Cherreads

Chapter 2 - This Isn’t a Tutorial, Is It?

I limped through the forest like a drunk raccoon with a vendetta.

That slime almost turned me into soup.

I had 2 HP, no potions, a half-broken stick, and a system that thought "Invert Controls" was a helpful buff.

Awesome start.

The only thing going for me was that I didn't die... yet.

---

[New Quest Unlocked!]

Quest: Try Not to Die (Daily)

Objective: Survive 24 hours.

Reward: 1 Glitch Token

Failure: …You know.

"Very comforting," I muttered.

Then, another message popped up.

[System Notice: HP critically low. Suggesting Emergency Skill Activation.]

I perked up. "Emergency Skill? You had that this whole time?! Use it!"

[Activating Skill: "Packet Skip"]

My screen glitched for a second—like a loading screen crashed mid-load.

Then suddenly…

WHOOSH.

I was no longer in the forest.

I was now… in a village.

Somewhere.

---

"Oi! Who dropped this idiot in the cabbage cart?!"

I looked up from a pile of vegetables and met the annoyed face of a muscular old man holding a pitchfork.

"...Hi."

"You stealing my cabbages, boy?"

"Honestly, I wish I had the energy to do that."

---

[You have discovered: Greystone Village]

[Reputation: Suspicious +5]

Yup. Great first impression.

I dusted myself off, coughed out a leaf, and stood on wobbling legs.

"Is there a healer or inn or... free clinic nearby?" I asked.

Old man narrowed his eyes. "You're a traveler?"

I hesitated. "Something like that."

---

10 Minutes Later

I sat at the edge of a wooden bed in a tiny inn room. It smelled like hay and boiled socks, but it was warm.

A young girl with bunny ears—yes, literal bunny ears—handed me a bowl of soup.

"You're lucky Farmer Borin didn't skewer you," she said. "He hates strangers."

"Remind me to thank his cabbages," I replied, slurping.

---

[HP Restored: +8]

[Current HP: 10/10]

[Daily Quest Updated: +1 Glitch Token Earned!]

Suddenly, a glowing pink coin appeared in the air.

[You received: Glitch Token x1]

"Wait... I can actually use these?"

[Yes. Glitch Tokens can unlock new skills or reroll existing ones.]

I immediately opened my system panel.

---

Name: Yuto Kurogane

Race: ???

Level: 2

Title: Error404

HP: 10/10

MP: 0/?

Strength: 3 | Agility: 2 | Intelligence: 5

Skills:

- Glitch: Random Buff (10s)

- Packet Skip (1x/day)

- Sound Lag

Inventory:

- Broken Stick

- Glitch Token x1

---

I clicked on "Glitch Token." A spinning gacha wheel appeared.

"Oh no. It's loot boxes."

I tapped "ROLL."

The screen flashed. My heart skipped. My soul braced for disaster.

[Congratulations! You unlocked: "Lag Clone"]

Creates a delayed afterimage clone that mimics your last action after 3 seconds. May confuse enemies… or you.

"…Nice?"

I stood up, struck a dramatic pose.

Three seconds later, a blurry version of me appeared next to the bed and mimicked the exact same pose.

"Okay, that's kinda dope."

---

Knock knock.

I froze. The bunny-eared girl peeked in.

"Uh, hate to ask, but... you can fight, right?"

I blinked. "Define 'fight.'"

"There's a goblin raid coming. We need help."

---

[New Quest Unlocked: Defend the Village]

Time Limit: 1 hour

Reward: EXP, Loot, Reputation, Optional Death]

"…I just got here."

My clone still stood next to me, doing the same "hero pose."

I looked at it. Then back at the door.

Then back at it.

"…Guess it's showtime."

---

To be continued...

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