As Erik and Lena stepped through the gates, the hum grew louder, vibrating through their bodies. The air was thick with tension, and Erik couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
“Stay close,” Lena said, her voice barely audible over the rising hum.
“I wasn’t planning on wandering off,” Erik muttered, gripping his sword tightly.
The gates behind them slammed shut with a deafening clang, and the temperature seemed to drop. Ahead, a wide, circular platform stretched out into a seemingly endless void. At its center stood a terminal—sleek, glowing, and ominously pristine.
“That’s not a trap or anything,” Erik said dryly.
“It’s always a trap,” Lena replied, her daggers already in her hands.
They approached the platform cautiously, the sound of their footsteps echoing against the vast emptiness. Erik’s pulse quickened as the terminal’s light shifted, casting long, flickering shadows across the room.
“Lena,” Erik said, stopping in his tracks. “Something’s happening.”
The terminal’s glow intensified, and the floor beneath them began to ripple like water. Streams of code rose from the ground, coalescing into a towering figure.
It was humanoid but grotesque, its form an amalgamation of jagged metal and pulsating red code. Its face was featureless save for a single, glowing eye that stared unblinkingly at Erik and Lena.
“System Guardian,” Lena said grimly. “The devs’ first line of defense.”
Erik groaned. “Of course it’s another giant murder machine.”
The Guardian let out a guttural, mechanical roar, its body crackling with energy. It raised one massive arm, and the entire platform trembled.
“Here we go!” Lena shouted, darting forward.
The Guardian slammed its fist down, shattering part of the platform. Erik barely managed to dodge, the impact sending him sprawling. He scrambled to his feet, swinging his sword at the creature’s leg. The blade connected, but the Guardian’s form shimmered, absorbing the blow with no visible damage.
“It’s immune!” Erik shouted.
“Not entirely!” Lena called back. “There’s always a weak point!”
The Guardian turned its attention to Lena, its massive arm swinging toward her. She leapt aside, her daggers flashing as she struck at the creature’s joints. Sparks flew, and the Guardian staggered slightly.
“There!” Lena shouted. “The joints! They’re vulnerable!”
Erik nodded, focusing on the creature’s movements. He reached out with his mind, summoning a terminal:
[ENTITY: SYSTEM GUARDIAN.]
[STATUS: ACTIVE // HEAVILY ARMORED.]
[ACTIONS AVAILABLE: ANALYZE // MODIFY.]
He selected ANALYZE, and a detailed schematic of the Guardian appeared. Its weak points glowed faintly, highlighted against the dense armor.
“Got it!” Erik shouted, charging forward.
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He targeted the Guardian’s knee, his sword striking with precision. The blade cut through, and the Guardian let out a distorted howl, collapsing onto one leg.
“Keep going!” Lena yelled, driving her daggers into its shoulder.
The Guardian thrashed wildly, its movements growing more erratic as it sustained damage. Erik seized the opportunity, delivering a final blow to its chest. The creature froze, its body crackling with energy, before shattering into a cascade of glowing fragments.
The platform grew silent once more.
“Nice work,” Lena said, breathing heavily.
“Thanks,” Erik said, though his hands were trembling. “But I doubt that’s the last of them.”
As they moved deeper into the Nexus, the architecture became even more surreal. The walls seemed to ripple and shift, and the floor was a patchwork of floating platforms suspended over an endless void.
“This place feels… alive,” Erik said, his voice uneasy.
“It is,” Lena replied. “The Nexus isn’t just a building—it’s the system’s central hub. Everything in this world flows through here. The devs built it to monitor, control, and, when necessary, erase.”
Erik shuddered. “Erase what?”
“Everything,” Lena said. “Players, NPCs, even the terrain. If the devs decide it’s broken, they delete it.”
“Then why didn’t they delete me?” Erik asked.
“They tried,” Lena said. “But the glitch changed you. You’re not just a player anymore—you’re something the system doesn’t know how to process. That’s why they’re so desperate to stop you.”
Erik fell silent, his mind racing. He had spent years playing Endworld Online, thinking of it as nothing more than a game. Now, he was fighting for the very survival of its world.
They reached another massive chamber, its walls covered in shifting screens that displayed the entire world. Erik saw fragments of forests, villages, and cities—all rendered in stunning detail, yet eerily devoid of life.
At the center of the chamber floated a figure clad in a flowing cloak of glowing code. Its face was obscured by a featureless mask, and its body shimmered like a mirage.
“That’s the Overseer,” Lena said, her voice tight.
“The devs’ puppet?” Erik asked.
“More than that,” Lena said. “It’s their voice. The Overseer is the system’s enforcer, and it’s here for us.”
The Overseer turned toward them, its hollow gaze locking onto Erik.
“ANOMALY DETECTED.”
Its voice was calm, emotionless, yet it carried a weight that made Erik’s knees weak.
“YOU HAVE SEVERED THE GLITCH. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.”
“Yeah? Well, I didn’t think being turned into a glitch guinea pig was very acceptable either,” Erik shot back, raising his sword.
“YOU CANNOT WIN. THE SYSTEM WILL BE PURGED. YOUR EXISTENCE WILL END.”
The Overseer raised its hand, and the screens surrounding the chamber flared to life. Streams of code erupted from the walls, coiling around the Overseer like living snakes.
“Erik, move!” Lena shouted.
The streams lashed out, striking the platform where Erik had stood moments before. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast, and scrambled to his feet.
“How do we fight this thing?” Erik shouted.
“We don’t!” Lena yelled. “We disrupt it! Aim for the code!”
Erik nodded, focusing on the streams of data surrounding the Overseer. He reached out with his mind, summoning a terminal:
[ENTITY: OVERSEER.]
[STATUS: LINKED TO SYSTEM CORE.]
[ACTIONS AVAILABLE: DISABLE CONNECTION // MODIFY.]
He selected DISABLE CONNECTION, and the streams faltered briefly before reasserting themselves.
“It’s too strong!” Erik said, gritting his teeth.
“Then weaken it!” Lena shouted, leaping toward the Overseer. Her daggers sliced through one of the streams, disrupting its flow. The Overseer staggered, its movements becoming jerky.
Erik seized the opportunity, targeting another stream with his sword. The blade cut through, and the stream shattered into pixels.
“Keep going!” Lena called, dodging another attack.
The Overseer’s body flickered, its once-imposing form glitching as Erik and Lena dismantled its connections one by one. Finally, with a piercing wail, the Overseer collapsed, its body dissolving into a cascade of light.
The chamber grew silent.
Erik and Lena stood before a massive console at the center of the chamber. Its surface pulsed with energy, streams of code flowing across its sleek design.
“This is it,” Lena said. “The core of the Nexus.”
Erik stared at the console, his chest tightening. “So, what do we do?”
Lena placed her hand on the console, and a terminal appeared.
[NEXUS CORE: ADMIN ACCESS REQUIRED.]
She turned to Erik, her expression serious. “It’s your call. Rewrite the system, or destroy it. Either way, the devs won’t let us walk away.”
Erik hesitated, the weight of the decision bearing down on him. Rewrite the system and risk retaliation—or destroy it and risk everything.
He took a deep breath, his hand hovering over the terminal.
“We rewrite it,” he said finally. “We take back control.”
Lena nodded. “Let’s do it.”
As Erik input the command, the Nexus flared to life, and the entire world seemed to hold its breath.