Chapter 172 172: Void sickness

Words : 1600 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Kelvin had cleaned up fast. At Noah's request, he had erased every trace of the Elder Genes profile he had created for him. Deleted. Gone. Like it had never existed in the first place. Noah hadn't spoken since the game. While Kelvin had gone off to meet with Vee for something he vaguely claimed they both wanted, Noah lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking. Gigarose. The name looped in his mind, over and over. Not because of ego—not because he had lost. But because of that rude awakening. That realization. That there was more than what met the eye. To everyone else—the players, the streamers, the self-proclaimed Shadow Oracle fans who had all turned on him in seconds—this was just a game. Even to Kelvin, a technopath, it was still a game. But Noah? Noah knew better. What Gigarose had done... it wasn't just about skill. It wasn't just about game mechanics. She had somehow—just like him—found a way to not just overwrite her own game, but hack into his system. His system. The very system that should have been a secret. That should have been practically invisible. 'How?' He turned onto his side, brows furrowed. Rationalizing. Could she be a technopath like Kelvin? That would explain a lot. 'If she was, then by forcing my system into Elder Genes, allowing my real-world abilities into the game, did I leave a window open for an attack?' It made sense. In theory. But the system was... different. For the majority of times, it acted autonomously. It protected him—and itself. 'Would it just let Gigarose meddle with it like that?' That was what didn't make sense. Not the game. Not the loss. But the fact that his own system had been compromised. By someone he couldn't even put a face to. Kelvin had told him there were no public sightings of Gigarose. No pictures. No records. No real identity behind the name. And yet... Noah exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers against his temples. 'Damn it. I wish I could see her right now and ask her how.' Because that was what bothered him the most. Not what she did. Not that she won. But the how. The way it had left him feeling vulnerable— Like when he still had Perfect Echoe. Like when he had been helpless and at the mercy of fate. He hated that feeling. And right now? All this tech stuff wasn't his forte. Kelvin would be the right person to ask about it. He was a genius when it came to this kind of thing. But that meant... 'That means I'd have to tell him about the system.' His jaw tensed. He had kept it a secret from Kelvin all this time. His best friend. Would he even believe him? Would he think Noah had just gone insane, making up some bullshit excuse to explain why he lost? And if he did believe him... 'How would he take it, knowing that it's only now, when I'm desperate for answers, that I finally decide to open up?' That thought weighed on him. He had never liked depending on people. But this time... He didn't know what choice he had. That thought led to another. And this one... This one was his biggest worry. [Name: Noah Eclipse] [Level: 20] [Class: Void Oracle] [Health Points: 10/600] [Void Energy: 10/950] [Experience: 8,500/10,000] [Talents:] • Void Summoning [SSS RANK] • Perfect Echo [Sealed] • Self-Regeneration [B RANK] [Enhanced Skills:] • Void Blink (Level 6) – Shorter cooldown, longer range (Cooldown: 10.4 seconds) • Null Strike (Level 3) – (-100) • Void Absorption (Level 3) – Can now absorb a wider array of energies including electricity. • Entropy Touch (Level 3) – Stronger decay effect. [Attributes:] Strength: 57 Agility: 65 Vitality: 54 Intelligence: 73 Wisdom: 68 His HP and void energy were drained after the game ended. It hadn't hit zero completely, but ten... 'A fail-safe?' That had to be why the game cut off. But that wasn't the worst part. No. That came when he noticed his Void Blink. Before, it had a four-second cooldown. Now? 10.4 seconds. A direct nerf. His jaw clenched. 'So not only did Gigarose beat me, the effects carried over into real life.' He exhaled sharply, trying to process it all. 'She overwrote an already-made progress. My progress.' That meant one thing. She knew. She knew he had tampered with the game. And instead of just outing him, she retaliated. Fiercely. His fingers dug into the mattress. 'What the hell even is her ability?' The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. This wasn't just a rival player. This wasn't just someone with good reflexes, high-level gear, or overpowered mechanics. This was something else entirely. And for the first time in his life... He felt lucky this fight had only happened inside a game. Because if it had been real— If he had been face to face with Gigarose in the real world— He wouldn't have stood a chance. And that? That was his reality. Noah's phone beeped. For a second, he thought it was something else—maybe Kelvin checking in, maybe some notification about the game— But it wasn't. It was Sophie. Sophie, his girlfriend. I'm outside. Come meet me. Noah exhaled, tossing his phone onto the bed. He was still in his morning wear, a loose T-shirt and sweats, hardly something he wanted to be seen in. He grabbed a better shirt, a simple black one, and threw it on. Paired it with shorts. Ran his fingers through his hair in a halfhearted attempt to fix it. Then, without wasting more time, he headed out. She was standing by a tree. Not in her car. That alone was enough to make his brow lift in mild surprise. Why walk? Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire Before he could ask, she saw him—and instantly, her arms spread open. Her expression was soft. Sympathetic. Kelvin must have told her about the game. The loss. And if she knew, that meant she had also watched it happen. 'Great,' he thought, barely holding back a sigh. Sophie wasn't a gamer, but she had tuned in. And now she was here, offering the comforting embrace of a loving girlfriend to her lowerclassman boyfriend who had just gotten absolutely wrecked in front of thousands. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. Noah barely had time to react before he was squished between her chest, buried against her. His arms hovered for a moment before he finally patted her back. It took a while, but she let go, stepping back to get a better look at him. That was when her brows furrowed. She stared. Really stared. Then, she asked, "Is something wrong with you?" Noah blinked. Weird question. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. "I didn't notice it at first, but now that we're out in the sun, I can see it." "See what?" Her lips parted, hesitating. Then she reached for his hand. Dark veins. Thin, but there. Running through his hands, spreading like cracks beneath his skin. And his eyes— The shadows beneath them were deep, almost unnatural, bordering on black bags. Her gaze snapped back to his. "Did you sleep at all?" Noah pulled his hand back casually, rubbing his fingers together. "Yeah," he said, forcing a light tone. "Don't worry about it. Probably just stress from the tournament qualifiers." Sophie frowned. She wasn't buying it. Her hand touched his arm again, this time her palm pressing against his skin—and that was when she realized. His body was hot. Not normal body heat— Hotter than usual. She'd felt it when she hugged him. But now? Now she was paying attention. And something was definitely wrong. "Noah, listen to me," Sophie said, her voice firm yet concerned. "You need to see the school healers. This isn't normal. You look—" She paused, her eyes flickering to his hands again, then back to his face. "You look sick." Noah barely heard her. Her words faded, her voice becoming nothing more than a distant hum as his vision blurred— Then twisted. Like static flickering at the edges of reality. His breath hitched. The air felt thicker. His pulse, louder. A faint ringing built in his ears, drowning out whatever else Sophie was saying. He was zoning out. And then— A message. A system message. It appeared in his vision, red, blinking ominously. [Warning: You are now suffering from...] [Void Entropy Syndrome.] 'Void entropy what now?' His heart skipped. The static in his head snapped away as panic took hold. 'What?' His breathing shallowed, his hands clenched, his body instinctively tensing. Void Entropy Syndrome? What the hell was that? "Noah?" Sophie's voice pulled him back. His eyes flicked to her, his thoughts still a storm, but one instinct took over— Get away. He stepped back. "I—I'll see you later," he muttered hastily. Before she could react, he turned on his heels and bolted back to his dorm. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his breaths coming fast as he reached the door— Slam. He shut it behind him, back pressed against the wood as he exhaled sharply. Then, slowly, he looked forward. The message was still there. [Void Entropy Syndrome.] And he still had no idea what it meant.

Chapter 172 172: Void sickness

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