Hari stood on the shattered platform within the Severed Nexus, breathing hard.
His veins pulsed with radiant black threads.
His skin bore faint glowing patterns — system runes rewritten by his own will.
And for the first time… the interface spoke differently.
> [WELCOME, AUTHOR OF CHAOS]
You are no longer a player.
You are a Rogue System.
The world around him warped.
But it didn't collapse.
Because he now decided the rules.
---
[CODE REWRITE ABILITY TEST – INITIATED]
> Nearby enemy detected:
— Wraith Commander (LVL 85 – Code Bound)
— Status: Elite Executioner of an extinct god
The monster surged from a broken time-shard — armor made of soulsteel, eyes like blue flames.
It raised its spectral blade… and the system locked Hari's skills.
> [You are silenced]
[Movement Speed Reduced by 70%]
[Your blood is cursed]
Hari calmly raised his hand.
His eyes glowed with the Shadow Architect's Seal.
> [CODE REWRITE: STATUS — SILENCE → NULL]
> [CODE REWRITE: BLOOD CURSE → ABSORB (heal 1% HP per second)]
The Wraith's system effects melted.
Hari surged forward — faster than light. No cooldowns. No delays.
His claws ignited with voidfire.
---
> SLASH
Dodge
Rewrite
The Wraith tried to phase into the shadows — but Hari rewrote the teleport function into implode, causing the enemy to detonate mid-jump.
The battle lasted seconds.
The outcome was a declaration.
> "I'm done being rewritten."
> "Now I do the rewriting."
---
> [WRAITH COMMANDER DEFEATED]
You've absorbed 1 Core Thread: "Shadow Soul-Tether"
Optional Rewrite Applied:
☑ Skill Created – "Bind Through Shadows"
— Allows instant grapple to any shadow within 50 meters
— Can teleport or pull enemies
Skill Rank: S
Hari exhaled slowly.
His new path wasn't just evolution.
It was domination.
---
Meanwhile… in the upper system chamber
A cloaked god-entity stared at the data stream.
> "He's creating custom skills. The rewrite virus is spreading."
Another deity hissed.
> "Cut off his thread."
> "Delete the Rogue System."
But the light dimmed.
Because a new line of code appeared on the central pillar.
It wasn't divine.
It wasn't mortal.
It simply read:
> ERROR: THREAD OWNER OVERRIDE – 'HARI'
> > Permission Denied.
---
Far from the Nexus, deep in Neavo's wastelands…
A hunter named Eorin tracked a beast when suddenly his system interface shattered — replaced by a new one.
A red mark formed on his neck.
And a message burned in his mind:
> "You've been rewritten by another system."
"You now serve the Rogue Architect."
> "Find the old gods. Break them."
The age of system control was over.
Hari was not just fighting for survival anymore.
He was infecting the world with freedom.
---
To be continued in Chapter 23: The Virus Named Hari
---