The forest had a rhythm now. A pulse Asher could almost hear. Between the creaking boughs and shifting wind, his own movements felt like they belonged.
> [Stealth Subsystem XP: 63%]
[Skill Proficiency – Shadow Flicker: 22%]
[Entropy: 4.9%]
[Kill Points: 185]
[Weapon Equipped: Rusted Survival Knife – Durability: 25%]
[Mask Equipped: Civilian Grade – Damage Reduction 5% (Cosmetic Alteration Active)]
[Skill: Ritual Echo – Cooldown: 1h 12m]
[Skill: Shadow Flicker – Ready]
Every blink was cleaner. Shadow Flicker no longer staggered him or blurred his balance. It carried him like instinct—moment to moment, kill to kill.
The next clearing held two cultists.
He didn't stalk this time.
He moved.
> [Shadow Flicker – Activated]
[Skill Proficiency: 22% → 25%]
[Cooldown: 10s]
The flicker snapped him between shadows, blade already drawn. One strike to the spine. A second flicker sideways—he caught the second cultist before she could scream.
Two bodies dropped.
> [Kill Confirmed – KP +75]
[Stealth Subsystem XP +12%]
[Entropy: 5.0%]
[Weapon Durability: 23%]
They'd been carrying something wrapped in shredded robes—a man, unconscious but breathing, blood matting his scalp. Still alive.
Asher sliced the ropes.
The man looked up, confused, terrified.
Asher said nothing—just pointed toward the old trail. The man didn't hesitate.
---
Later, beneath a rusted footbridge, Asher crouched low, watching the rain drip through broken steel. He opened the system interface and scrolled through the Replay Log.
Not the fresh kills.
The fight that mattered.
The Rake.
Frame by frame, he slowed the playback. Paused just before it lunged. Then zoomed.
There.
In the trees.
Pale. Faceless. Watching.
> [Replay Log – Frame 742]
[Observer Identified: Slender Man]
[Alias: Redacted Observer]
The name flickered through his mind. Urban legend. Faceless predator. Proxy master.
But this wasn't myth. This was memory, confirmed.
And it wasn't the first time.
> [Memory Lock: Fragment 01 – Unsealed at 15.0% Entropy]
[Origin: Ritual Interference Event]
Asher's jaw tightened behind the mask.
The cult hadn't summoned Zalgo. Whatever they'd tried to awaken had failed—or been hijacked.
Parasight had taken control.
Not a gift.
A seizure.
And Slender Man had been watching the entire time.
> [New Optional Task – Investigate Proxy Anomalies]
Objective: Observe interactions with known entities. Log behaviors. Avoid direct conflict.
Reward: KP +100
Bonus Unlock: Mask Fragment (Unknown)
Entropy Gain: +0.3% per successful observation
Parasight pulsed, faint and cold.
It wasn't passively adapting anymore.
It was preparing something.
And something else—someone else—was watching to see if he would survive it.