No one knows what he is.
No one knows who he is.
No one knows where he came from.
All they know is that he appeared at the right moment.
And it all started when, at the age of 25, he discovered a 'glitch' on his computer screen. A glitch that never disappeared no matter what he did. A glitch that kept persisting, kept appearing, and slowly multiplied until it filled the entire screen.
Not wanting to deal with it any longer, he bought a new computer and went back to his routine—staring at the screen and reading manhwa.
No, he wasn't unemployed.
Nor was he a failure in society.
He was simply someone enjoying his free time after being fired from his job.
Why?
For the sake of someone he didn't even know, he stepped forward, defying his superior, which ultimately led to his dishonorable dismissal in front of his colleagues.
Did he regret it?
Not at all.
At least he had managed to protect someone, even without a reward.
What he regretted was not punching his superior in the face one last time.
Honestly, it was exhausting—constantly trying to be a good person in an unhealthy world, as if he were the only healthy cell in a mass of cancer.
But wasn't that what people were supposed to do? Something every human should strive for, to create a better world together?
He took a deep breath.
Only naïve people thought like that. People like him, who were starting to grow frustrated with themselves. Frustrated with a heart too soft, too giving, and too easily hurt.
If only he could change.
Not to become heartless, but to be different. Someone who could be himself without worrying about what others thought. A moment when he could feel free, unbound by the world.
And then, the glitches returned to the screen.
More of them, appearing rapidly.
He tried to stop them. Half of this month's salary had already been spent on a new computer.
He clicked the mouse, tapped the keyboard, tried using security software to shut them down.
Nothing worked.
And what happened next made his eyes widen.
The glitches began spilling out of the screen, spreading until they covered the entire room.
He leaped from his chair, looking toward the door before it was completely swallowed, and ran for it. But the glitches were faster, trapping him inside.
Slowly, a sharp pain surged through his head, as if something was trying to force its way in.
And then, he saw his reflection in the mirror.
From the top of his head, the glitches emerged, creeping downward—covering his neck, torso, arms, and legs. His face was the last to be consumed, streaked with white lines of varying sizes, filled with indecipherable numbers and bright colors, like a broken television screen.
The last thing he saw was a pair of green eyes staring back at him before they, too, were consumed.
He lost consciousness.
Or did he only lose his sight?
He didn't know.
He didn't understand.
What was happening? Why him? What was he supposed to do?
Too many questions swirled in his mind, overwhelming him, making his head throb, his vision blur, and his stomach churn.
Wait.
Why were his thoughts appearing right in front of him?
As if they were being projected by… By what?
There was nothing here except endless darkness.
Could this be inside his mind?
Why was there only darkness?
Was this the true shape of his mind? A void without light, without color? But hadn't he lived a normal life?
A normal life, with friends and family—except for a girlfriend, since he didn't want to start a relationship before achieving success. His life wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. He never had to starve for lack of money. He had a mid-range computer capable of running the games he wanted. He even owned a fairly expensive sportbike, bought after years of saving.
Could it all have been an illusion? A lie?
Wait, there was a light.
A tiny speck of light.
Slowly, it grew larger and larger.
He didn't hesitate—he ran toward it. He refused to believe everything was a lie. He was certain his life had been real, that he had been truly happy. He wouldn't accept this endless, depthless darkness. He would prove it by reaching that light!
But the moment his hand touched it, he suddenly found himself in the sky.
Far below stretched an endless land.
To his left, majestic mountains rose high, their peaks piercing the clouds. To his right, a vast ocean reflected the golden sunlight.
He could feel the wind against his skin, a refreshing breeze embracing him—though a bit too harsh. He could smell something indescribable. The fresh scent of morning? Or was it simply the lingering aroma of passing birds?
The ground drew closer and closer. Yet he didn't care.
Why should he?
Maybe this was just a dream.
Soon, he would wake up in his chair, staring at the same computer screen, returning to his normal life.
No.
The ground kept approaching, clearer and larger, until he could see people running from something, the scent of smoke filling the air.
Oh. Of course.
A village was burning.
How had he not noticed? Had the breathtaking scenery distracted him? Had it made him ignore the chaos unfolding below?
Was this nature's way of showing that behind beauty, there was always darkness?
The earth shattered upon impact, sending out a deafening shockwave that made the villagers freeze in their tracks. A thick cloud of dust rose, illuminated by flickering lights from within—lights that carried the distorted sounds of a malfunctioning program.
Slowly, he stood up, still unable to comprehend how he had survived such a fall. A normal human would have been reduced to pulp.
As the dust settled, he saw the villagers' faces—fearful, confused. From the corner of his eye, he caught the lingering glow of the glitches, still present around him. When he looked down, he finally understood why.
His body was still glitching, though not as severely as before. The distortions flickered across his skin, as if to remind him that he did not belong here. That he would never belong here.
Something that should not exist—something that was never meant to be.
Was this the answer to his wish?
Freedom from the world.
At the cost of no longer being part of it.
Before he could even process it, a message appeared before his eyes, written in the same glitching patterns. A message meant only for him—because to the villagers, he seemed to be staring blankly at the sky, like an idiot.
And how could he not?
Because the words displayed before him read:
"You must kill all the villagers."