[System: Simulation Ended]
[Vital Sync Restored]
[Welcome Back, Candidate #001 – Leice Grape]
The hiss of gas filled his ears.
Leice opened his eyes to a ceiling of white metal and pulsing blue lights. The capsule around him slowly split open, releasing a stream of cold air. His lungs burned as he drew his first real breath in what felt like forever.
And then came the noise.
The NightSun Academy arena was chaos incarnate — hundreds of capsules unlocking in sequence, each one spilling light, tears, and disbelief into the air.
Some laughed hysterically.
Some screamed.
Others sat in stunned silence, their minds still trapped between dream and code.
Leice pushed himself upright. The fluid on his skin felt colder than the world itself.
He was back.
Two familiar voices pulled him back to reality.
"Leice!"
Aria's voice cracked, relief and exhaustion tangled together. She was already standing outside her capsule, hands shaking. Zack stumbled beside her, eyes red, a grin stretched across his face.
"You actually did it, man."
"I told you," Leice murmured, stepping out. "I don't lose."
The air around them shimmered with the hum of active capsules — three of them still sealed tight nearby. The nameplates glowed faintly: Gina Millera, Yvonne Grape, Kesha Billex.
The three princess of Jaigoria Matriach three out of five big city, big names Queen.
Gina's capsule opened first, a hiss of vapor escaping. She sat up slowly, composed even now, eyes scanning the room as if she'd simply awakened from a nap.
Yvonne's followed; she clutched her head, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her temples.
But it was Kesha who drew every eye.
Her capsule shook violently before opening. She gasped, then screamed — a raw, broken sound that silenced the hall.
"No… no… it's not over—he can't—"
She looked down at her arm.
A faint crimson light pulsed beneath her skin — a barcode, etched perfectly from shoulder to wrist.
[Property of Leice Grape // Pact Oath: Verified]
Her scream rose again. "No! This isn't real! He can't own me!"
She clawed at her arm until blood welled at her nails, but the mark didn't fade.
Yvonne backed away, pale.
Gina only lowered her gaze, whispering, "So… that was the cost of losing."
All around them, the academy erupted.
Rows of spectators filled the upper balconies — instructors, nobles, and rulers who'd come to witness the trial's end.
Some women stood, shouting:
"Impossible!"
"He hacked the system!"
"A male can't surpass the limit!"
Others fell silent, unable to process what they'd seen.
And from the back rows, muffled sobs broke out — not of sorrow, but of gratitude.
Dozens of men, servants in plain uniform, bowed their heads and wept.
"He did it…"
"He broke it…"
"We're not powerless anymore…"
Their voices trembled like the first crack in an ancient wall.
Leice ignored them all.
He stood barefoot on the cold floor, eyes distant. His wrist pulsed with faint light — a silver ring of energy that slowly solidified into a bracelet.
Breakam One.
It had followed him out of the simulation, compressed into a resting form, still alive.
Aria touched his arm softly.
"You changed everything in there."
"No," Leice said. "I just reminded them what could change."
Zack gave a tired laugh. "You sound like a god."
"No," Leice murmured. "Just the one who survived."
Now Kesha's heart breakdown.
Kesha finally dropped to her knees. Her breathing came in gasps, wild, desperate.
Her eyes found him — wide, furious, terrified.
"So that's it? I belong to you now?"
Leice turned toward her, gaze unreadable.
"That's what the system says."
"Then erase it!"
"I can't. And you can't either. It's written in both of us now."
She froze. "Both…?"
He raised his hand slightly, showing a faint red mark pulsing beneath his skin — an identical code fragment.
"A pact goes both ways. You're bound by it… but so am I."
Her anger faltered, replaced by confusion. Then, softly — fear.
——— x——— x——— x——— x———
Above the Arena
The observation balcony was no quieter.
Alicia Grape stood still, watching her son below. Pride flickered through her trembling hands.
"He did it," she whispered. "He really did it."
Beside her, Sherry Billex seethed, gripping the railing until her knuckles turned white.
"My daughter will not serve a man—"
Guinevere Millera cut her off gently.
"She already does. And perhaps that's what this world needs."
Alicia shot her a look. "Guinevere—"
"Admit it, Alicia. You always wanted someone to rise above us. You just didn't think it would be your son."
Alicia said nothing. The holographic light from the floor below painted her face silver.
Then the representative AI,EVA-9 come forward to make an announcement.
The noise dimmed as the academy lights flickered.
A beam of blue holographic light descended, forming the figure of EVA-9, the system's administrative AI.
[Announcement: Qualification Round Complete]
[Total Qualification Survivors Need: 50]
[Champion: Candidate #001 – Leice Grape]
[Designation: Apex Exception]
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "Apex Exception…"
Even Aria stared, whispering, "What does that mean?"
EVA-9 continued:
[All qualified candidates will proceed to official enrollment within NightSun Academy in a week.]
[Observation Mode: World-Level. Data Synchronization in progress.]
Leice lifted his gaze to the AI. "So you're watching too, huh?"
EVA-9 tilted her head.
[Affirmative, Candidate Grape. Your data exceeds prediction. Welcome to the world where Female dominance.]
And then she vanished.
The crowd was still reeling — half in awe, half in outrage.
Kesha sat silently now, staring at the code on her arm.
Yvonne clenched her fists, uncertain whether to hate or respect him.
Gina simply smiled, faint but genuine.
Aria and Zack stood beside Leice, their loyalty quiet, but firm.
"So," Aria said softly, "what now?"
Leice looked up at the academy's massive dome, where the light of the artificial sun shone down on them all.
"Now," he said, voice steady, "we find out what happens when the game becomes real."
The hum of the arena grew louder again as the first day of NightSun Academy truly began.. .