His past—from his birth certificate, kindergarten, elementary school, to middle school—was all perfectly in order. Any issues with his history were even easier to resolve. He had just moved here from another city, and since he didn’t know anyone locally, there were naturally no loopholes, except for William Brooks, of course.

So, from any angle, Brian Cooper was now a perfectly legitimate city teenager, a diligent student, with a background that raised absolutely no suspicions.

William Brooks had originally come to West Lake for tourism, but now it was time to go home for high school, since the new semester was about to start.

Probably out of instinct, Brian Cooper chose to live on the top floor. He ate, slept, and moved about on this level; the kitchen and dining room were here too. Basically, each floor of this building was just a single open hall, with no real division into rooms. Not that Brian Cooper cared much about that anyway.

These past few days, William Brooks had been holed up here with him. The two of them were busy studying the things they had each obtained. Sometimes they’d mess around online, since, as the saying goes, “On the internet, who knows if we’re dogs?” Let alone monsters. William Brooks pointed out to Brian Cooper that this was the most effective way to get familiar with modern society. The variety of people online really did open Brian Cooper’s eyes to the many facets and customs of the modern world.

However, William Brooks sometimes had complaints about Brian Cooper’s excessive obsession with the internet. Today, he finally couldn’t hold back and decided to remind Brian Cooper not to forget what was important.

“Dude, we’re starting school tomorrow. You need to get ready—buy some school supplies, daily necessities, like a backpack, stationery, notebooks, fountain pens, clothes… At the very least, get yourself a bicycle, right?”

Busy battling William Brooks in Counter-Strike, Brian Cooper didn’t even look up and replied absentmindedly, “I don’t need to buy anything. I can use magic to transform stuff. And bicycles are so outdated. I’ll just turn the divine beast Wind Thunder Howl you gave me into a Ferrari, or maybe use the Unicorn Golden-Eyed Beast to make a Rolls-Royce. These divine beasts can shapeshift, and they’re really smart—once they become cars, they can drive themselves and don’t even need gas.” Brian Cooper didn’t really agree with William Brooks’s suggestion. As a high-level demon, he felt he should have a certain presence in society—at least not less than a mafia boss. Riding a bicycle? What a joke.

Hearing this, William Brooks got a bit exasperated, giving up the chance to headshot Brian Cooper, and shouted back, “First, Wind Thunder Howl and the Unicorn Golden-Eyed Beast weren’t gifts from me—you snatched them from me. Second, in today’s society, no high schooler is cocky enough to drive what you’re talking about on the street, let alone to school. You need to pay attention to your image. Don’t think modern society is like the old days.”

To add to his point, William Brooks turned to face Brian Cooper directly, speaking with utmost seriousness, “You—absolutely—cannot—just—use—magic—whenever—you—feel—like—it. You have to act like a normal person.”

If it weren’t for his magical protection, Brian Cooper would have been sprayed in the face with spit. Even so, he was pretty annoyed. He thought to himself, “This kid is getting more and more out of line. No, he never respected me from the start. This won’t do—I need to teach him a lesson.”

“If you want to die, just say so. Don’t think you can boss me around.”

“Tch—”

“So being a high-level demon is such a big deal, huh? Well, didn’t I just kill you?”

“Come on, you can take me out with a knife? Counter-Strike is no fun, I’m done.”

“Haha! Eighty losses, three wins—you’re really terrible.”

“What a crappy game. I’m done. I’m going online to play Miracle.” Frustrated, Brian Cooper retreated in defeat—resorting to sulking.

“Why not just come out shopping with me? Seriously, it’s like you haven’t moved in days. You’re even more obsessed than today’s students. You should get out and stretch your legs.”

“No, I just reached level thirty in Miracle these past few days. I need to keep leveling up.” Brian Cooper had no intention of moving.

William Brooks shut off the computer in front of him, turned around, and said, “Look at this place—it’s like a bird’s nest. You hole up here all day and never go out. What, are you trying to hatch an egg?”

“Don’t make me angry.”

Brian Cooper was no weak, timid monster. He was already in a bad mood, and now he was furious. With a burst of telekinesis, William Brooks was flung against the wall, stuck in a big “X” shape, pinned in place by an invisible force.

“Hey, hey, don’t take it seriously———————”

William Brooks saw the strange, demonic light flickering in Brian Cooper’s eyes, and sensed an overwhelming, never-before-seen aura radiating from him. Instinctively, William Brooks felt the bizarre, unfathomable power inside Brian Cooper was incomparably strong—on par with the gods and demons of heaven and earth. It was a strength he’d never seen in any living being or monster before. Even this pure spiritual pressure was more than William Brooks could bear.

Normally fearless, William Brooks obediently shut his mouth.

But in just a brief instant, Brian Cooper withdrew his power. He only wanted to scare William Brooks, not actually hurt him. Brian Cooper wasn’t the type of monster who enjoyed killing, and he certainly didn’t want to kill William Brooks over something so trivial.