The Glitched Maestro
1331 Words
[SYSTEM LOOT DISTRIBUTION]
- Darius - Towering Aegis Shield (+12 DEF, +3 Block Rate)
- Selene - Arcane Circuit Lens (+12% Spell Efficiency, +5% Mana Recovery.)
- Lyra - Hollowfang Stringbow (+15% Crit Damage)
- Torren - Broodmother's Gauntlets (+9 STR, +8% Crit Damage)
- Kaien - Glitched Error Shard (Effect: ???)
[SYSTEM BONUS]
Party Morale +2 for surviving ridiculous odds.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
New Questline Unlocked: “Shattered Nexus Anomaly”
Objective: Investigate the strange system fluctuations detected beyond Grayveil Outpost.
Reward: Unknown.
Darius (stopped humming): (adjusting his new shield) ‘A new questline just got unlocked. What’s your opinion, guys? Want to continue?’
Lyra (checking her reward item): ‘What would you suggest? You are our leader after all.’
Torren: ‘If you ask me, I would suggest we take break. I am tired.’
Selene: ‘I will agree with Torren on this. It was a really tiring battle. Before Kaien joined us, We have been playing for quite some time. Therefore, I would like to logout and rest. And I have to go to my part-time job. What do you think, Kaien?’
(voice-over) Everyone stared at Kaien for his answer.
(Kaien’s Pov) I will go with what the leader decides.
Darius: ‘Well, as majority wants to take rest then I decide we end this for today. Today was a tough battle. But we will need to improve as the difficulty of the game will increase, the more we go ahead. And we will need to face even tougher enemies than this.’
Lyra: ‘Okay... Okay... Enough with this motivational speech. I am logging out.’
Selene: ‘Let’s add Kaien as friends first. When we need to raid another dungeon, we can send him a message.’
(voice-over) Everyone sent friend requests to Kaien, and he accepted them. And everyone except Kaien logged out.
(Kaien’s Pov) (sighs) I thought I was gonna die today. Phew.
Now that they have all logged out, I will check my status window to see how much improvement I have made. “Status Window open”.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kaien Rook
Class: Healer (Bugged)
Title: The Misaligned, The Glitched Maestro (New)
Level: 8
XP: 960 / 1500
HP: 100 / 1000
MP: 550 / 550
Stats
STR: 25
VIT: 30
INT: 46
WIS: 44
AGI: 29
LCK: ???
Passive Skills:
- Invert Output
- Bug Bloom
Active Skills:
- Error Surge Lv.2
- Touch of Restoration Lv.4
- System Surge (New)
- Bugged Skill (Dormant) - (Awakens under unknown conditions)
(surprised) Woah! I am already at level 8. I leveled up four times with this single dungeon. I even got a new title - “The Glitched Maestro”.
[SYSTEM PANEL]
Title: The Glitched Maestro
“When life hands you bugs… compose a symphony of errors”
Description: A conductor of chaos, turning every skill, item, and environment into a symphony of unpredictable disasters. Where others see order, you see opportunity… and explosions.
Classification: Legendary
Effects:
Skill Chaos Mastery: All active skills gain a 10–25% chance to trigger a random secondary effect (damage, debuff, or environment interaction).
Accidental Hero: +15% EXP gain from unintended kills or environmental mishaps.
Party Panic Reduction: Reduces the chance of allies leaving the party due to skill misfires by 20%.
Bug Synergy Bonus: If multiple glitches activate simultaneously, effects are amplified by 30%.
Achievement Integration: Automatically tracks and boosts effects of previously earned achievements ([Battlefield Malpractice], [Accidental Tesla Coil], etc.)
Flavor/Notes:
“You don’t control the chaos. The chaos controls you, and sometimes, you’re surprisingly good at it.”
- Unlocks hidden dialogue options with NPCs who recognize Kaien’s unusual talent for turning calamities into victories.
WHAAT??? (shouts in shock)
(eyes sparkling) It is a legendary grade title!!! And I thought I’d be lucky to stay alive.
