“Since there is a limit on how quickly we can transfer information through our current means of communication, we are two hours away from completing the transmission. It should take about another twelve hours for it to arrive, but since they can review it as they start receiving it, we expect answers within twenty-four hours,” Niwildan replied calmly, deliberately infusing his tone with a sense of defeat and hopelessness.“Good. Tell them that we expect an answer by then, or we will choose one for you, and you won’t like what we decide,” Xalthar said, cutting the call abruptly. He ensured his smug expression was the last thing the other side saw.He appeared untroubled, confident that the other side wouldn’t have enough time to mount any significant response. With no immediate threats to worry about, Xalthar was at ease, certain of the outcome.“Arrogance. The cause of many peoples, armies, and empires’ downfall,” Niwildan remarked, continuing to rest in his chair. They had effectivel
Before the front doors of the breach pods opened, all of the pods that had successfully penetrated the ship simultaneously launched small, specialized disks toward the openings they had created. The disks powered up in perfect unison the moment they were thrown, activating immediately upon contact with the surface.Each disk emitted a localized electromagnetic field, disrupting nearby sensors and alarms, while also generating a stable environment for the soldiers to enter. Along with this, the disks continuously mapped the surrounding areas, providing the team with valuable intel. The corridor ahead now lay momentarily exposed, granting them a brief window of opportunity to advance before the ship's systems could react.As the disks operated, they transmitted real-time data between each other and the designated receivers, constructing a comprehensive map of the ship's interior within a range of several kilometers.Ismail Maylander watched as the map updated in his implants, seamlessly
[A/N: All of Xalthar's thoughts and communications go through humanity's language filter to avoid further complicating the situation.]If looks could kill, thousands might have perished under Xalthar's gaze alone. But for him, he didn’t need his eyes to end lives—his hands were more than capable. The proof of this lay before him: three bodies sprawled on the ground, broken and lifeless, resembling smashed dolls. Their mangled forms were a testament to Xalthar's brutal strength and his readiness to expel and express his feelings through sheer violence.More than twenty minutes had passed since the surprise attack, and the new vice-captain's plan to flush out the infiltrators was proving ineffective. Over eighty kilometers of the ship's surrounding outer area had been completely overtaken, and the alarming part was that they hadn’t even seen how it happened. Every soldier, slave, or armed crew member sent to confront the enemy went completely dark, as if the opposing forces were walking
Life is about the moments we fucked up and here is mine. I was abruptly awakened from my sleep by a sharp voice amplified through a microphone, causing me to be jolted. As I opened my eyes, I was met with an unsettling sight of my very own face being projected on the screen that was positioned right behind the speaker. This realization shook off any dizziness that I had and only deepened my sense of panic, causing my whole body to tremble for a moment with a frantic expression evident on my face. After a few seconds of disorientation and recalibrating my disarrayed thoughts, I was finally able to remember that today was the day when my professor was going to give a thesis presentation. The voice amplified through the microphone belonged to none other than my professor, who currently stood on the stage, and from the looks of it, the man appeared to be visibly upset with the fact that someone had fallen asleep during his presentation. I started to feel a rush of embarrassment and re
As the graduation ceremony came to a conclusion, Aron trudged back to his dormitory to gather all of his belongings. Being expelled from the school, he had to leave the school grounds within a week. Although he appealed their verdict, the authorities denied him of it and further informed him that he wouldn't be allowed to appeal any more due to the conclusive evidence they had obtained against him. So, they advised him that he shouldn't be wasting their time and rather start preparing himself so that he could leave the campus grounds before being forcefully thrown out. With his heavy heart filled with disappointment and frustration, Aron could only leave the university all alone without noticing anyone around to send him off, that was because he had lost almost all his friends after the accusation was announced against him. And the remaining two friends of his also couldn't see him off as they had to attend the mandatory meeting that was held for graduates. As for the rest of his fr
The next morning after Aron woke up, as soon as he rose from his bed, suddenly a voice rang in his mind saying, "SAY STATUS" "What? STATUS?" and since he was still in a disoriented state from his sleep, Aron simply muttered what he had heard in his head in a confused manner. However, the system didn't care whether it really was his intention or not. What mattered to it was whether the magic word was mentioned or not, and it was. So right after Aron uttered the word trying to shake off his sleep, a blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him, displaying a series of information. [STATUS] Name: Aron Michael Age: 22 Height: 1.89m System Class: Runemaster [SHOP] {Search} (SP amount: 100,000) [QUEST] [ {Daily quest: Ways to get stronger} 100 Push-ups (0/100) 100 Crunches (0/100) 100 Squat (0/100) 10 Kilometres Running (0/10) (Rewards: 100 SP) ] Just as his face was about to show some fear after witnessing a random screen suddenly pop in front of his face out of nowhere
Aron rose from the ground, his breathing turned ragged and laboured after an intense series of push-ups on the grassy expanse of the park. As he tried to steady his breathing, he began to jog, his movements smooth and effortless as he traversed across the verdant landscape. With each stride he took, he felt the muscles of his legs come to life, his feet pounding the soft earth underneath them with a steady rhythm. The morning sun shone down on him, casting long shadows behind him as he ran through the open spaces, his senses attuned to the sights and sounds around him. Despite the challenge of the workout he had just completed, Aron continued to press on, pushing himself harder and harder with each passing moment. His breathing grew deeper and more measured, his body was also working in a perfect harmony as he ran with the power and grace like that of an athlete in his prime. And the young man continued to do so until a screen appeared in front of him. That was when he knew that his
And soon enough, the program had already started testing every exploit that could be used to breach the University’s system's defences, rendering the firewall it was supposed to be protected with as ineffective as a tofu, just a touch it couldn’t even stand for more at all. While the University has invested a significant amount of money for the security of their system, when it was in the eyes of Aron's program, it looked like nothing more than a kid trying to fight against a tank. It was effortlessly ripped through, identifying and detailing every weakness, providing instructions on how even a beginner-level programmer could exploit the system. With the passing of the seventh hour since the system started going through the University’s System, Aron’s program still continued on exposing more and more vulnerabilities. There were several reasons why this process was taking such a long time to complete. Firstly, it was because Aron’s computer was cheap since his family couldn't affor