In the central stadium built by the Evolvers Association, an arena large enough to hold a million spectators, reinforced by defensive formations and hovering platforms, the atmosphere was boiling.

The crowd exploded before the announcer even spoke.

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The sound rolled like thunder, shaking dust from the steel beams above. Holographic banners burst into the air, displaying blue and silver streaks that spelled NOVA CITY in blazing light.

"AND WE HAVE A WINNER!"

The announcer's voice boomed through crystal amplifiers, enhanced by wind-type Elementalist evolvers stationed in the towers.

"IT'S NONE OTHER THAN… TEAM NOVA CITYYYY!!!"

The stadium erupted.

People jumped to their feet, waving flags, glowsticks, jackets, anything they could grab. A wave of blue rippled through the audience like a living ocean.

"LET'S GOOOOO!!!"

"THAT'S MY CITY!"

"CHAMPIONS BABY!"

"WHO WAS THE ONE WHO SAID NOVA CITY IS WEAK?!"

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

"GO! ALISSA! GOGOGO!"

"I'M NAMING MY KIDS LIA I SWEAR!!!"

"LIA WAS AMAZING! SHE DEFEATED HER OPPONENT IN ONE MOVE! WHO CAN DO THAT?"

The group of four, Alissa, Evan, Lia, and Lin Fang, stood in the center as thousands cheered their names.

"We made it." Evan said, excitement filling his face.

Alissa stood silently with a small smile, saying nothing. It was a triumphant victory, and it hadn't even taken them long to finish the tournament. No one from the Southern Region had been their match.

Lin Fang, on the other hand, stood with a grin plastered across his face.

Out of everyone, he was the one who benefited the most!

[You've bullied everyone in the tournament and gained 1000 points.]

[You've overshadowed the protagonist in the tournament, gained more fans, and earned 1000 points.]

[Host, with this you can now level up the system.]

[However, Host, you must clear the main quest before you can level up and enjoy higher perks, an upgraded shop, and improved power returns from the system.]

"The main quest…" Lin Fang muttered quietly.

The Villain System granted him quests that rewarded him with power, items, and points for the System shop. Currently, the System was at Level 0. Once it reached Level 1, he would unlock greater benefits.

But there was a problem. He could only level up after completing the main mission.

And that main mission was related to Alissa…

[Mission: Make Alissa yours.]

Yes. The system wanted Alissa to fall in love with him.

But the problem was, they barely even talked to each other. There was always distance between them.

He had no idea how he was going to make her fall for him.

Even worse, she was much closer to Evan than anyone else on the team.

'Is it that automatic protagonist aura?' Lin Fang scoffed inwardly.

He would deal with Evan sooner or later. He would have already done it, if not for the System warning him of the consequences. According to it, it wasn't the right time to eliminate him yet.

So, for now, he'd continue playing the good guy.

He turned toward Lia, who was standing next to him.

"Hey, Miss Lia. Why don't you look happy? We won the tournament!" Lin Fang said with a grin, attempting to make conversation.

However, Lia didn't even turn to look at him. Her gaze was distant, unfocused. The entire stadium was roaring with sound, yet she seemed deaf to it.

She appeared completely lost in her own world.

"Hey, Miss Lia?" Lin Fang frowned, calling her again.

"Huh?" She finally snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him. "What is it?"

"You seemed absent minded, Miss Lia." Lin Fang said.

His words drew the attention of Evan and Alissa, who both turned to look at her.

Indeed, ever since arriving at the Three Guards Province, Lia had been acting strange.

She was often deep in thought, absent minded, and sometimes stared at the sky as if she was watching something only she could see.

"It's nothing." Lia said indifferently when she noticed their concerned expressions. "Nothing is wrong."

But the truth was, something was very wrong.

For days now, she had been dreaming. Dreams that didn't make sense. Dreams no mortal should ever see.

It began with an axe. A massive, ancient axe she had never seen in her life.

Then came the other dreams.

She dreamt of a vast world where time didn't exist. In that endless, eternal place, abstract glitch-like entities knelt in a sea of distortion.

Other times, she dreamt of floating alone in a boundless black space, filled with scattered points of radiant light that shimmered like distant lights similar to the one you can see in the skies of Blue Stars.

She didn't know why these dreams kept appearing, but they clung to her mind. Whenever she had a quiet moment, the visions replayed themselves again and again.

She even suspected possession. Terrified, she had gone to an immortal cultivator who specialized in souls and spiritual interference. He examined her thoroughly, but found no signs of foreign spirits, curses, or possession.

She left with no answers.

It was driving her insane.

She had also noticed something else. Her personality was changing. She was once energetic and extroverted, but now she was reserved, quiet, and constantly thinking. Strangely, her mind felt sharper too, clearer, faster.

For example, in today's match…

Her opponent, Brutus Hale, was infamous for overwhelming his enemies with overwhelming strength and technique. He was a martial artist from a top-tier second rate city, known for his brutal, straight-forward combat style.

Lia had almost no real combat experience. And yet, her mind processed the battle with frightening clarity. She predicted every one of his movements, calculated the best response, and defeated him in a single move.

It wasn't luck.

It was instinct.

Something inside her was changing.

And she had no way to stop it.

Before the conversation could continue, a man dressed in the robes of the City Lord's Mansion approached with respectful steps.

"Winners, please follow me," he said with a respectful bow. "Your rewards have been prepared."

Halfway through turning, he paused, adding, "Oh, and… the third-rank expert from the Sun and Moon Academy, the Overseer of the Southern Region, is waiting to meet all of you as well."

Evan froze.

"The Overseer?" His eyes went round as saucers. "He's going to meet us already?!"

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