đź“– Chapter 39: The Watching Shadow
The battlefield fell silent.
Dust slowly settled.
Cracks spread across the ground like scars.
Aren stood at the center.
Breathing steady.
Eyes sharp.
Across him—
the rival didn't move.
Not attacking.
Not speaking.
"…You've changed," he said quietly.
Aren didn't answer.
The blue screen flickered again.
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[UNKNOWN STATE]
"…Tch."
The rival clicked his tongue.
"This isn't normal anymore."
Aren clenched his fist.
The energy responded instantly.
No hesitation.
No chaos.
Controlled.
"…Then don't treat me like normal," Aren said.
For a moment—
silence.
Then—
the rival smiled.
"Good answer."
But suddenly—
The air changed.
Heavy.
Cold.
Watching.
Aren's body froze.
Not from fear—
from instinct.
"…What is this…?"
The rival's smile disappeared.
"…So you feel it too."
Aren looked up.
Nothing.
But—
something was there.
Not visible.
Not physical.
But real.
The system screen glitched violently.
[WARNING]
[UNAUTHORIZED OBSERVER DETECTED]
"…Observer?" Aren whispered.
A shadow stretched across the ground.
But there was no source.
"…So it's already watching," the rival said.
His voice… serious now.
"What are you talking about?" Aren demanded.
The rival stepped back.
For the first time—
he created distance.
"You don't understand what you've become."
The shadow moved.
Slow.
Alive.
A voice echoed—
not from outside—
but from everywhere.
"…Interesting."
Aren's heart stopped for a moment.
"…A zero that exists."
The ground trembled.
The rival's eyes widened.
"…No way…"
The system cracked again.
[ENTITY LEVEL: ???]
[ACCESS DENIED]
"…It broke the system…" Aren whispered.
The voice laughed softly.
"Not broke."
"Beyond."
Silence.
Aren tightened his stance.
"…Show yourself."
The shadow expanded—
covering the ground.
But still—
nothing visible.
The rival took another step back.
"…This isn't a fight anymore."
"…It's a selection."
Aren's eyes narrowed.
"Selection…?"
The voice answered.
"Yes."
"And you've been chosen."
🔥 End of Chapter 39