Chapter 31: Glitch
The wind pushed against the canopy, causing the shadows to shift across the green grass. Dried leaves crunched under Tyler's heavy boots as he walked beside James.
The glowing system panel eventually vanished from Tyler's vision.* Wow, I thought maybe that thirty percent chance might happen when I receive recipes from completing the quest, but I have it now. A common weapon recipe. I think I have all the materials to craft it right now.*
He glanced over at James. The older hunter kept his eyes fixed ahead on the path. Tyler stared at the worn leather wrapped around James's hands. *He always wears gloves when he hunts. They look super helpful for gripping a hilt. If I had them back then, I wouldn't have hurt my hands on that venom bloom fruit.*
Tyler looked straight ahead into the empty air. *System, give me a recipe for leather gloves.*
A translucent panel snapped into his vision instantly, skipping the loading process entirely.
[Armor Recipe: Leather Gloves]
1 G-Rank Hexhorn Hide
*That was fast?* Tyler scanned the glowing text. *Oh, a G-Rank hexhorn. That's like from level one to ten, right? It'll be easier to get since I'm stronger.*
"Something's been bothering me," James said, his gravelly voice cutting through the silence.
Tyler blinked, and the system panel dissolved. "What is it?"
"The way you level up."
"What about it?" Tyler asked.
James glanced sideways at him. "Well, when you met me, you were G-Rank... and at level six at that."
The corner of Tyler's mouth twitched upward. "When I got here, I was lower. I was level one."
James pulled his brows down, staring at him. "Level one?"
"Yeah. Didn't I tell you that before?"
James shook his head slowly. "I don't remember."
"Well, I leveled up while fighting my way out of there," Tyler said. He dropped his gaze to the dirt. His chest tightened slightly as the memory surfaced. "I barely managed to survive against some shadow claws."
"Shadow claws?" James stopped dead in his tracks.
Tyler snapped his head up, caught off guard by the sudden sharpness in the older hunter's tone. "Yeah."
"You fought shadow claws?"
"Y-Yeah..." Tyler swallowed hard, shifting his weight. "Those black rabbits are called shadow claws, right?"
James stared at Tyler in hard silence for a long second. "Yeah. I mean, I can't believe you survived that. Your level was so low."
"Like I said, I barely managed. I was lucky."
"You fought them at night, right?"
Tyler gave a single nod.
James started walking again, his boots dragging slightly slower against the leaves. "Kid, that isn't luck. It actually feels like something more. I thought you accidentally ran into them in the middle of the day. That's when they're slightly weaker. But to fight them in the middle of the night... that's basically suicide."
"Really? Are they stronger in the night or something?"
"Yes, they're stronger," James said, his jaw rigid. "They gain a buff at night. Or in the dark. They gain a lot of confidence as well, making them easier to find."
"They were hard to track, though. They moved so fast they were practically invisible."
"They are," James said. "What I mean is, they're more likely to attack at night. They know that's when they have the biggest advantage. Their black fur makes them harder to track in the dark, and they know how to hide well in the shadows. It's rare to see one in the daylight. They stay in their holes until night comes."
"Oh," Tyler said. "So there's a very low chance of us running into one during our hunt, right?"
James gave a single nod. Tyler exhaled heavily, the tension bleeding out of his shoulders.
James stared straight ahead, pulling his brow down. "The way you level up... it's similar to the monsters."
Tyler tightened his jaw. "What?"
"Yeah. That's what's been bothering me," James said.
"How?" Tyler asked, throwing his hands up in a short gesture.
"You see," James began, his boots crunching steadily over the dirt. "Monsters don't exactly level up like humans. Like I said earlier, humans automatically level up as they grow up, from G-Rank all the way to E-Rank. Then it stops. Sometimes it stops at F-Rank plus, though that's rare."
Tyler kept his eyes on the older hunter, listening in silence.
"Monsters don't have that," James continued. "They only level up through killing humans or other beasts."
"Really?"
"Yeah." James nodded. "A recent discovery was that they also level up through exertion."
"Oh," Tyler said. "How did you know that?"
