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Chapter 2 – Glitched Evolution
The Glitch Hound's remains fizzled into corrupted static, the jagged outlines of its body disintegrating like a broken file. Kael stood in silence, breathing hard, staring at the claw-shaped weapon still glowing in his hand.
It was unstable, pulsating with that same unnatural shimmer as his System Interface.
> [Skill: Data Claw – Lv. 1]
[Type: Corrupted Skill]
[Stability: 12% – WARNING: Breakdown Imminent]
He could feel it—this power wasn't normal. It didn't belong in the system. But it answered to him.
A slow grin crept onto Kael's face.
"They threw me away," he whispered, "and gave me the one thing they couldn't control."
He opened his status screen again. The corrupted trait now pulsed more aggressively, like it had awakened with him.
> Trait: Corruption Protocol (Locked – Awakening in Progress)
The screen shimmered, and new text appeared—faint, glitchy, but readable:
> New Function Unlocked: Data Absorption (Passive)
You can absorb corrupted remnants from defeated enemies to gain EXP or skill fragments.
> You are no longer bound to standard progression.
That line stopped Kael cold.
No longer bound? Was this trait rewriting his link to the World System entirely?
His stomach growled.
Right. No food. No water. No gear.
He was still just a Level 1 in a death zone designed to purge glitched threats. One fluke win didn't make him invincible.
Time to move.
---
Kael traversed the jagged terrain carefully, noting the static distortions in the air—pockets where reality flickered like an old screen. The ground cracked under his boots, every few meters shifting unpredictably, like a dungeon trying to rewrite itself in real time.
Around midday, he came across a shattered supply crate half-buried under debris. Probably dropped during one of the old Dungeon Wars.
He pried it open.
"Come on, come on…"
> [Loot Acquired: Cracked Ration Pack x2, Rusted Flask (Purified), Scrap Blade (D-tier)]
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He dumped the corrupted pipe and slung the jagged metal blade over his shoulder, stuffing the food and flask into a makeshift pouch.
Then, a voice.
Weak. Female.
"...Help... please…"
Kael froze.
He wasn't alone.
---
He found her in a collapsed ravine, pinned under a crumbled slab of metal and stone. Blonde hair matted with blood, one arm twisted at an unnatural angle, and her eyes barely open.
Above her floated a broken interface—her system window blinking red.
> [Name: Selis Rae]
[Class: Radiant Acolyte – Tier 1]
[Level: 8]
[Status: Critical – Bleeding, Fracture, Corrupted Wound]
Kael hesitated.
Helping someone was risky. Especially someone stronger. But she was alone. Hurt. Vulnerable.
And if she was a Radiant Acolyte... she could be a healer.
"Hold on," Kael said, sliding down the ravine.
She stirred faintly.
"Who...?"
"I'm not here to hurt you. Don't move."
He dug his fingers beneath the slab, bracing with his legs.
"One... two..."
He lifted.
Pain shot up his spine, but the slab shifted just enough for Selis to crawl free, gasping. Kael dropped it a second later, falling to his knees.
"Why... did you help me?" she asked, eyes flickering.
Kael looked her over. She was bleeding badly from a glitch wound—an injury caused by corrupted monsters. Those didn't heal naturally. Only someone with an active System and healing trait could stabilize it.
He held up his hand. It shimmered faintly, still marked with glitch residue.
"I'm a Glitched," he said simply. "Figured you'd appreciate the irony."
Her eyes widened slightly, but instead of flinching, she smirked. "Then you're not the only one."
> [New Alert: Companion Status Initiated – Selis Rae has joined your temporary party.]
Wait—what?
Before he could respond, Selis's body glowed faintly.
She was channeling her system. Even in this state, she could cast.
> [Skill Activated: Lightbind Mending – Emergency Use]
Warm light bathed her wounds, knitting flesh and sealing the worst of the damage. Kael watched in fascination—her interface was semi-corrupted, but still functional.
"Looks like we're both messed up," she said, breathing easier.
"Where's your party?" Kael asked.
"Dead," she said flatly. "Our mission was to purge Glitch Zone 13. We weren't told a damn thing about what lives down here. My captain... he turned. The corruption got into his system mid-fight."
Kael frowned. "You didn't turn?"
She looked at him, eyes sharp.
"I adapted."
---
They made camp in a shallow cave beneath a broken outcropping. Kael shared the rations; Selis patched his back with a field bandage.
She kept staring at his interface when she thought he wasn't looking.
"You're not just glitched," she said finally. "You're evolving."
Kael stirred the tiny fire they'd built from glitchwood fragments.
"So what if I am?"
Selis hesitated. Then leaned forward.
"I've seen corrupted monsters. I've seen glitched code take over players and turn them into puppets. But I've never seen someone absorb a corrupted skill and stay human."
She reached into her gear pouch and pulled something out—a crystalline orb, faintly humming.
> [Item: Skill Fragment – Holy Light: Flare Bolt (Tier 1)]
"I was saving this for my promotion trial," she said, holding it out. "But something tells me... you'll get more use out of it."
Kael took it slowly. The orb shimmered in his hand, code visibly swirling inside it.
His interface responded instantly.
> [Foreign Skill Fragment Detected.]
[Absorption Options: 1) Clean Merge – 2) Corrupt Merge – 3) Disassemble for EXP]
Kael blinked.
"Wait, I get to choose?"
"Standard system doesn't do that," Selis said, watching closely. "You're rewriting the rules."
Kael stared at the options.
He could take the skill clean—just like a normal user.
Or...
He selected Option 2 – Corrupt Merge.
Pain flared.
The orb shattered into dark light. Code twisted, bent. The holy spell was reborn—darker, sharper.
> [New Skill Acquired: Void Flare – Lv. 1]
A corrupted holy bolt that blinds and burns system-based enemies.
Kael grinned, holding up his hand as purple flame danced across his fingertips.
Selis blinked. "That's not what I gave you."
"No," Kael said softly. "It's something better."
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End of Chapter 2