The battle rages in front of you, but then something shifts. Alex suddenly freezes, locking his cold gaze on you, like you're part of this simulation. He smirks a bit, laced with sarcasm. "You know what ?" he says quietly, but it feels like he's speaking directly to your mind.
"Let's swap places!."
Before you can process it, your body moves on its own, as if some invisible force is pushing you forward. In an instant, you're "inside his body". The solid ground feels real beneath you, but the air is thick with the scent of virtual blood and burning metal. You hear the small ghouls closing in, their ragged breaths filling your ears. Your hand grips a cold, heavy dagger, pulling you deeper into the fray.
YOU ARE ALEX NOW!
The ghouls move like machines, and you quickly realize why Alex was pretending. Their movements are predictable, like a loop you can easily read. You anticipate their steps, the scrape of their feet, the attack coming from the right… it's all clear. A slight tension in your muscles warns you, but a rush of fear and excitement tells you you're in the heat of the action.
When you get hit from another direction, your instincts kick in. Your hands lift the dagger, and without thinking, you push the ghoul away with a precise strike. It collapses, and in that moment, you see that Alex was underestimating all of this. The strength, speed, and control of the fight are all in your hands. The ghouls are just minor obstacles.
But why the role swap now? Did he know something he didn't share? Questions flood your mind as the ghouls close in again, their whispers laced with fake threats, but you feel ready. You are part of this system now, like you've been reborn.
You feel the ground beneath you, vibrations adding a hint of fear to the moment. A burnt smell creeps into your senses, hinting at something deeper. Did Alex sense something off? Different feelings rush over you, as if something mysterious is approaching.
A voice echoes in your head. It's Alex. "Do you see it now?" His tone is calm yet urgent. Something shifts in your peripheral vision, and though you can't pinpoint it, you feel its presence.
"There… 'glitches'." The word hits you strangely. The ghouls move fluidly, but occasionally their actions freeze before continuing. The sounds are out of sync, like the world around you is cracking. The system stumbles and recovers, refusing to acknowledge a problem.
You start picking up on small details: the delayed footfalls, the odd flicker in the ghouls' eyes, the late-arriving chill. "You see what I see, right?"
"Okay, you can go back now." Alex's voice is lighter, but there's an underlying unease. "I just wanted to show you."
Another shift hits you, your body feels lighter, as if you're falling into a swirl of colors and sounds, returning to your role as a spectator. Alex returns to his body, but something's changed in his expression. The indifference is gone; his eyes are sharper, his features tense, and anger simmers in his face. He no longer underestimates the ghouls; now, they're targets for his pent-up rage.
With his first move, Alex drives his dagger into the head of one of the ghouls. Virtual blood sprays everywhere, its metallic scent hits his nose like a punch of reality. The sharp crack of bones shattering beneath the dagger echoes in his ears, like heavy hammer strikes on stone. Another ghoul lunges at him aggressively, but Alex doesn't hesitate. He yanks his dagger free and viciously tears through the ghoul's body. Blood spills over his hands, its sticky texture merging with his fingers as if it's part of this virtual world.
Every strike and movement is now steeped in cold brutality. He watches as the ghouls' eyes widen for a moment before fading, finally sensing the real danger. He tears through them mercilessly, showing no compassion. The sounds of virtual flesh ripping and the heavy scent of iron mix with the smell of debris. The air around him thickens, everything drenched in rage and chaos.
But in the midst of this bloody turmoil, something changes. Lucas, who usually cracks jokes to lighten the mood, suddenly stands frozen. His eyes are wide, his body stiff, as if he's been paralyzed. One of the ghouls approaches him, claws raised, ready to tear him apart.
"His head's going to roll."
Without a second thought, Alex springs into action, moving with incredible speed. His footsteps pound the ground, echoing in his ears. He reaches Lucas just in time, shoving him aside and slicing off the ghoul's arm in one smooth motion. The ghoul recoils, but Alex doesn't give it a chance. With one decisive blow, he severs its head, and the heavy body hits the ground with a dull thud.
But while the air is thick with blood, something else begins to unsettle Alex. It's not the fight that bothers him; it's those glitches. Lucas, his teammate, is frozen unnaturally. This isn't just a normal error—it's a clear programming glitch, and it nearly cost Lucas his life.
"What's going on?" Alex thinks, anger swelling in his chest. The programming that was supposed to be flawless is crumbling right in front of him. The NPCs around him are malfunctioning—voices stutter, movements are out of sync, and their expressions look blank at times. It's as if the system itself is slowly collapsing.
