Luke was slightly taken aback. So recording an Anomaly Target required gaining the other party's genuine recognition?
If that was the case for friends, then what about enemies?
There was no way he could turn enemies into friends, holding hands and being buddies… right?
Compared to becoming friends, Luke much preferred making sure the other party never felt pain again—permanently.
Luke glanced at Madison in the driver's seat. "What about you, Madison? Am I your best friend?"
Madison rolled her eyes. "Of course. If you're not my best friend, who would be? I wouldn't drive for any other filthy man."
[Anomaly Target Madison Montgomery has been recorded. 500 Anomaly Points obtained. Current Anomaly Points 500/600.]
That felt good.
Luke was quite satisfied and couldn't help wondering whether forcing an enemy to say something like that would also allow them to be recorded.
He turned his attention to the new functions unlocked after the minor version upgrade.
Special Effects Function
??? The ability to freely alter skill effects? What's the point of that?
Wait… this might actually be really useful!
Luke imagined casting Flame Storm, but the enemy only perceives it as harmless smoke blocking their vision—while soft-looking "water" silently burns both them and the ground beneath their feet.
Turning a Water-type skill into Fire, converting violent lightning into invisible wind, or transforming the lethal Finger of Death into holy, radiant Holy Light…
Wouldn't that be one hell of a surprise?
In short, the Special Effects Function was a form of illusion magic—but far superior to ordinary illusions.
No one could detect any flaw with the naked eye. It merely altered the external manifestation of a skill while leaving its core effect completely unchanged.
"Activate Friend-or-Foe Identification Function!"
Luke activated the new feature. Green dots, yellow dots, white dots, and red dots immediately appeared within the 3D stereoscopic view in his mind.
The white dot was Luke himself.
There were only two green dots—Maria and Madison.
Yellow dots were the most numerous. All passersby were marked yellow, representing neutrality.
As for the few red dots…
Luke followed their direction and saw three people dressed like vagrants watching with malicious intent.
He glanced at them once and then ignored them.
Vagrants were practically a specialty of this city—nothing unusual.
"So red dots represent individuals who are personally hostile toward me?"
"And green dots are people who can be absolutely trusted—teammates recognized and recorded by the Reality Editor?"
Luke had it figured out.
This function was very useful. Within the range of the stereoscopic view, he could easily distinguish friend from foe. Now there was no need to worry about ambushes, schemes, or betrayal.
One glance was enough to tell who was loyal and who was treacherous.
A brief silence followed inside the car.
Before long,
They arrived at Maria's home.
It was a villa with a small garden, looking extremely luxurious and extravagant.
Madison was stunned. Judging from Maria's usual behavior, she didn't resemble a wealthy second-generation heiress at all.
City Public High School wasn't an elite school. Why would a rich family let their child endure that kind of environment?
Bullying? Did they think Franklin was just for show?
Maria seemed to notice Madison's puzzled look. She awkwardly lowered her head and gently opened the car door.
"Thank you for taking me home. See you next week."
Maria mustered her courage and looked at Luke, speaking as calmly as she could. But Luke could hear the tremor in her voice—clearly, she wasn't calm at all.
Luke raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a smile, "Maria, would you like to come with us to Crystal Lake tomorrow morning? It's my birthday."
"Ah? I'm sorry—I didn't know."
Hearing that, Maria immediately panicked.
Realizing that her best friend was celebrating his birthday and she hadn't prepared anything, she couldn't help but blame herself.
Maria wanted to agree, but when she thought of her strict father—and her mother, who loved her but always deferred to him—she lost the courage to nod.
"I… I'm sorry. anothertime, maybe…"
Luke waved his phone slightly and replied gently, "It's okay. If you change your mind, you can contact me."
"Then… goodbye."
Luke got back into the car, and Madison slowly drove away.
Maria stood there, watching the car disappear into the distance, her heart growing heavier.
How desperately she wanted to say yes—but she didn't have the courage to defy her father.
Maria returned home in a daze. Ignoring her mother's calls, she locked herself in the bathroom.
Standing before the full-length mirror beside the dressing table, Maria's vision blurred.
Another figure appeared in the mirror—identical in appearance, but with a darker, more lively aura. It was her other personality, Airam (The opposite of Maria).
Airam curled her lips into a wicked smile. "Congratulations, Maria. You've found yourself a real friend. Handsome and strong, isn't he?"
Maria recalled the solid, powerful presence she'd felt when she bumped into Luke, and her cheeks flushed faintly.
Airam didn't show any jealousy. Instead, she continued, "You like him, and I like him too. I think… we can take this a step further."
Maria instinctively protested, "No, that won't work. We're just friends! He only sees me as a friend, too!"
Airam leaned closer, her voice soft and seductive as she whispered, "It doesn't matter. He treats you as a friend. You can bear his children and use them to maintain the bond between us and him."
Maria froze. "That's… possible?"
Then she shook her head hard. "That's not allowed. He has someone he likes—Madison is incredible…"
"Look at me, Maria."
Almost unconsciously, Maria met the gaze of her reflection. Those captivating eyes were exactly how she had always imagined herself.
The figure in the mirror was so confident, so dazzling.
"Maria… the me inside the mirror…"
"Take a good look at this beautiful girl—like the most perfect work of art carved by the Creator. See how beautiful she is, how… irresistible."
"Luke said your name sounds beautiful, and that you're outstanding too. So lift your head, be more confident, and don't let him down."
"Remember this one thing: you are just as outstanding!"
"And besides…"
Airam's words stirred something in Maria's heart. "Besides what?"
Airam smiled wickedly. "He's so strong—hard as steel. Madison can't monopolize him alone."
"Just imagine it—she'll be worn out like a doll."
"As your friend… as their only friend…"
"At such a crucial moment, how could you not step in to help your friend Madison, and at the same time satisfy your other friend?"
"Everyone is friends here, so there's no need to be so reserved. You're happy, I'm happy, and they're happy too."
"Is… is that really how it works?"
At first glance, Maria felt that it made a strange kind of sense.
Isn't it best if everyone is happy?
If Madison really couldn't handle it, then as a friend… she could help a little.
At the very least… she could help push things along, right?