Glitch Overlord: The NPC Who Hijacked the Gods’ Player Syste

Chapter 5: Darkness Below

The underground tunnel was cold and narrow. Water dripped from the ceiling and made the ground slippery. Jax moved carefully through the dark with Mira right beside him. His injured leg throbbed with every step and the cut on his side burned like fire. The cloth Mira had tied around the wound was already soaked with blood. He felt weaker with each passing minute, but he could not stop.

Behind them, the sound of CrimsonKing69 searching the warehouse grew louder. Crates crashed to the floor and angry curses echoed down the tunnel entrance. The player was getting closer.

Jax's heart pounded hard in his chest. He placed one hand on the damp wall to steady himself. The small stealth skill helped him move quieter, but it did not remove the pain or the tiredness in his body.

Mira stayed close. Her breathing was fast and scared, but she did not complain. She sometimes reached out to help him when he stumbled on the uneven ground.

"We are almost at the main maintenance area," she whispered. "There are old rooms down there where we can hide for a while."

Jax nodded, but speaking took too much energy. He saved his breath and kept moving. The tunnel sloped downward and the darkness grew thicker. Only faint light from small glowing pipes on the wall showed the way.

Suddenly, his foot slipped on a wet patch. He fell forward and caught himself on the wall. Pain shot through his side and he had to bite his lip to keep from making noise. Blood trickled down again. The small health recovery he had stolen earlier was too weak to keep up with the new damage.

Mira helped him stand. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"I will make it," he answered through gritted teeth. "We cannot slow down."

They continued deeper into the tunnel. The air grew heavier and smelled of rust and old water. After a few more minutes, they reached a larger open area. Old, broken machines and dusty control panels lined the walls. Several small rooms branched off from the main space. It looked like a forgotten part of the game that no players ever visited.

Jax chose the smallest room at the back. The door was old and heavy, but it still closed properly. They slipped inside and pushed the door shut. The room was small, with one weak light hanging from the ceiling and a pile of old blankets in the corner.

He sank down onto the blankets and let out a long, painful breath. His whole body felt like it was on fire. The struggle to run and hide had taken almost everything he had.

Mira sat beside him and checked his wounds again. The bleeding had slowed, but the cuts looked bad. She used another piece of cloth to clean them as best she could. Her touch was gentle, and it gave Jax a small moment of calm in the middle of the chaos.

While she worked, Jax closed his eyes and reached for the system. He needed something more to help him survive the next few minutes. But he knew he could not push too hard. His body was already at its limit.

[Skill Theft Attempted: Minor Endurance Boost]

[Partial Success. Severe Strain on Host Body.]

A small wave of warmth spread through his muscles. The tiredness in his legs eased just a little and he felt like he could stand again if he had to. But the effort hit him hard. His head spun and a sharp headache started behind his eyes. He leaned forward and pressed his hands to his temples. The cost of stealing power was becoming clearer. It was not free. It drained him from the inside.

Mira noticed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You look worse," she said. "What is this power doing to you?"

"It is giving me a chance," Jax answered quietly. "But it fights back too. I have to be careful, or it will break me before the Overseers even arrive."

They sat in silence for a moment. Outside the room, they could hear faint sounds from the tunnel. CrimsonKing69's voice echoed somewhere above. He was still searching and getting angrier.

Then the warning appeared again in Jax's mind.

[Overseer Alert: Investigation team has reached the underground entrance. Anomaly signal is strong. Arrival in five minutes.]

Jax's eyes snapped open. Five minutes. That was almost no time at all. He forced himself to stand even though his body protested with fresh pain.

"We have to keep moving," he said. "They are too close now."

Mira stood with him. Her face showed fear, but also determination. "Where to next?" she asked.

Jax looked around the small room. There was a rusty metal grate in the floor that led even deeper into the maintenance system. It looked old and unused, but it might take them further away from the search.

"Down there," he said, pointing to the grate.

Together they lifted the heavy grate. The effort made Jax's wounds open again and fresh blood stained the floor. Mira helped him as much as she could. They climbed down into the even darker level below. The air was colder and the sounds from above grew muffled.

They had just pulled the grate back into place when they heard heavy footsteps enter the room above.

CrimsonKing69's voice rang out loud and clear.

"I can smell the blood, glitch. You cannot hide forever."

Jax and Mira froze in the darkness below. They held their breath and listened. The player walked around the room, throwing things aside in anger.

"Come out and I will make your end quick," he shouted. "Otherwise I will bring my whole guild down here and tear this place apart."

Jax felt the pressure building like a weight on his chest. His body was screaming for rest. His mind felt foggy from the strain of using the system. But he refused to give up. He had come too far to die in a dark hole.

Mira reached out and took his hand in the darkness. Her fingers were cold, but her grip was steady.

"We will find a way," she whispered.

Jax squeezed her hand back. The small connection gave him strength. He was no longer just fighting for himself. He was fighting for both of them now.

The footsteps above moved closer to the grate. CrimsonKing69 stopped right above them.

"I know you are down there," he said with a low, dangerous voice.

Jax's heart pounded so loud he was sure the player could hear it.

Then a new red warning flashed in his mind, stronger than before.

[Overseer Alert: Investigation team has entered the underground area. Direct detection imminent. Prepare for confrontation or permanent deletion in three minutes.]

The walls seemed to close in. CrimsonKing69 was right above them. The Overseers were almost here. Jax's body hurt everywhere and his stolen power felt thin and weak.

He looked at Mira in the faint light and made a cold decision.

We cannot run forever, he thought.

At some point, he would have to stand and fight with whatever he had.

Even if it cost him everything.