"Is this really the test?" Alex wonders. The battle feels like more than just a test of strength or skill; something bigger might be at play behind the scenes, testing him in unexpected ways.
He takes a step back, heart pounding. The sound of electronic static fills his ears, and the ghouls that were advancing steadily are now stumbling. His senses are overwhelmed. "Something's not right."
The ghouls move unnaturally, faltering in their steps, and his NPC teammates are showing the same signs. Siren, who had been firing arrows nonstop, now sounds distorted, like she's speaking through a broken speaker. Kasia has stopped screaming, mumbling in an eerie tone, as if something hidden is trying to take control.
The colors in their eyes flicker ominously red before returning to normal. But everything feels disjointed, like the virtual world is eroding. Alex tries to focus, to understand what's happening, but the chaos overwhelms him, making it feel like the system is collapsing around him.
And then everything suddenly stops, Everyone's eyes turn solid red, No flickering, no hesitation. His teammates and the ghouls all fix their gaze on him at once, their voices blending into a creepy chorus. They speak in unison, a strange mix of robotic and distorted echoes.
"The citizens of Cenaris must be eliminated."
The voice trembles, sounding like it's coming from an old, failing device. Each word is garbled, but the message is clear enough to send a chill down his spine.
Alex freezes for a moment, his heart racing. "What's happening?" he wonders, stepping back slowly, feeling a weight settle in his chest as if the air itself has thickened. His teammates have become twisted puppets, moving on jumbled commands, while the ghouls creep closer from behind. "Cenaris..." The city representing this virtual world is in danger, but why? Everything had seemed under control, or so he thought.
The mixed voices, glowing eyes, and strangely synchronized ghouls are unsettling. "This isn't just a glitch..." he thinks, his heart pounding irregularly. He hesitates, feeling a fog cloud his thoughts. How could such a massive error occur in a virtual world? The atmosphere feels suffocating, the lighting dim, making his eyes glimmer with anxiety.
"The citizens of Cenaris must be eliminated."
The phrase repeats, clearer this time, as if the system is trying to send an urgent message. A wave of unease washes over Alex, and his thoughts begin to jumble. "If everything is virtual, how can such a big error manifest?" Questions race through his mind as danger looms over his teammates.
He feels his feet growing heavy, as if he's standing on unstable ground. This shift isn't normal. This is no longer just a test.
He takes a deep breath, struggling for air. The ghouls continue to advance, and his teammates have become soulless beings. The red glow in their eyes... those eyes follow him with every step.
Alex lunges forward, dodging the ghouls and rushing toward his frozen teammates, the NPCs. Ryan, usually the overly enthusiastic one, stands rigid, his eyes flashing red, his body hesitant as if caught between conflicting commands. Alex approaches him and strikes his head in a desperate attempt to break the programming freeze.
But Ryan barely reacts. His body shudders slightly before returning to its usual stillness, as if nothing happened.
"Wake up, you idiot!" Alex shouts, but receives no response. "Not even a hit to the head helps? Are you kidding me?!"
He pauses, trembling with tension, sweat dripping from his forehead. He looks up at the sky, addressing the programmers with sarcasm: "Really?! Is this the best you can do? You can't even program someone to fu*cking wake up when I hit them?!"
This moment of humor is brief, quickly overshadowed by the returning tension, as his test intertwines with this virtual world.
Alex feels the situation escalating alarmingly. If this glitch has affected his teammates, it must have spread to other hunters (NPCs) throughout the city. The thought of groups of hunters turning into malfunctioning beings, moving on distorted commands without awareness, is more terrifying than the monsters themselves. Now the danger wasn't coming from outside, but from within.
"Damn it!" Alex mutters angrily as he slams his foot into the ground. "How can I save these idiots? I need to get back to the city first."
With each passing second, the pressure of time intensifies, as if the hands of the clock are moving faster than they should. Facing more ghouls isn't an option. "My mission now? Protect the virtual citizens of Cenaris." But he knows the task isn't simple. The situation is unraveling, and the system itself is on the verge of collapse. Every decision he makes now could be the last.
Alex runs as fast as he can, turning his back on the stumbling ghouls and charging toward the center of the city. The cold air whips against his face, and his heart races so fast he can almost hear it in his ears. The city ahead is in chaos, flickering red lights on the horizon and alarms blaring, all signaling that things are spiraling out of control. There's no room for hesitation.
The city is empty, but unseen danger lurks in every corner. Every step Alex takes feels like a risky gamble. Now, there's no room for error. He's acutely aware that the fate of the entire city rests on his speed and precision. Yet, he can't shake the heavy feeling weighing down his chest.
Could he really save them? And if he didn't... what would happen to his performance test?