Men are strange creatures, they can fight for almost anything, as if fighting was some sort of entertainment for them. The most ridiculous thing we can fight for, however, is always a woman.

.....

In a less developed neighborhood of the city, inside a dark and deep alleyway a group of high school students could be seen engaged in a brawl.

The place was gross with crumbling brick walls and smelly dumpsters. It was obvious that almost nobody came here.

While they were fighting, the sound of their footsteps and shouts echoed in the alley. Instead of a fight, it was more like a game going on. A group of four kids ganged up on one while having fun beating the hell out of him.

"Take that, bitch, how dare you think of my girl" Howling that one of the students rushed towards Keith and banged his knee on his abdomen.

He Hit so hard, Keith felt his guts waver, as a result, his stomach tightened and he threw up.

His legs were still quivering as he touched the ground.

Keith was in terrible shape. He had facial contusions, lacerations to his extremities.

His limbs were sore and he was no longer in a position to defend himself from any up coming attack.

He could feel his heart rate skyrocketing, he tried taking deep breaths to calm down, but it didn't work.

' How did I end up in this situation? '

Keith couldn't help but think of the tough life he had until today.

' It's only going to get worse, in this world if I can't use magic, I'll end up being nothing but cannon fodder. '

Some crazy idea just popped up in his head.

' If I am to die then I would at least prefer to die as a sigma. '

If anyone could hear his thoughts, he could confirm that Keith was out of his mind. This trauma probably caused a connection issue in his brain.

" He..hehe... "

Hearing Keith sneer, the guy couldn't stop himself from becoming even more angry.

' What, moron, why you're laughing '

' Is that guy so desperate for death' Seeing their boss become angry, the underling couldn't help but doubt if Keith was crazy.

" Hey asshole, did you just mock me "

Saying that, he smashed his right palm in Keith's face, breaking his nose.

Massive amounts of blood started running down his nose. Keith knew he was on the verge of fainting, but before that, he had something to tell him.

" Hehe..., No I was just happy for you two "

"You are cut out for each other"

"She's pretty and smart, and you a brain-dead muscle head."

" Hehehe... I am pretty sure she would be happy to have a dog like you "

" Boss...! " Seeing his boss rushing to Keith with a baton, the minion shouted.

* bang..! *

With a loud sound, Keith felt his vision fade away.

"Boss, you just killed the guy."

" Don't worry, he just passed out "

"Boss, what if the police find out. "

" Don't worry, I can handle everything "

"It's just the cops, I can buy them out. "

* * *

( few hours ago )

Rosewood International, one of the city's premier schools, with fees high enough that a middle-class family would not even be able to afford external expenses such as books and clothing, let alone institutional expenses.

It was already evening time and most of the students should have gone home by now, but for some reason, there was a student walking down the empty hallway.

He was Keith Miller, one of the top student at the school. He came from a rather poor middle-class family, a mother who ran a small bakery and a father who had a 9 to 5 corporate job.

In fact, his parents could never afford to send him to such an expensive school, and his clothes clearly showed that.

Even though his clothes were neat, tidy and uncluttered, but because of extensive use and washing over and over again, they had already lost their shine and even their color had started to fade.

His clothes may not be the best, but in front of his handsome and charming face, shiny sapphire blue eyes, his radiant smile and his humble and modest demeanor, his clothes looked more like an imperfect backdrop.

Soon Keith arrived at a luxurious door with an identity plate saying 'principal's office'.

Trying to fix any flaw in his attire, Keith made sure that he was at his best.

*knock* *knock * *knock*

Then he knocked the door.

" Who is it " One voice came from within the office.

"Sir, it's Keith, Keith Miller " Keith was very respectful in what he said.

"O.. , Keith come in, I was waiting for you "

Upon receiving permission to enter, Keith opened the door.

Inside the room was sitting a rugged looking old man. He had white hair, well-groomed beard, broad shoulders and muscular physique made and if that wasn't enough, he had old battle scars still visible on his face and more hidden under his coat. He look more like a retired general than a principal.

" Keith, come and have a seat. "

" Thank you, sir " Keith spoke courteously and sat down.

" So, do you want anything, tea, coffee, a cold drink? Well, I can even get you beer if that's what you want. "

Keith sometimes doubts whether this person really is a principal.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to be thrown out of the house" Keith politely turned him down.

"Okay, so you will have tea." Saying he reached the phone placed on his table and pressed a button.

"Bring me some tea and refreshments."

(Of course, sir, I'll get it right away.)

Ordering the tea the old man cut the call and went back to face Keith.

"So tell me Keith, why have you visited this old man today?"

"Sir, aren't you the one who summoned me"

Keith glared at the old man, had it not been for the old man calling him, Keith would have already gone home.

"Oh..., I nearly forgot "

After sorting the files on his tables, the old man pulled out an envelope.

" So, Keith, have you thought about what you'll do after graduation? "

Upon hearing his question, Keith's face became distorted, very anxious and worried.

" Sir, have the test results arrived? "

Keith expected it to arrive by now and to hear the old man speak of the future, he was certain that they had arrived.

The old man sighed.

"Well, it's not that I was trying to hide it, but yes they are"

"Here, take a look"

The old man pushed the folder toward him.

Keith's hands were trembling, he was fighting to even open the file. He knew that the paper in it was what determined his future, he didn't expect too much, but just enough to become a mage.

Opening this file as he removed the paper, When he glanced at it, Keith was disheartened, his dream crumbled before his own eyes.

' No...no...no.no.no.no '

He had a GMCT score of 0.7 of 10 and even his chance to awaken magic was a measly 30%.

With that score, there was no way the council could sponsor him a grant, it wouldn't matter if he even tops the entrance.

The old man expected that this would impact Keith, but not to that degree.

" Keith, not everybody's cut out for the same thing. "

"And if you can't become a mage, I'm sure with your intelligence you'll excel at what you do. "

" Don't think this is an end, this is a fresh start. "

The old man sighed and carried on speaking.

" Well, I will not tell you what you should do and what you shouldn't, but if you feel you can't make up your mind about something, join me for a cup of tea, and perhaps I can assist you.

Keith was too troubled to understand even one word of what he said, and even the old man realized it was useless to speak any longer.

" Sir, can I take my leave "

Even after not being in a good state of mind, Keith made sure to be polite with his words.

" Sure "

Getting up, he made his way towards the door.

As soon as he walked out of the room, tears started to flow through his eyes. He controlled it for quite some time, but it finally broke out. He knew it wasn't the right place to let his emotions out, walking rapidly through the corridor, he climbed the stairs.

Upon arriving on the roof, he found a quiet corner to sit down.

*Weep..! * * Weep...! *

" Hehe..., Excelling at something else, hehehehe.... "

"It's all just pointless"