The days after the shadow assassin's appearance were… tense. Not tense like "oh no, there's a monster behind the door." Tense like "everything is glitching, the system keeps flickering, and I don't know which way is up."
The Corruption Meter had climbed steadily—20% now—and I had a growing sense that whatever was watching me wasn't patient. Arcelia stayed close, sword always ready, and Lyra had stationed herself near the system menu, muttering calculations and spell formulas I barely understood.
"Master," Arcelia said, her voice low, "something feels wrong… even more wrong than usual."
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my forehead. "I've been thinking that every five minutes for the last three hours. Welcome to my illegal life."
Before anyone could respond, the castle gates shuddered violently. Not the usual quiver from an earthquake, but deliberate, like a hammer striking steel. Dust fell from the walls, and the NPC guards—who were supposed to be frozen—began twitching violently. Something was coming.
A deep, resonating voice echoed through the courtyard. "Illegal existence detected. Correction in progress."
I blinked. That was new. That wasn't a whisper from the system. That wasn't a message. That was… alive.
From the horizon, a figure approached. Towering. Clad in dark armor that seemed to swallow the light. A helmet obscured its face, but the aura was unmistakable: this was a Correction Agent, sent from the Harem System itself. Its presence alone caused the ground to warp slightly with each step.
I sighed. "Of course. My first mini-arc boss shows up on day one. Totally normal."
Arcelia immediately stepped forward. "Master! We can't let it—"
"Relax," I said. "We're not dead yet. And we might even survive if I play my cards right."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "It's not a normal enemy. It adapts. The system feeds it information constantly. If you try to hack it… it will learn."
I scratched my head. "So… we fight smarter, not harder. Got it."
The agent's eyes glowed faintly from the helmet. It raised one massive gauntlet, and the air vibrated with raw system power. "Anomaly detected. Beginning correction protocol."
I smirked. "Alright, time to test my illegal powers."
I tapped the menu and accessed a small hack I had prepared earlier: Environmental Override. The stone tiles beneath the agent glowed faintly, forming strange runes that flickered in and out of existence. Arcelia looked impressed. "Master… is that—?"
"Yeah," I said. "Just a little something to confuse it. Don't overthink it."
The agent swung its arm, but the runes flashed and redirected its motion slightly. Nothing major, but enough to make the timing tricky. I grinned. "Perfect. Now it's frustrated."
Arcelia raised her sword, Lyra's magic humming. "Let's take advantage!"
We advanced carefully. The agent didn't charge immediately—it was… calculating. Each movement, each step, was precise, almost intelligent. I realized it wasn't just strong; it was smart, and it was learning fast.
"Master," Lyra whispered, "if it analyzes us too much, it could adapt in seconds. We need to—"
Before she could finish, the agent's gauntlet slammed down. The ground cracked in a perfect circle around us, and the air pressure pushed us back. I stumbled, but managed to keep my footing.
"Okay," I muttered, "it's officially pissed."
Arcelia gritted her teeth. "Master, we have to—"
"Not yet," I said. "We're not ready to go all out. Let's see what it does first."
The agent raised both arms and suddenly vanished. The system menu flickered violently. The Corruption Meter jumped to 25%.
I froze. "Wait… it vanished?"
Lyra's eyes widened. "Not vanished. It's phased into the system itself. It's partially digital now. It can… interact with code directly."
I blinked. "So… it's like… cheating?"
"Yes," Lyra said flatly. "Very cheating."
The air grew heavy. A low hum filled the courtyard, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. The agent's voice echoed again, distorted: "Illegal existence… cannot persist. Correction protocol… continuing."
Arcelia glanced at me nervously. "Master… how do we fight something like that?"
I smirked, trying to hide the unease I felt. "Well… this is where the fun begins."
I tapped the menu. My fingers hovered over my hacks. Every small tweak, every system glitch I caused earlier, could help—or backfire horribly. But I had to try.
And as I started manipulating the environment again, I realized something important: this fight wasn't just physical. It was a battle of wits, control, and system abuse.
The shadow assassin, Kuroha, had disappeared into the edges of the courtyard, watching silently. Velzara's teasing grin from the sky yesterday came to mind. Everyone who had noticed me before was still out there, waiting.
And in that moment, I understood: surviving today wasn't just about strength. It was about how illegal I could really be.
The agent's voice boomed once more: "Correction… imminent."
I swallowed. "Yeah… I think it's about to get serious."
And then, everything froze.
The birds, the wind, the NPCs—even Arcelia blinked slower than usual.
The agent's glowing eyes appeared inside the menu itself.
And I realized, fully: this fight… was only beginning.
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