Chapter 9: The Glitch Portal
The residential district of the capital was a scene of controlled panic. Above a local park, the sky had torn open, revealing a jagged, flickering wound of crimson and neon-green energy. This wasn't a standard portal; the edges were unstable, sparking with "Glitch" energy that pixelated the surrounding trees and buildings.
Leo arrived like a thunderbolt. Grim, now a Primordial Storm-Turtle, slammed into the pavement, the impact absorbed perfectly by his reinforced limbs.
"Stand back!" a local Peacekeeper shouted, trying to hold back a crowd of frantic parents. "The mana density is fluctuating! Any Evolver below Level 30 who enters will have their mana circuits fried!"
Leo didn't stop. He looked at the portal with his Eye of Truth.
[Portal Analysis: Glitch-Type (Rank 4)]
[Rule 1 (Active): 'Weight of the World' – Gravity increased by 5x.]
[Rule 2 (Upcoming): 'Mana Silence' – Skills disabled for 60 seconds.]
[Target Detected: Jud Gus (Life Sign: Weakening) – 400 meters inside.]
"Grim, Gravity Anchor!"
The Storm-Turtle's shell pulsed with a deep indigo light, creating a localized field that negated the portal's crushing gravity. Leo leapt through the tear in reality before the guards could grab him.
The Digital Jungle
Inside, the world was a nightmare. The "Whispering Grotto" elements were being overwritten by jagged, geometric shapes. A tree would look normal one second, then turn into a pillar of floating cubes the next.
Leo found Jud huddled behind a half-pixelated rock. His Stone-Toad was swollen and red, trying to maintain a protective earthen dome, but the "Glitch" was eating away at the edges of the barrier.
"Leo!" Jud sobbed, his face covered in soot. "I can't... the mana keeps disappearing! My Toad can't breathe!"
"I've got you," Leo said, jumping down. He placed a hand on the Stone-Toad.
[Eye of Truth: Emergency Evolution Analysis...]
[The 'Glitch' energy is a corrupt form of Primordial Mana. Grim can process it.]
"Grim, use Sovereign's Mirror on the Stone-Toad!"
Leo's new talent flared. He didn't just copy a skill; he acted as a bridge. He pulled the corrupt "Glitch" mana out of the Toad and funneled it into Grim's obsidian shell. Grim let out a low, appreciative rumble—to him, this corruption was just a spicy snack.
[DING!]
[Grim has consumed 'Glitch Essence'.]
[Temporary Buff: 'System Bypass' – Grim is unaffected by Portal Rules.]
The Glitch-Beast Arrives
The portal sensed the intrusion. From the digital canopy, a creature descended. It was a Corrupted Chimera, its body flickering between a lion, a goat, and a snake, but its limbs were elongated and jagged like broken code.
[Target: Glitch-Chimera (Gold-Tier Elite)]
[Level: 35]
[Special: Regenerates by 'Resetting' its health every 30 seconds.]
"It's a loop-boss," Leo realized. "If we don't kill it in one shot, it'll just keep coming back."
"Leo, look!" Jud pointed. The portal's timer was shifting.
[Warning: 'Mana Silence' Rule starting in 10... 9... 8...]
"Jud, get behind Grim! This is going to be tight!"
The Chimera lunged. At the same moment, the world went silent. The glow of the portal faded, and every student trapped inside felt their mana evaporate. The Chimera slowed down, but it was still a physical powerhouse of muscle and bone.
But Leo had the System Bypass.
"Grim, while they're 'Silent', we strike. Primordial Roar!"
Grim stood on his hind legs, his draconic beak opening wide. Because he had absorbed the Glitch essence, his mana didn't vanish—it turned into a "Static Charge."
VROOOOOOM—!
A wave of distorted sound and violet lightning erupted. It didn't just hit the Chimera; it "corrupted" the monster's ability to reset. The Chimera's body began to pixelate and dissolve, unable to find a previous 'save state' to return to.
[DING!]
[Glitch-Chimera Deleted.]
[Portal Stability: 0% – Collapsing...]
The Breeder's Domain
Leo grabbed Jud and the exhausted Stone-Toad, throwing them onto Grim's back. "Hold on tight! We're breaking out!"
As they charged toward the exit, the Pet Encyclopedia screamed in Leo's mind.
[Mission Complete: Saving the Innocent.]
[Reward Unlocked: 'Breeder's Domain' (The Myriad Beast Space).]
Suddenly, Leo felt a new dimension open within his soul. It wasn't just a soul-space for storage; it was a world. He could see fields, mountains, and lakes existing inside his own consciousness.
"Wait," Leo muttered as they burst through the portal and back into the park just as it snapped shut. "I can grow my own resources now?"
The Aftermath and the "Old Job"
Medics rushed toward Jud, but the Peacekeepers surrounded Leo. Among them was a man in a high-collared military uniform with the insignia of the Government Research Bureau.
"Leo Heart," the man said, looking at the Primordial Storm-Turtle with hungry eyes. "That beast just functioned during a Mana Silence zone. That is a violation of the Natural Laws of Evolution. You're coming with us for 'questioning'."
Leo stood in front of Grim, his eyes glowing with the gold of the Eye of Truth. He saw the man's stats: a Level 50 'Beast Hunter'.
"I'm a Heart," Leo said, his voice cold. "If you want to question me, call my father. But if you want to touch my pet... you'd better hope your health insurance covers 'Existence Erasure'."
The tension was broken by the arrival of a massive Silver-Grizzly bear—Arthur Heart had arrived.
"Back off, Bureaucrats," Arthur growled, his Paladin armor gleaming. "The kid just saved a district. He's going home."
As they walked away, Leo whispered to himself, "The government is scared. They don't want Breeders to have this much power."
Leo looked at the new Breeder's Domain in his mind. He didn't just want to be a student anymore. He needed to build his own army.