The Girls Are All Coveting Me

Even among those usually seen as reclusive eccentrics in the Shadow Stabbing Class, he had the best relationships.

Before Morton entered the affiliated high school, Nording had captured all the glory of the Shadow Stabbing Class and even the entire Warrior Series at that time.

But Morton's addition turned that year's Shadow Stabbing Class from a single king into dual kings.

Morton's Divine Speed Blade was breathtaking.

Though the two had never clashed publicly, it couldn't mask the tension between them.

Geniuses are always eager to compete with one another.

Morton and Nording chased and pushed each other, raising the bar for other students to near their level.

However, in Morton's 17-year-old survival competition, he injured a ligament right from the start.

In that match, had Morton maintained his pace, he could have widened the gap with Nording and claimed his first championship title.

However, shortly after it began, he fell from first to eighteenth.

Just when everyone thought the competition was over, it started raining again.

Just like the torrential rain a year before, contestants had no choice but to avoid the harsh environment.

Yet, the rain that other students avoided became Morton's fuel.

The Shadow Dragon Blade Qi unleashed by the Divine Speed Blade made him unstoppable, slaughtering all the demons approaching him.

Like a speed dragon!

He soared from eighteenth to second, as if by destiny.

But this time, Nording couldn't stop his rise to the top.

Two years later, the Shadow Stabbing Class welcomed their new emperor.

At that time, the Menilanka region was going through incredibly tough times.

The pigeons flying from the fallen area made Morton realize how difficult things were back home.

Political instability, economic stagnation, government deficits, and people in dire poverty.

Menilankans who had left their homes before the fall and were working abroad came to the Ethereal Emblem to offer him flowers in excitement.

The daughter of the wealthy businessman hosting the event gave Morton five kisses, wishing him honor from age 18 to 22.

Upon entering university, the Shadow Stabbing Class entered its prosperous era.

Morton and Nording, the past and present leaders, began their fierce struggle.

You set a new record in one direction for the Shadow Stabbing Class, and I immediately set another in a different one.

Except for the elder, known as [Triple Thunder Blade] Oben Mendeleev, no one could suppress the two of them.

However, the two geniuses who had chosen to meet at the peak eventually parted ways in their sophomore year.

That year's War God Festival U25 individual competition (participants ≤ 25 years old) saw them in unprecedented fierce conflict.

During the War God Festival, other top forces also sent their top prodigies.

Morton and Nording encountered the other side's seeded players before the final battle.

When aces met aces, it took mutual devastation to claim victory.

But it was already the semifinals, and those who stood here were top prodigies.

Their next opponent, although inferior to the Shadow Stabbing Twins, still found them in less than ideal condition.

If they continued fighting like this, Morton and Nording would harm their Extraordinary Origin.

Recalling this matter, Chloe couldn't help but ask:

"Senior, why did you keep fighting in that SOLO match back then?"

Morton paused while eating his bread, then replied self-deprecatingly:

"I never expected your class to still know about things from back then."

"I specifically researched it a bit and heard that Senior Nording had issues because of this..."

He hesitated, ultimately refraining from using the word betrayal.

Morton shook his head and said:

"I wanted Nording to stop; he had a choice, but as a Menilankan, I cannot stop."

"Hmm?"

"I wanted a championship to tell the world that Menilankans haven't surrendered, that we haven't fallen."

Morton said calmly, leaving Chloe somewhat shocked.

In that match, Morton defeated his opponent in the semifinals.

So did Nording, but Nording encountered issues.

His hand was destroyed by the opponent's Awakened Talent, leaving irreversible damage to his nervous system.

At the time, the treatment technology was insufficient to address this well.

And so, overnight, the genius fell into mediocrity.

Later...

Later, the genius chose to steal the academy's treasure and joined an Evil God Church that promised to help him regain his talent.

Undoubtedly, this was the greatest betrayal for the Ethereal Emblem, which adhered to order.

The Ethereal Emblem had students who turned to dark paths, and the treasure had been lost before.

But a student nurtured by their own hand stealing the treasure and using it against their own was unprecedented humiliation.

This led the school to issue a bounty on Nording Snake.

Even the once-flourishing Snake family suffered because of it.

The family's time of glory vanished overnight.

No one at the school mentioned the "Dancer" who once rivaled "Speed Dragon."

It was too much to bear as a way to end the Shadow Stabbing Twins' story.

"Senior, do you have any regrets?"

"Junior, what are you referring to?"

"Regretting your obstinacy; had you not fought to the end, you might not be stuck at Sequence Seven."

The problems in that battle didn't only affect Nording.

Logically, given the talents of the Shadow Stabbing Twins at the time, they should have barely touched the edge of Sequence six by the graduate stage.

Yet now, one defected, and one was stuck moving in and out of Sequence six.

It's truly sigh-worthy.

Nonetheless, Morton shook his head and said:

"I have never regretted it."

The SOLO match that year was too important to Morton.

The Menilankans suffered poverty, hunger, disease, and chaos, their national confidence plummeting.

Morton urgently needed a world-class event to draw attention to his homeland.

His first words after winning the championship on that day were, "My name is Morton, from Menilanka, surrounded by fallen zones."

Then he collapsed on the podium due to his severe injuries.

Since then, the previously slow-moving "Menilanka Region Reconnection Plan" began to accelerate.

So, no matter what, Morton's answer has always been—

Not once did he regret it.

Even if it affected his advancement, even if his friend and rival Nording parted ways with him because of it, it was still the same.

"I do feel a bit sorry for Nording, though."

He knew Nording's character.

If he chose to fight to the death without retreat, Nording's pride wouldn't allow him to lag a step behind.

Thus, he blamed himself.

Although he'd never regretted it, he always felt that Nording's path was closely related to him.

Morton sighed and said, "Junior, do you have any wine?"

"No way, we're delving deep tomorrow, and I don't want to be tricked by you."

"Fine, not being able to drink in disappointment is truly tough."

Morton shook his head and said nothing more.

He began to reminisce a bit.

...

It was night.

In his hotel room, Chloe had fallen into a deep sleep.

But a sudden sense of weightlessness awakened him.

Groggily, he opened his eyes to find himself swept into The Sims.

He slapped his forehead, realizing he'd been too busy lately.

How could he forget it was time for Rephya to start the next simulation?

Oh well.

Time to begin the second life.

...

Meanwhile, Rephya officially started the simulation

[At eighteen, you were held in the Demon King's arms in a room]

[That night, Miss Aisha in your dreams called out, and the sofa at the bar downstairs growled]

[But you didn't care, feeling safe with Senior Sister Fufu and the Demon King]

[That day, you set out on a journey with them]

[Menilanka region was your destination; you knew the Demon King planned to build his own force to expand the Demon King Army's influence. You chose:]

[Count me in!]

[What Demon King? He's simply your good senior you thought]

[Yet the next day, the Extreme Association encountered a problem]

[Original core strength set to advance with the Demon King to the Menilanka region, Speed Dragon Morton mysteriously disappeared]

[You searched everywhere, but found no trace of your senior, choosing:]

[Follow his lead!]

[The foolish and slow-witted hero handed the future over to the Demon King]

[Even without Morton, the Demon King remained steadfast, advancing with the outlined plan]

[You sensed the Demon King seemed unhappy and you asked:]

["Senior, what would make you happy?"]