The blade hovered just above his head. Reven had moved before he could think—and now he stood behind GoldLord, knees bent, arms tense, heart threatening to jump through his ribs.
One wrong breath and he was dead.
GoldLord still hadn't noticed him.
He was busy checking his inventory. The sound of menu windows flicking open and coins clinking echoed like an invitation.
Reven inhaled.
And struck.
---
His fist slammed into the back of GoldLord's head with a sickening crunch. The rusted brass knuckles cracked under the impact.
> [CRITICAL HIT: -39 HP] [Staggered]
GoldLord stumbled forward, dazed. His massive sword scraped the ground. Reven didn't wait. He lunged again, hammering a second blow into the man's ribs.
> [Hit: -16 HP]
GoldLord roared.
> "You little bastard—!?"
Too late.
Reven was already gone, slipping into the shadows of the alley. Every fiber in his body screamed. The system menu flickered.
> [Timer: 18:57:12] [HP: 23/50] [Pain Sync: 18%] [Enemy Target: Aggroed]
GoldLord chased him, red-faced and furious, sword dragging behind him like thunder.
Reven dove through crates, leapt over barrels, dodged spell runes scribbled on the alley walls.
> "Come here! You think you can punk me and run!?"
He couldn't keep running.
He wouldn't win in a straight fight. Not yet.
But if he could just keep GoldLord following—
---
The alley opened into the back end of the abandoned sewer entrance—a zone marked [Event Area: Inactive]. Reven had seen it in a forum once: designed for Halloween events but forgotten by most players.
He slid down the slope, landing in a dry tunnel of moss-covered stone.
GoldLord jumped in after him.
> "Dead end, trash."
> "So fight me," Reven said, raising his fists.
> "I'll enjoy this," GoldLord grinned.
> [PVP ZONE: ACTIVE]
GoldLord raised his sword—a glowing beast of a weapon.
Reven charged.
He didn't dodge. He couldn't.
The sword came down like a guillotine.
> [HP -32]
Blood sprayed. Reven collapsed to his knees, barely holding on with 1 HP.
GoldLord laughed.
> "Did you really think you could do this solo?"
Then—
The world paused.
A buzzing filled Reven's skull. His HUD glitched. Red text bled across the screen:
> [ERROR: Subject nearing death threshold]
[Fragment Detected: Syncing... 11%... 42%...]
[NIHILOS CORE ACCESS GRANTED]
> "W-what?"
GoldLord blinked.
Then Reven stood.
His body flickered like a corrupted file. His skin shifted, black lines tracing veins of data beneath the surface. His eyes glowed the color of corrupted code.
> [Class: ??? (Temporarily Overriding Restrictions)] [Skill Activated: ???—"Data Rupture"]
The floor beneath GoldLord shattered.
Spikes of red light tore through the ground, wrapping around GoldLord's arms and legs like digital thorns.
> "Wha—WHAT IS THIS!?"
> [Bleed + Glitch + Burn + Bind Status Applied]
GoldLord thrashed, screaming. The game didn't recognize the effect.
Reven didn't move. He just watched.
> [System Warning: You are using an unauthorized protocol.] [Proceeding may cause instability.]
He stepped forward, one foot at a time.
> [Timer: 18:55:03]
He raised his arm.
GoldLord reached for a potion. Reven smashed his hand away.
Then again.
Then again.
Until the screen pulsed:
> [Target HP: 0/328]
[Mission Complete]
Everything around them went black.
> [REWARD GRANTED: +10 RANDOM STAT POINTS] Strength +2, Endurance +2, Resistance +1, Luck +3, Agility +2
> [PAIN SYNC REDUCED TEMPORARILY]
GoldLord's body disintegrated into data particles.
Silence.
Then a final line:
> [NIHILOS: 13% SYNC... and growing.]
Reven fell to his knees, breathing hard.
He wasn't supposed to win.
He wasn't supposed to have powers.
He wasn't even supposed to be here.
So why did it feel like the game itself was watching him?
---
To be continued...