Author's Note: Now we'll get going on with the second part of this story! My first chapter has gotten over 2000 views, so I guess this means I'm pretty famous now. The line for autographs starts over there. Ladies, ladies, please! One at a time!
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David is eating breakfast at the table with Cindy. His breakfast just consists of a few pieces of toast which he made himself, while Cindy's breakfast looks like it belongs at an all star world tour breakfast buffet with exotic meats and vegetables. David is sure some of Cindy's dishes are from species that are supposed to be extinct. Of course, it was prepared for her by their mother.
He has long since gotten used to this sort of treatment. If he ever saw his mom prepare a meal for him like she does for Cindy, David would probably think she had been replaced by an android. David doesn't care about extravagant meals or meals in general. He just thinks of food as fuel to keep his body running.
While they are eating, Cindy is on her AR glasses laughing at a video she is watching. It's so funny to her that she keeps almost falling out her chair. David doesn't know why she keeps eating with him at the same time, but he wishes she could stop so he doesn't have to deal with that.
Their father comes in and wonders what has got Cindy up in stitches.
“Hahaha! Cindy what's so funny? I heard you from the other side of the house!”
“Dad, look at this video!”
He puts on his own AR glasses, and watches the video along with Cindy, laughing with her.
“My goodness! This is hilarious! I wish your brother were here to see it so we could laugh at it together. Wait, maybe me, your mother, you, and Michael can go watch a movie on the weekend or something. It definitely has to be a comedy! It's been a while since we done something as a family together.”
“Yeah! It's been a while since I've seen Michael!” She says excitedly.
Cindy then remembers that David is sitting at the table. She cringes and looks at him. He's not even paying attention to them.
Cindy says, “Um, what about David?”
Their father says, “What about him!? Maybe if he weren't so lazy, he could go on a family outing with us.”
David interjects saying, “I'm not interested in going anywhere with you people.”
“You keep that attitude up and you can forget about vacationing with us again this year.” Their father says sternly.
“The only reason, I repeat ONLY reason I would ever vacation with you people is if every other point on planet earth was devoid of oxygen, and even them I would have to think about it.” David states as a matter of fact.
Cindy confused asks, “What's an earth?”
Father says, “He means Google.”
“Oh right. Sometimes I forget.”
David gets up and goes to school. Cindy sighs.
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David is in homeroom reading a book. The people in the class he is in are talking about different things. Now the topic has switched to what they are doing in New Reality.
“Hey Jacob, what level are you now?”
“223. It's hard leveling up the beast tamer class.”
“Don't tell me you became a beast tamer so you could acquire Soul Bond with one of the beasts.”
“Yeah, you got me.”
“Soul Bonding is rare, even for beast tamers. You're just wasting your time.”
“Well enough about me. Where are you now?”
“I'm in the lair of Detlenear.”
“Oh, that's a tough one. That's a C-rank dungeon isn't it? How many people in your party?”
“A little over 60.”
“Hmm... you might stand a chance with over 60. What's the highest leveled person in your group?”
“251.”
“Never mind. I take it back.”
Others are talking about what they're doing.
“I'm just waiting for the periodic A-rank mission, so I'm just hunting normally for now. During that time is an experience galore, even if people usually don't succeed in beating it.”
“I think I'll skip on that mission this time. I hate trying to fight in water. It sucks.”
“That mission comes 5 times a year, or once a year in-game, and yet no one has still unlocked the aquatic demi-human race.”
“It's crazy too. The top guilds have attempted to unlock it to no avail. Get yer lazy asses in gear top guilds!”
“Remember the year when the number 3 guild in the world finally managed to beat the A-rank by a hair's breadth and they still didn't unlock it? They were so pissed! Hilarious.”
“How many of you are going to go there?”
“Not me. I'll wait for the next one. I'm trying to learn a skill from some old warrior, but he's so stingy! It's gonna take a while.”
“I'll go. I want to see what huge guild will tackle the mission this time.”
“I'm going to the archery competition in Armskirk.”
“The archers barely get anybody watching them compared to the mage competitions.”
“Speaking of mage competitions, did you see Scarlettflame in it?”
