After asking a few members for directions (and dodging a spar request from Luck), Zura finally reached Noelle's room.
He knocked once. No response.
He pushed the door open.
Empty.
"Huh…" He stepped inside, glanced around. The bed was untouched. A few books scattered on the desk. Everything smelled vaguely like shampoo and mana.
She hadn't been back all day.
Zura rubbed his neck. "Where the hell are you, princess…"
As he turned to leave, he almost bumped into a mountain of muscle and smoke.
Yami.
The captain narrowed his eyes. "What're you doing pokin' around here?"
Zura froze. "I… uh, I was looking for Noelle."
Yami stared at him for a long second. His cigarette glowed faintly as he inhaled.
"…Why?"
Zura blinked. "I…"
He didn't really know how to answer that. Was it because she wasn't at the exam? Because she missed his big moment? Because he missed her?
"…Just wanted to talk," he finally said.
Yami shrugged. "She's probably at the training ground. Crazy girl's been at it since morning."
He walked past Zura, muttering, "You two are already trouble…"
Zura didn't reply. He just headed straight for the training ground.
And sure enough, there she was.
Noelle Silva. Covered in sweat, breathing hard, magic swirling around her in waves. She was drenched from head to toe, her hair stuck to her cheeks, her robes clinging to her.
She was practicing like a lunatic.
Her spell burst from her palms, spiraling around dummies and exploding mid-air. She muttered to herself, reset her stance, and fired again. And again.
Zura leaned on the door frame and called out, "Oi! You trying to drown the base or something?"
Noelle flinched.
Her spell flickered, then exploded in the wrong direction.
Straight at Zura.
"Ah shit."
He raised his arm, activating his own magic. His grimoire flipped open behind him. The spell connected—but only partly. He absorbed some of the blast… but not all.
The remaining force sent him flying back into the wall with a thud.
"Zura!!" Noelle screamed, rushing over. "Are you okay?! I didn't mean—! I thought I had control, I—!"
Zura groaned, sitting up. "Yeah… yeah, I'm good. I think."
He looked at her, then at his grimoire, floating beside him.
A new spell glowed faintly on one of the pages.
He smirked. "Huh. Well, thanks for the gift, Princess."
"What?"
Zura pointed to his grimoire. "Looks like part of your spell got copied."
Her eyes widened. "You… absorbed it?"
"Not all of it," Zura said, standing and brushing himself off. "I took some of the hit. Which means…"
He stared at his hand, flexing his fingers.
"…I can't absorb everything. Not yet, at least. If the attack's too strong, I get knocked on my ass."
"So… what does that mean?"
"It means," Zura said with a grin, "I can't just walk around the Clover Kingdom asking people to blast me with their magic."
He cracked his neck. "I need to practice more. Train myself to absorb better. And maybe figure out how to not die while doing it."
Noelle sighed, her expression softening. "You're such an idiot."
Zura smirked. "You missed me?"
She looked away. "…Shut up."
He laughed.
It was good to hear her voice again.
Noelle went quiet.
That usual fire in her eyes dimmed for a second. Zura noticed it immediately.
"…Hey," he stepped closer. "Something wrong?"
She didn't answer.
"You weren't at the exam," Zura continued, voice calm but pressing. "I didn't see you there. Hell, I didn't see you all day. Not even here. And now you're out here training like a maniac." He paused. "Did your siblings say some shit again?"
He clenched his fist like he was about to knock someone's jaw loose.
But Noelle shook her head. "It's not that."
"Then what is it?" Zura asked, stepping in front of her. "Talk to me."
She bit her lip. Her shoulders tensed.
"…I just… I have to get stronger."
Zura tilted his head. "We all do. But what's with the obsession? You look like you haven't slept in days."
He walked up and flicked her forehead lightly. "Overwork yourself and you'll fry your mana channels. Then what? You'll be stuck in bed for a week, crying about how you wasted time. You wanna train? Train smart. Not suicidal."
Noelle looked away. "I don't have time."
Zura narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"The Dark Triad," she said under her breath. "They could come back. Anytime. And when they do, I want to be ready. I don't want to rely on anyone. I want to fight. I want to protect everyone this time."
Zura took a step back, stared at her, and nodded slowly. "...You're serious."
"I have to be."
He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well… guess you forgot something important."
"What?"
"I'm here now."
She blinked.
"I didn't come here to sit on my ass. I'm gonna help take those bastards down. So you're not alone in this anymore. Got it?"
Noelle didn't reply.
Instead, she clenched her fists. "I still have to work hard. I'm not like you."
Zura raised an eyebrow. "Like me?"
"You're a prodigy," she muttered. "You learn everything so fast. You make things look easy."
Zura blinked. "...Wait. You watched my fight?"
"Of course I did," she snapped.
Zura grinned. "Well? How did I do?"
She turned away. "You… could've done better."
He laughed. "Damn. I see the tsundere's alive and well."
Noelle's cheeks turned red. "Shut up."
Zura walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough training for today. You need food. Rest. Hydration. All that boring crap."
Noelle hesitated. "I'll come later. You go."
"I'm not going anywhere unless you're with me."
She stared at him.
He didn't budge.
Finally, she sighed in defeat. "...Fine."
They headed back to the base together. Zura escorted her all the way to her room before heading to his.
That night, sleep didn't come easy.
Zura tossed and turned, stuck in a dream—no, a memory.
Water.
It surrounded him. Dragged him down.
He was back in his old world. Living peacefully. Laughing. Until something tore it all away. A swirling tide. A flash of light. He was pulled from that life and thrown into this one.
The dream twisted. Turned.
Suddenly, he was drowning again. Hands reaching up, clawing at the surface. But it wasn't water anymore.
It was mana.
It crushed him. Like a curse.
Zura jolted awake, drenched in sweat. Gasping.
The sun was already up. Birds chirping outside. He wiped his face, took a deep breath, and stood up.
"I…" he sighed.
Zura went downstairs.
The mess hall was loud as always.
Charmy was inhaling her tenth plate. Magna and Luck were arm wrestling on the table. Grey sat quietly in the corner while Vanessa poured another drink.
Zura walked in and sat down. Barely three bites in—
Yami appeared behind him like a damn ghost.
"Zura."
Zura looked up, mouth still half-full. "Yeah?"
Yami cracked his neck and smirked. "Your first mission's ready."
Zura grinned. Swallowed.
"Let's fuckin' go."
====
Author's Note:
Hey guys, I've just started my original novel — 'Harem with the Limitless System in the Apocalypse: I am Super OP'. It already has 8 chapters up, and it's full of emotion, and yeah… a bit chaotic like you'd expect from me. MC has regressed into the past with an Limitless System, but the world has changed. While everyone has a level up system that helps him grow stronger. MC has an Limitless system that makes him super OP!
The thing is… I don't have a big fanbase. I only have you. If you've been enjoying what I write, I'm begging you to check out my OG work. Read it. Drop a comment. Leave a power stone. Add it to your library. Share it if you can. Anything at all helps.
The novel's also part of a contest right now, and honestly, if it's gonna stand a chance, I need your support more than ever. I poured my heart into this one, and I really want it to grow. I want to build something real with this story, with you all.
So please… give Harem with the Limitless System in the Apocalypse: I am Super OP a shot. Even a single reader who truly cares makes a difference right now.
Thanks for sticking with me.
Drop on discord - https://discord.gg/E8vGXVvRbs