A crimson shaft of heat flared out, easily tearing the mana-reinforced armor apart and corkscrewing through bare flesh. The Magician dropped to his knees, jets of blood spurting out of the hole he futilely attempted to clog with his hands. A hazy curtain fell over his eyes, and right before darkness consumed his vision, he heard one last announcement.

"Aaaaaand, we have a winner!"

He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

A smattering of claps went off, and Jered found himself smiling at the attention, at the excitement that made him the center of the world. And oh God did that make him feel amazing. It was not so much about defeating, killing, or conquering his enemies, but being praised for it.

Del had naturally filmed everything. He spun the camera around, focusing on the whistling audience, and then at Jered, at his magnetic eyes and bright smile, "Jered von Jacobs, only 16, defeated Maykk, 78, Adept Tier and 5th kyu fighter! This young man is setting an unprecedented record with each match he wins! How far can he go? Is there anyone who will be able to bring him down? With a spell-repertoire no one has ever seen; with a never heard before talent; with a bottomless mana pool and sharp decisiveness, Jered might be young, but I'm willing to bet my fucking virginity that he's going to make it to the very top, undefeated!"

There was no doubt that his words were aimed to provoke the higher-ranked Magicians into throwing the gauntlet down and challenge Jered.

With those final words delivered, Del ended the live stream. It was a short affair, so there was no time to get a sizeable view count, but the word was going to spread.

Jered stepped over Maykk's body—it was not a deathmatch, so the man was still alive—and walked over to a flushed Del, "What's my ranking?"

The man easily recited from memory, "Local Ranking: 1st. State Ranking: 57th. Country Ranking: 3402. Global Ranking: 18232. You're still far from meeting the hot stuff, but you're getting a lot of exposure, and the important people are noticing you. However, I'm sure it won't be long until you get to 1st kyu and begin to go against Elder Magicians."

"That's some pathetic stats, but I'm in no hurry, so it doesn't matter."

"Don't sell yourself short! Those are outstanding stats for someone who just started," Del corrected hotly, "You're 57th in the whole state, that's no joke!"

Jered swept his eyes over the audience. There weren't many people, but the fact that someone was there was enough proof of his growing fame.

As usual, Del was being over-excited for nothing, but Jered appreciated his enthusiasm, "In due time, I'll be the first in the country too," and that was not a far-fetched goal at all.

Royal Magicians were barred from participating in the Arcane Underground Combat, which meant Elder Magicians were the utmost peak of that sport. What Jered needed was more experience, and mastery over his spells. If the top rankers were centuries old, then they had at least three lifetimes’ worth of experience and training.

"I don't doubt that," Del gulped, his hands trembling, "In fact, I look forward to it!"

"You're being weird again."

"Ahem!" the man cleared his throat, getting ahold of himself, "My apologies..." and then he averted his gaze in a shy fluster.

"Can you schedule my next fight for next week?"

"B-But... I thought you wanted to get started with the next match right away..."

Jered tilted one eyebrow up, "And why would I want that? I've already defeated three of them today. I've made enough money to cover all of my expenses."

"B-But..."

"No buts."

Del looked like a lost puppy, begrudgingly nodding, "As you wish."

The show was over, and the spectators began to file out, some of them offering congratulatory nods at Jered, or even going as far as to approach him and strike up a conversation. Del stood by his side, chin tilted up and chest puffed out, like a professional bodyguard—albeit a very weak one, "Don't you have a family to go back to?" Jered said once they were out of the arena. It was just Del and him, and the man insisted on blending into his shadow.

"Eh, not really," he shook his head, no fluctuation in his eyes.

"A home to go back to?"

Del rolled his eyes, "Yes... but my job requires me to move from one location to the other, so I sleep mostly in hotels."

"Then..." Jered waved his hand, hoping he'd take the hint.

"Then..."

But he didn't.

"..."

"..."

Jered sighed, "You don't have any friends, do you?"

That caught Del totally by surprise, "Uhh? W-What?" he sputtered, "Of course, I have friends! I'll have you know that I have many friends! Actually, I have so many of them that I'm ranked first in the global ranking of friends!"

That was such bullshit that Jered found himself genuinely laughing, "So you don't need me to be your friend, right?"

"Wait! You want to be my friend? You?" Del almost tripped down from the shock, then he blushed and stammered out, "W-W-Well, since it's you, I guess I can make an exception..."

"Hmhm."

"So... are we friends?"

Jered smiled, turned around the corner of the street, and 'Shadowport'ed away.

Del, who had quickly sprinted after him, was too late.

Only wisps of smoke were left in Jered's wake.

"..."

---

With the small windfall, he made thanks to AUC, Jered did what he always wanted to do. He paid for a gym membership, a personal trainer, and bought ten, 2 kg bags worth of proteins. Naturally, he had no intention of competing against the likes of Ronnie Coleman, but he wanted to bulk up a bit. The fact that his mana healed him faster and better was a boon that would get him results at a pace that was bound to make people notice it.

