《The Speedrunner: How I Accidentally Speedran Another World! [LitRPG Apocalypse]》


 1. Glitched to Another World

    Do you think your life is a simulation? I do. And honestly, it makes more sense every day. Like, have you ever tried turning a faucet just a bit too far, and suddenly it''s Niagara Falls in your sink?


    Or ever had your mom ask you to find something, and you swear that it''s not there? Like, "Mom, I looked everywhere, it doesn''t exist!" And then¡ªBOOM¡ªshe walks in, reaches behind the thing you already checked three times, and pulls it out like she''s equipped with wallhacks or something. You can''t convince me that''s not a glitch.


    One day, you''re slogging through a fetch quest (read: grocery shopping), the next, you accidentally hit the right combo of actions and unlock a feature you never knew was there¡ªlike small talk with a stranger turning into a solid job lead. Coincidence? I think not.


    Speaking of speedruns, let me tell you about this one game I broke wide open: Bloodline. Not Bloodborne, note the difference.


    The premise is as vanilla as it gets¡ªgeneric medieval world, evil duke, revenge story. But hear me out; I found this particular ground-breaking exploit. Like, the absolute brain-breaking, timeline-destroying glitch that let me skip the entire midgame.


    You know the part where you grind levels, collect macguffins, and generally waste your life going through the motions? Yeah, no thanks.


    Turns out, if you stand at a specific spot during the Duke''s soliloquy about "power and betrayal" and tap jump three times while facing a chandelier (don''t ask me why the chandelier), you''d clip right through the floor and land in his vault.


    The Duke''s sword, Blood''s Oath, spawns directly into your inventory because the game assumes you beat him. Did I fight the Duke? Nah. Did I still get to enjoy the cutscene where everyone praises my courage and leadership? Absolutely.


    It''s not just games like Bloodline, though¡ªthis happens in real life too, if you know where to look.


    The faucet thing? Classic physics skip. Getting ahead of a long grocery line because you''re just so fast with the self-checkout? That''s queue manipulation. And let''s not forget the one where you somehow go for days living on instant noodles and two hours of sleep but still ace your final exam¡ªwell, that''s straight-up energy duplication strat.


    The thing is, my reality-breaking prowess doesn''t come with a guidebook, and now I''ve managed to¡ª how do I put this¡ª glitch into a whole new reality.


    How, you ask? Well, hear me out¡ª


    ***


    "¡ªYure, where''s the damn report?!"


    "I''ve given it to you already!"


    "Well, where?!"


    "On your goddamn desk¡­!"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "It''s not f*cking here!"


    "Did you lose your eyes or something?! I literally put it right¡ªoh, wait. It''s right here."


    It was sitting on my desk, right before my eyes¡ª see, this is what I meant by we''re living in a simulation. It was supposed to be on my supervisor''s desk, not mine!


    Lorraine glared at me, snatched the documents from my desk, and stormed off, grumbling about "getting someone competent."


    I slumped back into my chair with a resigned sigh. What kind of simulation nonsense was this?


    "Yure, you''re gonna get fired."


    That''s Marcus. Always the worrier. "I''m serious, man. You can''t keep talking like that to Lorraine."


    I clicked my tongue and said, "First of all, let me tell you, no one truly knows the aggro phase of Lorraine until they''ve felt it firsthand. The amount of paperwork that woman shoves under your nose¡ªit''s insanity."


    "...well, I can''t help you with that."


    "She clearly had a grudge on me since I started working here. Even you know that!"


    He avoided my stare¡ª like the seasoned professional he was.


    "I mean, I get it," I said, letting my chair spin back while standing up. "It''s the end of the workday. Time to head home."


    "Huh? Oh, me too, I guess."


    "Eh? Not doing overtime?"


    "No, I''m sick of it."


    I stopped short, blinking at him.


    "Marcus, did your whole damn family die or something?"


    His brow twitched. "I won''t always stay for overtime just ''cause I always do before this."


