I landed on the next rooftop with a soft thud.
This time, I didn't stumble.
My balance held steady.
"…Better," I muttered.
My body was adapting.
Even small stat increases were starting to show.
I crouched slightly, scanning the surroundings before moving again.
The rooftops here were quieter.
Fewer gaps between buildings.
More connected structures.
It felt… less like an escape route and more like a path.
But that didn't make it safer.
If anything, it made me more exposed.
I continued forward cautiously, stepping from one rooftop to another.
Each movement was controlled.
Intentional.
No wasted energy.
Then—
I stopped.
A sudden feeling hit me again.
That same sensation.
Being watched.
But this time… it was closer.
My eyes narrowed.
"…You're still there," I whispered.
I slowly turned my head, scanning the rooftops around me.
Nothing.
No movement.
No shadows shifting.
No visible presence.
But the feeling didn't disappear.
If anything… it intensified.
"…Where are you?" I said quietly.
No answer.
Just silence.
Then—
A soft sound.
Clink.
My head snapped to the left.
On a nearby rooftop—about two buildings away—a small object had shifted.
A loose tile.
Moved… without wind.
My breathing slowed.
"…There."
I focused.
And for a brief moment—
I saw it again.
A distortion.
Subtle.
Almost invisible.
Like the air itself was slightly bent.
Not a person.
Not fully.
Just… something occupying space without fully revealing itself.
My heart began to beat faster.
"…You're not hiding well enough," I muttered.
The distortion flickered.
Then—
It moved.
Not fast.
But deliberately.
Toward me.
My body tensed instantly.
"Finally…"
I took a step back, lowering my stance slightly.
This wasn't a guard.
This wasn't human.
And it wasn't running.
It was approaching.
"…System," I said.
The interface appeared immediately.
---
[WARNING: Unknown Entity Approaching]
---
"…Yeah, I figured."
I clenched my fists.
"No quests?"
The screen flickered briefly.
---
[No Emergency Quest Available]
---
"…Of course."
No guidance this time.
That meant I had to handle this myself.
The distortion stopped at the edge of the neighboring rooftop.
Still not fully visible.
But close enough now that I could feel its presence clearly.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
"…Show yourself," I said firmly.
A pause.
Then—
The air rippled.
Slowly.
Gradually.
A shape began to form.
Not fully solid.
Not fully clear.
But enough to recognize a humanoid outline.
Tall.
Thin.
And completely silent.
Its body seemed partially transparent, like it was layered between dimensions rather than existing fully in one.
Then… a voice.
Not in my head this time.
But in the air itself.
"…You are aware of my presence."
I didn't respond immediately.
My eyes stayed locked on the figure.
"…So you can speak," I said.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"…You are different from the previous subject."
My expression hardened.
"Subject?"
"…Yes."
That word alone made my instincts tighten.
"…What are you?" I asked.
Another pause.
Then—
"…An Observer."
I frowned.
"…Observer of what?"
The entity's form flickered slightly, as if stabilizing its presence.
"…Anomaly."
The word echoed in my mind.
"…So I'm the anomaly?" I asked.
"…Correct."
I exhaled slowly.
"…Figures."
The Observer took a slow step forward.
Its movement was smooth—but not natural.
Like it wasn't bound by the same physical limitations as everything else.
"…Your System should not exist," it said calmly.
My eyes narrowed.
"…I've been hearing that a lot."
"…And yet, it persists within you."
I clenched my fists.
"Yeah. And?"
The Observer paused.
Then continued.
"…That makes you a point of interest."
My stomach tightened slightly.
"…Point of interest for who?"
No immediate answer.
But this silence felt different.
Heavier.
More deliberate.
Then—
"…Higher authorities."
My breathing slowed.
"…Higher than the Gods?"
The Observer didn't respond directly.
Instead, it said:
"…The Gods you know are not the only ones watching."
That statement lingered.
My mind raced.
So the System… wasn't just something controlled by the Gods.
There were layers.
Levels beyond what the world acknowledged.
"…Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
The Observer's form flickered again.
"…Because you have already been marked."
My eyes sharpened.
"Marked?"
"…By the System within you."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"…What does that mean?"
The Observer took another step forward.
Now only a short distance away.
Close enough that I could feel a strange pressure in the air.
"…It means your existence has been recorded outside the normal cycle."
My grip tightened.
"…And that's bad, I'm guessing."
"…For you," the Observer replied.
A pause.
Then it added—
"…It is irreversible."
Silence followed.
The wind moved between the rooftops.
But neither of us spoke for a moment.
Then I finally said:
"…So what now?"
The Observer's form stabilized slightly.
Its presence became clearer.
More defined.
"…Now," it said calmly,
"…you are to be evaluated."
My eyes widened slightly.
"…Evaluated?"
Before I could react—
The space between us distorted.
And in an instant—
The Observer vanished from where it stood…
Reappearing directly in front of me.
My pupils constricted.
Too fast.
Too close.
I didn't even have time to step back.
Its voice echoed softly—
"…Begin."