“Oh fuck yes! It was so beautiful! Let's watch it again!”
The guy brings up the video on his AR glasses making it public, so that anyone can watch it if they have AR glasses on. David had never seen Scarlettflame in action, and he thinks now would be a good time as any to see what she can do.
The video showed an arena, and it looked to be very big, with the walls being around 15 meters tall with the audience in the stands high up. The seats were full besides the ones in the front. Looks like they don't want to get hit with any stray magic attacks.
The announcer says, “Now it's time for what everyone has been waiting for! This girl is hot, in more ways than one! Introducing Scarleeeeettflaaaaaame!”
Scarlettflame appears looking stoic. Her personality is the opposite of her abilities.
Her black hair in real life changed color in the game to dark red hair with orange and yellow streaks. She was an elf. She was wearing a tight shirt that showed off her cleavage and stomach. Along with that, she was wearing a short skirt. She found a way to make herself appear even more beautiful than before.
The funny thing is that Scarlettflame wasn't trying to make herself more beautiful. She just wanted to use fire magic, and elves are one of the best when it comes to that, so she chose it. The revealing clothes that she's wearing gave her the best options when it came to firepower, so she chose it. She doesn't give a damn about beauty.
There were multiple targets scattered everywhere. Scarlettflame made flames in her hands. She put her hands close together as if she were about to pray. In the middle of her hands, flames start coming out. The flames started rotating in her hands. “From the fires of destruction, incinerate all in my path. Fireball Multi Strike.” She said calmly.
A ball started forming in between her hands. The fire coincidentally took on the shape, size, and color of a basketball. She then throws it in the air. When it reaches its highest point, the ball expands to 30 times its size, then separates into 29 fireballs, the same number of fireballs as targets. They each hit the targets dead in the center. What was more astonishing was that the fireballs went through the targets, even though they were more than twice as thick as trees.
The crowd starts cheering.
“Oooooooh! Did you see that!? She is too hot to handle right now!” The announcer says.
Scarlettflame kept doing amazing things. She made fire whips, fire rings to slice through things, and fire lances to pierce. The destruction was amazing, and one could tell she was holding back. Everyone watching the video was talking about how powerful she was, but David was impressed with something else entirely.
'She's found an amazing balance between using system assist, and controlling the flames on her own. System assist will only let you control one thing at once. To create that fire ring required someone to modify the fire ring spell to output a substantial amount of power, while still keeping the shape.
I've never even heard of someone using system assist and your own skill at the same time. She manipulated the game to her own advantage. Something like that takes intelligence. Her praise is deserved. You have my respect Scarlettflame.' David thought in admiration.
David knows about the fire ring spell, because he knows about the majority of the classes in New Reality. He's been preparing those 4 years in order to defend himself adequately against any class, and his arsenal reflects that.
Next was a fight between mages. Scarlettflame was up against a water mage. The water mage was powerful, had weird clothes, and a scepter in her hands. Now, type advantage exists between mages, and fire is weak against water. No, the mage system doesn't work on Pokemon rules.
The water mage prepared an aqua ball spell. “Water, bringer of life, wash away my enemies. Aqua ball!” She fired the spell. The Aqua ball spell looked to be 6 meters in diameter and was heading for Scarlettflame. She was calm and didn't even look at the Aqua ball. Scarlettflame prepared her spell. David then saw something that he would engrave in his mind forever. Scarlettflame's hand touched the ground, and a small trail of fire went out and headed towards her opponent far faster than the Aqua ball. It was almost like lightning.
“Are you underestimating me?” The water mage irritated said looking at the puny line of flames.
When she thought the line of fire was going to her, it split in 2, then went around the water mage, then when the 2 lines joined again to make a circle about as big as a 3 point space on a basketball court, a huge flame pillar went flying out from where the circle was drawn. David had never read a move that looked like that.
David shocked thinks, 'I've never seen anything close to a move like that in the books I've read. Did she invent that herself!?'
Luciana walks in the classroom. She sees that everyone is focused on a video that has public access, which means that everyone with AR glasses can watch. What made her more curious about the video was that David Lewis himself was captivated by it.
