What… is this?
My senses focused around a dark space. The concentration of mana was so organized, it formed a pattern I never expected — the building blocks of the world, or at least that's what I thought.
The walls of the dark space, even the air itself, were made from sequences of binary code. Each line aligned perfectly, each different for every particle, every element.
When I tried to focus back on my body, I froze from the realization.
I wasn't made from that code. Just a dark space.
How's that even possible?
Doesn't this body belong to this world?
But then another thought hit me—
Can I control these codes?
I tried… but I lost my senses.
Damn it.
I felt disappointed, but something else also bothered me.
But… how did those threads come out of my body?
Those threads—those threads are made from the same code logic as this world.
But doesn't that mean I'd have to control the world's binary digits just to use them?
Isn't there another way?
Can I really… write the code of my original world here?
But these are just binary codes. What I write is Java.
Hmm…
Wait. I've built circuit-like structures in this world before. And this world's made of binary digits—0s and 1s.
What if… I write code the same way I inscribe magic into circuits?
Wait, I never thought of that.
I guess I won't know if I don't try.
I closed my eyes. The surroundings dimmed into darkness. The blue particles reappeared.
Now, instead of altering them, I tried adding extra commands—
I channeled my mana and began writing code into the space.
My idea was simple: overwrite the world's code with mine.
Just a basic firewall cracking. I guess we call that hacking—but who cares?
The blue glowing structures brightened in the dark.
Letters shimmered like auroras, filling the void as the flowing binary started revolving around them. With one push—
Boom.
The world glitched. It resisted the intrusion as my code pierced through its firewall. Red and black flickers tore through the air. Blood spilled from my nose, then my mouth, but I held on. The ground trembled beneath me.
And then… silence.
I was still standing—bleeding, but grinning.
Because I'd done it.
I'd overwritten the world's code, merged a malware into its system, and gained control of the two threads that once saved my life.
"Hehehe… it's been so long since I wrote real code instead of magic."
I wiped the blood off my cheek, smiling with determination.
"There's a lot I wanna do with this."
Hehehe…
* * *
It's been two years since I transmigrated into this world.
Since the last time I learned how to overwrite the world's code logic, I've been running endless experiments—just to see what else I can do with it.
Some of the things I came up with… didn't turn out as well as I expected.
I can't completely overwrite the world's logic itself. There are limits—both to the system and to my abilities.
But the small things I can do are still crazy useful.
I can alter any kind of magic incantation at will and use it as my own—though I still don't know its full limitations.
I can also change its shape, formation, or even shatter its foundation just by overwriting it.
During those days of experimenting, I also unlocked a new skill: Code Perception.
It helps me analyze any sequence in minutes and understand its structure instantly—but again, I don't know how far it can go.
And it's not like I spent all my time experimenting.
I took on a few tasks, raised my rank to B, and even bought a house to live in.
I almost cried when I first saw the bed after so long.
I don't even know why… maybe I was just tired of sleeping on flat, rocky ground. Whatever.
I also trained my body, kept a health routine so I could stay fit, raised my stamina and mana, and learned a few new skills.
Got a few EXPs and all that.
But one thing I learned—EXP gets harder to earn once you hit 500.
Also, my stat only registers the skills that don't exist in this world.
So my Healing Threads, Portal, and Code Perception are basically my personal, unique skills.
But there's one thing that still lingered with me.
I could never find out the original owner's identity.
Not completely suspicious, but it was still weird.
How could there be no info about him other than the fact that he was lower than a commoner?
And who was the person who killed him?
How did he end up bleeding out when I arrived in his body?
There were so many questions left unanswered… but maybe that's just how it is.
These past two years flew by so fast.
I've grown accustomed to this world. I have a house.
What else do I need? Money?
I don't know. I just want to enjoy these peaceful days.
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling above me…
And slowly fell asleep.
But then something triggered.
["…Wake up…!"]
Huff… Huff… Huff…
Where am I…?
The surroundings were drowned in shadows, swallowing even the air itself. Each breath felt heavier, colder—like I was sinking into an endless pit.