    "You keep digging yourself deeper with that overtime and your debt¡ª now you''re saying ''sick of it''? What the hell is wrong with you?! Don''t go off the deep end, Marcus¡ª this isn''t a game you can just restart."


    He knocked my hands off his shoulder with a mock annoyed grunt. "I''m not gonna do anything stupid."


    "Alright, alright," I laughed, backing off a few steps. "Well, you can always vent to me for some problems."


    He gave me a dry grin. "You''re a good listener, I''ll give you that."


    "I am a good listener¡ªbut don''t come expecting any solid advice," I grinned back.


    "Having a friend to hear me out is already a boon," he said with a shrug.


    "Just don''t fall for me. I''m straight as an arrow."


    He laughed. "I won''t."


    And just like that, we parted ways. Marcus made his way to his motorcycle, while I was left trudging down the street on foot like some kind of sad, abandoned NPC.


    While on the streets, my mind still half-lost in the weird simulation theories I was juggling¡ªbut that''s what happens when you live like you''re a player in some underfunded indie game¡ªhalf the stuff never makes sense, and the other half looks like it''s been patched in on the fly.


    The streetlights flickered on as the sun sank deeper into the horizon, throwing this dim amber glow across everything. It felt like a cutscene I hadn''t even agreed to be part of.


    I found myself stopped in my tracks before realizing it, staring straight at the intersection in front of me. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. ...What the hell is that?


    There was something off ahead. A shimmer. A distortion. Like I was seeing a poorly-rendered game trying to load properly. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Nope. Still there.


    A weird little ripple in the air, making everything look blurry and out of sync.


    At first, I thought it was a heatwave or maybe some weird distortion from the weather, but the temperature didn''t feel ''off''¡­ I was starting to get a little twitchy about it.


    Okay, no¡ªI was nervous as hell. And why wouldn''t I be?


    The distortion flickered, shifting in and out. I took a few hesitant steps toward it, but I made sure no one was around to witness how unhinged I must''ve looked.


    Just a little peek couldn''t hurt, right...?


    But when I was close enough, the air actually solidified into a deep purple-ish swirl of energy, and it was like I could feel a breeze tug at my clothes, pulling toward the center.


    My instincts screamed for me to run. To get the hell out of there before whatever this was pulled me in.


    But curiosity. Curiosity is a hell of a drug.


    It was an unconscious pull. I reached it out with my hands¡ª and then, everything went blank.

 2. Worlds Are Weird and So Am I

    I woke up with an ugly "ugh". And I mean, real ugly. Like I''d gargled rocks and then made a failed attempt at speaking. Such a horrible experience!


    I must''ve been lying down just a second ago because my neck had that stiff, why-did-I-sleep-like-this ache to it. With some effort¡ªand enough awkward fumbling to be caught in 4K¡ªI managed to prop myself into a half sitting position. My eyes took their sweet time focusing. Once they did, I took one look around and immediately got slammed by a whole lot of questions¡ª


    ¡ªwhere am I? Was I in a cult meeting? A satanic Ikea showroom? A really elaborate escape room designed by someone with too much time on their hands? Do aliens have something to do with this? Wait, no, that doesn''t explain the stairs¡ªhold up, STAIRS?


    The floor was circular, the kind of perfectly symmetric architecture that probably made geometry nerds salivate. Around the edges, it dipped down into a wide spiral staircase. On the flat ground I was currently occupying, there were runes¡ªor magic seals, or whatever the hell you''d call them¡ªetched all over. They glowed faintly in a hey-just-finished-doing-something-shady kind of way.


    Directly above me, a dim spotlight cut through the murky atmosphere, pinning the circular floor under its lonely glow. Everything else was swallowed by darkness¡ªthe walls, the stairs, even where the ceiling should''ve been. The whole setup felt like someone tried to replicate the vibes of an underground theater with "creepy" as their artistic directive¡ª and boy do they actually achieve it.


    I craned my neck, trying to locate the light''s source. Turns out, the spotlight was moonlight coming through a perfectly round hole above, coincidentally aligned with the perfectly round floor.


