That night, Kai lay sprawled atop his bed, gazing at the ceiling. His head was a whirly constellation of thoughts.

"What should I do with my life?" he thought. "The government? Nah... Those ability supremacists cared only about maintaining their control and keeping the poor beneath them. "University? Just a waste of time."

Spending years in a class just to get a job one could never really command was an absurdity he would reject.

That left him one option: Mercenary.

Indeed, it was dangerous, but the pay was crazy worth it. High-risk, high reward; since he would be using his new powers, why not engage in slaying the Monsters? That way, he wouldn't have to take orders from the government.

When he was sure, Kai pulled himself up from the bed and across the living room to where his father sat at the desk, illuminated by the soft glow of his laptop screen.

"Dad, can we talk?" Kai asked.

Lucas looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Of course. What is it, buddy?"

Kai inhaled deeply. "Well, I've been thinking about my future, and I want to become a mercenary."

Lucas stiffened, his fingers hovered over the keyboard. "A mercenary?" he said, with a voice that gave little away.

Kai nodded. "Yep. It pays well, and now that I have the ability, I actually have a chance of making it out. Unlike the government, mercenary work don't care where you come from; all they see is how strong you are."

Lucas took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. "Kai, I understand. You want to show your worth, but do you really think this is the best choice? The government keeps people safer; if you would join them, you would be protected."

"Protected by who? The same people who treat non-ability users like trash? No thanks."

"Yeah, the government cannot be perfect or even really good, but at least it does mean some sort of stability. Being a mercenary is a losing game. Those who walk into the battlefield could well be walking to their deaths, and for what? Money?" Lucas scowled.

Kai gritted his teeth. "Money is not the main concern here. Freedom is. If I work for the government, those elite families have me under their thumb. At least working as a mercenary, I pick my own fights."

Lucas regarded him for a long moment before he sighed with resignation. "There is no talking you out of this?"

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"No." Kai plainly replied.

The silence grew heavy as they sat interlinked in their own thoughts for a moment longer when finally Lucas spoke again, "Okay, I guess I'm not going to stop you, but if you're really serious about this, then you need to do some training. You might have a little ability now, but that doesn't mean you are anywhere near being ready."

"Then guess l better get going."

A few days later, Kai was allowed to join P.E. class for the very first time in his life.

Standing on the training field, he watched his classmates stretching and warming up: "So this is what I have been missing out..."

The very fact that he had no powers at all had exempted him from such training. While the rest of his classmates tested their abilities in Super Strength, Super Speed, or Elemental abilities, Kai was stuck in classrooms with theories that meant nothing.

Now, he was finally here.

But now came the flat-out fact that he was one year behind in everything.

Coach Marden stood with his barrel chest, arms folded, and the same scowl plastered across his face. "Ciphera!" he shouted, digging his calloused fingers into his muscular arms. Since you have only now awakened your powers, we shall start way back at the beginning. You got that?"

"Aye aye, Coach," Kai saluted.

"Good," Marden said. "The first lesson is Mystic Energy Absorption. Get comfortable and meditate."

Kai blinked. "That's... it?"

Marden shot him a stern glare. "You want to level up your abilities or not?"

So he knelt fast. By then, everyone around him had already closed their eyes.

For all ability users, Mystic Energy is the energy absorbed from the surrounding environment for empowerment. The higher the capacity to absorb the energy, the faster the progress.

Kai closed his eyes and concentrated.

For a moment, it felt as if nothing was happening. Then, suddenly - power rushed into his body. The energy was flooding into him. Faster than he expected, whilst his classmates were inhaling very slowly and exhaling knowingly. They absorbed tiny wisps of Mystic Energy-Kai absorbed it four times.

Kai clenched his fists, gathering the energy that was settling in him. "Why is it so fast?" he thought.

And then he realized...

Kai has the power to manipulate energy; therefore, he can absorb energy with even greater efficiency than others.

"If this is my base rate... what happens when I level up?" he thought to himself.

If his level of absorption increased with every rank, he would surpass his peers in no time.