Dimension System: SSS Rank Talent Awakening-Chapter 240: Fractures in the Game

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"Who are you?" he asked, his tone low and guarded.

The figure stepped inside without hesitation, pulling back their hood to reveal a young woman with silver hair that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Her piercing blue eyes met Dabi’s without flinching.

"My name is Kaelina," she said, her voice calm but urgent. "I don’t have much time, so listen carefully."

"Why should we?" Jeni shot back, stepping closer.

"Because your lives depend on it," Kaelina replied, her gaze steady.

Her words silenced the room.

Kaelina explained that she was part of a resistance working to uncover the truth about the tournament. "This isn’t just a competition. It’s a stage, a test, and you’re the subjects. The organizers are manipulating every detail— pushing you, breaking you, and watching how you respond."

"And why would they do that?" Dabi asked, his voice cold.

"To create something," Kaelina said. "Or someone. A warrior who can surpass all limits, someone they can control and use for their own purposes."

Dabi’s fingers curled into fists at his sides as he studied Kaelina. His mind processed her words rapidly, sifting through the possible truths and deceptions laced within them. The tournament had already felt off—the unpredictable matchups, the strange survival trials, the absurd difficulty of some challenges. But if Kaelina was telling the truth, then this was much bigger than any of them had realized.

Across the room, Jeni shifted her stance, her eyes flickering with a cold intensity. "You’re asking us to believe that we’re nothing but test subjects?" Her voice dripped with skepticism. "And that you— someone we’ve never seen before— somehow have the real story?"

Kaelina’s expression remained unfazed. "Believe what you want. But the fact that you’re still unharmed means you’re valuable to them. You’ve already proven you’re different from the rest."

Zen let out a sharp exhale. "Different how?"

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Kaelina crossed her arms. "Stronger. Smarter. More adaptable. Every trial, every fight, they’ve been pushing you, seeing how far you can go. But make no mistake— there’s no fair game here. If they don’t like the way you develop, they’ll make sure you don’t make it to the finals."

A thick silence settled over the room. Dabi locked eyes with his teammates, reading the same unease on their faces that coiled in his own gut.

Kiba broke the silence. "If you’re right, then that means—"

"—that some of the eliminations weren’t meant to be fair fights," Althea finished, her voice quieter than usual.

Kaelina nodded. "Exactly. And if you want to survive, you’ll need to be smarter than them."

Dabi exhaled through his nose, thinking. His instincts screamed at him that Kaelina wasn’t lying. But that didn’t mean she was telling the whole truth either.

"Why tell us this now?" he asked. "Why not sooner?"

Kaelina hesitated, then sighed. "Because I couldn’t. I’ve been working from the shadows, gathering information. But things are moving faster than expected. They’ve already identified a handful of potential ’candidates’ for whatever they’re planning. And guess what? You’re on that list."

A chill ran down Dabi’s spine, but he forced himself to stay outwardly calm. "Who else is on that list?"

Kaelina’s lips pressed into a thin line. "I don’t know all the names. But I can tell you this —anyone who isn’t on that list is expendable. They’ll be eliminated, one way or another. And if you keep winning, you’re only playing deeper into their hands."

Jeni scoffed. "Great. So what? We throw matches now? Let them pick someone else?"

Kaelina shook her head. "No. That’s the worst thing you could do. If you start losing deliberately, they’ll see right through it. They’ll just manipulate the matches to make sure you keep fighting until they’ve gotten what they want."

Zen leaned forward. "Then what’s the alternative?"

Kaelina’s blue eyes darkened. "You turn the game against them. You break their expectations. And when the time is right —you take control."

Dabi studied her for another long moment. There was an undeniable steel in her voice, an edge of determination that mirrored the fire burning in his own chest.

He made his decision.

"Alright," he said, his voice firm. "We listen. But if this turns out to be a trick—"

Kaelina smirked, tilting her head slightly. "I wouldn’t expect anything less."

As soon as Kaelina left, the room erupted into debate.

"This is insane," Jeni muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Even if she’s right, what the hell are we supposed to do about it?"

Dabi folded his arms, deep in thought. "We keep moving forward. But we do it on our terms."

Zen’s brow furrowed. "Meaning?"

