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  As always, here's a bonus chapter.

  - Oliver -

  Iermath of Oliver's record-shattering performahe atmosphere within the base was electric—charged with a votile mix of awe, disbelief, and simmeriment. It was as if a shockwave had rippled through the corridors, leaving chaos in its wake. Ss throughout the facility fshed his unpreted time.

  Some notifications were beeping in the er of Oliver’s vision, but he couldn't find time to read them.

  | Traits Unlocked

  | Maze Finisher| plete the maze in under 3 minutes| +1 Energy Point

  | Maze Master| plete the maze in under 1 minute| [Locked Reward - Bee a Rao unlock]

  Whispers echoed in huddled clusters; some recruits stared at the dispy with narrowed eyes, while esticuted wildly, their voices rising in agitation.

  "Did you see that? No way he did it without cheating."

  "He found two weaknesses? It's impossible!"

  "Someone must be leaking information!"

  The murmur grew into a cacophony. Accusations flew, and the tension thied like a fog.

  Katherine found Oliver amidst the turmoil, her expression grave. She pulled him aside into a quieter alcove away fr eyes and curious ears.

  "It's better if you stay in your dormitory for now," she advised, her voice low but urgent. "Things are getting... inte here."

  Oliver met her gaze, seeing the etched within. He gave a silent nod. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll keep a low profile."

  As he retreated to the solitude of the dormitories, the reality of the situatioled around him. For the rest of the week, Oliver fined himself to the dormitory, venturing out only for meals and his attempts at the arena. The corridors seemed to bristle with unspoken hostility.

  But beyond the walls of the base, in the boundless realm of the , a different narrative was unfolding. The digital universe buzzed with activity tered around him. The skeptics who previously doubted his skills were now glued to their ss, eager to see what he might do . Specution ran rampant—would he uncover yet another fw in the system? Those who had already been cheering for him became fervent supporters, their voices amplifying in the vast echo chamber of the work.

  Yet, with fame came impersonation. Dozens of ats sprang up ht, each g to be the real Oliver. Some mimicked his exploits; others twisted them, spinning fabrications that ranged from harmless exaggerations to damaging lies.

  Oliver sed each headline:

  "Mystery Prodigy Breaks the Arena—Again!"

  "OliverNameless: Hacker or Hero?"

  #OliverUnleashed #NamelessNoMore #OliverTheEnigma

  Even before Oliver could fully grasp what was happening, Isabe had already stepped in to help him. "Trust me, you should create an official at, or this will get out of trol. People will start making up lies pretending to be you, or worse, they'll e up with niames."

  Oliver couldn't tell if the st part was meant to be serious or a joke, but judging by Isabe's expression, it seemed serious.

  Creating an at was easier said than done—every variation of his name seemed to be taken. Finally, after an hour of trial and error, he settled on a handle: OliverTheNam3l3ss.

  Moments after activating the profile, notifications began to flood in. Follower ts skyrocketed by the sed, climbing into the tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands. He hadn't even posted anythi. Shaking his head in mild disbelief, Oliver decided to share clips of his official runs—unembellished, straightforward records of his performance.

  The response was immediate. ents poured ih each video.

  "'t wait to see what you do !"

  "Prove the haters wrong, Oliver!"

  "You’re an inspiration for every Nameless."

  Despite the swell of support, a nagging g him. The day after he had secured first pce, the arena had undergone adjustments. The most signifit ge: the timer now started the moment the doors opened, eliminating any advantage he might have exploited previously.

  Soon, everyo the base received the official notification from ating that they were iigating. Therefore, the record was on hold until a final decision was made.

  Subject: Examination Review Notice

  Dear Recruit Oliver Nameless,

  Please be advised that your ret performan the Level Two Arena Examination is under evaluation to verify pliah all testing protocols. You will be notified of any findings or required as upon the pletion of this review.

  Thank you for your cooperation.

