2025-08-08 16:56:11The bass from the underground speakers was so heavy that it rattled the steel beams holding up the low ceiling. Sweat dripped from the walls, and the crowd’s roar echoed across the atmosphere. Camera phones lit the venue like stars. This wasn’t just a rap battle. It was an execution pit, and both sides wanted blood.
Jaylen stepped into the center circle. His hoodie carefully wrapped around his body. The hem of the hoodie cast a shadow over his eyes. The System pulsed faintly in the corner of his vision, “Rap Arena Event Active Opponent: Ricko Flare Condition: Defeat in lyrical score and crowd approval rating. Reward: +5 Talent, Bonus Reputation Nodes.” He could feel the pressure tightening around his ribs. This wasn’t some studio beef. In here, every syllable was a bullet, and every rhyme a knife. And Ricko Flare had been sharpening his tongue for weeks just to defeat Jaylen. “AYYY!” The host’s voice cracked over the mic. The hype charged the air. “We got a special tonight! On my left is your viral bad boy, the pride of East Grange, Ricko Flare!” The crowd erupted with their hands in the air. Ricko strutted forward in a leather jacket glittering with rhinestones, gold grill flashed under the spotlights. He leaned toward Jaylen with a smirk that dripped with hate. “And on my right, he’s been trending and he’s been climbing. Will he fall tonight? Give it up for… Jaylen Cruz!” Boos mixed with cheers. Jaylen’s name echoed, half as hype. The System chimed again, “Pressure Modifier: +12 percent crowd hostility detected.” Jaylen kept his breathing even. This was the setup, Ricko had the home advantage. The host stepped back. “Round one. Ricko starts. Let’s go!” His voice echoed in the mic. ………. …… The beat dropped in a low noise. Ricko lunged forward sharply. His eyes were filled with desperation. He spat his first lines with a sneer. “Boy, you talk about fame but I got the receipts, You was cryin’ on the curb when you couldn’t pay the lease, Beggin’ for a couch, while your girl’s in my sheets, Only stream you ever had was you drownin’ in defeat!” The crowd howled, waving their arms. Someone threw an empty water bottle toward Jaylen’s feet. Ricko fed on the energy, circling like a shark. “You a charity case in designer threads, The label keep you breathin’ but you already dead, Your bars weaker than your bank account’s thread… One pull, you unravel, better watch where you tread!” He ended with a mic drop motion, throwing his arms wide. The audience roared like a firestorm. Cameras flashed his face. Hashtags were already trending in real time. The system pinged in, “Opponent Crowd Approval: 78%. You are currently at a disadvantage.” The host grinned. “Ooooh! Strong open from Ricko! Jaylen, it's your turn. Let’s see if you can match that heat.” Jaylen stepped forward, pulling his hood back. His calm and deadly eyes locked on Ricko.. The beat rolled again. It's heavier now and the bass is like a heartbeat under his feet. Jaylen’s started at once, “Yeah, I was on the curb, but I learned from the dirt, Now my flow’s so sharp, it’ll cut through your shirt, You laugh at my pain like you earned your worth. But you feed on lies ‘cause you are scared of the truth’s birth.” The crowd shifted. A ripple of “oooh” rolled through their lips. Jaylen pushed harder, pacing the circle. “You call me a fluke, but I’m still in the game, Every L I ever took just added fuel to the flame, You think you kill careers ‘cause you got a little fame, But your name’s just noise, mine’s a legacy claim.” His voice hit the rafters, raw and unpolished, but it was real. He took a step closer to Ricko with his eyes locked. “Talk about my couch, talk about my lows, But I still stood tall when the cold wind blows, And the girl you claim you took? Yeah, everybody knows, She was beggin’ to leave ‘cause you couldn’t compose.” The crowd split down the middle, half roaring for Jaylen and half clinging to Ricko. A camera caught Ricko’s smirk faltering for a moment. The system chimed in, “Opponent Crowd Approval: 78% - 65%. Your Crowd Approval: 22% - 34% Performance Bonus: +2% Flow Synchronization.” Jaylen wasn’t done. He leaned into the mic, lowering his voice so the crowd had to lean in. “This ain’t just rap, Ricko, it’s