Multiversal Manifestation System

Feifei, from her stream, added fuel to the fire. "CHAT! Our hero Fatty Zi just SMOKED that monster! Literally! Look at him! So humble, not even flexing on us with his flames now!"

"FATTY ZI MVP!"

Wang Zi looked up at the massive holographic display above the plaza. The final rankings of the round appeared one by one, and when his name flashed at the very top, a wide grin spread across his face.

1st Place: Wang Zi – CLEARED

2nd Place: 

3rd Place: 

4th Place:

5th Place:

The crowd roared again, their chants growing louder. "FATTY ZI! NUMBER ONE!"

Wang Zi chuckled to himself. "First place, huh?" he muttered.

"Not bad, even with all the distractions."

With a quick mental command, Wang Zi summoned the Multiversal Manifestation System. Its familiar robotic prompt appeared in his mind.

[SYSTEM]: Current System Points: 183,466,904

"Another 25 million points?" he muttered, his grin returning.

"Not bad at all. Looks like Mitsuri and Gyomei really left an impression. And that last fight… they loved it."

Hua'er's voice chimed in his mind. "Master, it seems the audience has fully embraced your... unique charm."

Wang Zi sighed. "If by 'unique charm' you mean them calling me Fatty Zi, I might have to work on that image."

Hua'er giggled. "But Master, isn't it endearing?"

"Endearing my ass," Wang Zi muttered, crossing his arms as he turned to find a spot to sit down.

The audience's cheers showed no signs of stopping, their voices ringing in his ears as he leaned back with a satisfied smirk.

"Its time to finish Demon Slayer. I didn't watch past the episode where Nezuko finally stood in the sun, but I did read the manga... I think I'll just release two movies to finish it up. Only missing Muzan's death anyways."

"I've gotten stronger than anything that world has to offer, so its time I bring some long term projects to life. I get a feeling I'll be able to connect to the real virtual world after this competition, no way there's no other races living with humans in this era. My guess is that the virtual brain network is limited to this planet at the moment for some reason..." Wang Zi continued to think to himself.

"System, show me the current world pool, and the worlds I can use SP on."

"Certainly, Host.

The worlds the host currently has access to: Naruto, Demon Slayer.

Worlds currently in the draw pool: One punch man, Dragon ball, One Piece."

"Hmm. I'll for sure start working on Naruto next... Tired of hiding my biggest card. Its gonna take a while for me to get it going and the SP might not be that good since it stretches out for so long though."

"I'm guessing that the cost for SP in Dragon Ball is probably gonna be ridiculous since their power scaling is also out of this world... So I'll hold off on that for now. One punch man, only Saitama's limit breaker interests me, but that would probably cost even more than a normal Saiyan bloodline huh."

"Okay, I'll start with Naruto and follow up with One Piece. These classics are gonna net me huge amounts of SP in the long run, and I'm interested in the devil fruits AND how they manage to train themselves to be so big and durable. Haki will be especially helpful for my defense!"

"Although I've gotten plenty of swordsmanship experience from Rengoku, I really don't feel very good using swords. I'd rather smash my fist in someone's face. The sword's just too light. Maybe I'll get a hammer or a greatsword later on who knows. I'll give the sword to Rengoku once I bring him here." Wang Zi's plans were coming together just nicely, or so he thought.

"System, how much is each roll on the gachapon? Its the only way to draw worlds into the pool right?"

"Yes Host. 1 million SP for each roll. There's no guarantee on drawing worlds. The Host should complete system quests to the best of his ability to generate world draws."

Wang Zi wasn't surprised.

"Well I never did have any luck with those things anyways. I'll draw something if I ever get extra SP."

"By the time this stage is over, maybe a few days after, I should be able to get 200M SP. I'm guessing its either 200 or 250m to fully unlock my eyes. After that I can start working on getting a team put together."

While he finished thinking, other contestants had already flooded the plaza around him.

"Everyone's out huh? Didn't even notice." Wang Zi patted his clothes and got up, looking at the rankings again.

1st Place: Wang Zi – CLEARED

2nd Place: Xian Mei – 1 hour, 6 minutes, 22 seconds

3rd Place: Bea Might – 1 hour, 2 minutes, 10 seconds

4th Place: Nila Skymere – 1 hour, 1 minute, 31 seconds

5th Place: Lina Skymere – 1 hour, 1 minute, 22 seconds

"Xian Mei in second!"

"Bea Might is such a surprise! Did you see her smile when she came out? Gorgeous and powerful!"

"The Skymere twins never disappoint, lightning and water in perfect balance!"

As the leaderboard continued to fill with names, more contestants appeared in the plaza, each greeted with cheers or murmurs of surprise.

