Chapter 184 184: Protagonist of the universe

Words : 1511 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

"So," Kelvin said, sitting up again, suddenly serious. "Why tell me now? What's changed?" Noah's smile faded. This was the hard part. "Because," he said quietly, "I don't wanna lie to you anymore." Kelvin's eyes widened, then softened. The hyperactive energy that usually radiated from him settled into something more grounded, more present. "Dude," he said, shaking his head. "You didn't have to hide from me. Though knowing you..." A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. "I'm guessing you wanted to get the hang of the whole thing first, right? Classic Noah paranoia." Noah rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. "Something like that. I mean, at first, I couldn't believe it myself. Then I wasn't sure if I could control it. Then I was afraid of people finding out, using me as a lab rat, or worse." "Fair enough," Kelvin conceded. Then, as if unable to contain himself any longer, he exploded with questions. "But now that I know—oh my god—what can you DO? Can you teleport anywhere? Does the pocket dimension follow conservation of mass principles? How do you access it? Is there a neural interface? Voice commands? Gesture control? What about weapons? Can you conjure anything? What are the energy requirements? Do you have cooldowns? Resource management? Can you—" "Breathe, Kelvin," Noah laughed, holding up his hands. "For the most part, not much yet. I'm still leveling up." "LEVELING UP?" Kelvin practically shrieked, bouncing on his bed. "You have ACTUAL LEVELS? Like a quantifiable progression system?" Noah nodded. "My status window can only be accessed by me, but..." He paused, then decided to go all in. "It looks something like this." He recited from memory: "[Name: Noah Eclipse] [Level: 20] [Class: Void Oracle] [Health Points: 489/600] [Void Energy: 950/950] [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: 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" Kelvin had gone completely still during Noah's recitation, his eyes growing wider with each line. Now he sat frozen, mouth slightly open, staring at Noah as if seeing him for the first time. "You okay?" Noah asked, concerned by the uncharacteristic silence. "I think," Kelvin said faintly, "I'm having a religious experience." Then he collapsed backward onto his bed, arms spread wide, staring at the ceiling with the expression of someone who'd just witnessed the secrets of the universe unfold before him. "SSS RANK," he whispered reverently. "That's not even supposed to exist. That's mythical. That's—" He sat bolt upright again. "Show me." Noah grinned, enjoying his friend's reactions more than he'd expected. "Void Blink." There was no flash, no sound—just Noah disappearing from where he stood and reappearing instantly at the other end of their small room, next to Kelvin's workstation. "Holy—" Kelvin breathed. "Eclipse Blade," Noah said next, holding out his hand. The air rippled, and suddenly he was holding a sword that seemed to be made of compressed darkness, its edges trailing wisps of purple-black energy that devoured the light around it. Kelvin made a strangled sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeal. He approached the blade with the careful reverence of someone approaching a holy relic, his hands hovering inches from its surface without touching. "The energy signature is... I can't even..." His technopathic abilities were clearly picking up readings that both fascinated and terrified him. "It's like it's eating reality itself." "It kind of is," Noah admitted, dismissing the blade back to his void storage. "Entropy Touch does something similar, but through direct contact rather than a weapon." "Would have loved to show you Nyx and Storm right now, my dragon and wyvern companions but I can't sadly,"... Kelvin sank back onto his bed, looking dazed. "This is..." He trailed off, then abruptly perked up. "Wait, did you say you have a dragon? And a wyvern?" Noah couldn't help but laugh at the sudden shift. "Oh yeah, I didn't even get to the best part." His eyes lit up with genuine excitement for the first time since entering the room. "Remember on Cannadah, that energy signature you picked up that we couldn't identify?" "The one near the burrowing beast?" Kelvin frowned, clearly searching his memory. "Yeah, we thought it might be some kind of natural phenomenon or maybe a beacon from a previous expedition." "It was an egg," Noah said, unable to keep the pride from his voice. "A wyvern egg. I found it after we were separated during the fight. Kept it hidden, took it back to my domain, and... well, it hatched." "You have a baby wyvern?" Kelvin's voice had gone up at least an octave. "Not so baby anymore. Storm's growing fast. And then there's Nyx." "The dragon," Kelvin whispered, looking like he might faint. "The dragon," Noah confirmed with a nod. "Found him during the cave expedition, actually. Right after I... came back." Kelvin was rocking slightly now, his hands clutching his knees as he processed revelation after revelation. His eyes had a glazed, ecstatic quality, as if he was indeed experiencing some sort of technophile's ultimate high. "This is..." he muttered, then louder: "This is... THIS IS THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME!" He jumped to his feet, pacing the room with frenetic energy. "My roommate has a SYSTEM. A literal RPG-style SYSTEM. With DRAGONS. And VOID POWERS. And a POCKET DIMENSION." He stopped abruptly, turning to Noah with an expression of profound realization. "Dude. You know what this means?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "What?" "When you win the interschool competition—which you absolutely will, by the way—and become famous, I can say I knew you BEFORE you were the protagonist of the universe!" Noah burst out laughing. Trust Kelvin to see the situation from that angle. "But seriously," Kelvin continued, his expression shifting to something more focused, more like the brilliant technopathic genius he truly was beneath all the hyperactivity. "This changes everything. The implications for quantum theory alone are staggering. Not to mention the bioethical ramifications of your self-regeneration ability. And a sealed talent? What does that even mean? Is it locked? Can it be unlocked? What triggers the progression system? Is it combat-based XP or achievement-based? Is there a quest system? Are there other system users? Is it unique to you? Is it—" "Kelvin," Noah interrupted gently. "One question at a time, okay?" Kelvin took a deep breath, visibly trying to contain himself. "Right. Sorry. It's just—" He gestured vaguely at all of Noah. "This is a lot." "I know," Noah said, his expression turning serious again. "And that's why I need your help." The significance of this statement seemed to finally register with Kelvin. His excitement dimmed slightly as he refocused. "What do you need?" he asked, and Noah was reminded why, despite all his quirks, Kelvin was one of the most reliable people he knew. When it came down to it, the technopath was fiercely loyal and unexpectedly grounded. Noah took a deep breath. "I need to understand what's happening to me. Why I got this system, what it means. And I think there might be others like me out there." Kelvin's eyes widened. "Others with systems?" "Maybe. Or maybe something else entirely. But something happened recently that I'm not sure about. As soon as I am, I'd share with you immediately," Kelvin sat down again, his expression thoughtful. "And you need my technopathic abilities to help track them down?" "That," Noah nodded, "along with your friendship and your brain. Because whatever's happening—whatever gave me these powers, whatever brought me back—I don't think it's a coincidence. And I think it might be connected to a much larger picture," Kelvin's face paled slightly at the mention of the alien invaders, but he nodded resolutely. "I'm in," he said without hesitation. "Whatever you need. But—" He held up a finger. "On one condition." Noah raised an eyebrow. "What?" A slow, mischievous grin spread across Kelvin's face. "You have to let me ride the dragon at least once." Despite the weight of everything they'd discussed, Noah found himself laughing again. "Deal," he said, extending his hand. "Though I should warn you, Nyx isn't exactly friendly with strangers." Kelvin shook his hand firmly. "I'll take my chances. After all—" His grin widened. "I'm best friends with the Void Oracle. How dangerous could a little dragon be?" Noah thought of Nyx's razor-sharp teeth and temperamental nature, and decided that was a revelation that could wait for another day.

Chapter 184 184: Protagonist of the universe

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