The moment Leon snapped the watch onto his wrist, the pale-gold gears began to turn as if they had a life of their own. A sudden jolt of electricity surged through his entire body, making him shudder.
Then, the mechanical gears finally stopped spinning, and the display automatically synced to real-world time.
Seems pretty advanced... Leon was slightly dumbfounded. It felt like this watch had been pulled straight out of a sci-fi movie. He scrutinized it from every angle but couldn't figure out how it worked.
Suddenly, the watch gave a faint vibration, and a small metal button began to glow.
Leon pressed it, and Lina's voice echoed directly in his mind.
"Hello, Mr. Clark. This watch has completed a multi-tiered biometric verification of your physical signature. From this moment on, this watch belongs entirely to you. Please use it well. I am your customer service representative, Lina. If you have any questions, you may contact me through this device. Have a wonderful day..."
"Wait a second!!" Leon felt like things were getting dangerously surreal. "What exactly is the deal with this watch? This isn't a joke?"
"Correct. The Aegis-13 Wristwatch is the prize you selected. It is the latest technology developed by the Upper Realm. It includes all the standard smart communication, recording, and internet-browsing capabilities found in the Mortal Realm. Furthermore, it comes equipped with 108 supernatural, law-bending abilities..." Lina explained gently.
Leon's jaw dropped. This was too bizarre. "Are you messing with me? We're not shooting a movie here..."
"The watch also features a universal cinematic mode. It can record video autonomously and includes smart editing, auto-framing, and visual rendering capabilities. However, please refrain from using it casually, as it consumes a significant amount of energy."
"I want to know about those abilities!" Leon's eyes gleamed. He'd read every X-Men, Heroes, and superpower web novel out there. He'd always fantasized about how awesome it would be to have powers of his own.
"The Aegis-13 Wristwatch comes with controls for 108 different abilities. For your first use, simply press the corresponding Roman numeral on the dial to activate a power. However, please note that..."
Just as Lina was about to explain further, the dorm room door suddenly swung open.
It scared the living daylights out of Leon, and he hastily cut the connection.
"Damn, baby of the group, are you having an intimate moment with your right hand in broad daylight?" It was his second roommate, Michael Ford, walking in.
Leon flipped him the bird. No matter where this guy was, his sheer degenerate energy was always on full display.
"Dude, what's with the watch? That looks sick."
"A goddess from the Upper Realm thought I was a good guy, so she gave it to me," Leon chuckled, knowing full well Michael wouldn't believe a word of it.
Michael rolled his eyes. "You definitely just blew your cash on more anime merch."
"Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to be welcoming the freshmen?" Leon asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, right! I gotta hurry. This year's freshman class is packed with babes! We are truly blessed. I just came back to fix my hair," Michael yelled as he dashed into the dorm's bathroom.
Speaking of beauties, Leon suddenly thought of Lina's angelic voice. He wondered what she actually looked like.
"Westpoint Coastal University" was the name of Leon's school.
Westport was an international metropolis that had skyrocketed in development within Veridia, and Coastal University was arguably the crown jewel of the city.
The campus was massive, comparable to a small town. It was divided into numerous districts; just walking from the residential dorms to the extracurricular activity center took over half an hour.
Coastal University was ranked among the top ten universities globally. Its alumni list was practically overflowing with billionaires, politicians, and tycoons. The most legendary among them was a Veridian-descended Senator currently running for the presidency of Oakhaven, the dominant superpower across the ocean.
As for the spectacle of freshman orientation every year—just picture a massive corporate job fair. Except, the "recruiters" were packs of upperclassmen, all eyeing the incoming underclassmen with the singular goal of ending their own single lives.
Leon was a sophomore in the Computer Science department of the School of Information Technology. It was an incredibly hot major. Thanks to a recent, massive breakthrough with "Turing," a fifth-generation AI supercomputer developed over in Oakhaven, the framework for a fully digitized future was becoming a reality. Naturally, the CS department had become the darling of the public eye.
