Carter's phone wouldn't stop going off. He'd silenced it twice already but the notifications just kept coming, the vibrations making his bunk shake slightly every few seconds. Finally, at seven AM, he gave up trying to sleep and checked it. One hundred and forty-seven messages. Fifty-three missed calls. His social media mentions had exploded into the thousands. The kiss video had been shared, remixed, memed, and analyzed from every possible angle. Someone had even created a slow-motion version with dramatic music. Carter scrolled through the comments, his stomach sinking with each one. @senpaiSlayerXD: "Owen Grace is a legend." @uwuReaper88: "Vivienne wanted it, you could see it in her eyes." @gigaChadNoJutsu: "Derek's gonna beat his ass." @copeArcane420: "This is what desperation looks like." @bronzeGoblin: "Bronze class trash trying to stay relevant." @shipperShogun77: "I ship it. Owen and Vivienne forever." @toxicTsundere99: "He literally assaulted her on camera." @Playba

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Carter was sitting in his bunk after the Q&A filming, exhausted and sore, when the Protocol generated a new notification. This one was different from the quests. MANDATORY TRAINING PROTOCOL INITIATED DURATION: 30 DAYS OBJECTIVE: PHYSICAL CONDITIONING TO SUPPORT ENHANCED FUNCTION USAGE DAILY REQUIREMENTS: - 5:00 AM WAKE UP - 90 MINUTES HIGH-INTENSITY TRAINING - MEAL PLAN ADHERENCE (4,000+ CALORIES/DAY) - WEEKLY PROGRESS ASSESSMENTS FAILURE CONSEQUENCES: LOSS OF ALL SUBROUTINE ACCESS FOR 30 DAYS Carter stared at the message. Waking up at five am everyday? Ninety-minute training sessions, for every single day for a month? And if he missed even one session, he'd lose access to Neuro Surge, Cold Authority, Overdrive, all of it. The Protocol was forcing him to get stronger. Building his body to handle the enhanced functions better. It made sense, logically. If he was going to keep using Overdrive and the other abilities, he needed the physical foundation to support them. But the

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Professor Reeves was mid-sentence, explaining something about social capital metrics, when every screen in the classroom flickered and went dark. Students looked up from their notes. The projector shut off. Then the screens came back to life, displaying the Star Academy seal. Dean Morrison's face appeared on every monitor. "Students of Star Academy," Dean Morrison said, her voice cutting through the sudden silence. "We have an important announcement regarding this semester's Inter-Academy Competition." The classroom went completely still. Carter felt his stomach drop. The Protocol immediately began logging data but offered no context. "As many of you are aware, Star Academy has competed in the Inter-Academy Competition for the past twelve years," Morrison continued. Her expression was grave, controlled. "For ten of those years, we dominated. We were the standard by which other institutions measured themselves." She paused, letting that sink in. "However, the past two competition

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THREE

The Bronze common room was packed with anxious students, all talking over each other, but Isla had claimed a corner table that was relatively quiet. Carter sat down across from her, Felix, and Omar. Isla's laptop displayed multiple browser tabs, each one showing different information about The Crucible. "Okay," Isla said, pulling up a document. "I've been digging into this for the past hour. The Crucible isn't just a competition. It's warfare." Felix leaned forward, his face pale. "Warfare how?" "Students are divided into mixed teams," Isla explained, scrolling through her notes. "Gold, Silver, Bronze all forced to work together. Then they're put through increasingly dangerous tasks over seven days. Physical challenges, strategic competitions, survival scenarios. The teams compete against each other for points, but it's not just about winning challenges." Omar, who had been silent up to this point, spoke up. "It's about elimination." Isla nodded. "Exactly. Teams can eliminate mem

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

The transport buses left campus at 5 AM on Saturday morning. All 180 participants were required to be on board. No exceptions, no delays. Carter had barely slept the night before. He'd packed and repacked his bag three times, checking the approved equipment list. Basic clothes, water bottle, first aid supplies. Nothing electronic except academy-issued communication devices. No weapons. No performance enhancing drugs. The Bronze students boarded the buses first. Carter found a seat near the back. Felix sat next to him, looking terrified. Isla sat across the aisle, already reviewing strategy notes on her tablet. The other class levels boarded after Bronze. Gold students looked confident, energized. Silver students looked nervous but determined. Platinum students looked like they'd done this before, even though they hadn't. The buses were luxury coaches with comfortable seats and climate control. Even in crisis, the academy maintained certain standards. The ride took three hours. Th

