"Stop the fight!" I barked.

…Nothing.

Amanda blinked at me, then awkwardly pointed at a button on the console in front of us.

"You, uh, have to press this to speak," she tried her best to stifle a laugh.

I coughed, trying to play it off. The console had a label that read Push to Talk—in bold red letters, with an arrow.

Great. The whole dashboard was idiot-proof, so I couldn't even talk my way out of it.

Why couldn't I be one of those genius MCs who just knew everything, like magic?

No, this blunder actually checks out with my usual routine. My brain only runs at full capacity when I'm horny or trying to aura farm. The rest of the time? I'm operating at, what—twenty percent, tops.

To keep things from getting any more awkward, I just walked in myself—steps firm, chin up, the whole confident guy who totally knew what he was doing act. I even threw in the hand-in-pocket look for extra appeal.

May's eyes lit up right away. She practically bounced toward me before I could say a word.

"Boss!"

Her hug came fast and tight—way too emotional for a simple work relationship. Anyone watching probably assumed we were having an affair.

"May, don't do that here. People are watching. Some self-control wouldn't hurt," I said, squeezing her butt for a few seconds for emphasis.

Curse my manly instincts for always choosing lewd stuff over professionalism.

When I turned to the other woman, she looked guarded—like she'd just spotted a man whose hobbies included bad decisions and HR violations.

Unfortunately for her, I'm the boss—so there's no HR department brave enough to file a complaint.

Report me? I'm the fucking sun in this place. The air they breathe, the light they live under.

"And you are?" she asked, voice polite enough to pass inspection. But that twitch in her eyebrow? Yeah, she'd already filed me under degenerate who preys on women.

"Ace Mercer, I'm an investor of this place."

Her eyes widened—probably recalling the headlines about my family. But she didn't say anything, which I appreciated .

Up close, she looked to be in her late twenties. The short brown hair, cut just shy of a guy's style, gave her a boyish appeal. But her long lashes, chocolate eyes, and caramel skin ruined any chance of her passing for one.

She had a different kind of charm—the kind that could turn a questionable fashion choice into a statement. The kind runway models had when they made "bad taste" look intentional.

"My name's Ayanna. I'm a B-Rank Seeker from the Quarex Guild."

"Quarex? Never heard of it. Some third-tier guild or something?" I asked, purely out of curiosity.

But from the way she glared at me, you'd think I just insulted her entire bloodline.

"Boss, she's the guild's owner's daughter," Amanda said through the speaker.

Not that I said anything wrong. But, being the bigger person, I should probably apologize and admit my mistake.

"Sorry about that. I talk before my brain catches up sometimes."

"It's alright," she said with a curt nod. "I don't expect common courtesy from someone who's never experienced hardship." She shot the words like a dart.

Guess that's what happens when I stop pretending to be likable. No wonder I was so damn unpopular in my past life.

And there I was, thinking my genes were entirely to blame. Guess I learn something new every day in this world.

"I'm really sorry, and I don't mind being called out for it. I just want to give a few instructions to my junior here."

I ruffled May's hair, and she wriggled like a puppy trapped in my hands.

Then, after I finished giving her the magic strategy, I went back to watch the show.

"Start!" Amanda announced.

SWOOOSH!

May was the first to move, propelling herself toward her opponent with a gust of wind.

"You think you can fight me up close?" Ayanna scoffed. Her barrier shifted from round to square, designed to turn her opponent's momentum against them.

Just as May closed the distance, she twisted midair, the gusts of her wind ability trailing her like a cloak. She then abruptly stopped and slammed her hands into the ground.

"Wind Shock!"

The air erupted downward, forcing Ayanna to lose her balance.

Before she could even react, May was already on top of her, hands dangerously close to her head.

Ayanna was speechless. Defeated by a newbie? And a lower rank at that? She couldn't believe it.

"Alright, good work, everyone!" I clapped and gave them both a thumbs-up.

Though the other party definitely didn't look happy.

"How…? How did you do it?"

Her tone wasn't prideful, just curious. She genuinely wanted to know how I figured it out.

Normally, I wouldn't bother explaining this, but she's a guild owner's daughter. Networking with other guilds—even the third-rate ones—could not hurt.

"Easy. Your barrier isn't fully sealed to the ground—there's a tiny gap. When you moved, air slipped through, which makes sense; a completely sealed barrier would cut off your oxygen."

I raised a finger for emphasis. "I had her hit that gap—picture an umbrella bursting open from the inside."

Ayanna went quiet, eyes narrowing as she replayed my words in her mind.

"Thanks for pointing out my weakness. I'm going to quit my instructor job to better myself," she said, bowing her head.

I didn't expect her to be so reasonable. Admitting mistakes—apparently, that's never easy, especially for a woman.

"Don't worry about it. You're still fit to train May. What happened was just a bit of complacency on your part—she's lower rank and suddenly changed her fighting style. In normal scenarios, you'd beat her 10 out of 10 times."

I wasn't saying it to make her feel better—that was honestly my take, judging by their current abilities.

"But..."

"There's no but. We're paying you good money, so just stay on the payroll. I can't afford to lose another money burner. Being rich is hard, you know," I sighed dramatically.

This time she actually giggled—clearly, my tragic billionaire woes were hilarious.

See that? Funny guys can be popular. I just happened to get stuck with an insane appearance debuff last life.

The tension finally eased, so I decided to give them a few more pointers. My brain was running at about fifty percent capacity—thanks to the nice view of their sweat-slicked necks.

I just love watching hardworking people.

"Alright, May," I said, stepping closer, "your wind attacks are good, but you're too predictable. See the knee ?" I pointed downwards.

"If you angle your gusts to flow through it instead of blasting straight at the torso, you can throw off your opponent's balance—then follow up with the finishing blow."

"Also, use short bursts, shift the tempo, keep them guessing—timing is everything."

Her eyes flashed, and I already knew she could incorporate my teaching right away.

In fact, the reason she was able to follow my tactic before, was because her brain obeyed my commands word for word. It practically erased hesitation or doubt.

I tried it on a whim, and it opened up infinite possibilities. Turns out I could speed up anyone's learning, as long as my words were specific enough.

"Boss, my contacts called. He's waiting" Amanda chimed in.

I nodded and told them to continue their training.

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