*** Overpowering Victor
One punch is all it takes to shatter Victor's barrier like glass.
He immediately tries to recast it, but I don't give him the chance. My fist rockets up in a sound-breaking uppercut.
Boom.
He shoots skyward like a launched missile. His secondary barrier flickers and barely holds but holds nonetheless.
That's fine.
I'm not finished.
Wings burst from my back, and I take off after him.
Victor is screaming the whole way down the arc of his fall. With tears streaming down his face and snot running freely.
Now that's a look that suits him perfectly.
I catch up and smash another punch into his gut, sending him even higher.
Then another.
And another.
Each hit launches him farther into the sky like we're playing volleyball with his body.
I don't stop until we're above the clouds.
Finally, I grab him by the collar and hover there, wind howling around us.
His shield is spiderwebbed with cracks.
One more good hit will finish it.
"Let go of me!" he yells, clawing at my arm.
Let go?
I glance down.
We're so high up everyone below looks like ants.
Then I look back at him and grin.
"If that's what you want."
His eyes widen as he realizes what I'm about to do.
"W—wait—"
Too late.
I hurl him down with everything I've got.
His scream trails all the way to the ground—
Then—
CRASH.
He hits hard enough to carve a crater into the earth.
Nice.
But the stubborn bastard's still alive.
His barrier must've absorbed most of the impact before finally giving out.
Fine.
Then I'll finish it myself.
I dive.
Straight down.
He sees me coming and frantically tries to cast more defensive spells.
Too slow.
I slam into him like a meteor.
There's a flash—
And Victor bursts into a cloud of glitter.
…Ugh.
Right.
The glitter.
I stand and try brushing it off my clothes.
Of course it doesn't come off.
Why do avatars have to turn into glitter when they die?
Honestly, normal gore would be way easier to clean.
"GRUGA!"
The orcs' thunderous roar snaps me back to reality. They're cheering like I'm their—well… their goddess.
It's a bit embarrassing, but what can I do? Can't disappoint my fans, right?
I raise both fists and let out a victory shout.
The orcs go wild—
"YEAAAAAH!" Val cuts in, blasting a massive stream of fire straight into the sky.
Everyone freezes and stares at her.
What is she thinking?
Thankfully, after the initial shock, the orcs seem to love the impromptu fireworks. They pound their chests, stomp their feet, and a few even spin their battle axes like it's some kind of festival.
Chest drums. Feet pounding. Weapons whirling overhead.
Yeah… they're definitely celebrating.
I'm glad they're having fun, but I keep my attention on Victor's party. The women are still standing off to the side, staring at me.
The looks they're giving me…
Way too familiar.
Like my ex the day she dumped me.
Cold. Hurt. Furious.
So… are they going to attack? Try to avenge him?
For a second, I brace myself.
But instead, they leave the realm without a word.
Probably rushing off to comfort their precious hero.
…Good.
As much as I love a good fight, hitting a girl?
Yeah. Hard pass. That just feels wrong.
"Gruga."
I glance back.
The shaman.
He steps forward and offers me the duel's prize—the idol—both hands raised respectfully. He even bows his head.
What a guy.
I take the statue and lift it high above my head.
The cheering doubles.
Val fires off another blast of flames like we're at a concert.
Even Fie is hopping up and down, grinning like a kid.
Yeah… I guess we all really wanted to see Victor get wrecked—
"I saw it! I saw it!" Fie blurts out.
Saw what? She doesn't seem to be referring to my awesome victory.
"No way," Jess says, eyes widening. "It worked? You saw the Saviors' statuses?"
Fie nods so hard I'm surprised her head doesn't pop off.
"Yes! They're all under charm!"
…Oh.
Right.
That.
"We now have undeniable proof of charm magic misusage!" she adds, practically vibrating with excitement.
Huh.
I completely forgot that was the whole point of this mission.
…Yeah.
I blame Victor.
He pissed me off so much I forgot we were here for evidence.
"Let's go report this." Jess says.
"Right… I'll grab Val," I reply.
We all turn towards her.
She's completely surrounded by orcs, all of them chanting and hyping her up while she keeps blasting spells into the sky like it's some kind of fireworks show.
Jess winces. "If you can…"
*** Victor's downfall
After performing the divine miracle of parting a sea of orcs to reach Val—perks of being their so-called goddess—we leave the Bloody Valley and reappear at the NAA headquarters.
I'm surprised to see no commotion.
Did the Saviors already leave, huh?
Figures. They were probably in a hurry to console Victor after his humiliating defeat.
Too bad. I would've enjoyed watching him sulk.
Not out of spite or anything…
Okay, fine. Completely out of spite.
But come on. It's Victor. I'm entitled to a little satisfaction.
"Come on, let's file the report!" Fie urges, practically dragging us along.
Right. The report.
We secure a private room and brief Nolan. Fie hands over the magical recording—the one clearly showing Victor's party under the effects of charm magic.