With most of the names filled, it became clear that two key figures were missing: Lucius Jaeger and Maylure.

Chen Kai crossed his arms with a smug grin. "Looks like that so-called genius Lucius isn't so great after all."

Kain chuckled. "And Maylure? Not even in the rankings. I guess all that hype was for nothing."

Bea Might, overhearing them, laughed lightly. "You boys might want to think twice before counting anyone out," she teased. "Maybe they're just taking their time." For some reason she kept sneaking glances at Wang Zi.

As the final names were expected to settle, the leaderboard suddenly flickered. The audience gasped as the rankings shifted, names dropping a place as a new one shot to the top:

2nd Place: Lucius Jaeger – [CLEARED]

The crowd erupted in stunned disbelief.

"HE CLEARED IT TOO?!"

"Lucius is back! He killed the beast!"

"He just dropped everyone down a place!"

"Why did his screen not show the fight!?"

Moments later, the teleportation point shimmered, and Lucius stepped into the plaza. His red armor gleamed under the lights, his cold blue eyes scanning the crowd with detached indifference.

The audience's cheers reached a fever pitch, their earlier excitement for Wang Zi now split with awe for Lucius.

"Lucius Jaeger! The golden genius!"

"Two clears - Fatty Zi and Lucius! This competition is insane!"

Wang Zi's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Lucius, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"So, the prodigy finally shows up," he muttered.

"Wait, why am I Fatty Zi and he's the golden genius!?" Wang Zi almost shouted.

Elsewhere, in the observation room reserved for the Awakener Academies, Maylure sat quietly beside an elderly woman with a regal demeanor. The old lady's piercing eyes flicked toward the rankings, then back to Maylure.

"You didn't place," the old woman said, her voice calm yet firm.

Maylure fidgeted with her glasses, her head bowed slightly. "I knew I wouldn't. My abilities aren't for combat."

The old woman smiled faintly. "You're an Enchanter, child. Your strength isn't in fighting, it's in arming others to fight. Engraving mana into weapons and armor, turning the mundane into the extraordinary. That is your power."

Maylure glanced at the screens, where Lucius's name now sat proudly in second place.

"Still," she said softly, "I want to be stronger. I don't want to rely on others forever."

The old woman chuckled. "Patience. Let them mock you for now. Soon enough, they'll all depend on you to survive."

In the observation room, the silhouettes of the Awakener Academies watched closely.

"Two clears," one voice murmured. "Wang Zi and Lucius. Both worth recruiting."

Another voice added, "Wang Zi's endurance and combat ability are remarkable for someone his size. A pity about his class. And Lucius... I'd expect nothing else from a Jaeger."

Lulu tilted her head slightly, her tone sharp. "The fat one - his breathing method is unusual. Combined with mana absorption... it's intriguing."

A soft chuckle came from the shadows. 

Outside, Wang Zi crossed his arms, his smirk widening as he watched Lucius from across the plaza.

"He managed to kill that thing huh?" he thought. 

"Not bad not bad, this is what makes things fun, if there was no competition would the world even be fun? Hehehe." Wang Zi looked... a little weirdly at Lucius.

The latter just happened to look at Wang Zi and they matched eyes, but Lucius immediately felt a shiver down his spine when he saw Wang Zi's weird gaze.

"Goddamn backwater weirdoes... You better not have any stupid ideas about me!" He thought to himself, his gaze avoiding Wang Zi's and his body subconsciously taking a few steps away from him.

Soon, the rankings were finalized. Those still inside didn't even make it to the wolf, and were ranked based on how far they made it.

Awakener Academy Freshman Competition – Stage 2 Rankings

1st place: Wang Zi – [CLEARED]

2nd place: Lucius Jaeger – [CLEARED]

3rd place: Xian Mei – 1 hour, 6 minutes, 22 seconds

4th place: Bea Might – 1 hour, 4 minutes, 10 seconds

5th place: Nila Skymere – 1 hour, 3 minutes, 31 seconds

6th place: Lina Skymere – 1 hour, 2 minutes, 22 seconds

7th place: Victor Hensley – 59 minutes, 45 seconds

8th place: Elijah Rhodes – 59 minutes, 12 seconds

9th place: Cassian Drake – 58 minutes, 58 seconds

10th place: Kain Arclight – 58 minutes, 45 seconds

Among the Nexus Academy students, Kain Arclight pumped his fist when he saw his name.

"Top ten, huh? Not bad," he said with a grin, glancing at his classmates.

Chen Kai, who had fallen just outside the top 10, scowled. "Lucky bastard," he muttered under his breath.

Li Na raised an eyebrow at Kain, her tone half-teasing. "Well, congrats on squeaking in at tenth."

