“You know, isn’t this kind of strange for a birthday party celebration?” Lindsay bent over with her hands resting on her knees.

Her chest heaved as her magji tool crocodile was busy fighting off gumdrop-shaped daemons with deadly sharp teeth and a penchant for biting and jumping. She tightly wielded her wand as she barely dodged out of the way of one of the little daemons chomping toward her face. The chanting for Lindsay’s spell came out faster than her mouth could move. “Ice Volume II: Icicle Spike!” A dangerous spike made of ice destroyed the little daemon into tiny pieces of ice. Lindsay wiped the sweat from her forehead and prepared another ice spell to handle the daemons latching onto her magji tool.

“I must agree with Lindsay here…” Joseph’s chain rapidly shot out from his arm, piercing through the spherical bodies of any daemon around him.

Dozens upon dozens of daemons continued to charge forth despite so many of their brethren dying in front of them. It looked like dealing with them was easy, and while it was for someone as talented as himself. This rapidly drained his mahna. He didn’t have a crazy amount of mahna to use his daemonic weapon continually.

“Hmph. This is the perfect training opportunity. I don’t see what you are all whining about.” Hayato scoffed.

Hayato slashed through multiple daemons with a single stroke of his sword before his fist turned into a miniature cyclone. Greyish mahna spiraled around his arm as multiple daemons leaped toward him to bite him into pieces. The young has-been assassin blasted his arm forward and drilled the daemons into pieces. Several magji shards dropped, but Hayato’s attention was focused on the daemons still coming no matter how many of them he killed. He grinned as his sword flashed, and his body turned incorporeal.

“I can’t say I’m too surprised either. She did just get off punishment from the Council, and hanging out together like this can only help us get stronger too!” Alexander’s body was electrifying.

Literally, lightning sparked and flashed around his body. His normally pink and properly tamed hair was now spiked. He flashed across the city park with his magji tool. Alexander’s lightning-covered machete sliced through the daemons with ease. From time to time, he would throw out impressive kicks that completely obliterated any unlucky daemon hit by it. With his speed, he made sure to help out the others if they looked like they were having a hard time while reducing the number of daemons.

“HAHAHAHA!”

The sound of Inner Zoey’s laughter reached every inch of the battlefield. She stood firm in front of the gigantic daemon that was endlessly producing miniature versions of itself. Zoey was the size of a bug in front of the large black blob, but that didn’t stop her from charging at it head-on. Her spiked purple boxing gloves, empowered by the magji shards of who knows how many daemons, repeatedly drove into the massive body of the daemon.

“Combo Volume I: Combo Time!” Her fists slowly ramped up in speed and power.

The A-Grade daemon on the verge of rising to S-Grade ignored Zoey. How could something so feeble and weak do anything to stop it? It has already given birth to so many offsprings. It was only a matter of time before these magjistars were devoured just like the last.

Zoey’s body had several daemons biting on her like accessories. Their teeth drew blood and stayed attached, but no matter how many hung on to her, Zoey’s fists never stopped punching. Her laughter seemingly grew as she continued to ramp up in power. “Boxing Series: Infinite Fist!” She shouted.

Zoey’s fists turned into blurs. After several seconds from when Zoey threw her first punch, things started to turn around in a single moment. Multiple holes appeared in the large body of the giant daemon. Zoey’s cackling reached its peak as she pulled back her left arm.

“Run, you fools!” Hayato warned the others that were just looking at Zoey in astonishment.

“Right!” Alexander sparked over to Lindsay and Joseph, bringing them to the edge of the barrier.

A massive spiral of wind and mahna gathered around Zoey’s drawn arm. All of the daemons in the park were unable to resist the suction and were flying toward Zoey’s position. Each one that neared her was torn to pieces from the ferociousness of the high-speed spiraling wind. Zoey’s arm has been pulled back fully.

“Boxing Series: Super Twisting Fist!” Zoey’s fist uppercut the air.

Zoey’s friends watched in disbelief as a giant spinning fist tunneled through the sky. The giant daemon’s corpse couldn’t even get the chance to split off and save itself through another one of its clones. There wasn’t a single piece of it left. Well, actually, that wasn’t entirely true. Zoey caught its dark-black magji shard.

