The looming structure of the Scarlet Citadel dominated the ndscape like a scar on the world. Its spires reached skyward, blood-red stone pulsating with faint, ominous energy. The air was thick with tension, the distant cries of unseen creatures setting the stage for what was clearly going to be a grind-heavy, high-stakes dungeon run.

  “Alright, team,” I said. “Let’s not turn this into another Thornback Hydra fiasco. Stick to the pn, watch each other’s backs, and don’t pull aggro like it’s a sport.”

  Fi grinned as she spun one of her twin swords absently. “I feel personally attacked, Boss.”

  Selene smirked faintly, her sharp eyes scanning the path ahead. “If the shoe fits.”

  Mason chuckled, hefting his hammer over his shoulder. “You mean the ‘aggro-magnet Fi’ shoes? Yeah, they fit.”

  “Wow, okay, so we’re all ganging up on me now?” Fi shot back, though her grin never wavered. “I see how it is.”

  “Focus,” Devon said, his greatsword resting against his shoulder. “This isn’t a stroll through Ironspire. Let’s move.”

  The entrance to the citadel was a massive archway carved with twisting, jagged runes. As we stepped through, the world seemed to shift, the air growing colder and heavier. My HUD flickered briefly, and for a split second, the system glitched—random numbers and garbled text skittered across my vision before stabilizing.

  “Did anyone else see that?” I asked, gripping my dagger.

  “I didn’t see anything,” Ethan said from the back of the group, his bow already in hand. “But Whatever’s in here, I’ll keep an eye out.”

  The interior of the citadel was a byrinth of dark corridors and crumbling stone. Faint crimson light seeped through cracks in the walls, and the occasional skittering of cws on stone echoed ominously.

  The first wave of enemies hit us as we rounded a corner—Shadow Wraiths, their translucent, smoky forms darting through the air like living shadows.

  Shadow Wraith

  HP: 2,000Weakness: Light Magic, Piercing AttacksAbilities:Phantom Swipe: Deals moderate damage and applies a fear effect.Veil of Shadows: Temporarily becomes invulnerable.Fi was the first to engage, her twin swords gleaming in the dim light as she lunged at the nearest wraith.

  Skill Activated: Bde Dance.

  Her strikes nded, but the wraith retaliated with a Phantom Swipe, forcing her to backpedal.

  “Little help here?” she called, dodging another attack.

  Mason stepped in with his hammer, the ground shaking as he swung in a wide arc.

  The wraiths shrieked as the impact disrupted their forms, giving Selene an opening to slip behind them.

  Selene vanishes briefly, reappearing behind her target to deal critical damage.

  Meanwhile, Ethan fired from the backline, his arrows piercing through the ethereal enemies with precision.

  I darted forward, Hydra Fang at the ready. The bde cut through one of the wraiths, and the poison effect immediately took hold, causing its form to flicker and destabilize.

  [Skill Activated: Lacerating Strike[

  The battle ended in a fsh of light as Devon delivered a devastating overhead strike, cleaving the st wraith in two.

  Battle Complete

  XP Gained: 1,200Loot Acquired: Shadow Essence (Rare Crafting Material)As we regrouped, I noticed a faint glitch in the corridor ahead—like a ripple in the air, distorting the stone walls around it.

  “Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “There’s something... off here.”

  Selene stepped closer, her dagger drawn. “What do you mean?”

  I approached cautiously, reaching out instinctively. As my hand touched the glitch, a wave of blue energy surged outward, and my HUD lit up with a new notification.

  [New Skill Unlocked: Glitch Patch] : Can interact with corrupted elements of the game world to repair glitches, restoring normal functionality.

  The ripple stabilized, revealing a hidden passage that hadn’t been on the map.

  “Well, that’s new,” Ethan said, stepping forward to peer into the passage.

  “I think... it’s part of my code,” I said, my voice quiet. “I think since I’m hacked, I can interact with the game in ways I wasn’t supposed to.”

  Devon frowned, his grip tightening on his sword. “And what happens if the devs figure that out?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. But for now, let’s see where this takes us.”

  The hidden passage led to a rge, open chamber bathed in crimson light. At its center was a massive, glitching entity—a Corrupted Sentinel, its body flickering between forms as static crackled around it.

  Corrupted Sentinel

  HP: 20,000Weakness: UnknownAbilities:Data Corruption: Applies a stacking debuff that reduces pyer stats over time.Code Fracture: Summons waves of smaller enemies.The sentinel roared, its voice a distorted screech as smaller, glitching creatures materialized around it.

  “Spread out!” I shouted, moving to the side as the fight began.

  Devon and Mason took the front line, their weapons cshing against the sentinel’s massive limbs.

  Skill Activated: Iron Bastion [reduces incoming damage by 50% for 10 seconds]

  Fi and Selene darted between the smaller enemies, their precision strikes keeping the adds from overwhelming us.

  Ethan fired from the back, his arrows glowing faintly. I focused on the sentinel itself, my new ability fring to life as I reached out.