    I wasn''t alone here. Scattered across the floor were about ten other people, all looking equally dazed. Men, women, young, old. I couldn''t help but frown.


    "Please remain calm," a woman''s voice called out from somewhere beyond the shadows. It was steady and soothing. Footsteps followed her voice. "¡­We mean you no harm."


    "Who are you?" barked the guy who seemed to be the oldest one in our group.


    No response. The footsteps continued upward. Eventually, the owner of the voice stepped into the moonlight''s spotlight.


    I let out an involuntary "Oh," and widened my eyes.


    She was stunning. Like, real stunning. Blonde hair that seemed custom-designed to shimmer under more flattering lighting, sharp blue eyes that looked like they could cut through bullshit like a chef''s knife through butter. She carried herself with this poised, ageless grace that screamed "I''m better than you," without being outright rude.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    What really stood out to me, though, was just how under-armored Miss Perfectly Poised was compared to the medieval rejects flanking her. Her backup team looked like they''d been ripped straight out of some Renaissance fair, decked out with full suits of armor and sharp weapons. Meanwhile, this lady¡­ she''s practically naked compared to them. Honestly, I could''ve just walked up and shoved her down those stairs. One well-aimed nudge and she''d be relegated to permanent benchwarmer status. Quick. Painless. Efficient.


    Her voice cut through my questionable train of thought.


    "My name is Lirienne D''Athriel," she said softly. "I am part of an organization that deals with summoned individuals like yourselves¡ªthe Nexus Order of the Summoned. I hope you''ll be patient enough to listen to what I have to say¡ªfor your sake, and ours."


    Summoned individuals...


    My lips twitched.


    She was speaking English. Actual English.


    Is this some kind of prank show? Where''s the hidden camera crew hiding? No, what was that sucking thing that dragged me into this mess in the first place?


    "...uh, sorry for my bad English, but," I quipped, sounding concerned. "were you the one who brought us here?"


    I tried to keep my voice steady. However, I wasn''t a stone-hearted bastard when it came to the thought of my family worrying about me.


    She nodded softly, smiling faintly. "Indeed. The specifics of this summoning¡ªand what it entails¡ªare exactly what I hope to explain as well. However¡­ before we begin, I''d also like for each of you to introduce yourselves¡ªif you''re comfortable, of course. Name, age, homeland, occupation, interests, and anything else you feel is worth sharing. Participation is voluntary."


    I scowled slightly. These people clearly had some practice at the "summoning" routine. By their phrasings, this kind of situation isn''t new, at least.


    The others shot each other looks, none of them eager to kick off the awkward circle of introductions.


    I exhaled, deciding to go first. "My name is Yure Aure. Eighteen. I''m currently stuck in Bali, working as a General Accountant at a villa and resort. As for hobbies¡­ I guess speedrunning games is my thing."


    "Speedrunning?" Lirienne tilted her head, a genuine kind of curiosity in her eyes.


    "Yeah, it''s like¡­" I shifted in place. "trying to beat a game as fast as humanly possible¡­? If you''re familiar with modern games or RPG games in particular, it''s like skipping cutscenes, exploiting glitches, optimizing routes¡ªstuff like that."


    "I see." Her nod was slow, deliberate, and paired with the kind of smile that made me vaguely uneasy. "That could prove¡­ useful."


    I frowned visibly. "Useful? For what?"


    She let out a light chuckle. "You''ll find out soon enough."


    I wasn''t a fan of whatever the hell that meant.


    After that, the rest of the group do the introduction as well.


    Apparently, there were twelve of us in total, summoned here.


    We had Sasha the Engineer. Amad the Chef. Tess the Nerd. Judith the Army Woman. Garett the Farmer (cattle and all). Kazuto the Consultant of Corporate Mergers. Rai the Painter. Luis the Corps Man. Nathan the Oxford Guy. Sophia the Tomboy Girl. And last but not least, Darren the Construction Worker.


    Their ages ranging from 16 to somewhere in their 50s. Good lord.


