Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner - Chapter 124

Chapter 124: New quest?!

Chapter 124: New quest?!

The arcade buzzed with life, neon lights flashing across the walls as students and off-duty personnel from the barracks crowded around various machines.

The air smelled of fried snacks and the faint, metallic scent of old game consoles-familiar, chaotic, and exactly what Noah needed to take his mind off everything else.

It wasn’t their first time here.

He and Kelvin had spent plenty of nights in this very arcade, burning through credits on intense PvP battles.

Noah turned to Kelvin.

“Same as always?” Kelvin shook his head, eyes scanning the room.

“Nah, there’s something new I want us to try.” Noah raised a brow.

“Since when do you switch things up?” Kelvin smirked.

“Since the net’s been buzzing about it.

I wasn’t gonna try it until we both did-at the same time.” Noah scoffed.

“And you never thought to ask before now?” Kelvin shot him a look.

“Between Sophie and your midnight disappearing acts, when was I supposed to bring it up?

Everything’s been chaotic-especially with the interschool competition coming up.” Noah rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

‘Fair enough.’ They kept walking, weaving through groups of students gathered around different machines.

Then they spotted it.

Elder Genes.

Noah eyed the massive screen, the glowing logo pulsing ominously.

His fingers twitched with anticipation.

Kelvin grinned.

“Found it.” Noah barely had time to process the name Elder Genes before Kelvin turned to him with that all-too-familiar glint in his eyes.

The nerd mode switch had been flipped.

“Alright, listen up,” Kelvin started, grabbing Noah by the shoulder like he was about to drop the most important knowledge of the century.

“This game?

It’s a hyper-immersive VR experience-full dive tech-the works.

You don’t just play it; you live it.” Noah gave him a flat stare.

“Uh-huh.” Kelvin ignored the skepticism and kept going.

“First off, custom avatars.

You can make your character look however the hell you want.

Cybernetic knight?

Done.

Demon samurai?

Go for it.

And the best part?

Abilities.

You don’t get locked into classes like old-school MMOs-nah, you pick from a pool of combat skills.

Speedsters, tanks, elementalists, illusionists-you build your own damn fighting style.” Noah crossed his arms.

“And this is different from every other VR battle game… how?” Kelvin grinned.

“Mixed Tag Team System.” Noah blinked.

“The hell is that?” “Teams, bro.

You can swap mid-battle!

Say you’re getting wrecked?

Boom, you tag me in.

Plus, if we time our attacks right, we get synergy combos.

Fire plus wind?

Explosive storm.

Ice plus metal?

Frozen blade storm.

There’s a Sync Bar that fills up when teammates work together, and if it maxes out-” Kelvin paused dramatically, hands spread wide.

“Fusion ability.” Noah tried not to look interested.

Tried.

Kelvin wasn’t done.

“Game modes?

Stacked.

You got Tag Battle Royale-duos, trios, full squads, straight-up survival shit.

Then there’s Domination Clash, where teams fight for control points.

Trial Gauntlet-solo waves against elite enemies and bosses.

And if you’re into large-scale warfare, they got Guild Wars.

Whole factions throwing hands.” Noah let out a low whistle.

“Alright, that’s kinda wild.” “And that’s not even everything.” Kelvin jabbed a finger at him.

“This isn’t just about fighting.

Social features, bro.

You can chat, send friend requests, form guilds, even make private battle rooms.

There’s a global ranking leaderboard for solo and team play, plus limited-time tournaments.

You win?

You get exclusive abilities and rare-ass titles.” Noah exhaled sharply.

“Damn, man.

How much time have you spent researching this?” Kelvin waved him off.

“Bro, the net is losing its shit over this game.

And get this-there are AI NPCs roaming around, some of them legendary-tier bosses.

You find them?

You unlock hidden questlines and get god-tier loot.” Noah took one last look at the machine, the Elder Genes logo pulsing invitingly on the screen.

Kelvin smirked.

“So?

We playing or what?” Kelvin clapped his hands together.

“Alright, time to log in.” The Elder Genes setup was sick.

Sleek VR pods lined the arcade section, each one resembling a futuristic capsule with smooth, curved edges.

Neon-blue haptic feedback suits hung nearby, designed to sync with nerve signals and provide real-time response.

Kelvin grabbed one, tossing it to Noah.

“Suit up.

The system syncs to muscle signals, so it reads even micro-movements.

No lag.” Noah nodded, slipping into the sleek black gear.

The moment the material adjusted to his body, a faint pulse ran through it-the suit calibrating.

Kelvin was already strapping on his headset, a visor-like device that covered his eyes completely.

“Once you put that on, just follow the prompts.” Noah did the same.

The moment the visor locked into place, a sleek HUD interface flickered into existence before his eyes.

A synthetic voice greeted him.

[Welcome to Elder Genes.

Please create your player ID.] A keyboard appeared in midair, glowing faintly.

Noah hesitated for a moment before typing: Shadow Oracle.

Kelvin let out a sharp laugh beside him.

“Hold up-what?

Since when?

You used to be Mockingbird.” Noah smirked, but his expression darkened slightly.

Yeah.

