My Roleplay System-Chapter 221: Internet Popularity

Sylph’s eyes tracked the flickering traces of electricity dancing around Bradford’s body.

’It’s like Lake’s...’

She thought absentmindedly, unknowingly staring at his back in a daze. The tiny specks of light floated and danced happily around him, and she felt a sense of calm she hadn’t experienced since the nightmares began.

She had almost forgotten—preoccupied as she’d been with Lake—but the person standing before her had also caught her attention when she first arrived at the academy.

’Is it the spirit of lightning?’

She observed the bluish-silver specks of light, silently becoming absorbed in their vibrant, pure energy. It was so calming that she didn’t even realize she had finished healing the two injured students.

Connor and Fiona noticed Sylph’s strange, transfixed state. They followed her gaze to Bradford’s silhouette, then looked back at her. An expression of understanding dawned on their faces. After a quick, knowing glance at each other, Connor was the first to speak up.

"Ahem," he coughed slightly as he got to his feet, flexing his newly mended arm. "Thanks, Sylph. Feels a lot better."

His movement seemed to snap Sylph out of her daze. Fiona rose as well, giving a grateful smile with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, thanks, Sylph. Your healing is always the best."

Sylph stared at them for a moment before nodding slowly. "It’s no problem." She brushed the dirt from her uniform as she stood, turning to properly face Bradford.

"Have you all recovered?" he asked without turning around, his attention still fixed on the surrounding chaos.

"Yep, good as new," Connor responded, scooping his spear from the ground. With a casual, practiced flick, he sent Fiona’s sword skidding toward her feet. She caught it smoothly, nodding in confirmation.

"Good. Then we move. We shouldn’t linger here much longer." Bradford’s eyes continued to scan the tree line, already identifying the next point of conflict before he finally turned to face them. "You can stick with me for now. It’s safer to move in a group."

Connor and Fiona nodded in immediate agreement. There was strength in numbers, and Bradford had just proven himself more than capable. His gaze then fell on Sylph, his expression turning more serious.

"There are still many injured students scattered around. Do you plan to try and rescue them all?"

Sylph didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she continued to study him, a curious, assessing light growing in her gaze. His energy was a anchor in the turmoil, a familiar and comforting resonance.

"I’ll try," she responded after a moment, her voice firmer now as she nodded slowly. It was her purpose here, after all.

A small, approving smile appeared on Bradford’s face. "Good. Then you’ll need someone to protect you while you heal them." His tone made it clear the matter was settled.

After witnessing Sylph’s healing ability up close, he felt that their chances of completing the exam was much higher than he initially believed.

With everyone gathered, he focused his senses on the surrounding, finding another group of students about to fall to monster attacks.

Electricity started to spark from his body as he coldly smirked, "Try to keep up."

In the next instance, his figure vanished from its spot, already racing towards his next destination.

Connor and Fiona stared in a daze for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it once they heard the rapid fluttering of wings beside them.

Seeing Sylph already chasing after Bradford, they knew that they couldn’t remain motionless for long.

However, as they left after the two, Connor couldn’t help but ask, "Do you think the two of them-"

"Shhhh!" Fiona quickly made a hushing gesture as she brought a finger to her lip, "We can’t talk careless about that!"

Connor rolled his eyes but didn’t try to bring it up anymore.

"You know, this exam is most definitely being broadcasted." Connor voiced somewhat plainly.

"Yeah."

"Then, how much do you think this’ll blow up?"

"At least enough to start a war on the internet. Especially when people learn about her involvement with Lake."

Connor nodded in agreement, a thoughtful expression clouding his face.

"...We should definitely add fuel to the fire."

"Definitely."

Fiona agreed almost instantly, a wide smirk appearing on both their faces as they could already imagine the drama that would ensue...

****

Back in the stadium, the crowd was in a state of frenzied uproar, their reactions varying wildly.

Most of the spectators were family members of the students, and watching the events unfold left them torn between heart-stopping worry and bursting pride. To see their children face off against such vicious monsters was terrifying, but whenever a student fought back, executed a cunning maneuver, or narrowly escaped danger, the arena erupted in cheers of relief and admiration.