My body froze, my senses went numb.
And then I saw something.
Something corrupt.
Its body was made from rusty gears, a distorted face was sitting between them as a creepy smile left his lips. Four claw-like octopus hands were extended from his back, covered with shredded wires and real flesh.
Its form flickered like dying code; it was glitching like a system error.
It stood right in front of me.
My heart slipped under its gaze. My eyes went limp just from looking at it. Summoning what little courage I had, I asked,
"Who are you!?"
"…—#@…it's…not…THE TIME#@"
SCREEK…K…K…#@
Huff… Huff… Huff…
What in the hell was that!?
I held my head tightly as if something struck me from above.
Dragging myself out of bed, I grabbed some water and gulped it down.
"What was that thing…?"
"And what did it mean by 'it's not the time'?"
Ugh… why do these damn things always happen when everything's going peaceful…
In frustration, I punched a hole in the wall and went back to sleep, cause that's the only thing I can do.
By morning, I dragged myself to the guild, still thinking about last night's dream. Like I lost the sense of time, I reached the guild's gate without even noticing.
When did I reach here? Well, I'll just ignore it as a nightmare for now, and just like that, I entered the guild.
Standing in the lively crowd, another thought hit while looking at the counter.
That girl—I haven't seen that girl in the past two years since the last time I first visited here.
Did she leave her job? But I ignored those thoughts and went in front of the mission board.
And like usual, I grabbed a mission without even checking and walked out.
"So, what's the mission today?" I muttered, opening the paper.
[Hunt a B-rank Wyvern][Reward: 30 silver coins]
I stared at it for a moment, then sighed.
"A Wyvern again? A damn flying lizard… how many times has it been now?"
"Ahhh…" I groaned and shouted,
"Arc, let's go."
[Why did you call me?]
"Just for company."
[Really? That's it? No business talk, no plan, just 'company'?]
"Yeah. Can't you talk about anything besides money and missions? Just tag along, I'm bored."
[You humans are weird.]
"Yeah, well, deal with it."
Stepping into a silent place, I used my Portal skill and appeared in the Darkshade Forest where I usually hunted wyverns.
I moved my head around, took a leap in the air, and began searching.
Hours went by, but I found nothing. Not even a single one.
"Did I… wipe out the whole species or what?"
Why isn't there a single one, ugh.
In search of a wyvern, I circled around for hours, building up my frustration and anger.
And because of that, I surely annihilated a few low-rank monsters and their whole families.
I kept floating and flying above the unending forest. The trees stretched in the background, but I saw no movement or even a single speck of hint.
[You look miserable, you know that?]
"Shut it, Arc."
[You've been flying in circles for hours. Even I'm getting bored.]
"Then be useful for once and find me one."
[That'll cost you, you know the rule.]
"Fine, fine. I'll throw in some EXP. Just don't waste my time."
[Hmm… scanning…]
There was a pause. The blue screen in front of me flickered a few times before Arc finally spoke again.
[There are no wyverns left in this area. The last sighting was near the main trade route two days ago.]
"What?" I frowned. "That far? And why would they go near the trade route?"
[How would I know? Maybe they found humans tastier than boars.]
"Really, but something feels off."
A mix of confusion and suspicion rose on my face. Wyverns usually stayed deep in this forest, not near civilization.
"Tch. Guess I'll check it out myself."
I gathered mana under my feet and blasted off, slicing through the air like a jet. Trees blurred beneath me as I shot across the landscape. The wind stung my face, but I didn't slow down.
"Alright, the trade route should be… that way, I think?"
[You think?]
"Shut up, I've got this—"
BANG.
"ARGH!"
My head smacked straight into something invisible. The air shimmered like ripples on water as I bounced back and crashed into the dirt below.
I lay there, groaning. "What the hell was that… a barrier?"
[You really should invest in a navigation skill.]
"Not. Funny."
I rubbed my forehead, glaring at the empty air that stopped me. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't natural—and it definitely wasn't supposed to be here.