He used to be Mockingbird.

Back when his ability was just a gimmick.

Back when he was just another guy trying to keep up.

But now?

He was different.

Kelvin didn’t press further.

He just rolled his eyes and typed in his own name: Dr.

Havoc Noah sighed.

“You really kept that dumbass name?” Kelvin grinned.

“Legacy, bro.” The system chimed.

[Player IDs registered.] A new interface expanded before them.

Kelvin immediately started navigating through the menus, flicking through settings with practiced ease.

Noah watched for a second, then mimicked the movements-learning fast.

Then, the Avatar Creation section opened up.

A humanoid default model stood before them, featureless but ready for customization.

Options floated around it-height, physique, facial structure, eye shape, hair color, cybernetic mods.

Noah exhaled sharply.

‘Alright… time to make this interesting.’ Noah swiped through the customization options, scrolling past various presets.

He knew exactly what he wanted.

He selected a tall, lean physique, adjusting it for agility.

The skin tone darkened to a shadowy gray, almost mist-like.

He kept the facial features sharp and angular, with eyes that glowed an eerie violet.

The hair?

A tousled black with streaks of purple, flowing slightly as if caught in a breeze.

For attire, he picked a sleek black combat suit with intricate silver etchings, the fabric shifting like liquid darkness.

A hood settled over his head, casting his face in partial shadow.

Kelvin glanced over and raised an eyebrow.

“Bro, you look like an edgelord demon prince.” Noah smirked.

“Good.” Kelvin, meanwhile, took the complete opposite route.

His avatar was tall and broad, wearing a white lab coat over a tactical suit.

His hair was slicked back, and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses rested on his face.

His gloves had faint bioluminescent lines, pulsing like circuits.

Noah blinked.

“Why do you look like some kind of… mad scientist?” Kelvin grinned.

“Because I am.

Welcome to Dr.

Havoc.” Noah shook his head.

“You’re a menace.” With their avatars set, the next screen appeared.

[Select Ability.] Noah scrolled through the ability categories, eyes narrowing as he found what he wanted-Shadow Manipulation.

He tapped it, and a new menu popped up with several abilities branching under it.

Some were grayed out, locked behind higher levels.

But two were available: Void Step €“ A short-distance teleport using shadows.

Phantom Blade €“ Form temporary weapons from condensed darkness.

‘Looks solid.’ He selected Shadow Manipulation.

Kelvin, meanwhile, picked Tech Augmentation.

His available abilities: Neural Surge €“ Temporarily boosts an ally’s reflexes and reaction time.

Barrier Code €“ Deploys a short-lived energy shield.

“Why am I not surprised?” Noah muttered.

Kelvin smirked.

“You stick to your brooding anime villain thing.

I’ll handle the big brain plays.” Their stats updated accordingly.

[Shadow Oracle] €“ Shadow Manipulation Unlocked Abilities: Void Step, Phantom Blade Strength: 5 Speed: 6 Endurance: 4 Intelligence: 7 [Dr.

Havoc] €“ Tech Augmentation Unlocked Abilities: Neural Surge, Barrier Code Strength: 4 Speed: 5 Endurance: 6 Intelligence: 9 Kelvin cracked his knuckles.

“Alright.

Next step-finding a match room.” He flipped through the available lobbies until he found one.

“Got it.

Tag Team Mode.

You ready?” Noah smirked.

“Always.” He hit confirm, and the screen warped around them.

Match found.

Loading arena… The arena loaded in with a flash, pixels materializing into a fully rendered battlefield.

It was a ruined cyber-cityscape, neon signs flickering, abandoned vehicles frozen in time, and towering buildings half-demolished.

Cracks in the asphalt glowed with blue digital energy, hinting at the futuristic, simulated nature of the battlefield.

Noah blinked as a familiar HP bar appeared in his vision.

It all felt strangely familiar, like déjà vu.

He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of his avatar’s Phantom Blade materializing for a second before fading.

Kelvin whistled.

“Damn, this game’s detail is insane.” Ahead of them, their opponents spawned in.

Enemy Team: Ronin & ViralPsycho Ronin €“ A sleek, armored swordsman with a crimson energy katana.

His armor was segmented, built for agility.

His name floated above his head in bold red text.

ViralPsycho €“ A lanky figure in a tattered trench coat, face hidden behind a plague doctor mask.

His fingers twitched erratically, electricity crackling between them.

“Great,” Noah muttered.

“A katana freak and a hacker wannabe.” Kelvin grinned.

“They sound fun.

Let’s wreck ’em.” Match Countdown Began.

[3…] Ronin twirled his katana.

ViralPsycho let out a distorted, robotic laugh.

[2…] Noah rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing.

Kelvin adjusted his lab coat avatar, tapping a few icons on his wrist interface.

[1…] Noah’s vision glitched.

For a split second, everything went dark.

A strange blue glow pulsed in the corner of his sight-different from the game’s normal UI.

A new screen appeared, flickering like a living, breathing entity.

[New Quest Received – Conquer This Realm!] Noah’s blood ran cold.

This wasn’t part of Elder Genes.

‘What the hell is this?’