    And they were all from different countries. Even more weirdly, they all spoke and understood English perfectly¡ªmade one think this wasn''t a coincidence.


    Lirienne nodded with satisfaction at the cooperation. She looked genuinely pleased with how well the introductions went. "Thank you for your willingness with the introduction. As promised, I will explain¡ª in the simplest terms¡ª on what''s happening to all of you."


    I wasn''t holding my breath, you did.

 3. Surrounded by Fools (Im also a Fool, though)

    So basically, we all got summoned here because we¡¯re a collective bunch of brain-dead morons.


    Remember that weird sucking thing from earlier? Yeah, turns out everyone here saw it. Alone. And they all thought, ¡°Oh, hey, this mysterious glowing anomaly looks safe! Let me touch it.¡±


    Next thing you know¡ªboom. Here we are.


    I¡¯m not gonna lie, I felt the deep, soul-crushing embarrassment for myself just thinking about it. But hey, at least I wasn¡¯t the only idiot in this story. Misery loves company, after all.


    Before anyone could marinate too long in the collective shame, Lirienne¡¯s voice sliced through the awkward silence. ¡°The symbol beneath your feet serves as a medium for me to manifest a kind of¡­ let¡¯s call it a Rift Conduit, It pulls in individuals within its range.


    ¡°As some of you may have already guessed, this isn¡¯t the first time something like this has happened. And unfortunately¡­ it''s unlikely to be the last either. But let¡¯s set that aside for now.¡±


    My shoulders stiffened slightly, and I couldn¡¯t stop the edges of my expression from tightening. What exactly are we supposed to do here? There were varying levels of ¡°What in the actual f**k is she talking about?¡± etched on everyone''s faces as well. Well, fair reaction. Where I come from, people who say things like ¡°Rift Conduits¡± and ¡°summoning rituals¡± get complimentary straitjackets and padded cells.


    Lirienne¡ªseemingly unbothered by our collective mental breakdowns¡ªkept talking like this was a normal Tuesday for her. ¡°I will address the pressing questions that''s most likely on your minds right now, such as; Can I return to Earth? Why was I summoned here? What purpose am I meant to fulfill in this place?¡±


    ¡°I-I want to go home!¡± one of the others exclaimed before quickly shying away. That was Tess, I think.XThe ridiculously tall girl with the intimidating height but a cute face who towered at six-foot-three. What''s crazier, she said that she''s sixteen years old. Girls these days, man...


    Lirienne offered her a look of what might pass as sympathy before dropping the hammer. ¡°Regarding the first question: unfortunately, we have yet to discover a method for returning anyone to their original world. However,¡± her voice took on a neutral tone again, ¡°you are welcome to search for a way¡­ so long as it does not negatively impact our world.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Ouch.


    Tess visibly deflated, like someone had took her bag of foods without asking first.


    Before anyone could dwell too long on that bummer, though, Lirienne launched into Question Two.


    ¡°As for why you were summoned, it¡¯s to request your assistance. Or, perhaps more accurately, to demand it.¡±


    Then she hit us with a geography lesson, confirming that we were, indeed, on another planet. It even had one of those dramatic fantasy-world names. Alnarkiz.


    She casually mentioned it meant "Realm of Eternal Dusk" in Bharnavian¡ªwhich, apparently, was their universal language. Honestly, it sounded like English with extra vowels and a superiority complex.


    The place itself sounded like a medieval fantasy starter pack: swords, magic, and every flavor of mythical race you can imagine. Elves, dwarves, orcs, demons¡ªyou name it, they were here.


    They''re not very close. In fact, quite a lot of them hated each other. Classic.


    Humans were the most objectively screwed here despite being the stubborn one when it comes to being eradicated. And from the sound of it, Earth ¡°travelers¡± like us had a huge hand in making sure they didn¡¯t bite the dust yet.


