Reborn With A Technology System In A Fantasy World-Chapter 268: The Watcher

Despite the lingering worry about his strength, Adrian decided to push it aside for now. He had momentum, and he intended to ride it. ’I’ll cross that bridge when I get there,’ he thought, rejoining the queue.

For the next several minutes, Adrian tore through the Silver League. He fought a four-armed insectoid duelist, dismantling its chitinous defenses with precise strikes. He outmaneuvered a gravity-manipulating rock-being, using its own pull to launch himself into a knockout blow. Each victory was faster than the last, his efficiency terrifying. He checked his profile again.

[FIGHTER PROFILE: Project_Prometheus]

[CIVILIZATION: Sparkborn (Tier-1)]

[LEAGUE: Silver]

[RANK: 29]

[WINS: 11 | LOSSES: 0]

[KILLS: 0]

He was almost there for the promotional requirement, but he felt unfulfilled. Most of the fights hadn’t truly tested him. He had avoided the top 20, choosing quick matches instead. It was time to change that.

He walked up to the terminal, intending to challenge Rank 6, the strongest fighter currently showing as ’Available.’ But just as he was about to press the button, the list refreshed. A new name flashed online at the very top.

[Rank 1: The Watcher - Online]

Adrian immediately changed his mind. He selected it.

The receptionist, a different alien with tired eyes, looked at the request and actually flinched. She let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"I would advise you not to challenge that fighter, rookie. ’The Watcher’ has been the gatekeeper of the Silver League for three years. He personally refuses to ascend. If we’re being real, his strength ranks among the strongest fighters in the Gold League, perhaps even higher." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Her words made Adrian pause. A gatekeeper who refused to leave? That implied a level of mastery and arrogance that was dangerous. But then again, he was looking for a challenge. ’It doesn’t matter much if I don’t win,’ he reasoned. ’I need to see the ceiling.’

He looked at the alien attendant. "If that’s all, I don’t mind continuing."

But the alien shook her head, leaning in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The Watcher is being investigated by the Concordat... informally. He’s not your average fighter. Most of his fights have ended in... accidents. Permanent ones. Some say he doesn’t just torment people’s minds; he feeds on their souls. You better rethink your decision, or this might spell the end for you."

Her words were matter-of-fact and terrifying, but to Adrian, they had the opposite effect. He wasn’t intimidated, he was confident in not dying at the very least, and all this dark lore made the challenge infinitely more exciting.

"Proceed," he said.

Seconds later, Adrian was transported.

Immediately upon appearing, he was hit by a whole new atmosphere. There were MILLIONS of beings watching this particular fight, their holographic avatars filling the sky-high stands.

The entire atmosphere was quiet, electric with a terrified anticipation. The silence was centered on the being floating at the other end of the arena.

It wasn’t even a creature, to Adrian’s surprise. "It’s just... an Eye?"

It was a colossal, five-meter-wide floating eyeball, the iris a swirling vortex of crimson and black energy, the sclera a sickly, veined yellow. It had no limbs, no body, just that single, horrifying organ of sight. It looked like a biological nightmare ripped from a madness dimension.

[FIGHTER PROFILE: The Watcher]

[CIVILIZATION: Oculon (Tier-4)]

[LEAGUE: Silver]

[RANK: 1]

[WINS: 93 | LOSSES: 0]

[KILLS: 51]

’51 kills... what the hell?’ As Adrian examined its profile, he realized why it was so feared. A kill rate that high when kills weren’t permitted was abnormal. He couldn’t help but swallow as the creature fixed its gaze on him.

Two new commentators appeared on the main screen, their voices hushed and serious.

<"Welcome back to the Main Event! We have a special, unscheduled match tonight! The Watcher has accepted a challenge! He hasn’t fought in a month, folks!">

<"That’s right, Jim. And look who stepped up to the plate. Project_Prometheus! The rookie with the unbelievable run! He’s undefeated, but... this is The Watcher.">

<"I hate to say it, but I guess this shall be the end of the run. Let’s just hope he survives the fight at the very least. The Watcher doesn’t leave much behind.">

<"Well, let’s not jump to assumptions! We’re all here to watch a fight! Let’s get ready for the GONGG!">

~GONG!~

Immediately as the match kicked off, Adrian didn’t hesitate. "Equip!" The Power Suit flowed over him, and he activated Phantom Steps, charging straight at the floating eye.

The Watcher didn’t move. It didn’t blink. Its pupil simply dilated.

<"HE’S DOING IT! THE GAZE OF JUDGMENT!"> the commentator screamed.

A wash of crimson light flooded the entire arena, originating from the eye. It wasn’t a beam; it was an omnipresent field of psychic dominance. Adrian tried to dodge, banking hard to the left, but there was no escaping it. The red light washed over him.

Everyone expected him to fall, to scream, to have his mind flayed open.

But nothing happened.

Adrian felt a prick at his consciousness, like a mosquito trying to bite a steel wall. His soul simply shrugged off the mental assault. It was annoying, not debilitating.

Before the crowd or The Watcher could comprehend what was happening, Adrian was back on his feet, charging again.

The Oculon panicked. Its pupil frantically constricted and dilated, firing beams of concentrated telekinetic force, creating illusions of terrifying monsters, trying to invade Adrian’s mind with nightmares.

None of it worked. Adrian tore through the illusions like cobwebs and tanked the telekinetic blasts like nothing.

<"WHAT IS HAPPENING?! THE WATCHER’S MENTAL ATTACKS ARE... THEY’RE DOING NOTHING! THE ROOKIE IS IMMUNE! HE’S A GHOST IN THE MACHINE!">

In no time, Adrian arrived directly in front of the floating horror. His fist glowed with a mana-charged Resonant Fist, before being delivered straight into the center of the crimson pupil.

~BOOOOM!~

A shockwave erupted, but it wasn’t from the pupil exploding. Instead, it was Adrian that got rebounded. He was hurled back as if he had just punched metal.

The fight wasn’t won yet.