After leaving the hall, Thomas, Gray, and Samantha exchange their phone numbers. Gray wants Thomas's number to reach each other if there's a change in plans.
"Nice, see you tomorrow, Thomas."
"Yes, bye."
Samantha asks for his number because she's interested in him, and Thomas doesn't mind that. She is a red-haired woman with stylish glasses and long legs. Anyone who doesn't know her would think she is a supermodel or an idol. So, Thomas leaves them with a promise to message her if he has time.
"Lets talk tonight, okay?"
"Alright, bye Samantha."
Conversating with a gorgeous girl is intriguing for him, but it will also shut the system up whenever he's got nothing to do. Browsing random things on the internet is fun. But it gets boring.
Thomas ranked his magical power and talent as the highest within the evaluation. He gets a card proving that he is a full-fledged magician. With this card, he can now be both adventurer and hunter.
"Sweet. System, give me information about these two jobs."
[Adventurers are like mercenaries, they register in guilds, where they get quests like hunting certain beasts, helping travellers, and picking up items. Everything as long as it is not a crime.]
[What about hunters?]
[Hunters are focusing on dungeons and magic towers. Ages ago, someone cursed dungeons and magic towers, where monsters spawn from negative or chaotic energies. Such a monster will disappear after death, leaving just a magic crystal, weapon, armour, or other items.]
"Can you get anything actually valuable there?"
[Yes, they even drop magic books or skill books. One gives you a sword skill or helps you learn a specific magic spell. Even though hunters are the preferred profession because of more accessible money, adventurers have more connections with the regular world. Dungeons and magic towers never release monsters into our world. And the moment you come inside a dungeon or magic tower, you will enter an alternative world. Sometimes the rift to the alternative world opens, and monsters from the alternative world come to ours. This situation is where adventurers come in. Adventurers work in our world, hunters in alternative ones.]
Thomas figures both professions had their benefits. And he would like to check both before making a choice. Even though a newbie in magic, Thomas is S tier ranker.
"Hehe"
He walks past the shop and sees three familiar faces. It was Sandra, her boyfriend Jake, and his friend Mark. Without even realizing it himself, Thomas's eyes changes in colour. Soon he hears them calling for him.
"Hey Thomas, my buddy. Long time no see," Jake mocked; two others started laughing. "HaHa, come, have a smoke with us!"
Thomas glares at them angrily but decides that this is not the best place to get involved. No, he needs to go somewhere more secluded.
"Yo, why are you glaring at us? So scaaaaary," Sandra laughed.
"C'mon, what's wrong with your eyes? How dare you glare at my girlfriend, you bitch! One suicide wasn't enough? I can help you with that if you want me to!" Jake was furious that a person like Thomas dared to glare at him.
"Chill, Jake. It's fine. Just ignore him." Sandra tries holding him by his hand, however. Jake shakes her hand away and, together with Mark, starts walking toward Thomas.
"Don't worry, babe, I won't hurt him too badly. Maybe he won't even try to kill himself this time," Jake replies with an ugly grin.
'What's wrong with these guys?' Thomas asked himself. 'So stressed because I glared at them? Seriously?'
Thomas started running away.
"Yo, get him. I wanna break his arm," Jake screamed and, together with Mark, chased after him. "NOW!"
Both of them channel their magical energies into their feet to run faster. Now they are running as fast as a car. However, they were too dumb to realize one thing. The person they're chasing shouldn't use magic how they can't catch up. They chased him to the forest.
"Stop running, you coward!" Jake shrieks. "Even if not today, I will get you tomorrow, not tomorrow, then the day after that and for every second you make us waste, we will punch you more!"
'Who talks like that? Do they think this is some thug life movie?' Thomas thinks to himself, chuckles, and then stops running and faces them.
"Got scared? Don't worry, since you were smart enough to take a beating today, tomorrow I will beat you less!" Mark started grinning while Jake clenched his fists.
Thomas says nothing and bites his lip until blood flows down his chin. Then Thomas hears a notification.
[You're injured. Do you request demonic transformation?]
