Chapter 1: Awakening to a Glitch
"Buffer, buff me! My mana's dying!"
PsychoBlaze, the guild's mage, screamed in Livia's ear. It wasn't just a scream; it was distorted, like an irritating static wave that made her head ring fiercely. The voice felt miles away, muffled by a strange, thick fog. Livia tried to focus, but her vision blurred. The world before her flickered erratically. The pungent smell of disinfectant—a familiar yet alien hospital scent—mingled with the strange, burnt data and ozone smell of Ethereal Nexus. Why does this hospital smell so real? And this burnt circuit smell... where am I, exactly?
Livia, a 19-year-old psychology student, should have been wrestling with a thesis deadline that felt like an unconquerable end-game boss. She shouldn't be here, trapped between these two clashing sensations.
A transparent notification blinked wildly in her retina, interrupting her still-blurry vision like an unskippable pop-up ad. Parts of the text were corrupted, but one line glared clearly, piercing her consciousness: [ANOMALY DETECTED. ROLE: MENTAL SUPPORTER. LEVEL 1.]
Level 1? She was a Lv. 5 Mental Supporter, the unseen pillar behind every Bloodbath & Beyond raid victory! How could she be reset like this? Why was she called an "Anomaly"? Was this some new bug from an update she'd missed? Livia never signed up for a beta test this bizarre. A cold dread crept down her spine.
She felt her body—or at least what felt like her body in the game—lying stiff. As if she'd just respawned after the most humiliating death. There was a heavy sensation, like being submerged in a thick, viscous fluid. Every movement felt agonizingly slow and difficult. Her head throbbed fiercely, like radio signals fighting for frequency in her brain. Then, the memory hit—suddenly, unexpectedly, excruciatingly: a blinding flash of light. The ear-splitting shriek of tires. And a sudden, tearing pain. An accident? When? Where did that happen? It all felt like a nightmare she'd just lived, yet with details too vivid to ignore. Her hands trembled. Cold sweat beaded on her temples.
"Buffer, quick! We're surrounded! This isn't funny!" yelled StormReaver, the Guild Master. His voice was deep and urgent, laced with a hint of panic. "Where's your defense, Buffer?!"
Livia forced her eyes wider, trying to cut through the visual haze. Around her lay pixilated ruins, remnants of buildings that looked badly re-rendered after a graphic explosion. The air was thin, smelling of burnt ozone. In the distance, enemy silhouettes emerged. They were NPC Cleaners, sleek, expressionless silver-armored drones she usually handled with ease. But this time, there were too many—dozens, maybe hundreds. Their movements felt more coordinated, more... lethal. They moved like trained soldiers, not mindless bots.
"I am not a Buffer!" Livia hissed, her voice hoarse, her throat dry and scratchy. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat. She tried to move her hands, feeling a familiar, yet very weak, energy flow through her. This was her skill as a Mental Supporter.
[SKILL: EMPATHY SPARK (LV. 1) ACTIVATING. USER CONDITION: NOT OPTIMAL.]
Empathy Spark was her basic Mental Supporter skill. With it, Livia could channel her emotional connection to stabilize teammates' minds, soothe their fears, and indirectly boost their skill performance. The higher her level, the stronger the effect. But now, Lv. 1? And that strange warning about "further glitches"? This had never happened. Livia ignored the warning. Her friends in Bloodbath & Beyond—her virtual family—needed her.
She focused her mind. Livia channeled Empathy Spark towards StormReaver and PsychoBlaze, who were struggling to hold back the tide of Cleaners. A faint, silvery energy flowed from Livia.
"StormReaver, focus on defense! Use Shadow Aegis!" Livia commanded. She felt a slight recovery in the Guild Master's energy. A flicker of confidence ignited amidst his despair. "And PsychoBlaze, spam Inferno Barrage! Burn them all!"
Immediately, StormReaver raised his greatsword. A dark aura erupted, forming a solid shield that protected him from the Cleaners' attacks. Meanwhile, PsychoBlaze began firing volleys of fireballs, incinerating the area in front of him, though his movements still seemed a bit panicked.
"Huh? Buffer, you're back! I thought you were AFK forever!" yelled StarSlinger, the Arcane Gunslinger from New York. He fired an Astral Shot with surprising precision, hitting a Cleaner drone's eye and making it explode. "You always show up at the perfect time!"
"I told you, I'm not a Buffer! I'm a Mental Supporter!" Livia protested. Frustration mingled with a thin layer of relief. At least they still recognized and relied on her. But why did she feel... different? More... fragile? As if her in-game identity was no longer just a role, but a torn part of herself.
