Chapter 24 · The Gatekeeper's Gambit - Chapter 24: When the Trial Bites Back

The checkpoint didn't just flash red. It screamed.

Mo Han felt the vibration through the stone floor before he saw the warning runes crawl up the archway like living things. ANOMALOUS KEEPER. The words burned into the air, each character dripping something that looked like old blood. EXECUTE.

Su Jin was still standing in the center of the trial circle, breathing hard, contract seal torn open across her palm. She looked at him. "What the hell is that?"

"That," Mo Han said, and he was surprised how steady his voice came out, "is what happens when you win a game the tower didn't design."

Yun Sheng moved fast, putting herself between Mo Han and the archway. Her hand went to the short blade at her belt. "Execution order. Senior Keeper privilege. Wei Tiegu can trigger it remotely if—"

"If the system flags a lower Keeper for protocol breach." Mo Han finished the sentence. He'd read that clause three times in the manual. He'd just never thought he'd be on the receiving end. "Which means Wei's watching. Right now."

Su Jin wiped the blood off her hand. The torn seal was already starting to close, but slower than it should.