The apartment door clicked shut behind Dom, and the silence that followed felt heavier than any dungeon he had ever escaped from.
He stood in the small entryway, rainwater dripping onto the linoleum floor, one hand gripping the Lycan-Stalker’s mana core that was tucked inside his jacket.
The hood of his jacket stayed up.
It had to stay up.
Underneath, his cat ears twitched, picking up sounds he had never noticed before.
He limped toward the bathroom, ignoring the sharp pain in his knee.
The mirror was cracked, as it always was, but the face looking back was completely different.
Pale.
Exhausted.
Blood smeared across his jaw where the Stalker had struck him.
Above it all, poking through the torn fabric of his hood, were two dark grey, triangular ears.
Dom pulled down the hood.
The ears sprang free, twitching in the open air.
He stared at his reflection, and it stared back at him.
They’re real.
They’re really real.
He reached up and pulled on the left ear.
The ear stretched, and a sharp spike of pain shot through his skull, like trying to rip off a fingernail.
He let go, gasping.
The ear snapped back into place, unharmed.
He tried the right one.
The result was the same.
He gripped both at once, gritting his teeth against the pain, pulling until his eyes watered.
Nothing changed.
They wouldn’t budge.
They were attached to him.
“Remove them,” he said aloud, mentally summoning his status interface.
“Unequip. Delete. Cancel. Undo.”
The gold interface flickered into existence.
[remove them?? why would host want to remove them?? they’re a high-value upgrade!! they increase host’s charm rating by 400%!! the system worked very hard on them!!]
“I don’t care about my charm rating. Take them off.”
[the system cannot comply with that request!! the ears are soulbound!! they are part of host’s unique progression path!! also they are extremely marketable!!]
“Marketable.” Dom’s voice was flat.
“Do I look like I want to be marketable like this?”
[that’s rude. Especially since it just saved your life!! besides the audience demographics are extraordinarily favorable towards catboys!!]
He gripped the edges of the sink and stared at his reflection.
The ears stared back, twitching with his rising anger.
He looked ridiculous.
He looked like a cosplayer who had lost their way to a convention.
He looked like—
The apartment door swung open.
“Dom? You home?”
Lucy.
Shit.
He scrambled for the hood, yanking it up so quickly that the fabric tore further.
The ears flattened against his skull, an involuntary reaction to the sudden spike of panic.
He could hear her footsteps crossing the living room, the rustle of grocery bags, the steady beat of her heart.
She was home early.
Of course she was home early.
The one time he needed her to be late, and she was early.
“Dom? Why is there blood on the floor?”
“Troll blood,” he called out, his voice cracking.
“Nothing to worry about.”
“What’s wrong with your voice?”
“Nothing.”
“You sound weird.”
“I’m fine.”
Her footsteps halted outside the bathroom door.
“Why is the door closed? You never close the door.”
“Privacy.”
“Since when? We share a bathroom. Besides I need to pee.”
“Give me a minute.”
“Dom.” Her voice shifted, the tone she used when she sensed he was lying.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Your hood’s poking over the doorframe. And it’s… moving.”
Dom quickly pressed the fabric down, but it was too late.
The door swung open, revealing Lucy, a bag of instant noodles in one hand and her backpack slung over her shoulder.
She was eighteen, a freshman at UIC, and the one person he would go to great lengths to protect.
Her sharp gaze took in his shredded jacket, the blood, and the way he hunched over the sink like a cornered animal.
“You look like you got thrown through a windshield.”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
“You’re standing like a flamingo.”
“My knee’s just a little sore.”
“Your hood’s twitching.”
“It’s not twitching.”
Before he could stop her, she yanked the hood back.
The heavy fabric slid off, revealing two dark grey, furry, triangular ears that sprang free, twitching in the cool air.
The left one spasmed in pure mortification.
Silence filled the room.
Lucy froze, her hand still raised.
Her eyes locked onto the ears, her mouth opening and closing in shock.
The grocery bag slipped from her fingers and hit the floor, her shoulders trembling.
“Dom…” she wheezed.
“What… what is on your head?”
“It’s just a system glitch. It’s temporary. Don’t—”
“They’re twitching!”
“Please don’t laugh.”
“They’re twitching, Dom! You have cat ears!” She doubled over, one hand bracing against the doorframe, laughter spilling out uncontrollably.
“Real cat ears! On your head! Oh my god. Do they—do they do anything? Can you hear me better? Are they—”
She reached up and touched the left ear.
Dom’s body seized up.
A shudder ran through him, violent and involuntary, and a sound escaped that was definitely not human.
He stumbled back against the bathroom wall, his face burning crimson.
Lucy’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Did you just—”
“No.”
“You made a noise.”
“I didn’t make anything.”
“You purred. Dom, you literally purred. Like a cat. A big, angry, embarrassed cat. Awwn” She erupted into laughter again, tears streaming down her face.
“This is—this is the greatest moment of my entire life.”
“Are you done?”
“Not even close.” She wiped her eyes, still giggling.
“Do it again.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Please?”
“Not happening.”
“One more time. For science.”
“I will disown you.”
“You can’t disown me. How about a video then?” She pulled out her phone.
“I didn’t get the purr on video, but I can try again—”
Dom snatched the phone from her hand.
“No recording.”
“Isn’t it a little too late to keep it hidden?” She she said with a smile.
“I already screenshotted the video where you’re trending. ‘Mystery Hunter Destroys Hidden Boss.’ Great title by the way. Very cinematic. The ears are super visible.”
