ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟙𝟚𝟝: ℭ𝔯𝔞𝔣𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ
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A little more than half an hour earlier, when Qew learned from MJ that Kay and Olivia were headed to lunch together at a restaurant, she immediately suspected Jay’s involvement.
It seemed far too coincidental for her elder brother not to have orchestrated the situation. Determined to disrupt whatever scheme he was plotting, Qew decided to crash their lunch plans.
As someone who played the ‘Prosecutor’ role, Qew was adamant that nothing would work out between Kay and Olivia. She was convinced their relationship would only complicate things.
To ensure Jay couldn’t create a private moment between the two, she brought along Esha, MJ, and Dante. With their help, she successfully sabotaged any chance of intimacy by strategically seating herself between Kay and Olivia.
Feeling triumphant after the first part of her mission, Qew couldn’t resist shooting Jay a cheeky smile.
Sitting at the opposite end of the table, he appeared entirely unfazed by her interference, which only added to her satisfaction. She wanted to let him know that none of his plans would work while she was around.
But something about Jay’s confident demeanor unsettled her. Typically, he’d have a quip or comeback to match her smugness, yet this time, he remained silent. His composed expression hinted at a deeper play, and Qew’s instincts told her she might be missing something.
Trusting her gut, Qew activated║Mind Eye║, hoping to uncover what Jay was scheming. Instantly, the thoughts of everyone within a 500-meter radius surged into her mind—everyone except Jay, Kay, and Olivia.
The sudden flood of information hit her like a hangover, a familiar strain she had experienced in past uses of the skill.
Her lower Spirit Attribute and lack of a mind-related innate talent made it difficult to process such a massive influx of data, though she had grown somewhat accustomed to the accompanying headache.
Through the haze, Qew discovered the sneaky waitress and her paparazzo boyfriend. Piecing the situation together, she deduced Jay’s likely plan: to have the paparazzo snap a photo of Kay and Olivia standing together.
For a media outlet desperate for celebrity scoops, a photo of the trending ‘Prince Charming’ Kay dining with a woman would be gold. By the time the story hit social media and people realized that the woman was Olivia Morris, the buzz would explode.
Of course, the commotion would be short-lived. Within two days, the announcement of the partnership between F.U.T.U.R.E Inc. and the Nav-Yuga Enterprise would clear up the misunderstanding.
Netizens would quickly lose interest in the fabricated romance, but not before Jay’s plan had achieved its intended impact.
But that little media spark was exactly what Jay had been aiming for. By having the public view Olivia and Kay as a potential couple, he hoped to plant a seed in their minds. It wouldn't be much—just a faint notion—but it might be the start of something between them.
As Qew considered the implications of her discovery, Jay’s voice echoed in her mind through the mental link he had established. ‘Yes, you’ve guessed right. That is exactly what I’m hoping for.’
Qew’s frustration bubbled over as she shot back, ‘Hey! Directly interfering in their personal matters is a clear violation of our pact rules.’
Jay arched a brow and responded playfully, ‘Oh, really? Let’s examine that claim, shall we? Was I the one who made the waitress call her paparazzo boyfriend?’
‘...No,’ Qew admitted reluctantly.
‘Was I the one who inspired the paparazzo to chase Kay as his next celebrity target?’
‘...Nooo,’ Qew replied, her tone growing more resigned.
‘So, my dear little sister, where exactly is this direct intervention you’re accusing me of? Jay teased, his logic leaving Qew without a solid retort.
Qew grumbled silently, feeling cornered by his reasoning.
Jay’s confidence stemmed from an upclose knowledge of Olivia’s thoughts, gained during his synchronization with her memories on Day-2.
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He knew the qualities she sought in a life partner, and they aligned almost perfectly with Kay’s personality.
This belief had solidified Jay’s conviction that Olivia would eventually come to realize this herself—if only their paths crossed often enough. It was why he had decided to play matchmaker in the first place.
Meanwhile, MJ, privy to their mental exchange through his connection with Jay, was quietly absorbing everything. ‘Master is really crafty! I need to be like that when I grow up,’ he thought with determination.
Sensing the boy’s musings, Jay sighed internally. ‘Eh? What am I even teaching this kid?’ he wondered bitterly.
