The soft hum of a woodcutting machine echoed faintly behind a renovated shop-house, now transformed into the AlaricCraft Indonesia workshop and production hub. The once-dull walls had been painted a clean white, adorned with a raised minimalist logo: Crafted From Heart — Jakarta.
Alaric walked through the production corridor, buzzing with activity. A few new staff members were labeling pre-order packages, while the creative team discussed upcoming phone charm designs. There was a constellation edition and another called Emotions in Symbols.
In his hand, a tablet displayed live production and distribution charts. The system assisted in real time, estimating material stock, production timelines, and tracking shifting market trends.
[National Production Progress: +21%]
[Team Management: Stable]
[Expansion Opportunity: Open]
Alaric sat in a small meeting room that doubled as the team's brainstorming space. He looked around at his new team—young people, most of them classmates or acquaintances from local entrepreneurship events.
They weren't management experts, but they had something far more valuable. Passion.
"Starting next month, we'll split into three teams," Alaric said, tapping the presentation on-screen. "Production, Creative, and Operations."
He looked at them seriously.
"I'm not asking for perfection. I only ask one thing: never lie to a customer. That's what sets us apart."
They all nodded, full of conviction. They knew this wasn't just about selling charms.
But storms always come when the sky looks too bright.
Three days after the constellation batch launched online, a new product appeared—Zodiac Threads. Its design looked strikingly similar to Alaric's. So similar, it seemed like a knockoff. A cheap imitation.
Alaric noticed it when his team reported a sharp sales dip that day. Normally, numbers rose on the second day post-launch.
He clicked the ad. The design, colors, philosophy—even the promotional tone and language—were nearly identical. But the shop had a different name: E.C Design.
The system immediately sent a notification:
[Product Similarity: 82.6%]
[Potential Design Infringement: High]
[Status: Manual Action Required]
Alaric narrowed his eyes. "E.C…?"
Suddenly, two letters connected in his mind.
Edward Chen.
The name surged back with not just a smug face and crooked smile, but with status. The son of Zentrix Holdings' CEO—a tech investment giant notorious for buying up small brands once they gained traction.
And worse, Edward was Clarissa's current boyfriend.
"Did he do this on purpose?"
Alaric didn't react right away. He sat on the office rooftop, looking out over the city. In his hand, he held a new phone charm design that hadn't yet launched.
"Why is Edward watching me? Even copying my business?"
"He already has everything. Power. Money. A big name. He even took Clarissa from me."
A breeze swept through his hair.
"Is it because I came back into their lives?"
"Or because I started being seen?"
"Is he afraid I might become a threat?"
He remembered Edward's gaze during a recent campus bazaar. It was unreadable. Cold. Arrogant. But also… unsettled?
[Emotion Detected: Mixed. You're not disliked because you're threatening. You're disliked because you can't be controlled, and you have a better chance of rising.]
Alaric chuckled. "You're getting poetic, system."
The next day, Alaric received an email from a loyal customer.
"Sir, I saw a product called Zodiac Threads. Thought it was yours, but something felt off—materials and feel were different. Weird, because the concept was nearly identical."
At the same time, AlaricCraft's customer service team reported a spike in returns—not of their own products.
"This is bait," Alaric said during a team meeting.
"What do we do, sir?" one staff member asked.
"If we react too strongly, we'll look petty. But if we stay silent, people won't know which one's real."
He stood, looking around.
"We won't fight back with arguments. We'll respond with quality and stories they can't replicate."
..
Over the next three days, AlaricCraft went all out on content. They invited customers to do unboxings. Produced "Behind the Craft" videos showing each charm's creation process. They showed the artisans, shared the stories—not just the designs, but the meaning.
The system suggested a campaign:
[Authenticity Campaign Active: Encourage customers to post testimonials comparing fake and original using hashtag #CraftedFromHeart]
The result? Viral.
Dozens, then hundreds of reviews poured in. Some showed loose stitching on the fakes. Others felt cheated by knockoffs. But all pointed to one truth.
"If it's not AlaricCraft, it's not authentic."
Edward looked cornered. He didn't sit back. He launched expensive ad campaigns and used celebrity endorsements, but none could compete with the organic wave of loyal customer voices.
Alaric never attacked directly. But each of Edward's moves became increasingly transparent.
[Zentrix Holdings Downgrades Investment Score for EC-Design]
[Investors Pull Funding]
[Shopee Takedown Issued - Intellectual Property Violation]
That news came two weeks later.
Alaric sat in his workshop, watching a new batch get packed for delivery. He stayed silent for a moment before saying,
"Edward… you tried to take me down because you thought I was just a naive kid. But sometimes, the smallest ones aren't as weak as you think."
