Chapter 235

Even though the S-level questions were considered easy, one wrong draw from an unfamiliar domain could mean instant elimination. That was exactly what happened to the three contestants who’d just been knocked out. One of them didn’t even try. He withdrew the moment he saw the question was related to aerospace, a subject he had absolutely no experience with.

Then came the SS-level draw. This round introduced challenges beyond the core eight disciplines, meaning the difficulty spiked considerably. As contestant after contestant dropped out, the tension in the arena mounted. Everyone could see the competition was becoming brutal. Everyone except Shermaine’s fans looked unusually relaxed.

Kylie, by contrast, approached each task with extra focus. Every time she drew a new question, there was a flicker of tension in her expression. Fortunately, she’d been lucky so far, no obscure topics, nothing that truly tested the limits of her knowledge. Shermaine wasn’t quite as lucky with her draws, but it hardly mattered. She handled every curveball with ease. That’s what happens when you have a strong foundation in math. When logic becomes second nature, even foreign problems start to leave clues.

By now, the weaker players had all been eliminated. It was past eleven, and only five contestants remained. The final questions were from the SSS-level bank, extremely challenging, and under strict time limits. If their answer was submitted and the system cleared them for advancement, they were safe. If not, they were out. The minutes crawled by, but the audience didn’t seem to mind. Most of them played on their phones or looked up to check the stage. With thirty minutes left on the clock, Shermaine submitted her answer. She was the first. Ten minutes later, Kylie finished as well. Once the third contestant submitted their work, the organizers called it. The remaining two would be automatically eliminated to save time.

Now came the real climax of the event. The final challenge would determine the overall winner. Whoever finished first would take the crown. The last three standing were Shermaine, Kylie, and Edwin from Frosa. Edwin was only thirty this year, a rising star in his own right. At the same time, the organizers added a twist, a live audience poll. Viewers were invited to vote for who they believed would claim first place, with the promise that fifty voters would be randomly selected to win five thousand dollars each. Given Shermaine’s stellar performance in both the team and individual competitions, her popularity was unrivaled. She led the vote by a wide margin, leaving Kylie and Edwin far behind. Shermaine, however, remained unfazed. When she was deep in problem-solving, she slipped into an almost meditative state, completely focused, and impervious to any outside noise. Kylie, on the other hand, noticed the poll results. Seeing herself stuck in second place made her visibly tense. It wasn’t that she hadn’t performed well. It was just that Shermaine had been exceptional, so brilliant that Kylie’s efforts seemed to pale in comparison.

In the audience, Sarah had been confident that Kylie would come out on top. But now, she wasn’t so sure. Shermaine’s capabilities were astonishing. She handled every discipline with ease and confidence, to the point that even Kylie seemed outmatched. Sarah couldn’t deny she was impressed. But at the same time, she’d never liked Shermaine, and the idea of her outshining Kylie was hard to swallow. She desperately hoped Kylie would be the first to finish the final task and win the individual title. That way, Shermaine would finally be knocked down a peg. But things rarely go the way people hope.

Right as the countdown entered its final thirty minutes, the production team cut the live feed. The massive screens that had been showing each player’s progress suddenly went dark. No one could see how the competitors were doing. Shermaine, Kylie, and Edwin had no idea where they stood. Now, all they could do was wait for the official results. When time was up, the three finalists stepped onto the stage. The host turned to the audience with a theatrical pause. “So, tell me. Who do you think came in first?” When it came to volume, no one could compete with Shermaine’s fans. They weren’t shy about showing their support, rowdy, energetic, and loud enough to shake the roof. Among the crowd, one name rang out the clearest. “Boa!” The host grinned, dragging out the suspense. “Is that really the name? Let’s find out together.”