As she tried to stand, her knees buckled. Her body trembled violently. Not from fear of the Cleaners, but from signal interference. As if she herself was a walking glitch. Every time she moved, the world around her flickered. Pixilated lines shifted. Building textures nearby seemed to error, then return to normal. This was the most disorienting experience of her life.
"ANOMALY DETECTED AT PRIMARY LOCATION," a detached, far larger, and more powerful voice than the Cleaners' boomed from the pixilated sky, making the ground shake. The voice sounded like thousands of lines of code spoken in unison, cold and full of menace, splitting the air. "PURIFICATION PROCESS INITIATED."
A gigantic shadow loomed over them, blotting out the light of Ethereal Nexus's usual blue-green sky. It was a terrifying black crystal drone, far larger than any Cleaner Livia had ever seen. The static aura it emitted felt cold. It pierced deep into her data core, as if trying to freeze every emotion she felt. This wasn't a regular Cleaner. This was something new. Something far larger and more threatening. An entity radiating absolute power. And on the transparent monitor that kept following her—that unclosable pop-up—Livia saw it: the mysterious "DEVS ORIGINALS" logo glowing a sinister red, accompanied by the text: [TARGET IDENTIFIED: ANOMALOUS CODE LIVIA.]
Livia's heart pounded, slamming against her ribs in an erratic rhythm. Not from battle adrenaline, but from cold dread. This wasn't just a game bug. This wasn't just a regular raid. She knew she was in trouble. Trouble far bigger than a mere game glitch. Where was she? Why did she feel split between the smell of hospital disinfectant and burnt data? And who, or what, had just claimed her as an "Anomaly"? The questions spun in her mind, accompanied by a strange thought—Does this mean I can't log out?
Suddenly, another voice emerged in her mind. Not from the game. A faint whisper, distant, yet utterly familiar, stirring a deep longing.
"Livia… Wake up, darling… Mom misses you…"
The voice was accompanied by a visual flash: a sterile white room. A hospital bed with tubes. And the blurry face of a woman filled with tears, looking at her with profound sorrow. It was her mother.
Livia gasped. So, it was real? The accident was real? And she was now... in a coma? Trapped between two worlds, between a virtual consciousness and a helpless body? True fear surged, stronger than anything she'd felt in Ethereal Nexus.
"Buffer, stop zoning out! We're under attack!" yelled IronVanguard, the dependable tank from West Jakarta. He shielded her with his massive barrier. He growled, trying to hold back the endless wave of Cleaners. "I can't hold them all alone!"
Livia watched the gigantic black crystal drone begin firing thick static beams at them. It disintegrated surrounding buildings into vanishing data particles. Livia had to act. She couldn't just give up. Not here, and not wherever she truly was.
Is all of this part of the accident? Is my brain creating this alternate reality as a defense mechanism against the coma? Or is something far more sinister at play, something pulling my soul into this trap?
Livia felt a strange power within her. A drive that transcended game logic. A drive to survive. A drive to know the truth. A drive to return.
"Don't call me Buffer!" Livia shouted, her voice now stronger, filled with determination, echoing among the pixilated ruins. "I'm a Mental Supporter! And I won't let you touch my friends!"
[MENTAL SUPPORTER LIVIA HAS OVERCOME INITIAL CODE INSTABILITY!]
[NEW SKILL DETECTED: EMPATHY SHIELD (LV. 1)! MAINTAIN YOUR RESOLVE!]
[+200 EXP!]
A transparent energy shield, silvery with blue flashes, suddenly appeared. It enveloped Livia and several nearby guild members. It held back the wave of static beams from the gigantic drone. Livia felt a strange sensation. It wasn't just protecting her in-game body; it was also easing the throbbing in her head. As if the shield wasn't just a digital entity, but also calming the chaos in her mind.
StormReaver stared at Livia. His eyes widened in shock. "Buffer... you just got a new skill? Lv. 1?"
"I don't know! The important thing is we have to survive!" Livia stared at the gigantic drone with burning resolve, her lips pressed into a thin line. This wasn't just a game. This was a fight for her very existence. And she wouldn't lose. No, I won't lose.
In the distance, MoonlightRogue, the nimble assassin from South Jakarta, let out a characteristic whine, "Ugh, my new skin's ruined by this digital smoke! Buffer, make me faster!"
Livia could only sigh. Still the same. But the sigh mingled with a faint, thin smile amidst the panic. At least some things remained constant. Yet, deep in Livia's heart, a far larger, more unsettling question lingered. A question that now felt like a heavy burden: How do I get out of here? How do I get back to my Mom? And does 'getting out' mean I have to leave this world that has become my second home, and these friends who have become my family?
Livia's eyes focused on the DEVS ORIGINALS logo glowing in her pop-up. Now, it was clearer and more menacing than before. This company was the key. And also the threat. Livia's fight for consciousness and freedom had just begun.