As time went on, it so happened that Mark returned to high school, together with Sebas, leaving Darius, Alex, and Xandra to do their bidding, each with their own life. A week had passed, and things were already in motion. A new organization appeared, one that aims to fight back against the monsters.

Accordingly, the leaders are those who got their hands on a special weapon, since they are the strongest. Mark had received no invitation, but he didn’t pay them too much attention. It did bother him that his existence was overlooked, yet they would have to come crawling at him when a great crisis arrives.

Back to Mark’s current situation, his old rival: school. Sebas and Mark, both of them quite good with learning, still lacked the will required to go through school with a smile on their faces. They wanted to go around and do what they wanted, to enjoy their lives, not stay inside a room for a good part of the day.

"Once again, we’re back. To think just a week has passed since I almost died."

The two of them were laughing it off, together with some other friends.

"You sure did scare us, running on your own like that. The teachers were almost going insane, all because of that one stunt."

They kept laughing, all the more joyfully. It all worked well, and Mark became an important piece in the new era to come. As of how things stood at the moment, no one could win a battle with him—that is, no one on the side of humanity. He leveled up too much, since the enemies he took out were of a higher level than him, and he did it alone.

The whole class went silent with the sound of the door handle, signaling their teacher coming in—the physics teacher, the school principal, Miss Dungeon. She stepped in, like always, without looking around, going straight for her seat.

"Good morning, class. I would like to introduce the new student; please come in."

She waved the student to come in while the whole class watched, whispering among themselves. The streaks of red hair caught Mark’s attention, making his mind hazy. Her brown eyes were filled with grace—a cold feeling that sent shivers down Mark’s spine.

No good, she looks good, yet I’m 101% sure she’s not good news.

She came next to the teacher, turning to the class.

"Hello everybody, my name is Charlotte. I’m glad to make your acquaintance, and I hope we’ll get along well."

Her eyes drifted towards the door, right where Mark was. He stared her right in the eye, not budging. He looked calm, yet deep down he was intrigued by the appearance of a new someone.

I bet 10 bucks she’s part of that damned organization. If she messes with me, I’ll make sure she never dares look at me again.

Both of them were caught in each other’s gaze, like two storms colliding.

She sat down, taking out her notebook, ready to go on with the day. The entire hour passed as always, with Mark coming up with some crazy uses of what he'd learned, none of which would practically work—but he had magic now.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. Miss Dungeon went outside, once again in a hurry. Charlotte got up, the girls assaulting her, wishing to know each other. The same old compliments girls give each other on a daily basis popped up, making her blush. Once the storm settled around her, she made way for Mark, who was busy with his manga.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed her approaching, yet he pretended he did not. She pointed at Sebas’ chair, which was empty at the moment.

"Mind if I take a seat?"

Mark, trying not to glare too much, nodded in approval.

"So, you must be Mark. To think the man who took care of the invasion was no more than a weeb. Pathetic."

He turned his phone off, sitting with his legs crossed.

"What do you want from me? And you better watch your mouth, I’m not scared to screw you over."

Mark let some of his mana rage around, pressing her and those around. She didn’t back away; she fought back.

"Well, if that’s all you’re capable of, then it won’t be enough to take me on. Make sure to remember your place."

Mark stared at her, his face no longer capable of holding back his laugh. He started laughing hysterically, scaring those around, who looked at him with shame.

"To think the day would come when someone would dare provoke me who has magic. You better watch that mouth of yours, otherwise I’m cutting you and this city in half."

She tried to get a grasp of his character, which was impossible. Mark formed his personality in a way that made it impenetrable. Those around could see only what he was willing to show, and he was no fool to show his entire being.

"If you’re so confident, how about dueling me? This was my intention in the first place: I win, I take that weapon of yours."

Mark gave it a thought, brushing his non-existent beard like a wise old man would.

"Well, what if I win?"

"Set your prize."

"How about you become my slave? I get to do whatever I want with you, and you can’t say no. Don’t worry if you don’t wish to accept, I wouldn’t duel myself either, since I know I’d lose if I were in your shoes."

Her eyes widened and her face flushed as she locked her gaze on him. She thought about the one thing a 17 year old would have on his mind, and her looks were not bad either.

"You animal... Fine, I accept. I’ll make sure to castrate you during the battle."

"Yeah, yeah, let me know when and where."

"How about today, at midnight? Meet me at the train station, that is, if you're not scared."

Mark waved her away with his hand, unbothered by her comments.

To think she wanted that. Well, that's not bad for me; I’ll finally have someone to have some fun with.

Charlotte got a glimpse of Mark’s face, hoping to see him delight in his own fantasy, yet she was met with the face of a man lost in thought.

No matter, I’ll make sure to get that weapon of yours, all while cutting you down in the process.

Sebas came back, sitting down in his chair.

"Hm? Why is my seat warm? Did someone sit here while I was gone?"

"Yes, someone did sit here. It was Charlotte; apparently she wants to duel me, hoping to get my sword."

"To get your sword, ey?"

Sebas smiled at Mark, winking endlessly.

"No, you moron, she wants the sword I got back when Contact occurred."

"Oh, well, give her hell."

"You know damn well I will."

With that, Mark exchanged another glance with Charlotte, who kept glancing at him from time to time, as if trying to intimidate him. For the first time in a long time, his focus changed from his crush to this random girl.