The crimson wave rushed closer, roaring like a beast ready to devour
Jax's HP bar blinked at [1]. One more touch and it was over. Ava's smirk was sharp, confident. She thought victory was already sealed.
But Jax's eyes glowed wild. He wasn't running anymore. He shifted, dashing not away but sideways. His target was not the wave.
It was Kai.
Kai barely turned before Jax's blade pierced his gut.
Shhhhk!
Kai's HP plummeted from 5 to 0 instantly. His body staggered, his mouth open in shock. "B-buddy… what—" He couldn't finish. His body burst into fragments of glowing light.
Jax's voice was cold. "At least be useful for once."
Kai's hand gave a thumbs-up as his figure faded. His voice broke off midway, gone before the words reached the air.
The system flickered. Both events triggered at once—Kai's elimination and Jax's HP touching the crimson wave.
The bars glitched. His HP shot from 0 to 300 in a blink.
[HP Restored: 300]
The crowd gasped. The system itself glitched for a moment, sparks of code flashing in the sky projection.
Ava's eyes widened. Her lips parted. "Impossible… I didn't take that into account."
She stared at him. "But… wasn't he saving that boy before? What is he… who is he really?"
Her gaze rose to his name tag above his avatar. [Jax Rayne].
Her chest tightened. "Rayne… the House of Prodigies."
She had thought only Kiera was a threat. Now she realized she was wrong. This boy was a wildcard.
Her smirk vanished as her HP bar began draining under her own skill.
[HP: 300 → 200 → 100 → 0]
Her body weakened, light bursting from her chest as Requiem devoured the last of her strength.
At the same time, Jax's bar sank with the aftershock of the wave.
[HP: 201 → 101 → 1]
Both stood on the edge. But Ava's body broke first.
Her scythe fell. Her crimson aura faded into smoke. She looked at him one last time as her figure dissolved.
"Jax, huh… maybe the world isn't as boring as it looks."
Then she vanished into fragments of light.
The crimson wave collapsed with her. Silence followed.
Jax stood panting, sword trembling in his hand, his HP flickering at 1. He whispered under his breath.
'One HP clutch… yeah… that's the best feeling.'
The system announcement blasted across the zone.
[Congratulations! Match Over]
[Champion: Jax Rayne]
The announcer's voice trembled as he spoke. "F-for the first time in Academy history… a boy has reigned supreme."
The audience outside exploded. Spectators gasped, screamed, clapped, some in disbelief, some in awe.
Thalia, standing among them, covered her mouth. Her jaw dropped. She whispered, "A genius… he solved it all with a unique move… at a moment where everyone else would panic."
Paige Rayne stared at the projection, silent. Her eyes locked on the boy she thought she understood. For the first time, she looked stunned.
The battlefield shattered. The world of ruins collapsed.
Jax's eyes blurred. The next second, he was back in the VR arcade. His capsule opened with a hiss. He pulled off the helmet, sweat dripping down his forehead.
He sat up slowly.
Around him, other capsules opened. Ava, Kai, Celestia, Zinnia… all of them sat up too. Their eyes flickered toward him.
Jax smirked faintly. He wanted to speak, to taunt, to joke. But before he could, dozens of cameras shoved into his face.
"Mr. Jax! How did you do that?!"
"Mr. Jax! How long have you trained?!"
"Rumors say you tampered with the system! Did you cheat for buffs?!"
"Mr. Jax—Mr. Jax—Mr. Jax—"
The voices clashed in his ears. Questions poured like bullets, faster than the ones he had sliced.
His smirk faded into irritation. His jaw clenched.
'Even here… same as Earth. Rumors. Lies. Hacking this, hacking that. Pests.'
Tssk.
His mood darkened.
A sharp voice cut through the noise. "Move aside! Do not disturb our students!"
A professor appeared, tall, firm. His presence silenced the reporters.
"Step back. These students need medical scans, concussion tests, and recovery measures. Do not crowd them!"
The crowd pulled back reluctantly.
The professor turned to Jax, his tone softer. "Follow me. I'll take you out of here."
Jax let out a slow breath. "Saved, huh."
He walked after him, ignoring the cameras still flashing.
Later that night, Jax lay stretched on the soft bed of his dorm. It wasn't just a dorm—it was a luxury suite.
The room itself responded to his voice. The walls lit up with soft neon glow when he muttered, "Lights." The glass window darkened automatically when he said, "Dim." A screen the size of the wall slid down when he whispered, "Display."
He grinned faintly. 'Voice-controlled… huh. This academy spares no expense.'
He sat up, looking at the small device placed on the desk beside him. It looked like a phone, slim and sleek, glowing faint blue.
The professor had given it to him earlier. Along with a folded Academy uniform, dark and sharp.
Jax picked the device up. Across the screen glowed the words:
[Starlight Pro]
[Time: 6:30 PM]
He swiped. Apps stretched across the display. [Starlight News]. [Call]. [Insta-Rlight]. [Starlight Challenges].
He chuckled. "So even in this world… there's an Insta clone."
He tapped Insta-Rlight. Names flooded the screen instantly—students, first years, seniors, top ranks. Faces he didn't know. Profiles filled with bragging posts and flashy pictures.
He narrowed the list with a filter. "First years only."
The screen blinked. A long list appeared again. He scrolled through, scanning. Then he saw her.
Zinnia Reed.
Beside her name was a glowing message icon.
Jax tapped it. The chat opened. His smirk widened.
Before he could type, the system flickered in his vision.
[New Quest: Destroy Zinnia Reed's pride and ass hole.]
[Reward: Dick Size +1]
His lips curled into a grin. "Hhhk… perfect. Three rewards in one. First, the quest reward. Second, Devotion Points. And third… my own pleasure. Pleasure doubled when it's with a rival… a fierce cat like her."
He tapped the chat and typed slowly.
[Message Sent: I'm cutting your slavery time to just one hour. If you make it in time today.]
A few minutes later, her reply popped up.
[Zinnia: What do you mean?]
Jax typed fast. [Have you forgotten the deal? Or should I remind you?]
Her reply came quick. [I know the deal… but what do you want from me?]
He smirked. His fingers danced. [Come fast before I change my mind to a full day of slavery. The work you'll do… is exactly what a slave does.]
Silence followed. Five whole minutes. Then her response arrived.
[Zinnia: Share me your location. I will come.]
Jax chuckled. "Psshh… good girl."
He tapped the screen, searching. After some trial and error, he found the option. [Share Location].
Done. The ping sent.
He leaned back against the bed, phone glowing in his hand, his smirk stretching wide.
'Now… all I need to do is wait. Wait for the brilliant show.'
The neon lights glowed softly across the room. The device hummed. The Academy outside buzzed with life.
Jax closed his eyes, his grin never fading.
The night was far from over.