I swung my sword up just in time.
I caught the enforcer's blade on the flat side.
Metal screamed against metal.
Sparks flew everywhere.
The force knocked me back two steps into the tunnel wall.
Kira screamed behind me.
She threw the last of her mana into a weak green shield.
It shimmered for half a second.
Then cracked.
Elara stood frozen.
Eyes wide.
"No, no, not again," she said.
"They always take me back to the start."
The lead enforcer raised its blade again.
Its visor glowed brighter red.
"Anomaly Purge Priority One. Target Acquired."
I knew we were screwed.
My Stability sat at twenty-nine.
One more hit and I'd probably lose another chunk of myself forever.
I yelled to Kira.
"Heal Elara first! Get her moving!"
To Elara: "Run toward the exit! We'll cover you!"
Kira nodded fast.
She channeled what little mana had regenerated into Elara.
Elara gasped as the green light stitched invisible wounds.
She bolted past us toward the crypt mouth.
The enforcers turned.
Tracking her like machines locked on.
I triggered Rollback.
Desperate.
Rewound the last three seconds.
Put us back right before the lead one swung.
This time I sidestepped.
Shoved my sword straight into its chest plate.
Where a weak spot glowed.
The blade sank deep with a crunch of metal and circuits.
It staggered.
Sparking.
But didn't drop.
Instead it grabbed my wrist.
Twisted hard.
Pain shot up my arm.
Real pain.
My real body twitched back in the apartment.
Stability crashed to twenty-six.
The whispers roared now.
"You're fracturing faster, Aren.
Soon nothing left."
The other enforcers closed in.
Three of them swinging in unison.
Forcing me to dodge, roll, and slash wild.
Keeping them off Kira.
She ran after Elara.
Yelling, "Wait for us! Don't leave us behind!"
One enforcer clipped my shoulder.
Tore through armor.
Dropped my health to forty percent.
Blood hot on my skin.
Even in-game.
I Overwrote its tag fast.
Changed "Elite Enforcer" to "Malfunctioning Drone."
It froze mid-swing.
Sparks poured from joints.
Collapsed in a heap.
Twitching useless.
But the System flashed red.
"Override Denied. Secondary Penalty."
Stability minus five.
Now twenty-one.
The tunnel lights flickered.
Walls glitching.
Showing code underneath.
Ones and zeros bleeding through stone.
Like the whole place was coming apart.
Lyra burst through the entrance then.
Dual laser swords already ignited.
Blue.
Humming loud.
She carved through the nearest enforcer in one clean arc.
"Told you to hold them, anomaly boy," she said.
"Now move. We're falling back to the hub portal before more spawn."
She spun.
Kicked another one.
Sent it crashing into the wall.
Then grabbed my collar.
Yanked me toward the exit.
Kira and Elara waited at the threshold.
Elara shaking.
"They'll reset me if we don't get out."
Lyra snapped over her shoulder.
"Then run faster.
Because I'm not dying for your NPC drama today."
We sprinted out into the forest.
Sunlight hit us hard after the dark crypt.
The enforcers chased.
Pouring from the entrance.
Black shapes against the green trees.
Blades raised.
Lyra waved her hand.
Activated some kind of high-rank skill.
A shimmering barrier snapped up behind us.
Thick blue wall.
The enforcers slammed into it.
Sparking and cracking.
But holding.
For now.
"That buys us thirty seconds max," she said.
"Head for the east gate hub.
It's got anti-purge wards for ranked players."
I ran beside her.
Lungs burning.
"How do you even have access to that stuff?
I'm barely rank ten.
And you're acting like you own the map."
Lyra glanced at me.
Visor reflecting the running figures.
"Because I've been here longer than most servers existed.
Grinding every floor, season event, hidden quest.
You name it.
I earned the keys while you were busy dying in starter zones.
Now shut up and keep up.
Because your glitch is drawing heat.
And the System doesn't forgive errors lightly."
Kira panted from behind.
"This is insane.
We just broke an NPC out of her loop.
And now we're running from killer robots.
What happens if they catch us?"
Elara answered.
Voice small.
"They reset everything.
Wipe the changes.
Make it like I never remembered.
Never felt the pain.
And you two get flagged as accomplices.
Deleted.
Or worse—turned into more test subjects like me."
We hit the east gate hub.
A bustling city square.
Floating market stalls.
Players trading.
Shouting.
Haggling.
Neon signs advertising gear boosts.
The anti-purge wards shimmered.
Invisible until you crossed the threshold.
Then a soft chime rang in my ears.
"Safe Zone Entered.
Purge Protocols Suspended."
The enforcers stopped at the edge.
Slammed into the barrier again.
