Chapter 21: Is It Really a Side Quest If We Almost Die Halfway Through It? (Part 2)

The deeper we ventured into the forest, the more the air changed. The soft rustle of leaves was replaced by an ominous hum—a faint, glitching distortion hanging heavy in the atmosphere. Shadows twisted unnaturally across the path, and faint crimson cracks glowed intermittently in the bark of the ancient trees.

My shadows bristled at my ankles, responding instinctively to the unnatural energy surrounding us. Devon’s grip on his greatsword tightened, and Selene’s daggers gleamed faintly in the dim light.

“This… doesn’t feel right,” Mason muttered, his hammer resting across his broad shoulders.

Fi was unusually quiet, her short swords drawn and her sharp eyes flickering between the shifting shadows.

The waypoint on my HUD pulsed faintly.

[SIDE QUEST OBJECTIVE: KALRI LOCATED]

Through the twisting trees, a clearing opened up—a shattered grove dominated by jagged crystalline shards of crimson glitch energy erupting from the earth. And there, in the center of the chaos, stood Kalri.

Or… what was left of him.

From the game’s description, Kalri was once an elegant Shai'renn scout—tall, lithe, with a calm aura and keen senses. Now, his form was twisted. Shadows writhed unnaturally from his body, glitching faintly at the edges. His once-bright eyes were hollow, flickering with faint red light, and his fingers ended in sharp, claw-like extensions.

“Kalri…” Selene whispered, her voice low with disbelief.

He turned slowly, his head snapping toward us with a faint crack. His voice—once smooth and articulate—became jagged and broken.

“...Nnnnot… ssssupposed… t-to… be… hhhere…”

The corrupted aura around him flared violently, and my HUD pinged with an alert.

[ENCOUNTER: GLITCHBOUND KAELRI – LVL 22]

But Kalri wasn’t alone.

From the glowing cracks in the earth, twisted forms began to emerge—spindly, glitching creatures with jagged limbs and molten eyes. At least a dozen emerged, their screeching cries echoing into the night air.

Fi stepped back instinctively, her swords raised. “Those… aren’t supposed to be here. I’ve seen every monster index in the game. These… these things aren’t in it.”

Mason planted his hammer into the ground, his jaw tight. “So… new enemies?”

“Not exactly,” Selene said coldly, her daggers spinning into her grip.

Devon glanced back at me. “Kiera, stay sharp.”

I swallowed hard, shadows curling protectively at my feet as my HUD flickered with incoming enemy markers.

The clearing erupted into chaos.

Devon charged forward with a roar, his greatsword crashing into one of the glitching creatures and sending it sprawling backward in a burst of red pixels. Selene vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind another enemy and carving cleanly through its spine.

Fi darted forward, her short swords a blur as she danced between two creatures, slicing limbs and dodging their jagged claws. Mason stood like a wall of steel, his hammer smashing into the ground and sending shockwaves through the corrupted monsters.

Kalri’s corrupted form remained at the center of the chaos, his hollow eyes locked onto me. He raised one clawed hand, and shadows surged toward me in jagged, glitching tendrils.

“Shadow Embrace!” I commanded, my own shadows slithering forward and intercepting Kaelri’s attack.

The two forces collided, hissing and crackling as they struggled for dominance. My HUD flashed with a warning as my HP drained faster than expected.

Fi’s voice cut through the noise. “Kiera, behind you!”

I spun just in time to see one of the smaller glitch creatures lunging at me. My instincts kicked in.

“Crimson Kiss!”

A flicker of violet energy surged from my hand, striking the creature and halting its attack mid-air. Its molten eyes dimmed briefly as it twitched, and I felt a small surge of HP flow back into me.

But the creatures kept coming. More and more poured from the cracks in the ground, their jagged screeches filling the air.

“We’re getting overwhelmed!” Mason shouted, smashing his hammer into another creature with enough force to splinter the ground beneath it.

Selene appeared beside me, her expression tight. “We need to focus on Kalri. He’s the source of this anomaly.”

Something caught my eye in the chaos—a faint glow pulsing beneath Kalri’s feet. Binary strings flickered in the air, glowing bright cyan against the corrupted red energy.

It was a fragmented binary code.

[FRAGMENT CODE DETECTED] [CODE PIECE 2/???]

It’s right there. But how do I get it?

Kalri’s head snapped toward me again as if he sensed I’d noticed the code. His claws flared with crimson energy, and he lunged straight at me.

“Devon!” I shouted.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Devon was there instantly, his greatsword colliding with Kalri’s claws in a spray of sparks and shadow. “I’ve got him! Go!”

Selene and Fi worked to hold off the remaining creatures, their movements precise and deadly. Mason fought back-to-back with them, his hammer sending glitching monsters flying with every swing.

I focused on the fragmented code, shadows curling tightly around my feet as I dashed forward.

“Come on… just a little closer…”

Kalri let out an ear-splitting screech as Devon’s greatsword sliced through one of his corrupted limbs. The glitch energy around him flared violently, and the clearing was filled with blinding light for a moment.

And then, silence.

Kalri collapsed to his knees, his hollow eyes flickering weakly before going still. The fragmented code flickered briefly in the air before dissolving into my HUD.

[FRAGMENT CODE ACQUIRED: 3/???]

The remaining corrupted creatures froze in place before shattering into shards of red light.

The clearing was quiet except for the faint hum of glitch residue lingering in the air. Kalri’s twisted form had dissolved into fragmented pixels, leaving faint crimson cracks etched into the earth behind. The soft breeze barely stirred the tension between the five of us.

