At school the following day, Kai felt an air of change. Whispers enveloped him from behind, accompanied by the odd furtive glance before his eyes were quickly downcast. Fear, trepidation, uncertainty—nothing new; after all, he had been an outsider for more than a couple of years. However, this time, it felt different. He was no longer being laughed at. They were scared of him. Kai sighed heavily on his way down the hallway, adjusting his bag strap.

"So this is what it takes to get them to stop laughing?" Kai muttered to himself.

He took his seat in the class, unaffected by the masses. Just as he put his head on his hand, in came the homeroom teacher, Mr. Denzel, who tapped the whiteboard twice.

The screen popped to life.

"Alright, class, listen up," Mr. Denzel announced, all murmurings silenced by deep resonance. Graduation is one month away. It's time to start thinking about your careers."

"As you are aware, there are three major career paths in the Nova Continent after high school," said Mr. Denzel. "First, the government. The function of the government is to regulate the ability of users and maintain balance in society. So, if you're in an elemental clan or some prestigious family, you certainly have a one-way ticket to being a Government Agent."

Kai inwardly scoffed. "Balance? More like control."

Mr. Denzel's fingers moved. "Second, blue-collar jobs. These are mainly for Super Strength or Super Speed users—jobs requiring brute force."

Mr. Denzel's voice grew slightly gravely. "Thirdly, a licensed whatever-mercenary. They are in charge of eliminating monsters."

The class looked alive. Mercenaries are wild cards—able to ignore the strict demands of the government and live an exciting yet dangerous lifestyle.

"But, of course," added Mr. Denzel, "the trade of mercenary is not for everyone. You need to pass the entrance exams for Mercenary Academy and undergo intense training for one year before getting your license for mercenary work."

Someone raised their hand. "Sir, what about university?"

"Good question," nodded Mr. Denzel. "Those wishing for white-collar jobs—scientists, engineers, teachers, doctors—of course, you must pass the entrance exams before integrating in full measure into their profession."

Kai drummed his fingers on the desk while half-listening.

He knew how things were.

If you were gifted, you had choices.

If not? Then you were bottom-of-the-food-chain.

People such as his father, Lucas Ciphera, a writer, were classified as no-hopers because they had no abilities and did not make it to university. That thought hurt Kai.

Had I not awakened my powers, would it have been like that for me?

Then, Mr. Denzel clapped his hands: "One more reminder! Government Agents and Mercenaries, like most of you know, have semimonthly tournaments to establish who among them is the strongest fighter. These tournaments help to engage one another and encourage others to grow stronger."

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There was a buzz from the class, and excitement was in the air.

"I advise you all to catch a couple of bouts. It might give you some idea of the type of warriors who run the show in this world," Mr. Denzel continued.

In the full glare of the afternoon sun, everything appeared to be cast in a golden halo, and, in contemplation of certain events, Kai ambled across the pavement, hands in his pockets, minding his own business. The calm within the setting was soon shattered.

There was a blur past him, another blur, and yet another. Before he could even fathom the incident, a force slammed into his legs and sent him crashing down hard onto the ground. Laughter rent the air.

"Heh, look at this loser," said one of them.

"Yeah, thinkin' he's some big shot just 'cause he got lucky against those bullies," a second snarled, cracking his knuckles.

Kai groaned, rolled over to his back, and stared up at the three figures hovering above him.

"Super speed types; level twos by the look of them—fast but predictable," Kai calculated in his head.

Kai sat up slowly, brushing the dirt off. "Oh, you were talkin' about that?" He grinned. "Didn't realize beating up weaklings counted as luck."

The trio stiffened. Their smiles slowly faded, each disappearing into grimaces of rage.

"You cocky little-"

Kai broke in, his grin ever mocking. "I mean, I get it; you're slow on the head and even in speed."

That... hit the nail on the head. The first one lunged at him, the blur of speed closing the gap in an instant. The others were right behind him.

Kai stood there and did nothing.

As they hit him, the fists and feet stopped. Kai barely moved as he absorbed all their kinetic energy, holding it for one split-second before releasing it back at them.

BOOM!!

Three speedsters tumbled like ragdolls in the air, landing like a bag of bones on the pavement. They groaned, failing to push their way back up, weighed down by their own bodies.

Kai released a satisfied breath and flexed his fingers.

He did his research.

He might only be a Level 1.5, but against hotheaded Level 2s with speed as their only asset? It was more than enough.

One of them coughed and scowled at him. "H-How the hell did you—?"

Kai chuckled. "What, you thought I was going to stand there looking like an idiot?"

The realization hit them all at once. Their confidence was shattered.

Kai cracked his knuckles. "You guys were real tough a minute ago. What happened?"

They tried scrambling to get up too slowly. Kai was already on them.

An awful crunch radiated across the courtyard as he stomped down on one guy's leg. The speedster screamed in anguish. Another one tried to crawl away, but Kai caught him by the collar and smashed him onto the ground.

"Come on," Kai teased, a predator grin plastered across his face. "Where's all that speed now?"

They begged. They pleaded. But Kai didn't stop until bones splintered and blood pooled beneath them.

When he was done, the bodies were still limp, barely conscious, shaking with pain. Kai stood over them, uniformly stained in red, breath calm.

He peered down at them with eyes cold and devoid of emotion. Then he turned on his heel and walked away as if nothing had ever happened, leaving behind a graveyard.

They will never run again.