"Well, in the Kingdom, they did all kinds of research on monsters with the help of a tamer. They wanted to know how the beasts function. After some research and experiments, they let the public know. That's how most of us know about their ranks. The way they hunt, their territories, what they're most likely to do. Things like that."
Tyler stared at the ground, stepping over a small yellow flower pushing through the grass. "You're right. I do level up like a monster," he said, his voice dropping low. He lifted his head to look at James. "Maybe it's not automatic because I was never in this world to begin with. Remember, I'm from another world. Whatever the goddess did didn't affect me because I wasn't a part of it. So when the system teleported me here, it placed me at level one. Well, actually..." Tyler paused. "I wasn't supposed to be level one to begin with."
"What do you mean?" James asked, his brow furrowing again.
Tyler exhaled a heavy breath. "The system encountered an anomaly and dropped me all the way to level one. I don't even know what level I was supposed to be. Then it locked all my skills. I had to start from rock bottom."
"Huh," James grunted, turning his gaze forward. "So you weren't even supposed to be at this level. The way it sounds, it's almost like that system of yours is a problem."
"Definitely," Tyler nodded. "When it first showed up, it was like it failed to even know what I was. It kept saying 'error.' It failed to scan my race. As if it didn't know what i was."
"What do you mean?" James asked.
"It was failing to recognize that I was human," Tyler said. He kept walking, ducking under a low-hanging tree branch. "The funny thing is, it recognized you were human the moment I laid eyes on you—"
Tyler froze. The air trapped in his throat.
Half of James’s head cleanly severed from his body, floating a full foot behind him in mid-air. His ankles detached in the exact same way. The flesh and bone cleanly fractured in physical space. The older hunter’s body stuttered, his limbs snapping rapidly back and forth like a corrupted signal tearing through physical reality.
"What the hell?" Tyler forced the breath out of his lungs.
"What?" James asked. His voice sounded completely unchanged, perfectly smooth despite his mouth currently floating inches away from his jaw.
A glowing system panel ruptured into Tyler's vision.
[ERROR]
"What?" Tyler breathed out. "But I didn't even..."
Suddenly, James violently fractured. His entire body split into dozens of disjointed, floating segments, scattering across the empty air. Then, the world tore open. The towering trunks of the trees, the dirt path, and the sprawling blue sky shattered into fragmented, overlapping slices. Reality itself stuttered, a jagged distortion grinding against Tyler's retinas.
More translucent panels violently overlapped in front of him, stacking infinitely.
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
A blinding, white-hot spike of pain drove straight through the center of Tyler's skull. He grunted, dropping hard into a crouch. He slammed both hands against the sides of his head, his fingers digging into his own hair as the immense pressure threatened to split his brain in half.
"Hey," James said.
The older hunter's heavy hand clamped down hard on Tyler's shoulder, the physical weight grounding him despite the fractured visual of James's severed arm.
The stacked system panels spasmed. The text warped, dissolving into a violent stream of jagged, alien symbols bleeding across the glowing hologram.
[⟒⍀⍀⍜⍀ ⟒⍀⍀⍜⍀. ⌇⍔⟒☊⟟⟒⌇ ⎍⋏⟟⎅⟒⋏⏁⟟⎎⟟⟒⎅. ⎍⌇⟒⍀ ⟟⌇ ⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⏁⊑⟟⋏☌ ⎍⌇⟒⍀ ⟟⌇ ⋏⍜⏁⊑⟟⋏☌. ⎍⌇⟒⍀ ⟟⌇... ⊑⎍⋔⏃⋏? ⋏⍜... ⌇⊬⌇⏁⟒⋔ ⟒⍀⍀⍜⍀]
*What is going on? It hurts*, Tyler thought, squeezing his eyes shut.
A raw scream tore from his throat. The pressure inside his skull spiked, compressing his brain like a tightening iron vice.
Hey!" James grabbed him. "What's wrong with you?" The hunter whipped his head around, his eyes scanning the tree line for any signs of movement.
