Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

South First District, the Dark Night Sparks Block.

In the night's streets, a youth in a black shirt was running raggedly, searching for narrow alleys to hide while anxiously looking around for any pursuers that might appear.

"Huff, huff—," leaning against a wall, his chest heaving, his back already drenched in sweat.

"They didn't follow me?" he murmured softly to himself, then raised his head to look at the narrow patch of sky within the alley.

Neon lights and billboards adorned hovering boats that slowly drifted in the sky, serving both as entertainment venues and conspicuous advertising slots, reportedly costing tens of millions of Federation Coins for ad space each year.

"Damn the capitalists and the rich!"

He punched the wall, then once again staggered forward, walking through the obscure alley filled with stains and trash.

——————

Edith Academy, Combat Practice Room.

A sturdy young man was drenched in sweat, appearing around eighteen, bare-chested with loose pants, continuously throwing punches in the practice room to train his muscles and familiarize himself with his recently advanced profession.

As time slowly passed, he became more proficient with his new abilities. The Transcendent Core inside of him stabilized and blazed brighter. Boiling Magic Power steamed his sweat, with white vapor rising from his body.

Finally, when his momentum and the Magic Power within him reached a pinnacle, he let out a loud shout and threw a punch that set off an explosive sonic boom in the practice room.

The rubber-covered dummy cracked open, revealing thick, broken steel bars inside, and parts of the surrounding rubber had even melted, filling the air with a burnt and unpleasant smell.

After finishing his training, he stepped out of the practice room and a slightly younger boy immediately approached, holding a towel to wipe his sweat, then spoke with admiration.

"Valke, you're amazing! You just advanced this morning and can already use the powers of your profession so skillfully! I checked the practice room's records just now, and that punch of yours has hardly any rivals in Sequence 4. Even the Goldfish Princess Efnie, who is widely regarded as promising among the newcomers, can't match up to you!"

"There's no need to overpraise me. I'm two years older than Efnie and have actually lost quite a bit of time," Valke shook his head, indifferent to the flattery and thinking that he needed to consult with a nutritionist at the Academy about what supplements he should take for the coming period. He didn't have a lot of time to waste; there were many things waiting for him to accomplish.

...

"Are you going to report to Mr. Xi Ma?" asked the boy after hearing Valke's plans.

Xi Ma was the Edith Academy teacher who had unearthed Valke from the slums of North Ninth District and was now responsible for his life at the school. Usually, any matters could be reported and discussed with him.

Although Valke, because of his background, had fallen a few years behind and was only able to enter high school now, his Talent was indeed extraordinary. In a short time, he had advanced to Radiant Feather Sequence 4: Solar Warrior, a profession deemed of Perfect Level difficulty for Transcendents.

Such a talented individual gained a lot of respect even in the Edith Academy, where elites converged, and his life there gradually stabilized.

"Go inform the teacher, after all, it's due to his care and support," said Valke, throwing the towel he had used to wipe his sweat to the boy behind him, then entered the nearby shower room to clean up and change into clean clothes.

"Sure thing," replied the boy happily.

————

At night, after the celebration banquet, Valke walked out of the brilliantly lit restaurant. The night breeze seemed particularly refreshing as he recalled the praise and compliments from the Academy teachers and executives at the restaurant, feeling a vague sense of unreality.

At last, he touched the pocket of his clothes, took out a credit card he had just received, and inserted it into the slot of his personal terminal, which soon displayed the amount inside.

[Federation Coins: 3000000]

This was the reward given to him for advancing to Sequence 4, as Edith Academy was always lenient and supportive of its geniuses.

Three million Federation Coins—if it were in North Ninth District, he probably could never earn that much in his lifetime, Valke thought, experiencing a sensation as if his worldview was collapsing and reconstructing.

This is South First District, the world of the wealthy, a world rife with inequalities, he reflected quietly on this feeling.

Thus absorbed in his thoughts, he was brought back to reality when his personal terminal in his pocket rang.

He took out the terminal and as soon as he turned it on, he heard an urgent voice come through from the other side.

"Hey, Valke, it's me, Gleid." There was nervousness mixed with various noises in the voice; it seemed Gleid was running.

"What's up?" Valke's voice remained calm.

"Hurry and rescue me, I'm being chased. I'm in the Dark Night Sparks Block, let me see, it's the alley on the south side of Eighth Street, hurry!"

"..." Valke fell silent for a few seconds, then the voice on the other end spoke again.

"You wouldn't leave me to die, would you? We grew up together from childhood, and if it wasn't for me, you would have died in the slums a long time ago!"

"I know, that's why I haven't hung up," said Valke slowly.

"I'll be there, do your best to hide," then he hung up his personal terminal.

He dialed another number and soon received a confirmation that a high-speed Hover Car would arrive at his location within three minutes.

While waiting, Valke gazed at the cool night sky above and remembered some things from his childhood.

Indeed, he had been an orphan since he was a child, growing up in the Underworld of North Ninth District. Back then, to survive, he was almost like a rat, scavenging for food in garbage piles, and it was during that time he met Gleid.