As the mental exchanges carried on, the atmosphere at the table grew quieter. Sergei and Olivia occasionally glanced at Moro, who sat beside Kay, each lost in their own thoughts.
For Sergei, Moro’s performance during the second assessment lingered in his mind. Having honed his skills through countless fights, Sergei knew how rare it was for anyone to endure Moro’s onslaught for even 50 seconds. That experience had left a deep impression on him.
Whereas Olivia found herself even more fascinated by Moro, especially after witnessing his effortless defeat of Sergei, a world-famous assassin.
While she suspected Jay had bestowed an Origin Sigil upon Moro, she couldn’t help but wonder how he had managed to find someone with such immense combat skills in the first place.
Olivia and Sergei, curious about Moro, attempted to engage him in conversation, but their efforts met a wall of polite silence. Moro responded to their questions with a curt nod or a shake of his head, offering nothing more. Eventually, they gave up, exchanging helpless glances.
"Please don’t take it to heart," Kay said with a soft chuckle. "Moro is a man of few words."
Dante, ever the conversationalist, quickly shifted gears to lighten the mood. "Now that the starters are over, shall we move on to the main dishes?" he asked, looking around the table.
Everyone nodded, and Dante leaned forward to press a button on a sleek circular device embedded into the table. It was a standard feature in high-end restaurants, allowing guests to summon service discreetly without being disturbed by lingering waiters.
Moments later, the staff entered the room, bringing in dish after dish. Among them was the sneaky waitress, who happened to serve Qew’s plate. Qew fixed the woman with a piercing gaze, her eyes sharp, as though she were trying to burn a hole through her.
The waitress felt the weight of Qew’s stare and barely managed to maintain her composure. Inside, her nerves were unraveling.
‘Eeeeh! What a scary woman,’ she thought to herself after leaving the room with the other staff. ‘For a second, I thought she knew what I did. If that’s true, I would’ve been reported and probably fired by now.’
She shuddered at the thought, clutching her tray tightly. ‘I really need to be more careful—or better yet, stop leaking information to my idiot boyfriend altogether.’
Inside the private room, the mood was much lighter. Everyone was enjoying their meal while engaging in lively conversation. Qew and Dante were the liveliest of the group, sharing jokes and stories that had everyone in the room doubled over with laughter.
At one point, Olivia patted MJ’s head, her laughter ringing out as she teased him. "Little guy, are you sure your tiny stomach can fit all that chocolate cake?"
MJ nodded enthusiastically, his cheeks bulging with cake, eliciting more laughter from the group.
Qew jumped in to narrate an amusing story about how MJ once devoured several packs of ice cream in a single sitting—three times the amount of the cake he was currently eating.
The entire table burst into laughter, the sound echoing warmly in the room.
As the meal progressed, Kay’s expression turned thoughtful. After a moment, he addressed Jay directly. "Brother, how will the Trial Region Tournament be conducted?"
Kay’s question instantly caught the attention of everyone at the table. Olivia, Sergei, and Dante leaned in slightly, their interest unmistakable.
From what Jay had shared during the 'Earth's Alpha Chosen Gathering' on Day 6, the group only knew that the tournament would be team-based. Beyond that, they had no idea what the first tournament would entail.
Seeing the growing interest among everyone—and with MJ preoccupied with his chocolate cake—Jay decided to provide an explanation.
“With our Galaxy Trial Program achieving a high-performance score, there might be changes to the standard tournament evaluation,” he began. “So, I’ll just give you a general overview.
Basically, the tournament will have three rounds.
The first round is a mass elimination phase, where 900 out of the 1,000 participating trial zones will be eliminated.
The second round is to face waves of Monsters, which will narrow the competition further, leaving only 25 trial zones out of the remaining 100.
In the final round, there will be partial 'team vs team' battles. Among those 25 trial zones, the 10 with the highest performance will emerge as the winners.
The System appoints Tier-4 lifeforms from the vast SuperCluster to act as Tournament Managers and oversee the competition.
That's all I can share for now. We'll know the exact details soon enough.”
While Jay’s explanation of the tournament rounds was a bit vague, it gave the group a rough idea of what to expect.
Still, none of them seemed particularly worried about Earth's Trial Zone making it into the top 10. After all, Jay had set the ultimate goal: to ensure Earth's Trial Zone came out as the best in the entire Trial World.
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