"Wake me up when this is over," Nova said, his eyes already drifting shut.

Neve blinked, caught off guard. All she could manage was a bitter smile before her gaze returned to the arena.

Nova's casual dismissal of the tournament sent a ripple through the crowd—spectators and participants alike. Nearly every eye had been on him, so his actions hadn't gone unnoticed. Taking a nap in the middle of such a prestigious competition was, to many, nothing short of a slap to their faces.

Opinions split quickly. Some murmured in agreement, claiming that since the outcome was practically decided, Nova's behavior wasn't entirely unjustified.

"Can you blame him?" one whispered.

"The winner's already obvious."

A few even twisted the narrative further, spreading a rumor: "It's the participants' fault he's bored enough to sleep."

But others were outraged. To them, this was open contempt—toward the event, the students and the audience who had paid to be part of it. The other competitors, in parti+cular, bristled with indignation. Was he really so far above them that he could afford to mock the entire tournament by sleeping through it?

Although the murmurs spread like wildfire, no one dared approach Nova, now sound asleep, his breathing slow and steady.

The most stressed person in the stadium, by far, was Elric.

"General," he said solemnly.

Alaric gave him a weary look. "What now?"

Elric's expression was dead serious. "I need to change my face. Otherwise, I won't be able to go out alone at night."

Even with all his composure, Alaric couldn't help but burst out laughing. "That's your solution? Really? Why not change your name too while you're at it?"

Elric's lips twitched. "I hadn't thought of that. Should I?"

Alaric smacked him lightly on the head. "I'm telling Darius what you just said. I can't wait to see his face when he hears one of his commanders is scared to walk around after dark."

"General!" Elric shot to his feet, blurting the word before he could stop himself. Realizing his mistake, he quickly glanced around—but the crowd was too engrossed in the ongoing match to notice.

He sank back into his seat, leaning closer to Alaric. "Alright, fine," he whispered. "As long as you don't say anything to General Darius, I won't change my name... or my face." He added the last part with a reluctant grumble.

Alaric snorted, eyes drifting back to the arena. He'd officially run out of patience for Elric's nonsense.

Time passed—how much, it wasn't clear—but Nova stirred as Neve gently nudged him awake, just in time to hear Isaac's voice thunder across the stadium:

"...and with that, the third and final segment of the tournament comes to a close!"

The arena shook as the crowd erupted in deafening cheers. Even those who had lost their money gambling were cheering, swept up by the excitement. There was an undeniable sense in the air—a collective realization that a new era had arrived. And it carried the promise of becoming the most glorious yet.

A few minutes later, once the crowd's excitement had finally begun to settle, Isaac's voice rang out again.

"The award ceremony will begin in five minutes. All participants who placed in the top 26, please make your way to the stage to receive your awards!"

Nova rose from his seat with a slow stretch, his joints cracking slightly as he moved. His gaze shifted toward the tall black chalkboards flanking the stage.

"Let's see if anything interesting happened while I was napping," he murmured, eyes scanning the rankings.

He focused on the top ten, skimming past the names below with little more than a glance—he figured anyone outside that range probably wasn't worth his attention anyway.

Elric (Quarath) [00.08]

Thomas (Altura)

Neve (Quarath) [Penalized]

Jasmine (Quarath) [00.07]

Clara (Tritus) [Forfeit]

Wesley (Altura) [Forfeit]

Troy (Univara) [Forfeit]

Roland (Altura) [00.10]

Preston (Quarath) [01.04]

Ian (Univara) [01.38]

'Thomas made it back? That was some quick healing,' Nova mused, eyes narrowing slightly. 'As for the rest... I might try to recruit a few of them. But first, I need to speak with that Jasmine. Then we'll see.'

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His gaze swept across the participants' stands and settled on Thomas—who was already staring back at him, eyes deep.

Nova gave him a small, almost amused smile, then turned and made his way toward the arena with Neve by his side.

Onstage, the top 26 students stood in a long line, shoulder to shoulder. As the highest-ranked participant, Nova took his place at the far left. Standing beside him, once again, was Thomas. Though he faced forward, Nova could feel his friend's focus—the corners of Thomas's eyes never left him.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere shifted as a wave of anticipation rolled through the crowd. The honored guests in the grandstand began their descent, stepping onto the arena floor to thunderous applause. All eyes followed their every move.

It wasn't every day that citizens had the chance to see the president himself, flanked by his entourage and the deans of every academy. After all, with no technology to capture or share images, seeing the president was something one could boast about.

With polite smiles and subtle waves, Jonathan and his entourage came to a halt directly in front of the assembled contestants. They felt at ease being cheered by so many people. Even the deans, who before the academies were founded held little to no power, now after months of being in such a high place felt that everything was natural.

