Chapter 87: King Of The Hill

Nina clung to West inside the dark corridors of the haunted house.

When a fake ghost jumped out, she buried her face against his chest instinctively.

Cross trailed behind and his expression darkened with each passing attraction.

Even during snacks, Nina shared fries with West first.

"Try this one," she suggested while holding one up.

Cross stared at the ketchup packet in his own hand.

The imbalance was glaring.

95% of her attention gravitated toward West while Cross seemed like a background prop.

Then they reached the carnival game stalls where brightly colored prizes hung overhead.

Nina’s eyes locked onto a massive pink teddy bear.

"I want that one."

Cross straightened.

Finally... this was his moment.

"I’ll get it," he said confidently.

He stepped up to the throwing game booth.

The rules were simple... hit enough high-value targets with weighted balls.

He rolled his shoulders and began.

First throw—miss.

Second—grazed.

Third—hit a low-value target.

He gritted his teeth and focused.

After several attempts—and extra payments—he finally struck enough small-point targets to win.

The attendant handed him a small teddy.

It was cute but unfortunately, it wasn’t the one Nina pointed at earlier. The points he accumulated wasn’t enough for that.

Still, Cross smiled proudly and turned, ready to rush towards his girlfriend and show her the prize he acquired for her...

Only to freeze.

Nina stood up ahead laughing...

In her arms was the massive pink teddy bear. It was nearly half her height.

She beamed joyfully.

"Look look, Cross! West scored all the points and won me this!"

West stood beside her casually with his hands in pockets, saying nothing.

The booth attendant behind them looked mildly impressed.

"He hit three max-value targets in a row," the man said. "Didn’t even miss."

Cross felt something twist in his chest.

He looked down at the small teddy in his own hands and slowly hid it behind his back.

"Oh... nice," he said stiffly.

<[ System Notification: Jealousy Triggered! Bonus Cuck Points +10 ]>

The rest of the afternoon followed the same pattern.

Photo booth? Nina dragged West inside.

Ice cream? She asked West what flavor he liked first.

Selfies? West ended up standing beside her in most shots.

Cross hovered at the edge of frames smiling but fuming internally.

As the sun dipped lower, golden light washed over the park.

Nina laughed at something West whispered while Cross watched silently.

By the time they headed toward the exit, West’s system notifications had stacked impressively.

Cuckpoints accumulated effortlessly and he hadn’t forced anything or manipulated directly.

He simply existed in the space and Nina gravitated naturally.

Cross walked slightly behind them with hands in his pockets feeling invisible.

After the amusement park lights dimmed and the crowds thinned, West eventually split off from Nina and Cross near the station.

"Text me when you get home," Nina had said instinctively.

Cross’s face tightened again at that but he quickly hid his expression.

West only smiled lightly. "You too."

He walked away first.

He didn’t need to look back to know Cross’s expression wasn’t pleasant.

---

~ Later That Night ~

The moment they were alone, the restraint Cross had forced all day cracked.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded as they walked down her street.

Nina blinked. "What?"

"Don’t act like you don’t know."

She frowned slightly. "Cross..."

"You ignored me the entire day."

"That’s not true."

"It is," he insisted. "You talked to him the whole time. You let him drag you around like you were dating him."

Nina’s brows knitted. "That’s ridiculous."

"Is it? Because that’s exactly how it looked."

She sighed.

"He’s just my friend."

"That’s what you said when you introduced him," Cross shot back. "But that didn’t look like ’just friends.’"

Her shoulders stiffened.

"You’re overthinking it."

"Then promise me."

She hesitated. "Promise what?"

"That you’ll limit your communication with him from now on."

The words hung heavy between them as Nina stared at him.

Cross’s expression shifted from anger to something more vulnerable.

"I don’t like how he looks at you," he said quietly. "And I don’t like how you look at him."

There was a brief silence before she exhaled slowly.

"Fine," she said. "I’ll limit it."

His face softened instantly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him automatically.

But as Cross held her tightly, her mind drifted back to a specific moment earlier that day.

During the ride...

They had been rushing to get seats before it started. The operator had barked at them to hurry.

