2026-03-30 07:04:39The next morning, Leo woke earlier than usual. For a moment, he lay still on the bed, staring at the stained ceiling of his small apartment. Then, everything came rushing back—Sarah, Marcus, the humiliation in class, and the strange System.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a faint glow appeared before his eyes. A translucent interface quietly unfolded in his vision. [TIME LEFT: 17:16:43] Leo rubbed his temples. “So, it’s real…” The countdown continued ticking down silently. Every second reminded him that Marcus Whitmore still stood far above him socially. If Leo wanted to humiliate him publicly, he would need the right stage and the right moment. He swung his legs off the bed. “Guess I’d better get moving.” Eastgate University was unusually lively that morning. Students gathered near the Media Building, many holding their phones in the air as excited whispers floated through the courtyard. “She’s filming again.” “I heard it’s for the gala promotion video.” Leo slowed his steps slightly and, curious, followed the crowd. A small filming setup had been arranged near the building entrance—cameras, lighting stands, and a laptop placed on a folding table. Standing in the center of it all was Lena Hart, the most famous student influencer on campus. Her long black hair flowed down her shoulders as she spoke to the cameraman. Leo had seen her before in passing, but today she looked frustrated. “This projection model is wrong,” Lena said, staring at her laptop screen. “If the engagement prediction fails, the whole proposal collapses.” The cameraman scratched his head helplessly. “But the marketing team already checked the numbers.” “That’s the problem,” Lena replied. “They checked them wrong.” Leo paused nearby. He caught a glimpse of the screen—numbers, graphs, and projection curves. Something about it looked vaguely familiar, but before he could analyze it further, the System appeared again. [SITUATIONAL OPPORTUNITY DETECTED] [SKILL AVAILABLE: ADVANCED BUSINESS ANALYTICS] [RENTAL COST: 1 SUPREMACY POINT] [DURATION: 10 MINUTES] Leo blinked. “Skill… rental?” [ACTIVATE?] Leo looked at Lena’s frustrated expression, then back at the ticking timer. [TIME LEFT: 17:05:18] If the System was offering him a tool, maybe this was exactly the kind of opportunity he needed. He exhaled slowly. “Activate.” The moment he said it, a strange sensation rushed through his mind. It felt like someone had suddenly poured an entire library of knowledge into his brain—charts, forecast models, marketing projections, and consumer behavior algorithms. Leo’s eyes widened slightly. The messy graph on Lena’s laptop suddenly looked painfully obvious. The mistake wasn’t small; it was fundamental. Leo stepped forward. “Your growth multiplier is inverted.” The filming crew turned toward him in surprise. Lena frowned. “And you are?” Leo pointed at the laptop screen. “You’re applying the engagement multiplier before stabilizing the baseline variable.” Lena blinked. Leo continued calmly, “That creates exponential distortion.” Before she could respond, Leo leaned over and typed a few quick corrections. The graph instantly recalculated. The unstable curve smoothed out, and the engagement prediction aligned perfectly with the campaign data. Lena stared at the screen. “…Wait.” She refreshed the model again. The numbers remained consistent. Her expression slowly changed from frustration to disbelief. “That… fixed it.” The cameraman leaned closer. “Seriously?” Leo stepped back quietly. Inside his vision, the System countdown for the skill ticked down. Skill duration remaining: 08:42 Lena turned toward him. “You solved that in seconds.” Leo shrugged slightly. “It wasn’t complicated.” Around them, students began whispering. “Who is that guy?” “Isn’t he from the business department?” Lena closed her laptop slowly. “Well,” she said, “you just saved my entire presentation.” Leo nodded. “Glad to help.” He turned to leave, but Lena stopped him. “Wait.” Leo paused. Lena crossed her arms thoughtfully. “How should I repay you?” Leo hesitated. The System timer flashed again in his vision. [TIME LEFT: 16:57:03] Marcus Whitmore. Public humiliation. Suddenly, an idea formed. Leo looked back at her. “There is something you could help me with.” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” “There’s a university gala tonight.” Leo kept his tone calm. “I need a partner.” The nearby students gasped. Lena Hart was one of the most sought-after girls on campus; most guys wouldn’t dare ask her out directly. But Leo’s expression remained completely steady. For a moment, Lena studied him carefully. He didn’t look nervous. He didn’t look desperate. Finally, she smiled. “Well,” she said, “that’s definitely a unique request.” Leo waited silently. Lena thought for a few seconds, then she nodded. “Alright.” The crowd erupted into whispers. “Did she just say yes?” “No way…” Leo blinked. “You mean—” “I’ll go with you,” Lena said. “But only because you saved my project.” Leo smiled faintly. “Fair enough.” Lena picked up her phone. “Text me the time.” She then turned back toward her filming crew. Leo walked away calmly, but inside, his heart was pounding. The stage had been set. [TIME LEFT: 16:51:12] Leo slipped his hands into his pockets. Marcus Whitmore would definitely attend the gala tonight, and when Marcus saw him arrive with Lena Hart… A faint smile appeared on Leo’s face. For the first time, the System had given him a real advantage. Things were only getting started. Everything depended on tonight.
