BECOMING A GOD ONLINE

6. TWINS

The principal's expression remained solemn as he concluded,

"That is all for now. I know this information may be overwhelming, but telling you is paramount."

"Remember, the government will reveal more when the time is right."

"Before I leave, let me invite someone everyone knows — the city mayor."

The principal turned toward the mayor with a respectful gaze.

The mayor stood up with a bright smile. He was not really a tall man, but not short either. He had chubby cheeks and thick brows that made him look overfed.

He wore a white suit with a golden tie.

Everyone stood up to welcome him.

Climbing up the podium, he looked at the crowd, who were all standing in ovation, welcoming his presence. His smile grew wider.

"Good day, everyone," he began after the applause died down.

"I was informed that today is the last day of school for this section, so I decided to come in person because some of you will be playing Elyria throughout the holiday.

"So that I could explain some things to you, especially regarding the rumored competition that will take place in Elyria. We, the government, are actually the ones rewarding you. We are just using the school as a medium to pass out the information, but only the best will be rewarded."

"It will be conducted throughout the state. For a fair competition, this struggle for the best is only for those between the ages of fifteen and twenty. And as you know, this city is just one of the many cities in this state."

He paused briefly, looking at the crowd. Seeing everyone listening attentively, he nodded and continued.

"So here is how it will be done. From our research, the number of players between the ages of fifteen and twenty from this country alone is approximately thirty million. But from this state, we already have two million players in that age range — and still counting."

"So you might be asking, how do we rank the winners? Especially according to states? You don't need to worry. In Elyria, there are cities ruled by us. So everyone here should already be in Blackwater City, which represents our state."

"As long as you registered Elyria in this state, your default city will be Blackwater City."

"In two days, you will all receive a prompt through the game explaining the rules, rewards, and ranking system. So for now, familiarize yourselves with the game. That will be all."

The mayor stepped down from the stage.

His message was short and direct.

Michael had a look of confusion on his face as he stared at Alex.

"What’s wrong?" Alex asked, feeling Michael’s steady gaze.

"Didn't you say thirty thousand would be shared among ten winners from this school?" Michael asked.

"Oh, that?" Alex laughed.

"I told you I wasn't sure. I just heard it then. Seems like it was a rumor." Alex shrugged.

"Damn you. This competition, whatever the prize is, just got a hundred times harder. Two million players and still counting? Fuck," Michael cursed.

He couldn't imagine how fierce the competition was going to be.

"Why the hell are you panicking? It's just two million people. Just fuck them up," Alex shrugged again, as if not feeling the weight of such a huge number of competitors.

"You may go back to your classes," the principal announced.

As they entered their classrooms, the day seemed to drag on at a snail's pace.

The classes that followed were boring.

Alex, unable to contain his curiosity, called out to Michael.

"Hey, you said you'd tell me what happened in Elyria at school. What happened?" Alex whispered.

"Is there any need to say it now?"

"School will be over soon, and you'll see it for yourself."

Michael rolled his eyes at Alex, ignoring him.

But Alex wouldn't let him be.

"Dude! Dude! Dude!" Alex called out.

Just as the teacher was about to turn his attention toward him, Alex caught himself and cursed under his breath.

"Michael, bitch..."

The bell rang.

It was finally over.

Even though Michael wasn’t feeling any fear toward Victor anymore, he felt it was better to go home safely.

So he immediately grabbed his backpack and left the school.

When he got home, Maya was reading as usual.

After checking on her, Michael made his way to the scattered living room with Alex.

Both of them lay on the couch. Michael looked at Alex, who had returned a few minutes earlier.

Their eyes showed excitement.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Remember, if we don’t appear in the same place, we meet at the Ground of Awakening."

"Roger."

They double-tapped the button on their bracelets.

Both of them fell unconscious.

The scattered and destroyed city of Elyria came into view once more, with crowds of people packed into the streets.

But the werewolf monster was nowhere to be found.

Michael breathed deeply. He still couldn’t believe this was a game.

Man, the realism of this game was top-notch.

Just then, Michael saw two girls who caught his attention.

They were astonishingly beautiful — one with white hair and the other with black hair, each styled in a way that complemented the other.

They were twins.

Twins who looked exactly alike were so rare.

Their beauty was so captivating that even people passing by couldn’t help but stare.

The white-haired girl had piercing black eyes and a slender figure, while the black-haired girl had brown eyes and a slightly curvier figure.

They both wore identical black dresses, and their presence seemed to draw everyone's attention.

Michael felt a sudden surge of interest.

But he had other matters to attend to — he still couldn't find Alex.

Just as he was about to ask someone for directions to the Ground of Awakening, he overheard the two girls talking.

"Dad said the Ground of Awakening was in the middle of the city. Kaida, can you open the map again? Let’s take a look," the black-haired girl said.

Kaida took out a map from who-knows-where and opened it.

Seeing their movements, Michael immediately changed his plans.

Nothing was better than journeying side by side with two beauties.