Level 0: The Boy They Deleted
In the year 2045, every student received a System at the age of sixteen.
Strength.
Speed.
Magic.
Talent Rank.
The higher your rank, the better your future.
When the ceremony ended, cheers filled the hall.
"SSS Rank Fire Talent!"
"SS Rank Sword Master!"
"S Rank Healer!"
Then it was Arin's turn.
The screen flickered.
Error.
The hall went silent.
Talent Rank: None
System Status: Deleted
Laughter exploded across the academy.
"Deleted?"
"He doesn't even have a System!"
"He's lower than Rank F!"
Even the instructors looked disappointed.
Without a System, you were nothing.
Or so they thought.
That night, while Arin sat alone in his small room, a black screen appeared in front of him.
No light.
No sound.
Just a single line of red text.
Hidden System Activated
Title: Glitch
Arin froze.
Another message appeared.
You are not deleted.
You are the error.
His heartbeat accelerated.
New abilities unlocked:
✔ Copy Skill (Temporary)
✔ Adaptation (Permanent Growth after survival)
✔ System Override (Locked)
It wasn't flashy.
It wasn't ranked.
It wasn't even visible to others.
But it was evolving.
The next day, Arin was challenged publicly.
Rex Voltan.
SSS Rank Lightning Talent.
Academy's number one.
"You don't belong here," Rex said coldly. "I'll prove it."
The duel began.
Rex moved like thunder.
Too fast for normal eyes.
Arin barely survived the first strike.
Pain shot through his body.
Adaptation Activated
Speed +2
Lightning Resistance +1%
Rex attacked again.
Arin survived again.
Adaptation Activated
Speed +3
Lightning Resistance +5%
The crowd stopped laughing.
Rex's attacks were getting weaker.
No—
Arin was getting stronger.
Mid-battle.
Growing.
Evolving.
Rex panicked.
"This isn't possible!"
Arin stepped forward calmly.
Copy Skill Activated
Temporary Skill Acquired: Lightning Step
In a blink—
Arin appeared behind Rex.
Silence.
Then—
Boom.
Rex hit the ground.
The academy stared in disbelief.
The boy they called "Deleted" had defeated Rank #1.
That night, the black screen appeared again.
System Override: 3% Unlocked
Warning: The World System has detected an anomaly.
Far above the academy, in a hidden control room, unknown figures watched the data spike.
"Who activated the Glitch?" one of them whispered.
Another replied quietly—
"We didn't."
And somewhere deep inside the system…
Something began to wake up.