"Meaning we stop playing blindly. If we’re being watched this closely, then we use that. We control the narrative instead of letting them dictate it."

Kiba rubbed his chin. "That makes sense. But we still don’t know who’s behind this. Or what their end goal is."

"That’s what we need to figure out," Dabi said. "But for now, we keep fighting. We win—just not the way they expect us to."

The team exchanged glances, nodding in silent agreement. Whatever was happening behind the scenes, they weren’t going to let themselves be used as pawns.

The next morning brought no reprieve. The tournament’s announcer revealed the upcoming challenge: a three-way battle between Dabi’s team, Team Shadowstrike, and Team Ironfang.

The arena was unveiled shortly after—a sprawling forest filled with hidden traps, dense undergrowth, and a maze of narrow paths that offered both cover and danger.

"Shadowstrike will thrive in this terrain," Althea said, her expression grim as they studied the map. "It’s practically designed for their hit-and-run tactics." Find adventures on novelbuddy

"And Ironfang?" Zen asked.

"They’ll bulldoze through everything in their path," Kiba said. "The forest won’t stop them—they’ll turn it into kindling."

Dabi leaned over the map, his mind racing. "We’ll have to stay one step ahead of both teams. Shadowstrike’s speed and stealth are dangerous, but if we can force them into the open, they’ll lose their advantage. As for Ironfang..."

"We’ll need to wear them down," Jeni finished. "They rely on brute strength, but even the strongest can fall if they’re pushed hard enough."

The forest was alive with tension as the three teams entered from opposite sides. The air was thick with humidity, the ground soft beneath their feet. Every rustle of leaves and distant birdcall felt amplified, a reminder that danger could strike at any moment.

Dabi’s team moved in tight formation, their senses on high alert.

"They’re watching us," Kiba whispered. "I can feel it."

"Let them watch," Dabi said. "They’ll slip up eventually."

The first attack came swiftly. Shadowstrike’s members appeared from the shadows, their movements almost too fast to track. Daggers and arrows rained down on Dabi’s team, forcing them to scatter.

"They’re trying to split us up!" Althea shouted, raising a barrier to block a volley of arrows.

Dabi darted toward one of the attackers, his movements fluid and precise. He deflected a dagger aimed at his chest and countered with a strike that sent his opponent sprawling.

But before they could regroup, Ironfang entered the fray. The ground shook beneath their heavy footsteps as they charged through the undergrowth, their leader— a towering brute with a massive warhammer— at the forefront.

The battle descended into chaos as the three teams clashed. Shadowstrike’s hit-and-run tactics kept Ironfang off balance, but their agility was no match for Ironfang’s raw power.

Dabi’s team used the confusion to their advantage.

"Althea, create barriers to funnel them toward us!" Dabi ordered. "Jeni, freeze the ground—slow them down!"

Althea’s barriers transformed the battlefield, forcing Shadowstrike and Ironfang into confined areas. Jeni’s ice magic coated the ground in a slick layer of frost, causing several members of both teams to lose their footing.

Kiba and Zen moved in tandem, targeting isolated members of the other teams and picking them off with swift, coordinated attacks.

Meanwhile, Dabi faced off against Ironfang’s leader. The clash was brutal, each strike of the warhammer sending shockwaves through the forest.

"You’re strong," the Ironfang leader growled, "but strength alone won’t save you."

Dabi smirked, dodging a swing that splintered a nearby tree. "Good thing I’ve got more than strength."

With a well-timed feint, Dabi disarmed his opponent and delivered a decisive blow that left the giant crumpled on the ground.

When the dust settled, the announcer’s voice echoed through the forest, declaring Dabi’s team the winners. But the cost of victory was clear in their labored breaths and the cuts and bruises marring their skin.

As they made their way back to their quarters, the weight of Kaelina’s warning hung over them.

"This isn’t just a tournament anymore," Jeni said, her voice heavy. "It’s a war, and we’re the ones caught in the middle."

Dabi’s jaw tightened. "Then we’ll fight like it."

The tension in the air was palpable as Dabi and his team returned to their quarters, their minds still racing from the three-way battle in the forest. The exhaustion of the fight hadn’t yet caught up to them, but the weight of Kaelina’s warning loomed over every thought and word.