Chapter 9: The Last Rewrite
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Two Days After the Arcadia War
Arcadia had become more than a city.
It was a legend.
The streets were clean. The auction house never slept. Merchants arrived from all corners of the world. The city guards—once drunkards and farmers—were now infamous across the server. Even Stormhowl, Arcadia's guardian, had become a meme icon and battle symbol.
Kai stood at the edge of a cliff near the north gate, watching a sunrise bloom behind Arcadia's walls.
"I've built something real," he murmured. "And all of it started from a glitch."
Behind him, a ripple in the air shimmered.
Then… a voice.
> "You've done well. But it's time we talked, Kai."
Kai turned.
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The Developer Appears
A tall figure stood cloaked in black and silver, face hidden beneath a smooth white mask with a pulsing blue line across the eyes.
> [SYSTEM ENTITY DETECTED: ADMIN ACCESS GRANTED]
Time froze.
Even Stormhowl stopped breathing. Birds hung in midair. The wind ceased.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "So… you're the developer."
The masked figure nodded. "Call me Echo. I'm the one who coded the foundations of Eternova's world. You... broke them."
Kai folded his arms. "I didn't ask for cheat powers. The game gave them to me."
Echo tilted his head. "You rewrote the game's laws. Dozens of times. Monsters, NPCs, weapons, terrain… even systems we hadn't released yet. It caused… ripples."
> "Other servers slowed. PVP rankings broke. Quest lines collapsed. And your NPC, Pipkin, once brewed a potion that crashed a dungeon instance for three days."
Kai smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, that one's on me."
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The Judgment
Echo raised a hand.
> "We can't allow you to keep the Codewalker ability. It is untested. Dangerous. You've already warped too much."
Kai tensed. "So what? You're here to delete me?"
"No," Echo replied, almost kindly. "You've built something special. Arcadia is a thriving miracle—even the dev team admires it."
He took a step forward and spoke firmly.
> "But we're taking your powers. All of them. You'll no longer be able to freely rewrite the game."
Kai's stomach dropped.
No more cheat NPCs. No more glitch-based loot. No more rewriting raid bosses into pets.
He clenched his fists… then relaxed. "Okay," he said slowly. "But let me keep something."
Echo paused. "…You'll get three. Three final rewrites. That's all."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Only three?"
Echo nodded. "Use them wisely. They cannot be undone."
> [Notice: Codewalker Powers Revoked]
Remaining Rewrites: 3
Use: At will
Range: Entire server
Warning: Irreversible
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Back in Arcadia
Time resumed.
Kai walked through his city as normal… but he felt it.
That spark of godhood was gone.
No console floating beside his vision. No data-streams. No override menu.
> He was still powerful. Still rich.
But now... he was mortal again.
Aria caught up with him near the auction tower.
"You okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
Kai smirked faintly. "Worse. I saw the patch notes."
She laughed. "Let me guess. Nerfs?"
Kai nodded. "Hard ones. But I'm still standing."
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First Rewrite: Not Yet
Back in his private chamber, Kai stared at a glowing panel on the wall—his last connection to the Codewalker Menu.
Only three uses left.
And that was it.
No retries.
He pulled out a notepad and wrote possibilities:
> 1. Rewrite a new invincible NPC?
2. Turn a legendary weapon into a city-wide defense system?
3. Create a world-teleport gate only Arcadia can use?
Then he stared at a single idea he'd written in bold:
> "Rewrite Pet System – Get permanent pet that stays in combat, protects me, scales with danger."
He tapped the paper.
> "This one," he whispered, "might save my life someday."
But he didn't use it yet.
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Arcadia: City of Gold
With or without cheats, Arcadia was thriving.
Kai was now Level 89. His gold income from city shops, taxes, auction fees, and land contracts came in steadily every hour.
> 💰 Daily Gold Intake: 14,000G
🏙️ Resident Population: 8,300+ players
💬 City Reputation: "Most Friendly PvP Hub"
Top guilds maintained branches here. Pipkin ran an upgraded potion academy. Aria helped organize the first City Festival Tournament.
Kai could've retired.
But he had three rewrites left—and a gut feeling that something bigger was coming.
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Foreshadowing: The Glitch Beyond the Code
Late at night, Kai sat atop Arcadia's central statue—the one holding the Soulcore Relic.
Suddenly, the screen glitched.
For a moment… just one second… the statue's face twisted.
Not into a bug.
But into something watching him.
He stood, tense. His interface flickered.
> [Unknown Code Signature Detected]
Location: UNDERCITY-NULLROOT
Signal: Decaying | Forbidden Class Link Broken
Warning: THE VOID IS AWAKE
Kai's heart pounded.
"What the hell was that…?"
He looked down at his palm where the Rewrite Counter remained, pulsing softly:
> 🔁 Rewrites Remaining: 3
He whispered to himself, "I'm gonna need every last one."