The street slowly returned to normal.
Or at least—
As normal as it could be.
People whispered. Some stared. Others avoided looking at him entirely.
Aarav ignored all of it.
He walked away without a word, hands in his pockets, expression calm.
"…Too much attention," he muttered.
That was a problem.
And problems needed to be avoided.
The further he moved from the scene, the quieter things became.
Fewer people.
Less noise.
Less risk.
"…Better."
He stopped near an empty alley and leaned against the wall.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The screen appeared again.
Flickering.
Unstable.
But clearer than before.
[ W E L C O M E U S E R ]
Aarav looked at it quietly.
"…You're back."
The interface didn't glitch as violently this time.
Instead—
It shifted.
Slowly.
Like it was… learning.
New lines formed.
[ A N A L Y S I S M O D U L E U P D A T E D ]
Aarav raised an eyebrow.
"…Updated?"
The words held steady.
No distortion.
No break.
For the first time—
Something felt… stable.
"…That's new."
He reached out.
Tapped the screen.
This time—
It responded instantly.
A faint pulse of light spread across the interface.
And then—
New information appeared.
[ F U N C T I O N : P A T T E R N R E A D I N G ]
Aarav's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Pattern reading."
The words felt familiar.
Like something he had already experienced—
But couldn't explain.
"…So that's what it is."
That strange feeling during the fight.
That clarity.
That ability to predict movement.
It wasn't instinct.
It was this.
"…Not bad," he said quietly.
The screen flickered once—
As if reacting to his words.
Then—
Another line appeared.
[ L I M I T E D U S A G E ]
Aarav smirked faintly.
"…Of course there's a catch."
Nothing came for free.
Not even this.
But still—
It was something.
More than nothing.
More than before.
And in this world—
That mattered.
Aarav straightened slightly.
"…Let's test it again."
As if responding—
The screen dimmed.
Faded.
But didn't disappear.
Instead—
It stayed.
Quiet.
Waiting.
Then—
A sound.
From deeper inside the alley.
Aarav stopped.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
A low growl echoed.
Slow.
Heavy.
Not like the previous creature.
Stronger.
More stable.
Aarav's eyes sharpened.
"…Already upgraded, huh?"
From the shadows—
Something moved.
Larger.
Darker.
Its shape was clearer.
Its presence heavier.
And the moment it stepped forward—
The screen reacted instantly.
[ T A R G E T D E T E C T E D ]
[ T H R E A T : M E D I U M ]
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"…That's a step up."
The creature's eyes locked onto him.
No hesitation.
No confusion.
It knew what it was doing.
"…Good," Aarav said quietly.
"Let's see how far this goes."
The creature lunged.
Faster.
Sharper.
More controlled.
But—
Aarav moved.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
Just—
Earlier.
His body reacted before the attack fully came.
A step.
A shift.
A dodge.
Clean.
Precise.
"…I can see it."
The movement.
The pattern.
The intention.
Everything was clearer.
The creature attacked again.
And again.
And every time—
Aarav was already moving.
"…So this is how it works."
He stepped in.
Closed the distance.
Struck.
The hit landed clean.
But—
The creature didn't fall.
It staggered.
Then recovered instantly.
Aarav stepped back.
"…Yeah," he said softly.
"That's definitely different."
The screen flickered.
Harder.
As if processing something.
[ A N A L Y S I S I N C O M P L E T E ]
Aarav frowned.
"…Not enough?"
The creature growled again.
More aggressive now.
More aware.
And this time—
It didn't rush.
It waited.
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…It's learning."
That—
Was not good.
At all.
The screen flickered again.
Stronger.
Faster.
Almost… urgent.
[ W A R N I N G ]
Aarav's grip tightened.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"I can see that."
Because this time—
He wasn't the only one adapting.
And that changed everything.