CHAPTER 537: WHAT WINNERS LOOK LIKE

Just as expected, Ollie hung on by the skin of his teeth.

Spiritually? Frayed.

Emotionally? Wrecked.

Physically? Unknown. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore.

To survive, he did the only thing that made sense.

He started hallucinating.

In his mind, a dream began to take shape. A soft vision. Something comforting. Safe.

A cozy little place. White picket fence. Clear skies. A quaint house with red shutters and a flower bed that never wilted.

There were chickens. Nice ones. Chickens that didn’t bite.

And a wonderful cow. Soft. Round. The kind that mooed with love.

From the house, three little balls tumbled out. Balls? Oh whatever. He couldn’t tell. They had different fur colors, and they continued to roll across the grass.

Then Kyle appeared, chasing after them in a flour-dusted apron.

Ollie didn’t know what was happening, but it looked nice. Cozy. Warm.

So he ran too, desperately wanting to catch up.

On the way, he spotted his brother, Luca, waving cheerfully. Beside him were Xavier... and the Duke?

All three of them were also jogging.

He waved back, smiling, too tired to question it.

Until the two balls Luca was chasing suddenly picked up speed.

Luca broke into a sprint.

Then Xavier joined in.

And Duke Leander roared and bolted after them.

It became a race.

A dramatic, cinematic, slow-motion kind of race.

Ollie panicked.

He couldn’t fall behind.

He ran faster. Or at least tried.

But his legs... weren’t made for this.

He slowed. He gasped.

And every time he faltered, Kyle—still ahead—turned and encouraged him with a gentle smile.

"You’re close already."

So Ollie kept going. Legs shaking. Vision blurry.

Then—

BEEP.

The sound snapped him back to reality.

He blinked.

D-29 chirped beside him.

"Congratulations, Lord Ollie! You have reached the forty-minute mark!"

Ollie flopped to the floor.

He had made it.

Barely.

He wanted to cry. Or eat something. Or never move again.

But just before he crawled his way out of the chamber, he looked up—

And froze.

Luca was sprinting.

Full sprint.

Hair flapping. Limbs flying. Face lit with glee.

"...!!!"

Ollie stared, stunned.

Was that a dream... or a nightmare?

Well.

It really depended on who you asked.

Because if you asked Luca—

He thought this test was splendid.

Truly.

A brilliant simulation. Five stars. Would recommend. And would most definitely try again.

When the first destabilizing attack hit after the thirty-five-minute mark, Luca’s eyes had lit up in glee.

How thoughtful! What a clever addition!

Because if he thought about it, maintaining a barrier wasn’t all that difficult.

Not when the pressure was constant. Not when it never changed. And that wasn’t accurate because piloting required a lot of minute, unpredictable changes.

To pilot a biomecha, especially the kind he was making, instinct mattered. Reaction time mattered. Adaptability was everything.

And this module?

It had it all.

He was really impressed, and more importantly, relieved, because all his earlier doubts about having a faulty testing slot were gone.

Ever since he turned the multiplier up, he could finally feel it.

That satisfying pressure.

It was like being squeezed through a narrow entrance that kept threatening to close, and he liked that feeling.

"D-29, make sure you log everything!" Luca whispered between sprints. "This is great data! Perfect for tuning high-response reactors!"

He was already brainstorming.

Comparing notes.

Thinking of Sid.

He didn’t have the original schematics for Sid, but based on the output and flexibility, Luca suspected that Sid was an advanced biomecha as well. Maybe even a prototype built on older tech. He’d have to check.

Maybe he could tweak the parts to match his own models. But this time he’d ask for permission first. He’d remember to ask!

He giggled as he sprinted and glowed as he resisted those attacks.

He was basically having the time of his life.

Meanwhile, Duke Leander was staring.

From the other side of the chamber, the Duke had been glancing at his son every few seconds.

And every time he looked—

Luca was smiling again.

Grinning.

Laughing even.

Like this was the best thing in the world.

He really seems to admire fast runners. The duke thought with an emotional sniff.

So, naturally, he ran faster.

He couldn’t appear weak in front of his own child. And if he intended to add that other child, then he most definitely cannot lose!

And just like that, the competition was born.

It wasn’t official.

No one declared it.

But everyone watching the projection knew.

These people were seriously out of their minds!

Instead of slowing down as the suppression increased...

They got faster.

Step by step. Burst by burst.

Luca.

Xavier.

The Duke.

Three monsters.

Three maniacs.

Outside, people were trying to keep it together with questionable success.

Ollie had barely made it out of the simulation chamber before collapsing.

But not before proving he was still conscious. He’d cry if he ended up disqualified from both the surprise and the food.

So the wilting blonde recited his full name. His siblings’ names. His parents’ names. His birthday. His favorite jam. And the number of dishes he was getting from his boyfriend which was four.

Only then did D-29 approve the exit.

After that?

Darkness.

So when Ollie opened his eyes and saw a very familiar face above him, he panicked.

"AAAH—!"

He bolted upright.

Kyle didn’t even flinch.

"Rise and shine?" he greeted casually.

Ollie blinked at him. Then looked around. Then blinked again.

"What happened? What day is it today? What planet?!"

"Still the same day," Kyle replied calmly. "But it’s been a while since you passed out."

"WHAT?! Wait—then why are we still here?!"

But just as he said that—

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

Ollie jumped again.

He finally realized they weren’t alone.

People were standing. Some were clapping. Others were filming.

"Is that the 150-minute mark?!" someone shouted.

The crowd cheered again.

Ollie squinted. "Did they say... 150 minutes?"

Yes.

And the reason for the celebration?

Xavier had finally stepped out of the chamber.

Upright.

Calm.

Like he hadn’t just spent two and a half hours under spiritual suppression.

He even turned, nodded to Luca and the Duke, and said, "Thank you for the session."

Everyone gawked.

Especially Duke Leander.

Because he’d been holding on by a thread.

He had no intention of being the first one out.

But he was also sure he couldn’t be the last.

So when he saw Xavier leave with perfect posture, the Duke nearly snapped.

But he couldn’t lose now.

So, jaw clenched and back stiff, he pushed himself forward.

Every muscle screamed, but he walked step by step. Upright.

Just barely.

Straight into the waiting arms of his wife.

Duchess Amelia caught him with a gentle smile, then turned his head toward the screen.

"Look," she said, tilting her chin.

"That’s our son over there."

Leander followed her gaze toward the still active chamber.

Still in use.

Because one person hadn’t left yet.

Luca.

Sprinting.

Hair flying. Feet pounding. Eyes now focused on the floating display in front of him, where D-29 had helpfully enlarged the latest results for him to review.

If their eyes weren’t lying and their minds hadn’t broken, then they were truly witnessing history unfold.

As in that moment—watching a glowing boy sprint beneath crushing gravity while multitasking analytics like it was nothing—

That everyone knew.

This was what a real winner looked like.