The desert fell oddly quiet after Atrice's dramatic ascension. I checked my updated status, still trying to process what had just happened.
{
Name: Brand
Level: 6
Job: Administrator Lv. 8
Status: Unauthorized User
HP: 1,200/1,200
MP: 1,500/1,500
AP: 40/40
STR: 35 (25 + 10)
AGI: 55 (25 + 30)
INT: 45 (35 + 10)
Title: Ascension Catalyst (+10 All Stats)
—You Look Divine
Title: The Idiot Who Ascended a Chicken (+20 Agi)
—Permanent Affection from Chickens
}
"Great," I muttered. "Of all the possible titles in an RPG world, I get branded as a chicken whisperer." Though the bonus stats wasn't terrible, I had to admit.
With my accidental enlightenment experiment complete, it was time for some proper system testing. I pulled up my Administrator interface, curious about what other boundaries I could accidentally obliterate.
"Alright, system," I said, cracking my knuckles like I was about to debug the world's worst codebase. "Let's see what other features you're hiding."
I started with something simple:
/item coins
The first attempt produced a copper coin that materialized perfectly. Encouraging. I tried again.
/item coins x99
This time a bag of coins appeared, hovering in the air before I grabbed it.
I moved on to other items.
/item Orihalcum_Sword
[Access Denied!]
[Admin Level 8 insufficient for Legendary tier equipment]
Such a disappointment.
/item Sylph_Sword
—Sylph Sword—
A blade of living wind that flickers between steel and air, bearing phantom scars while whispering memories of every strike.
"Wow… The flavor text looks amazing?" I looked up at the sky, wondering if Atrice can hear me.
For my final attempt, I tried chickens again.
/summon chicken x3
Bugged chickens. It seemed my limit was now only one chicken at a time.
One spawned halfway buried in the sand, legs kicking frantically as it suffocated in slow motion. The second materialized inside a nearby cactus, creating some kind of horrific chicken-plant hybrid that clucked in existential agony. The third began vibrating at impossible speeds, blurring together until it shot into the sky like a feathered rocket and disappeared.
[Warning! Anomaly Detected!]
{Error Log Created}
{System instability: Detected in Sector 12-Δ}
{Automated response: Logging irregular entity behaviors}
{Administrator: Stop Whatever You're Doing}
"Noted," I said, completely ignoring the recommendation. "Moving on to field testing."
The real prize in my Administrator Tool Kit was Hijack_Entity. According to the description, it let me take control of creatures within a certain level range. Time to build myself an army of questionably loyal minions.
A Sand Scorpion scuttled nearby, its Level 7 tag floating innocently above its head. Perfect test subject.
[Hijack Entity: Sand Scorpion Lv. 7]
[Success! Target added to party]
The scorpion's eyes flickered from amber to blue, and suddenly it was following me around like an oversized, venomous puppy.
"Come on, Steve," I said, because every good test subject needed a name. "Let's find you some friends."
[Hijack Entity: Desert Vulture Lv. 4]
[Hijack Entity: Desert Vulture Lv. 6]
[Success! Targets added to party]
Two vultures circling overhead became my next targets. The Level 4 one joined the party without issue, though it immediately developed pathfinding problems and began flying in tight, repetitive circles. The Level 6 vulture successfully joined but it was pecking at empty air continuously.
"What's wrong with these birds?"
Another Level 9 Sand Scorpion caught my attention. This one looked more aggressive than Steve, with darker carapace and bigger claws. Perfect for stress testing.
[Hijack Entity: Sand Scorpion Lv. 9]
[Success! Target added to party]
The moment it joined, something went wrong. The new scorpion and Steve began occupying the same space, their models glitching and merging in ways that violated several laws of physics and good taste. I now had a double-scorpion with two tails, four claws,but perfectly symmetry.
"Fascinating," I muttered, watching my mutant scorpion waddle in circles while attacking itself. "I don't recall the administrator log mentioning a fusion mechanic."
My growing entourage of glitched minions was drawing attention from bigger predators. A Sand Worm erupted from a nearby dune, its massive form easily dwarfing everything else in sight. Level 18, with an "Rare" tier designation.
"Perfect," I grinned. "Time to test the upper limits."
[Hijack Entity: Sand Worm Lv. 18]
[Failed! Target Level/Tier exceeds safe authority range. Success rate: 28%]
"Ah, artificial limitations," I mused, watching the massive worm prepare to turn my test squad into afternoon snacks.
But that didn't mean I couldn't work around them.
I opened my Administrator panel and started tweaking Steve's stats. A little more health here, some extra damage there, maybe boost that attack speed to something approaching reasonable...
[Warning! Entity Stat Modification Detected!]
"Just a little more," I whispered, sliding Steve's strength up to frankly ridiculous levels.
The double-scorpion suddenly straightened up, its glitched form somehow looking more coherent. Without any command from me, it charged the Sand Worm with newfound purpose.
What followed could barely be called a fight. My artificially enhanced chimera-scorpion grabbed the massive worm with all four claws and proceeded to demonstrate the difference between a normal stat curve and whatever mathematical nightmare I'd just unleashed.
[Sand Worm (Lv. 15) — Defeated]
[EXP Gained]
[Level Up!]
{
Steve gains 1,247 EXP
Brand gains 394 EXP
Level Up! Brand: 6 → 7
Level Up! Steve: 7 → 8
}
"Beautiful," I said, watching the system warnings flash faster and faster. "Just like a proper stack overflow test. Let's see how much more we can push before something breaks."
My vultures were still flying in circles. My double-scorpion was trying to eat the worm's corpse with both mouths simultaneously. In the distance, I could see more creatures drawn by the commotion.
Time for round two of beta testing.
After all, every good programmer knows that if something works once, you should immediately try to break it in new and creative ways.
{Administrative attention: Minor anomaly detected}
{Pattern analysis: Initiated - Multiple anomalies detected}
The system pressure was building, but honestly, at this point I was more concerned with learning the boundaries before some cosmic admin decided I'd pushed too far.
"Alright, system," I said, gearing up for the next round of stress testing. "Let's find out what happens when we really push the limits."
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could swear I heard a familiar cluck of approval from the Celestial Realm.