The obsidian platforms began to move. They drifted through the nebula like silent ships, converging toward a massive, shimmering gate made of white light.
"Welcome, Testers," a voice boomed. It wasn't a human voice; it sounded like a thousand glass shards rubbing together. "You are the pinnacle of your species. The Tutorial will now commence. Survive, and you shall become the foundation of the New World."
The Top 100 roared in excitement. Han-ul, trailing behind in his flickering violet light, noticed something no one else did.
As the others crossed the gate, a golden notification appeared above their heads: [Status: Synced]. When Han-ul drifted through, his notification was different. It was red, jittery, and vanished in a split second: [Status: Ghost File].
Ghost File, Han-ul thought, his pulse quickening. If I'm a ghost, the rules don't apply to me.
They landed in a dense, hyper-realistic jungle. The air tasted like ozone and wet earth. High above, a giant scoreboard floated in the sky, listing the names of the 100 heroes. Han-ul's name was nowhere to be found.
"Alright, listen up!" The Titan with the flaming sword—whose name tag read 'Arthur, Level 10 Paladin'—stepped forward. "The System says we need to reach the 'Altar of Ascension' at the center of this forest. We stay together, we survive. Understood?"
"Wait," a woman with a bow squinted at Han-ul. "Who is that guy? He's not on the leaderboard. And what's with those clothes? He looks like he just walked out of a grocery store."
Han-ul looked down at his 7-Eleven apron and cargo pants. He looked ridiculous.
"I'm just... the extra," Han-ul said, keeping his voice flat.
Arthur gave him a pitying look. "Stay in the back, kid. If you can't fight, don't get in the way. We'll carry you for now."
The group began to move. Almost immediately, the jungle hissed. From the shadows, creatures that looked like wolves made of jagged glass leaped out. [Glass Hounds - Level 5].
The Top 100 jumped into action. Arthur's sword erupted in flames, cleaving a hound in two. The Archer let fly arrows of pure light. It was a symphony of destruction. Each kill resulted in a shower of golden sparks—Experience Points—flowing into the heroes.
Han-ul stood perfectly still. A Glass Hound lunged toward him, its crystal teeth bared. Han-ul flinched, closing his eyes.
But the strike never came.
The hound skidded to a halt inches from his face. It sniffed the air, its glowing red eyes passing right over him. To the monster, Han-ul was just a tree. No—worse than a tree. He was a piece of the background scenery. The hound turned away and lunged at a Mage nearby instead.
Passive Skill: [The Glitched One]... it actually works, Han-ul realized.
He opened his [Patch Notes] screen. While the others were busy fighting for experience points he couldn't even gain, he scanned the fine print of the Tutorial map.
[PATCH NOTE: TUTORIAL EXPLOIT]
Note 4: The 'Altar of Ascension' rewards the first person to arrive with the 'Hero's Blessing.'
Note 5: However, the Altar is a trap. It binds the soul to the System's core.
Note 6: Hidden Location: 300 meters East of the Altar lies the 'Trash Bin.' This is where the System dumps 'Deleted Assets'—failed prototypes and corrupted items from previous versions of Earth.
Han-ul's eyes widened. The "Trash Bin."
While Arthur and the others were high-fiving over their "Level 2" status, Han-ul quietly slipped away into the thick undergrowth. No one noticed. To the System, he didn't exist. To the Heroes, he was a coward who had run away.
He sprinted East. The jungle grew darker, the plants looking more like twisted metal than wood. Finally, he reached a cliffside hidden by thick vines. Below him wasn't a valley, but a literal crack in the world—a void filled with glowing, discarded junk.
He saw rusted swords that vibrated with ancient power, broken armor, and glowing orbs of discarded data.
Among the "trash," one item caught his eye. It was a simple, old-fashioned USB drive, glowing with a faint, unstable violet light.
Han-ul climbed down, his hands shaking. He reached for the drive.
[WARNING: Accessing Deleted Asset.]
Item Found: [The Administrator's Key - Corrupted]
Effect: Allows the user to edit one 'Variable' in the System per month.
Current Stability: 1%
"I found it," Han-ul whispered.
Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over him. The ground shook. He looked up to see a creature that wasn't supposed to be in the Tutorial. It was a massive, many-eyed horror made of black sludge—a [System Eraser].
It wasn't here to test him. It was here to clean the Trash Bin. And it had finally spotted the 101st Error.