The Thing That Shouldn't Exist

The creature lurched forward, its movements jagged, unnatural. Its elongated limbs bent at odd angles, as if its existence itself was unstable.

But Ezekiel's attention wasn't on its monstrous form.

It was on what wasn't there.

No system notification. No level. No designation.

Everything he had encountered so far—the masked creature, the System Enforcer—had been part of the system's framework. Even the most hostile entities had names and classifications.

But this thing?

It was outside the system entirely.

How?

Ezekiel's breath was steady, but his heart pounded. If the system didn't recognize this thing, then there were no rules, no limits, no safeguards.

I don't even know if my abilities will work on it.

The creature twitched, then vanished.

What?!

A sharp crack echoed through the chamber. Too late.

Pain exploded through Ezekiel's side as something slammed into him, sending him skidding across the stone floor. His vision blurred as he crashed into a fallen pillar, dust and debris filling the air.

He barely had time to register the hit before he forced himself to move, rolling to the side—

Another impact.

The pillar he had just leaned against shattered, stone fragments flying in all directions.

The creature had teleported.

No—not teleportation. It simply… ceased to be in one place and reappeared in another.

Ezekiel gritted his teeth.

It's faster than me. Stronger than me. And I don't know its limits.

He couldn't afford to play defensively. He had to test his abilities—now.

Authority Over Position – Against the Unknown

He extended his hand, focusing his Authority Over Position.

If he could lock its movement in space, he could create an opening.

The air twisted as his power surged—

The creature's head snapped toward him.

For the first time, it reacted.

And then—space itself unraveled.

Ezekiel staggered backward. His ability… had failed.

No, it wasn't just ineffective.

It had been repelled.

The area around the creature distorted, flickering in and out of existence, as if rejecting the very concept of being fixed in one place.

Ezekiel's stomach dropped.

It's not just outside the system—it's outside the world's spatial laws.

This thing didn't move through space.

It ignored space entirely.

A Flawed Imitation

The creature twitched again, then disappeared.

Ezekiel barely had time to react before it was behind him.

But he had been waiting for it.

He activated Forsaken Echo—

Dark mist burst from his body, a fractured imitation of the masked creature's ability. His form blurred, shifting unpredictably as he twisted out of the way.

The creature missed.

For the first time, it hesitated.

Ezekiel's eyes widened.

It couldn't track him properly when he used Forsaken Echo.

That means… it's affected by distortions in space.

His ability wasn't perfect. It was a flawed copy, an unstable mess of power.

But in this moment, it was enough.

I can work with this.

Exploitation

Ezekiel pushed himself forward, flickering in and out of position with Forsaken Echo.

The creature twitched, trying to compensate—

But its movements were now delayed.

It was too used to moving freely. Too used to ignoring space entirely.

And now, Ezekiel was distorting that very space.

He lunged, shifting unpredictably—

His fist connected.

The impact rippled through the creature's body.

For a brief moment, its form glitched.

Then it screamed.

The sound was not natural. It wasn't pain. It wasn't anger.

It was like reality itself was rejecting its presence.

Ezekiel barely had time to register this before it vanished completely.

Not disappeared.

Not fled.

Erased.

As if it had never existed.

Silence filled the chamber.

Ezekiel stayed still, his breathing slow and controlled. His body was still tense, waiting for another attack.

But nothing came.

The System's Response

A new notification appeared before him.

---

[ Unregistered Entity Interaction Logged. ]

[ System Alert – Critical Anomaly Detected. ]

[ Analyzing… ]

…

[ Warning: Error in World Framework. ]

[ Adjusting Parameters… ]

…

[ Caution: Anomaly Suppressed. Continued exposure to Unregistered Entities may result in system instability. ]

---

Ezekiel's fingers curled into fists.

The system didn't even recognize what just happened.

It had tried to suppress whatever that thing was, but even now, he could tell—it was struggling to adjust.

This thing wasn't just outside the system.

It was something the system itself was trying to forget.

A Bigger Picture

Ezekiel exhaled, forcing his mind to slow down.

This changed everything.

The System Enforcers, the restrictions on the Sovereign's Paradox—they weren't just some arbitrary control mechanisms.

They existed because there were things that the system itself couldn't contain.

And now, he had just interacted with one.

What the hell did I just step into?

One thing was clear.

He wasn't just fighting against the system anymore.

He was walking in the spaces between it.

---

Ezekiel stood frozen, his breathing steady despite the storm raging inside his mind.

The creature was gone. Erased as if it had never existed.

But the memory of it lingered, along with the system's delayed response.

The floating notification before him still flickered. The system had acknowledged the anomaly—barely.

---

[ Unregistered Entity Interaction Logged. ]

[ System Adjusting Parameters… ]

[ Caution: System Instability Detected. ]

---

Ezekiel narrowed his eyes. Instability.

He had never seen that word appear in any of his notifications before.

The system… was struggling.

That was important.

It meant the system was not all-powerful. It could be pushed. Forced to react.

More than that—it could be unstable.

The realization sent a thrill through him, but it was quickly tempered by something else.

If the system was unstable… then what did that mean for him?

Ripples in the System

He exhaled slowly and stepped forward. He had to move. Standing still wouldn't give him answers.

The chamber felt different now.

The air was heavier. Not like before, when the creature's presence had distorted space—but as if something unseen had shifted.

Then—

The system reacted.

A new notification.

---

[ System Integrity Scan Initiated. ]

[ Anomalous User Activity Detected. ]

[ Recalculating User Status… ]

---

Ezekiel's stomach clenched.

Recalculating user status?

Before he could process it further, his vision blurred.

A sudden, crushing pressure bore down on him, like invisible hands pressing against his body.

It wasn't an attack.

It was scrutiny.

The system was actively analyzing him.

His muscles tensed, his instincts screaming to move—

But there was nowhere to run.

Then—

The pressure vanished.

And a final notification appeared.

---

[ User Status Updated. ]

[ Designation: Paradox-Class Entity. ]

---

Ezekiel's pulse stopped.

Paradox-Class?

That was new.

The system had always categorized things. Levels, skills, enforcers, anomalies—everything had a classification.

But this…

This was something different.

What the Hell Did I Just Become?

Ezekiel clenched his fists, his mind racing.

The system had updated his designation after encountering the unregistered entity.

That meant two things:

One – He was no longer just a standard system user. Something had changed.

Two – The system hadn't erased him.

If it truly wanted to eliminate him, it would've done so already.

So why didn't it?

Because it couldn't?

Because it was watching?

Because it needed him?

Ezekiel's jaw tightened. He didn't like not knowing.

But right now, he needed answers.

He turned back toward the broken obelisk at the center of the chamber.

The Obelisk's Message

He placed his hand on the cracked stone, half-expecting another backlash.

But this time, the system did not resist.

Instead—new fragments of text appeared, still incomplete, still broken, but clearer than before.

---

[ …Paradox-Class… Forbidden Awakening… First Sovereigns… System Failsafe Activated… ]

[ …Erasure Failed… ]

---

Ezekiel's breath caught.

Erasure failed.

He had survived something others hadn't.

The system had tried to erase him—and it had failed.

That's why it had recalculated his status.

That's why it had labeled him a Paradox-Class Entity.

Because he shouldn't exist.

And yet—he did.

A New Path Opens

A slow, deliberate exhale left his lips.

Good.

Let the system struggle to define him. Let it watch, let it try to contain what it didn't understand.

Because now, Ezekiel knew something vital.

The system wasn't unbreakable.

And he would find a way to shatter it completely.

---