The [Phoenix Down] hummed with a soft, golden light, its pristine barbs shifting in a non-existent breeze. It was the most beautifully rendered thing Ash had seen since waking up in this nightmare, a perfect artifact sitting on a pedestal of jagged, unresolved code. "Well," he grunted, pressing a hand against the searing pain in his back where the axe had grazed him. The corrosive enchantment felt like ice spreading through his veins. "That's not supposed to be here."
Nova remained by the cave's entrance, a shimmering silhouette against the raw, pulsing void that served as their doorway. Her fingers traced the chaotic energy of the glitch's boundary. "This location is not in my databanks. Its existence violates core world stability protocols. My access to the system stream is... fragmented here. I cannot request a patch." She turned, her luminous eyes wide with a dawning horror that was far too human. "What are you?"
"Currently? Screwed." Ash tried to laugh but it came out as a pained wheeze. His health bar, a cracked and flickering line in his vision, was solidly in the red. The [Corrosive Strike] debuff pulsed ominously next to it. "That guy's axe had a nasty enchantment. I'm bleeding out in a glorified coding error." He nodded toward the feather. "But that... that's a quest item from the 'Ashes of the Dawn' line. It was scrapped before launch. Too buggy. The devs could never get the phoenix AI right."
He reached for the feather. The moment his fingers brushed against it, a system chime echoed in the small space, clear and pure unlike the broken sounds of his own HUD.
Quest Updated: An Echo of Dawn Objective: Survive. Description: The first ember glows in the darkest code. A feather is not a fire, but it is a beginning.
The [Corrosive Strike] debuff vanished. The searing pain in his back dulled to a deep, manageable ache, and his health bar stabilized, creeping up by a single, precious point. It wasn't a heal. It was a stay of execution.
"Okay," Ash breathed, a real smile touching his lips for the first time. "Okay. Hello, old friend."
Nova was at his side in an instant, her hand hovering over his back. "Your vital signs have stabilized. The anomalous item possesses restorative properties. This is not listed in any known item database." Her analytical tone was undercut by the faint tremor in her hand. "You called this place a 'glitch'. You used a command phrase I do not recognize. You are designated 'Player Zero'. Explain."
"Right. Story time." Ash sat up, wincing. "My name is Ash. I was the lead beta tester for this world. Player Zero. I spent two years of my life in here, breaking everything I could find before the public ever got a whiff of it. I knew this game better than the developers who built it." He gestured around them. "This cave? I found it while trying to get out of the map. They left it in because it was behind three layers of solid terrain. No one was ever supposed to get here. Just like no one was ever supposed to actually feel getting hit by an axe."
Nova processed this, her luminous eyes flickering as she cross-referenced... nothing. Her databases had no record of him. "The Great Sunset was the final event. The world was not shut down. It... evolved. The Pain-Editing Protocols were disabled to increase immersion stakes years ago. Death is now permanent. Player counts have never been higher." She stated it as fact, but her voice was laced with a newfound uncertainty.
Ash stared at her. "They turned my beautiful broken mess into a death game? And it's popular?" The absurdity was so profound he almost forgot the pain. "Of course it is. People are terrible." He looked at Nova, really looked at her. She was terrified. An NPC shouldn't be able to be terrified. "And you... you're a Guide. You're supposed to spout welcome messages and point people toward the nearest quest hub. Not hide in glitch caves with obsolete players."
"I am malfunctioning," she said, and it sounded like a confession. "My primary directive is to assist players. But my subroutines are... conflicted. Assisting you appears to violate core stability protocols. You are an anomaly. The system will flag you for correction." She looked toward the void doorway. "They will not have stopped looking. The Bloodletter Legion is tenacious. Their kill-to-death ratios are a point of pride."
A savage roar echoed from beyond the glitch wall, confirming her fear. They were still out there. Ash could see the distorted outlines of the three griefers through the chaotic energy, poking at the cliff face with their weapons.
"Think the no-clip bunny hid in the rocks?" SkullCrusherLOL's voice was muffled but clear.
"Probably. We can wait. He's gotta respawn eventually."
Ash's blood ran cold. They thought he was a player. They thought he'd just pop back up at a respawn point for them to farm. They had no idea he was something else entirely. Something that might not come back.
He turned to Nova, a desperate plan forming. "You said your system stream is fragmented in here. Can you access anything? Local maps? Player logs? Anything?"
Nova closed her eyes. The gold halo around her head flickered violently. "I... can sense the local zone instance. The Griefer Patrol is the only player group. But there is... a echo. A transport signature from two hours ago. A supply caravan, heading for the starter town of Oakhaven. It is running a low-level escort quest." Her eyes snapped open. "They are vulnerable. And they are being tracked by a Prowler Wolf pack. The caravan guards will be overwhelmed."
A vicious grin spread across Ash's face. "Perfect." He pushed himself to his feet, clutching the Phoenix Down feather like a lifeline. "Time for a field trip."
"Your combat effectiveness is negligible," Nova protested. "Your gear is starter cloth. You have no combat skills. Engaging either the wolves or the caravan is suicide."
"Who said anything about engaging?" Ash said, his eyes gleaming with the old, dangerous light of a man who once broke a game for fun. "We're not going to fight the wolves. We're not going to fight the caravan. We're going to let them fight each other." He pointed at her. "You said it yourself. You're programmed to assist players. So here's how you assist this player. You're going to walk out there and you're going to do your job."
