Error Episode 8.1

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“ Use Skill: Aegis of Titan! ” My entire body glowed with a black and orange aura. A sudden, excruciating pain coursed through me, as if every muscle was being torn apart.

“ Agh! ” I gritted my teeth. “ Must be the side effect of the skill…”

The barbarians hesitated, their confident expressions now tinged with nervousness. All at once, they charged at me. I swung my fist—not even reaching them—but the sheer force obliterated the ground beneath their feet. Rocks and debris flew everywhere.

“Holy Fuck...! ” The barbarians panicked, throwing their weapons at me while chanting, “ Monster! ”

I clenched my fist and mimicked a move I’d seen in a comic once—Was it the baldy punch?—and released a straight blow. The very air split in its wake, and the barbarians were sent flying like ragdolls.

“ I’m... Effing... Strong! ” I shouted, unable to hold back my excitement.

After a while of absolute destruction, I felt the power drain away.

- System: Aegis of Titan has ended -

“That was fun—” Before I could finish, my body collapsed.

- System Error... Error... ERROR -

“ What’s happening to me? ” My vision blurred, darkness creeping in ‘’. Is this part of the skill? ‘’

Pop-up windows filled my vision—errors flashing nonstop.

- Ding! [Error] -

- Ding! [Error] -

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

As the error messages flooded my mind, everything went black. My consciousness slipped away, consumed by the chaotic system failures.

- System Operating… 1… 2… 3… Reinstalling… Updating… -

The next thing I knew, I was standing in a strange place. The air felt heavy and damp, and the surroundings were shrouded in a thick, unnatural fog. The distant sound of screaming and crackling flames reached my ears. I turned around, only to see houses burning and people running for their lives, clutching their children.

But no matter how much they ran, they couldn’t escape. Some were already lying on the ground, motionless, while others were caught in the relentless chaos. My stomach churned.

" What... is this place? " I muttered to myself, my voice trembling. This didn’t feel like a dream; it felt too real.

Suddenly, a cry pierced through the noise.

Random Girl: “ Please! No! Let the children go! ”

I turned toward the sound, only to see a towering, distorted figure—a shadowy Error being, its form glitching like a corrupted file. Its sword swung through the air with a deadly precision, slicing toward the woman and the child beside her.

“ No! Stop! ” I shouted, but my voice felt distant, like I wasn’t really here. Instinctively, I tried to activate one of my skills. “ Use Skill: Speed Boost! ”

Nothing.

“ Why won’t it work?! ” My heart raced as I ran forward, desperate to protect them. But I was too slow. The Error’s sword sliced through me, as though I wasn’t even there. I could feel the cold steel, but it passed through me like I was a ghost.

The woman and child dropped to the ground, lifeless.

“ No... No… ” I whispered, horror filling me. I looked up to see the Error being’s glowing eyes staring directly at me. Its jagged mouth opened, and it let out a distorted noise—almost like speech but warped beyond recognition.

“ JSnsHS- We'll meet again. ” It turned its back and vanished into the fog, leaving me alone.

Suddenly, I jolted awake, gasping for air. I was back in the real world.

“ GASP! Hah... hah...” My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. The familiar sight of the training grounds surrounded me once more. Barbarians stood around me, their faces filled with concern.

One of them called out to me, “ Chief? You good? ”

“ Oh... yeah, I’m good, ” I replied, trying to shake off the terror of what I had just witnessed. *What the hell was that?* I thought to myself. *It wasn’t just a dream... it felt too real. And that Error... there’s something more to this.*

My gut told me that what I saw was no coincidence. There was something deeper, something broken in the system that was connected to that Error. I had to figure it out.

But for now, I needed to rest. I turned to the barbarians and gave them a nod. “ Let’s stop sparring for today. ”

They erupted in a chant. “ Yes, oh great Chief of Salvation! ”

- System: New Title Unlocked – [Chief of Salvation] -

* Chief of Salvation, huh? weird. *