared down from the cliff.
"Oh. My. God." I gasped. "I'm… flying?"
Bugsalot from above: "You look more like a broken balloon!"
---
End Scene
The hunters backed off, disappearing into static.
But the system gave me one last chilling update:
[Warning: Debug Hunters will adapt.]
[Next encounter difficulty increased.]
I gulped. "...So they learn? Great. Just what I needed. Smart assassins."
Zell crossed his arms. "If you keep relying on glitches, they will catch you."
Rina placed a hand on my shoulder. "Then we'll just have to be smarter than the system itself."
Bugsalot? He was too busy yelling, "YUTO'S A BIRD, YUTO'S A BIRD!"
I sighed. "Why do I feel like my life just turned into the world's worst speedrun?"
---
To be continue...