  Skill Activated: Glitch Patch

  The sentinel shuddered, its glitches fading to reveal a glowing weak spot on its chest.

  “There!” I shouted. “Aim for the core!”

  Devon charged, his greatsword glowing with fiery energy as he unleashed a powerful strike.

  With a final, coordinated assault, the sentinel colpsed, its body dissolving into light.

  Boss Defeated: Corrupted Sentinel

  XP Gained: 5,000Loot Acquired: Fragment Binary Code (7/???)I picked up the fragment, feeling its weight in my hand as the room grew quiet. The others looked at me expectantly, but I tucked it into my inventory without a word.

  “Let’s keep moving,” I said, leading the way out of the chamber.

  ?????°???°?????

  The glow of the Fragment Binary Code faded as I tucked it into my inventory, its faint hum still resonating in the back of my mind.

  “Another one down,” Selene said, “How many more do you think are out there?”

  “No way to know,” I replied, flexing my hand as the residual energy from my Glitch Patch faded. “But we’re making progress. That’s what matters.”

  Fi twirled one of her twin swords idly, her face bright despite the dungeon’s oppressive atmosphere. “I mean, seven’s gotta be lucky, right? Maybe the next one will lead us to the big bad.”

  “Or something worse,” Devon muttered, his grip tightening on his greatsword.

  Ethan, standing a bit away from the group, spoke up. “If the devs scattered these things on purpose, they probably didn’t expect anyone to actually find them—let alone someone who could ‘fix’ the game like Kiera can.”

  I gnced at him, noting the way he avoided meeting Devon’s eyes. Tension still lingered between the two of them, but at least it wasn’t erupting into open hostility.

  The Scarlet Citadel wasn’t finished with us yet. As we moved deeper into its twisting halls, the air grew heavier, and the faint glitches in the environment became more frequent. Walls flickered, doors shifted positions, and even the occasional enemy seemed to warp in and out of existence.

  “This pce is falling apart,” Mason muttered, his hammer resting against his shoulder. “Feels like the game itself is trying to fight us.”

  “That’s because it probably is,” I said, my eyes scanning for more distortions. “The glitches are getting worse the closer we get to the heart of this pce.”

  Selene paused, her sharp gaze fixed on a flickering doorway ahead. “Another ambush. I can feel it.”

  [Area: Corrupted Atrium]

  Threat Level: HighObjective: Clear the room of enemies and stabilize the glitches.The moment we stepped into the atrium, the floor shifted beneath our feet, and a wave of Glitchspawn emerged from the walls. These enemies were malformed, their pixeted bodies constantly shifting between forms as they screeched toward us.

  Glitchspawn

  HP: 4,000Abilities:Pixel Surge: Releases an AoE explosion, dealing damage and disrupting pyer HUDs.Form Shift: Randomly changes size and attack patterns.“Here they come!” Fi yelled, charging forward with her twin swords.

  Selene disappeared into the shadows, reappearing behind a rger Glitchspawn and driving her dagger into its back.

  The Glitchspawn retaliated with a Pixel Surge, and my HUD flickered violently. For a moment, I couldn’t see my health bar or cooldowns, but I focused on the rhythm of battle and darted toward the closest enemy.

  Skill Activated: Lacerating Strike

  The poison effects stacked quickly, causing the Glitchspawn to convulse as green energy spread across their pixeted forms.

  Devon let out a battle cry, his greatsword glowing with fiery energy as he swung in a wide arc.

  Mason joined him, smming his hammer into the ground with enough force to send shockwaves through the atrium.

  As the st of the Glitchspawn fell, the room shuddered, and a massive glitch appeared in the center—a swirling vortex of corrupted data that threatened to destabilize the entire area.

  Without thinking, I stepped forward, reaching out with the energy I’d felt earlier.

  Skill Activated: Glitch Patch

  Blue light spread from my hand, stabilizing the vortex and revealing another hidden passage. The others watched in silence as the distortion faded, leaving behind an eerie calm.

  ?????°???°?????

  The hidden passage stretched before us like a jagged wound carved into the citadel’s core. The faint hum of static energy grew louder with every step, and the air thickened with the acrid tang of corrupted data.

  The corridor ended abruptly at a massive iron door, its surface etched with glitching runes that flickered and sparked. Devon stepped forward, his greatsword resting against his shoulder as he eyed the door warily.

  “This is it,” he said, his voice steady.

  I nodded, my HUD lighting up with the dungeon’s final objective.

  [Dungeon Objective: Defeat the Glitched Nexus Warden]

  Location: Scarlet Citadel CoreBoss: Nexus WardenRewards: XP, Rare Loot, and Potential Binary FragmentI gnced at the group, their faces lit by the faint glow of the door’s runes.

  “Same pn as before,” I said. “Devon and Mason, hold the front line. Fi and Selene, fnk and focus on precision. Ethan, backline support. I’ll deal with the glitches and stabilize the core when it’s exposed.”