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Chapter 128: A seat on the Table
The NOVA development team had spent years being told to stay quiet. Now, they were preparing to sit across from the Aurelis board.Samuel still couldn't believe it. "Let me understand this," he said, standing in Leo's office with his arms crossed. "Tomorrow, forty-seven developers are basically declaring war on the Aurelis board."Daniel, sitting nearby, immediately shook his head. "We aren't declaring war."Samuel pointed at the proposal. "You're demanding operational independence.""We're proposing it.""With forty-seven signatures."Daniel hesitated.Samuel nodded. "Exactly."Leo looked up from the documents. "That's enough."Samuel looked offended. "I was encouraging them."Lena smiled from the couch. "That wasn't encouragement.""It was realistic encouragement."The following morning, the atmosphere inside Aurelis headquarters was unusually tense. Word had spread, and though no one knew the details, everyone knew something critical was unfolding. Department heads lingered in the
Chapter 127: The Price of Success
The applause was still echoing through the NOVA event hall when Leo realized something: success created problems too—sometimes bigger problems than failure.A few days ago, nobody wanted NOVA. The board considered it a financial burden, the media called it a reckless gamble, and investors ignored it entirely. Now, everyone wanted to buy it.Leo stood backstage, watching guests leave the demonstration hall. Reporters were still broadcasting live, participants were taking photos in front of the neon displays, and investors gathered in quiet, urgent clusters.Samuel walked up beside him. "So..."Leo glanced at him. "So?""We won."Leo looked toward Charles Whitman. The Aurelis chairman was already surrounded by several board members. "We passed the demonstration."Samuel frowned. "Isn't that the same thing?""No," Leo said, shaking his head. "Winning comes later."Samuel sighed. "You really don't know how to enjoy anything, do you?""I enjoyed it," Leo said with a slight smile."For abou
Chapter 126: Enter Nova
The morning arrived faster than Leo expected. For the first time in several days, he woke before his alarm.His eyes opened to the dark room, and for a few seconds, he remained completely still. Then he reached for his phone.6:12 AM.Today was the day.Leo sat up slowly. The public demonstration of NOVA would begin in six hours.He had faced business negotiations worth millions, stood against powerful families, and entered corporate battles where a single mistake could cost everything. Yet somehow, today felt different. This was not a negotiation; there was no room to convince someone with words. People would either experience NOVA and believe in it, or they would not.Simple. Brutal. Honest.Leo got out of bed.By eight o'clock, the streets surrounding the Aurelis Entertainment Center were already gridlocked. Security barriers lined the main entrance, media vehicles occupied every available curb, and large digital screens flashed the iconic NOVA logo.Inside, the building was electr
Chapter 125: The Public Test
The development floor went completely silent. Every screen displayed the exact same message:YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED WHEN YOU WERE WARNED.For several seconds, nobody moved.Then Leo walked toward the nearest monitor, looked at the threat, read it through once, and reached for the keyboard.Samuel stared at him in disbelief. "That's it?"Leo began typing calmly. "What were you expecting?""I don't know—maybe a little concern?"Leo pressed a single key. The message vanished, and the primary NOVA interface returned to the display.Daniel blinked. "You just closed it?""It was a message.""It appeared on every screen simultaneously!""And now it's gone."Samuel looked around the room. "Sometimes I genuinely don't understand you."Leo turned to Daniel. "Check the system."Daniel immediately caught on. Within seconds, the technical team scrambled back to their terminals, pulling up access logs, network activity reports, and core system integrity diagnostics.Ten minutes later, Daniel looke
Chapter 124: All Eyes on Nova
By morning, NOVA was everywhere.Leo woke up to seventeen missed calls: nine messages from Samuel, four from Adrian, three from Nexus executives, and one message from Lena.Don't open the news before breakfast.Leo stared at the message, then immediately opened the news. He regretted it within seconds.The headline on one major business platform read: FAILED $300 MILLION PROJECT REOPENED BY TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT.Another was worse: IS LEO CARTER GAMBLING WITH AURELIS ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE?And another: NEXUS CRYPTICS ACCUSED OF USING CORPORATE TOURNAMENT TO EXPAND ITS INFLUENCE.Leo scrolled through the articles. Most of them contained the exact same narrative. NOVA had failed. Aurelis was struggling financially. The project had previously consumed an enormous amount of money, and now an outsider with temporary authority was reopening it.The articles carefully avoided making direct accusations—they didn't need to. The implication was enough. Leo Carter was reckless, Nexus Cryptics
Chapter 123: The Warning
Leo didn't show anyone the message not immediately. He stood near the window of the development floor, staring down at the streets below. The city looked completely ordinary: cars moved through traffic, people entered restaurants, and lights flashed across distant buildings. Yet somewhere among those millions of people, someone had sent him a direct warning. They knew exactly what he was investigating. STOP LOOKING INTO THIS. The words burned in his mind. Lena approached quietly from behind. "You want to tell me what that was?" Leo glanced back at her. "Someone sent a warning." Her expression shifted instantly. "About Project Mirror?" He nodded. "Who?" "I don't know." "Are you going to ignore it?" Leo looked back toward the bustling development room. "No." Lena sighed, crossing her arms. "I knew you were going to say that." "But I'm also not going to run blindly toward it," Leo added with a faint smile, which made her relax slightly. Leo had changed. A few years ago, he
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