I got a question, if my life-orb is the representation of my life, what about Mana? Didn’t Nakala say Mana is life? All my Mana already condensed to my Intio so when I saw the Manastream layer, it was empty. I get that, then shouldn’t my life force be inside my Intio?

Hmn, perhaps it’s the same thing, both were in my chest area so maybe that life-orb is my Intio, like when looking at a human body with heat vision, it appears different and yet it’s the same body. Or I guess wrong, and the truth is something else entirely... geez, my body is so complicated.

Viers was doing some running, it was around 7 o’clock in the morning. Viers fell asleep and woke up after only sleeping a few hours, it was more like a light siesta than a full sleep. He decided to do his jogging routine just as usual, and yet, today was especially tough on Viers. Without his healing factor, his physical spec went down, and he felt the full force of fatigue without a healing factor acting as a buffer. He gasped for breath, his muscles sore, with no cheat codes or mods, his physical capabilities were just like a regular fat person. Currently, Viers was sweating like a pig.

“Hah… hah… hah...”

I don't even remember what it feels like, to be physically tired… boy oh boy, I’m afraid the Fat Crusade will last for quite some time. At least I’m doing damage now, with the invincibility shield surrounding the fortress broken, the siege of the Fortress of Cholesterol has begun! Fat scum, everything is proceeding as I have foreseen! Huehuehue.

Viers ran while daydreaming and snickering, after a turn on the road, he saw his path blocked. There were three people lined up before Viers, they were waiting for him. The one on the left was skinny, the center person was lean and handsome, the right one was big and tall.

“Ah look, my mood just turned a whole lot worse, now you make me look bad since I didn't foresee this, why must you sully my day with your presence. Euughhh, good morning Classmate J, Classmate K, and Classmate L.” Viers said to the three kids before him.

“Stop calling us that! Today won't be like before, you won’t get cocky for much longer, fat-ass!” The one in the center spoke.

“Yeah, today will be your turn to kiss the dirt!” Said the skinny one.

“James will not lose today.” the big one spoke.

While looking at the comical trio in front of him, Viers was remembering about his first encounter with them.

***

It was two days after he vomited on Mirella, when he was running, three people blocked his path, Viers recognized them as his classmates. They all lived in the same dorm so they met often enough even though they never spoke to each other before. Viers sighed because he already predicted what this encounter was about.

“You must be Viers, we saw each other before but never formally introduced, I’m James, this is Tej, and Raymond.” The one in the center spoke while introducing the skinny kid first before the big kid.

“Righttt, although I’m already sure of what this is about, I will still ask, just for formality's sake,” Viers cleared his throat and addressed them again. “Good morning gentlemen, what brings you here in this fine morning?” Viers asked while smiling.

“I ask that you apologize to Mirella, what you did was wrong and she deserves an apology from you.”

“I did apologize, despite the fact that it was an accident and I meant no harm whatsoever, I tried to apologize a few times on that same day while the whole class was present, in case you missed them, here’s the rundown of how that went, I apologized, she didn't accept. I already offered my apologiies so whether Mirella accepts them or not is no longer my concern. Now that we clarify that up, I normally would ask for you three to make way so I can continue my daily running but you won't, therefore, I didn't ask, am I right?” Viers talked as if he was a father narrating a bedtime story to his son after his wife asked for a divorce.

“Not good enough, you should apologize more sincerely... and kneel down to amend your mistake.” Said James.

“Uh-huh… kneel down you say… so why did you ask me to apologize to her? Is she your girlfriend? Even if she is what's that got to do with you?”

“She is not, and why I'm doing this doesn't matter, what matters is you should apologize.”

“Righttttt… and this Timon and Pumba besides you?”

“We are here to witness your consent and your apology to Mirella.” Said Tej the skinny one.

“Rightttttt.... this apology thing, did Mirella or someone close to her asked you to do this?”

“No one told me, I chose to do this on my own,” James said while making his voice deeper.

“Righttttttt… and should I refuse this generous offer?”

“We will convince you, you should not make this harder on yourself, it's only right to apologize to a lady sincerely after you slighted her so,” James said with confidence in his voice.

"Righttttttttt... forgive me for asking James, is this love? Are you convinced it's true love? Or is this simply an effort to get into her good graces? So your stock rises in her eyes? Because you didn't even get a second glance from her despite your handsome look?" Viers said mockingly.

"It doesn't matter, we will escort you to apologize to her, that is all." James tried to maintain his poker face but Viers glimpsed a frown on his face.

“Rightttttttttttt.... dude, did you know your line is so third rate and outdated?” Viers said and without waiting for an answer, he turned around and ran.

“…What? Go after him!” James shouted and sprint after Viers.

Viers went to the denser part of the neighborhood, with many alleys and narrow places, he was familiar with this area, he often went to places unfamiliar to him on his run to see more of the city layout, Viers never thought it would come in handy in such a manner.

He made a turn, this broke the pursuers' line of sight, Viers stopped running and readied himself to ambush the first unlucky person, he crouched a bit. Soon James came out, Viers immediately used his left fist to hit his most vital part, his balls.