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

The Bronze common room was packed with anxious students, all talking over each other, but Isla had claimed a corner table that was relatively quiet. Carter sat down across from her, Felix, and Omar. Isla's laptop displayed multiple browser tabs, each one showing different information about The Crucible. "Okay," Isla said, pulling up a document. "I've been digging into this for the past hour. The Crucible isn't just a competition. It's warfare." Felix leaned forward, his face pale. "Warfare how?" "Students are divided into mixed teams," Isla explained, scrolling through her notes. "Gold, Silver, Bronze all forced to work together. Then they're put through increasingly dangerous tasks over seven days. Physical challenges, strategic competitions, survival scenarios. The teams compete against each other for points, but it's not just about winning challenges." Omar, who had been silent up to this point, spoke up. "It's about elimination." Isla nodded. "Exactly. Teams can eliminate mem

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

The notifications went out at exactly 8 AM on Monday morning. Carter was in the Bronze dining hall eating breakfast when his phone vibrated. The message was from the academy's official system: "CRUCIBLE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS NOW AVAILABLE. CHECK YOUR STUDENT PORTAL FOR DETAILS. MANDATORY TEAM MEETING TONIGHT AT 7 PM. LOCATION WILL BE SENT TO TEAM LEADERS." Around him, students pulled out their phones simultaneously. The dining hall erupted in noise. People shouting, cursing, celebrating, panicking. Carter opened his student portal with shaking hands. The page loaded slowly. Then his team assignment appeared: TEAM PHOENIX TEAM LEADER: TO BE DETERMINED MEMBERS (15 TOTAL): PLATINUM CLASS: - ALEX RIVERS (Rank 11, Rep: 51,200) - KIRA SATO (Rank 10, Rep: 52,800) GOLD CLASS: - RAINA VOLKOV (Rep: 18,300) - JACKSON WRIGHT (Rep: 17,600) - MARCUS VALENTINE (Rep: 16,900) - SOPHIE CHEN (Rep: 16,200) SILVER CLASS: - DEREK HOLMES (Rep: 9,800) - NATALIE PARK (Rep: 9,200)

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

The second team meeting was scheduled for Tuesday evening. But before that, Carter had to survive a full day of classes where everyone knew about Team Phoenix's disaster meeting. In Ascension Theory, Professor Kane called on Carter three times. Each time with questions designed to humiliate him in front of the class. "Mr. Grace, explain the strategic value of sacrifice in competitive scenarios." Carter stood. "Sacrificing weaker team members can preserve stronger ones. But it also destroys team morale and creates distrust." "Incorrect. The strategic value of sacrifice is absolute. Weak members are liabilities. Eliminating them early improves overall team performance. Sit down." Carter sat. Around him, students whispered and laughed. Raina was in that class. She didn't laugh, but she didn't defend him either. After class, Carter tried to catch up with her in the hallway. "Raina, wait." She stopped but didn't turn around. "What do you want?" "I want to talk about the

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

Crucible participants needed to sign medical waivers by end of day. The document was available through the student portal. Carter downloaded it during breakfast. The file was thirty pages long. Dense legal language describing every possible injury, trauma, and risk. The first page was a disclaimer in bold text: "PARTICIPATION IN THE CRUCIBLE IS VOLUNTARY BUT MANDATORY FOR STUDENTS SEEKING INTER-ACADEMY COMPETITION ELIGIBILITY. THE ACADEMY IS NOT LIABLE FOR PHYSICAL INJURY, PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE, PERMANENT DISABILITY, OR DEATH RESULTING FROM CRUCIBLE ACTIVITIES. STUDENTS UNDER 18 REQUIRE PARENTAL OR GUARDIAN CONSENT." Carter read that twice. Death. They actually listed death as a possible outcome. He scrolled through the document. Section after section detailing risks. Fractures. Concussions. Lacerations. Hypothermia. Heat exhaustion. Dehydration. Psychological trauma. There was a whole section titled "Historical Incidents" that made Carter's stomach turn. It described past injuri

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

The transport buses left campus at 5 AM on Saturday morning. All 180 participants were required to be on board. No exceptions, no delays. Carter had barely slept the night before. He'd packed and repacked his bag three times, checking the approved equipment list. Basic clothes, water bottle, first aid supplies. Nothing electronic except academy-issued communication devices. No weapons. No performance enhancing drugs. The Bronze students boarded the buses first. Carter found a seat near the back. Felix sat next to him, looking terrified. Isla sat across the aisle, already reviewing strategy notes on her tablet. The other class levels boarded after Bronze. Gold students looked confident, energized. Silver students looked nervous but determined. Platinum students looked like they'd done this before, even though they hadn't. The buses were luxury coaches with comfortable seats and climate control. Even in crisis, the academy maintained certain standards. The ride took three hours. Th

Last Updated : 2026-02-11