Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"I always mess things up, whether it was family in the past, friends, or lovers, they've all been disappointed in me. Looking back, when I joined the church and came here, it was a kind of self-destructive self-exile."

"Raising children and teaching you all, I can't say I did it very well. If I had been more patient and gentle back then, maybe Gleid wouldn't have harbored such resentment. It's all my fault."

"You're different from me. Although your childhood was tough, your future prospects are particularly bright, so... you really don't need to worry about this failed old man." Even though Boise took comfort in Valke's growth, he also felt undeserving. The young man before him, if he hadn't been discovered by a teacher at Edith Academy, might have been ruined by his own hands. He was always like this, unable to achieve anything, and now, he was still a burden to this promising new star.

"Not at all, even though you might not think so, but when I look back on my childhood, I still see those as rare and precious memories." Valke turned around and sat down beside Boise.

"To finally have a warm house to live in after coming from a place of hunger and cold, to be able to bathe and put on clean clothes, every first experience was so memorable."

"No matter what you think about the past, in the future, I will let you experience success and soothe the regrets in your heart." Valke's voice was particularly firm and strong, echoing in the hall like a hammer strike.

Two days later, in a warehouse in the small town, Valke once again encountered Cook, the sinister figure with tattoos on his face. He was the boss of the Black Water Gang and one of the few Sequence 4 Transcendents in town.

"Whoa, our genius boy Valke has come back, ahaha." He sneered and clapped loudly as Valke walked into the warehouse, and his underlings filed in from the side door, guns in hand, while the big door behind slowly lowered.

Valke didn't care, just looked at the other party indifferently.

"Not running? That's some confidence." Cook jumped down from a tall container and walked forward a few steps, took the large-caliber powerful handgun passed by an underling, calmly loaded it, and then spun it in his palm.

"I know you've learned well at Edith Academy, but this is not school, and we're not some naive, simple students. Since you dared to challenge me by name, don't blame me for not being hospitable." After talking, he raised the gun barrel, aiming at Valke in front of him.

"Markin Workshop's 'Goldfire-R3' custom pistol for beast elites, specially used in wasteland ruins galaxy for mutant creatures, can easily penetrate the bone carapace of Sequence 5 creatures, and even Sequence 6 creatures get hurt under the blow of a large-caliber enchanted bullet."

After the introduction, he put the barrel away and then continued to spin it around his knuckles.

"This gun of mine would sell for at least 5 million Federation Coins on the black market alone. What do you think, is the muscle you've worked hard to train tougher, or is the bullet in this gun tougher?"

"If it wasn't for Reverend Boise's sake, I could have blown you away with one shot today. No matter how great a genius is, they're nothing once they're dead. What would it matter if Edith Academy cared? You'd be dead and thus worthless," Cook threatened Valke.

"Is that so," Valke's gaze stayed on Cook, his voice still steady.

"But why do I get the feeling that, in fact, you're the one who's scared?"

"You don't care about Reverend Boise at all. You're just afraid of my identity, fearful of the thriving Edith Academy and even afraid to really shoot." He took steps toward Cook, causing the dozens of gang members in the warehouse to become tense, their fingers on the triggers, starting to aim.

"Come on, fire!" Valke suddenly accelerated, reaching for Cook's neck with one hand.

Finally, under intense pressure, the gang members inside the warehouse began to fire their guns in unison, creating a cacophony of gunshots. Valke's roar was followed by the sight of his towering figure closing in, causing Cook's pupils to constrict and his fingers involuntarily to rest on the trigger, hastily aiming and shooting at Valke.

"Bang—"

A surge of crimson energy burst from the muzzle, as a large and finely crafted Enchanted Bullet was fired. The Magic Crystals inside were ignited instantaneously, and the magic power filled the bullet's inscribed Branding, together forging a Transcendent radiance that vastly enhanced its piercing power and force.

The bullet grazed Valke's shoulder, splattering flesh and blood, but at that moment, his palm had also seized Cook's wrist.

Amid the sound of snapping, Cook's wrist was broken, and the handgun was stamped into the ground by Valke's foot. The surrounding gang members' bullets poured onto Valke, hitting him like they were striking a thick steel plate, igniting sparks, and then the bullets ricocheted, some even hitting other gang members, causing friendly fire.

Withstanding the gunfire, Valke lifted Cook up and, amidst his struggles, threw a punch that sent the man flying into the stacked containers in the warehouse, creating a human-shaped dent.

In that instant, Cook lost consciousness. Then Valke, without stopping, continued forward, grabbed Cook again, and crushed his arm with a punch. He then delivered another punch, shattering the other arm. The intense pain awakened Cook, who then let out a horrible scream. He cursed Valke, swearing that the latter would not die a good death, and ordered his men to kill Valke.

The gang members present, filled with terror, continued to shoot at Valke, but they could not cause any effective harm. Finally, someone could no longer bear the fear, threw down their weapon, and fled. Others, panicked, fired as they retreated, afraid of Valke coming at them.

However, Valke didn't care about these gang members; he kept punching Cook, from the initial screams and curses to the later agonized groaning, and then to the subsequent sobbing for mercy. The arrogant man finally became fearful, his mouth foaming with blood, barely able to breathe in but gasping for air out, feeling death spreading over his body.

"Please, I was wrong, I won't dare again, spare me, I won't dare anymore," he cried weakly, truly afraid Valke would beat him to death right there in the warehouse.

If he died, everything would be gone – the money he had made over the years, the life he had enjoyed, everything would be lost. Thinking of this, he grew even more regretful and fearful.

Eventually, Valke stopped and, holding the man up, emerged from the warehouse. By now, few gang members remained, and even those who did watched Valke with fear, not daring to continue shooting.

Valke's strides didn't halt. He dragged Cook through the town's streets, causing countless screams and shouts along the way, until he finally stopped at the square, waiting for the police to arrive.

Looking at the townspeople around him, Valke spoke up.

"From today on, no gangs are allowed in this town."

Shortly after, the police arrived. After some questioning and discussion on the scene, Cook was taken away in the police car, charged with illegal possession and use of firearms, forming an illegal organization, and extortion. Everyone present, including Cook himself, was a witness. Valke, who had acted in self-defense, was not deemed a criminal.

After that day, the town became more peaceful. Soon, large enterprises affiliated with Edith Academy came to the town, investing in the construction of new workshops, providing many residents with employment and further stabilizing the social environment.