The novice village of Battlefield Eternal pulsed with anticipation, its streets alive with players preparing for the first major event since the game's launch: the Crimson Tide Raid. Kael Draven stood at the edge of the central plaza, his Nightstalker's Cloak and Guardian's Pauldron marking him as a force apart. At level 8, his glitched stats outstripped even the village's elite, his reputation as the "Bug King" cemented after his Ironspire triumph. His talent, Conceptual Flaw, and passive skills, Fragmented Insight and Erratic Resonance, were no mere quirks—they were a fracture in the game's code, a power Kael wielded with growing precision. The raid would be his proving ground, a chance to push his abilities further and send a warning to his betrayers: Rhea, Cassian, Markus, Lena, and Joren. The invasion was 727 days away, and Kael would be ready to crush them all.
The raid's announcement blared through every player's interface: Defend the village from the Crimson Horde, a wave of blood-forged beasts led by the Crimson Overlord. Protect the Nexus Crystal at the village core. The event was designed for coordinated parties, with rewards scaling by contribution. Kael had no interest in teams—his glitches were enough. He scanned the plaza, spotting Lena among a healer-heavy group, her face tense as she avoided his gaze. Joren skulked nearby, his daggers hidden, his defeat in their duel still raw. Kael's eyes narrowed. They'd feel his wrath later. For now, the raid awaited.
The sky darkened, a crimson haze spreading as portals tore open at the village's edges. Roars echoed, and the Crimson Horde poured forth—hulking beasts with molten hides, their claws dripping with corrosive ichor. Players scrambled into formations, tanks raising shields, mages chanting spells. Kael stood alone, his Chieftain's Blade drawn, its edge gleaming with glitched energy. The crowd watched, some cheering, others skeptical. Fragmented Insight flickered: Weakness: Horde Core. Target Leaders to Disrupt. Kael sprinted toward a pack led by a Crimson Alpha, a level-6 elite.
The Alpha swung, its claws raking the air. Kael dodged, Erratic Resonance amplifying his speed into a blur. His blade struck the Alpha's core, a glowing orb in its chest. Conceptual Flaw activated, and the core glitched, fracturing into static. The Alpha exploded, taking half the pack with it. Loot rained down—double the pelts and a rare Crimson Shard. The crowd gasped, the spectator feed buzzing with disbelief.
"He's doing it again!" a player shouted. "That's not normal!"
Kael pressed forward, carving through waves of beasts. His powers synchronized with deadly precision: Fragmented Insight revealed weak points, Erratic Resonance amplified his strikes, and Conceptual Flaw warped the system's rules. A pack's charge froze mid-stride, their models stuttering before collapsing. Another dropped triple loot, his inventory swelling with Crimson Shards and a Bloodforged Ring boosting his strength. Kael's level ticked to 9, his stats soaring.
The horde intensified, spawning elite squads led by Crimson Reavers, level-7 brutes with dual axes. Players struggled, their formations buckling. Kael saw an opportunity. He targeted a Reaver, Fragmented Insight showing: Weakness: Axe Joints. Sever. His blade sliced through, Erratic Resonance turning the hit into a shockwave. The Reaver's axes glitched, swinging wildly into its allies. The squad collapsed, loot piling at Kael's feet. But then, the system reacted.
A tremor shook the village, the sky flickering. A new portal opened, larger than the rest, and the Crimson Overlord emerged—a titanic beast, level 10, its body a mass of molten spikes, its eyes blazing with digital fury. The system's voice boomed: Warning: Anomaly Detected. Overlord Enhanced. Kael's grin widened. His glitches had forced the game to escalate, spawning a boss beyond the raid's design. This was the first true glitch.
Players panicked, retreating as the Overlord's spikes rained down, shattering stone. Kael stood his ground, Fragmented Insight flashing: Weakness: Core Nexus. Overload with Rapid Strikes. He charged, dodging a spike barrage. Erratic Resonance surged, his blade moving faster than the system could track. Each hit on the Overlord's core triggered Conceptual Flaw, causing its model to fracture. Spikes misfired, health drained erratically, and the boss roared—a distorted, glitched sound that shook the server.
The crowd watched, stunned. "He's breaking the raid!" a mage cried. Kael ignored them, his focus absolute. The Overlord's health dropped to 10%, but it unleashed a final ability: Crimson Apocalypse, a wave of fire meant to wipe the village. Kael's Conceptual Flaw kicked in, warping the attack's code. The fire redirected, incinerating the remaining horde instead. Kael struck the core one last time, and the Overlord imploded, its model collapsing into a pixelated void.
Loot flooded the ground: a Crimson Overlord's Crest (legendary headgear boosting all stats), five Crimson Shards, and a fifth Fragment of the Eternal. The system's voice stuttered: Raid Complete. Top Contributor: Bug King. Reward Multiplier Applied. Kael's level hit 10, his stats now rivaling early city-tier players. The Nexus Crystal glowed, safe, and the village cheered, though some players glared with envy.
Kael collected his loot, the Fragment of the Eternal pulsing in his inventory. Its description remained cryptic, but he felt its connection to the founding races, the architects of this cosmic game. The Overlord's glitch was no accident—his powers had forced the system to overreach, exposing its limits. He'd use that to his advantage, collecting every fragment until he held the key to the Origin Crystal.
A figure approached through the crowd—a young woman, her avatar clad in healer robes, her eyes sharp with curiosity. "You're the Bug King," she said, her voice steady. "I'm Syl. I saw what you did. That wasn't just skill. You hacked the system without a console."
Kael studied her, his guard up. Fragmented Insight offered no weaknesses—she wasn't a threat. "What do you want?" he asked.
"To learn," Syl replied. "I'm a hacker, or was, before Battlefield Eternal locked out external mods. Your powers… they're like code injections, but internal. I want in."
Kael considered. In his first life, he'd worked alone until the Iron Vanguard betrayed him. Syl could be useful—her hacking skills might amplify his glitches. "Prove yourself," he said. "Join the next raid. Don't slow me down."
Syl nodded, a spark of determination in her eyes. "Deal. But watch out—players like Joren are talking. They're scared, and scared people get dangerous."
Kael glanced across the plaza, where Joren whispered with Lena and a few others. Their fear was palpable, a prelude to the reckoning he'd deliver. "Let them try," he said, turning to the quest board. A new task appeared: Scout the Abyssal Rift, a level-8 solo mission to investigate a nearby anomaly. Kael accepted it, sensing another chance to test his powers.
As he prepared to leave, Instructor Veyra appeared, her NPC frame radiating unease. "Your actions ripple, Bug King," she said, her voice almost breaking script. "The founders' eyes are on you. The fragments you hold—they're not meant for mortals."
"Then they shouldn't have let me take them," Kael replied, his tone defiant. Veyra's runes flickered, and she vanished, leaving a chill in the air.
Kael opened his inventory, the five Fragments of the Eternal glowing faintly. Each felt heavier, as if the system itself resisted their collection. The founding races had built this game as a crucible, testing worlds for their amusement. The Crimson Overlord's glitch proved they weren't infallible—Kael's powers were a flaw they couldn't patch. He'd exploit it, tearing through the village, then Arcturus, until he faced his betrayers and claimed the Origin Crystal.
The plaza buzzed, players chanting Bug King as Kael headed for the Abyssal Rift. Joren and Lena watched from the shadows, their whispers a promise of resistance. Kael didn't care. The invasion was 727 days away, and he was already a force the system couldn't contain. The novice village was his proving ground, and he'd leave it in ruins before moving to the main cities. The battlefield awaited, and the Bug King would conquer it all.