Ji hoon hiked the winding path out of the village. The multi tool shifted in his hand. Sometimes a walking stick sometimes a compass when he corrected its glitchy needle. The air smelled of pine mixed with digital static. Like ozone after a storm but wrong. His legs ached from the nerf. In his old life he could run marathons without breaking sweat. Here every step reminded him: Youre nothing special anymore.
The map fragment glowed faintly in his vision. Pointing to a crossroads town before the capital. Maybe there he could find transport or info on Lee Min jun. Curiosity itched like a bug he couldnt squash. Same Korea or parallel? If same why the greed? Ji hoon shook his head. Focus on survival first.
A glitch hit midway. The road warped twisting into a loop. He walked forward but ended up back at the start. Like a bad video game level. "Come on," he grumbled. Error Correction: Path Loop. His skill tingled fixing it to a straight line. But not before a traveler appeared caught in the same mess.
The man looked like a merchant. Plump with a wagon pulled by a glitchy horse. Half its body pixelated. "You again?" the merchant barked at Ji hoon. "Third time Ive seen you loop."
Ji hoon blinked. "You remember the loops? Arent you scripted to forget?"
The merchant eyed him suspiciously. Then sighed. "Names Goran. High enough rank in the trade guild to know a bit. We dont forget everything. Just cant blab or the Compiler strikes. Saw you fix that. Youre the anomaly arent you?"
High ranker. Like the elder said. Ji hoon nodded cautiously. "Kim Ji hoon. Or Extra #47 whatever. Heading to the capital. You?"
Goran chuckled nervously. "Same. Delivering goods to the heros court. But if you can fix my horse Ill give you a ride. Deals a deal."
Ji hoon approached the horse. Its pixels flickered erratically. Error Correction: Model Integrity. The horse solidified snorting in relief. Goran grinned. "Hop on fixer. And keep quiet about the knowing stuff. Last time I slipped the AI turned my profits to dust. Literally."
They rolled along the wagon creaking over uneven terrain. Ji hoon probed carefully. "This hero Lee Min jun. You met him?"
Goran glanced around as if the trees had ears. "Once. Greedy eyes that one. Started from rags they say. Now hoards artifacts like a miser. Last delivery he took my best gem for half price. Said it was script. But I saw the draft note: [Optional Greed Buff]. He chose it."
Ji hoon leaned forward. "From Korea too? Like me?"
Gorans face paled. He clamped his mouth but a glitch hit the wagon. Wheels spinning wildly. "Fix it quick!"
Ji hoon corrected the spin. In the spark Goran whispered: "He slips Hangul curses. Same tongue. But parallel or same? High officials in the capital know. Theyve seen the source code flashes. But retaliation its"
The wagon jolted. Goran reset: "Nice weather for travel eh?"
Damn. Subtler each time. Ji hoon let it drop. Instead a memory unlocked as they bumped along: CEO days negotiating deals. "Tell me about your trade. Maybe I can help optimize."
Goran perked up post reset. "Optimize? Whats that?"
Ji hoon explained basics. Inventory management. Supply chains. By the time they reached the crossroads town Goran was nodding excitedly. "Youre a genius peasant! My routes could cut half the time."
Humility tugged at Ji hoon. In his world he charged millions for that advice. Here it was just helping a scripted merchant. Felt good though. Real.
The town bustled with more glitches. Floating signs. NPCs repeating lines. A tavern brawl frozen mid punch. Ji hoon fixed a few earning free ale. But as night fell a bigger issue: Draft Viewer pinged. Lee Min jun in the capital. Arguing with an official. "Give me the orb or Ill twist the script myself!"
Greed escalating. Ji hoon shared a room with Goran. "We push tomorrow?"
Goran nodded. "But watch for patrols. Heros got eyes everywhere."
As Ji hoon drifted to sleep a glitch dream hit. Flashes of his old life. Penthouse. Then the app. A voice: [User Feedback Integrated. Enjoy the draft.]
He woke sweating. More comedy later? The AI seemed to have a twisted sense of humor already. But the road to answers waited. And maybe a humble fixer could debug a greedy hero.