A new system notification appeared:
[External Conflict Resolved]
[Crafted From Heart Officially Recognized - System Registered]
[Bonus Points: +300]
[New Exclusive Design Unlocked - Wounded, Not Defeated]
And a new badge appeared:
[Heart Crafter – Gold]
Alaric looked at the notification screen. Closed his eyes for a moment. And exhaled deeply. He knew more storms would come. Harder ones.
..
Golden sunlight danced against the windows of the economics building. Alaric sat on a long bench surrounded by a small group of campus friends. Casual chatter and laughter filled the air.
"Yo Ric, you serious about selling phone charms overseas?" teased Tama, his loudest classmate, sipping a cheap coffee from the canteen.
Alaric replied casually. "Of course. If I can get into airport gift shops too, why not?"
"Dang, respect bro!" chimed Anya, a friend active in the campus entrepreneurship club. "You're like some anime protagonist come to life. Could've stayed rich, but decided to start from scratch with something this humble."
Laughter erupted. Even Alaric smiled. He could feel the lightness of being surrounded by people without the shadows of his past. Everything felt smooth, and he wondered if all his pain had finally come to an end.
Then, from a distance, someone called his name.
"Alaric!"
The voice pierced through the laughter, sharp and demanding attention. Everyone turned almost in unison.
So did Alaric. Especially him. He knew that voice too well.
Clarissa.
She stood a few meters away, dressed in a white blouse with neatly styled hair. But her face—something was definitely wrong.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked, no smile, no explanation.
The group fell quiet. Glances were exchanged. Some nudged each other, some giggled softly. Tama elbowed Alaric, smirking, "Oof, look who's back. Ciiiyeee…"
Alaric rose slowly, his face unreadable. "Alright. Just a sec."
They walked in silence through the campus back corridor, heading to a small, secluded garden with a single bench and a few overgrown trees.
The afternoon wind rustled the leaves, making the moment feel strangely suspended—as if even the world was holding its breath.
Before Alaric could speak…
Smack.
A slap landed hard on his left cheek. Not just jarring his face, but bruising his pride.
Alaric froze. Eyes wide—not from pain, but from sheer disbelief.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Clarissa shouted, her voice cracking with emotion.
"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR, ALARIC!"
Alaric rubbed his cheek gently, trying to dull the sting. Then looked at her, frowning.
"What's going on with you?"
Clarissa gritted her teeth. Her eyes were red, either from crying earlier or from rage.
"Edward…" her voice dropped but sharpened.
"His business… it's ruined. All the investors pulled out, his reputation's trash. People are calling him a copycat! He's on the verge of getting suspended from his internship because of this. This is your fault, isn't it!?"
Alaric said nothing. His expression remained calm. But inside, something stirred.
"Don't play dumb!" Clarissa snapped.
"You know what you did. You made him fall. And now his brand's a joke!"
Alaric finally spoke. His voice flat.
"He copied my designs. Everyone knows they were more than just similar. You think I'd just sit there? That was my team's work. People I brought in from zero. I protected what's ours, Clarissa. That's not on me."
Clarissa shook her head furiously.
"You… you've changed, Alaric! You used to be kind. Too kind. Now you're ruthless!"
Alaric looked into her eyes. He wanted to laugh at the irony. But there was nothing funny about this.
"No, Clar," he said softly. "I'm not ruthless. I just stopped being a victim."
Clarissa held her breath. For a moment, only the wind could be heard.
Then she said coldly, "If you ever try to mess with him again… I won't stay silent. Watch yourself, Alaric."
She walked away, leaving Alaric beneath the trees.
He returned to his friends, now scattered around the bench. Some were browsing his shop's marketplace, chatting and laughing about new charm designs.
Tama spotted him first.
"Yo Ric!" he said, half-rising. "What happened? She want you back?"
Alaric sat down quietly, placing his bag beside him. His face wasn't angry, or sad, but it wasn't entirely neutral either. Something was being kept inside.
"No," he replied calmly. "She gave me a gift."
Anya tilted her head. "A gift?"
"A slap," Alaric said, staring straight ahead. "Best one I've received all week."
Laughter erupted again. Some out of disbelief, others just reacting without knowing what else to do.
"Dude… what the heck?" Tama asked, still wide-eyed.
"No idea. Maybe defending her new boyfriend," Alaric answered, lowering his gaze slightly and smiling.
"Or maybe… she's still not over the past."
The system chimed in with a small notification.
[Emotional Trial: Successfully Managed]
[Mental Stability: +3]
[Social Understanding: Improved]
[Note: Refusing revenge is a strength not everyone possesses.]
Alaric exhaled. Not from sadness.
But because he knew his journey had just opened a deeper chapter. One that involved not only enemies from the outside, but also those who once broke his heart.
And this time, he chose not to strike back. To let go of the damage they caused.
To move forward without carrying the weight of old battles.