David may not know, but the respect that David has for Luciana is reciprocated by Luciana herself. She always found it how he likes to hide his abilities along with his loner nature cool. She knows that David gets top awards in some subjects, and also how formidable he is in a fight because Rory told her. She wouldn't mind being friends with David.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
When Luciana sees the video, she sees her highlights from a mage competition. The prize was something that could improve her fire power, so she entered it. She didn't do the competition for fame, as Luciana isn't one to care about that sort of thing.
People don't know it, but Luciana is fairly simple. Deep in her beautiful body lies the heart of an arsonist. When Luciana was younger, she would always love seeing the flames dance. She kept lighting random things on fire just to see the fire. It started with candles, then moved on to firewood, then bushes, then toys, and it quickly escalated. Luciana literally just wanted to watch the world burn. Her father disciplined her many times, and gradually she grew out of lighting random things on fire, but her love for fire never died. She always watched shows where there were characters that had fire powers. It doesn't matter if they were the hero or villain. She would cheer for the one who controlled fire.
One day while watching a video on her AR glasses, she saw a character that launched fireballs. Luciana thought, 'Hey, those fireballs look an awful lot like basketballs.'
That's how she got into the sport. Sure, she was extremely talented in basketball, but to Luciana, it was a poor replacement for launching fireballs.
New Reality was a miracle for her. She was determined to get fire powers no matter what. It showed. She picked the elf race, known for their beauty, and modified her appearance so that it screamed, “I have fire powers!”, but Luciana didn't care about the looks. She picked the elf race because of their high affinity for magic. Everything that Luciana did just to make herself stronger and less bored, turned out to make her ever more popular among people.
She modeled because someone offered to pay, and it was incredibly easy. All she would have to do is stand there in some poses with different clothes on, and people would take pictures. No biggie. She didn't even think about the fame. She thought she would just use the money to buy more stuff for even bigger flames in New Reality. By the time she realized her popularity, it was too late.
Now she's annoyed because of all the attention she's getting. She didn't even want to get famous in New Reality. She just liked lighting things on fire and killing things with flames, and she killed all the time, which eventually got her to be a ranker. When a message came up offering her even more power in exchange for the world to know that she is a ranker, she didn't give it a second thought.
Luciana doesn't care about what they're watching and quietly takes her seat. When the video of her highlights are over, the people start making a commotion about how awesome she is.
“Did you see that flame pillar!? Tell me I wasn't the only one to see that flame pillar!”
“Did you see how she split that fireball into pieces and hit the targets?”
“Yes you guys. We all saw the same video.” A girl says annoyed.
“She is so cool!”
“Don't you mean she is so hot?”
“She was on fire!”
“She had me burning up with excitement from her attacks!”
“She brought the heat!”
“She fired her!”
“Does that water mage smoke? Because she did in that video!”
“These are all puns about fire.”
Luciana having enough calmly says, “If I hear one more pun, I'm kicking your asses.”
Everyone, noticing who said it, shut up.
'Finally.' David thought.
David went to his 1st period class, history, when the bell ending home room rung. Nothing interesting happens there, so we'll move on to his 2nd period AP Calculus class. They are getting their tests back.
Afterwards the teacher teaches them, talking to the students saying, “Does anyone know what to do when you are given an answer of 0/0 when you plug in the numbers of the point into the derivative? Anyone?”
Cecile raises her hand, and shakes it for good measure.
“Anyone besides Cecile?”
Cecile still raises her hand.
“How about you David Lewis? Do you know?”
This teacher is one of the few who notices David, because he finds him brilliant. David is reading a book that has nothing to do with Calculus.
“No.” He gives his answer without looking up.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Cecile still has her hand in the air. The teacher sighs.
“Okay. Cecile, what do you do?”
“You use L'Hopital's rule and take the derivatives of the top and bottom equations. If it gives you 0/0 again when you plug in the numbers, take the derivatives again until you have an answer that's not 0/0.” Cecile smiles at herself.
“Very good Cecile. You answered almost all my questions today, leaving almost nothing for anybody else.”
When the bell rings for 3rd period, Cecile runs over to David's desk.
“Ha! David look at this! 110! A perfect score and I got the bonus! There's no way you can beat me this time!”