He explained the plan in a rushed, hushed tone. It was insane. It relied on mechanics that might have been patched out years ago, on NPC pathing that was probably updated, on a dozen variables he couldn't control. It was the most beautiful, stupid, Player Zero plan he'd ever conceived.
Nova listened, her expression unreadable. When he finished, she simply said, "This action will likely result in our termination."
"Sweetheart," Ash said, grabbing a jagged piece of code from the ground that roughly resembled a knife. "We're already terminated. Now let's go cause a problem."
He stepped through the glitch wall. The world snapped back into painful, high-definition focus. The three griefers spun around, their weapons flashing.
"There he is!"
Ash didn't run. He stood his ground, a smirk plastered on his face. "Hey fellas! Miss me?"
As SkullCrusherLOL charged, axe raised high for a killing blow, Ash didn't even flinch. He just looked past the brute and yelled, "Now, Nova!"
Nova emerged from the glitch, her form blazing with the brilliant, attention-grabbing gold light of a quest-bestowing NPC. In her most official, melodic Guide voice, she projected across the entire zone, "Alert! Travelers! A valuable escort mission is in progress! Protect the Oakhaven Supply Caravan from Prowler Wolves! Substantial rewards available! Follow my waypoint!"
A giant, pulsing gold arrow appeared in the air above her head, pointing directly at the incoming caravan's location. It was the most obvious, enticing call-to-action in the game.
The griefers skidded to a halt. Their bloodlust was instantly overridden by a deeper, more powerful instinct: loot acquisition. A low-level escort mission was boring. A valuable one, highlighted by a Guide and offering substantial rewards? That was a magnet for any player.
SkullCrusherLOL lowered his axe, looking from Ash to the giant golden arrow. "Wait... a rare escort? Dude, those have like, guaranteed blue drops."
The rogue was already pulling up his map. "It's right over that ridge! We can gank the caravan after they beat the wolves! Easy loot!"
With a final glare at Ash, the three griefers turned and bolted toward the waypoint, their desire for easy plunder overriding their desire for a quick kill.
Ash watched them go, his heart hammering against his ribs. Phase one: complete.
He and Nova shared a look—his triumphant, hers utterly bewildered at the sheer chaos he could orchestrate. Together, they moved parallel to the griefers, using the tree cover. They crested a ridge just in time to see the scene unfold below.
The modest caravan, two carts pulled by oxen-like Grazers, was indeed being circled by a pack of sleek, digital wolves. Two NPC guards were holding them off, but barely. And right on cue, the Bloodletter Legion burst onto the scene, howling with glee as they fell upon the wolf pack from behind.
It was a perfect, violent stalemate. Players versus monsters. Just as Ash had planned.
He turned to Nova, a wild, day-making hope flaring in his chest. "See? They're busy. Now, while they're all distracted..." He pointed to the lead caravan cart. "...we're going to do a little shopping."
They scrambled down the ridge, staying low. The sounds of combat—snarling wolves, shouting players, clashing steel—covered their approach. Ash slipped behind the lead cart, his eyes scanning the lootable containers. And there it was. A locked chest bolted to the cart's floor, meant for the players who successfully completed the escort.
"Can you open it?" Ash asked Nova.
"It is player-locked. I cannot."
"Didn't think so." Ash pulled the jagged shard of code from his belt. It wasn't a lockpick. It was something far more fundamental. He jammed it into the space between the chest and its lock, not to pick it, but to confuse it. He whispered a string of beta commands, forcing a handshake error between the container and the server. The lock glitched, flickering in and out of existence for a split second. Ash slammed the lid open.
Inside wasn't just vendor trash. There was a simple, sturdy [Leather Tunic], a pair of [Hardened Hide Bracers], and resting on top, gleaming with a soft white light, a perfectly crafted [Apprentice's Staff]. It was starter gear. But to Ash, it was a suit of armor and a weapon. It was a fighting chance.
He was just shrugging on the tunic when a bloodcurdling shriek ripped through the air. The last Prowler Wolf fell, dissolving into data. The caravan guards were dead. The three griefers stood victorious amidst the loot orbs, already turning their attention back to the carts. And their eyes landed directly on Ash, now clad in stolen gear.
SkullCrusherLOL's face twisted in rage. "He played us! That was a trash quest! He used us for cleanup!"
There was no more talking. The rogue vanished into stealth. The mage began weaving a spell. SkullCrusherLOL charged.
Ash grabbed the staff and backed away, pulling Nova with him. They were cornered against the cart. This was it. He raised the staff, a pathetic gesture of defiance. He was level nothing against three max-level players. This was how it ended.
The rogue materialized behind him, daggers poised for a backstab. The mage finished his incantation, a massive fireball forming between his hands. SkullCrusherLOL leaped into the air for a final, crushing blow.
And then the world turned blue.
A wave of absolute, paralyzing cold washed over the entire area. The fireball fizzled out. The rogue froze mid-lunge, encased in ice. SkullCrusherLOL crashed to the ground, his movement speed reduced to zero. A system message flashed for everyone.
[Area Alert: Unauthorized PvP Activity Detected. Enforcing Peacekeeper Protocol.]
Standing at the edge of the clearing was a new figure. Tall, clad in sleek, azure armor that pulsed with arcane energy, a single, unblinking blue eye glowing where his face should be. Above his head, instead of a player name, were three words that made every griefer's blood run cold: [Elysium System Administrator].
The Admin's head turned, its gaze sweeping over the frozen griefers before locking directly onto Ash. Its voice was calm, devoid of anger or malice, and infinitely more terrifying for it.
"Player Zero. Unregistered entity. You are an anomaly. You are not permitted."