The moment the countdown reached zero...
Every monitor in Arena Seven flashed crimson.
WARNING!
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED
Mission: Protect the National Government Database
Time Limit: 2 Hours
The entire competition hall fell silent.
Hundreds of keyboards came alive almost simultaneously.
The sound of rapid typing echoed throughout the arena.
Ethan immediately slipped into the role of leader.
"Everyone, stay calm."
"We follow the plan."
Ryan adjusted his glasses as streams of data flooded his monitor.
"I'm monitoring incoming traffic."
Mia cracked her fingers before placing both hands on the keyboard.
"I'll handle recovery if anything gets through."
Ethan turned to Benny.
"We're tracing the source together."
Benny nodded.
"I'm on it."
Professor Lewis watched from the observation room behind the glass.
Beside him stood Professor Thompson.
Professor Thompson folded his arms.
"They look nervous."
Professor Lewis kept his eyes on Team Crescent.
"They should be."
"This isn't a classroom simulation."
"One mistake..."
"...and they're eliminated."
Five minutes into the competition...
Ryan frowned.
"There are too many requests hitting the firewall."
Mia looked over.
"Can you block them?"
Ryan shook his head.
"If I block everything, we'll lock ourselves out too."
Ethan looked toward Benny.
"What do you think?"
Benny stared at the endless stream of code racing across his screen.
His fingers stopped moving.
Something...
Didn't feel right.
"They're distracting us."
Ryan glanced sideways.
"...Explain."
Benny quickly enlarged another window.
"Look."
"These requests are noisy."
"They're obvious."
"If I were attacking..."
"I wouldn't make this much noise."
Ethan's eyes sharpened.
"So where's the real attack?"
Benny typed several commands.
The screen instantly reorganized.
Thousands of requests disappeared.
Only four remained.
Ryan's usually calm expression changed slightly.
"...Hidden tunnels."
Benny nodded.
"They disguised the real breach inside fake traffic."
Mia smiled.
"That's clever."
Ethan didn't waste another second.
"Ryan."
"Block tunnel one and two."
Ryan's fingers moved swiftly.
"Done."
"Mia."
"Prepare system recovery."
"I'm already there."
"Benny."
"Can you isolate the last two?"
Benny smiled faintly.
"I'll try."
Across the room...
Northbridge University's captain glanced toward Team Crescent.
"They've already found the hidden tunnels."
One teammate frowned.
"They're faster than expected."
Another scoffed.
"They're just lucky."
The captain remained silent.
His eyes stayed on Benny.
"No..."
"That freshman is reading the system."
Inside the judges' room...
Professor Thompson leaned forward.
"He found the fake traffic in under ten minutes."
Professor Lewis nodded.
"I noticed."
Another judge looked surprised.
"The freshman?"
Professor Lewis answered calmly.
"Keep watching."
"He's not finished."
Back at Arena Seven...
Sweat formed on Benny's forehead.
His fingers danced across the keyboard.
Lines of code scrolled faster than anyone could read.
Ryan quietly watched from the corner of his eye.
The freshman...
Was frighteningly quick.
Not reckless.
Not flashy.
Every command had a purpose.
Every line of code built upon the last.
Ryan rarely praised anyone.
But inwardly...
He admitted something.
He's good.
Very good.
Suddenly—
A loud alarm echoed through Arena Seven.
WARNING!
Firewall Integrity: 68%
Mia's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Ryan immediately checked the network.
"They launched another attack!"
Ethan frowned.
"No..."
"They were waiting."
Benny suddenly stood up.
"I found it!"
Everyone looked at him.
"They're not attacking from outside anymore."
"They're already inside the server."
Silence.
Ryan's pupils contracted.
"...An insider exploit."
Benny nodded.
"They planted malicious code before the simulation started."
Professor Thompson's eyes widened behind the observation glass.
"He figured out the twist..."
One judge whispered,
"None of the other teams have noticed yet."
Professor Lewis' stern expression softened almost imperceptibly.
"As expected."
Ethan took a deep breath.
"Benny."
"What do you need?"
Without taking his eyes off the monitor, Benny answered,
"Three minutes."
Ryan looked at the timer.
01:21:47 Remaining.
"You have them."
Mia immediately moved beside Benny.
"What can I do?"
"I'll keep the backup stable."
Ethan looked around the room.
"I'll cover both of you."
The four teammates nodded.
Without another word...
They trusted one another completely.
Outside the glass observation room, dozens of professors and judges had unknowingly stopped watching the other competitors.
Their eyes were fixed on one team.
Crescent University.
And especially...
The quiet freshman whose fingers continued flying across the keyboard.
The first round of the National Championship had only just begun.
But Benny was already proving that he belonged among the country's best.