Zoey glared at Victor as she put on her newly improved cursed boxing gloves. They were glowing with a purple demonic aura with spikes embedded in them. The spikes were her own personal touch. It turns out when you have one of the strongest magjistar in the country as your teacher, you can get some pretty cool magical shit. The downside of that is Zoey has to deal with bullshit like this as well.

“Hey, who told you to be a little monster? This is for your own good, you know?” Victor tapped her forehead.

A bright black light lit up from her forehead, forcing her to shut her eyes. As the thing on her forehead was activating, Zoey felt something slithering inside her body. Like a snake wrapping around her body, chaining her up. She could feel the strength inside her being locked away. This really was some bullshit...

“And you expect me to go into that shithole like this?” Zoey’s eyes wandered over to her status.

[Status]

[Name: Zoey]

[Sex: Female]

[Condition: Under Limiter]

[Body: 1.75]

[Mental: 1.8]

[Magic: 1.25]

[Skills: 11]

[Boxing Lv9]

[Focus Lv8]

[Teaching Lv10]

[Abnormal Conditions Lv10]

[Endurance Lv12]

[Terrifying Aura Lv5]

[Gaming Lv8]

[Mahna Manipulation Lv10]

[Combo Magji Lv9]

[Twisting Force Lv10]

[Grappling Lv3]

“Yeppers.” He grinned as if he was doing her a favor.

“...” Dozens of curse words were floating around inside Zoey’s head just ready to be released.

But, she knew that she would only be wasting her breath. Over the course of a few weeks of her nearing dying because of this sick handsome fuck’s deranged way of training, Zoey had mixed feelings about her so-called teacher. She was eternally grateful for him being the annoying dick he was but at the same time annoyed to hell with his attitude. He completely figured out how to toy with her. Victor knew exactly what she craved no matter how she cursed at him, refused, or looked uninterested.

“Now go in there my cute little monster disciple and show your teacher if he needs to increase the restriction on that daemonic object by more than half.” Victor waved her off with a smile.

And she couldn’t refuse. Well, she could refuse but Inner Zoey was banging on her brain about if this restriction would somehow increase how fast her stats and skills rose. That banging wasn’t something she could ignore. What if this seal that locked her true strength away was like how it was in the cartoons? The protagonist would be placed with something like this and be weak for some time before facing off the big bad of the season. Then when it looks like they’re about to lose or die the seal comes off and boom! “This is my true strength after all you motherfucker bitch! You were having fun tossing my ass earlier, weren’t ya?!”

Zoey really wanted to have a moment like that because it was so cool. So, she didn’t say a word to Victor but she did put up the middle finger at him before walking into the abandoned, dark, and breeze subway.

“Good luck! Scream if you run into anything unexpected!” He laughed knowing that Zoey wasn’t a screamer. She either flinched badly, ran away, or fought it head-on.

“Die!” Zoey gave a simple reply back.

This subway was shut down recently on account of several mysterious deaths that showed no signs of stopping at the time. People hearing voices calling them to the edge of the platform when the train is coming, a feeling of someone pushing them off the platform, or the opposite in where someone is dragged down to the tracks while an incoming train is on the way. Eventually, it caught the attention of the OM who decided to do an investigation themselves. It didn’t take long for a magjistar to find traces of the existence of a daemon residing in the subway and put a case for someone to solve.

This daemon was a B-Grade daemon. Apparently, Victor thought this was the perfect test for her to take before the Annual Meeting next Monday. Zoey assumed he wanted her to go into the meeting with the seal still on her forehead. She felt a little embarrassed about the seal though.

Zoey pulled out her phone and took a picture of her forehead to see just how it looked and also as a flashlight to see where the fuck she was going in this dark-ass subway with rats or some other shit running around her. It was shaped like a chain and the infinity symbol. Silver like a chain and horizontal 8 like the sign for infinity. How the hell was she going to explain this thing to people? Could she say it was a tattoo?

It sort of was because she had no clue how to get rid of it. Wait! That asshole forgot to tell her how to release the fucking seal! What if she ran into an S-Grade or A-Grade daemon down here and was stuck in this weakened state?!

