Noah stood alone on the battlefield.

The debris field stretched out around him in every direction, still and silent. No movement. No sounds of fighting. No one left standing anywhere in sight.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Then it broke open into a full laugh.

"Hahaha! Yes! I actually did it!" He pressed a hand to his forehead, still grinning. "I eliminated two commanders. Damn. I bet I got the most individual points out of anyone here. Hehe. With this I’m going to rank up significantly."

Something appeared in the sky above him.

Large blue letters formed in the air, thick and bright, hovering over the ruined city.

CLASS A-1 HAS WON THIS BATTLE. CONGRATULATIONS!!

Noah read it once and nodded to himself.

’I also made my class the winner. Everything went according to plan.’He exhaled slowly. ’Though I do have to deal with Damien and Travis once I get back to the real world. That’s going to be a headache. Damien I can handle. But Travis...’

He rubbed his temple with two fingers, already feeling the pressure of that conversation before it had even happened.

His body began to flicker.

Then the virtual world dissolved around him.

---

’Beeeeep.’

A sharp tone rang through his head.

Noah opened his eyes slowly.

The interior of the VR capsule. White ceiling just above him. The helmet sitting heavy on his head.

"Hah." He exhaled. "Back."

He pulled the helmet off and set it aside. The glass panel above him swung open automatically and he sat up, swinging his legs over the side and stepping out onto the floor of the hall.

The large space came back into view around him. Rows of capsules. The hum of systems powering down. Students emerging one by one from their pods up and down the hall, blinking and stretching, pulling off helmets and stepping out with varying expressions.

Noah turned to his left.

The students had already begun forming into their groups. Two distinct lines were taking shape further down the hall.

Class B-1 stood on one side. More than a hundred of them, most of them quiet. Their faces carried the particular look of people who had lost, some disappointed, some frustrated, a few simply tired. They stood with their shoulders slightly lower than they probably would have liked.

Class A-1 stood on the other side. The mood was entirely different. Students were talking to each other, some laughing, the energy visibly higher than the group across from them.

Noah walked toward his class.

A few of them spotted him as he approached. Hands went up. Voices called out.

"Good job, Noah!"

"We won because of you!"

"Nice work out there!"

He walked with a quiet smirk, hands relaxed at his sides, not making a big deal of it.

Before this he was not trust liked by others. But I once again his reputation would become better.

Leonard reached him first.

He came in fast, threw one arm around Noah’s shoulders, and shook him hard enough to rattle him.

"WE WON!" he announced, loud enough for half the hall to hear, his grin stretched across his entire face. "We actually won!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Of course won. Who you think eliminated the last enemy of ours?" Noah said, with wide smile.

Other students gathered around him gradually. Arisha was there, her expression carrying quiet approval rather than open celebration.

She gave him a single nod which from her was probably the equivalent of a standing ovation. "Good job Noah. I knew your won’t disappoint me. As expected."

Lyria stood nearby, composed as always with a warmth in her expression just like her always. Emma was further back, watching without saying much.

’Emma.’ Noah registered her face. "I didn’t interact with her once during the entire battle. Not once. Well she had not that much imlortance I gues.’

He filed that away without dwelling on it.

Then a hand came down on his shoulder.

He turned.

Damien stood beside him, his expression warm and genuinely pleased. He gave Noah’s shoulder a firm pat.

"You did well," he said simply.

Then he leaned forward slightly, dropping his voice so only Noah could hear.

"I’ll also need a full explanation from you later."

He pulled back before Noah could respond, his expression returning to its normal easy smile as he raised his voice for the others.

"Our class won! Well done, everyone!"

A round of agreement went through the group.

Noah kept a gentle smile on his face.

’Yeah. That conversation is going to be interesting.’

Then Morgana’s hands came together in two sharp claps.

The sound cut cleanly through the noise of the hall. Every student’s attention snapped toward her instinctively.

"That is enough celebration." Her voice carried its usual flat authority. "Return to your rows."

The A-1 students moved back into formation without argument. Noah fell into line with the rest of them.

As he settled into position, he felt something on the back of his neck.

A stare.

He glanced across the hall toward the B-1 side.

Travis was looking directly at him. Beside him, Michael stood with the same expression.

Neither of them said anything. They didn’t need to. The anger was clear enough without words. They were quiet but their attention pointed entirely at Noah.

Noah met their eyes for a brief moment.

Then he turned away and looked forward, his smirk not quite leaving his face.

Lucia stepped forward with a pleasant smile, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Congratulations to Class A-1 on your victory." She looked across at the B-1 side as well. "And well done to Class B-1. You performed admirably. The result was closer than the final score suggests."

She glanced briefly at the time on her display.

"The battle concluded in one hour and forty minutes of real world time, which translates to approximately one full day and a portion of a second day inside the simulation. Faster than anticipated."

Morgana stepped forward beside her.

"Regarding your individual points, we will not be distributing those today. We will be reviewing the full recording of the battle over the next two days. Performance will be assessed not only on eliminations but on tactical decisions, teamwork, and overall conduct during the engagement. Additional points may be awarded based on what we observe." She scanned both rows without any particular expression.

"You will receive your results in two days. There are no further classes for today. You are dismissed."

The hall began to move.

Students broke from their rows, conversations starting back up immediately as people began making their way toward the exit. The B-1 students drifted in the opposite direction, their group quieter and more subdued.

Noah walked with his class toward the doors, hands back in his pockets.

Two days before the points came through.

And somewhere behind him, Travis and Michael were still watching.

He didn’t look back.