  The group nodded in unison, tension crackling in the air like the static around us.

  “Let’s finish this,” Devon said, pushing the door open with a heavy creak.

  The Scarlet Citadel Core felt alive, its oppressive energy pressing down on us as we stepped into the massive chamber. At its center loomed the Nexus Warden, a towering figure of corrupted data that shifted and flickered with every movement. Its form was humanoid but fractured, its limbs a patchwork of jagged lines and static. It let out a distorted roar, and the walls of the chamber trembled in response.

  [Boss: Nexus Warden]

  HP: 50,000Weakness: Stabilized Data PointsAbilities:Code Fracture: Summons waves of corrupted enemies.Data Surge: AoE pulse that disrupts HUDs and stuns pyers for 5 seconds.Overload Protocol: Triggers self-destruction, dealing massive damage.“Spread out!” I shouted.

  Devon took the lead, his greatsword raised high as he advanced toward the warden. “Keep the focus on me!” he barked, his voice echoing through the chamber.

  The Nexus Warden’s hollow eyes locked onto him, and it lunged forward, its massive arm smashing into the ground. Devon braced himself, the impact rippling through the floor as he held his ground.

  [Skill Activated: Iron Bastion]

  Reduces incoming damage by 50% for 10 seconds.“Is that all you’ve got?” Devon growled, his greatsword glowing with fiery energy. With a powerful swing, he sshed at the warden’s arm, the bde leaving a trail of burning sparks.

  [Skill Activated: Bloodstrike]

  The warden screeched, its fragmented form shuddering as Devon’s strike nded. Before it could retaliate, Mason charged in from the side, his hammer raised.

  “Time to even the odds!” Mason roared, smming his hammer into the ground with a force that shook the chamber.

  The warden staggered, its massive body flickering as the stun took hold. Seizing the opportunity, Selene darted forward, disappearing, and reappeared behind the warden, her dagger plunging into one of its glowing weak points. The warden let out another distorted scream, its health bar dropping noticeably.

  Fi, ever the opportunist, joined the fray, her twin swords fshing as she leapt into action. “Let’s see how you handle this!” she shouted, unching a series of rapid strikes at the warden’s leg.

  The warden faltered, its corrupted data oozing from the wounds left by Fi’s attacks. Ethan, stationed at the back of the group, notched an arrow and took aim at the warden’s core.

  “Time to make this count,” he muttered, releasing the shot.

  The arrow struck true, embedding itself in the warden’s chest. The creature’s movements slowed, its glitching limbs struggling to keep pace.

  “This is our chance!” I called, activating my own ability as I moved toward the warden’s core.

  Hydra Fang glowed brighter as I drove it into the warden’s exposed chest. The venom seeped into its core, causing its health bar to plummet. The creature’s fragmented form shuddered violently, its glowing weak points flickering erratically.

  I reached out with my free hand as a familiar blue energy surged from my palm.

  [Skill Activated: Glitch Patch]

  The energy tched onto the warden, stabilizing its chaotic movements and revealing its final weak point. The creature screamed, its form solidifying as the corruption faded.

  “Finish it!” I yelled, stepping back as the others moved in for the kill.

  Devon and Mason led the charge, their combined strikes hammering into the warden’s chest. Selene and Fi attacked from the fnks, their precision cutting through the remaining defenses. Ethan’s arrows rained down from above, each shot finding its mark.

  With a final, ear-splitting roar, the Nexus Warden colpsed, its form dissolving into a shower of light. The chamber fell silent, and a faint hum filled the air as the glitching walls began to stabilize.

  [Boss Defeated: Nexus Warden]

  XP Gained: 15,000Loot Acquired: Glitch Core (Epic Crafting Material).In the center of the now-stabilized room, a glowing Fragment Binary Code appeared, its light steady and calming. I approached it slowly, the weight of its significance pressing down on me.

  [Item Acquired: Fragment Binary Code]

  Total Fragments Collected: 10/???The fragment disappeared into my inventory with a soft hum, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The citadel’s core was finally stable, and the oppressive energy that had pgued it was gone. However much that glitch boss gave me way more Binary codes than before.

  As we exited the citadel, the cool night air was a welcome relief. We treaded back to the guild where Kaelion stood waiting, his arms crossed as he surveyed us.

  “Well done,” he said, his voice carrying a note of approval. “The Scarlet Citadel is stable, and the threat has been neutralized. I’ve been getting reports all day saying that the glitches surrounding the area have been evaporated, as if they never existed.”

  “Thanks,” I said, my tone light but weary. Looking at the group, we all were thinking the same thing. “But I think The Abyssal Forge will be our st time we’re with your group. We have other pces to be, you know, stopping these glitches from wrecking havoc on the servers core..”

  Kaelion nodded, his expression unreadable. “You have your path, and we have ours. Wherever it leads you, don’t forget what you’ve accomplished here.”

  I nodded, the fragment’s weight still lingering in the back of my mind. The road ahead was uncertain, but for the first time in a long while, I felt ready to face it.