Chapter 17: Breaking the System

VirtuaGenesis – Unknown Forest

The scent of blood and damp earth lingered in the air. Amir stood over the fallen Dire Wolf, its body dissolving into pixelated mist.

> Ding!

You have slain [Dire Wolf – Lv. 3]

EXP Gained: 50

Progress to Next Level: 50/200

The other wolves had retreated into the shadows, their piercing eyes still locked on him. But something was off.

Instead of attacking again, they watched.

Learning.

"They're adapting…"

Amir's breathing was heavy. This wasn't just another game where enemies followed pre-coded attack patterns.

These creatures reacted—hesitated, adjusted.

And more importantly, they feared him now.

> Ding!

New Passive Effect Unlocked!

[Predator's Presence] (Passive)

After a successful kill, weaker enemies may hesitate before attacking.

Fear duration scales with Perception.

His Perception stat (10) wasn't just for spotting enemies—it influenced how they saw him.

That was huge.

Analyzing the System

Amir opened his stats screen again, trying to understand how the system was calculating everything.

> Name: Aegis (Amir Zainal)

Race: Human [???]

Class: ??? (Locked)

Level: 1

HP: 120/150 (-30)

MP: 100/100

Stamina: 90/120 (-30)

Primary Stats:

Strength: 6

Agility: 7

Endurance: 8

Intelligence: 9

Perception: 10

Luck: ???

His HP and Stamina had dropped, but they weren't regenerating automatically.

"No passive healing?"

Most VRMMORPGs allowed natural HP recovery over time. But here, damage lasted unless treated properly.

Realistic survival mechanics.

He checked his hidden trait again.

> [Unforeseen Variable]

Your existence disrupts system calculations.

Events, encounters, and rewards may defy probability.

It still didn't explain everything.

Why had the wolves hesitated? Why was his Luck stat hidden?

Just as he was about to move, a new system notification appeared—

> Ding!

A hidden calculation has been detected.

Adjusting system parameters…

"What?"

The air around him shimmered.

> Ding!

[Unforeseen Variable] has triggered an abnormal response!

Calculating rewards…

Suddenly—

> Ding!

You have gained an additional skill!

[Gambler's Insight] (Passive)

Description: Allows you to detect probability shifts in the game world.

A new passive skill?

Amir's pulse quickened. He had never seen this in the beta test.

"It's like the game is bending to accommodate me."

Whatever was happening, he was breaking the system without even trying.

Testing the New Ability

He turned toward a nearby tree and focused.

Suddenly, faint numbers appeared.

> Chance of finding rare loot: 3%

Chance of enemy ambush: 21%

His new skill was showing hidden probabilities!

That meant—if he trained this ability, he could manipulate drops, encounters, and even battles.

An entire layer of the game no one else could see.

"This is insane."

Amir clenched his fists. If this was just the beginning, what other mechanics were waiting to be discovered?

But before he could experiment further—

A system warning flashed.

> Ding!

WARNING: An unknown force is monitoring your progress…

His stomach dropped.

Something—or someone—knew about his unusual existence in the game.

And they were watching him.

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Next Chapter Preview:

Amir encounters his first unpredictable event in VirtuaGenesis.

His Luck stat begins to show its effects in unexpected ways.

A mysterious player contacts him, hinting at something bigger happening behind the scenes.

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