The dock at Camp Wawanakwa was exactly as Ezekiel remembered—rotting, salt-stained, and smelling of failure. But as the yacht approached, he realized the "Extreme Edition" wasn't just a label. The cliffs loomed higher, the shadows were deeper, and the air hummed with a strange, supernatural pressure.
Chris McLean stood on the dock, looking younger but far more sinister.
[System Scan Initiated...]
* Target: Chris McLean
* Level: 25
* Danger Level: FATAL
Zeke's eyes narrowed. So Chris isn't a normal human in this timeline either, eh? Good to know.
As the second-to-last contestant to arrive, Ezekiel stepped off the boat. His grayish-black hiking boots hit the wood with a heavy thud that seemed to vibrate through the entire dock. He wasn't the scrawny kid anymore; his shoulders were broad, and he moved with the predatory stillness of a hunter.
"Welcome to Total Drama!" Chris shouted. "Our next contestant is... Ezekiel? The homeschooled guy?"
Zeke didn't say a word. He scanned the crowd, and the System began flooding his vision with data.
THE SCREAMING GOPHERS ANALYSIS:
* Noah (Lvl 5): Intelligence: 180.
* Justin (Lvl 5): Charisma: 250 (Absolutely broken!).
* Katie (Lvl 4).
* Cody (Lvl 7): Intelligence: 177.
* Beth (Lvl 6).
* Trent (Lvl 6).
* Lindsay (Lvl 10): Charisma: 210.
* Leshawna (Lvl 15): Strength: 100 (The powerhouse of the team).
* Heather (Lvl 15): Intelligence: 179 | Charisma: 200.
* Owen (Lvl 10): Vitality: 200 | Luck: 150 (Unnatural luck... no wonder he won the original, eh!).
* Gwen (Lvl 15): Intelligence: 179 | Agility: 80 (The fastest in the group).
THE KILLER BASS ANALYSIS:
Zeke scanned his future teammates next:
* Ezekiel (Lvl 20): (Himself).
* Eva (Lvl 20): Strength: 200 (The strongest contestant, matching Zeke's peak power).
* Tyler (Lvl 5): Surprisingly strong: 100.
* Sadie (Lvl 4).
* Courtney (Lvl 10): Intelligence: 180.
* Harold (Lvl 10): Agility: 70 | Intelligence: 175 (But his Vitality is abysmal).
* Bridgette (Lvl 6).
* DJ (Lvl 7).
* Geoff (Lvl 6).
* Duncan (Lvl 15): Intelligence: 170.
Zeke stopped right in front of Duncan. The punk, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, tried to mask his unease with a sneer.
"Look at this," Duncan mocked. "The farm boy thinks he's a big man. Did your mommy knit that hoodie for you?"
Zeke didn't flinch. He let his [Sovereign Presence] leak out. The temperature on the dock seemed to drop ten degrees.
"My mother is a saint," Zeke said, his voice a low, icy rasp. "Mention her again, and I'll feed you to the sharks. I won't even need to use my hands, eh."
The silence was absolute—until the final boat arrived. Zeke's eyes widened as the System screen turned a warning shade of red.
THE ANOMALY:
* Izzy (Level 25!)
* Stats: Strength: ??? | Agility: ??? | Luck: ???
* Visible Stat: Intelligence: 188 (The smartest person on the island).
Zeke was stunned. Izzy is a higher level than me? And smarter than Noah or Courtney? What is she hiding?
Izzy leaped off the boat like a chaotic firework. Though she acted insane, her eyes met Zeke's for a split second. In that moment, he felt it—she knew he wasn't normal either.
"This... is going to be more interesting than I thought," Zeke whispered as a quest popped up.
[New Quest: First Impression]
* Objective: Establish dominance without throwing a single punch.
* Reward: 1,000 Gold, +2 Strength.
The contestants were led to the base of a towering, jagged cliff that seemed to touch the stars. The air was thick with the smell of salt and the distant, hungry splashes of sharks below.
As Chris began his typical "host" speech, a series of glowing boxes appeared only in Ezekiel's field of vision.
[System Foresight: Challenge Preview]
* Challenge 1: Jump off a 1,000-foot cliff into shark-infested waters.
* Challenge 2: Construct a hot tub using materials from crates.
* TV Reward: A hot tub party.
* System Reward: 50,000 Gold.
Zeke felt a cold sweat prickle his neck. 50,000 Gold was a massive jump from his previous hunts. But then, a red-bordered window flashed, pulsing with urgency.
[Special Quest: Fate Weaver]
* Objective: Recruit your first Ally.
* Target: Courtney (Level 10).
* Reason: Her alignment is currently 'Lawful Good.' If left alone, Duncan's influence will corrupt her into a 'Villainous' path. Change her destiny.
* Reward: 100,000 Gold.
100,000 gold? Zeke's heart hammered. That was 10% of what he needed for Martha's elixir. But his eyes widened at the fine print at the bottom of the screen.
[WARNING: SYSTEM SECRECY PROTOCOL]
> Rule: You must NEVER reveal the existence of The System.
> Penalty: Immediate Regression. All progress wiped. You will wake up on the first day in the farmhouse and start from zero.
Zeke swallowed hard, his throat dry. He looked at his hands, then at the group. He had worked too hard, trained too long, and killed too many wolves to go back now. He gave a sharp, imperceptible nod. He would remain silent.