    There¡¯s this thing called the Ascension Cycle¡ªa world-spanning power system that everyone here seems to treat like the Second Coming. According to Lirienne, it¡¯s like evolution, but on steroids. This world doesn¡¯t just look at you; it grabs your entire personality, stares into your soul, and goes, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s work with this.¡± Then it cobbles together a power set based on what makes you¡­ you.


    For the locals, though, it¡¯s less about raw individuality now and more about good ol¡¯ nepotism. Bloodlines and family legacy run the show. Some kid inherits a hand-me-down shard of their parents¡¯ power, and by the time puberty hits, they¡¯re thrown into this grand event called the Catalyst Rite. Picture your usual dramatic cultivation ritual: chanting, ceremonial candles, maybe a sprinkle of bloodletting for that spicy aesthetic. That¡¯s when their Dominion¡ªthe core of who they are and what they¡¯re gonna grow into¡ªis revealed, like it¡¯s some kind of twisted self-discovery seminar.


    Dominion is everything. It¡¯s your blueprint, your calling card, your big ¡°screw-you¡± to mediocrity. But the Ascension Cycle doesn¡¯t just slap a random power onto your wrist and call it a day. No, it picks apart your personality, strengths, traumas, quirks, and distills it all into something that suits you so perfectly, it¡¯s almost offensive. You don¡¯t get to cheat the Catalyst Rite. It¡¯s how everyone figures out their specific ¡°thing.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    But here¡¯s the kicker: Dominion isn¡¯t just one shiny badge. It¡¯s diced up into pieces called Aspects, smaller fragments of your overall deal. Under each Aspect are Virtues¡ªthese chill, passive blessings that give you just enough power to not look completely pathetic. Sparks of potential that show up when your Dominion¡¯s on a roll, like little reminders that you¡¯ve still got a long way to go. Yay, progress.


    Oh, and speaking of progress, let¡¯s talk about the Cycle¡¯s stages. Because of course there are stages. This isn¡¯t some fairy tale¡ªyou grind or you¡¯re dead.


    From Seedbearer, Unholy Genesis, Apostle of Reformation, Crest of the Changed, Regalia of the Divine, Divine Dishonor, to Avatar of the Symbol. Now, for the description of each one, that''ll be too long.


    Let¡¯s just sprinkle in some resource management, because what¡¯s a power system without pain?


    First up: Soul Vitality (SV). It¡¯s your battery. Burn through it, and guess what? You¡¯re stealing from your own life force. Not exactly sustainable.


    Then there¡¯s the Sanity Threshold. Sounds cheerful, right? Burn too bright, push too far, and you hit something they call Dissonance. Translation: you lose your damn mind. Paranoia, hallucinations, maybe even outright death¡ªbut hey, that¡¯s the price of ambition.


    Here¡¯s the moral of the story: every rung on the ladder comes with bigger risks. You screw up? You crash. And that crash isn¡¯t soft or forgiving. It¡¯s glorious, bone-crunching, existential horror in a bottle.


    This is the Ascension Cycle. Climb it or die trying. That¡¯s the deal.


    But here''s the deal; people like us, snatched from whatever halfway-decent existence we had back home, are a goddamn goldmine to this place. Why? Because we¡¯re walking repositories of chaos.


    Unlike the locals, whose bloodlines and legacies funnel them into a predictable little box, We bring in what the Ascension Cycle drools over most: variety. We¡¯re wild cards. Our lives haven¡¯t been marinated in centuries of stagnant traditions and rigid systems. Instead, we come with an entire buffet of influences¡ªmodern ingenuity, cultural mishmashes, questionable decisions, suppressed memories, you name it.


    To this world, we¡¯re shiny, one-of-a-kind toys that break all the rules. Dominions that don¡¯t fit the usual cookie-cutter mold. Unpredictable, volatile, terrifyingly efficient.


    Meanwhile, the locals? Eh. They¡¯ve been rehashing the same powers for centuries. You¡¯ve got your warriors, your healers, the usual elemental flavor-of-the-month crowd. It¡¯s not bad, just¡­ predictable. It¡¯s like comparing a retro arcade game to a high-spec VR RPG. Sure, nostalgia¡¯s nice, but once you¡¯ve seen one fireball-tossing mage or sword-swinging knight, you¡¯ve seen them all.


