WebNovels

The First Glitch

----PROLOGUE----

This was officially the weirdest Tuesday ever. A slime had just waved at me like it wanted to be friends.

I adjusted the straps of my CPR headset, short for Cerebral Presence Regulator. The device gave a faint hum as the internal calibrators synced with my neural signals.

The CPR wasn't new technology anymore; most serious players used it. But this was my first full dive since upgrading to the new sensory firmware.

They said it could recreate every touch, taste, and sound within 0.02 seconds of real time.

I took a slow breath. The countdown appeared in front of me, bright and clean.

[SYSTEM SYNC: 3... 2... 1...]

A warmth spread from the base of my skull, racing down my spine. My hands tingled. My vision blurred, and the room around me dissolved like mist.

For a moment, I floated weightlessly, suspended between thought and dream. Then, color bled into focus, forming a vast world before my eyes.

Etherissia Online.

The name shimmered above a rising landscape of forests, mountains, and silver spires.

A voice whispered through the air, soft but commanding.

[Welcome to Etherissia Online. Please select your avatar.]

The world shifted. A row of glowing symbols and race options unfolded like floating cards before me.

Hmm... what should I choose?

Each race flickered to life in holographic detail.

Dwarves were tanky and durable but lacked mobility.

High Elves were strong in magic yet fragile in defense.

Beastial Kin possessed unmatched strength but had no affinity for magic.

The Draghorns towered with horns like obsidian blades.

Merlings moved with aquatic grace. Sylpheeds were tiny yet impossibly fast.

Phantom Dancer... agile, but not my thing.

I said under my breath.

Beastial Kin? Strong, but no magic. What if I need to take down a magic boss?

My eyes drifted to one class that caught my attention.

Human. Balanced type. Adaptable in all combat scenarios.

Sub-Class: Magic Blader.

A mix of sword and magic, huh? I grinned. Sounds perfect.

[Avatar confirmed. Name: Keileen.]

A soft chime followed. My vision blurred again, and I felt myself being drawn inward, like sinking into warm water.

When the light faded, I stood in the middle of Etherissia's Starting Plaza.

Stone paths wound between towering marble pillars. The sound of chatter filled the air, mixed with the faint hum of mana. Vendors called out to passing players, their stalls overflowing with potions, scrolls, and half-rusted weapons.

Feels almost too real.

I whispered as I watched, a pair of Sylpheeds argue over the price of a potion.

Their wings shimmered like stained glass as they flapped in irritation.

The sunlight hit the fountain at the plaza's center, scattering prisms of blue light across the cobblestones.

I could even smell the baked bread from a nearby stall. Every sensation was so sharp it made my skin prickle.

That's weird. Lag already?

I muttered slightly disappointed, when the fountain's glow flickered.

I dismissed it as a server hiccup, but a faint unease lingered in the back of my mind.

[Tutorial Initiating...]

A soft voice followed. "Welcome, adventurer. I am Kaelene, the guide spirit of Etherissia."

The figure before me shimmered into focus, a tall woman with silver hair that flowed like mercury and eyes that glowed faintly green.

Kaelene, huh?

"That's close to my name."

She smiled.

"Perhaps that is destiny."

He shrugged.

Yeah, sure. Let's skip the tutorial.

Kaelene's expression flickered for a second, but she nodded.

"Skipping tutorial confirmed. Proceed with caution."

The world pulsed once, and the light of teleportation wrapped around me.

---

The next few days blurred together. I joined a few early parties, clearing low-level dungeons, gathering materials, and experimenting with spells. The game was deeper than I expected; every swing, every cast had weight and timing.

I learned to balance my stamina and mana. My regeneration rate was absurdly high for a level one player, though my stamina bar drained faster than it should. It kept battles tense but exhilarating.

By the end of my second week, I had conquered my first dungeon, the Cavern of Echoing Slimes. My party of five barely survived, but the boss dropped a rare item: The Crystalline Edge, a blade infused with mana that responded to its wielder's will.

The thrill of discovery pushed me forward. Dungeon after dungeon, quest after quest.

But then something strange started happening.

Whenever I opened my status window, part of it refused to load. The skill list blinked and distorted. At first, I thought it was a display glitch, until I noticed a new entry appear on my log.

[Hidden Skill Unlocked: Conceal Status]

When activated, even I couldn't see my true stats. Every reading I showed others appeared as that of a regular player. It was as if my real power was buried beneath a veil.

And then, one night while exploring a ruined temple, I found the first real anomaly.

The air shimmered like static. A slime spawned, only it wasn't blue. It pulsed black and red, glitching in and out of existence. My attacks passed through it as if it were half-coded, half-alive.

Then, without warning, the sky cracked open.

Colors twisted into black streaks. The world screamed.

[SYSTEM ALERT!!]

Critical Glitch Detected

World Stability Compromised

The plaza lights dimmed. NPCs froze mid-motion.

The cheerful chatter of players turned to confusion, then panic, as one by one, the logout options vanished from every menu.

[SYSTEM ALERT!!]

Death Mode Activated

• No Respawn After Death

• Permanent Avatar Consequences

Keileen stared at the warnings, heart pounding.

The childish fantasy world had turned silent. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, and the soft glow of Etherissia's sun flickered like a dying bulb.

He adjusted his grip on his sword. Every instinct told him to move carefully. Analyze. Observe. Prepare.

Then, a subtle shimmer caught his attention. Below his feet, faint runes formed a circle. They glimmered briefly, then disappeared.

Teleportation magic? No, maybe a Glitch?

The world around him warped. Space compressed and stretched, sound elongated and bent. The wind disappeared, replaced by a vacuum of sensation.

When the motion ceased, Keileen lay on the wide prairie outside Ethille, where new adventurers normally spawned. Tall grass brushed his cloak. Wildflowers dotted the rolling hills. Birds called overhead. The familiar digital hum of Etherissia resonated in the air.

He sat up, eyes scanning. Everything looked peaceful. Normal. Almost.

But he knew better. The system had changed. The rules had shifted. And he was no longer merely a player.

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