  Sincerely,

  NEA Examination ittee

  Even as the final day of the examination approached, Oliver persisted in refining his performance, determio secure his p the third stage. With his previous strategies no longer viable due to the NEA's adjustments, he focused on optimizing his time using the standard approach. Despite his relentless efforts, the best he managed was a time of 2 minutes and 2 seds, pg him at rank #6,121.

  "Don't be so hard on yourself," Katheriried to sole him, her eyes filled with empathy. "They might still approve your earlier time."

  She herself had clocked in at 1 minute and 41 seds, seg the #5,122 spot. It was a stroke of luck, really—she'd taken a ce by using the sed entrance, something Oliver regretted not having the opportunity to explore thhly. Had he had more time to test the robots guarding that entry point, he might have shaved off at least ten seds from his run.

  Isabe, meanwhile, experimented with various rategies, but none surpassed her initial performahough she'd slipped from the top ten, her impressive time still kept her among the elite few. Less than 200 recruits had mao plete the course in under a minute, and Isabe held strong at rank #178.

  The three of them sat together in the dormitory waiting anxiously for the official annou. While throughout the entire base, although the number of recruits still present had signifitly decreased, there were still several who g to hope. After all, with the troversy surrounding Oliver's time, perhaps there was a ce that other results might be reviewed and adjusted.

  | Exam clusion: 15:00

  Oliver paervously across the room, his footsteps eg softly against the floor. The st fifteen miretched out like ay. ‘I 't believe I might have to go back to the Academy,’ he thought bleakly. The prospect weighed heavily on him—a return to square oer ing so far.

  Katherine and Isabe exged worried ghey had tried their best to lift his spirits, but now all they could do was wait alongside him.

  A few mier, a familiar static crackled through the air as the holographic dispys flickered to life. All around the base, ss synized, shifting to a live broadcast.

  As the image sharpened, a figure materialized—an imposing officer signifitly older than any Oliver had seen before. His silver hair was ly bed back, and a pair of deep-set eyes peered out from behind thin, wireframe gsses. A caption floated beh his stern visage: General Wiz – Blue Ranger Division.

  "gratutions to all of you who participated in this stage," General Wiz began, his voice resonating with authority. "Two weeks ago, we ehis phase with over sixty thousand recruits. Noroximately ten thousand of you remain—those who pushed yourselves to optimize your results until the very st moment."

  Wiz paused, allowing his words to sink in.

  "However, even though the examination period has cluded, we have some matters to address before proceeding to the third stage."

  As he spoke, footage from Oliver's infamous exam attempt began to py beside him.

  "I days, a siderable discussion has unfolded regarding the validity of this particur record," General Wiz tinued, his gaze unwavering. "Due to its unventional use of the resources provided within the arena. After extensive deliberation, ae aowledging that no explicit rules were broken, we've determihat the methods employed do not align with the intended parameters of the examination. Therefore, the results of this attempt will be nullified."

  The words struck Oliver like a physical blow. His legs felt weak, and a numbness spread through him. ‘From first pce to disqualified.’

  "But," General Wiz's tone softened slightly, "this was not our only decision."

  Wiz tinued, "This week, we've faced challenging times otlefront. Details will be disclosed in due course, but for now, it is imperative that you uand—we require more top-tier talent to aid us in the ing wave."

  The holographic images shifted to reveal a vast warehouse filled with luminous crystals of various colors, piled high in an impressive dispy.

  "Fortunately, the NEA has just acquired an additional ohousand Z Crystals, ready to be harnessed by Rangers. As a result, we've decided to increase the number of didates advang to the stage. Given our usual acceptae of fifty pert ihird stage, we will be raising the number of qualified recruits from six thousand to eight thousand."

  Wiz allowed a moment for the information tister before cluding, "No one is required to participate. As of this moment, each of the qualified holds the rank of officer and may choose which officer training program you wish to pursue. However, if being a Ranger is yoal, this final stage will start immediately."

  The dispys transitioo live feeds of the arenas, their gates open and waiting.

  "The arenas are now prepared to begin assessing your e with the Z Crystals," General Wiz announced.

  GCLopes