Victor's soul left his body.
"WHAT?! Mom, no! This is a cruel and unusual punishment!"
Max and Jake, who were both stuffing their faces with snacks, just watched the show unfold.
His mother gave him a stern look. "Then moderate yourself. Or else."
Victor sighed dramatically before slumping back in his seat. "Fine, fine. I'll be good."
His mom gave him one last warning glance, then left the room.
Jake snickered. "Damn, bro. You almost got grounded in real life."
Victor groaned while rubbing his face. "You don't understand. If she takes that game away, my cultivation dreams are OVER."
Max who was still chewing, suddenly sat up. "Hold up. Speaking of dreams, did you forget what day it is?"
Victor frowned. "Uhhh… Sunday?"
Jake smacked him upside the head.
"No, dumbass! It's Daniel's party!"
Victor's brain stalled.
Max sighed. "Bro, this is why you need to leave your room at least once a day."
Victor raised a finger. "Technically, I left my room. In-game."
Jake threw a potato chip at him. "DOESN'T COUNT."
Victor sighed while pushing his plate away. "Wait, so where's the party?"
Max looked down at his phone. "Some fancy secluded location. I think it's one of those cool hideout spots only the popular kids know about."
Victor frowned. "Since when was Daniel the 'popular kid'?"
Jake shrugged. "Since he awakened. That dude went from loser to legend overnight."
Victor leaned back while rubbing his chin. "Damn. It's like a bad anime cliché."
Max nodded. "Yeah. And somehow, we're the side characters."
Victor sighed. "Welp. I guess it's time to make an appearance."
He stood up, stretching.
But in the back of his mind—all he could think about was getting back into the game.
Victor, Max, and Jake walked side by side with the city lights flickering behind them as they made their way to the party's secluded location.
The streets were dimly lit since it was evening with only the occasional hover-bike zipping past, leaving behind trails of luminescent blue.
Victor stretched his arms and yawned. "So, tell me again, why are we going to this thing?"
Jake rolled his eyes. "Because, Victor, it's the party. And because Danny's already there waiting for us."
Max nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and also because we have literally no social life. This is our one chance to pretend we do."
Victor snorted. "Speak for yourself. I have a thriving social life... in Ascendant Realms."
Jake gave him a blank stare. "That. Doesn't. Count."
Victor smirked. "Tell that to my cultivation level."
As they rounded the corner, the distant thrum of heavy bass vibrated through the air. The closer they got, the more wild and chaotic the scene became.
The party spot was tucked between abandoned industrial buildings, far from any surveillance drones or nosy adults. The perfect place for teenagers to break every rule imaginable.
And break them, they did.
The entire area was lit up with neon strips, casting a blue-purple glow over the dancing students. Music blasted from hovering speakers, sending tremors through the air.
Girls strutted around in short skirts, crop tops, or tight dresses with their hair done up in ways no one had ever seen at school. Guys wore jackets over ripped jeans, or sometimes no shirts at all, flexing whatever muscle they had.
Victor and the boys stopped at the entrance, taking it all in.
"…Bro," Jake whispered.
Victor whistled. "So this is what people actually look like when they're not drowning in school uniforms."
Jake elbowed him. "Look at the girls, man. Why do they look ten times hotter outside of school?"
Max, who was already sweating, gulped. "I swear I saw Laura Benson walking around earlier, and dude… she glowed."
Victor smirked. "Yeah? And you plan on talking to her?"
Max immediately panicked. "What?! No! I'll die!"
Victor laughed. "Classic Max."
They were still in disbelief about the state of the environment when a loud cheer erupted from one side of the party.
"DANNY! DANNY! DANNY!"
Victor turned to see their best friend Danny at the center of the crowd.
And of course, the big guy was showing off.
Danny stood shirtless with his muscular frame on full display and veins popping from his biceps as he lifted a long metal pole. But that wasn't the crazy part.
Two girls were hanging onto both ends of the pole, giggling and shrieking as Danny curled the entire thing up and down like it was nothing.
Victor's jaw dropped. "What. The. Hell."
Jake slapped his forehead. "This guy went full Berserker Mode in two weeks."
Max sighed dramatically. "We've lost him to the dark side. The cool side."
Danny spotted them mid-rep and immediately grinned.
"HEY! Get over here, losers!"
Victor and the boys pushed through the crowd to reach him. The moment they did, Danny dropped the pole, causing both girls to shriek as they clung to it for dear life.
"Oops," Danny chuckled. "Forgot you guys were still on that."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Nice one, Hercules."
Danny slapped Victor's back so hard that Victor nearly went flying.
"Dude! Where the hell have you been?" Danny laughed. "Max and Jake were saying you disappeared off the face of the planet."
Victor smirked. "Not off the planet. Just… you know. Another world."
Danny snorted. "Lemme guess. That cultivation game?"
Victor grinned. "Bingo."
Max leaned over. "I'm telling you, something's weird about that game."
Before they could continue, a new voice cut through the music.
"Alright, who's ready to party?"
A loud cheer erupted as Daniel—the host—arrived.
Daniel strutted onto a makeshift elevated platform, throwing his arms in the air like a celebrity.
Victor groaned. "Oh great. This guy."
Daniel was the kind of guy who always had something to prove. And now that he was an Awakened, he had a lot more confidence than he should.
He clapped his hands together. "Glad to see everyone's enjoying the party! Keep drinking, keep dancing, and most importantly—" he pointed dramatically— "don't get caught."
Danny leaned over. "Man, this guy's acting like he's running for president."
Victor smirked. "More like king of the douchebags."
Daniel's eyes scanned the crowd—and then locked onto Victor.
His smirk widened. "Well, well. Look who decided to show up."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Me?"
Daniel stepped forward. "Yeah, you. Victor Revenant."
Victor's face went blank. "Uh. Do I know you?"
A few people laughed.
Daniel's eye twitched.
"You don't remember?" he voiced with a slightly mocking tone. "You used to run your mouth about me all the time."
Victor scratched his head. "Did I?"
Danny leaned over and whispered, "You probably did."
Victor sighed. "Figures."
Daniel smirked. "Well, guess what? I'm an Assassin Class Awakened now. And you? You're still a nobody."
Victor's lips curled. "Damn, bro. That sounded really personal."
Daniel's smile twitched. "How about this? Let's see how much of a joke you are. I challenge you."
Victor tilted his head. "To what? A battle of wits? 'Cause I already won."
The crowd laughed again.
He clapped his hands, and a screen projected in mid-air, showing a list of physical challenges.
"Since you're not an Awakened," Daniel said smugly, "let's see if you can even keep up in one of these."
The screen flickered through different options—
Daniel grinned. "Take your pick."
Victor smirked. "Alright. But let me warn you... You're about to regret this."