2026-03-30 07:22:45Leo left the Media Building with a calm expression, but inside, his mind was racing.
Lena Hart. The most famous girl on campus had just agreed to go to the university gala with him. If someone had told Leo that would happen two days ago, he would have laughed. But now, it was real. As he walked across the campus courtyard, the black System interface appeared instantly. [TIME LIMIT: 16:03:11] Leo stared at the screen for a moment. The countdown continued ticking; everything was slowly leading toward the gala. He slipped the phone back into his pocket. “If I’m going to that gala,” he muttered, “I can’t show up looking like this.” His current clothes were simple: a plain shirt and worn jeans. Nothing impressive. If he walked into a luxury event dressed like that, Marcus would mock him before the humiliation even started. Leo needed something better. As he continued walking, the System suddenly appeared again. [STARTER REWARD ISSUED] [HOST FUNDS: $2,000] Leo stopped walking. “What?” He quickly opened his banking app, and his eyes widened slightly. There it was—a deposit of two thousand dollars. Real money. Leo let out a quiet breath. “So the System really can give money…” For the first time since everything began, Leo felt a strange sense of confidence. Two thousand dollars might not make him rich, but it was more than enough to prepare for tonight. An hour later, Leo walked out of a small but stylish clothing store near campus. He carried a garment bag over his shoulder. Inside was a dark, tailored suit. It wasn’t a luxury designer brand, but it fit him perfectly. The mirror in the store had shown a completely different version of Leo: cleaner, sharper, and more confident. Even the store clerk had looked slightly surprised. “Come again,” the man had said with a polite smile. Leo nodded and continued walking down the street. By now, the afternoon sun hung lazily above the campus district. Students moved between cafés, restaurants, and bookstores. Leo suddenly felt thirsty. Across the street, he noticed a familiar café. The glass windows revealed a comfortable interior filled with students chatting over coffee. Leo stepped inside. A soft bell chimed above the door, and the smell of roasted coffee beans filled the air. But the moment he walked in, he froze slightly. Sitting at a center table were two people he knew very well: Marcus Whitmore and Sarah. Marcus leaned back confidently in his chair, wearing a designer jacket. Sarah sat beside him, looking elegant in a light summer dress. They looked like the perfect campus couple. Marcus was talking loudly, clearly trying to impress her. “…and my father said the new company branch will open next month,” Marcus bragged. “Once that happens, I’ll probably start managing some investments myself.” Sarah nodded with admiration. “That’s amazing, Marcus.” Leo quietly walked to the counter. He didn’t want to interact with them; he just wanted coffee. But fate had other plans. A few minutes later, the waiter returned to Marcus’s table holding the bill. Marcus casually took out his credit card. “Put it on this.” The waiter nodded and walked to the register. However, a minute later, he returned looking slightly uncomfortable. “Sir… I’m sorry, but the card was declined.” Marcus frowned. “That’s impossible.” He handed over another card. “Try this one.” The waiter went back and returned again. “Sorry, sir… this one also didn’t go through.” The surrounding tables began to notice. Marcus’s face darkened slightly, and Sarah looked embarrassed. “Maybe there’s a network problem?” she said quietly. Marcus forced a laugh. “Yeah, probably.” He pulled out his phone and tried transferring money, but the payment app froze. The waiter shifted awkwardly. “Sir… the total is seventy-eight dollars.” Marcus clenched his jaw. At that moment, Leo walked over calmly. “I’ll take care of it.” Marcus looked up, his eyes widening slightly. Then, a slow smirk appeared on his face. “Well, well,” Marcus said loudly. “Isn’t this the delivery clown?” Several nearby students looked over curiously. Leo ignored the insult and handed his card to the waiter. “Put their bill on mine.” The waiter nodded gratefully and walked away. Marcus leaned back in his chair, his smirk growing wider. “So the hundred dollars I gave you the other day really helped, huh?” Sarah crossed her arms and looked at Leo with mild amusement. Marcus chuckled. “Thanks for paying, delivery boy.” Leo remained calm. “You’re welcome.” Marcus laughed again. “You should thank me instead. If I hadn’t hired you for that delivery, you probably couldn’t afford this place.” Some nearby students chuckled. Leo simply picked up his coffee from the counter and looked at Marcus one last time. “Enjoy the rest of your day.” Then, he walked toward the exit. Marcus shook his head and laughed. “What a pathetic guy.” Sarah nodded slightly. “He always was.” But neither of them noticed the faint smile on Leo’s face as he stepped outside. The afternoon breeze felt cool against his skin. Leo took a sip of his coffee, and the System interface appeared again. [TASK PROGRESS UPDATED] [LOCATION CONFIRMED: EASTGATE UNIVERSITY GALA] [TIME REMAINING: 12:47:02] Leo glanced back at the café window. Marcus was still bragging loudly, and Sarah was still smiling beside him. They looked confident, untouchable. But that confidence wouldn’t last much longer. Because tonight… everything would change. Leo pulled out his phone and opened his messages. There was already a new text from Lena Hart. Lena: What time are we meeting for the gala? Leo: 7 PM. I’ll pick you up. Lena: Alright. Don’t be late. Leo slipped his phone into his pocket. The sun slowly began descending toward the horizon. Tonight would be the first time Marcus Whitmore experienced real humiliation. Leo smiled slightly. “Enjoy your confidence while it lasts.” Because tonight, Marcus would finally realize something important. The delivery boy he mocked was no longer the same person.
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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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