The Bullied Manager is now the Great Mage

CHAPTER 6

Jason laid out the proposal while Aria was on the couch with her hands raised, cycling through spell formations. First-circle magic moved around her fingers like water finding patterns, flowing from one configuration into the next without hesitation or effort.

"GGN wants to feature you on To the King Once You Log In," he said. "Playing League of Nova. Five consecutive wins on a professional broadcast."

"Okay." She transitioned from a purification circle to a basic shield formation without breaking rhythm. "When?"

"You're not going to ask questions?"

"Should I?" Her eyes stayed on her hands. "You suggested cable TV so you must have a reason. Scheduling is your job. I trust your judgment."

The agreement came too easily. He'd prepared arguments about exposure and building her profile back, about controlled environments and carefully managed public perception. None of it was necessary. She'd simply accepted that if he suggested it, the answer was yes.

The trust was complete and slightly disarming.

Aria shifted into a healing circle, the spell energy carrying a soft golden tone, then moved seamlessly into an offensive configuration that crackled faintly. She'd mastered the entire range of first-circle spells while also maintaining her gaming schedule without ever mentioning either workload.

"Do you think people who actually enjoy something just become better at it than everyone else?" Jason asked quietly.

Her hands stilled. "What do you mean?"

"You've learned more magic theory in a week than most mages absorb in a year. You're maintaining a competitive gaming schedule. You're clearly not struggling with either." He watched her resume the spell cycles. "Some people seem to get better at everything they touch."

She maintained the formations, moving through them with casual precision. "What's your rank in League of Nova?"

Her hands went slightly tense. The spell formations became marginally less smooth. She refused to make eye contact with him, which meant the answer wasn't casual. It meant her rank in League of Nova was not something she'd mentioned because it fell into the category of things she'd rather not discuss directly.

"I have time management skills," she said to her own hands. "I prefer games where I can think through things instead of react on instinct. League plays to that strength."

She still wasn't looking at him.

At the GGN offices, Owen James was heading into the meeting with an unusual mix of genuine excitement and very low expectations. Aria Reeves's return was premium content, that part was certain. The media coverage would be massive. The novelty alone would drive numbers.

But whoever decided to spend that one-time comeback premium on a cable gaming show instead of holding out for a major network had to be an idiot. He assumed her manager was a rookie without any meaningful experience in the industry. Probably someone from Unique Management, which had been in decline for years. That connection made everything clearer. This was a desperate move by a desperate company trying to generate relevance with whatever assets they could salvage.

Owen's plan was straightforward: extract maximum ratings value from the novelty of her return and make sure any criticism landed on her shoulders, not on GGN.

When Jason walked into the conference room, Owen offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Jason proposed a duo broadcast with a professional gamer. He said it would give viewers the perspective of someone at the peak of the game.

Owen's internal reaction was immediate: this manager doesn't understand game psychology at all. He explained carefully, like he was teaching a child. If they put Aria with a pro gamer, the professional would carry every single match. Aria would fade into the background. Ten wins would come too easily because the pro would be doing all the work. The broadcast would be boring.

Jason nodded and suggested they try ranked matches at the professional gamer's skill level instead.

Owen felt his patience shorten. This was even more naive than the first suggestion. The manager was actually suggesting they put a complete beginner into grandmaster-level ranked games. Everyone in the gaming community knew that was disrespectful to teammates. It would get Aria blacklisted before her comeback even finished. It would damage her reputation permanently among serious players.

Owen pivoted smoothly. "Five consecutive wins," he said, calculating as he spoke. "Not ten total games. Five wins in a row. That format generates more attention and criticism. Creates natural drama around the spectacle of a professional struggling to carry a less experienced player. Extends the broadcast time. Builds narrative."

He was already planning how to frame her struggles, how to emphasize moments where she missed positioning or failed to understand pro-level callouts. GGN would get their ratings. Aria would look like she was clinging to glory that no longer belonged to her.

Jason agreed without hesitation. "Five consecutive wins works."

Owen smiled and it was genuine this time. The manager had handed them the perfect setup. A recorded broadcast meant they could edit in all the best moments of the pro carrying dead weight. The drama would be organic because Aria actually would be struggling.

After Jason left the office, Owen's junior assistant asked a casual question. "What rank is she actually in League of Nova?"

"No need to worry about it." Owen was still riding the satisfaction of a negotiation he thought he'd won. "It's a recorded broadcast. We'll see what she plays like when the cameras are on her."

The junior assistant nodded and went back to work.

Owen settled into his chair, thinking through the broadcast structure, already imagining the comments section after the episode aired. The gaming community would be ruthless. A washed-up former S-rank hunter trying to play at professional level? They'd tear her apart. And GGN would profit from every second of it.

He privately assumed diamond rank at most. Maybe platinum if she'd been playing seriously the whole time she was gone.

He was completely unaware of how seriously Aria Reeves had been playing games for the past three years.