MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 241 Fucked

As Anthony remained absorbed in his movie, nearing the climax, a subtle shift was detected by his Sense Dome.

It wasn't just him; a few others in the room also sensed the change.

In an instant, they found themselves transported to an entirely different location.

One by one, they rose to their feet.

Those who hadn't felt the shift slowly opened their eyes, startled by the sudden noise, only to realize they had been moved without warning.

'Tsk... just as they were about to reveal the criminal mastermind behind everything'

Anthony thought in frustration, pressing the pause button on his screen, stopping the movie abruptly.

Anthony stood, swiftly removing the equipment he had been using for his entertainment.

The air in the atmosphere grew tense as everyone around him followed suit, rising to their feet with a quiet urgency.

No one dared remain seated.

The abrupt relocation signaled the start of something important.

Moments passed, and a man descended from above, his gaze sweeping across the gathered champions.

For a brief moment, his eyes locked with theirs, and then, with an air of command, he spoke.

"The Starborn Tournament is about to begin. You all know what this is about, so there's no need for needless speeches"

The man declared, hovering above them.

"You can think of me as the overseer of this tournament"

He continued, his voice carrying weight.

"Now, onto the rules"

Every ear perked up, despite most having heard the basics from their guardians before arriving.

Still, they listened closely, knowing that there might be some updates or changes in the information they had received.

"The rules are the same as any standard tournament you've participated in throughout your lives"

The overseer said with a hint of finality.

"No use of external aids, no potions, no artifacts, just your weapons. That's all"

A few nodded, mentally preparing for what was to come.

"Secondly"

He continued.

"Victory is determined by death, knockout, or submission. It is optional to kill your opponents"

The overseer's words hung in the air, and as they did, an undercurrent of killing intent flashed in the eyes of several champions.

The mention of 'death' was never taken lightly.

The overseer's smile grew as he noticed the flicker of displeasure among the participants, the killing intent simmering just beneath the surface.

"But before we begin"

He continued, his tone both calm and cutting.

"We need to play some games to eliminate a few of you. Your numbers are simply too large. We have no time to watch every single match among all of you, so we've devised certain tests to filter out the weak"

A murmur rippled through the group, the collective expectation of immediate combat giving way to confusion and irritation.

They had come prepared for battle, eager to prove their strength.

This transfer, a desperate bid to escape mortality, is often used by those seeking to place the wisdom and talents of an experienced soul into the body of the young, hoping to secure victory, or at the very least, a place within the top ten.

But what of those rare cases where even the planet's representative is unaware of a soul's ascension into a new vessel?

Take, for instance, the concept of reincarnation.

Consider Anthony, who in his first life had lived well beyond thirty years, yet upon reincarnation, found his consciousness inhabiting the body of a newborn.

Anthony was not alone in this.

There were others like him in this very competition, reincarnators whose souls had taken root in bodies far younger than their true age would suggest.

The universe is vast, its wonders countless, and strange phenomena abound.

Reincarnation, for example, is not an anomaly, but rather a phenomenon that occurs although rare, with little more than the ebb and flow of fate.

This reality brought a subtle unease some of the champions in attendance.

None of them had undergone a mere transfer of soul, orchestrated by their own planet, to gain an advantage in the competition.

Their worlds were familiar with the Soulflux Prism, and they knew well that no such desperate measure was necessary.

Though Anthony's face remained a mask of indifference, a deep seated panic gripped his heart.

'Am I going to be exposed?'

A cold shiver ran down his spine, and for a fleeting moment, his blood turned to ice.

He immediately began praying to ???, but there was no response, no comforting hum of his system to reassure him.

'How could mom and dad not have warned me about this?'

Frustration bubbled within him, but then he realized, how could Michael and Mitchelle, the ones who had raised him, have prepared him for such an eventuality?

To them, Anthony was their child, their precious son.

The notion that another soul might have taken root within him had never even occurred to them.

'Damn it'

The curse ran through his mind, but his exterior remained composed, a perfect veneer of calm.

'No. I can still fix this. The system. I can use the system to mask it'

His thoughts immediately shifted to his only hope, the system's shop.

'System, is there anything that can bypass this damned contraption?'

[Ding... Certainly, Host]

'Quick, show me. I need to buy the best that my spending points can handle, just in case'

[Affirmative]

[Ding... Here is the list, Host]

[#####***]

[ERROR]

'System, what is happening? How can you be crashing at such a critical moment?'

[The system has been forcibly shut down by ???]

A sinking feeling consumed Anthony.

'I'm fucked'

Anthony thought, feeling his soul slip from his body for a split second