Inside the villa, Noah Vale sat back comfortably on the couch, Camila nestled against him, the two of them sharing a controller.
Well… technically.
In reality, Noah was doing all the work.
His character tore through enemies with effortless precision, clearing levels one after another, while Camila's avatar barely contributed anything. Between her lack of focus and Noah's… distractions, she couldn't keep up.
Not that it mattered.
Even controlling everything himself, Noah played flawlessly.
Enemies fell in waves.
Bosses barely lasted seconds.
Camila, meanwhile, was struggling to stay composed at all.
Just as Noah cleared another stage, his phone rang.
"Answer that for me," he said casually.
Camila nodded, a little unsteady, reaching for the phone and swiping to accept the call before holding it up to his ear.
Without missing a beat, Noah kept playing—one hand on the controller, the other gently covering her mouth to keep her quiet.
"Wilson," Noah said. "What is it?"
On the other end, the Kingpin's voice came through, tense.
"Mr. Vale… have you seen the news this morning?"
"No," Noah replied. "Should I care?"
"…It concerns your book."
That got his attention.
"The training manual?" Noah asked. "Wait—what about the tax bill? Did it pass?"
"It did," Wilson Fisk said carefully. "But… that may change."
Noah's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Explain."
"There's been a development. Multiple media outlets are reporting that before practicing your method… the human body didn't have the structures your system relies on. They're claiming people have been… altered without their knowledge."
There was a brief pause.
"They're saying your method changed humanity itself."
Noah blinked once.
That… he hadn't expected.
He'd suspected something early on, but never confirmed it. Back when he first began experimenting, he hadn't been strong enough to notice subtle biological changes.
Now, hearing it laid out like this—
It clicked.
Of course.
This wasn't a system native to this world.
Without exposure, there was no way anyone here would've naturally developed something like that. The knowledge itself had… rewritten the rules.
A kind of conceptual overwrite.
Interesting.
"So people are upset," Noah said mildly.
"Yes," Fisk confirmed. "And given recent… events, public opinion has turned sharply. There's pressure to revoke the tax legislation."
Noah's tone didn't change.
"So my hundred billion disappears?"
Fisk didn't answer immediately.
"That is… a possibility."
There was a short silence.
Then Noah spoke again, calm as ever.
"They think this is too much?"
"…Yes."
"Then I'll give them too much."
Fisk inhaled sharply.
Noah's voice remained steady.
"If they want to push back, they're welcome to try. I've got time."
"…Understood."
"What do you suggest we do?" Fisk asked carefully.
"Hold on," Noah said. "I'm thinking."
A second later, he hung up.
Camila leaned closer, her voice soft.
"So… how are you planning to deal with this?"
Noah shifted slightly, adjusting his grip on the controller—and her position.
"You're framing it wrong," he said.
She tilted her head.
"Oh?"
"This isn't revenge," Noah said with a faint smile. "It's correction."
He glanced at her briefly.
"The difference matters."
Camila rolled her eyes, though she didn't argue.
On the screen, Noah's character charged forward, cutting through the final stage with ruthless efficiency.
Thirty minutes later—
The final boss went down in a single decisive strike.
Meanwhile, inside the Interdimensional Chatroom, things had stabilized after the administrator change.
Most members had already processed what happened.
Thanks to Tony Stark's explanation, the truth about the former administrator had come out. The so-called "omniscience" had just been borrowed knowledge—stories and records from other worlds.
Nothing divine about it.
Now, Noah—under the name "Deep Blue"—had shared a new insight.
And it caused quite a stir.
In one world, a Taoist exorcist known as The Exorcist frowned thoughtfully at the explanation. If techniques could reshape reality itself, then his own methods might have similar effects when shared.
In another—
Yue Buqun sat quietly, staring at the screen.
His expression was complicated.
So this power…
Could be transferred?
The idea alone was shocking.
In his world, techniques were hoarded. Even written manuals were treated like priceless heirlooms, rarely shared. Energy cultivated through years of effort? No one would willingly give that away.
Different methods produced incompatible results. Forcing them together could kill a person.
And yet—
Now there might be another path.
But as the thought settled, something else surfaced.
Regret.
His hand unconsciously brushed his beard.
His gaze darkened.
If he had known about the chatroom earlier…
He wouldn't have made that choice.
Now—
The cost was permanent.
And worse—
He could feel himself changing in ways he didn't like.
That realization stung more than anything.
After a moment of hesitation, Yue Buqun opened a private message.
Noah heard the notification and opened the chat.
[The Noble Blade]:
You likely understand my situation… including matters I'd rather not speak of.
[The Noble Blade]:
To be direct, I made a decision for the sake of my sect. I paid a price I cannot undo.
[The Noble Blade]:
I want to ask… is there any way to fix it?
Noah read the message once.
Then replied.
[Deep Blue]:
Yeah. That's fixable. Give me a minute.
A few moments later, a system-wide notification appeared.
Administrator [Deep Blue] has uploaded a new file: "Universal Training Method – Version 3.0."