Later that afternoon, inside a high-rise building owned by the Vale family.
In a spacious office overlooking the city, Damon's father, Leonard Vale, adjusted his suit and asked his assistant:
"Is the meeting room ready? We're starting this evening."
The door opened. Cassian Vale walked in with his usual calm but commanding presence.
Damon followed behind him, but his expression was tense—clearly not pleased.
Before they entered the meeting room, Damon stopped Cassian.
"Why did you… handle the police situation yourself?" Damon asked quietly but sharply. "You said I was supposed to take care of it."
Cassian looked at him, expression unreadable.
"You were taking too long," he replied, voice cool yet cutting.
"And you already know… I have many shadows working across this country. Some things need to be dealt with quickly."
Damon clenched his jaw, but Cassian simply patted his shoulder once.
"Stay focused on your role. Don't let small issues distract you."
Then they both entered the meeting room, leaving the tension hanging in the hallway.
Meanwhile, in a city bus, Nancy sat listening to her music through her headset.
Beside her, Alex was still staring at the icon of the mysterious app on his phone—like he was trying to figure out what it really meant.
The bus stopped at a red light.
Nancy glanced out the window.
Outside, Jared and Leo rode past on Jared's sports motorcycle.
Jared glanced at Nancy briefly and nodded.
Leo, sitting behind him, pointed toward the bus window—right at Alex.
Alex, sensing the gesture, turned his head.
Leo grinned slightly and gave a small wave, as if signaling that something important would happen later.
The light turned green.
The motorcycle sped forward, and the bus continued on its route.
Inside an old warehouse, Ryder Knox sat on the hood of a dusty, beat-up car.
The dim hanging lights made the whole place feel colder than usual.
Around him, Davion and the rest of their crew murmured among themselves, waiting.
Then—footsteps.
Two figures appeared from the shadows.
The first, a pale, sharp-eyed young man with slightly long, messy hair, stepped forward.
His name: Kaito Ren.
The second, darker-skinned with short spiked hair, a cigarette between his fingers, walked beside him.
His name: Malik Torres.
As soon as they approached, Ryder stood up straight.
Neither of the newcomers smiled; they didn't come for small talk.
Kaito was the first to speak, his voice calm but cutting:
"Damon Vale is busy tonight," he said. "So for now… you're under our supervision."
Davion shot Ryder a quick look, but kept quiet.
Malik exhaled lightly, eyeing everyone with steady confidence.
"There was cheating last week," he said. "Because of that, starting this week the rules change."
Kaito continued:
"Anyone who reaches rank 1 to 4… will earn a chance to enter the official ring event."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"The prize for first place: 20,000 US dollars."
A ripple of shock spread through Ryder's group.
It was a huge amount—way beyond the usual competitions.
Kaito swept his gaze across the room.
"You'll be competing against every major school in New York. No favorites. No protection."
Malik flicked away his cigarette and added:
"If you can't handle the pressure… step back now."
Silence filled the warehouse.
The air felt heavier, like something big had just shifted.
Ryder finally lifted his chin.
"We're in."
Kaito nodded once, then turned toward the exit with Malik.
When the warehouse doors opened, a cold breeze swept through.
Kaito glanced over his shoulder at Ryder.
"This week will decide who truly deserves to stand in Damon's circle."
The door closed behind them.
Ryder and Davion exchanged looks—they both knew the real game had just begun.
Later that night, Alex sat at his desk, trying to study.
The room was quiet—only the soft glow of his desk lamp lit the corner where he worked.
After a few minutes, he stopped reading.
His mind drifted somewhere else.
He reached into his drawer and pulled out a thin, worn photo album.
Alex opened it slowly…
until he reached the final page—the last picture taken one year ago, right before he competed in his martial arts tournament.
In the photo, he wore his competition uniform, giving a small smile.
But even in the picture, his eyes held something heavier… something unsaid.
That day had been the last time he fought.
The injury he suffered afterward forced him to quit entirely.
Alex brushed his thumb along the edge of the photo.
"If only I had—"
He stopped himself.
He didn't want to relive the memory any further.
He closed the album halfway, unable to truly put it away.
Just then, his phone buzzed sharply.
Ding!
A new notification appeared on the screen.
[School Forum – Urgent Announcement]
"Ranking system update this week. All students must update the app. Competitive categories will expand. More details will be announced tomorrow morning."
Alex stared at the message, a sense of unease tightening in his chest.
Competitive categories…
Mandatory update…
Too sudden…
It all connected to what happened earlier with the seniors.
He opened the forum comment section—messages were pouring in non-stop:
— "This is way too sudden."
— "Heard there's going to be a major selection next week."
— "Some students from technical schools might join."
— "This smells like The Cooperation's doing."
Alex locked his phone and leaned back in his chair.
He glanced again at the photo album, the past he'd tried so hard to avoid—
and somehow, he felt like that past was slowly dragging him back.
A change was coming.
And whether he liked it or not, he was going to be pulled into the center of it.
Alex had just set his phone down when a second notification popped up.
Ping!
[School Forum – Discussion Thread: Ranking Update]
New comments were flooding in:
Raven_02:
"Why do we suddenly have to update it? It was never this strict before."
TechKid21:
"There's a rumor that BTSI will join new categories.
If that's true… things are gonna get messy."
Mira_J:
"The teachers definitely know, but they're pretending not to."
AnonBIPS:
"You guys didn't hear? There will be observers from outside next week.
The competition level is going national."
Alex frowned slightly.
Then a new comment appeared—one that made the entire thread go quiet for a moment.
ShadowAdmin:
"These changes… aren't from the school.
You're all just pieces on a board.
Whoever lands in Rank 1–4 this week… be ready to get called in.
And not all calls are about the matches."
A short pause.
Raven_02:
"What's that supposed to mean??"
ShadowAdmin:
"You'll understand soon.
Starting tonight, some of you will receive a Red Code from the app."
Alex froze for a second.
He stared at the screen, waiting, then—
Ding.
A notification from the ranking app slid across the top of his phone.
[System Notice]
— "Your access level has been updated."
Alex hadn't touched the app since the seniors forced it into his phone earlier.
He stared at the screen, his heartbeat tightening.
Whatever was coming next…
he could feel it wasn't something he could avoid.