The claw came down fast.
Too fast.
Aarav's vision blurred slightly, the glitching screen flickering wildly in front of him.
[ O V E R L O A D ]
[ O V E R L O A D ]
"…Yeah," he muttered, forcing himself to focus. "I noticed."
His body felt heavy.
His mind strained.
But the creature—
Was right in front of him.
No time.
No space.
No second chance.
Aarav didn't move back.
Didn't try to dodge.
Instead—
He stepped forward.
The claw grazed past his shoulder.
Close.
Too close.
But not enough.
"…Got you."
He drove the metal rod forward with everything he had.
Thud.
Direct hit.
The creature staggered.
But it didn't fall.
Not yet.
Its body twisted unnaturally, recovering faster than before.
"…Still standing."
The screen flickered again.
Harder.
As if forcing something beyond its limits.
[ A N A L Y S I S C O M P L E T E ]
Aarav froze for a split second.
"…Complete?"
The world—
Shifted.
This time, it wasn't subtle.
Everything became clear.
Perfectly clear.
The creature's movement.
Its balance.
Its weak points.
Every detail—
Laid out in front of him.
"…So this is the full version."
The creature lunged again.
But now—
Aarav didn't react.
He moved before it even started.
A single step.
Perfect timing.
Perfect angle.
He slipped past the attack effortlessly.
"…Too slow."
The rod swung.
Precise.
Controlled.
It struck the exact point where the creature's movement broke.
Crack.
The creature's body froze.
Just for a moment.
But that was enough.
Aarav stepped in.
Closed the distance completely.
And delivered the final blow.
Thud.
Silence.
The creature collapsed.
This time—
It didn't move.
At all.
Aarav stood there, breathing slightly heavier now.
"…Done."
The screen appeared instantly.
Stronger.
More stable than ever before.
[ K I L L C O N F I R M E D ]
[ R E W A R D P R O C E S S I N G . . . ]
Aarav watched quietly.
"…Let's see if it works properly this time."
The text flickered—
But didn't break.
[ R E W A R D G R A N T E D ]
For the first time—
No error.
No glitch.
A faint pulse spread through his body.
Stronger than before.
Clearer.
Real.
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"…That's better."
But then—
The screen changed.
Suddenly.
Violently.
The text distorted.
Twisted.
As if something was interfering.
[ U N A U T H O R I Z E D G R O W T H D E T E C T E D ]
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…Here we go again."
The air grew cold.
Heavier than before.
Different.
Not like the fight.
Not like the system.
Something else.
Watching.
Again.
The screen flickered rapidly.
Almost… panicking.
[ H I D I N G P R O C E S S . . . ]
[ F A I L E D ]
[ R E T R Y I N G . . . ]
Aarav stood still.
"…Hiding?"
That wasn't good.
At all.
The screen struggled.
Flickered.
Then—
Forced out one final line.
[ Y O U A R E N O T S U P P O S E D T O E X I S T ]
Silence.
Complete silence.
Aarav stared at the words.
Then—
Slowly smiled.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"I figured."
Because whatever this was—
It wasn't just a system error anymore.
It was something much bigger.
And now—
It knew about him.