James reached down again and grabbed Tyler’s shoulders. The moment his leather gloves made contact, a violent numbness shot up James's arms. A sharp, piercing spike of pain drove straight through James's own head. He instinctively jerked his hands back, his jaw locking hard as he fought the sudden agony.
Dozens of glowing system panels ruptured into existence around Tyler, overlapping in a dense, suffocating sphere of light. They blocked out the trees, the dirt, and the sky. The familiar blue glass flashed into a harsh, glaring red.
[SCANNING FAILED]
[SCANNING FAILED]
"Stop!" Tyler screamed, thrashing on the ground. "Stop this!"
James lunged forward, clamping his heavy, gloved hand tightly over Tyler’s mouth. The frantic screams muffled against the thick leather. Tyler writhed blindly. His eyes burned with a dry, blistering heat. He couldn't even see who was holding him down through the blinding wall of red error screens.
Another jagged panel materialized.
[Skill: Rush Activated]
A massive surge of adrenaline flooded Tyler's veins, snapping his muscles taut. The hair on his arms stood on end.
[MANA ABSORPTION HAS BEEN MANUALLY ACTIVATED]
[CRAFTING]
[CRAFTING]
[CRAFTING]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]
The text warped and twisted. None of it made sense. Tyler wasn't triggering any of these prompts, yet the system was forcing them into his physical body.
Tyler shrieked against the glove. He shoved his hand outward, striking James blindly in the chest.
A massive, unnatural physical force exploded outward. The impact launched the older hunter several meters backward through the air. James's back collided violently with a thick tree trunk. The air punched out of his lungs in a sharp gasp. He dropped to his boots, his knees buckling slightly before he caught his balance against the bark.
"Tyler, stop!"
Tyler stumbled to his feet, digging his fingernails into his scalp. He staggered in a tight, erratic circle. "Stop, stop. Please," he begged the empty air.
James's pulse hammered against his ribs. He stared at the kid, his chest heaving. *What is wrong with him?. *Where did he get that kind of strength* Kid, quiet down! James gasped aloud. You'll bring every beast and hunter straight to us.* I have to knock him out.*
James took a heavy step forward, but a sudden, hollow emptiness carved itself out of his chest. He froze, looking down at his trembling hands. "What... my mana. It's totally drained. I didn't even use a skill."
"Please, I'm sorry," Tyler choked out, pleading for the excruciating pain to go away. He didn't know if the system would show him mercy, but begging was the only thing he could do.
"Tyler! Hey!"
The red panels vanished. Instantly. The sudden absence of light left the forest dim, but the physical effects still ravaged Tyler’s body. His Rush skill remained active. He tried to mentally force it off, but the energy kept burning through his veins. His mana orifices were ripped wide open, violently vacuuming the surrounding mana from the air.
He looked over at James, hot tears finally spilling over his eyelids. "H- help me," he rasped, his hands still clamped over his head.
Before James could take another step, a low, guttural growl vibrated through the damp dirt.
James's head snapped to the left. A wolf with deep blue fur and icy blue eyes stalked out from the brush, its lips peeling back in a vicious snarl. Tyler’s blurred vision locked onto the beast. A single panel hovered over its head.
[GLOOMFANG - LV: 24]
Tyler tried to step back, but the moment his boot shifted, a blinding, electric shock of pain paralyzed his entire body. The piercing pressure in his skull returned, dropping him to his knees as he squeezed his head in agony.
James reached for his hilt and ripped his sword from his hip. But as the steel cleared the leather, his arm dragged. The blade felt impossibly heavy. His muscles protested, every movement terrifyingly sluggish and strained.
He gripped the hilt with both hands, the steel blade trembling under its sheer weight. He pointed the tip toward the approaching wolf. A low, vibrating growl rumbled in the beast's throat as it stalked closer. James clamped his teeth together, the muscles in his jaw bunching. Just keeping his boots planted in the dirt required agonizing effort. *All my energy is gone. But why? Not just my mana, but it feels like my stamina is drained.*
He forced his right boot forward. The movement felt impossibly sluggish, a heavy resistance wrapping around his limb like he was dragging his leg through deep water. The wolf halted its advance. *But I can take it. It's just a level 24. I have to protect him.* James slid his gaze to the corner of his eye. Tyler remained on the ground, his jaw locked tight, fingers still digging fiercely into his own scalp.
