Jayce exhaled, his hands still trembling as the glowing system prompts flickered in front of him.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Five level-ups all at once. That wasn’t normal. Even in RPGs, grinding five levels from a single enemy was absurd -- especially when the system itself was clearly unstable.
He opened his status window.
[Status Open]
The corrupted screen from earlier had somewhat stabilized, though remnants of distorted code still lingered. His stats had skyrocketed, but they were all over the place -- his STR (Strength) was oddly high, his INT (Intelligence) fluctuated like a broken counter, and for some reason, his LCK (Luck) stat had hit a negative value before resetting back to zero.
Jayce frowned. “This system is so damn broken.”
He quickly adjusted his stats, distributing his points carefully.
[Stat Allocation]
- STR (Strength): Balanced -- He needed solid attack power.
- INT (Intelligence): Balanced -- Since the system itself was strange, he had a feeling magic or abilities might be useful later.
- SPD (Speed): Prioritized -- If enemies moved like that glitched monster, then speed was his best bet to react in time.
- LCK (Luck): Minor Increase -- He didn’t fully understand how Luck worked in this world, but having at least some points in it couldn’t hurt.
With a deep breath, he locked in the changes.
[Stats Adjusted. Applying… Success.]
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a rush of energy coursed through his body. His muscles felt lighter, his movements sharper -- almost like his reflexes had been cranked up to an unnatural degree.
"Woah -- !"
Jayce nearly lost his balance as his SPD boost kicked in. His movements felt almost too fast, like his body was reacting before he even thought about it. He took a deep breath, stabilizing himself.
"Okay… that worked. Now, loot."
He turned back to where the monster had disintegrated. In most RPGs, enemies dropped loot after being defeated. Even though this place seemed broken, maybe the system still followed some game logic.
He activated Drop Scan.
[Monster Drops Detected.]
A glowing item appeared on the ground, floating just above the stone surface. Jayce reached for it cautiously.
[ERROR: Drop Item Undefined]
[Processing…]
[New Item Acquired: ???]
Jayce stared at the strange notification. “Again with the errors…”
He opened his inventory to inspect the item.
[Item: ???]
- Type: Unknown
- Description: [Data Fragment Identified.]
- Effect: ???
It was nothing but a fragmented piece of corrupted data, flickering in and out of existence like static.
"Is this even usable?"
Before he could question it further, another System Notice popped up.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Drop Item Data Acquired.]
[Item Recompilation in Progress…]
Jayce’s eyes narrowed. Recompiling? Was the system trying to fix the broken loot?
A deep, mechanical sound rumbled from within the ruins.
Jayce froze.
Something else had noticed him.
It was getting closer.
Jayce stiffened. The deep, mechanical rumble reverberated through the ruins, growing louder with each passing second.
Then, the air rippled.
Dark, wispy forms began emerging from the shadows, flickering in and out of existence like distorted holograms. They had no solid bodies -- only shifting masses of ethereal darkness, humanoid in shape but with elongated limbs and hollow, glowing eyes that pulsed erratically.
Jayce’s grip on his sword tightened.
“The hell are those…?”
[SYSTEM WARNING: Unknown Entities Detected]
[Threat Level: Undetermined]
[Caution: These entities are drawn to residual corruption.]
His gaze flickered toward the spot where the monster had died. The last remnants of its data -- tiny particles of corrupted code -- still hovered in the air, fading slowly. The creatures weren’t after him.
They were after the corpse.
Jayce took a cautious step back, hoping to avoid drawing attention. But the moment his foot scraped against the stone --
All of them snapped their heads toward him.
A high-pitched, static-like screech filled the air as the entities twitched unnaturally, their forms warping.
Jayce’s pulse spiked.
“…Yeah, of course that’d happen.”
Without another second of hesitation, he turned and ran.
The ground blurred beneath him as his newly boosted SPD stat kicked in. His body felt impossibly light, his movements smooth -- almost like he was controlling a character in a game set to double speed.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
But the ethereal monsters weren’t slow either.
