The academy grounds were in ruins.
Smoke rose from shattered buildings.
Students lay unconscious, injured but alive — thanks to the barrier Syrion had silently cast before the Demon King appeared.
Now, only the fading red clouds remained.
[System Message: Demon Raid – Event Suspended.]
[Cause: Unknown Interference.]
Syrion stared at the floating message.
Even in this world, the system still behaved like a game —
but now, it was reacting to him.
He clenched his fist.
"The code… is starting to break."
---
Later that night, the academy held an emergency meeting.
Darius stood in front of the crowd, voice raised.
"That explosion earlier — it came from that man!" he pointed accusingly at Syrion.
"He's dangerous. He's not a hero, he's a monster!"
Whispers spread across the room.
Students avoided Syrion's gaze, fear written on their faces.
But Althea stepped forward.
"That's not true," she said softly, her voice trembling but firm.
"If not for him, we would all be dead."
Darius glared at her. "You're defending him?!"
"He saved us," she replied, looking at Syrion.
Her eyes were filled with confusion — and something deeper.
---
When the meeting ended, Syrion walked alone in the courtyard.
The moonlight shimmered across the lake as data-like particles floated briefly in the air around him — a glitch in reality.
"Even this world's moon is made of code," he murmured.
Behind him, footsteps approached.
It was Althea.
"Syrion…" she said quietly. "Can we talk?"
He didn't turn around. "You should stay away from me, Saint. The others already think I'm cursed."
"I don't care what they think," she said, walking closer.
"When we were kids, you always said you'd protect everyone, no matter what. You're still that same person, aren't you?"
He chuckled softly. "That was a long time ago. Back then, I didn't know that protecting everyone meant… breaking the world itself."
Althea frowned. "What do you mean?"
Syrion turned toward her.
His eyes glowed faintly blue — like circuits pulsing with light.
"This world isn't real, Althea. It's built on code. And I… I'm the bug that shouldn't exist."
---
A sudden breeze blew through, carrying the faint hum of mana.
Then — a System Alert flashed between them:
[Warning: System Distortion Detected.]
[Source: Syrion – Class: Unknown Entity.]
Althea's eyes widened. "Syrion… your mana… it feels divine but corrupted at the same time."
He smiled faintly. "Because I'm using something stronger than mana — system energy. It's the power that created gods, demons… even heroes."
For a moment, silence hung between them.
Then Althea reached out and touched his hand.
Her warmth cut through the cold static surrounding him.
"If that's true…" she whispered, "then you're not a bug. You're part of this world now. And if the world breaks because of you… then I'll stay by your side, even in the ruins."
Syrion froze.
For the first time since he woke up in this world — he felt human again.
But before he could answer, the sky darkened.
The Demon King's mark reappeared — and this time, it wasn't alone.
---
A figure materialized from the shadows: a man with crimson eyes and dark armor laced with glowing red veins of mana.
He smiled coldly. "So this is where you've been hiding, System Fragment."
Syrion's eyes narrowed. "You… can see the code too."
"I was born from it," the man said. "The Demon King you faced was only a shell. I am the real one — the corrupted system that governs this world."
The air distorted.
Students screamed in the distance as alarms blared across the academy.
Althea raised her staff, divine light flaring. "Stay behind me, Syrion!"
But he stepped forward, his tone calm, almost resigned.
"No. This is my fight. The system is calling back what it created."
The Demon King smirked.
"Then come, Max Player. Let's see if your godlike power can exist in a world not meant for you."
The sky split open as blue and crimson energy collided.
Reality itself trembled.
---
[Skill Activated: Limit Break – Overclock Mana 500%.]
[System Override Permission Granted.]
"Let's end this," Syrion whispered, eyes blazing.
A wave of light burst from his body, swallowing the night —
and in that moment, Althea's voice echoed faintly through the chaos:
> "If you disappear again, Syrion…
I'll find you — even beyond this world."
---
⚡ Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 5: The Glitch of the Heart
> After the battle, Syrion wakes up inside the System Core — a blank world of code.
He learns the truth: his soul fused with the world's data long ago, and every time he uses his full power, a piece of reality dies.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Althea prays for him — not knowing her memories of Syrion are starting to vanish, one by one.
---