The remaining observers—diplomats, guild scouts, and military officials—were no less stunned. They watched with grim fascination, many questioning why the academy had raised the difficulty for a group of first-years to such a mind-boggling level.

The situation online was equally explosive. Just as Connor and Fiona had guessed, the entire event was being broadcast live. Right now, the internet was on fire.

[DragonSlayer94: Holy sh*t. Have the instructors finally lost it? Sending kids into a meat grinder like this isn’t a test—it’s a war crime.]

[TacticalMind_Official: As a former guild strategist, let me be blunt: the instructors have 100% lost their minds. The monster density and rank variance exceed standard military survival protocols. These aren’t exam conditions—these are purge-level hostilities.]

[CultivationNoob: Some of those things are full Rank Two! How are apprentices supposed to face that? My guy, I’m twenty-seven and I haven’t broken through to Warrior yet. This is insane.]

The growing sentiment was unanimous: the academy had gone too far.

[MariaTheGray: You have to respect the first-years, though. The fact that any of them are still standing is a testament to sheer willpower.]

[OldGuardian77: These kids aren’t half bad. Almost as good as I was back in my day on the front lines.]

[GenZ_Mystic: Okay, boomer. Sit down. You never fought a goat-man in a magic forest and we all know it.]

Then, the battle between Kate and the goatman intensified further. Explosions of astral mana lit up the murky darkness, and the sheer scale of their clash caused another seismic shift in the online reaction.

A new flood of comments poured in.

[SwordSaintFan99: HOLY SH*T. WHAT A GODDESS. SHE’S NOT FIGHTING—SHE’S DANCING AND THAT THING CAN’T KEEP UP.]

[Celestial_Simp: ~Baby you light up my world like nobody else~ Seriously though, someone get her an agent. She’s gonna be a star.]

[AscendedAnalyst: Let’s be clear: that’s not a student. That’s a prodigy. From the mana density and combat precision, she’s operating at Peak Rank Martial Warrior minimum. Most hunters don’t hit that until their late twenties. She’s not just a genius—she’s a generational talent.]

[CampusInsider: Word from inside is that she recently awakened. If that’s true, her growth curve is vertical. Unreal.]

[JustAFan123: She’s literally carrying the entire exam on her back. Everyone else is just trying not to die.]

But while Kate dominated the broadcast, other students began carving out their own moments of glory—none more flashy than Allen, the Hundred Weapons Prodigy.

His clip played on a loop on several reaction streams, quickly becoming a viral sensation.

On screen, Allen moved like a whirlwind of steel. He swapped weapons faster than the eye could track, each transition seamless, each tool used with brutal efficiency.

He put a crossbow bolt through a charging beast’s eye, switched mid-spin to a whip-blade that snared another creature’s neck, drew a handgun with his free hand and emptied its clip into a third monster, then finished by severing the second beast’s head with a sharp pull of the whip.

The sequence was so fluid, so audaciously stylish, that the comment section devolved into a mix of awe and memes.

[GunFuMaster: "Switching to your secondary is always faster than reloading." ☠️ This kid gets it.]

[StyleOverXP: "Switching to your tertiary is even faster." My man’s playing on a different UI.]

[ComboBreaker69: "Switching is just faster." Period. He’s not here to pass the test—he’s here to style on the instructors.]

[MemeLord_Astral: Someone get this man a score multiplier. He’s going for that SSS-rank combo and I am HERE FOR IT.]

As the comment section continued to blow up, another shocking development was soon revealed.

[Guys! Come check out this student’s stream!]

Posted below the message was a link to a student’s live feed.

On it, a brutal battlefield was on full display. Corpses of beasts lay scattered about as over a dozen students led a desperate charge against the hordes blocking their path.

At the front of the battle was a figure wreathed in silver lightning, striking down monsters like a war god that had descended to earth.

With each swing of his sword, heads would fly and with each step forward, he paved the path for the other students to follow behind him.

When everyone saw this scene, they were stunned into a long lasting silence.