They blinked forward, distorting through space like broken video frames, appearing closer each time they phased.
Jayce cursed under his breath. “You’ve gotta be kidding me -- !”
A pulse of energy surged from behind as one of the creatures lashed out. He barely twisted in time, the attack missing him by inches. Instead of claws or a solid limb, the entity’s arm passed through the ground -- like it didn’t follow normal physics.
They don’t attack physically? Jayce realized. Then what --
[SYSTEM ALERT: Data Corruption Detected.]
[Warning: Contact with these entities may cause unstable system interference.]
Jayce’s eyes widened. They weren’t just monsters.
They were living glitches.
If they touched him, who knew what would happen?
Jayce sprinted through the ruins, his heart pounding as the ethereal monsters flickered in and out of sight, closing the gap with every blink.
He didn’t know what would happen if they touched him, but based on the system’s warnings, it wouldn’t be good.
I can’t outrun them forever.
He had no spells, no proper abilities -- just this glitched sword in his hands.
Jayce gritted his teeth. Screw it. I have to fight.
Planting his foot against the stone, he pivoted sharply and slashed at the nearest entity. The %@#$01&%#* blade hummed with unstable energy as it passed through the monster’s flickering form.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then --
A violent surge of static burst from the creature as the sword's jagged edges distorted, glitching between different states. Lines of corrupted data tore away from the monster, absorbing straight into the blade.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Skill Acquired]
[New Function Stored: Phase Blink]
Jayce’s eyes widened. What?!
His sword stole something from the monster.
The entity let out a shriek, its form destabilizing, before disintegrating into fragmented pixels. The other creatures twitched, their empty, glowing eyes fixating on the blade.
Jayce didn’t wait.
“Phase Blink!”
The moment he spoke, his vision glitched -- the world skipping frames as his body teleported several meters forward.
He stumbled but recovered quickly, breath hitching. His sword had absorbed the monster’s ability -- and now he could use it?!
A slow grin crept onto his face.
Now that’s useful.
But the monsters weren’t done yet. They were still hunting him. And if his sword could copy one ability…
Jayce tightened his grip.
Then I’m stealing more.
The moment Jayce blinked forward, the remaining entities shrieked in response. Their distorted forms flickered violently, as if reacting to the stolen ability.
He steadied his breathing, heart still racing. This sword isn’t just a weapon -- it’s absorbing enemy skills.
The realization sent a thrill through him. If he could steal their abilities, then --
The monsters lunged.
Jayce reacted instinctively, slashing out with %@#$01&%#*. The blade tore through one of the creatures, and again, a burst of corrupted data transferred into the sword.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Skill Acquired]
[New Function Stored: Data Distort]
As the monster disintegrated, Jayce barely dodged the next attack, phasing sideways with Phase Blink. He gritted his teeth.
I don’t even know what this new ability does!
No time to check. He had two more enemies left.
One of them let out an unearthly wail, its form warping into jagged, elongated shapes before striking out with impossible speed. Jayce barely managed to parry, his arms shaking as the impact sent a wave of static through his sword.
Then -- a system notification appeared.
[New Effect Discovered: Skill Activation on Contact]
Jayce’s breath hitched. If his sword touched an enemy, he could trigger stolen skills directly?!
Without hesitation, he countered, slashing his sword through the monster’s core while mentally activating Data Distort.
The effect was instant.
The creature’s body glitched -- its limbs contorted at impossible angles, pixels bursting from its form. Its attack halted mid-motion, as if the very rules governing its existence had been scrambled.
Jayce didn’t waste the opening. He spun and slashed through it.
The monster fragmented into broken code, dispersing into the air.
[Skill Sync Progress: 24%]
The final entity hesitated, its hollow eyes flickering erratically. It had seen what happened to the others.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then, without a sound, the last monster turned and fled, phasing through the ruins.
Jayce exhaled, lowering his sword. His hands trembled, adrenaline still coursing through him.
He had won.
But more than that -- he had learned something crucial.
This glitched sword wasn’t just dangerous. It was a weapon capable of rewriting the very mechanics of this world.
