The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Main Campus- Library Outskirts)

Life went on.

Over the next few days there was an eerie calmness in Sophie\'s life.

She studied during the lectures, practised her cultivation techniques, and went on a few dates with her girlfriend.

There was no new information about the cult who had mysteriously disappeared after her clone had caused havoc inside their base.

Sophie did not believe that they were truly gone but the universe was an enormous place. There were millions of hiding spots in the Hydra Star System alone.

All she could do was trust her dad\'s information network. Hopefully the organisation would be brought to justice.

And by justice… she meant killed.

Anyone who was a threat to Cleo\'s well-being needed to die.

Sophie stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily as she leaned against a nearby tree.

She had about thirty minutes until her next lecture, so she was currently killing some time by hanging out in the promenade outside the library.

Outside of the whole evil organisation thing… there was one pressing concern on her mind.

Would she even be able to participate in the inter-university tournament? Sophie hissed as another sharp burst of pain tore through her body.

She was tempted to reach for the pain-relieving medication in her storage bag but eventually decided against it.

There was no point in overdosing on drugs when the relief that they offered was only a few minutes of respite at most.

Sophie gritted her teeth and rode out the wave of exhaustion and agony that was now an all too familiar sensation.

She was getting stronger.

Every time one of these torture sessions ended… she could feel the qi inside her dantian solidify and another star was added to the inner galaxy inside her body.

But still… it was so fucking painful.

Sophie slowly began to inhale and then exhale as she checked her wrist communicator for any news on the virtual Net.

She needed a distraction to get her mind off the pain. The hybrid girl flicked past the gossip section and searched for gaming news.

Oh… this was interesting…

Apparently, an indie studio was releasing a new virtual reality game next weekend and the premise was very unique.

It took place in a world of sword and magic with strange fantastical creatures.

The player was not the main character who was the hero and instead could choose a random NPC to inhabit.

The goal of the game was to survive the monster waves, demon attacks and corrupt nobles as a weak commoner.

It was rare to see a game in with sort of setting that was not a power fantasy about blowing away your enemies with a single strike.

Sophie\'s trembling fingers tapped a few times on her wrist communicator, and she pre-ordered the game.

Actually, maybe she should buy a copy for Cleo as well…

Sophie tapped again and the order turned from one to two. She continued looking for new releases but nothing else caught her attention.

The pounding headache that she was experiencing slowly began to fade along with the sharp burst of pain that ravaged her body.

Sophie let out a heavy sigh of relief and then checked the time on her communicator. She still had about fifteen minutes to go.

Buzz! Buzz!

An incoming message arrived in her inbox, and it was from the principal.

Principal Malik: [Good day Miss Peterlor. Could you stop by my office now? There are some important matters to discuss]

Principal Malik: [I would like to officially appoint you as the captain of the second-year students and talk about the responsibilities of the position]

Sophie: [Sure no problem. I\'ll be there soon]

Sophie felt her heart sink as she looked at the messages and quickly realised that she had an important decision to make.

Should she be honest and tell the principal that she may be unable to compete?

Or just keep quiet and hope that her condition did not flare up?

Those two options kept bouncing around Sophie\'s mind as she got up from the ground and headed towards the administrative centre.

Several students waved or said \'good afternoon\' to her as she wandered through the campus and… it felt good.

She was firmly acknowledged as the strongest student in second year, and no one objected to her being appointed as the captain.

The inter-university tournament was very prestigious. Only the top students of the four great universities would be allowed to compete.

The best of the best.

Geniuses among geniuses.

And she was to be the captain of one of the teams just like her father all those years ago when he won glory for Atlas University.

Sophie\'s fingers curled up into a tight fist as she recalled hearing stories from other people about how her dad had become a well-known household name after the tournament.

She wanted to do the same.

She wanted everyone to know that Duke Peterlor\'s daughter was just as powerful as her father.

The hybrid girl felt conflicted as she walked through the metalloid doors of the administrative center and finally arrived at the principal\'s office.

She had made her decision.

Sophie knocked lightly on the wooden doors and heard a soft hum of acknowledgement come from the other side.

"Excuse me," Sophie politely spoke as she opened the doors and stepped inside the office.

Principal Malik was sitting down in his chair with his paws curled over a cup of hot coffee that was gently steaming.

His white-coloured fur appeared to almost glow under the sunlight that fell through the window and his pink eyes stared at Sophie.

"Please take a seat," Principal Malik warmly spoke as he gestured to the empty chair opposite to him.

There was a plate of biscuits in front of the chair along with some other snacks for Sophie to enjoy.

He took another sip from his cup and let out a contented sigh. Today was a peaceful day and it was always a pleasure to talk to one of his most promising students.

Sophie sat down calmly and waited for the principal to speak. An expression of determination flashed across her face.

Perhaps she had made a foolish decision. The logical part of her knew that the safest thing to do was withdraw from the tournament but…

Sophie was determined to try anyways.

She already had some vague ideas about what to do in case she suffered from a pain attack during a match.

Still, she would need to do some training to verify her strategy.

"As you know you were chosen as the leader of the second-year representatives," Principal Malik cheerfully spoke as he leaned against his chair.

"The university has very high hopes for you along with the other students of your generation. You were the strongest freshmen in the history of the university."

"I have complete faith that you all will bring nothing but glory and honour to Zrudread University."

"Thank you for your kind words principal," Sophie politely replied as she kept her face neutral.

She pushed down the guilty feeling in her heart as she listened to the principal talk about how much would mean to him if they managed to win first place.

"Now on to the purpose of this meeting," Principal Malik\'s tone suddenly changed to one of seriousness as he began to stroke his beard.

"The captains will head to the planet where the tournament is being held ahead of time for the opening ceremony."

"You will be expected to give a speech and meet with the other captains for a few interviews and photo-ops. Does that sound okay?"