Jered didn't forget to visit Kenny at the hospital, but Liam—who was already there along with his wife—kindly told him not to bother, that his presence would 'upset' his son. It was Jered's first time seeing the man so strung up, hurt, over Kenny's well-being. Isabelle wasn't any better, but at least she was not grieving.

That was a sign that his friend was still alive.

And Liam was right. Kenny was an emotional mess, and an even bigger one under anesthesia.

Nevertheless, Jered typed an encouraging message and sent it to him.

Maybe, knowing that there was indeed a way for him to turn into a girl, would uplift his mood.

That had been a few days ago, and there was still no reply from Kenny.

Jered resumed going back to school, and it was thanks to Evelyn if the principal decided not to take drastic measures regarding his absences. But he was seriously contemplating dropping out. Money was not an issue anymore. And he could find a better way to waste his time than to sit down for hours and pretend to listen to the teacher's drivel.

One thing he took note of is that, without Kenny around, he had no other 'true' friends. Certainly, he had many acquaintances, and was generally well-known throughout the school. However, for all intents and purposes, he was alone. Not that he cared, but having someone of lesser status following him around helped remind people who was at the top of the social hierarchy. Therefore, Jered found himself a quiet corner during break, and drank a bottle of water.

He wondered if he should have stopped by Evelyn's class and chatted her up.

Unfortunately, she had explicitly advised him not to get too cozy with her at school. Once the rumor mill started, there was no stopping it.

His peace and isolation, of course, didn't last long.

Jered saw a pretty brunette making a beeline for him. Ava. That was her name if he was not mistaken. She had her hair tied up into a ponytail—that wagged around with each step she took—and soft, warm brown eyes. She was dressed in rather plain clothes; a black blouse, a leather jacket, jeans, and white sneakers. Ava's most prominent feature, however, was the fact that she was very tiny. Standing at 5'4 ft against Jered's 5'8, she barely reached his chin.

"Heey, Jered," Ava came up to him sheepishly, her hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket, "What are you doing all the way here? You're being anti-social again?"

He chuckled with an exasperated shake of his head, "I just needed some quiet place to think."

"Oh, that sounds juicy," she scooted next to him and sat down, "Tell me, what's got you so riled up?"

Jered sighed, "Why are you here?"

She blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Why are you here, with me, and not with your group of friends. There's no one else here but me," he pointed out, gesticulating at the deserted stretch of the schoolyard they were in, "We're not even that much of friends. I barely know you, to be honest."

Ava dangled her feet up and down, "Take a guess!" she said mysteriously, her eyes wet and bright, her lips curled into an eager smile.

He played ignorant. Leaving another broken heart in his wake wouldn't do any of them any good, "I'm afraid I can't think of a good reason at the moment."

"I've always been watching you. I even followed your insta account, but you didn't follow me back. Meanie!"

Jered rolled his eyes, snorting. She took that as some sort of challenge and snorted even louder.

"I'm not much of a social media guy."

"I'm not either, to be honest," Ava admitted. Then she averted her gaze rather coyly, "But I signed up because you were there."

She was dropping hints here and there, and it wouldn't take long before she noticed he was ignoring them on purpose.

"I wonder how many other things you did because of me," Jered commented off-handedly.

"Weeeell..." Ava coughed theatrically, "... I'll share a secret if you share one too."

He gave her a pointed stare, and smirked at the challenging tilt of her eyebrow, "Alright. The truth is that I just recently found out that I'm some... hybrid Magician destined for greatness; there's no prophecy around me though," he leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't tell anyone that, I need to keep my Chosen One act up," he concluded with a dramatic wink.

"Pah!" Ava made an unlady-like sound as she giggled uncontrollably, "I didn't expect you to be so full of shit!"

"Believe it or not, that's my perception of the truth."

She draped one knee over the other and crossed her arms, "It doesn't count anyway. Tell me something true."

"What do you want to know?"

Ava bit her bottom lip, eyes narrowed in thought, "Are you dating?"

He looked down, a half-sigh half-chuckle bursting out, "Are you asking for a friend?"

"Hehe... maaaybe?"

"Doesn't sound convincing."

"What if I'm asking for myself?" Ava probed, tilting her head to the side to check his expression.

"Come on, Ava. I'm pretty sure you already have a vague idea of what my answer would be," he stood up, dusted his back, and made to walk away.

In her panicked hurry, Ava grabbed his hand, "Wait!" then she realized the strength she was holding him with, and quickly released him, "Sorry... I-I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Jered didn't know what to make of that, "I'm not uncomfortable," he said with a slight tilt of his head, "I was just trying to avoid a situation where both of us have to deal with the elephant in the room."

A stab of guilt distorted her face, but she waved it off with a forced chuckle, "Yeeeaaah, I got you! You dummy! Don't worry, I'm not in love with you. I was just messing around, don't mind me!" she retreated, her smile still in place, "I'll catch you around, yes? Hehe, don't be a stranger and come talk to me more!"

Jered saw the trembling of her hands, the redness on the tip of her nose, and the fake cheerfulness in her eyes.

She didn't wait for an answer.

She turned around and hurried away.

"..."