The creature lunged again.
Faster this time.
More aggressive.
Aarav didn't step back.
He didn't panic.
Instead—
He watched.
Every movement.
Every shift.
Every small detail.
"…Too obvious," he muttered.
The creature's claw swung toward him.
Aarav moved at the last second.
A simple step.
Clean.
Precise.
The attack missed.
He countered immediately.
The metal rod struck the creature's side with a sharp sound.
*Clang.*
The creature let out a distorted scream, stumbling back.
Aarav didn't chase.
Didn't rush.
He stayed still.
Observing.
"…You're not strong," he said quietly. "Just loud."
The creature growled and charged again.
This time—
Aarav moved first.
He stepped forward instead of back.
Closed the distance.
The rod swung again.
*Crack.*
Direct hit to the head.
The creature staggered hard.
Aarav didn't stop.
Another strike.
And another.
Each hit was controlled.
Measured.
No wasted movement.
As if he could already see where the creature would move next.
"…This is easier than I expected."
The creature collapsed to one knee.
Weak.
Unstable.
Aarav raised the rod one last time.
"…Let's end this."
He brought it down.
Hard.
*Thud.*
Silence.
The creature stopped moving.
Completely.
Aarav stood there for a moment, breathing steady.
No excitement.
No fear.
Just… confirmation.
"…So it dies like anything else."
But then—
The air shifted.
A familiar flicker appeared in front of him.
The glitching screen returned.
Stronger this time.
More active.
[ K I L L C O N F I R M E D ]
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…Now you show up."
The text flickered violently, struggling to stabilize.
[ R E W A R D P R O C E S S I N G . . . ]
Then—
It froze.
Glitched.
Repeated.
[ E R R O R ]
[ E R R O R ]
[ E R R O R ]
Aarav sighed.
"…Of course."
For a second, nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The screen forced out a new line.
[ P A R T I A L R E W A R D G R A N T E D ]
Aarav blinked.
"…Partial again?"
A strange sensation ran through his body.
Not painful.
But noticeable.
Like something had slightly adjusted inside him.
His grip felt steadier.
His body… lighter.
"…So it works," he murmured.
But before he could think further—
The screen glitched again.
Harder than before.
[ W A R N I N G ]
The word pulsed.
Repeated.
[ W A R N I N G ]
Aarav frowned.
"…What now?"
The air grew cold.
The surrounding space felt… wrong.
As if something had noticed the change.
Not the monster.
Not the system.
Something else.
Watching.
Again.
Aarav slowly looked around.
The street was empty.
People had already run.
The body of the creature lay still.
Everything looked normal.
But it didn't feel normal.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"That's not good."
The screen flickered one last time.
Then—
New text appeared.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if forcing itself into existence.
[ Y O U H A V E B E E N N O T I C E D ]
Aarav froze.
"…Noticed?"
The word lingered.
Unstable.
Unnatural.
And then—
The screen went blank.
The glitch remained.
But the message was gone.
Aarav stood alone in the silent street.
His expression calm.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
Aware.
"…So this isn't just about surviving anymore," he murmured.
Because something—
Somewhere—
Was now watching him.