The [System Eraser] didn't move like a living thing. It moved like a video game character with a broken animation—glitching forward in ten-foot bursts, leaving trails of black pixels in the air.
It was a towering mass of sludge and unreadable code. Every time it stepped, the ground beneath it vanished into a void. It wasn't just a monster; it was a delete command given physical form.
Han-ul scrambled backward, his back hitting the cold, damp rock of the Trash Bin. In his hand, the [Administrator's Key]—that tiny, violet USB drive—vibrated so hard it made his bones ache.
[DANGER: System Integrity at 0.01% in your vicinity.]
[The Eraser has identified 'User: Kang Han-ul' as a Corrupted File.]
The creature let out a sound like a hard drive crashing—a screech of static that made Han-ul's ears bleed. It raised a massive, amorphous limb.
"Think, damn it!" Han-ul hissed, his eyes darting to the blue screens floating in his vision.
He was Level 1. He had no sword. No fireballs. No divine protection. If that limb touched him, he wouldn't just die; he would be erased from existence. Even the memory of him would vanish from Earth.
He gripped the USB drive. Allows the user to edit one 'Variable' in the System...
"Variable..." Han-ul's mind raced. He looked at the creature's stats.
Name: System Eraser (Unit 09)
Status: Active
Target: Kang Han-ul
Action: [ERASE]
The limb began to descend. Time seemed to slow down—the "Glitch" effect of the Archivist class kicking in.
Han-ul didn't try to change the creature's strength. He didn't try to change his own level. He looked at the Action variable.
"Accessing Administrator Key!" he screamed, thrusting the USB toward the screen.
[ADMIN KEY ACTIVATED: 1% STABILITY CONSUMED]
[WARNING: You are unauthorized. Editing Variable...]
Select Variable to Edit: [ERASE]
Input New Variable: ________
The black sludge was inches from his face. Han-ul could smell the scent of burnt electronics.
"Input: [IGNORE]!"
The world froze. The violet light from the USB drive exploded, turning the crimson warning screens into a calm, stable white.
The System Eraser's limb stopped. The red eyes—hundreds of them—blinked in unison. The "Error" sound ceased, replaced by the gentle hum of a cooling fan.
The creature's status screen flickered and changed:
Name: System Eraser (Unit 09)
Status: Active
Target: Kang Han-ul
Action: [IGNORE]
The massive beast lowered its limb. It stood there, looming over Han-ul like a loyal, albeit terrifying, statue. It no longer saw him as a bug to be deleted. Because of the edit, the Eraser now viewed Han-ul's existence as a "Natural Environmental Constant"—like a rock or a gust of wind.
Han-ul slumped against the wall, gasping for air. His heart was beating so fast he thought it might burst.
"One edit..." he whispered, looking at the USB drive. The violet glow had dimmed significantly. "I only get one of those a month. I just used my biggest trump card on a janitor."
But then, he looked at the Eraser. A thought occurred to him.
The Top 100 were at the Altar, fighting for "Blessings" that were actually chains. They were gaining levels in a system designed to turn them into monsters.
Han-ul looked at the "Trash" around him. Now that the Eraser was set to 'Ignore,' he could scavenge in peace.
He walked over to a pile of discarded data orbs. Most were gray and dead, but one at the bottom was pulsing with a faint, golden light. He pulled it out.
[ITEM FOUND: 'REJECTED BRAVERY' (SKILL BOOK)]
Description: A skill intended for the 'Hero' class that was deleted for being 'unbalanced.'
Skill: [Liar's Truth] - You can display any Level or Class you wish to others. The System will support your lie.
"Perfect," Han-ul Smirked.
He didn't need to be strong yet. He just needed to look the part. If he was going to survive among the 100 "Heroes," he couldn't let them know he was a Level 1 glitch. He needed to be their equal—at least on paper.
He crushed the orb.
[SKILL LEARNED: Liar's Truth]
Current Displayed Status: > Name: Kang Han-ul
Class: [The Archivist] -> Edit to: [Sun-Walker Paladin]
Level: [1] -> Edit to: [12]
Han-ul stood up and brushed the 7-Eleven dust off his apron. He looked back at the System Eraser.
"Stay here," he commanded. "Keep cleaning the trash. I'll be back for the rest of the goodies later."
The creature didn't respond—it simply turned around and began eating a pile of broken code.
Han-ul began the trek back toward the Altar of Ascension. It was time to rejoin the "Heroes." But he wasn't the scared dropout who had fallen through the roof anymore.
He was the only man on the planet with the password to the world's back door.