Emptiness.
Only a sea of black neon streaked with floating lines of data.
Yuji—or more accurately, Yuto'o—stood at the center. His glitching body flickered, cracks of light running across his arms. The sensation was alien—no heartbeat, no breath. Only… existence.
"I really am dead…"
The voice returned, echoing from the NPC-like figure with glowing violet eyes that had appeared before.
"Do not call yourself dead, Yuto'o. You are something greater. You are a CIRCUIT GHOST."
Yuto'o clenched his glitching fist. "Circuit Ghost? What does that even mean?"
The figure's faint smile lingered. "You exist outside the normal code. You are neither avatar, nor AI, nor human. You are… an anomaly. You can do what ordinary players cannot."
The first test came sooner than expected.
Out of the neon void, corporate drones appeared—spherical machines with blazing red eyes and spinning energy blades.
[ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED PRESENCE DETECTED] [INITIATING DATA WIPE]
Five drones surged toward him.
Yuto'o tried to move. His glitch-body was heavy, unstable, like a child just learning to walk.
The neon blades nearly struck him—
Instinctively, his hand shot up.
Suddenly, his body streaked into a line of glitch—and in an instant, he was inside the drone.
Darkness for a moment.
Then, his vision shifted.
He saw through the drone's red lens. Metallic hands. Spinning blades. It all felt real.
"I… possessed it?"
The violet-eyed NPC's voice echoed."That is your first ability. POSSESSION."
The other drones attacked, but Yuto'o already knew what to do.
In the machine's body, he darted forward, spinning blades cleaving into the second drone. Sparks erupted. One enemy down.
He pressed on—slashing, tearing, destroying.
With each drone that fell, fragments of data streamed into his glitch-body. Memories. Snippets of code. Even movement techniques—downloading directly into his mind.
A new skill unlocked:[DATA LEECH – LEVEL 1]
Slowly, Yuto'o stood amidst the wreckage of scattered drones. He might not have breath, but he felt satisfaction.
"With this… I'm no longer just prey."
The violet-eyed figure stepped closer."Remember, the corporations will try to erase you. To them, you're nothing but a dangerous BUG. But if you grow strong enough… you could be more than a bug."
Yuto'o tightened his fist."I'll prove it. I'll live again… no matter what it takes."
In the far distance, the system warning blared:
[DEPLOYING HUNTER AI] [TARGET: CIRCUIT GHOST]
From the neon darkness, a pair of colossal red eyes snapped open.
The hunt had only just begun.