The sky cracked.
Not like thunder.
Not like lightning.
It cracked like glass shattering across the heavens.
Students across the academy froze in shock. Some screamed. Some stared upward with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"What… what is that?!"
"Is that a hologram?!"
"No… that's real…"
A massive glowing symbol spread across the clouds like a burning seal.
And beneath it—
The air trembled.
Steni couldn't breathe.
Her mind was still stuck on the administrator's words.
"They're here to delete you."
Delete.
Not capture.
Not arrest.
Delete.
Like she was nothing more than an error in a program.
Her legs felt weak.
Why…?
What did I do…?
Beside her, the man in the black coat suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Run."
His voice had lost its calm tone.
For the first time since she met him, he sounded serious.
Steni blinked at him in confusion.
"Wait—why are you helping—"
"Do you want to die?"
That shut her up instantly.
He pulled her toward the emergency staircase, moving quickly through the hallway while students panicked around them.
Her mind was spinning.
Illegal system…
Real administrators…
Delete me…
Nothing made sense.
Inside her mind, the system was flashing nonstop warnings.
[CRITICAL ALERT]
[Emergency Evolution Starting]
[System instability: 47%]
[Host survival probability recalculating…]
"What is emergency evolution…?" she whispered.
The man glanced at her sharply.
"You triggered it?"
"I didn't do anything!"
"Then that's worse."
They burst through the stairwell door.
The hallway noise vanished instantly.
Only the echo of their footsteps remained as they rushed down the stairs.
Steni tried to keep up.
"Wait—who are they?" she asked breathlessly.
"The real administrators," he replied.
"I thought you were an administrator!"
"I am."
"Then what are they?!"
His expression darkened.
"The ones who erase mistakes."
A chill ran through her body.
Mistake.
Am I… a mistake?
Suddenly—
The building shook.
BOOOOM.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Steni nearly stumbled.
"What was that?!"
The man stopped mid-step.
His eyes widened slightly.
"That was fast."
Inside her mind, the system screamed again.
[WARNING]
[Administrator Entity Entering Academy Grounds]
[Power Level: UNKNOWN]
[Threat Level: EXTREME]
Steni felt her heart stop.
Unknown?
Extreme?
"W-we should run faster," she said nervously.
But the man didn't move.
Instead, he looked up toward the ceiling like he could see through the entire building.
"…Too late."
A new voice echoed through the stairwell.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"You finally found the illegal host."
Steni's blood froze.
The voice wasn't coming from downstairs.
Or upstairs.
It was coming from everywhere.
Like the air itself was speaking.
The man in the black coat cursed quietly.
A bright light suddenly filled the staircase.
Then—
A figure appeared.
Not walking.
Not climbing.
Just appearing.
Like reality itself had opened a door.
The newcomer wore a silver uniform with glowing symbols across the chest.
Their eyes glowed pure white.
No emotion.
No warmth.
Only cold judgment.
Steni's system immediately reacted.
[REAL ADMINISTRATOR CONFIRMED]
[Authority Level: S-Class]
[Host survival probability: 1%]
One percent.
Her legs nearly gave out.
The silver-clad administrator looked directly at her.
"Illegal system detected."
Their voice was flat.
Mechanical.
"Host designated: Steni."
Her heart skipped.
They know my name…
Beside her, the man in the black coat stepped slightly forward.
Blocking her.
The silver administrator's glowing eyes shifted to him.
"You were assigned to retrieve the system."
"Yes."
"Yet the host remains alive."
Silence filled the stairwell.
The man answered calmly.
"I was still investigating."
The silver administrator tilted their head slightly.
"You are lying."
The temperature in the stairwell seemed to drop.
Steni held her breath.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then—
The silver administrator raised one hand.
"Host deletion authorized."
Steni's mind went blank.
Deletion…
Inside her head, the system suddenly roared.
[EVOLUTION COMPLETE]
Everything froze.
The world stopped moving.
Even the glowing administrator stood perfectly still.
Time itself seemed to pause.
Steni blinked in confusion.
"…What?"
Then the system spoke again.
But this time…
The voice sounded different.
Deeper.
Stronger.
Almost… alive.
[Welcome, Host.]
[System Evolution Successful.]
A new interface appeared before her eyes.
Completely different from before.
More complex.
More powerful.
And at the top of the screen—
A new title glowed.
[ERROR SYSTEM — FINAL FORM]
Steni's breath caught.
Error… system?
Before she could react—
The silver administrator suddenly moved again.
But their glowing eyes widened slightly.
For the first time.
"Impossible."
They stared directly at her.
"…You evolved."
The man beside her also looked shocked.
"You're kidding me…"
Steni swallowed nervously.
"I… did?"
The system displayed a final message.
One that made her heart race.
[New Skill Unlocked]
[Reality Bug]
Her eyes widened.
Reality… bug?
Then the system added one last line.
[Do you want to test it?]
And the target…
Was the S-Class Administrator standing in front of her.
Steni activates Reality Bug… and something impossible happens to the S-Class Administrator.