The stone wall cracked.
It didn't break immediately.
First, it vibrated—as if something on the other side was deciding how to get through.
Max remained on his knees, breathing heavily. Every inhale burned. Every heartbeat felt too loud, too present.
The system screen appeared before him.
Not blue.
Not stable.
It flickered in pale, broken tones—fragmented, as if multiple versions were trying to occupy the same space at once.
---
Critical Error Detected.
Logical Inconsistency Accumulated.
Initiating Correction Protocol.
---
"Correction…?" Max whispered, lifting his head.
Mira's body tensed.
"Max, that's not normal. Get away from—"
She didn't finish.
The screen duplicated.
Then tripled.
Windows layered over windows, filling the air like floating shards of broken glass.
---
User Rewrite in Progress.
Previous State: Inept.
Corrected State: Eliminated.
-
A crushing pressure slammed into Max's chest, as if something invisible were forcing him downward—trying to pin him to the ground.
"…Eliminated?" he gasped.
The system didn't answer.
Because it was no longer talking to him.
It was acting.
A sharp pain tore through his skull. False memories began overlapping the real ones—visions of him dying again and again. Versions where he never stood up. Where he was always weak. Where no one ever needed him.
The system's voice returned.
Distorted.
Almost human.
---
Max is unnecessary.
Max is invalid.
Max was a summoning error.
---
"Shut up…" Max growled, clenching his teeth.
The wall behind him exploded.
The Watchers of the Threshold emerged through dust and shattered stone, moving unnaturally, as if space itself bent around them. Their bodies vibrated—adapting.
Learning.
"MAX!" Mira shouted. "The system is trying to overwrite you!"
One of the Watchers raised its arm.
The air compressed again.
But this time—
Max didn't retreat.
He stood up.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Furious.
"You know what the worst part is…?" he muttered, staring forward. "For a second… I almost believed you."
The screen reacted instantly.
---
Emotional Response Detected.
Attempting Neutralization.
---
His status appeared.
---
Current State (Forced)
Level: 0
Strength: 0
Endurance: 0
Agility: 0
---
"…Really?" Max let out a dry laugh.
Mira's eyes widened in horror.
"Max—you don't have stats!"
"I never did," he replied calmly. "Just numbers that lied."
The system vibrated violently.
---
Activating Total Restriction.
All Skills Locked.
---
For a moment… nothing worked.
Max took a step.
Almost fell.
The Watcher attacked.
And then—something changed.
Not a notification.
Not a window.
A feeling.
A certainty.
"Ah…" Max whispered. "Now I get it."
He lifted his head.
And smiled.
"If you take away the numbers… then all that's left is me."
The system reacted too late.
---
Warning:
Unregistered Skill Activating.
Max took a deep breath.
And spoke aloud.
"Embodied Lie."
There was no explosion.
No flash.
The world grew heavy.
The air thickened around Max, as if reality itself acknowledged that something impossible was happening.
The Watchers stopped.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
Max stepped forward.
Each step cracked the ground beneath him.
Not because he was strong.
But because he knew he shouldn't be able to do this.
"I'm scared," he said. "I'm injured. I'm exhausted."
The system screamed.
---
ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.
"This is impossible," Max continued. "I shouldn't be able to win."
His fist clenched.
"And that's why—"
He punched.
The impact bent space.
One of the Watchers was hurled into the wall, disintegrating into black particles before it even touched it.
Max froze, breathing hard.
"…It works."
The screen reappeared, frantic.
---
Forced Analysis:
Detected Power Exceeds Allowed Parameters.
Conclusion: Anomalous User.
Recommended Solution: Immediate Elimination.
The remaining Watchers attacked simultaneously.
Max didn't dodge.
He activated something else.
"Statistical Denial."
Pain surged back violently. His muscles screamed. His vision blurred.
But he smiled.
"I can't win," he thought. "So I will."
He moved.
Not fast.
Not gracefully.
But every strike landed.
Every blow carried the weight of a reality screaming this shouldn't be happening.
One fell.
Then another.
The last Watcher shrieked—a sound that wasn't sound, but interference.
Something snapped inside Max's head.
The screen appeared one final time, shattered.
---
Rewrite Failed.
User Incompatible with System Logic.
Initiating Final Protocol…
Max looked up.
"No," he said calmly. "My turn."
The system displayed one last line.
---
Survival Probability: 0%.
Max smiled.
"Perfect."
He activated Result Forgery.
The world stopped.
And the result… changed.
The remaining Watcher collapsed, dissolving like badly written code.
Silence.
Max dropped to his knees, exhausted, blood dripping from his nose.
Mira rushed to him.
"You're insane!" she said, holding him. "It's trying to erase you!"
"I know…" Max breathed.
He looked at the screen—now dark.
"And it doesn't like me anymore."
In the darkness of Floor 20, something was watching.
And for the first time—
The system felt fear.