The authorities would eventually run attendance checks. If Aiden kept pretending to be a ghost, his class might actually report him as missing. Once his name showed up on any government list, problems would snowball fast. Everything else could wait. Just don't let this turn into a legal mess. He sighed. Fine. Time to show signs of life. Aiden had barely typed a greeting when someone fired at him instantly. Piper: Are you okay? If you're fine, why didn't you reply? Why did you block me? Aiden: Piper, you goof. Vivian: Excuse me? Arthur: Dude, what's going on? The entire chat detonated. Question marks flew in like shrapnel; even the people who never posted a single emoji joined the stampede. You could practically see everyone's jaw drop behind their screens.What kind of universe was this turning into? Piper—usually colder than a January morning—checking in on Aiden felt downright surreal. Aiden's reply only pushed it further off the rails, as if the homeroom teacher didn't exist on this planet. Wild didn't even begin to cover it. The guy strutted straight into the conversation like he owned the place. That level of trash talk deserved a throne. Someone ought to crown him already. Homeroom Teacher, Mario Travis: Aiden, watch your tone. You vanished for two weeks and ignored all school messages. Are you trying to quit? I know your parents have money, yet this behavior won't fly. Report to my office on Monday. If you don't give me a real explanation, you will be expelled. Aiden: Oh. He sent that single syllable and immediately left the group. He thought, Mission complete—no point hanging around in that circus. Getting expelled? Who cares. School... seriously? The world's practically catching fire, and I'm supposed to drag myself back for algebra?Yeah, right. Let me sprint to class while Doomsday eats the planet. Sounds real smart. After his exit, the chat turned ice-cold. One simple "oh" hit harder than any insult. Mario probably reevaluated his entire career path in that moment. Years of dealing with kids, yet he had never seen a student with this level of audacity. In his mind, it only proved Aiden was spoiled and out of control. Piper sat frozen. She honestly thought siding with Mario would make Aiden soften. Nothing prepared her for that response. Does he seriously not care about me at all? A strange sense of panic gnawed at her chest. ... Aiden hardly wasted a thought on any of them. He cleared out spam messages, deleted pointless contacts, and opened the Doomsday forums. Activity had skyrocketed since yesterday. Aiden bookmarked a few pieces of info he might need down the line. Moments later, several threads surfaced, instantly snagging his attention. 'NightTiger reached Level 10—claims he'll attempt the Abyss-level tier advancement trial solo.' 'ZeroFlux and StormHalo confirm plans to attempt Abyss-level tier advancement trial once they ding Level 10.' Aiden's brow twitched. "So they're marching straight into the Abyss-level tier advancement trial?" He recognized NightTiger's gamer tag. NightTiger… yeah, in my last life, he was the first guy in Grendola to hit Level 10. He actually used his head back then—picked Nightmare, got flattened anyway, yet at least that mode didn't erase you on the spot. Abyss Trial, though? That's just suicide dressed up as confidence. He wondered aloud, "Did I really warp their expectations this badly? Do they seriously think Abyss-level tier advancement trial opens its arms to anyone?" Players the community labeled as "legends" never struggled with confidence. Every one of them carried the same mix of talent and ego, convinced they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the best. In their minds, if someone else could pull something off, then they sure as hell weren't going to believe they couldn't do the same. Aiden scrolled further. Right on cue, the pattern repeated. Dozens of top players shared the same reckless spark, all gearing up to dive straight into the Abyss Trials as if it were the natural next step. "Looks like I pushed too fast. They're underestimating Doomsday now," he whispered and let out a quiet breath as he lowered his phone. In Aiden's view, NightTiger—Grendola's poster boy for top players—was about to become the first casualty of an Abyss Trial. Raw talent wouldn't soften that kind of fall. It would hit hard, no matter how skilled the guy was. Even so, Aiden made no move to warn him.Everyone walked their own path. There was no need to expose himself to someone he had never met. ... Darkness settled over the city. 12:00 a.m. Aiden let his eyes close. His body flickered, dissolved, and reformed inside the game world. A colossal hall stretched in front of him, lit by shimmering runes. "Warrior, do you wish to begin the Tier Advancement Trial?" The gatekeeper's voice rang like an echoing bell. Aiden rested a hand on the Medal of Dominion. This time, the gatekeeper wouldn't dare treat him like a nobody.