Despite this, the CS department still suffered from a severe sausage-fest dynamic—way too many wolves, not nearly enough meat.
"Leon, do your bro a solid and scope out some cute girls for me," Michael pleaded. He looked exactly like a guy who had been single his entire life and was rapidly devolving into an animal. Leon curled his lip in disdain.
"A guy like you, who gave away his first kiss in kindergarten, could never understand my pain," Michael said bitterly.
"Bullshit," Leon shot back. "I was in a lot of pain back then too."
"What about Isabella Sterling?" Leon pointed toward the CS department's registration desk.
A large crowd had gathered around that desk. Currently processing the freshmen's enrollment stamps was a girl with a striking, sharp beauty.
She was Isabella Sterling. Just like her name, she possessed an air of undeniable nobility. As the President of the CS Student Council, she was the undisputed queen of the Information Technology School. Almost every guy on campus considered her their dream girl, yet absolutely no one dared to ask her out.
The reason? Simple: an inferiority complex.
Isabella was incredibly aloof. It wasn't that she was arrogant, but her aura was just freezing cold—the kind of beauty you could admire from afar but never approach. Rumor had it she came from a wildly powerful family. Once, a wealthy frat boy had tried relentlessly to woo her using the "annoy her until she says yes" method. Three days later, that same frat boy was seen avoiding Isabella like a mouse fleeing a cat. It was still a running joke at Coastal University to this day.
The moment Michael heard Isabella's name, he shrank back. "A woman like that can only be conquered by a conqueror like Alexander the Great. In this day and age, she's destined to die alone."
Leon disagreed. "She could wave her hand and summon a thousand guys who would gladly drown you in their drool. If you ask me, Isabella probably doesn't even like the macho, domineering type. She probably just wants an honest guy."
"Leon, I've known you for a year, and this is the first time I'm realizing you harbor a secret crush. Haha!" Michael laughed.
"Screw you, since when do I have a crush on her?"
"Well, you're the 'honest guy,' aren't you?" Michael snickered.
Leon huffed. "Starting today, I'm done being a good guy."
"Don't do that, man. There are like, several girls in our class secretly crushing on you. You should definitely keep being a good guy." Michael patted his shoulder, his voice thick with envy and jealousy.
Leon rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue. When Michael mentioned continuing to be a good guy, Leon suddenly remembered the watch. Lina had said pressing the Roman numerals would activate abilities. He didn't know if it was true, but he was just about to test it out.
Right then, Michael started practically foaming at the mouth again. "Whoa! A babe! An absolute, pure, innocent babe! I gotta have this one, bro!"
A slender girl had just appeared at the CS registration point. She wore a simple white dress, and her clear, doe-like eyes looked around timidly. She looked so incredibly innocent and shy that it made the older female students burn with jealousy. (I used to be that pure before I lost my innocence, damn it!)
A pack of "wolves" excitedly surged toward the registration point, howling.
"Madam President, let me show her around!" "Hey beautiful, I'll protect you!" "I've been single my whole life, only I am worthy!" Michael yelled the loudest.
"Look at yourselves! You're an embarrassment to the CS department! Do you want your credits docked?" the Student Council Vice President scolded coldly.
The innocent girl in question lowered her head deeply, her face burning bright red.
She was just too cute.
Under Isabella Sterling's icy glare, none of the boys dared to act up anymore. They instantly turned into obedient little sheep.
"You show her around." Isabella swept her gaze over the crowd and pointed a pale, slender finger in their direction.
Every guy's jealous glare immediately followed her finger. If looks could kill... well, let's not go there. Michael stared in shock as Isabella pointed right at him. He couldn't believe his luck.
Long live the President! I will love you forever! Michael screamed internally, eagerly jogging forward.
"The student behind you," Isabella said, frowning slightly.
Michael was crushed. He turned around numbly, feeling slightly better when he realized who it was.
Leon blinked.
He looked at the crowd of violently jealous eyes aimed at him.
Me?