‘Victor better fucking hope that this is a regular-ass B-Grade daemon!’ Zoey gripped her fist tightly as she continued to search for the daemon.

“Where the fuck is this guy?” Zoey muttered to herself.

Zoey could easily deal with a B-Grade daemon without the seal. A well-armed normal person could take care of one too but that’s only talking about its toughness. With daemons, their true strength lied in the ability of their magji shard. Daemons’ abilities were just as numerous and unpredictable as a magjistar’s connate magji.

As of now, Zoey had a few ideas of what kind of ability this daemon had. According to how some of the victims died, it relied on tricks and shit. Pushing, whispering, pulling, Zoey didn’t think much of this daemon compared to the shit she had to deal with Victor. A man that exclusively goes on cases A-grade and higher.

“Are you looking for me?” A child-like voice came from the train tracks.

‘Does the train still pass through this station?’ Zoey wondered before an uncontrollable grin appeared on her face.

Pocketing her phone, she leaped off the platform down towards the voice on the tracks with her fist reared back. The astonished look of the blue gremlin-like daemon widened her smile even more. That surprised expression quickly changed to one of rage and malice as it grew to the size of an adult man.

“You stupid crazy human!” It shrieked.

Zoey’s spiked glove struck the daemon across the face and sent him rolling down the tracks. Instead of following up, she looked at her gloves, opening them and closing them.

“Either you’re really weak or I'm getting really strong...” This was her at half strength!

“You! You! You’ll regret this!” The daemon shrunk to the size of a toddler as it ran down the tracks.

Zoey scoffed. She’s a track member. If there was one thing she was confident about. It was running. Her stance dropped down low as she got in position to take off.

At the sound of an imaginary starter gun, Zoey blasted off down the tracks toward the daemon. The distance between the two of them shortened in seconds. From where Zoey was looking it looked as if the daemon was running for dear life, which in a way, wasn’t wrong. But it couldn’t have given up on fighting back after taking a single punch, could it? All of the B-Grade daemons she’s seen so far were never this cowardly.

“Please! She’s about to catch me! I did what you asked me to! Save me already!” It cried out.

‘What is-’

BOOOOM!

Zoey barely managed to put her guard up in time as a white daemon came from above and kicked her. She could see a slightly interested look on its face as if it was amused by this. Her arms ached and were slightly numb from the impact of the kick. This asshole was strong as hell...

Zoey reached out to grab the daemon who looked like he was dumped in white paint by the leg only for his pointed tail to stab towards her open abdomen.

“Fucker...” Zoey had to jump back to avoid it.

“Sup.” Another voice appeared where she was jumping.

This was something she couldn’t avoid. A leg whipped into her side and sent her crashing into the side of the wall.

“Gah!” Zoey couldn’t help but cry out.

“Do you remember us?” Something green above her asked in a voice that was faintly familiar.

Zoey didn’t bother giving a response as she shook her head and quickly understood her surroundings. Bodybuilder in front, lanky but sneaky behind, and unknown above. Jumping out of the train tracks, Zoey made it to the opposite side of the station from where she entered the subway from. Surrounded by four daemons while she was weak as shit... Did she really have to scream for that asshole to help her? That white daemon was really strong...

“Tch!” Zoey clicked her tongue. “Victor!!!” She shouted as loud as she could.

“Did you think we prepared this ambush without knowing how strong that magjistar is?” The green-haired woman laughed. “You’ll find that he’s halfway across the city by now trying to protect your loved ones. Alicia, Bruce, and Everette, was it?”

“...” Zoey’s eyes narrowed. They knew her family...

They could hurt them... They could easily deal with her family... They were just normal people... But what about the magjistars assigned to protect them? Was it a lie that they were in danger and were just trying to rile her up? No, it didn’t matter... All she needed to do was kill these daemons. If they were dead, how could her family be in danger? Victor went to go save them if they were in any danger... If it's him, then there was nothing for her to worry about.

That’s right... All she had to worry about was killing these four daemons. Nothing else mattered...

"Combo Volume I: Combo Time...” Zoey was no longer smiling.