David hands her his test.
“What!? 132!? But that's impossible!”
“Well obviously it's not impossible, because I got the score.” David says nonchalantly.
“Oooo next time I'll definitely beat you!”
“You said that exact phrase how many times now? Are you getting Alzheimer's? Because know that we now have a cure for that. You don't have to suffer anymore.”
“Shut up you big dummy!” She sticks her tongue out and hurriedly walks away.
David is one his way to his next class thinking, 'My god she is so annoying. Every time I see her, she keeps getting more and more annoying. I need to think of some way to get her to back off. Hmm... Wait, I know! It has never failed me before! I'll ask her out! She would reject me, and things between us would be so awkward that she would never want to see me again!'
David inadvertently makes himself feel bad, then starts to cringe because of the memories coming through. He tries to think through the process of getting rejected by Cecile.
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David's imagination:
At the end of class, David goes to Cecile.
He says, “Hey, can I meet with you in the gym after school is done? There's something really important I have to tell you.”
“Wow. It's not like you to come talk to me, so it must be really important.”
David then walks away and waits for the promised time. When he goes to the gym, he sees Cecile there waiting for him.
“So what was so important that you had to wait until the end of school to tell me?” Cecile says.
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Scenario One:
“President, there is something that I have always wanted to tell you.”
'Oh no. Another confession?' Panics Cecile.
“What?”
“I have fallen madly in love with you! Please be my girlfriend!” David exclaims with more passion than what he is capable of.
“Um, I'm sorry, but maybe we should just stay friends.” Cecile says with a disgusted face along with no intention of seeing David ever again. She then runs away.
“Wait. That disgusted face. That tone! I'm freeeee! No woman ever wants to talk to me after saying those things!”
David runs around in circles while confetti rains down along with a banner from the ceiling that says “Mission Accomplished.”
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Scenario Two:
“President, there is something that I have always wanted to tell you.”
Cecile raises an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I have fallen madly in love with you! Please be my girlfriend!”
“...Pffft. HAHAHAHA! Oh man! I'm so beautiful and talented that you couldn't help but fall in love with me, right!? HAHAHAHA! Oh man! What's even funnier is that you thought you had a chance! HAHAHA! Oh, I will constantly remind you from this day onward of how you tried and failed at asking me out! I'm sure everyone would get a kick out of this confession!”
The next day, David eats lunch in his corner when Cecile comes over.
“Hey lover boy. If you get me 20 dollars, I'll allow you to have me in your fantasies for a day.”
Later on, David once again beats Cecile in a test.
“Hmph. You think you're so clever, yet you've fallen in love with me.”
Later on, “Hey, I'll let you smell the air that has touched my presence for 50 dollars.”
David says, “This plan has only made things worse!”
A single roll of toilet paper falls from the ceiling saying “Mission failed.”
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Scenario Three:
“President, there is something that I have always wanted to tell you.”
Cecile's heart starts beating madly.
“W-What?”
“I have fallen madly in love with you! Please be my girlfriend!”
She starts weeping tears of joy. She then hugs David.
“Oh David! I feel the same way! Let's always be together!”
“...Huh?”
Never in a billion years did David think he even had a chance. This is outside his calculations. David is in a daze not knowing what to do. While he's out of it, he hears a metal clanging sound with a sound that sounds like something is being closed by a lock. When he looks down, he sees a metal chain attached from his arm to Cecile's arm.
“I thought this might be a confession, so I brought this chain so that we will never be more than 1 foot apart.”
She then destroys the key with her bear hands with some unknown strength, like her hands literally just turned into hands from a bear.
“Whenever going to class, getting married, or even using the bathroom, we will stand by each others' side and be together forever. And ever. And EVER!”
“Hooooraaay?” It trails off into a whisper.
Little pieces of shit fall from the ceiling on them along with a dirty gym sock that says “Worst Case Scenario!” Written on it in crayon.
David's imagination end:
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'Oh my god. The plan to ask her out is canceled. Super canceled. Canceled to hell. Oh man. I just realized that I'm probably the only person in the world who would be ecstatic about rejection. What is wrong with me?'