Kain shrugged, still grinning. "Hey, tenth is still top ten."

As the crowd roared "FATTY ZI! FATTY ZI!" once more, Wang Zi sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"I swear, this nickname is going to haunt me forever."

Nearby, Bea Might came over to him and gave him a thumbs-up, her ever-playful smile lighting up her face.

"Congrats, Fatty Zi! You're on fire, literally and figuratively!" She said.

Wang Zi rolled his eyes but chuckled. "Thanks, Bea. At least someone's having fun with it." Wang Zi gave her a nice smile.

Bea just looked him dead on, trying to find out if she had seen correctly in the classroom. She got closer to him and stood on her tippy toes, trying to reach Wang Zi's ear for a whisper but... Wang Zi was too tall for her. He was currently at 2.2 meters tall, and with how fat he was, he looked like a barrel.

So she just patted his arm and said quietly, 

"Hey Wang Zi, can you bend down a bit?" 

Wang Zi looked at her a bit weirdly, but still lowered himself a bit. Bea taking the chance just whispered in his ears, 

"I've seen your weird purple eyes! I expect great things from you!" She said, patting him on his arm again.

Then she just gave him a cute smile and a little fist pump, and turned to walk towards her classmate Alicia, who didn't look like she was feeling too well.

Wang Zi's reaction was to just... Narrow his eyes at her. 

"In the classroom that time huh. Well no matter, I won't have to hide long anyways. She's pretty outgoing though isn't she? How interesting." Although Bea didn't really fit Wang Zi's tastes perfectly, there was no denying she was incredibly cute.

As the rankings settled on the massive holographic leaderboard, the announcer strode back into the plaza, his presence commanding immediate attention. The crowd quieted, their excitement replaced with eager anticipation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, contestants, congratulations to all who have made it this far!" the announcer began, his voice booming across the plaza.

"With the completion of the second stage, we are now moving toward the final round of the Awakener Academy Freshman Competition!"

The students straightened, their expressions ranging from calm confidence to nervous apprehension.

Even Wang Zi, still annoyed by the nickname "Fatty Zi," couldn't help but listen intently.

"The third and final stage will take place in one week. This time is for you to rest, recover, and prepare yourselves for what's to come," the announcer said.

"This competition has been designed to test various aspects of your abilities. Stage One evaluated your mana control. Stage Two challenged your intelligence and problem-solving skills, as well as your strength. But the third stage…"

He paused dramatically, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

"…will test everything. Your survival skills, your combat prowess, your adaptability, your teamwork, and your will to endure."

The announcer's tone shifted, becoming more somber.

"Although we have pushed beyond the boundaries of our galaxy, the universe remains vast and unforgiving. The distance between us and the nearest civilizations is still daunting. We've barely scratched the surface of what lies out there, with countless unexplored planets waiting for us to harvest their resources - or defend against their dangers."

The students listened in stunned silence, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

"And don't forget the Silent Ones. Despite our defenses, these creatures still find ways to slip through the cracks, posing a constant threat to humanity. It is our duty, your duty, to ensure that we are ready to face them."

"You are our future!" The announcers words made everyone's blood boil.

"He's sure got a way with words heh." Wang Zi was also a little affected. He did love to fight after all.

The announcer then continued: 

"The third stage will simulate these realities. It will take place on a virtual planet. You will be dropped in random locations, isolated at first, and tasked with surviving for an entire week by any means necessary. You will face various challenges, including alien wildlife, unpredictable environments, and the option to engage, or avoid, your fellow contestants."

Gasps rippled through the plaza. A week-long test?

"The planet will have valuable resources, minerals, rare plants, and alien species, that you can harvest or hunt for bonus points.

Additionally, defeating other contestants will transfer a portion of their points to you. However, survival itself is your primary goal. If you fail to make it to the extraction point at the end of the week, you will be disqualified."

"And lastly... Remember, this isn't just about winning," the announcer concluded, his voice rising.

"This stage will show us who has what it takes to stand on the frontlines of humanity's expansion and survival. The Awakener Academies will be watching closely. They are looking for more than just strength - they want adaptability."

He gestured toward the massive holographic screens displaying the logos of the prestigious academies.

"Your performance here will decide your future. So I urge you all - prepare yourselves. Give it your all. Show us the best you've got."

The plaza erupted in cheers as the announcer stepped back, leaving the student to ponder the monumental challenge ahead.

Wang Zi folded his arms, a faint smile on his face. "One week huh."

"I should be able to wrap up Demon Slayer, and finish unlocking my eyes" He said, a hand hovering over his Rinnegan.

"I guess its also time to meet the real Rengoku."