The Dark Server roared with chaos.
A bounty of ten million on Yuto'o's head had every eye glowing with greed. Armed avatars began circling slowly, weapons glinting as they closed in.
Orbis stood at his side, violet eyes sharp.
"Don't be reckless. If you cut them all down, you'll only fuel their hunger."
Yuto'o tightened his grip on the glitch blade. His body cracked, unstable—but his spirit burned.
"If they try me… I'll kill them."
Before the tension exploded, another voice rang out from the neon-lit bar at the end of the alley.
"Enough."
An avatar appeared—smooth-faced, silver-haired, dressed in a sleek black hologram suit. On his chest shone the logo of an open eye—the mark of a data broker.
He strode forward, two mechanical guards at his flanks.
"I am Veynar. The greatest broker of information in the Dark Server." His smile was thin, predatory. "And I have something you want, Circuit Ghost."
Yuto'o narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Veynar conjured a hologram chair and sat casually.
"You seek the Reboot Server, don't you? Every Ghost does. You want to live again. I can give you the first clue."
Orbis whispered quickly. "Don't trust him. Brokers like him thrive on blood."
"But I don't have a choice," Yuto'o muttered back.
He faced Veynar. "What do you want in return?"
Veynar chuckled softly. "You're new, but the entire VR-verse already trembles with your name. You're the enemy of the corporations. I want to see if you can prove it."
He snapped his fingers. A hologram map unfolded, revealing a small corporate server on the edge of the network.
"This is one of their storage servers. Weak, but guarded by security AIs. Infiltrate it, steal the data, and bring it back to me. If you succeed, I'll give you coordinates—a lead to the Reboot Server."
Orbis scowled. "It's a trap. If you fail, you're erased. If you succeed, the corporations will raise your bounty even higher."
Veynar's smile widened. "Trap? Perhaps. But didn't you say you'd fight the whole world? Prove it to us."
Yuto'o was silent for a long moment. His eyes glowed red and blue as he studied the map.
"This server… it's guarded by AI?"
"Correct."
"If I take their data, I'll be one step closer to the Reboot Server."
"Yes."
Yuto'o raised his glitch blade, neon light pouring from its fractured edge.
"Fine. I'll enter that server. And when I succeed…" His gaze sharpened on Veynar. "…you will lead me to the Reboot Server."
Veynar clapped slowly, satisfied. "Deal, Circuit Ghost. But remember… every deal in the Dark Server comes with risk."
Suddenly, digital sirens screamed through the air.
WARNING: HUNTER AI – GENERATION 2 DEPLOYED
TARGET: CIRCUIT GHOST
Orbis stiffened. "They've upgraded. The new Hunter AIs… faster. Smarter."
Yuto'o tightened his grip, glitch-blood dripping from his cracked form.
"Let them come. I want their data too."
From the depths of the network, new crimson eyes flared open.
The Generation 2 Hunter AI had awakened.
The hunt had grown more dangerous.
The bounty rises, the hunters evolve—and the ghost sharpens his blade against the storm.