> District 43_
West of Cybercity, beyond the Magistrala, a city made of code begins: black obsidian, lines of light, terminal messages written across the sky. Eight quarters, rogue programs to hunt and the Terminal43 Academy, where you learn cybersecurity on real challenges.
Two ways into the District
On foot, over the Magistrala
From the western edge of Cybercity a long bridge of light crosses the chasm. At its end, the District's gate.
Through the dead pixel
On Cybercity's neon square, by Broker Zero, a dead pixel flickers. Press G next to it and you land straight at the Kernel Gate, the Terminal43 seal in its floor.
The District opens from level 40. Its programs are level 41-95.
Eight quarters, one colour each
Everything is monochrome obsidian; each quarter has a single colour of light and its own security craft.
The rogue programs
Here the monsters do not bleed, they break: when they fall, they shatter into cubes of light.
Quarter alerts and the Wardens
Every quarter remembers how hard you hunt it. Each program you bring down raises its alert, and a quarter left alone slowly cools. At 100% its pillar of light turns red and the Quarter Warden comes out, an obsidian colossus in the quarter's colour.
- You see the alert in gameIn the panel on the right, with a gauge that pulses near 100%.
- The Warden pays everyoneEveryone who struck it gets 2 Bad Sectors, 2 Cryptographic Keys and 1 Exploit Kit, plus a chief's loot.
- You have ten minutesIf it is not brought down, the Warden withdraws and the quarter's alert drops to a third.
The District's materials
At the smith, items of level 45 and up need one of each below at its step, on top of the usual materials. From +8 to +9 they need all three.
Grandpa Root
An old hacker stands by the Kernel Gate, a 1987 Terminal43 badge on his lanyard. He knows every corner of the District and gives you the first clues.
„A page is like a letter: always look at the back of it too. Remember that, you will need it.”
Memory cards
The District's programs carry encrypted scraps of memory. Sometimes, when they fall, they leave a card. On it is an encoded message: a small security puzzle, like the real challenges. Decode it and get your reward in game.
- Hunt in the DistrictAny program may leave a card: rarely the small ones, more often the Trojan Horse and the Ransomware Lord, always the Wardens and Zero-Day.
- Get the device from Grandpa RootWithout it the cards stay encrypted. Root gives it to you once, in the Kernel Gate's square.
- Stand on the Terminal43 sealThe device's key is bound to the seal in the middle of the square. Anywhere else the screen only shows you the way there.
- Decode the messageType the answer into the device and get kreds and District materials. If you are stuck, a hint costs one Cryptographic Key.
Every card has its own message, so someone else's answer will not open it. If you get it right away you have the knack: the Academy terminals in the same square have real challenges.
Real security challenges, from the game
Six terminals stand round the Kernel Gate, one per branch: Web, Crypto, Networks, Forensics, OSINT and Reverse. The challenges are hosted on ctf.terminal43.ro, and you start and solve them with your own tools: browser, curl, Burp, Python.
- Download the gameRune & Neon is free on Windows, Linux and Android. You create your account right in the game.
- Reach level 40The District opens from level 40.
- Enter District 43Through the dead pixel by Broker Zero in Cybercity, or on foot over the Magistrala.
- Open a terminalAt the Kernel Gate, press G by your branch's terminal (the Terminal43 hologram above it).
- Start the targetPick the challenge, press “Start target”, then “Open”: the target opens in your browser with a one-time access link.
- Submit the flagFind the T43RN{...} flag, paste it into the terminal and press “Submit flag”. You earn points and climb the Academy rank.
No account needed
You play with your game account. The link to the target works once and for a few minutes; press “Open” again for another visit.
The Academy rank
Apprentice, Operator (300), Analyst (800), Specialist (1500), Expert (3000) and Zero-Day (6000 points). Your rank shows over your name in game. Whoever solves a challenge first is announced to the whole world.
Link a Terminal43 account (optional)
On ctf.terminal43.ro, under Settings, Integrations, generate an RN-XXXX-XXXX code and enter it at the terminal. Everything you solved moves to your account and shows on the Terminal43 scoreboard.
The Kernel: game hacking, allowed
Beneath the District's square a debug layer is being built where cheating is the very point: a bridge you cross by changing packets, a merchant who sells twice, a boss whose health is checked badly. Every player gets their own copy, isolated from the real game.