“Ugmmpgh!!!”

James didn't scream, it was more like a whimper, the pain was too much for him and he collapsed while both of his hands covered his crotch, Viers thought he saw the whites of his eyes. Viers made sure he didn't crush his ball by limiting his attack power.

Next, came the skinny person, Viers used his right fist to pummel him in the face, then as he staggered, kicked his balls too.

“Oouuggghh!!”

The big kid saw James down and Tej was under assault, he rushed to Viers while preparing to punch him. Viers was free after he kicked Tej then swayed backward to avoid Raymond’s punch, then he threw the dirt he held in his fist, he took the dirt when he crouched earlier.

Blinded, Raymond attempted to grab Viers by using bear-hug move but Viers was a step faster, he’d uppercut the big kid straight in the chin then followed it with two kicks to his balls, he kicked him twice because Raymond was big.

“Gaahhaag!!”

All his assailants were down, Viers watched the three of them after making a few steps away from them as a precaution for a desperation attack. After he was sure they were not faking it, he talked to the sole kid still conscious, Tej. He said it with the flattest voice he could make.

“Next time I won’t be this gentle… don’t FUCK with me.”

Viers turned his face and returned to his jog. His mind was busy with introspection.

I just used the moves that I saw in the movies, simple yet efficient, I didn’t know nor learn martial arts at Earth but simple distraction and kick to the balls? Lie within my capability. There should be more martial arts film involving ball crushing, most just serve as comedy relief. Hah! I didn't see the guy whose balls got hit think it was funny.

This won't be the last I saw them, they will pop-up sometime in the future, I managed to defeat them because I caught them off guard, It will be harder to defeat them… I should think of something.

Viers returned to the dorm and went on his day as usual, when he saw the trio again in the classroom, they didn't attack him outright, because at the class and at dorm fights were forbidden. Viers didn’t wander around thus he stayed in the no-violence-permitted area.

During dinner, Viers told the others about what happened this morning with as much detail as possible, he narrated it with a loud voice so all his classmates could hear him. After he told his story until a certain part, James collar-grabbed him, Tej and Raymond stood beside him, visibly upset.

Viers did not resist and only smiled at him and ignored the two lackeys. If James hit him, he could be expelled, there were previous cases of such expulsion, Yisha warned him about this rule when Viers just arrived at the dorm.

James silently glared at Viers eyes with a burning gaze, Viers met his gaze and smiled smugly, he wanted to provoke him, a cheap kind of provocation to be sure and Viers wasn't expecting it to succeed but he did it anyway. Still, James wasn't that thoughtless and let him go after Yisha yelled at him, he spat some angry words then left.

“He was doing this for you, you know, aren’t you happy?” Said Viers to at Mirella while the whole class was listening, she didn't reply and cast a hateful look at him.

Viers continued to eat his dinner as if nothing happened while the other kids were silent, only the sounds of Viers eating his meal could be heard. Since then, Viers and the trio had become bitter enemies.

***

Their second encounter was two weeks before Nakala taught the kids how to make Intio, they intercepted Viers’s running routine and blocked the way with their bodies lined up, very much like the first encounter.

“Back for some more? Classmate J, Classmate K, and Classmate L?” Said Viers.

“What?” James confused.

“See, I’d read a book, there was a line there that stuck inside my mind, it said, each of us is living our own story…” Viers let the pause lingered for a few seconds.

“Since I am living in my story, that means from my point of view I’m the protagonist, while you guys are the extra characters, the secondary, tertiary, and whatever -ry following after that, your existence in my story is to simply make my life more… colorful, more diverse, make the world I’m living in more full of things.”

The faces of James, Tej, and Raymond were not calm, they were scowling as if Viers put a very bitter pill in their mouth.

“I think the role of you guys is to make my life bumpy and make problems here and there, so I can’t have smooth sailing, because a story without troubles is boring, oh believe me I read many examples of that. The sole purpose you three were introduced was to… inconvenience me, to serve as a roadblock that I must step on, nothing major, just a nuisance."

"Since you three exist as my classmates while I was enrolling in the Training Centers, I decided to give you three new names, James as Classmate J, Raymond as Classmate L because he’s large, and that means Tej got the leftover, Classmate K.”

“You see, you guys exist in the background, if there was a drawing depicting my story where all the classmates were drawn. I will be in the center while you guys would be in the edges… since you guys are so inconsequential, you guys won’t get your whole bodies drawn. I hope you guys will be content with just half of your faces existing as a figment of my memory, hmn?”

Viers tilted his head slightly as he said that.

“Now, since that is your role, that means Classmate A, B, C, are too good for you guys, I will settle for J, K, L. If it were up to me, I would just erase your very existence altogether but perhaps there’s something even insects can offer in my life’s story.”

“Now then, my insignificant extras… dance and amuse me.”

Like a powder keg exploded, the three of them charged with fury, Classmate J, K, and L respectively. They were barreling down on the fat boy like an avalanche.

“AAAAAHHHH, I will kill you!!!”

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!!”

“So ARROGANT!!!”

Viers grinned, his eyes glinted with a flash of madness.