"Alright, campers!" Chris grinned, gesturing to the height. "Who's going first?"
The group looked up in terror. Duncan (Lvl 15) acted tough but was visibly sweating. DJ was shaking. Courtney, however, was already looking at her rulebook, her face pale.
"This is a violation of at least ten safety codes!" Courtney snapped, her Level 10 (intelligence: 180) calculating the risks. "I'm not jumping. It's illogical!"
Zeke stepped forward. This was his moment for the [First Impression] quest. He didn't look at the cliff; he looked at his team.
"Courtney," Zeke said, his voice calm and resonant, carrying the weight of his [Kshatriya] aura.
She turned, startled by the intensity in his gray eyes. "What, Ezekiel? You're going to tell me it's safe?"
"No. It's dangerous, eh," Zeke replied, stepping closer. He didn't touch her, but his presence acted like a shield against the chaos of the camp. "But the 'old' Courtney—the one who wants to win, the one who wants to lead—she wouldn't let a bit of water stop her. You're the strongest mind on this team. If you quit, the others will fall like dominos."
Courtney blinked, her judgmental expression softening into surprise. No one had ever spoken to her like a leader before.
[System Message: Courtney's Destiny is flickering...]
"I'll go first," Zeke announced to the group. He didn't use the stairs. He used [Superhuman Agility], leaping from rock to rock with such speed he was a blur, reaching the summit in seconds.
At the top, he looked down. The sharks circled. The contestants below looked like ants.
For the farm. For Mom.
Zeke didn't just jump; he dived. He performed a perfect, triple-somersault, his body cutting through the air like a spear. Just before hitting the water, he used a microscopic burst of [Spatial Manipulation] to soften the impact.
SPLASH.
He surfaced seconds later, tossing a shark aside with one hand as if it were a toy. He climbed onto the raft, standing tall, his wet hoodie clinging to his refined muscles.
[Quest Complete: First Impression]
* Reward: 1,000 Gold, +2 Strength.
He looked up at Courtney and raised a hand, signaling her to come down. "Don't let Duncan be the one you follow, eh," he whispered to himself. "Follow me."
On the cliffside, Courtney gripped her swim cap, her eyes locked on Zeke. Something in her fate had just shifted.
Courtney stood at the edge of the thousand-foot drop, her knuckles white as she gripped her arms. Below, the water looked like jagged glass, and the dark shapes of sharks circling the "safe zone" made her 180 IQ scream that this was suicide.
"I... I can't," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Duncan (Lvl 15) let out a barking laugh from behind her. "What's the matter, Princess? Too much 'law and order' for a little splash? Just take the chicken hat and go home."
Courtney flinched. She looked at the chicken hat Chris was holding, then down at Ezekiel, who was watching her from the raft. The way he stood—calm, powerful, and unbothered by the chaos—did something to her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped off.
But fear is a powerful debuff. Mid-air, Courtney's posture broke. Instead of a clean dive, she began to flail.
"She's going to belly-flop!" Gwen shouted from the shore. At that height, hitting the water wrong was like hitting concrete.
[System Warning: Ally Prospect in Danger!]
[Quest Update: Save Courtney to secure the Alliance.]
Zeke didn't wait for the System's prompt. Before Courtney even hit the halfway mark, he moved. To the other contestants, it looked like a blur. He didn't just swim; he launched himself off the raft with such force it nearly flipped.
SPLASH.
Courtney hit the water, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Dazed and gasping, she began to sink. The scent of her fear—and a small scratch on her leg from the fall—immediately drew the sharks. Three massive fins veered toward her.
Under the surface, Ezekiel's eyes snapped open. In the murky green water, they glowed with a faint, predatory gray light.
He reached Courtney just as the first shark opened its maw. Zeke didn't use a weapon. He didn't need to. He slammed his fist into the shark's snout with [Physical Godhood] strength, the shockwave alone sending the beast spiraling into the depths. He grabbed Courtney's waist with one arm, pulling her small frame against his solid chest.
He surfaced a second later, gasping for air, holding a shivering Courtney above the water.
The remaining sharks circled, but Zeke let out a low, guttural growl—a remnant of his [Animal Mastery] and 'Feral' past. The predators froze, sensed the 'Apex' presence in the water, and fled.
Zeke swam to the raft and lifted Courtney up first, then climbed up beside her. She was coughing, her hair a mess, clinging to his hoodie as if her life depended on it.
"You... you jumped back in," she panted, looking up at him. She could see the raw, masculine power in Zeke's face, the scars on his arms, and the fierce protection in his eyes. "Why?"
Zeke wiped the saltwater from her face, his touch surprisingly gentle. "I told you, Courtney. This team needs its leader. And I don't leave my people behind, eh."
[System Notification!]
[Special Quest: Fate Weaver – COMPLETED]
* Relationship Status: Courtney (Ally/Trusting)
* Affection Level: +25%
* Reward: 100,000 Gold.
Zeke felt the massive influx of Gold hit his account, but his focus was on Duncan, who was watching them from the cliff with a look of pure, envious rage.
The alliance was sealed. Courtney wasn't going to be Duncan's toy in this timeline. She was going to be Ezekiel's Queen.
[System Message: Current Balance – 151,010 Gold]
"Next step, the hot tub," Zeke whispered, his eyes turning toward the crates on the beach. "Let's build something they'll never forget."