a mirror on your life, You projectin’ all your fears ‘cause you can’t face the strife, I bled for my dreams, I been cut by the knife— You just dance for the clicks, tryna fake all your hype.” The beat stopped. It was silent for half a second. Then an explosion of noise, half cheers, half boos, but louder than before. Ricko clenched his jaw. Jaylen half-smiled just slightly, enough for the cameras to catch. The host looked between them. His eyes widened. “DAMN! That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Both came with heavy shots.” The System flickered again. “Round One Scoring Initiated…” But instead of posting the results, a red alert flashed, “Judges’ Decision: Delayed due to Audience Vote Controversy.” The host held up his hands. “Yo, yo, we got a situation. Judges ain’t calling this one yet. The crowd's too split. We'll need a tiebreaker.” The crowd erupted into arguments. Fans shoved each other. Phones flew into the air with livestreams catching every second. Ricko stepped closer, his breath was hot with challenge. “Enjoy your little moment, Jaylen. In the next round? I'll bury you.” He spoke fiercely. Jaylen met his gaze without flinching. “You better dig deep then, Flare, ’cause you’re gonna need a bigger grave.” After his response, the system buzzed, “Side Quest Unlocked: “Win Round Two Without Using Prewritten Bars. Bonus Reward: Freestyle Mastery Level 1.” The beat faded out, but the tension stayed. It was thicker than smoke. Cameras zoomed in on Jaylen’s face. He didn’t blink and he didn't look away. Somewhere in the back of the venue, one of Jaylen's team members was already texting strategy. Round Two wasn’t going to be about just rhymes. It was going to be about survival. The big screen above the stage glitched slowly, cutting to a live feed of Ricko in a private meeting weeks earlier, talking about “buying votes” for crowd approval. The feed cut to black before anyone could process it.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 39: The Shell Game Begins
The late-night studio air was thick with bass vibrations, but Jaylen wasn’t here to lay down tracks. He sat in front of a triple-monitor setup with his eyes locked on the glowing grid of data Zee had pulled from the corners of the internet.“New Main Quest Unlocked: Track Vale’s Ghost AccountsReward: Reputation Surge, +20K Z-Credits, 1 Random Influence UpgradeFailure: Influence Bleed – Permanent Loss of 2 Fame Levels.”Jaylen exhaled slowly. “Ghost accounts. So this is where Roman Vale keeps his skeletons.” He expressed with an itch of surprise.Zee’s holographic avatar flickered to life above the center screen. Its voice was low, and urgent.Zee chimed in, “Activating Data Reaper Mode. Twenty-four hours until system lockdown.”The monitors dimmed being replaced by cascading strings of encrypted numbers moving from one number to another as if alive. A faint digital hiss underlined Zee’s tone. Zee pinged in, “You have one day to scrape, trace, and lock the data before the firewall r
Chapter 38: The Charity Gambit
The rain had barely stopped when Jaylen slid into his studio. He pulled his hoodie low from his head, his heart was still drumming from the problems he had encountered in the past week. Every screen inside lit up the moment he walked in, bathing him in blue light.“Status,” he said.Zee’s voice came out from the speakers. “Smear campaigns at 42% efficiency. Engagement ratio holding steady. Fame Level: seven. But your enemies have shifted to indirect damage.”Jaylen smirked, kicking off his wet sneakers. “Indirect damage can be redirected.”That was the plan. If Roman Vale wanted to burn his name in the social media. Jaylen would have to ignite something brighter - a fire the Vales couldn’t touch.“System Prompt: Side Quest Available.Title: The Charity GambitDescription: Launch a covert philanthropic operation to destabilize smear momentum.Reward: +5 Fame, +20K Z-Credits, unlock “Goodwill Shield.”“Run it,” Jaylen said.The idea was simple, just a stealth charity. It was not the f
Chapter 37: Street Ambush