From there, things moved fast.
Victor—real name Hector J. Rudolf—is arrested for illegal use of magic the very next day, and the women who'd been under the charm spell are now receiving proper care. From what I've heard, they're recovering well. Apparently, once they saw their beloved hero's true appearance, much of the spell's influence faded on its own.
Turns out Victor's real-life look belongs to a man who's never been properly introduced to soap.
So much for love being blind.
There are still unresolved matters—like whoever helped him obtain those cursed rings—but that's the police's problem now. My job is finished.
Which means my little act as a member of the Happy Go-Getter can finally end.
No more interviews. No more makeup. No more forcing a cheerful smile while in public.
But…
I'll admit it.
I'm going to miss adventuring with those girls.
It felt nice to be part of a team again. Being in the action knowing someone has your back.
…Maybe I could join them. Not as an assignment. Not undercover. For real.
But if I do that, I'd have to tell them who I really am.
You can't keep secrets like that from your teammates.
So… this Saturday, I'm meeting the girls to show them my human form.
Saying I'm nervous would be an understatement.
But there's no turning back now.
I already reserved a private room. I even delivered my carefully prepared speech about wanting to officially join the Happy Go-Getters.
I practiced that speech at least a hundred times.
And I still managed to fumble it.
I hate speeches.
At least they understood what I was trying to say, and they're more than happy to have me—but I make it clear that I want them to know who I really am before they agree to anything.
"If we're going to be a real team, we need to know who's actually watching our backs," I tell them.
They nod.
Good.
Now comes the hard part.
I take a slow breath and mutter, "Awaken off."
The succubus form fades away, leaving behind my actual self—the tall man I've always been.
"I KNEW IT!" Val shouts instantly.
I blink. "Wait—what? You knew?"
"Yeah… Sorry, Violet. We kind of did," Fie admits.
"Jax. You can call me Jax," I clarify.
I don't want to be called by my avatar's name when in this form.
"But how did you know? " I ask, genuinely baffled.
Jess shrugs. "You weren't exactly subtle. For starters, you eat like a competitive bodybuilder."
…Okay. Fair.
"And you completely zone out whenever we talk about makeup or cute outfits," Fie adds.
"We talked about that?" I ask. When?
She stares at me. Like I just made her point.
Which… I guess I did.
"And your fighting style," Val cuts in, pointing dramatically, "is obviously a hybrid of Ukrainian and Great Britain Olympic extreme heavyweight fighters. No woman fights like that."
We all turn to look at her.
"Val," Jess says carefully, "what are you talking about—"
"No," I interrupt slowly. "She… is actually right."
I did study those fighting styles that make full use of the size and weight of large men.
"I'm just surprised anyone noticed," I admit.
Val puffs out her chest, looking immensely pleased with herself.
This one… I can never tell what's in her head.
Still, I'm relieved none of them seem bothered by the fact that I'm… well. A guy.
And twice their age.
"I guess since you're showing us your real form…" Fie chimes in brightly. "It's only fair that we do the same."
And just like that, they dismiss their avatar forms and introduce themselves properly.
The changes aren't nearly as dramatic as mine—but they're noticeable.
Jess—real name Jessica—goes first. She looks much the same: a woman in her early twenties dressed in sporty clothes, which says a lot about her personality.
Val—Evalyn, actually—is more of a surprise. She's still short, but now she's a full-fledged goth girl. Dark clothes. Tattoos. The works.
It's such a shock—
No, wait. Actually, it fits perfectly considering her chaotic personality.
Lastly, Fie. Her real name is Yue. She lost some of her angelic aura when her hair turned black and eyes stopped glowing—but somehow, she still carries herself with that same quiet, noble presence.
"Yue's the daughter of the president of Flame & Iron Exponents," Val explains casually.
I blink.
I've definitely heard of them. A multinational corporation responsible for producing more than half of the gear used by awakeners worldwide. Heck, I've bought some of their equipment myself.
Oh!
Flame & Iron Exponents.
F.I.E.
Is that where her alias comes from?
Wait. Does that mean Fie's basically royalty?
"I'm not royalty!" Fie says, as if reading my mind.
"She totally is," Val teases.
I watch them argue back and forth and can't help but think, How did it ever come to this?
Me. Joining an all-girl team.
Who would've guessed?
Ha.
My life's an absolute mess in so many ways—but honestly?
I'm fine with it.
It beats sitting alone at home, drowning in self-pity.
Yeah.
This is my life now—going on adventures with these eccentric teammates, taking down monsters…
And, well, training the orcs.
I mean, those guys are basically my juniors, so it's only right that I whip them into proper champions. For now, the plan is to raise their realm to Rank Four.
Heh.
Nolan's going to be buried in paperwork when that happens.
After everything he put me through? He deserves it.
"Hey, Viol—I mean, Jax. Let's go!" Val calls.
I grin.
Yeah.
This isn't such a bad life after all.