With a simple nod from Jonathan, Isaac stepped forward and announced with enthusiasm:

"By order of the President, we will now award our young heroes the prizes they have rightfully earned!"

He approached the 26th-ranked student, marking the beginning of the award ceremony.

As the line shifted forward in anticipation, Thomas subtly edged closer to "Elric" and leaned in, his voice low and casual:

"I don't think we, as teacher and student, have had a proper conversation yet. What do you say—shall we grab a bite to eat later?"

Nova's smile froze for a split second.

'Teacher and student?' he thought dryly. 'Students really are getting bolder these days. They've even started forgetting who taught them first.'

But then, something seemed to click. His smile returned, this time wider and filled with amusement.

'Actually… I could send Elric with him. Let's see how much he manages to get out of my commander. Good luck, Thomas.'

Thomas, closely watching Nova's face, was momentarily elated when he saw the smile falter. But when that same smile grew even wider—almost gleeful—his confidence wavered.

Did I say something wrong...?

"Teacher Thomas! Thank you for reminding me!" Nova suddenly exclaimed, his voice full of warmth. "Let's definitely get something to eat later—I have so many things to tell you!"

He sounded like a long-lost student reuniting with a mentor after years apart. The only thing missing were tears and a dramatic hug.

What is wrong with this guy? Thomas blinked. We literally talked the other day.

With a faint nod and a puzzled expression, he turned his gaze forward—only to lock eyes with Victor across the stage.

'And that's done,' Nova thought with a smirk, already moving on. His attention drifted down the line of competitors: Troy, Clara, Wesley... and finally, Jasmine.

'For now, they're the priority—before I return to Quarath.'

Just then, Isaac's voice boomed once more:

"All prizes up to 10th place have been awarded! Now, for our top 10—our great President himself will take the stage and personally award these exceptional young talents!"

The crowd erupted again, the excitement rekindled with renewed vigor.

Amid thunderous applause and the roaring praise of the stadium, Jonathan stepped forward. He offered warm congratulations to each of the top ten students, his words tailored with practiced precision to inspire and uplift. The cheers grew louder with each ascending rank, a rising tide of excitement and admiration.

When he finally reached Neve, his voice was finally close enough to ring clear in Nova's ears.

"Congratulations, Neve. Here is your prize. I look forward to seeing the heights you'll reach in the future—please, continue to protect the people of our Federation."

Nova shook his head slightly at the words, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

'As sly as an old fox,' he thought, waiting patiently for his turn.

Thomas exchanged a few polite words with Jonathan, their interaction brief but respectful. Then, at last, Jonathan stood before Nova who met him with a light smile.

Jonathan, unfazed, maintained his usual diplomatic smile. His voice, steady and composed, carried the same formal cadence he had used for the others.

"Congratulations Elric. Here's your prize. I look forward to seeing the heights you'll reach in the future—please continue to protect the people of our Federation."

Jonathan's voice softened as he leaned in, the smile still on his face but his tone now a quiet whisper laced with meaning:

"You wouldn't want to disturb the peace we've built… would you?"

In his outstretched hands was a large bag, noticeably heavy, and a white plaque.

Nova didn't bother responding. Without so much as a glance at Jonathan, he took the bag, opened it right there on stage, and casually dumped the contents into his Inventory.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, quickly followed by murmurs of disapproval.

"What is Elric doing?"

"Shouldn't he at least thank the President first?"

"Does he think he's some kind of celebrity now, just because he won a tournament?"

"Looks like the power's gone straight to his head."

Unfazed by the whispers, Nova watched the coin counter in his inventory jump by 500,000. Only then did he nod with satisfaction, a lazy smile spreading across his face.

"Whatever you say, whatever you say."

If his earlier actions had merely drawn some criticism, Nova's flippant words now nearly sparked a riot. A few of Jonathan's more fervent supporters looked ready to hurl their themselves at him, their outrage boiling over.

But just as the tension reached its peak, a light, easy laugh rang out—cutting through the hostility like a hot blade through butter.

"Young people ought to be like this," Jonathan said, smiling warmly. "I only hope you'll protect our peace with the same passion."

It's him

The only person who would dare say something like that has to be that lunatic

From the side, Victor and Thomas exchanged a glance. Neither said a word, but their gazes slowly settled on "Elric," expressions unreadable.

Then, with a few casual claps, Jonathan smoothly shifted topic.

"And with that, the first Birth of Deities tournament comes to a close. May our Federation thrive from this day forward, thanks to the strength and spirit each of you has shown."

The stadium erupted into one final round of cheers.

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