I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 122: Bumping Into A Familiar Figure

An hour later, the four of them were at NeoRush Arena, one of the most popular fun centers in the district.

The place was packed with neon-lit obstacle courses, zero-gravity dodgeball domes, VR mech battles, and a mana-enhanced laser maze that glowed like a nightclub rave.

Victor let the boys run ahead while he stood back for a moment, taking it all in.

The lights. The laughter. The sound of his best friends yelling about scores and near-wins.

He smiled before heading forward to join them.

...

Flashing lights danced across the walls, pumping music echoed off the glass floors, and laughter erupted from every corner as people darted between obstacle courses, dance pads, mech simulators, and mana-fueled bumper pods.

The scent of ozone, popcorn, and energy drinks thickened the air like a sugar storm.

Victor stood beside the boys, sipping his Stormcore+ drink through a straw. "This place has too much going on. I feel like I'm inside a rave, a gym, and an arcade all at once."

Danny was already halfway through an obstacle course and yelling back, "That's because it is all three, old man!"

Jake and Max just laughed as Victor flipped him off with zero effort.

They had done parkour races, virtual sword duels, mana-boosted basketball, and even a round of zero-g dodgeball—where Danny accidentally sent a poor twelve-year-old flying into the net.

Victor's muscles were relaxed. His mind? Clearer than it had been in months.

Until—

"Ghosting me already, Victor?"

The voice came from behind sounded smooth and playful with just a hint of threat.

Victor recognised that voice.

No.

It couldn't be.

He turned slowly, and there she was—Selene.

Petite, pretty and dangerous.

Wearing a hoodie two sizes too big and sucking on a red lollipop, her violet eyes shone like twin energy cores. She leaned on one leg, crossed her arms and head tilted with a smirk that looked too innocent to be real.

Victor groaned internally. "Selene... hey."

"'Hey,' he says. Like he didn't disappear after the awakening screening," she said while stepping closer. "No messages. No call. Not even a meme."

Jake leaned in to whisper, "Yo… is this the Selene?"

Victor nodded slowly. "Yup."

Danny's eyes widened. "The assassin chick?"

Max whistled. "So this is Amara's competition."

Selene's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

Victor flinched. "They didn't mean—"

Too late.

Selene pulled her lollipop out with a pop as her smile vanished in an instant. "Amara? What the hell is a Amara?" She tilted her head as her expression darkened in a way that would terrify normal humans. "Competition? No, no, no… she's playing checkers while I'm five moves into interdimensional chess."

Jake elbowed Max. "Damn, she's unhinged. I like her."

Victor sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Selene, these are my idiot friends—Max, Jake, and Danny."

Danny waved. "Yo. Nice to meet the person Victor's totally afraid of."

"I'm not afraid of—"

Selene hooked her arm around Victor's. "Good. Then let's go play."

Victor blinked. "Play what?"

She dragged him toward the physical game zone without answering.

Danny followed with a look of curiosity while Jake and Max trailed behind, whispering bets.

Victor groaned. "Why are you like this?"

Selene looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "You owe me attention. I'm collecting."

They reached a three-player challenge arena—a VR-assisted, mana-enhanced, motion-detection game where teams competed in a mixture of dodge, obstacle sprinting, and target striking.

"Let's team up," Selene voiced while grabbing a vest.

Victor sighed, but nodded. "Fine."

Danny stepped forward. "I'm in. Let's do this."

Just as they suited up, a group of three guys passed by. One of them who was around 6'2" tall and obviously compensating for something, scoffed.

"Cute couple cosplay," he eyed their team. "Y'all ready to lose?"

Victor ignored him.

Selene didn't.

She stepped forward with the lollipop back in her mouth and her eyes half-lidded. "Sorry, were you talking? All I heard was background noise."

The guy raised an eyebrow. "You got a death wish, pipsqueak?"

Selene smiled sweetly. "Actually, I have a win streak. But I can end yours if you'd like."

Victor stepped in. "Let's not start—"

Too late.

The guy laughed. "Tell you what. You beat us in this game? We'll bow. But when we win, your girl goes home with us."

The guy grinded his waist forward and backward with a disgusting look on his face.

Danny cracked his knuckles. "We're in."

Victor gave him a look. "Bro."

Danny grinned. "C'mon. Just like old times. But legally."

And so, the match began.

Three rounds. Mixed challenges. Full audience. Even the staff took notice.

The opposing team clearly worked out—good reflexes, decent form. But they weren't awakened.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Victor didn't plan on using game techniques, obviously. But being a long time gamer and the fact that his body was no longer normal would definitely give him a serious edge.

He didn't think this was a fair competition.

The three-versus-three arena was a huge cylindrical zone lined with reflective walls and glowing panels. It looked like a fusion between a tactical obstacle course and a gamer's fever dream—every section was lit in shifting colors as traps popped up randomly, and digital targets appeared at odd angles.

A screen above flickered to life, showcasing the game rules.

> ManaStrike Rush

Three rounds. Three challenges.

Round 1: Reflex Blitz – Hit as many targets as you can.

Round 2: Obstacle Gauntlet – Clear the maze with traps.

Round 3: Capture Node – Control the center platform for 30 seconds.

Victor stared at the layout and muttered, "Oh hell. This isn't a game, it's cardio wrapped in war."

Selene popped her lollipop. "Sounds like fun."

Danny cracked his neck. "Let's wreck 'em."

Their opponents looked confident. A trio of athletic-looking guys with cocky grins and matching red vests. The tall one, who had mouthed off earlier, flexed for the camera as if this were a tournament.

Round 1: Reflex Blitz

The buzzer sounded. Dozens of circular targets began appearing on the mirrored walls, blinking between red, blue, and gold.

The goal? Hit as many gold targets in two minutes without hitting the wrong ones.

Victor shot forward and danced across the space with his fingers tapping sensors, knees sliding across polished tiles, flipping midair to slam gold targets with just a brush of his fingertips.

As for Selene? She glided.

Her movements were serpentine, tight, and impossibly smooth. Each strike was surgical and incredible.

She used the reflection from the mirrored walls to time her strikes without even looking directly.

Danny went full chaos mode—he was a wall of muscle, bouncing around like a wrecking ball and shoulder-checking wrong-colored targets out of the way so the others could hit gold unhindered.

On the other side, the red-vested team was flailing. Their form was good, sure—but not good enough.

Round 1 Results: Team Void – 108 points. Red Team – 89 points.

"Let's go!" Jake shouted from the bleachers.

Selene twirled her lollipop between her fingers, not even winded.

Round 2: Obstacle Gauntlet

Spiked walls. Moving floors. Laser hurdles. Vertical climbs. They had to cross a chaotic course in under 90 seconds, tagging checkpoints while dodging constantly shifting traps.

Victor was first off the block. He sprinted and flipped over a series of moving platforms. A spinning blunt blade came down—he slid under it in a heartbeat. From his point of view, it was just too slow.