In the scramble, she had slipped and for a brief second— she sat directly on West’s lap.

It had only lasted a moment.

She had jumped up almost immediately, cheeks burning and muttering an apology.

But that split second... the firmness she felt beneath her... the way West hands had instinctively steadied her waist before pulling back.

Her breath paused now just remembering it... a strange heat rose through her chest and down her spine as she shifted slightly in Cross’s arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied quickly.

But even as she promised to limit communication...

A small, treacherous voice inside her whispered:

~ Will you really be able to? ~

---

The Next Morning school was louder than usual.

West noticed it the moment he stepped through the gates.

Heads turned...

Whispers spread...

Phones were already pointed in his direction.

"Yo, it’s West."

"Who is West?"

"He’s the one who beat four Tier 1 Awakeners."

"Bro’s different."

The footage had blown up online overnight. Someone had caught part of the altercation when he handled those four Awakeners days ago. The clip had been edited, slowed down, reposted across multiple platforms.

Views skyrocketed...

Comments flooded...

Some praised him...

Some speculated about his branches...

Some tried to compare him to Caleb... the pompous golden boy who had always strutted around like the world owed him applause until West put him in his place.

People realized that even though West was awakened... he wasn’t like that... and that made him more appealing.

He didn’t flex his status... or flaunt power.

He just... existed.

And that quiet confidence drew people in.

As he walked through the hallway, two girls approached timidly.

"Can we get a selfie?"

West paused.

"Sure."

Click.

Another group approached.

"Bro, what tier are you?"

He just smiled. "Still Tier 1."

"No way."

Teachers treated him differently too.

Mrs. Harrow, notorious for policing uniform violations, stood by her classroom door as West approached.

He wore his jacket over his school uniform again... styled cleanly and confidently.

Originally, she would’ve stopped him immediately.

"Mr. West, remove the—"

But today... she simply gave him a polite nod.

"Good morning, West."

He slowed slightly.

"Morning, ma’am."

There was no complaint nor scolding.

He entered the classroom and sat down.

’Ah... not you too,’ he thought.

He wasn’t especially fond of the shift. He liked the attention and the fact that no one could try to mess with him. This would also make it easier to get with girls who already had boyfriends.

However, he felt that respect born purely from power wasn’t the same as genuine regard.

If someone beat him up tomorrow like how he beat Caleb up... wouldn’t everyone just switch up on him?

He narrowed his eyes, deciding that he’d keep accumulating more and more power to make sure that never happened, however, he would also not make the same mistake of thinking these people really cared for him.

The only ones he regarded were the ones who were already there from before it became known that he was an awakened.

Classes passed smoothly...

Students paid attention when he spoke...

Group discussions felt tilted in his favor...

Even teachers asked for his opinion more often.

By lunchtime, the buzz hadn’t faded.

West walked toward the usual table.

Mira Han and a few other girls were already there but one seat was noticeably empty...

Nina’s.

He paused for half a second.

Then continued walking.

"West!" Mira called out, waving. "Over here."

He sat and conversation flowed easily as one girl leaned forward excitedly.

"Is it true you contracted a magical entity?"

"Yeah," West responded calmly.

"Can we see her?"

"Please..."

The girls begged.

West hesitated slightly before nodding.

"Fine. Just don’t touch her."

He activated the summoning and a ripple of dark energy shimmered beside him.

Gasps erupted immediately.

Gor’thala materialized in full green elegance... tall, imposing and otherworldly. Her presence alone shifted the atmosphere.

The cafeteria quieted.

"Master," she said softly.

A collective whoa swept through the room.

"She’s real..."

"She’s insane."

"She looks like something out of a fantasy movie."

A few students leaned in too close.

One even reached out a tentative finger.

West’s voice sharpened slightly.

"Don’t."

The finger froze midair.

The tone wasn’t loud but it carried authority and no one questioned it.

Being the new Awakened with rumored multiple branches had made him king of the hill.

No one challenged him openly.

He dismissed Gor’thala after a few minutes.

The cafeteria returned to its usual noise, though eyes still followed him.

...

...