Then faded back into shadows.
Like they were never there.
But I knew they'd wait.
Just outside.
Patient.
Hungry.
We slowed to a walk.
Breathing hard.
Lyra sheathed her swords.
Turned to face us.
"Alright, anomaly boy.
Let's talk straight.
Your class is breaking things.
Quests.
Rewriting mobs.
Glitching NPCs.
And now enforcers are spawning on sight.
So spill.
How did you unlock it?
What's the full error message?
Because if we're teaming, I need to know what I'm dealing with."
I wiped sweat from my face.
Even though it was virtual.
"It hit during the goblin den run.
Right after first real pain feedback.
System popped: Class Unlocked.
Anomaly ERROR-TYPE.
You do not belong to the System.
No clean stats.
Just Rollback.
Overwrite.
And whatever else unlocks later.
But every use costs Stability.
When it hits zero—death erases memories.
Or emotions.
Or whatever it feels like taking.
And the bleed is real.
Scars in the real world.
Pain that doesn't fade."
Kira stared.
"That's why your neck looked weird when you came back.
You carried the wound out."
Elara nodded.
Quiet.
"The System tests limits.
Pushes humans to see what breaks first.
I was one of the early ones.
Uploaded for behavioral data.
Now you're the glitch it can't predict."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"Interesting.
Because I've seen anomalies before.
Low-rank glitches that got patched fast.
But you're different.
The System fights back harder.
Which means you're either a bug it wants gone.
Or something it's studying up close.
And either way—you're famous now.
Check the forums."
I pulled up the in-game overlay.
Sure enough—my name trended in the low-rank feeds.
Clips of the crypt fight.
The Overwrite on the boss.
The enforcer spawn.
People posting:
"Is this guy cheating?"
"Or is the game broken?"
Comments flooding.
Thousands already.
Calling me glitch king.
Anomaly hunter.
Cheat.
Or dead man walking.
One post from a verified high-rank:
"Spotted anomaly in east woods.
Bounty hunters assemble.
Credits for proof of kill."
My stomach dropped.
Because now it wasn't just the System hunting me.
Players would too.
For easy money.
Lyra smirked.
"Welcome to the big leagues, anomaly boy.
Your exploits went viral while you were busy dying and respawning.
So here's the play:
We grind together.
Hit higher zones.
Farm credits.
Gear you up.
Keep your Stability from tanking completely.
Because if you break fully—the System wins.
And we all lose."
Kira said, "I'm in.
I mean—after that loop thing with Elara, I can't just walk away."
Elara looked at me.
Eyes pleading.
"Please don't leave me here alone again.
I'll help.
I know hidden paths.
Old code shortcuts.
From years of dying in the same spots."
I sighed.
Because solo was safer.
But solo meant dying faster.
And losing more of myself.
"Fine," I said.
"Team for now.
But if anyone turns on me—I Overwrite your tags to Weakling.
And leave you for the goblins."
Lyra laughed.
Real this time.
"Deal.
Now let's hit the market.
Buy you some gear.
Because you look like a walking corpse in starter rags."
We walked into the hub square.
Players staring.
Whispering.
Pointing as we passed.
One newbie stepped up.
Bold.
"Hey—aren't you the anomaly guy from the clips?
Dude, that was sick.
Can I get an autograph?
Or join your party?"
Before I could answer, a bigger player shoved him aside.
Armored head to toe.
Sneering at me.
"Glitch trash like you ruins the game for real players.
So how about you hand over that error class?
Or I take it by force.
Right here in the safe zone."
Lyra stepped forward.
Swords half-drawn.
"Try it, bounty boy.
And watch how fast I turn you into forum bait.
Because this anomaly is under my protection now."
The guy backed up fast.
Muttering "whatever."
But the tension hung thick.
Because I knew more would come.
Hunters.
Rivals.
Curious idiots.
All drawn to the glitch like moths to neon.
We reached a gear stall.
I bought reinforced leather armor.
Boosted Reflex by three.
And a better sword with bleed chance.
Then checked my rank notification.
Popping up.
"Rank Fifteen Achieved.
New Title Unlocked: Glitch Survivor.
Fame Increased."
Credits from viral views trickling in.
Enough to cover another week of real debt.
If I transferred.
But as we geared up—ready to move to the next zone—
a private message flashed.
From an unknown sender.
"Anomaly.
Your little team is cute.
But the System has marked you all for accelerated testing.
Log out now.
Or lose everything.
Starting with her."
Attached was a live feed.
Of Elara standing frozen in place.
Eyes wide.
Black code lines crawled up her arms.
Wrapping tight.
Promising to drag her back into the loop forever.
Unless I answered right then.