The rain in the Sector 4 slums didn't wash things clean; it just turned the industrial soot into a thick, black grime. Kai leaned against a rusted dumpster, his lungs burning. Every breath felt like inhaling ground glass.
The "Redact Environment" skill had drained him. His mana bar was flashing a rhythmic, stressful crimson.
[Status: Mana Exhaustion (98%)]
[Warning: Your 'Clout' is dropping. High-tier viewers are losing interest.]
"Tough crowd," Kai muttered, wiping a streak of blood from his jaw.
He looked at his phone. The screen was cracked, but the chat was a vertical blur of white text.
[User_X: Is he dead?]
[Slayer_J: No way, did you see that glitch? He literally deleted the floor.]
[Knight_Fan_01: HE ACCUSED COMMANDER VANE. THAT'S TREASON!]
A new notification drowned out the chat. It wasn't blue or gold. It was a deep, oily black.
[Private Message from 'The Mourning Widow':]
"Don't stay in the alley. The 'Peacekeepers' don't use the front door. They track the mana footprint of your 'Glitch.' Move. Now."
Kai's eyes widened. Before he could even push off the wall, the air ten feet in front of him shimmered. It wasn't a teleport—it was a Blink.
Two figures appeared. They wore matte-black tactical gear and helmets with glowing red visors. No names. No ranks. These were Vane's "Cleaners."
"Target located," the one on the left said, his voice a synthesized drone. He raised a hand, and a lattice of energy chains erupted from his palm.
"Wait!" Kai shouted, pointing his phone at them. "You're on camera! Ten thousand people are watching!"
The Cleaners didn't pause. "The System owns the satellites, boy. We'll just redact the stream once your heart stops."
The chains lashed out. Kai dove behind the dumpster, the metal screeching as the energy links tore through the steel like it was paper.
[Truth Points: 80]
[Insufficient Points for 'Manual Redaction'.]
"C'mon, think..." Kai hissed. He looked at the Cleaners through his Editor's Sight.
Most of their stats were blocked by high-level encryption, but as he focused, a small, flickering box appeared over the lead Cleaner's boots.
[REDACTED LORE: Standard Issue Peacekeeper Boots]
[Secret: Prototype anti-gravity soles. Vulnerable to high-frequency feedback.]
Kai looked at the puddle of oily water beneath the Cleaners' feet. Then he looked at the massive neon sign buzzing above the convenience store: '24/7 MANA-FUEL.'
"Hey, chat!" Kai yelled, holding the phone up as he scrambled backward. "You want to see a 'Non-Combat' class take out two B-Rank assassins? Hit the Like button. I need the points!"
The "Like" counter at the bottom of the screen began to spin.
[+1] [+5] [+20] [+100]
[Truth Points: 210... 350...]
"Die quietly," the second Cleaner growled, drawing a vibro-blade that hummed with lethal intent. He leaped, the anti-gravity soles in his boots propelling him with unnatural speed.
"Redact!" Kai screamed, pointing at the lead Cleaner's feet.
[Redacted: Anti-Gravity -> Inverse Gravity]
The lead Cleaner didn't fall. He was suddenly hurled upward with the force of a rocket. His head slammed into the fire escape above with a sickening crack, and his body continued to drift into the rainy sky, flailing uselessly.
"What—?" the second Cleaner froze mid-air.
Kai didn't give him a second. He swiped his screen toward the buzzing neon sign.
[Redacted: Sign Voltage Limit -> NONE]
The neon sign didn't just flicker; it exploded in a blinding arc of blue electricity. The current latched onto the wet pavement, conducted by the oily rainwater directly into the remaining Cleaner's tactical suit.
The assassin jerked violently, blue sparks dancing in his visor before he collapsed into the sludge, unmoving.
Kai slumped against a brick wall, his vision swimming.
[Viewer Count: 42,000]
[Clout Level Up! Rank: E]
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Echo of the Deleted' — Briefly summon the ghost of a redacted entity.]
The chat was a chaotic mess of "WTF" and "GIFT" icons. But one message stayed pinned at the top.
[The Mourning Widow: They know where you're going now. The Tower is no longer just a dungeon, Kaizer. It's your cage. Go to Sector Zero. Find the 'Glitched Smith.']
Kai stared at the name. Sector Zero. The industrial wasteland where the System's trash was dumped.
He looked down at the unconscious assassin. Using his last bit of strength, he leaned over and "Read" the man's ID.
[REDACTED LORE: Peacekeeper Unit 7]
[Current Order: 'Ensure the Censor does not reach the 1st Floor entrance.']
Kai wiped the rain from his face and looked toward the gargantuan shadow of the Tower looming in the distance.
"Too late," Kai whispered to the camera. "We're going to the 1st Floor. And I'm bringing all of you with me."
He ended the stream. The darkness of the alley felt heavier than before, but for the first time in his life, Kai wasn't afraid of the shadows. He was the one who controlled what they hid.