2025-10-16 00:23:51Wind howled through the trees like voices whispering secrets. Jayden opened his eyes to darkness flickering green.
Leaves glowed faintly, lines of code running across them like veins. The ground beneath him pulsed, half-solid, half-data. He pushed himself up, heart hammering. “Luna?”
Silence. Only the rustle of digital leaves answering him.“System, scan area,” he commanded.
A faint blue text appeared before his eyes: [Zone Two: Glitch Forest, Survival Rate: 22%. No allies detected within one kilometer.]
He cursed softly. “She’s gone.”
A faint laughter echoed through the trees. He spun around, sword raised. “Who’s there?”
No one answered, then, a rustle. Something moved between the shadows.
A boy stumbled out, skinny, wearing cracked glasses and a trembling expression. “D-don’t kill me!” he shouted, hands raised.
Jayden blinked. “Kill you? I’m human!”
The boy stared for a second, then lowered his arms slowly. “You’re… a player?”
“Yeah.” Jayden exhaled. “Name’s Jayden Cross. You?”
“E-Eli Thorn,” the boy said, voice shaking. “I woke up here an hour ago. Everything’s wrong. The trees… they move when you’re not looking.”
Jayden frowned, glancing around. “What do you mean?”
Eli pointed behind him. “Watch.”
Jayden turned. The nearest tree looked normal, tall, twisted bark, leaves flickering with light.
He looked away for just a second, and the tree was suddenly closer. Jayden’s pulse spiked. “It moved.”
Eli nodded, fear written across his face. “They react to sound and sight. They feed on code energy… from us.”
Before Jayden could respond, the forest itself seemed to breathe. Branches shifted, roots slithered. A deep growl rolled through the air.
[Warning: Hostile Entities Detected.]
“Run!” Eli yelled.
The ground cracked open as black vines erupted upward. Jayden grabbed Eli’s arm and pulled him along. “Don’t stop! Keep your eyes forward!”
They sprinted through the glitching forest, dodging snapping roots and collapsing code walls.
Jayden’s sword flickered with static. Eli gasped between breaths. “I-I thought this was just a game!”
“It’s not,” Jayden said tightly. “It’s a cage.”
A massive vine lashed toward them. Jayden spun and sliced through it, sparks flying. The blade vibrated violently in his hands.
The forest roared, a sound like a thousand broken radios. Jayden’s system flashed: [Mini-Boss Detected: Code Devourer.]
A massive tree creature rose from the mist, body made of black data, eyes glowing green. Eli stumbled back. “That’s… that’s the thing that took my friends!”
Jayden stepped forward, breathing hard. “Then I’ll take it down.”
Eli’s eyes widened. “You can’t fight that alone!”
Jayden didn’t answer. He felt something burning inside him, the same heat from the first battle. The System’s voice whispered softly:
[Skill: Combat Instinct, Ready.]
[New Task: Defeat the Devourer. Reward: Unknown.]Jayden smirked. “Looks like the game wants a show.”
The monster lunged, claws tearing through the ground. Jayden leapt aside, the wind slicing past his face. He swung his sword, missed by inches, and landed hard.
The creature roared again, shaking the forest. Its roots crashed down, trapping him in a circle. Eli screamed, “Move!”
Jayden couldn’t. The roots were closing fast. He gritted his teeth. “System! I need something, anything!”
[Processing request]
[Skill Unlocked: Overdrive, Double speed, limited time.]Energy flooded through his body. The world slowed. He moved like lightning, slicing through roots, sparks exploding everywhere. Eli shielded his face from the light. “He’s insane,” he muttered.
Jayden darted toward the monster, jumped, and drove his blade straight through its chest.
For a moment, everything froze. Then, an explosion of green shards. The Devourer screamed as its body disintegrated, scattering code into the air.
Jayden landed on one knee, panting. His system flashed again.
[Boss defeated. Reward: Data Crystal obtained.]
[Level Up. Strength +3.]He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “It’s over.”
Eli stared in disbelief. “How did you… move like that? You’re not a normal player.”
Jayden hesitated. “I don’t know. The system, it talks to me. Gives me missions, power boosts.”
Eli frowned. “That’s impossible. Only developers have access to that level of code.”
Jayden looked at him sharply. “Developers?”
Eli nodded. “I read rumors before the game launched. Some players were test subjects. The system inside Eden wasn’t supposed to control them, it was supposed to learn from them.”
Jayden’s stomach turned cold. “You’re saying someone did this on purpose?”
Before Eli could answer, static filled the air. The forest flickered, colors fading into gray.
A voice boomed through the trees, Deep, smooth, and terrifyingly calm: [Congratulations, Player Jayden Cross. You passed the second trial.]
Jayden froze. “Who are you?”
[You may call me the Game Master.]
The air rippled. A red mask appeared above them, glowing like fire. Eli stumbled back. “That’s the same voice from the tutorial.”
[You’ve survived longer than expected, Player #10927. Perhaps you deserve a reward.]
Jayden’s fists clenched. “I don’t want your reward. I want out.”
[Out? There is no out. You are already part of Eden.]
The forest darkened further. The trees bent inward, whispering words Jayden couldn’t understand. He shouted, “Why are you doing this?! People are dying!”
[Dying? No. They’re evolving. Just like you.]
Jayden’s sword trembled in his hand. His pulse thundered in his ears. “You’re wrong. I’m still human.”
The red mask flickered, almost amused. [We’ll see. Proceed to Zone Three. The real test begins now.] Then it vanished.
The forest stilled. Only the faint hum of data remained. Eli looked pale. “We have to get out of here before it reboots this zone.”
Jayden stared at the fading mask above, whispering, “Luna… I’ll find you. No matter what this game throws at me.”
He reached for the glowing crystal the Devourer had dropped. The moment his fingers touched it, light shot through the forest, bright, blinding white. Eli shouted, “Jayden, what did you do?!”
Jayden tried to pull his hand back, but the light consumed him completely. His system screamed in his head.
[Warning: Forced Transfer Detected. Destination: Zone Three, The City of Ghost Codes.]
The forest vanished in a flash. Jayden’s last sight was Eli’s terrified face disappearing into static.
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Chapter 133. Names Without Faces
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