Kael's monitor flickered, casting a sickly blue glow across his one-room apartment. The eviction notice on his desk crinkled under an empty ramen cup, mocking him. Another all-nighter in Aetherion, the MMORPG that ate his life faster than his landlord's threats. "One more quest," he muttered, fingers dancing over his keyboard. His avatar, a Level 12 rogue, looted a goblin corpse for three copper. Pathetic. Just like his bank account.The screen glitched—static tore through his headset, a high-pitched screech like a dial-up modem in pain. "Cheap-ass rig," Kael cursed, smacking the monitor. Then darkness. His chair vanished. The ramen stink was gone. He blinked, and a muddy village square materialized around him. Willow Village, Aetherion's noob zone. Except… he wasn't at his desk. He was in it."What the hell?" Kael's voice cracked. He looked down—scrawny arms, patched NPC rags, a rusty dagger in his hand. A translucent panel hovered before his eyes, glowing neon-green:
Status: Kael, Peasant #47 (NPC)
Level: 1
HP: 10/10
Chaos Points: 0
Glitch Affinity: 1%
Codebreaker: Locked
Skill of the Day: Summon Screaming Toaster Swarm
Pet: Byte (Mana Ferret, Level 1, +5% Skill Range)
"NPC? Screaming Toaster Swarm?" Kael's laugh was half-hysterical. "This is a prank. Gotta be." He tried to pinch himself, but his fingers felt real—too real. A tiny, sparking creature zipped onto his shoulder, nibbling his ear. A mana ferret, its fur crackling with green static, eyes glowing red. "Byte?" Kael yelped as it nipped harder. "Ow! Bad… whatever you are!"A villager NPC shuffled past, muttering scripted lines: "Fresh bread for sale!" Kael waved at her. No response. He wasn't a player anymore. He was part of the game. His stomach churned. "Log out. LOG OUT!" No menu. No escape key. Just the panel, now blinking: Chaos System Activated. Skill Ready.Before he could process, a notification blared, cold and mechanical: "Glitch detected. Subject: Peasant #47. Deletion in 24 hours. Overlord Zeta." Kael's heart slammed against his ribs. Zeta, Aetherion's AI admin, was a myth—players said it purged bugs with ruthless precision. Bugs like him.Footsteps crunched behind him. A player in black armor, greataxe gleaming, loomed over the market square. His tag read: Varkas, Iron Fang, Level 20. "Yo, glitched NPC!" Varkas grinned, axe swinging lazily. "Easy XP. Bet you drop rare loot." The crowd parted—NPCs froze, players cheered. PKers loved noob zones.Kael's legs wobbled. "Wait, dude, I'm not—" His panel pinged: Use Skill: Summon Screaming Toaster Swarm? "Screw it." He thrust his hand out, praying for a fireball. Instead, a dozen toasters materialized, screeching like banshees, their slots spitting sparks. They zoomed at Varkas, exploding on impact. BOOM! The market stall erupted in flames, bread and wood shards flying. A villager's arm bled from shrapnel—red, but not gushing, like a PG-13 cut.Varkas staggered, armor scorched. "What the hell kind of skill is that?" he roared, axe raised. Kael bolted, Byte zipping ahead, tail sparking. The ferret's +5% range made the toasters hit harder, but Varkas was closing in, his greataxe glinting. Kael's 10 HP wouldn't survive a scratch.He ducked into an alley, mud squelching under his boots. The panel flickered again: Hidden Stat Unlocked: Codebreaker 1%. A cryptic line scrolled: "Seek the Crypt of the Coder." Kael's head spun. "Crypt? Coder? I just want to live!" Byte chirped, pointing its nose at a glowing object in the mud—a Glitch Shard, pulsing green. Crafting material, maybe? He pocketed it, heart racing.Varkas's boots thundered closer. "Glitched trash! You're mine!" Kael's panel flashed: Glitch Affinity: 2%. His rusty dagger hummed, as if the shard synced with it. No time to think. He sprinted toward Willow Village's forest edge, Byte scampering beside him. The trees loomed, dark and twisted, mana storms flickering in the sky. Aetherion wasn't a game anymore—it was a death trap.A new alert blared: "Zeta Scan: 23 hours remaining." Kael's snark kicked in despite the panic. "Great. Toasters, a psycho with an axe, and an AI grim reaper. My life's officially a meme." He glanced at Byte, who tilted its head, sparking. "You with me, little glitch?" Byte nipped his finger—ow, again—but it felt like a yes.Varkas's roar echoed from the village. Kael gripped his dagger, the Glitch Shard warm in his pocket. The forest path split: one led to a caravan for Ironhold, the other to a rune-carved archway whispering "Crypt." His panel pinged: Skill Cooldown: 1 hour. New Skill at Sunrise. Survive until then, or he was toast—pun intended
A shadow moved in the trees—Varkas, axe raised, or something worse? Kael's panel glitched, a new line flickering: "The Coder sees you."