“Amazing…” Hayato uttered in absolute acknowledgment. “She’s been punished for nearly half a year, and she’s only gotten stronger…” He truly made the right choice in surrendering his pride to become her ally.

‘An absolute monster. There’s no other explanation for that unreasonable growth in power besides being a divine mistake.’ Lindsay bit her nails.

“Not bad.” Joseph was impressed. She was her teacher’s student, no doubt.

“That was absolutely incredible…” ‘Just how much more training do I have to do to catch up to her?’ Alexander excitedly balled his fists. Someone like Zoey was the perfect measurement for him to compare his own strength to. Lately, his focus has been on hitting hard and hitting fast, but he didn’t have a spell for giant daemons.

Zoey’s gloves greedily tried to devour it, but Zoey smashed them into each other before they could. She tied them around her waist as she grabbed the magji shard for proof of a successful case done. Then she fell. Right on her back onto the ground.

“Best birthday ever…” Zoey was actually tired for once! She must have put a lot more into that punch than she thought, haha!

‘God, it feels so good to punch things again without having to hold back.’ Inner Zoey was still riding the high from the punch.

‘Don’t say it felt better than an orgasm.’ Zoey didn’t want to hear it.

‘It did, though. Don’t deny it, bitch. Months of being holed up at home without anything to go all out on. You know our panties got a little wet after that finish.’ Inner Zoey teased her.

“Mind carrying me, guys? I’m a little tired after that one.” Zoey lazily waved her hand at her friends, still at the edge of the barrier. After seeing her fall, they rushed over.

“I guess you are still human…” Hayato didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed.

‘I’m friends with an abomination… But at least she’s not a complete monster.’ Lindsay silently adjusted her glasses.

“I wouldn’t know how to react if you could still go on after something like that.” Alexander laughed with a smile on his face. He bent down to carry her over his shoulder.

“Can’t you carry me in a more normal way?” Zoey complained with Alexander’s ass in her face.

“I could, but I’m tired too, ya know? You weren’t the only one fighting their heart out.” Alexander responded.

“Remind me never to go out with you on your birthday again if it involves an A-Grade case.” Joseph was sweating, something he didn’t normally do unless he was training with his master.

“It was really fun…” Zoey smiled while hanging off of Alexander’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Took you long enough to join the Adult club.” Hayato snickered. Zoey was the last in their group to become eighteen. Even Callie and Katlyn turned 18 before her.

“It’s not my fault I’m a December baby,” Zoey replied back.

“How exactly do you plan to explain to your parents about your condition when we return you home?” Lindsay spoke up.

“I already went out with them earlier today to celebrate. They should be sleeping or working by now.”

“Do you have your license yet?” Alexander suddenly asked.

“Nope.” Zoey wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

“Why not?” Lindsay was curious.

“I’m terrified of driving.” Zoey shared.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Hayato questioned. Somewhat shocked to hear that Zoey, of all people, was afraid of something.

“You guys probably don’t understand the terrors of driving, but even if you’re the best driver in the world. You could still get in a horrible accident due to someone else’s mistake! Even if you follow all the laws and rules of driving, some asshole not doing that could fuck your shit up! Then guess what? You’re dead or crippled! Cars are these huge ass vehicles weighing actual tons. Now imagine that giant metal machinery heading toward you at speeds of over 30 miles per hour or more! What the fuck can you do against something like that when most of the time you don’t even see it coming before it's too late!?” Inner Zoey ranted her fear.

“That is a lot scarier when you put it that way…” Alexander gained a new fear!

“I was always looking forward to driving, but I suppose even defensive driving has its limits…” Lindsay muttered with a new realization.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead or alive in one of those things,” Hayato added.

“It’s not that bad,” Joseph spoke up. “I have my license, and I get around just fine.

“All it takes is another person’s mistake, Joseph,” Zoey said.

“Yeah, but the same could be said for just getting around on the bus or walking. All it takes is one person to have a bad day or something, and you could suddenly get stabbed or shot.” He tried to reason.

“People don’t try to have accidents while driving. The people you’re describing are looking to make trouble. They can’t be compared.” Inner Zoey argued back.

“What I’m trying to say is that it's all luck anyway, so why bother freaking out over it?” Joseph wanted her to understand.

“Well, I guess I can see that.” Zoey was shit at arguing anyway. She’ll give this win to him, but next time he won’t win so easily!