I limped through the forest like a drunk raccoon with a vendetta.
That slime almost turned me into soup.
I had 2 HP, no potions, a half-broken stick, and a system that thought "Invert Controls" was a helpful buff.
Awesome start.
The only thing going for me was that I didn't die... yet.
---
[New Quest Unlocked!]
Quest: Try Not to Die (Daily)
Objective: Survive 24 hours.
Reward: 1 Glitch Token
Failure: …You know.
"Very comforting," I muttered.
Then, another message popped up.
[System Notice: HP critically low. Suggesting Emergency Skill Activation.]
I perked up. "Emergency Skill? You had that this whole time?! Use it!"
[Activating Skill: "Packet Skip"]
My screen glitched for a second—like a loading screen crashed mid-load.
Then suddenly…
WHOOSH.
I was no longer in the forest.
I was now… in a village.
Somewhere.
---
"Oi! Who dropped this idiot in the cabbage cart?!"
I looked up from a pile of vegetables and met the annoyed face of a muscular old man holding a pitchfork.
"...Hi."
"You stealing my cabbages, boy?"
"Honestly, I wish I had the energy to do that."
---
[You have discovered: Greystone Village]
[Reputation: Suspicious +5]
Yup. Great first impression.
I dusted myself off, coughed out a leaf, and stood on wobbling legs.
"Is there a healer or inn or... free clinic nearby?" I asked.
Old man narrowed his eyes. "You're a traveler?"
I hesitated. "Something like that."
---
10 Minutes Later
I sat at the edge of a wooden bed in a tiny inn room. It smelled like hay and boiled socks, but it was warm.
A young girl with bunny ears—yes, literal bunny ears—handed me a bowl of soup.
"You're lucky Farmer Borin didn't skewer you," she said. "He hates strangers."
"Remind me to thank his cabbages," I replied, slurping.
---
[HP Restored: +8]
[Current HP: 10/10]
[Daily Quest Updated: +1 Glitch Token Earned!]
Suddenly, a glowing pink coin appeared in the air.
[You received: Glitch Token x1]
"Wait... I can actually use these?"
[Yes. Glitch Tokens can unlock new skills or reroll existing ones.]
I immediately opened my system panel.
---
Name: Yuto Kurogane
Race: ???
Level: 2
Title: Error404
HP: 10/10
MP: 0/?
Strength: 3 | Agility: 2 | Intelligence: 5
Skills:
- Glitch: Random Buff (10s)
- Packet Skip (1x/day)
- Sound Lag
Inventory:
- Broken Stick
- Glitch Token x1
---
I clicked on "Glitch Token." A spinning gacha wheel appeared.
"Oh no. It's loot boxes."
I tapped "ROLL."
The screen flashed. My heart skipped. My soul braced for disaster.
[Congratulations! You unlocked: "Lag Clone"]
Creates a delayed afterimage clone that mimics your last action after 3 seconds. May confuse enemies… or you.
"…Nice?"
I stood up, struck a dramatic pose.
Three seconds later, a blurry version of me appeared next to the bed and mimicked the exact same pose.
"Okay, that's kinda dope."
---
Knock knock.
I froze. The bunny-eared girl peeked in.
"Uh, hate to ask, but... you can fight, right?"
I blinked. "Define 'fight.'"
"There's a goblin raid coming. We need help."
---
[New Quest Unlocked: Defend the Village]
Time Limit: 1 hour
Reward: EXP, Loot, Reputation, Optional Death]
"…I just got here."
My clone still stood next to me, doing the same "hero pose."
I looked at it. Then back at the door.
Then back at it.
"…Guess it's showtime."
---
To be continued...