Jaylen was halfway across the dimly lit street when his instincts screamed.A black SUV rolled up without headlights, its tinted windows like dead eyes. The faint thunk of a door unlocking cut through the night.“Zee…” Jaylen murmured under his breath.“Scanning,” Zee’s voice was cold and cynical in his earpiece. “Multiple thermal signatures approaching from the rear and left. Hostile intent detected.”The sound of rapid footsteps on the wet road confirmed it.From the dark, three men emerged in hoods pulled low, and hands balled into fists. Their movements weren't coordinated.They were Roman Vale’s calling cards.Jaylen stopped in the middle of the street, watching the thugs close in. “Let me guess,” he called out, with a steady voice. “Roman didn’t have the guts to come himself.”The lead thug smirked. “He doesn’t need to. We just need to make sure you can’t perform, can’t post and can’t breathe without Vale’s permission.”Two more people came out from the SUV, they were muscle
Chapter 36: Legal Threats and Dirty Deals
The notification hit like a gavel to the skull.“SYSTEM ALERT: Roman Vale has filed a civil defamation suit against you in the State Superior Court.”Jaylen’s phone screen glared with the headline. Every major entertainment blog had already picked it up. Their thumbnails are a carousel of his angry freeze frames from several interviews he had attended. He didn’t need to read the comments to know the tide was against him, at least for now.“Defamation?” Jaylen muttered, tossing the phone onto the desk. “The guy’s made a career out of lying through his teeth.”Zee’s holographic form pulsed to life above his laptop, sharp blue light reflecting off the studio walls. “It’s more than that. The lawsuit is structured to bury you in legal fees, tie you up in court, and starve your brand. Roman doesn’t need to win, he just needs to bleed you dry.” Zee expressed.Jaylen leaned back in his chair with his jaw tightening. “And it’s working. I just got off three calls. Two clubs have been canceled,
Chapter 35: Media Warfare
The morning after the ValeStream Showcase felt like waking up in the middle of a heavy rain without a roof over his head.Jaylen’s phone didn’t just buzz, it vibrated with stacks of notifications faster than he could swipe. Notifications like news articles, trending hashtags, and influencer hot takes all pointed the same poisoned spear in his direction,“ #JaylenKillsTheShow, #UnstablePerformer and #ValeStreamDisaster” The hashtags were all trending over the media.”It didn’t matter that the audience had chanted his name in the dark, or that his acappella freestyle had gone viral in underground hip-hop forums. The mainstream machine was making the night look like a failure.Zee’s holographic interface flickered into the corner of Jaylen’s vision with a sharp and clinical voice. “Smear velocity at Level 3 and climbing. Ninety-eight percent of trending headlines frame you as the cause of last night’s technical blackout.”Jaylen’s jaw tightened. “They’re trying to erase what really ha
Chapter 34: Sabotage on Stage
The ValeStream Showcase was a spectacle. Every inch of the arena glowed under sapphire and red lights. The camera drones hoovered around above the crowd. This was no ordinary gig; it was the kind of stage that could stamp your name into the entertainment sky forever or bury it in humiliation.Jaylen stepped out of the black SUV. He was guarded by Zee’s discreetly armed security contractors. Even through tinted glasses, the flashbulbs burned his vision. His black satin bomber jacket dazzled under the strobes. It was a statement piece embroidered with silver linen. The air buzzed with high tension. Roman Vale’s name was etched into the very branding of the showcase. Jaylen knew this wasn’t just an invite; it was an open challenge.Inside, the backstage corridors smelled of fresh paint and the people's nervous sweat. Celebs milled around with their escort. Stylists adjusted their collars and brushed glitter from their shoulders. A stagehand holding a clipboard did a double take when Ja
You may also like
My Dragon Beast System
ECM_MANGA14.7K viewsHis Biggest Secret
ijay15.8K viewsI AM BEYOND HUMAN
South Ashan18.1K viewsWHIT
VKBoy19.1K viewsThe King,s Reincarnation
Cici Aremanita143 viewsBLOOD OATH "Rise of The Silent Blade "
Babra 1.1K viewsRise of Shaun Rodriquez, the Baron's Illegitimate Son
MadRevenant98 viewsThe godLeveling System in a godless world
Jericho Chase4.2K views