Leo walked through the slum streets with long, steady steps. The early afternoon sun reflected off the rusted roofs and broken walls, casting jagged shadows that stretched across the narrow paths. The air was hot enough to bake metal, and the dusty wind carried the bitter smell of burnt circuits and old garbage.
As he passed a collapsed shack, a group of young slum kids ran up to him. Their cheeks were dirt-smudged, their clothes patched together with scraps of fabric. One of them pushed forward an old, slightly bent bicycle.
"Hey, big bro! Wanna buy this? Only a few Pentas!"
"It works fine! Almost fine!"
"Probably fine…"
Leo glanced at the bicycle. The chain was rusty, the tires uneven, and half the spokes looked like they were held together by prayer alone. Probably stolen too — which explained the low price.
He waved them off. "Not today."
The kids shrugged and scurried off to find their next potential victim.
Leo continued deeper into the slums.
The city he lived in — Old Morrow City — was one of the forgotten corners of the world. Once, decades ago, it had been a bustling hub full of adventurers, Rangers, and explorers drawn by the unstable Alt-Zones in the region. People used to come to Old Morrow to chase glory, riches, or foolish dreams.
But those days were long gone.
Most Alt-Zones here had been cleared, sealed, or collapsed. Whatever treasures and Altwares that once lay scattered across the territory had been stripped away years ago. The moment the opportunities dried up, the Rangers left. Then the technicians left. Then the merchants.
And finally, even the Corporates stopped caring.
Now, Old Morrow City existed only as a neglected property under the massive Pentagon Corporation — a forgotten child among dozens of thriving cities in the region.
Only slum residents remained, piled up against each other like discarded pieces of furniture.
Still… every once in a while, foolish or desperate slum dwellers ran toward the borders of the old Alt-Zones, hoping to get lucky and find something that could change their life.
Usually, they didn't return.
Leo approached the far edge of the city, where the buildings became sparser and more broken. Walls caved inward, roofs were missing, and entire floors were held up by barely-standing support beams.
Through one such broken building, Leo stepped forward and—
The world opened up.
The ruins of the Wasteland lay before him.
A vast, open field of shattered concrete. Twisted metal pillars stuck out of the ground like skeletal remains. Entire highways had collapsed into deep trenches, and abandoned towers leaned like dying giants.
Long ago, this place had been alive — a lively district full of Rangers, merchants, labs, and thriving chaos.
But now, it was a graveyard.
Leo climbed through the shattered frame of a half-collapsed building, carefully stepping over scattered stones. This place used to be a shopping center decades ago, but now its only customers were dust and stray rats.
He climbed higher, up the broken interior staircase that still clung to the wall, until he emerged onto the exposed upper platform
Leo exhaled slowly.
Far in the distance, just between the wreckage of two broken skyscrapers, he saw something flicker. Like a ripple. A bending of air. A distortion of light.
His eyes widened.
"…impossible."
A Glitch?
Alt-Zones weren't supposed to exist here anymore. They had been declared fully cleaned decades ago. If a new one reopened… the value would be off the charts. Reporting such a discovery would reward him with a life-changing amount of Pentas.
Leo's heartbeat quickened.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at the Harpie gun holstered under his shirt.
"…I need to check it."
He turned around and jogged back into the slums.
The bicycle those kids tried to sell him was still leaning against a broken wall.
He sighed and tossed a few Pentas at the stunned kid before riding away.
The bicycle rattled violently with each turn of the wheel, screeching in protest. The ground leading toward the wasteland was uneven and littered with debris, making the ride rough and unstable—but Leo managed. His enhanced vision helped him avoid most of the dangerous spots.
He wasn't greedy. He didn't want to enter the Glitch. He just needed to confirm whether it was real. Reporting it alone would be enough to earn a massive reward — maybe enough to feed all six kids for years.
Maybe enough to finally get them out of the slums.
That dream alone pushed him forward.
Leo stopped a good distance away from the strange flicker. His eyesight, far sharper than normal thanks to the painful experiments from his childhood, scanned the debris.
Something moved.
Far, far away — too large to be a person.
Leo tightened his grip on the handlebars.
He slowly reached for the gun—
A creature taller than him burst out from behind the collapsed building. Dust exploded into the air, blanketing the wasteland in a gray fog. The creature's roar shook the rubble.
Leo froze.
A giant wolf-like beast emerged, but this was no natural animal.
From its sides grew metallic blades — not attached, but grown as if the creature's flesh and metal had fused into one form. Its skin was patched with armored plating, and its left eye was replaced by a glowing digital screen displaying shifting symbols.
It turned toward Leo.
The screen-eye flashed red.
Then the creature charged.
Leo panicked, spun the bicycle around, and pedaled harder than ever before. The wheels screeched. The chain rattled. The whole bike swayed dangerously left and right.
Behind him, the metallic wolf roared and gained speed. Its knives scraped against the concrete, slicing grooves into the ground.
Leo darted into the ruins of a massive collapsed building. He swerved through fallen pillars, broken pipes, and shattered walls. His body moved on instinct — left, right, duck, swerve — propelled by pure survival.
The beast followed, its knives slicing chunks out of the walls. The entire structure trembled.
Leo burst out the other side.
A moment later—
CRAAAAASH!
The building collapsed onto the pursuing monster, burying it under massive slabs of concrete and metal. Dust rose like a cloud.
Leo slowed and looked over his shoulder, still panting. The rubble seemed still.
Then the debris shifted.
Just a little.
Leo's heart stopped.
He turned forward and pedaled as fast as the bicycle could handle, racing back toward the city.
"A monster… there's a real monster near the city," he gasped, breathless. "I have to tell the guards. And that thing I saw earlier… that was definitely a Glitch. An Alt-Zone!"
He let out a shaky laugh — part fear, part excitement.
As soon as he reached the slum boundary, the bicycle fell apart beneath him. First the chain, then the pedals, then the wheels. By the time he stopped, it was a pile of scrap.
Leo stared at it. "…As expected. Cheap goods."
He shook his head, dusted himself off, and started hurrying toward the guard station—
But he stopped and climbed the building again.
The Glitch was still there.
Rippling. Distorting. Warping reality gently in the distance.
"That's enough proof," Leo muttered. "I have to report it."