    Take Lirienne¡¯s explanation: Dominion diversity in the native population has been shrinking for generations. The bloodlines, once vibrant and experimental, are now more inbred than royalty. It¡¯s gotten to the point where new Catalysts aren¡¯t awakening entirely unique powers anymore¡ªthey¡¯re just recycling watered-down versions of the old ones.


    We¡¯re something else entirely. Our Dominions are patchwork of creativity and madness, tailored to our psyches. We¡¯re volatile, sure, but we¡¯re also the unexpected element in a world running on predictability.


    The natives need us. Their fancy little legacy system is falling apart under its own weight, and we¡¯re the only variable that promises to shake things up. We¡¯re not just useful¡ªwe¡¯re indispensable.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the mouth for giving compliments,¡± Judith quipped with sarcastic tone. She''s a 27-year-old military vet¡ªor so she claimed¡ªwhich is, well, looked every bit the part of someone who would bark orders or could easily smash a guy''s jawline. Wild hair, piercing eyes, and a body language that challenged "Try me." She had that step on me, Mommy vibe, and if you¡¯re judging me for thinking that, don¡¯t. It¡¯s a fact.


    She was from North Carolina, which felt oddly specific, but whatever.


    Lirienne chuckled lightly, the kind of sound that made the hairs on your neck twitch. ¡°It¡¯s a necessary skill. A mixture of brutally honest analysis exaggerated enough would make the recipient either unreasonably flattered, utterly culpable to agree, or¡­¡±


    Yeah, this woman was nuts. Definitely not sticking too close to her.


    It wasn¡¯t just me¡ªmost of the group seemed to take a few step back just not to get a bit closer to her.


    ¡°Um, so, what¡¯s our specific purpose here, then?¡± a girl with a faux biker-jacket aesthetic blurted out. That was Sasha Goranov. Twenty-one. Belgrade, Serbia. And look at me actually remembering someone''s name for once. She claimed to be a mechanical engineer who loved motorcycles.


    Lirienne¡¯s unsettling grin softened as she straightened up, scanning the group with a neutral smile. ¡°That is up to you. The process begins with the Catalyst Rite. By completing it, you will unlock the Seed¡ªessentially the core of your power here¡ªand we¡¯ll observe its traits to guide you forward. Should you choose not to participate, you¡¯ll receive nothing from us but a free, temporary residence for two weeks before needing to leave or pay like any regular inhabitant.¡±


    Someone near the back, an olive-skinned man with a voice rough around the edges, raised a cautious hand. ¡°Is it gonna hurt?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lirienne answered smoothly, shaking her head. ¡°Not in the slightest. If you¡¯re ready, we can begin the next step immediately.¡±


    The Japanese guy sighed like he was about to pay taxes and muttered, ¡°I will participate.¡±


    Lirienne¡¯s eyes flicked to him, her lips tugging into something dangerously close to approval. ¡°Excellent. And the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯ll join,¡± I chimed in, raising my hand. Seemed easier than fighting about it.


    For whatever reason, Lirienne''s grin widened at me. Not threatening, but weirdly... creepy.


    I tried not to overthink it. Maybe it was because of my background? I''m a speedrunner, yes¡ªbreaking games for fun, squeezing through code cracks, breaking world records just to say "Ha, I did it!" For someone like Lirienne, maybe that sort of obsessiveness stuck out like a sore thumb. Or maybe I was reading too much into her reactions.


    After all, there were plenty of folks here with more useful skills than me. At least that¡¯s what my observation told me, though her lingering gaze said otherwise.


    Yeah, totally not unsettling.


    I figured I¡¯d corner her later when no one else was around and try to pry some answers loose. Asking her here, in front of everyone, felt like the wrong play. Hopefully, the ¡°ignorance kills¡± philosophy wasn¡¯t going to hit me before that.