1. Genius to Trash

“Target missed!”   

Loris Federico stood within the town hall amidst the crowd, his body frozen, face drained of color. The people who came to watch erupted into laughter, their mocking whispers reaching every corner of the hall. 

“It’s him again.” 

“I already expected he would miss the target.” 

“What a waste of time.” 

“Truly a disgrace to the Federico family…” 

Blind to the humiliation Loris felt, the announcer brutally continued, “Shooting score - E level. Magic power 56%.” 

The same crowd then became divided, some shutting up and some continuing to judge Loris by the side with mocking gazes. In reality, this kind of magic power was particularly excellent, even exceeding the majority of the people in his family. However, his shooting score wasn’t just tragic – it was pure garbage and humiliating! 

Loris himself felt incredibly upset. Listening to the crowd’s judging commentaries, he clenched his hands and glanced down at his hands. 

He had questioned it again and again – how did he end up in such a state? 

In the past, people had praised him openly to no end. They even called him a child prodigy, the eldest son of the Federico family who was incredibly gifted in both magic and firearms. Coming from a minor aristocrat in the kingdom of Nimgofu, he certainly made the family proud. 

But due to an accident a few years ago, in a snap of a finger, everything changed. 

His hands which used to carry different weapons now couldn’t even lift a gun without trembling, much less position it right to shoot the target. 

The praises he used to receive were all replaced by ridicule and humiliation. 

The gifted son became the town's disabled boy. 

In the city of Famu, he had become a total waste. 

Suddenly, the crowd that was filled with judging commentaries was replaced with cheers. Loris looked to the side and found Leon Federico, the third genius of the family. His stature was cold as the water, his piercing blue eyes resembling that of a phoenix, almost too similar to Loris except that Loris’s were more similar to a fire dragon’s eyes, having a mixture of deep red and gold. 

“Leon Federico - magic power F level 75%! Shooting score 8 rings!” The test master announced and the crowd cheered louder, the women’s eyes sparkling while praising him endlessly while the men looked at Leon with mixed greed and awe. 

Meanwhile, Leon stood still and didn’t utter a word. His eyes were on Loris, looking at him with complicated emotions. 

In the past, he had regarded Loris as a rival, taking pride in being compared to him despite feeling disdain towards him. After all, Loris was the Federico family’s pride, the genius son that came from the heavens. The thought of surpassing such a person would bring huge satisfaction to Leon. But such a dream ended shortly when Loris suffered from the accident. 

Too quickly, Loris turned from being the family’s beloved genius to becoming the town’s laughingstock, a loser who couldn’t shoot or even pick up a gun properly. 

Towards such a person, Leon could only feel one emotion and that was, of course, pity. 

“The next person, Arturo Federico,” The announcer called and the crowd quieted down, all heads turning to her. 

Arturo Federico was an embodiment of natural beauty. She wore her typical traveler’s outfit—dark brown boots and a sleek chestnut jacket—that suited her slender frame. Her brown caramel hair, braided down her back, highlighted her feminine features. Her eyes, a soft peachy hue, shimmered with innocence and kindness in natural light, as if blessed by the gods themselves. While her stunning appearance left the room in silent awe, everyone knew there was more to her than just looks. 

“F level, magic power 99%! Shooting score 10 rings!” The announcer exclaimed. 

Arturo had once ranked second in the family and gained supporters and admirers. Now that she was ranked first, her supporters couldn’t help but praise her more with tears, “As expected from Lady Arturo! She never disappoints!” 

“No one can beat Lady Arturo in shooting!” 

“The Goddess that landed on Earth. It’s surely Lady Arturo Federico!” 

While they all cheered, there were a few who looked at Arturo with envious eyes. Some of them whispered amongst themselves. “It’s pretty obvious she learns it from the geniuses in the Federico clan. She will be laughable otherwise.” 

But the negative remarks were all drowned in the sea of positive commentaries. The test masters approached and even looked at her with pride and respect. 

“Congratulations on getting the first rank.” one of them said to Arturo, “Train harder and you will reach the next level soon.” 

They could tell Arturo was an exceptional talent and expected she would become the second member of the younger generation in the family to break through to the E-class gunner level. The first person was, of course, Loris. But nobody dared to praise him openly after that tragic result. 

Respectful to the people who treated her with kindness, Arturo made a salute to the test masters and accepted their words of encouragement. “Thank you, Masters.” 

As the test masters left, Leon Federico came and was about to approach Arturo but Arturo turned and briefly walked past him, ignoring him completely. Stunned, he could only watch as Arturo walked straight toward Loris. 

“Brother Loris!” she called with excitement in her voice, a tone she didn’t use with other people but only with Loris. 

“I’m not your brother,” Loris coldly stated as he began to walk away. But Arturo followed after him, keeping a positive aura with her. 

“Come on, brother Loris. Don’t be like this. You know how much training I did to achieve my rank.” 

“I never said you didn’t deserve it.”  

“Then don’t be sulky anymore.” 

Loris stopped. 

In truth, he didn’t want to be called brother by Arturo anymore because he felt he didn’t deserve it, especially when other people would think Arturo was hanging out with such a loser like him. It would ruin her reputation for sure. However, Arturo didn’t care about other people’s opinions. She always pointed that out to Loris, encouraging him to not be swayed by their negative words and instead focus on himself to become the genius he was once. 

“Cheer up, brother Loris. You know I’m always here for you, right?” Arturo said, her head tilted to the side while looking at Loris.

At the brightness of her peach-blossom eyes, Loris could only sigh and smile bitterly. If only he could find a way to cure his hands… 

With his inner turmoil getting ahead of him, Loris stopped responding to Arturo’s encouragement. Then with a cold expression, he walked out the door.  

Arturo had gotten used to his temperament and followed after him in a heartbeat. “Brother Loris, wait for me!” 

Unbeknownst to them, Leon had been standing at the side, watching their interaction. He clenched his fists hard, his cold eyes that had been detached flickered with jealousy. 

Perhaps, he thought inside, their rivalry might not have ended after all.