Jian's grip tightened around his blade, his instincts screaming at him to stay on guard. The figure before him wasn't just another challenger or assassin. There was something deeper, something ancient in the way they moved, the way their presence warped the very air around them.
"A shadow?" Jian repeated, his voice steady. "I don't have time for riddles."
The masked figure let out a breath—something between a laugh and a sigh. "Time is an illusion in the Tower. But since you are so eager for clarity… consider us the ones who clean up irregularities."
Jian's eyes darkened at the choice of words.
"Irregularities," he echoed. "So, I take it you're not here for a friendly conversation?"
The figure took a step forward, their motion unnaturally smooth, almost as if the darkness itself carried them forward. "That depends entirely on you. The Council watches, yes, but they do not interfere. We are different. We are the ones who act when the balance tips too far."
Jian felt his blood run cold. He had heard whispers about figures that moved unseen in the Tower, forces that existed beyond the recognized factions and challengers. Some called them enforcers, others executioners.
But all agreed on one thing.
If they set their sights on you, survival was not guaranteed.
Jian's mind raced. He had faced death countless times, fought beasts, Guardians, and even challengers who had far more experience than he did. But this was different. The figure before him exuded something else—certainty.
They weren't testing him. They were assessing whether or not to eliminate him.
"I don't answer to the Council," Jian said coldly. "And I don't take orders from the shadows."
The masked figure stilled, the air between them thick with something unseen. Then, they nodded slowly. "Good. You are not afraid."
"Never said that," Jian replied. "But fear and action aren't the same thing."
A pause. Then, for the first time, the figure seemed… amused.
"The others were right about you."
Jian tensed. "Others?"
"You are not the only one being watched, Irregular. The Tower breeds more than just challengers—it breeds forces that shape its very core. Some rise, some fall. You have been marked not just by the Council, but by other eyes as well."
Jian exhaled sharply. "Who?"
The masked figure did not answer immediately. Instead, they lifted a single gloved hand, and for the first time, Jian saw something impossible.
The very space around them fractured.
Not magic. Not illusion. Something far worse.
It was as if the Tower itself struggled to contain whatever power the figure wielded. The shadows bent inward, curling around the masked figure like broken reality trying to repair itself.
Jian felt a pressure against his skull, a sensation he had never known before—something beyond mana, beyond skills, beyond anything he had encountered.
Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the distortion vanished.
"You are strong," the figure said. "But strength alone is never enough. Survive long enough, and you will learn what even the Guardians fear."
Jian's breath came sharp and steady. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but one thing was clear—this was not an ordinary enemy.
The figure took a step back, fading once more into the darkness of the forest. "For now, consider this a warning. You may walk your own path, but others have already begun to move their pieces. And soon, you will have to choose."
Jian took a step forward, but the presence was already gone. The silence of the forest returned, as if nothing had ever disturbed it.
But Jian knew better.
He had been marked.
And something far worse than the Tower's Guardians was watching.
End of Chapter 38.