Chapter 168 168: Big day

Words : 1241 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Noah's phone vibrated violently in his hands, an unrelenting flood of notifications rolling in like a tidal wave. The moment Kelvin had hit post, the forums had exploded. > @HollowGale: Lmao this gotta be a troll account. No way the real Shadow Oracle just accepts like this. @VortexBane: Someone check if this is a bot. AI accounts are getting too good these days. @CyberMonk: Wait... what if it's actually him? We know he's a student somewhere. @PixelPhantom: Bro, if this is real—what's your control scheme? Your presets? Spill! @Gigarose: Interesting. See you tomorrow. Noah's pulse quickened at that last one. Short, direct, and way too ominous. "Well?" Kelvin grinned, peering over his shoulder. "How does it feel being the hottest topic on the forums?" Noah scrolled mindlessly, his headache worsening. "It feels like I should throw my phone into the ocean." Kelvin snickered. "Come on, you're living every gamer's dream! You're a legend now. Own it." Noah didn't reply, his gaze stuck on the sheer number of replies flooding in by the second. Some were genuine excitement, others outright accusations of cheating. A few even asked if he was secretly a game dev with access to hidden content. Then, his phone buzzed with something worse. [DM from Gigarose]: No dodging now. Show me what you really are. Noah's grip tightened around his phone. His stomach churned. Kelvin nudged him. "You okay, man?" Noah forced himself to breathe. "Yeah," he muttered. "Just... processing." But deep down, he knew—this was far bigger than just a game now. The selection process for the day was finally wrapping up, and today's matches had ended with victories all around. Noah put his phone away when Sophie stepped up for her fight, his full attention locked on her. His girlfriend was a badass, and she made that clear with every move. She dominated her opponent—a Year 3 fighter, no less—without breaking a sweat. A decisive win. "Three points to her," Oba muttered, arms crossed. "Man, she's a monster." Noah smirked. "That's my girlfriend." Oba whistled. "Yeah, yeah. Flex on us some more, why don't you?" Noah didn't respond, just watching Sophie as she calmly stepped away from the ring. She didn't look over at him, but he caught the slight curve of her lips. She knew he'd been watching. As expected, Lucas delivered another knockdown victory, adding five points to his growing tally. The guy made it look easy. Kelvin had already left, heading back to the hostel. With the academy occupied with training and tournament selections, that meant more free time for him to do whatever he wanted. And knowing Kelvin, he loved that. Just as Noah was about to leave as well, Lila and Cora showed up. Lila, as usual, did most of the talking. "This is huge for us," she said, practically vibrating with excitement. "We're going to be representing the school as Year 1s! Can you believe it? I knew we'd make a great team, Noah. Just imagine—fighting together on a grand stage, standing side by side as the academy's rising stars!" She leaned in slightly, her eyes locked onto his, expectant. Noah forced a neutral expression. "Yeah. Crazy." Lila shot a glance at Sophie, as if expecting some reaction, but Sophie remained unfazed. She didn't even acknowledge Lila, instead joining the conversation with her classmates—Noah, Oba, and Bailey. Noah watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was completely at ease, confident in herself to the point that Lila's attempts didn't even register. 'Damn. She's good.' Lila eventually sighed, clearly realizing she wasn't getting a rise out of Sophie. "Well, I'll see you guys later," she said, offering Noah a bright smile. "Yeah. Later," Noah replied, forcing one back. As soon as she walked off, he let out a quiet breath. 'She's getting way too comfortable around me.' His thoughts drifted to the rankings. Between yesterday's match and today's, he had ten points. Lila had ten points. And then there was him—Adrian Albright, son of Commander Albright. Noah's jaw tightened at the thought. 'Ugh. Just hearing that name pisses me off.' Adrian also had ten points. No doubt, Miss Brooks, their homeroom teacher for Class 1B, was thrilled that three of her students were among the top ranks. Unfortunately, Cora had fallen short today. Her match had ended in a draw, earning her just one point. There were still other notable fighters from Class 1A, and of course, the girl from 1C. But out of all of them, Noah hoped anyone but Lila would qualify. Not because he hated her—he just didn't see them working well together. For one, she was a little too obsessed with him. Secondly, the last time they did a virtual team exercise, she had completely abandoned their objective, costing them valuable points. 'No way I'm dealing with that in an actual tournament.' But there was no use stressing over it now. Nothing was set in stone yet. More matches were coming, more challenges to face. If he wanted to make it through, he needed to get even stronger. And maybe—just maybe—accepting the Gigarose challenge was the key. The system did promise him a reward, right? He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. 'It better be something good. Because I could use any power-up I can get going into this tournament.' He clenched his fists, eyes narrowing. 'And tomorrow in Elder Genes—' A smirk tugged at his lips. '—I'm gonna beat the breaks off Gigarose.' After seeing Sophie to her car, Noah lingered a bit, hands in his pockets. She had offered to give him a lift, but he had turned her down. "I'll walk," he had said. She had arched a brow, clearly knowing he had something else in mind but choosing not to press. "Suit yourself," she had replied before getting into her car. Now, he made his way toward the hostel, catching up with Lucas along the way. Lucas didn't waste time before grinning. "Man, you are such a lover boy. I'm the first in the rankings and number one wingman at the same time? This academy doesn't know how to treat its legend!" Noah rolled his eyes but smirked. "Maybe when I get to Year 3, I'll play matchmaker for some junior." Lucas let out a loud laugh. "Bet. I'm holding you to that." They continued walking, their pace slowing as Oba and Bailey walked ahead. Lucas reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, mirror-like device. Noah did the same, and as they pressed them together, Lucas swiped his fingers across his own screen. A soft beep followed, and a notification popped up on Noah's device. +1,000 Credits Received Lucas smirked. "Your payout from today's bet. Consider it a bonus for making us all look good." Noah chuckled, pocketing his device. "Appreciate it." They walked a little farther before splitting off—Lucas heading toward the upperclassmen dorms while Noah made his way to the Year 1 housing. By the time he got to his room, exhaustion was finally settling in. He didn't bother checking his phone. Didn't think about strategies. He just crashed onto his bed, pulling the covers over his head. Tomorrow was a big day.

Chapter 168 168: Big day

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