Silence followed Liam's words, and both parties didn't know what to say. However, Edward made sure to convey that he wasn't in the mood to stay with Liam any longer, and he moved toward the door to try forcing it open.
His hand reached for the door, and he tried to push it open. But no matter how much force he applied, the door wouldn't budge.
Edward looked flustered and turned to Liam as if to ask a question. But before the older man could open his mouth, he decided against speaking and turned back toward the door in front of him.
Liam Sanders wasn't a particularly scary or impressive man to look at. In fact, he would go as far as to say he was rather average-looking and acting.
As a victim of the system, Liam had spent most of his life underfed and malnourished. Even after a few years of proper meals, his body had yet to recover. That was why people weren't afraid when they looked at him.
But for the first time in his life, Liam saw another human cowering before him. And Edward, who was larger and bulkier than Liam, made the situation even more surreal, filling Liam with a sense of superiority.
"What the fuck—! Is this some kind of joke to you? Why isn't the door opening? Did you lock us both in here? You'd better stop this joke, or I'll be forced to take drastic measures against you."
Edward's threat would have usually made Liam panic and beg the older man to help him or not abandon him. But because of his close brush with death and the system he'd gained, Liam didn't feel much fear anymore.
Instead, irritation and anger filled his soul.
'Deep breaths. I need to calm down and think rationally. I can't be the one to call it quits, or I'll lose my only source of income. If I'm going to walk out of here without a job, I need to ensure it's while being officially fired instead.'
It would suck to be jobless, but it would suck even more to have no unemployment benefits.
"Boss, I didn't close the door. Are you sure you're trying to open it the right way?"
Liam asked in a low voice. He was just trying to speak, but his tone grated on Edward's nerves.
Even if Liam hadn't intended to insult him, Edward didn't appreciate being spoken to at all.
A heavy fist swung toward Liam's face, but he barely flinched. Instead, Edward, who had thrown the punch, panted heavily as he cradled his wrist, giving Liam a harsh glare.
"Fucker! If you didn't lock us in, then prove it. Hurry up and open the door so we can get out."
Liam walked past his boss and extended his hand toward the door. He could feel the magic locking it, but as soon as his hand made contact, the magic recoiled and allowed him to open the door.
"See? I told you the door was open. Boss, aren't you coming out?"
Liam asked while looking back at Edward.
Edward instantly looked vindicated but quickly calmed down. His eyes held a certain look that made Liam tense up. Liam could tell something unpleasant was about to happen.
"You know what? I've had enough of your crap. Don't bother showing up to work tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that. You're fired—and before you ask, I won't give you an official document to prove it."
Edward made his stance clear, and while Liam wanted to say he was surprised, he wasn't.
His boss was the type of man Liam expected nothing better from.
So instead of getting angry or pleading with his boss, Liam decided to approach the situation differently to get Edward in trouble.
"All right. In that case, I'll take my stuff and leave now. I hope the next time I see you, you'll have a better life."
Liam's calmness surprised his boss. Edward hadn't expected such a measured response and would even go as far as to say it was a first for him.
Most people Edward fired either cried or begged to be taken back. Liam was the only one who seemed utterly indifferent.
"Oi, what are you planning? I can tell by the look in your eyes that you want to bring me down. But let me tell you—I've got deep pockets, and if you try coming after me, you'll be the one who ends up dead."
Edward warned as Liam walked out of his office.
Liam gathered his belongings before deciding to leave. But instead of heading home, he turned toward the corner of his workplace that led to the security room.
If he was going to be fired, he would make sure Edward went down with him. The risks could be dealt with later.
Liam used his magic to open the security door and enter the safe room.
Usually, it was locked behind a complex mechanism, as the company had many illegal secrets that could cause trouble if exposed. And Liam was eager to steal those secrets now.
Accessing the computer to find the files was easy. But copying or even opening them posed a tougher challenge.
Thankfully, Liam had a degree in the field, and he managed to bypass the locks and hack into the main system.
"System, keep an eye on the surroundings and alert me if anyone approaches."
[Affirmative. I will monitor the area for the user.]
The system assured him, giving Liam much-needed peace of mind. With renewed focus, he hacked away at the keyboard to access the mainframe.
Within minutes, he had all the company's secrets—and more than enough material to take down Edward, his ex-boss.
"Let's see how much you like it when you are forced to be on the setback. Unfortunately, I will need to disappear for some time. Tsk, I would love to see you get into trouble as well. But what can one do in this situation?"
______
International Magius Society—a place where anything and everything to do with magic in the world converged.
Even though the world hadn't had a 'real' magician in a long time, humanity's search for the unknown had never dwindled. As a result, a group of like-minded people, who couldn't perform magic themselves but had 'other ways to achieve magic,' gathered and formed a society.
Slowly over time, they began to infiltrate governments and other important institutions until they had a network and secured funding to further their 'magic.'
As such, magic returned to the world, but it was hidden in the shadows.
Once in a while, the society met to share advancements in magic. One such meeting took place on the same night Liam was fired.
"So, did anyone else feel that surge of power recently? Our meters picked up a new surge of energy, but I have yet to identify its source. Did anyone else experience it?"
This question was asked by a fierce red-haired lady. Juna Melodious, the 15th highest-ranked magician and representative of the Honor Guild, spoke in a tense voice.
She was a strict woman and was approaching her late 60s. She had spent her entire life in pursuit of magic, and her high-ranking position reflected her efforts.
Usually, she was the highest-ranking person in the room, but not this time.
For the first time in a long while, the room was filled with high-ranking individuals who had also detected the same anomaly she had.
Except for the top 5, most prominent members were present and discussing the issue.
"Tsk, so it wasn't only us who picked up on this reading? Ah well, it doesn't matter who detected it first—I'll be the one to investigate it, so don't bother going after it."
Ashley Dew, an independent magician and the 6th-ranked individual, spoke up to assert his claim. He was young compared to the others, and at just 35 years old, he had already made a name for himself.
As the 6th rank, no one dared argue with him or challenge his authority. It was widely accepted that people yielded before his power.
Cough
But not everyone was going to sit back and let Ashley dominate the discussion—especially not Emma Lagington, the 7th-ranked magician.
"I don't think we'll get the chance to interfere. Can't you see there are some people missing here? I'm afraid they've already taken the opportunity to investigate this."
Emma pointed out that the top 5 had chosen not to attend. This either meant they were busy with other matters or had already gone in search of the newly detected anomaly.
Between these two possibilities, the second seemed far more likely.
The tides of power were about to change and in the center of this change stood an unsuspecting person no one knew about until now.
Liam Sanders had no idea what his life was about to become, but for now, he had more pressing matters to deal with urgently. And one of them was his upcoming internet bill.