Mason was sitting on a nearby rock, his hammer across his lap, staring silently at where Kalri had fallen. Fi stood near me, her arms crossed, her sharp eyes locked onto mine. Devon and Selene stayed close, their weapons still drawn but lowered.

“So,” Fi said finally, breaking the silence. Her voice was low and steady, but it had a sharpness—like a blade drawn but not yet swung. “What exactly is going on here? Those creatures weren’t part of the game, that glitch wasn’t natural, and Kalri… he wasn’t supposed to become that. You knew something was off, didn’t you?”

I hesitated, “It’s… complicated–.”

“No,” Fi cut me off. “No more vague answers. You owe us more than that after what we just went through.”

Mason raised his hand weakly. “Yeah, seconded. This feels like main plotline-level stuff, and I’m not gonna pretend I’m not curious.”

Devon glanced at me, his brow furrowed, but he said nothing. Selene’s amber eyes were locked onto me, silently urging me forward.

I sighed and sat on a nearby log. “You’re right. You both deserve to know the truth.”

“I didn’t start this game with some grand quest in mind,” I began softly. “I didn’t know how to hold a weapon properly when I logged in for the first time. I picked the Succubus Class because… the wings looked cute.”

Mason snorted faintly. “Valid reason, honestly.”

I continued. “But somewhere along the way, I… accepted something I shouldn’t have—I don’t know what it was exactly. But whatever happened, it changed my class into something that doesn’t exist in the game’s official data: Succubus Demon Lord.”

Fi’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly. “So you’re not just… modded? This is something deeper?”

I nodded. “It’s deeper. It’s in the core of my character data now. And because of it, I’m tied to something dangerous—something that could destroy all of Nexus and maybe real-world data as we know it.”

I hesitated before continuing, glancing at my HUD briefly before looking back at them. “There’s an organization—hackers, rogue developers, people who you would see on the dark web. They call themselves UNKNOWN. Their code… changed me. Altered my character’s data to turn me into this anomaly.”

Mason’s brow furrowed. “Why? What’s the end goal?”

“They’re after the Fragmented Binary Code. It’s… pieces of the game’s core data scattered across Eidolon Nexus by the developers. It was their way of preventing people like UNKNOWN from taking full control. And I’m probably the only one who can collect it without getting myself wiped out of the system.”

I paused, my voice tightening slightly. “If I don’t collect them all, UNKNOWN has the power to delete me—completely. Then, they’ll be able to send their code to the right person, and they’ll be able to take over how they originally wanted to do.”

The group was silent. The crackle of glitch residue still flickered faintly in the air, and Mason’s usually jovial face was set in a deep frown.

“But I’m not gathering these codes to hand them over to UNKNOWN,” I said firmly, my voice steadier now. “I’m going to stop them. I don’t know how yet, but when the time comes, I’ll fight them. Because… I’ve fallen in love with this world. With its beauty, its danger, its people. I can’t just let it crumble into corruption.”

Fi uncrossed her arms, her gaze softening slightly. “So… you’re not just following some breadcrumb quest line. You’re fighting for this world.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. And I’m not going to stop.”

Mason let out a long, slow whistle. “Man… that’s heavy. Like, ‘final raid boss cutscene’ heavy.”

Fi shot him a glance, but he continued. “But honestly… I get it. You didn’t run. You didn’t log out when things got bad. And back there, with Kalri? You fought like someone who actually cares about this world.”

Fi glanced at Mason before turning her gaze back to me. “This game… it’s more than just pixels and skill cooldowns for me. It’s my escape. My way to get away from the noise and stress of reality. And if what you’re saying is true—if UNKNOWN gets those codes—this game might fall apart entirely.”

Her sharp gaze locked onto mine. “I won’t let that happen.”

Mason grinned faintly, resting his hammer against his shoulder. “And hey, I won’t pass up on an adventure like this. You guys are cool, you’ve got a good vibe going on, and let’s be honest—I’d probably just wander into another monster ambush without you.”

Devon smirked faintly at that while Selene let out a soft chuckle.

I hesitated briefly. “Are you… sure? If UNKNOWN finds out you’re with me, if something happens… they could delete you too. Completely.”

Mason grinned wider. “If I was scared of losing data, I wouldn’t play MMOs. Besides, what’s the point of an epic adventure if there’s no risk?”

Fi nodded firmly. “I’ve made up my mind. If this is what it takes to protect this world, then I’m in.”

A faint chime echoed across my HUD as a notification appeared:

[PARTY UPDATE: NEW MEMBERS ADDED]

[Mason – Berserker (LVL 18)] [Fi – Shadowblade (LVL 18)]

The names glowed brightly in my vision before fading away, and a faint warmth filled my chest. We weren’t just a trio anymore; we were a party of five now.

Devon stepped forward, clapping Mason on the shoulder. “Welcome aboard. Try not to trip over your hammer too much.”

“Hey!” Mason protested, but his grin stayed firmly in place.

Selene offered Fi a faint nod. “You’ll fit in just fine. Don’t die on us.”

Fi smirked faintly, sliding one of her short swords back into its sheath. “We'll do our best, but I think you'll be pleased.”

I let out a long breath, my shadows flickering faintly but steadily at my feet.

We had allies now—friends who understood the stakes and had chosen to stand with us despite the risks.

Somewhere deep in the game’s corrupted core, UNKNOWN was still watching. But for the first time, I didn’t feel like the world's weight was entirely on my shoulders.