“You saw the video.”
“Everyone saw the video. It’s everywhere. TikTok, Twitter, HunterTube, Reddit.” She picked up her grocery bag and pulled out her laptop.
“Sit down. You need to see this.”
They settled at the kitchen table.
Lucy opened the NyaaBlade TikTok account.
The Lycan-Stalker video was pinned at the top.
View count: 200,000 and climbing.
Comments: thousands.
She scrolled through them, reading aloud with the excitement of someone who had stumbled upon a treasure.
“ActuallyADruid: I have watched this frame by frame. His reaction time is insane. He moved BEFORE the stalker attacked. That is some precognition level stuff. Someone should check this guy’s stats.” She raised an eyebrow.
“Is that true? You knew where it was going to hit?”
“The passive gives me enhanced perception. I could… sense it.”
“You’ve got spider-sense.”
“More like cat-sense. Apparently.”
She laughed and continued scrolling.
“StinkyRiftDiver: why is no one mentioning how his ears TWITCHED when he landed?? They are like, actually alive. That is not a cosplay headband. Those are REAL. Someone else commented that the edit is suspiciously good. Multiple angles. No camera crew. They’re speculating about how you filmed it.”
The golden interface flickered in Dom’s peripheral vision.
[the speculation drives engagement!! mystery is an excellent content strategy!!]
“Shut up.”
Lucy looked up.
“Who are you talking to?”
“The glitch. It talks now.”
“It talks.” She set her laptop down.
“The system talks to you?”
“In emojis. And uwu text. It thinks I am marketable.”
“Well, you are.” She pointed at the screen.
“The numbers do not lie”
Dom looked at the dashboard and saw the numbers going up.
Views.
Followers.
Comments.
Shares.
He had fought through a D-rank dungeon, almost lost in a double boss fight, and went through public embarrassment in front of the whole internet.
And people were watching.
Thousands of them.
“It’s all the glitch’s doing,” he said quietly.
“I do not control it. It just… edits and uploads stuff.”
“How is it even connected to the Internet?”
“I’m as clueless as you are. And it doesn’t plan on sharing I think.”
His phone buzzed.
[Miller_Vanguard]: Dom.
I know you saw my first text.
We need to talk about your contract.
Call me ASAP.
“Who is that?” Lucy asked.
“My guild supervisor. He wants to…renegotiate my contract.”
“Renegotiate? Why?”
“Probably wants to take back the monster core I got from the double dungeon. And also threaten to blacklist me if I do not sign a new contract following my sudden stardom.”
“And if he does?”
Dom clenched his jaw.
“Then I walk away. I have been grinding their gates for the cheapest price for four years now. They have never promoted me, never paid me a bonus. I owe them nothing.”
Lucy took a moment to really look at him before nodding.
“Alright, so what’s your plan?”
“I’ll call him tomorrow.” Dom pushed himself up, wincing as his knee protested.
“Right now, I can barely stand. Tomorrow, after I’ve rested and the swelling goes down, I’ll handle it.”
“Smart move.” Lucy reached for her laptop.
“I’ll put together some talking points. If he tries to threaten you, we’ll hit back. Breach of contract, unsafe working conditions, and failure to scan a gate before sending a solo hunter in. You almost got killed because of their negligence. He doesn’t have as much power as he thinks.”
Dom looked at his sister, only eighteen, already thinking like a pro negotiator.
“When did you pick all this up?”
“Business law. First semester.” She flashed a grin.
“Told you I’d be helpful, I’m now your self appointed manager.”
“Yeah, well, don’t let it get to your head.”
“I know.”
His phone buzzed again.
A different notification.
A direct message on the NyaaBlade TikTok account.
No profile picture.
No username.
Just a blank icon.
Unknown: Nice moves, catboy.
That Lycan-Stalker wasn’t supposed to be in your gate.
Someone put it there.
Dom frowned.
“…Seriously?”
Lucy leaned over.
“What?”
He turned the phone toward her.
She read it once, then snorted.
“Internet trolls work fast.”
“They’re also weird.” Dom stared at the screen.
“‘Someone put it there.’ Yeah, okay.”
He tapped Block, then hesitated.
Something about the message nagged at him.
Still.
It was probably nothing.
Some hunter with too much time on their hands, trying to spook the new guy.
He muted the conversation and tossed the phone onto the table.
“Not worth my time.”
The golden interface floated into view.
[host has received his first creepy fan mail!!]
“…You’re not helping.”
[the system recommends ignoring suspicious strangers until they become plot relevant!!]
Dom blinked.
“…What?”
The interface froze for half a second.
[…typing error!!]
Then it vanished.
Dom stared at the empty air where the text had been.
“What happened?”
“…Nothing.” Dom shook his head.
“I need sleep. Today has been a long fever dream.”
Lucy closed her laptop and stood.
“Good idea. Tomorrow we deal with your guild.”
“And my life falling apart.”
“And your brand.”
“…Please stop calling it that.”
“Better get used to it.”
She picked up her instant noodles and headed toward her room.
She paused at her door.
“Hey, Dom?”
“Yeah?”
“For what it’s worth…” A small smile tugged at her lips.
“I think the ears suit you.”
Dom threw a cushion at her.
She dodged, laughing.
“Goodnight, catboy.”
The bedroom door clicked shut behind her.
Dom leaned back in his chair, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
His eyes drifted toward the empty corner where the system usually floated.
“…Plot relevant.”
No answer.
For the first time since it had appeared…
the glitch was silent.