Chapter 128 A system

Words : 1097 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Noah exhaled as he pulled off the sim suit, stretching his shoulders as the residual heat clung to his skin. The game had been intense, but the real exhaustion only hit now.@@@@ Kelvin ripped off his own gear, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. Then he folded his arms, staring at Noah like he was trying to decipher an ancient text. "What the hell was that?" Kelvin finally blurted out. Noah smirked. Kelvin's nerdy enthusiasm was already kicking in at full force. "You didn't tell me you knew how to play like that! What the hell was that teleportation trick? And that sword? Bro, what kind of secret broken-ass build are you running?! Next time, I'm picking a shadow ability avatar too. No way I'm getting left behind again." Noah just shook his head, amused at how wild Kelvin was going over it. The heat from the sim suit was still radiating off him, but he hardly noticed. The arcade lights flickered overhead, neon colors flashing against the walls as the sound of other games filled the background. Kelvin kept blabbing, already going off about how they needed to do this again, how he was going to study Shadow Oracle's skill tree, and how they had to get better gear. Noah wasn't really listening. He was just... happy. Happy to spend time with his best friend. With the interschool competition coming up, the constant chaos in his life, and the endless weight of everything else, this was a good distraction. A needed distraction. But the best part? The blue translucent screen hovering in his vision—the one only he could see. --- [Quest: Conquer the Elder Genes realm] [Progress: 1%] [Experience Gained: +100 XP] [Level Up Progress: 1,950/2,000] --- His eyes flickered at the numbers. 'So that fight actually counted toward the quest...' Not only that, he'd gained XP too. A new prompt appeared. --- [Updated Status] [Name: Noah Eclipse] [Level: 10] [Class: Void Oracle] [Health Points: 250/320] [Void Energy: 200/450] [Experience: 1,950/2,000] [Talents:] Void Summoning [SSS RANK] Perfect Echo [Sealed] Self-Regeneration [B RANK] [Enhanced Skills:] Void Blink (Level 4) - Short-range teleportation with moderate cooldown (10 seconds) Null Strike (Level 3) - Added entropy damage, higher energy cost (Void energy - 100) New Skill: Void Absorption (Level 1) - Absorb basic energy attacks New Skill: Entropy Touch (Level 1) - Single-target decay effect (Void energy - 50) [Updated Attributes:] Strength: 36 → 37 Agility: 42 → 43 Vitality: 36 → 38 Intelligence: 49 → 50 Wisdom: 42 → 43 --- Noah's smirk widened as he read through the changes. 'So this is another way to level up...' The Head of Virtual Operations for Echelon Industries. His jaw tightened as he observed the futile efforts of his team. The best minds in cybernetic gaming and none of them had a damn clue what was happening. He didn't say a word. Didn't waste time. Instead, he turned and strode out of the room, heading straight for the private elevator. The humming silence of the lift gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. The screen above flashed: "Level 130 - EXECUTIVE SUITE." The doors slid open to a luxurious top-floor office. Two heavily armed guards stood at attention outside an unassuming pink door. Grayson stopped in front of them. > "I need to see the boss." The guards exchanged a look. Then, without hesitation, they stepped aside and opened the door. The office beyond was... Ridiculous. The walls were bubblegum pink, adorned with stuffed animals, glittery decor, and a giant unicorn plushie sitting in one corner. A massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the futuristic city skyline—hovering cars, towering skyscrapers, neon-lit billboards. Grayson cleared his throat before speaking. > "Boss... we might have a problem." A soft, almost melodic voice cut through the silence. "Speak." Grayson cleared his throat, shifting slightly. "We have an anomaly in Elder Genes. An avatar—Shadow Oracle. It's behaving in ways that defy our programming. Our technopaths have run multiple diagnostics, but—" He exhaled, lips pressing into a thin line. "We suspect a hacker. Possibly someone operating at an S-RANK level." Silence. Then, the pink velvet chair across from him swiveled slowly. A young woman—no older than twenty at first glance—turned to face him fully. She wore a pink crop top, the fabric loose enough to reveal teasing side-boobs and deep cleavage. Her cotton-candy-colored hair was pulled into twin tails, secured by oversized bows. In one hand, she idly twirled a Rubik's cube, her fingers effortlessly shifting the colors into perfect alignment. Then, she scoffed. "The problem with you people," she said, voice dripping with amusement, "is that you're still thinking like it's the '90s." Grayson frowned. "What do you mean?" She leaned forward, her lollipop-pink lips curling into a smirk. "It's not a hack, Grayson." She snapped the Rubik's cube into place and held it up between two fingers. "It's a system." His brows knit together. "A system?" She leaned back, crossing her legs lazily. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Her fingers tapped together, pink nails reflecting the neon glow from the window. "I'll handle it." Grayson hesitated. There was no arguing with her—not when she got like this. With a slow exhale, he turned to leave, as he neared the door, he muttered under his breath, "Boss is fucking cookoo... and I know it." But as the elevator doors slid shut behind him, a far more pressing thought gnawed at his mind. What the hell are they going to do about Shadow Oracle? Meanwhile, inside the office... The girl leaned back in her plush pink chair, her gaze drifting toward the massive glass window overlooking the city. Skyscrapers stretched into the sky, their surfaces glowing with the neon reflections of hovering traffic and digital billboards. She had already known about this "hack" before Grayson even came to report it. And she knew exactly what it was. As a matter of fact... it wasn't a hacker. Her lips curled into a strange, almost pleased smile, a quiet thrill running down her spine as she whispered a single word. "Status." Instantly, a red translucent screen flickered to life in front of her. Lines of data and system diagnostics scrolled across it, updating in real-time. Her smirk deepened. She muttered the name under her breath. "Shadow Oracle..." Her fingers twitched slightly, her pupils narrowing in sharp focus. "So... I'm not the only one?"

Chapter 128 A system

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