Noah had always believed that knowledge was power. Unfortunately, knowledge alone didn't stop shadowy assassins from lunging at him with the clear intent of reducing his life expectancy to zero.
"TERMINATING UNREGISTERED ENTITY."
The cold, mechanical voice sent a shiver down his spine as five masked figures descended from the rooftops, their movements eerily precise. Their weapons gleamed in the dimming sunlight; curved daggers designed for a single purpose: assassination.
Noah's breath caught in his throat. His mind screamed for a miracle. He had no weapons, no skills, no health bar—just his knowledge of an old, buggy RPG.
One of the assassins lunged. A flash of silver streaked toward his throat.
Exploit #1: Collision Bugs Are a Gamer's Best Friend
Panic surged through him, but instinct took over. Years of gaming had taught Noah one thing: if you can't fight, you break the game.
His eyes darted around, locking onto an old, abandoned wooden cart propped against a stone wall. A memory resurfaced—this world wasn't perfect. The original game had faulty collision detection in tight spaces.
Noah didn't hesitate. He dove sideways, squeezing himself into the narrow gap between the cart and the wall. The assassin's blade whizzed past, missing him by a hair. But the real magic happened when the enforcer tried to follow.
The assassin's foot clipped the side of the cart.
A shudder ran through his entire body. Then—
WHOOSH!
The enforcer catapulted into the sky at breakneck speed, vanishing into the horizon with a faint ping! as if the universe had just rage-quit his existence.
Noah blinked. His brain struggled to process what he had just witnessed.
Then he snorted.
Then he laughed.
Hard.
"BWAHAHA! Oh my god, that actually worked!"
The remaining enforcers faltered, their red, glowing eyes flickering as they recalculated their approach.
"Warning: Unexpected anomaly detected. Adjusting approach."
They stepped forward in unison. Noah's laughter died in his throat.
"Oh, crap. That won't work twice, will it?"
Exploit #2: The AI Can't Handle Dumb Decisions
Noah had one other trick up his sleeve. It was stupid.
It was reckless.
But in this world, it might just work.
Instead of running away like any sane person, he charged straight at them.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed, flailing his arms like a lunatic.
The assassins hesitated. Not because they were afraid—but because no NPC was ever coded to do that.
In Eclipse of the Gods, commoners ran from danger. None were programmed to bum-rush elite assassins like a rabid chicken.
For precisely 1.5 seconds, the AI froze, their decision-making algorithm caught in a logic loop.
That was all Noah needed.
He dropped low, sliding between their legs before they could react, and sprinted toward the alley behind them.
"Hah! Suck it, AI!" he wheezed, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Exploit #3: Clipping Through Narrow Spaces
The city was vast, but Noah knew where the world broke.
He spotted it ahead—a weathered wooden fence barely holding together. In the original game, it had been a non-interactable background object, meaning it wasn't properly coded as solid.
"Please still be broken, please still be broken," he muttered under his breath as he sprinted toward it.
At full speed, he threw himself at the exact right pixel—
SLIP!
And phased right through it.
The assassins, not programmed for such nonsense, crashed face-first into the fence, rebounding like confused ragdolls.
Noah wheezed between laughs, doubling over as they twitched, desperately trying to process why the laws of reality had betrayed them.
The Aftermath
Panting, Noah stumbled into the nearest safe zone—a crowded tavern.
The AI wouldn't attack him here. Too many witnesses.
He collapsed into a chair, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Okay… That was possibly the dumbest, most genius thing I've ever done."
For a moment, he allowed himself to relax.
Then, a notification popped up in his vision.
[GLITCH DETECTED]
[ANTI-CHEAT SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Noah paled. "Wait… Anti-cheat?"
The tavern door creaked open.
A gust of cold air swept inside, sending a chill down his spine. Heavy boots echoed against the wooden floor. The room fell silent.
A woman stepped in.
Noah's stomach dropped.
Lilia Everheart.
The rogue noblewoman. The relentless bounty hunter. The programmed nightmare of every cheater and criminal in Eclipse of the Gods.
Her piercing gaze locked onto him, lips curling into a dangerous smirk.
Noah swallowed hard. "Welp… looks like I just upgraded from 'Game Over' to 'DLC Expansion of Suffering.'"
His nightmare was only beginning.