After I got the title “The Misaligned”, I researched a bit on the online platform. I found out that the rank classification is divided mainly into six grades. They are-
(1) Common
(2) Uncommon
(3) Rare
(4) Epic
(5) Legendary
(6) Mythic
- Common (Grey / white): They are the everyday items that people use. For example: Minor heal or the jagged sword that I got from defeating bonejack.
- Uncommon (Green): Slightly stronger or rarer than common. For example: the reinforced leather boots.
- Rare (Blue): Solid mid-tier loot, dungeon drops, and skills with unique effects. For example: Frost-fang Dagger (chance to slow enemy), Party quest rewards for clearing mid-level bosses, A recipe for a specialized potion.
- Epic (Purple): High-quality equipment, powerful abilities, or significant quest rewards. For example: Voidfire Staff (casts a unique AoE firestorm), Artifact map pieces leading to hidden dungeons, Class-specific advanced skills.
- Legendary (Orange / Gold): Game-changing items tied to lore or rare events; often unique or limited. For example: Blade of the Eternal King, Legendary mount from a world boss, Permanent stat-boosting accessories.
- Mythic (Crimson/Red-Gold): Pinnacle-tier items or abilities, world-defining power or system-breaking effects. For example: Crown of the First Glitch (rewrites skill interactions), Dimensional Rift Key (opens secret zones).
There are two more, which are-
- Event-exclusive: Seasonal or one-time rewards (e.g., Summer Festival Badge).
- Hidden / Secret: Only revealed under special conditions, shown as (???) until unlocked.
Hmm... I also got a new skill for leveling up!
[SYSTEM PANEL]
Skill: System Surge (New)
"Because what could possibly go wrong with overclocking reality?"
Type: Active (Buff / Risky Utility)
Rarity: Rare → Bugged Variant
Effect:
- Channels unstable system energy to boost INT and WIS by +20% for 15 seconds.
- Inflicts 5% max HP damage per second for the duration.
Cooldown: 45 seconds.
So, for 15 seconds I will be Sherlock Homes. And during that time, I cause 5% damage to myself every second.
Should I test it now or leave it? Maybe, I should just toss.
(voice-over) Kaien took a stone nearby and throws it in the air.
Now if the stone lands and hits the ground sideways, I will test the skill. Otherwise, I will do some side-quests.
(voice-over) The stone landed and hit the ground sideways.
(grins) Aha! I tricked you, system. After going through so many incidents, I am not going to follow your arrangement. You are clearly trying to mess with me. I will do the exact opposite of the result.
SYSTEM: ‘... ...’
(voice-over) Kaien closes system panel and retraced his steps to market in Graveil Outpost. The square was already buzzing, merchants hawking wares under neon-holo banners, a bard NPC looping the same three lute chords, and new players squealing over starter gear.
(mutters) Alright… no more boss-level centipedes today. Just… something chill. Maybe a fetch quest.
(voice-over) Kaien started toward the market district. Graviel’s marketplace was a maze of stalls and holographic signboards: potion brewers with bubbling brewing kettle, blacksmiths hammering glowing blades, and a suspicious number of “100% genuine” relic vendors.
[SYSTEM TIP]
Hint: Side quests may unlock hidden rewards and reduce glitch instability.
(inner thought) Reduce instability? Yes, please.
(voice-over) Kaien brushed past a shouting merchant waving a “Half-Price Error Crystals!”. He ignored the merchant and ducked under a banner reading “Adventurers’ Board - Jobs for All Levels!”
Hmm...
“Wanted: Someone to pet my rock. Reward: Love.” (groans)
“Help Needed: Replace bard’s broken lute string. Reward: Your sanity.”
(grumbles) This game world is… something else.
(voice-over) A parchment flickered, drawing his attention.
[QUEST AVAILABLE]
Title: The Clockwork Courier
Description: A malfunctioning courier golem has dropped an important parcel somewhere in Graviel’s lower alleys. Recover it before scavenger imps claim the loot.
- Reward: 500 EXP, 200 Gold, Mystery Trinket.
- Difficulty: 1-Star.
(voice-over) As Kaien tapped Accept, a faint glitch flickered across his HUD, just for a split second, his title read: The Bug King before returning to The Glitched Maestro.
(inner thought) … Wait. Did the system just call me Bug King? Nope. Nope. Pretending I didn’t see that.
- Writer
