“Why are you here Demi?”

“Stop calling me that, Alexander.” A hoarse voice replied coldly.

“I’ve heard that you’ve gotten your circuit fixed. But don’t for one second think that you’re one of us, Neon.” Alexander despised the robed man. “Once a Demi, always a Demi.”

Neon gnashed his teeth as he restrained himself from attacking ARMA’s current co-supervisor, Alexander Ma.

A satisfied smile appeared on Alexander’s face when he noticed Neon smoldering in anger.

“Are you here because of the First Blood situation?”

Neon was silent for a moment as he reined in his emotions.

“Why else do you think I’m here. It’s all because an incompetent participant from your family lost to a-…”

“⟨⟨Delay⟩⟩.” Alexander delayed Neon’s heartbeat by a few breathes. The robed man found it difficult to complete his sentence. His body spasm uncontrollably as it struggled. “The only reason why you’re still alive is because the Overseer approves of your service to House Magnum.”

It took a while for Neon’s body to stabilize. The staffs present in ARMA’s command center remained still. They did their utmost to stay uninvolved with what was happening as the representative from House Magnum looked on his recently-assigned partner with unbridled disgust.

“I do find it disappointing that my own son failed to beat a participant from the other Houses. But I don’t dwell on small matters.” Alexander had an indifferent look on his face. He continued. “Crimson did not achieve First Blood. However, he managed to claim one of the special weapons at Seeker’s Trove.”

“Do we know which one?”

“The Bo Staff.” Alexander grinned sinisterly.

Neon folded his hands, unsatisfied with how much the plan has deviated. Crimson was supposed to obtain the battle forks, which could only be credited to whomever achieved First Blood.

One of House Magnum’s plan revolved around Crimson obtaining First Blood. But if Crimson failed, the plan could be easily salvaged if a participant from House Magnum obtained First Blood instead. However, the one who got it was none other than a nobody from House Clovis.

“How should we deal with House Clovis’ slacker?” Neon asked. “Should we offer him a sum of Digeets and have him convert to House Magnum?”

“No, that wouldn’t work. The Zhang family are not lacking in wealth.”

“We can’t just let him get away with the battle forks and First Blooding us.”

“He won’t.” Alexander wore a pondering expression.

“Co-supervisor!” Suddenly, one of ARMA’s staffs approached boldly. “I’ve just verified with an official from House Clovis. Blue One’s records are… not false.”

“There’s no way an astral with basic circuit grading could overwhelm someone with a higher grade.” Alexander retorted.

“Yes, that’d definitely cause a huge upset if that were the case. However, you should take a look at this.” ARMA’s staff handed a tablet to Alexander Ma. The latter became wide-eyed and stunned by what he saw.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

“Is this legit?” Alexander’s hands shook while holding the tablet.

“We have no way to verify this information at the moment.”

Alexander furrowed his brows and thought deeply how should he approach the current situation. Witnessing Alexander being shaken piqued Neon’s curiosity.

“Have the girl participate next week onwards.” Alexander Ma instructed after a few breathes of silence.

“We should consult with the Overseer and revise the plan.” Neon spoke what was on his mind.

“There’s no need.”

“Will you take full responsibility of this matter?”

Alexander glared in response.

“She’s just a Demi. What’s there to be cautious about?”

“She’s the Overseer’s-…”

“She’s dispensable!” Alexander interrupted. “Like yourself, like all Demis. And if she can’t handle House Clovis’ slacker then what good is she to me.”

“To House Magnum, you mean?”

Alexander, perhaps sensing the atmosphere in the room suddenly become volatile, relented. There was no telling the consequence he would bear if anything were to happen under his supervision.

“Yes, yes, to House Magnum. Let’s proceed with the match for now. We can decide what to do after gathering additional information.”

ARMA’s staffs breathed out a sigh of relief when the air in the room returned to normal. They hope the match would proceed quickly so they could leave the command center and get away from the two ticking time bombs.

“What’s the status?” Neon regained his composure. He and Alexander focused on the many monitors in front of them.

“Crimson is the only participant from House Magnum that secured a special weapon. The others are unexpectedly struggling against House Philius. I suspect that House Philius might be in league with the Rogues.”

“That’s a bold presumption.”

The Rogues were a secretive organization which, many suspect, lent a hand in the mass-murder years ago. They had been rather quiet in activity up till their recent successful infiltrations into ARMA’s matches. There was nothing they could do if House Philius was working with the Rogues, at least not openly.

“What of House Oxborn?”

“The Yun representatives are outed by House Clovis’ slacker. Kang’s pupils are as domineering as ever. They should make it to the final stage since they’ve secured themselves a set of special weapons.” Alexander paused awhile before continuing. “There’s no telling with House Clovis’ since their slacker astral advanced before the match.”

“What???” Neon was shocked. “How is it possible?”

Alexander passed ARMA’s tablet to Neon. The latter looked at its contents and could not help but feel as if he was looking at something magical.

“I’m not sure. But the data ARMA recorded before and after he entered the match has been thoroughly confirmed.”

“Even if that’s the case, there’s no way that he could have gotten accustomed to the power up immediately.”

“There’s something suspicious about this.” Alexander felt on uneasy. He did not like to deal with uncertainties. When someone astral advances, their astral circuit’s grade will increase and its energy type will be of higher quality. But a catalyst is required to break through a threshold, which is not an instantaneous process.

“Did he receive a booster from Uroko?”

“There’s no way Uroko would give away something precious, especially not to a nobody. Even if they did, his rate of advancement is simply absurd!”

It takes an astral with sufficient resources at least a half a year to match the power level rise they witnessed. Believing that Blue One’s astral advancement was legitimate made them shiver.

----------------------------------------

Inside one of Uroko’s luxurious private rooms, a lady who looked to be in her late-20s was laying comfortably on a purple linen couch. She was Uroko’s outstandingly beautiful younger sister, Kayla. Her waist length obsidian black hair was held in a ponytail by a rose red scrunchy that matched perfectly with her crimson eyeshadow and lipstick.

Kayla donned a summer dress today. It revealed her dazzlingly fair skin and slim figure. She was watching ARMA’s live broadcast while the surrounding servants pampered her with sweet fruits and fizzy drinks.

Her captivating ruby eyes glinted when Blue One obtained First Blood. She never saw him as someone capable of fighting. He was just another regular at Uroko’s, looking to splurge Digeets on laemon, a type of addictive they exclusively provided.

One day, Kayla wagered a bet with him out of boredom. She wagered a thousand Digeets’ worth of laemon for each stage he survives in ARMA’s matches.

Blue One accepted the bet but lost since he had never undergone any sort of training. His craving for ‘free’ laemon urged him to participate in ARMA’s matches every week. But each lost made him indulge further in laemon instead of bettering himself with training.

However, Blue One’s performance today dazed Kayla. She found it interestingly refreshing.