The forest grew darker as Arin followed Kael and his companions. Trees flickered unnaturally, shadows looping in jagged patterns. Every step felt like walking through a code that didn't want him there.
Kael's smirk never left his face. "You've survived dungeons. You've unlocked skills. But surviving other players… that's different."
Arin kept his grip tight on his jagged rocks. "I'm listening. What exactly are you trying to do here?"
Kael glanced at him, eyes glinting. "Control. Power. Escape? Maybe all three. But there's one rule you need to understand: in this world, only the strong shape it."
Arin frowned. "And what about cooperation? Allies?"
Kael laughed, a short, sharp sound that made Arin's teeth grit. "Allies are useful… until they're not. I've seen too many weak players slow themselves down, get eaten, or worse. Survival isn't about friendship."
The woman in silver armor, Kael's companion, stepped forward. "He's… ruthless," she said quietly, almost to herself. "But efficient. That's the difference."
Arin's pulse quickened. He realized the challenge wasn't just the dungeon or the glitches—it was this:
players with the same powers, but different motives.
The forest opened into a clearing, and Kael stopped. The glitching light above shimmered as if signaling the next stage.
"Here," Kael said, "we test you. Not monsters. Not traps. You."
Arin's brow furrowed. "Me? What… what do you mean?"
Kael's smirk sharpened. "We've seen what you can do. Pause, duplication, code manipulation… clever, unpredictable. But cleverness alone isn't enough. Adaptability, risk, creativity… let's see how you handle real opposition."
Before Arin could respond, Kael's companions raised their weapons. The silver-armored woman's blade flickered unnaturally, and the third figure's gauntlets sparked with glitching energy.
"You don't attack me?" Arin asked, gripping his rocks tighter.
"Attack?" Kael said, his voice calm but sharp. "You're already surrounded, Bugged One. Every movement you make… we've anticipated. Show me how clever you really are."
Arin's stomach tightened. The clearing wasn't large enough for running, and monsters were nowhere to be seen. This was a test of his skills, his wits, his creativity.
He focused, summoningCode Rewrite. A fallen branch floated midair, twisting into a makeshift barrier. He duplicated stones, arranging them as obstacles to slow the incoming attack. The silver-armored woman lunged, and he paused time.
3… 2… 1.
Time resumed. She collided with his barrier, staggered, and he hurled a duplicated rock at her feet. Sparks of glitching code burst, forcing her to retreat.
Kael's smirk deepened. "Not bad. But don't get cocky."
The third figure lunged from another angle, fists glowing. Arin paused again, this time duplicating a chunk of the ground beneath them, creating a small trap. The figure fell into the looped tile, stumbling as the terrain shifted under his weight.
Arin ducked and rolled, dodging attacks, using Pause and Item Duplication in tandem. He wasn't just reacting—he was controlling the battlefield. Every obstacle, every duplicated rock, every brief freeze gave him leverage against players who were faster and stronger than most monsters he'd faced.
Finally, Kael stepped forward himself. His presence alone made the glitching forest pulse. "Impressive," he said. "But you're still predictable."
Arin's chest heaved. He had survived the first wave, but Kael's gaze told him this was far from over.
Kael raised his hand, and a flicker of corrupted code surged between his fingers. "Consider this… your first defeat, if you're not careful."
Arin clenched his fists, adrenaline burning. He realized the truth: the Glitched World wasn't just dangerous because of monsters or glitches—it was dangerous because of people. Players who had survived this long were threats far beyond anything he'd fought before.
And now, he was on their radar.
Lira's voice echoed faintly in his mind. "Every choice counts, Arin. Watch. Learn. Adapt."
Arin nodded. This wasn't just a fight. It was survival. Strategy. And he would need every ounce of his ingenuity—and every exploit he could master—to make it out alive.
The first real clash with another player had begun.
And the Glitched World had just become a battlefield.