The night was quiet.
Not the kind of quiet that brought peace, but the kind that warned predators were near.
Asher crouched in a shallow ditch beneath a crooked oak, his breath slow behind the mask. The flickering interface projected faintly across his vision, dim enough to avoid notice—bright enough to remind him he wasn't alone.
> [Replay Log – Entry #001 Recovered]
[Viewer Sync: Stable]
[Hidden Entity Flagged – "Redacted Observer"]
[Identity Unlocked: SLENDER MAN]
[Note: Entry auto-saved to Archive]
He rewatched the moment again—frame 742.
Between the dying cultists and the storm of corrupted glyphs, something lingered just beyond the ritual circle.
A tall, faceless figure. Slender limbs stretched too long, wrapped in a perfect black suit.
No features. No voice. Just presence.
And pressure. The kind that made the air feel thin. Heavy with observation.
> [Entropy: 5.1%]
[Stealth Subsystem XP: 64%]
[Skill – Shadow Flicker: Proficiency 21%]
[Skill – Ritual Echo: Ready]
[Mask Equipped – Civilian Grade]
[Weapon Equipped – Rusted Survival Knife (Durability: 23%)]
[Kill Points: 275]
Asher let the image fade.
"I didn't see you then," he muttered beneath his breath. "But I do now. You were there. Watching. Since the beginning."
Not Zalgo.
Slender Man had witnessed his awakening. Had allowed it. Maybe even caused it.
And now?
He was testing him.
---
The wind shifted.
Asher's body tensed before thought could catch up. Shadow Flicker pulsed through his spine—
> [Skill – Shadow Flicker: Activated]
[Cooldown: 10s]
He reappeared ten feet to the right, crouched behind a gnarled root, knife already drawn.
Something scraped through the brush—a sound like bone dragged over glass.
Silence followed.
Then:
Laughter. Crooked. Wet. Unnatural.
A shape moved between the trees. Pale skin. A carved smile. Eyes like broken glass and oil.
Jeff the Killer.
Urban legend made flesh.
Asher didn't move.
Jeff tilted his head, knife hanging loose in one hand. "You're the one Slender's been watching, huh? You killed a whole damn circle. Left a mess even I respect."
No response.
Jeff grinned wider. "You're quiet. Good. Talk's cheap."
> [New Task – Survive the Encounter]
Primary Objective: Survive Jeff the Killer
Bonus Objective: Win Without Fatal Blow
Reward Multiplier: x1.5
Entropy Gain Rate: Elevated
Timer: Active
Asher moved first.
Shadow Flicker triggered again—angle, vanish, strike from behind.
Jeff spun. Their blades clashed—steel on steel, sharp and raw.
Sparks burst, and Asher's knife chipped under the impact.
> [Weapon Durability: 17% – Degradation Detected]
[Warning: Blade Integrity Compromised]
Then pain. Jeff's edge slid across Asher's ribs, shallow but precise.
He hissed but didn't retreat.
Flicker again—Asher appeared above. Dropped fast. Feet first.
The kick landed hard.
They both hit the ground.
Asher rolled to his feet. Jeff laughed, wiping blood from his mouth.
"Fun," he rasped. "Guess you're not just some proxy-in-training."
Proxy.
The word stuck in Asher's mind like a splinter.
Was that what Slender Man wanted?
Was he being recruited?
Jeff lunged again. No more words.
---
Minutes passed in blur and blood.
Steel rang. Shadows twisted.
Asher never struck to kill. Not out of mercy—out of calculation. The bonus reward was worth more than a corpse.
He needed KP.
He needed information.
Each clash took a toll. More sparks. More wear.
> [Weapon Durability: 11% – Near Failure]
[Recommendation: Replace or Repair]
Eventually, Jeff stopped.
Grinned again.
"Alright," he said, licking blood from his cracked lip. "You pass. Slender wanted to know what you were made of. Now I do."
He stepped backward into the fog.
Gone.
> [Task Complete – Survive the Encounter]
[Bonus Objective Achieved – Fatal Blow Avoided]
[Kill Points Gained: +130 (Multiplier Applied)]
[Entropy Increase: +0.3%]
[Updated KP: 405]
[Updated Entropy: 5.4%]
Asher stood alone.
The forest didn't breathe.
It waited.
He glanced at his knife.
The edge was jagged—unreliable. One more fight like that and it might snap mid-swing.
> [Weapon Durability: 11% – Near Failure]
[Suggestion: Use KP for Replacement or Repair]
He slid it back into his belt anyway.
And somewhere deeper in the dark…
Slender Man watched.