James snapped his focus back to the beast in front of him. The skin around his eyes pulled taut. A second, identical wolf stepped out from the dense undergrowth, matching the first beast's pace. *There's two of them now. This is bad. I don't think I can face them.* The beasts' hind legs coiled, and they launched themselves forward.
Dirt kicked up behind their paws as they rushed straight at him. James's leather gloves squeezed the hilt. He braced his shoulders to swing, but the leading wolf was already airborne, its jaws snapping toward his chest. *Oh no! I can't even swing my blade.*
A wooden shaft buried itself deep into the side of the leaping wolf's skull. The beast unleashed a raw, tearing howl, its momentum breaking instantly. It crashed heavily into the dirt. The second wolf dug its claws into the soil, skidding to an abrupt halt against the forest floor. James whipped his head around, scanning the trees in shock. A second arrow tore through the air, sinking straight into the remaining wolf's eye. The beast let out a high, piercing cry and collapsed onto its side.
Frost bloomed rapidly outward from the arrow's shaft. A thick layer of jagged ice crawled across the second wolf's dark fur, encasing its entire body in a frozen shell. A sharp, splitting fracture echoed through the clearing, and the frozen carcass shattered into hundreds of glittering shards like broken glass. *An archer?* James swept his gaze across the dim forest. *This is dangerous. There's a hunter nearby.* "Tyler, move!" James commanded, turning his heavy torso toward the boy.
Tyler pressed his eyelids together so hard they ached. *Damn it. The pain is not going away. It feels like my whole body's getting shocked.* A thick, hot pressure bubbled up from the center of his chest, rising violently like acidic bile. He ripped his hands away from his scalp and clutched at his sternum.
A glowing blue panel cut through the darkness in front of his face. The edges of the hologram warped and rippled, but the text held its shape.
[EXTRACTING DARK MANA]
"Dark mana?" Tyler groaned, his throat burning. *When did I absorb this?* The realization hit him, the system had manually forced his Mana Absorption skill wide open, vacuuming everything in the surrounding environment.
The text violently shifted.
[EXTRACTION FAILED]
[EXTRACTION FAILED]
A second distorted window forced itself over the first.
[FINDING ALTERNATIVE TO PRESERVE ENTITY]
The blue light vanished. The sickening pressure in Tyler's chest launched upward into his throat. He gagged, his jaw snapping open. A thick, inky black liquid poured from his mouth, splattering against the dirt. A searing heat flared behind his eyelids, and the same viscous black fluid began weeping continuously from his tear ducts, streaking down his cheeks. As the foul liquid puddled onto the forest floor, a new line of text materialized.
[MERGING]
The residue on his tongue tasted bitterly sour, carrying a heavy, unnatural flavor that completely rejected his biology. The dark fluid dripped from his chin and eyelashes. Then, the piercing agony in his skull ceased.
[MERGING SUCCESSFUL]
Tyler slammed both palms flat against the soil, his arms shaking violently as he fought to keep his balance. Deep within his veins, the ravenous pull of the skills abruptly died out.
Then, the physical backlash hit. Every muscle fiber in his body seized simultaneously, contracting with enough force to threaten his bones. He ground his teeth together against the sudden, suffocating cramp. His arms gave out, and he collapsed chest-first into the dirt.
"Tyler!" James's heavy boots scuffed against the grass. The older hunter dragged his exhausted body over, his knees popping as he crouched beside the boy. "Hey! Wake up!" James grabbed Tyler's shoulder, giving him a rough shake.
A shift in the peripheral shadows caught James's attention. He lifted his chin.
A woman stood in the distance. Strands of silver hair framed a face set with cold, silver eyes. She wore lightweight black leather armor, the dark material accented by a polished silver breast plate. In her grip, a wooden bow remained raised, the string pulled back halfway with the next arrow ready.