Kyle stood still, his eyes locked on the new Titan.
The difference was clear from the first moment:
Not just a mindless monster wandering the earth.
No… this Titan seemed… aware.
Its head moved slowly, each motion deliberate.
Its eyes… filled with understanding… feeling… even… something resembling anger.
— "What… is this?" Kyle muttered.
The first mysterious voice returned directly into his mind:
— "This… is the next experiment."
— "Experiment?!" Kyle whispered, reaching for his dagger.
The silence was deadly.
Even the wind stopped… the birds flew far away.
The conscious Titan started approaching slowly.
Each step caused a slight tremor… yet Kyle felt the ground itself avoid its path.
[Unknown Entity Detected: Threat Level A+]
Kyle swallowed hard.
— "A+? Even the other Titans… were just C…" he muttered.
Then—
The Titan raised its hand slowly…
and leaned toward Kyle.
— "Are you… the fighter who breaks time?"
A strange voice emerged from the Titan… yet almost human.
Kyle froze.
— "You… can talk?!"
— "Do not be surprised… I am different."
The Titan tilted its head slowly,
— "I know everything about you… your attempts… your deaths…"
A chill ran down Kyle's spine.
— "How?"
The Titan smiled in a twisted way,
— "Because you are now part of the game… and the game is part of me."
Kyle gripped his dagger.
— "The game? Are you… a demon?"
The Titan laughed deeply…
— "You could say that… but I am more than a demon.
I am the Keeper of Balance… and I am here to see how far you can go."
— "So… your goal is to break me?"
The Titan shrugged slowly,
— "No… the goal is to see if you can survive… and achieve what others cannot."
Kyle began analyzing.
His Predictive Movement skill… still giving him lines, but all were distorted.
The Titan was aware, calculating his moves before he even thought.
— "So… this time I can't play the old way…" he muttered.
Suddenly, the Titan moved with unbelievable speed toward Kyle.
One step… almost crushed him.
Kyle used Predictive Movement Level 2, spotting three possibilities:
Run → 80% chance of death
Direct attack → 90% chance of death
Use the environment → 40% chance of survival
— "Then… the environment." he said calmly.
He quickly scanned his surroundings.
Debris from the first Titan… rubble… pieces of the wall… everything could be a weapon.
He lunged.
Jumped on a large rock, using it as a temporary barrier, spun around the Titan.
The Titan struck again, but Kyle was already one step ahead.
Every movement calculated. Every small mistake had a price.
Suddenly…
[Rare Opportunity Detected: Hidden Path – Stage One]
Kyle felt a new power…
something inside him…
something he had never known before.
He smiled faintly.
— "Next time… I'll be in control."
But before he could strike, the Titan froze, raising its hand as if saying:
— "Be careful… Kyle… every step is calculated."
And suddenly, a new text appeared:
[Current Mission: Survive 60 Minutes]
[Hidden Reward: Unlock the Hidden Path to Time Control]
Kyle stood firm, eyes focused, heart steady…
The real confrontation had just begun.