Chapter 159 Sloane Is the Arena Queen

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    The next day, just before the start of the in–person assessments, the results from the first day’s online exam were posted. The hall’s massive screen lit up with row upon row of names.

    Sloane ranked first, with a perfect score. Taylor came in second, twenty points behind her. Baylon ced third, just one point below Taylor.

    Riley and Mia followed in fourth and fifth, tied in score, but Riley had submitted her exam earlier, so she ranked ahead.

    The room erupted in astonishment.

    Though many had expected the first girl to turn in her exam to have done well, hearing the words “perfect score” still left everyone stunned.

    After all, ckhawk’s exam was notoriously difficult; almost no one ever achieved a perfect score. And Sloane had outpaced the second–ce scorer by a full twenty points.

    “Damn. Who was the one saying Sloane only got in through connections? This girl’s a straight- up genius.b” /b

    “Just goes to show, rumors are dangerous.”

    Mia’s face turned ashen in an instant. Her fingers clenched her sleeve as she muttered through gritted teeth, “That’s impossible… how could she get a perfect score?”

    Taylor’s expression darkened too, though he didn’t react as emotionally as Mia. He adjusted his ssesi, /ieyes filled withplicated thoughts as he looked toward Sloane.

    The girl with sses was Riley. She smiled faintly and murmured to herself, In the iend/i, real skill speaks for itself.

    Baylon remained the calmest of them all; by now, he was used to being outssed by Sloane’s consistently jaw–dropping performance,

    The examiner continued, “Next are the rules for the in–person assessment. Today’s test has two parts. The first is an arena–style elimination round. Everyone will be divided into groups of ten andpete in one–on–one matches. Winners move on to the next round, and so on. The final five contestants will advance to the second part–the ‘Challenge the Throne round. The first person to qualify bes the Arena Queen; the remaining four will each take turns challenging her.”

    Hearing thisb, /ba glint of cold determination shed through Mia’s eyes. This time, I’ll take ithat /itop

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    Chapter 159 Sloane Is the Arena Queen

    spot iand /iiexpose /iiSloane /iifor /iwhat ishe /iireally /iiis/i.

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    Taylor didn’t say anything, but silently made up his mind. He knew today’s in–person rounds were the true test and he still had a shot at surpassing Sloane.

    The assessment officially began. Everyone drew lots through theputer system to determine their groupings.

    Sloane was ced in Group Eight. Once she got her number, she headed straight to her assigned station.

    As thepetition kicked off, Sloane’s performance once again left everyone in awe. Her execution was seamless, her attacks and defenses razor–sharp. Her opponents barely stood a chance; she broke through their lines one by one with effortless precision.

    Once again, she was the first to qualify for the next round.

    “Sloane, congrattions. Head over there and take a break for now.” Even the proctors were starting to get used to it.

    Baylon and Taylor also advanced shortly afterward. When they saw Sloane already seated on the side, their hearts swelled with mixed emotions.

    Mia and Riley both advanced as well. Riley’s performance was steady andposed. Mia scraped by, but her moves were clearly panicked–her mindset had clearly been rattled.

    After several rounds of matches, the final five emerged, Sloane, Baylon, Mia, Riley, and Taylor. The throne challenge began. Since Sloane was the first to qualify, she automatically became the Arena Queen. She took her seat at the center, calmly scanning the challengers before her. Her eyes remained serene, as if the noise around her had nothing to do with her.

    Mia was the first to challenge her. She stormed forward with hostility written all over her. yanked out the chair, and dropped into it across from Sloane with a loud thud. Her eyes locked onto Sloane’s like daggersb, /bscreaming I’m taking you down today.

    The moment the match began, Miaunched into a frenzied attack, her fingers hammering at the keyboard like a machine gun.

    But Sloane handled it with practiced case. Calm andposed, her fingers danced lightly across the keys, blocking every assault with airtight precision. Her defenses were imprable, a fortress of code that rendered Mia’s every attemptpletely useless.

    As time ticked by, Mia failed to make a single breakthrough. Her movements grew bincreasingly /b

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    Chapter 159 Sloane Is the Arena Queen

    erratic, sweat beading on her forehead as panic reced her earlier confidence.

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    Eventually, Sloane saw her opening and struck with pinpoint uracy. Mia’s formation fell apart entirely, and Sloane broke through her defenses in a single, decisive blow.

    Mia lost. The ring red “Defeat” on the screen left her frozen in ce. She couldn’t believe she’d lost to Sloane–and worse, she couldn’t ept it.

    But like it or not, the proctors came and politely escorted her off the floor.

    Sloane’s swift victory made the remaining challengers rethink everything they thought they knew about her. No one dared to underestimate her now. The skeptical looks from before had all morphed into admiration and awe. It was clear to everyone–Sloane was the real deal.

    The second challenger was Riley. She adjusted her sses and looked iat /iSloane with resolve. “Sloane, I look forward to learning from you.”

    Sloane gave a faint smile, her tone calm. “Please.”

    Once the match started, Riley proved to be much stronger than Mia. Her fundamentals were solid, and her execution was tight. She tried several attack patterns, even throwing in a few niche exploit tactics. But despite it all, she couldn’t get past Sloane’s defenses.

    In the end, Riley, too, was defeated.

    She stood up with a smile of eptance. “Sloane, I lost fair and square.”

    The third challenger was Taylor. He sat across from Sloane, brimming with tension.

    Right from the opening move, Taylor came at her with everything he had. Lines of code shot across the screen as heunched attacks from multiple ports and protocols, desperate to find a hole in her armor. Sweat rolled down his forehead; his eyes burned with all–or–nothing intensity,

    Sloaneb, /bmeanwhile, remained calm. She swiftly adjusted her defenses, fingers flying across the keyboard, reinforcing her system as she carefully tracked Taylor’s rhythm.

    Gradually, Taylor began to falter. His attacks slowed, his typing grew sloppy. The moment he slipped, Sloane seized her chance and countered. A flurry of precisemandsterb, /bbTaylor’s /bscreen lit up with warnings. He scrambled to recover, but it was toote.

    The final alert sounded. Taylor’s defenses were breached.

    He slumped back in his chair,pletely defeated. He’d given it everything he bhad /band bstill /blost badly.

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    Chapter 159 Sloane Is the Arena Queen

    The fourth challenger was Baylon. After losing to Sloane before, he’d gone into study overdrive, analyzing her every strategy and move. ullib10 /bFree Cond /li/ul

    His edge over the others was simple, he’d faced her once already. He had insight into her attack and defense patterns.

    Now, seated across from her again, Baylon was brimming with confidence.

    Just as the final match was about to begin, Lucas arrived at the venue.

    Samson turned to nce at him, puzzled. “Lucas, what are you doing here?”

    But when he saw where Lucas’s gaze hadnded–locked squarely on Sloane–he immediately understood, and chuckled, teasing, “Weren’t the rumors saying you couldn’t stand your fiancee?b” /b

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