"Yes! Lets GO!"
Thomas shouts, and his corrupted voice echoes in the entire forest as his body releases a grey aura. An evil grin shows up on his face as he slowly loses sanity.
Meanwhile, about three kilometres away, Johnson Miller was having a meal with his daughter inside the coffee shop.
"How was your training?"
"…"
"I see…"
It was his day off, and he wanted to spend some family time with Olivia. However, she didn't want to have a conversation with him, so his effort was meaningless. All she does is browse social media.
*Boom!* Even the ground shakes as the massive pillar of light shows up inside the forest. And Johnson becomes alert as he assumes it might be a new rift opening, so he uses spatial magic and opens a portal for people inside a coffee shop and his daughter to get to safety.
"Dad, I am coming with you," Olivia says. However, Johnson tried pushing her inside the portal. "OMG, dad, I am already bronze Four. I can help!"
"Indeed, your rank is just bronze 4, and who knows what level rift this might be.," Johnson replies while pushing her inside the portal. He makes another portal to get straight into the forest where a substantial light pillar came. Johnson is already a peak gold magician. He is sure that he can at least survive if it's a high-ranked rift until he gets a backup. However, what he sees is not just any monster. It is a monster among monsters. Even just its killing intent was enough to make Johnson's head spin.
"What on earth is this?" he hears Jake's voice. "Mark, are you okay?"
But because of being Mark being closest to Thomas, he receives the most negative energy from him. He was unconscious on the ground, bleeding all over the body.
"AHHHH!!!"
The monster is screaming because of immense pain. Its skin is burning, and Thomas keeps ripping it off, exposing his burning muscles and boiling blood. Monster has yet to confirm the three of them exist. Johnson asks Mark about the situation.
"Are there any more monsters here?" Johnson asked.
"Monsters? Yes. It must be that! He is a monster, isn't he?" Jake quickly replies. He takes his friend's unconscious and tries to escape. However, it is the moment that Thomas stops burning all over. And the monster finally notices them.
*ROOOOOOAR!* he opened his mouth so hard that his cheek skin tore apart, revealing teeth. Thomas's arms and legs elongated, and if we count his cat's ears, he now stood at 2,25 meters tall. A black aura completely hides his whole body. Johnson realizes that the monster finally knows about their existence and wants to attack. So he acts first.
"Kids, retreat, and call for backup. I will keep this thing busy." He told while forming a blue fireball in his left hand.
"Your energy may be high, but don't underastimate me! I am a gold-ranked magician!" he shouts while throwing the fireball. The moment it touched Thomas's, a tremendous explosion erupted.
[System- Acquired gold level magic spell "Fireball]
[System- Gold level magic spell "Fireball" developing]
[System- Host will now be able to use "Hellfire"]
Cat monster screams and spits out a fireball, similar to the one Johnson used.
"So you're a fire-type monster, huh?" Johnson was hiding his nervousness while talking t himself. He notices he can't defeat him. However, Johnson can try sealing it with his spatial magic. He focused most of his energy on this spatial spell.
"White Prison!"
[Unknown type of energy discovered. Do you want to gain it?]
[Because the host is unable to reason, the system will decide for him]
[Spatial energy gained]
[White Prison spell acquired]
Johnson is anxious, but he relaxes when his "White prison" sucks the monster inside.
However, the monster uses the same energy primitively. Cat monster focuses all newly acquired energy on his body. Now the grey aura on his hands turned completely white. And the monster used his claws to tear the white prison apart. When Johnson sees this, he loses all hope.
"I guess I won't return home, haha!"
He sees a monster holding two black fireballs leveled peak gold. He instinctively uses "Firewall" and "Solid air barrier" spells; however, he knows he won't come out unscathed.
"So, this is how I die? Olivia, Maria… Have a good life." He thinks about his daughter and wife. He also can't use spatial magic to escape, as he wastes all spatial energy on "White prison."
"Fuck"
Johnson can only curse his bad luck.
[The host will regain sanity in 3… 2… 1]