And he had only just started unlocking its potential.
A new system prompt appeared before him.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Adaptive Glitch Progress -- 32%]
[Skill Sync Progress: Stopped. Re-computing… Error.]
[WARNING: More corrupted entities detected in Area.]
Jayce frowned, catching his breath.
“…More of them?”
Whatever this world was, whatever had brought him here…
It wasn’t going to let him rest.
And he was going to need a lot more skills to survive.
Jayce wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breath still ragged from the last battle. His body felt stronger, faster -- his Adaptive Glitch was progressing, but it still wasn’t complete.
And if the system was right… more enemies were coming.
He had no choice. If he wanted to survive, he had to keep fighting.
Jayce gripped %@#$01&%#* tightly and stepped forward into the ruins, his senses sharp. The corrupted scent of defeated entities still lingered in the air, and it was drawing in more monsters.
Then, the ground trembled.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Multiple Hostiles Detected]
From the shadows, distorted figures emerged.
Some were humanoid, their bodies fragmented, flickering in and out of existence. Others crawled on all fours, their limbs elongated, faces blank except for glitching static.
Jayce exhaled. “Alright… let’s level up.”
The monsters lunged.
Jayce vanished.
His SPD boost let him blink behind one of the creatures in an instant. He slashed -- %@#$01&%#*carving through the entity’s body, distorting its form.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Skill Acquired]
[New Function Stored: Phantom Step]
He barely had time to register it before dodging another strike, twisting midair and activating his new ability.
“Phantom Step.”
His body became semi-transparent, and for a brief moment, the monsters lost sight of him. A stealth skill? Perfect.
Jayce smirked. "This just keeps getting better."
He reappeared behind an enemy, slicing downward with %@#$01&%#* -- absorbing another skill on impact.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Skill Acquired]
[New Function Stored: Shadow Pierce]
A sharp burst of dark energy shot from his sword, spearing through the remaining creatures. The sheer shockwave of the attack sent one flying, its form disintegrating into corrupted data.
Jayce landed lightly, already feeling the system syncing.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Adaptive Glitch Progress -- 67%]
Still not done. He needed more.
Jayce turned, spotting a larger enemy in the distance -- one that didn’t lunge at him like the others. Instead, it hovered, its form unstable, crackling with pure corrupted energy.
A magic-type enemy.
Jayce narrowed his eyes. If he could steal a magic skill…
He rushed forward. The monster raised its arms, digital glyphs forming in the air. A glitching fireball launched toward him.
Jayce smirked. "Perfect."
He dodged, blinked above it, and drove his sword straight through its core.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Skill Acquired]
[New Function Stored: Glitchfire]
A new power surged through him. Jayce could feel the knowledge settling in, the way to form unstable, burning energy in his palm.
He raised his hand -- his own fireball forming. It flickered wildly, an unstable mess of flames and static.
Then, he threw it.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the battlefield, consuming everything in its wake.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Adaptive Glitch Progress -- 95%]
Jayce grinned. Just a little more.
Only one enemy remained -- a towering, four-armed beast with jagged code-like runes carved into its body. Unlike the others, it didn’t flicker or distort.
It was stable. A boss-type enemy.
Jayce tightened his grip.
The monster roared and charged.
Jayce met it head-on. He dodged, countered, and attacked, using all the skills he had absorbed.
Then -- he saw an opening.
He activated every copied skill at once.
Phantom Step. Shadow Pierce. Glitchfire.
A storm of unstable energy surged from his sword, crashing into the monster.
The impact was devastating.
The creature froze. Its body fractured --
Then --
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Adaptive Glitch 100% Complete.]
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Unique Class Acquired—Glitch Slayer.]
[New Title Unlocked: The Broken One.]
Jayce landed, panting.
His body felt different. Stronger. More in sync with this world’s unstable code.
He glanced at his hands -- data flickered across his skin for a moment before stabilizing.
This wasn’t a game.
He wasn’t just a player.
He was something else now.
Something that could break the rules.
Jayce smirked.
"...Now this is getting interesting."