"Old man! Guess who is now a licensed Mercenary?"
His father slouched on the couch with his feet up, reading a book. With an exaggerated sigh, he set the book down.
"Who's the idiot that just broke the door open?" he said flatly.
Kai chuckled as he tossed the card to him. "Damn right, I did! I took the test and smashed a Cyclops! It’s legit!"
His father examined the license with his finger, smoothing the surface. "Okay. Congratulations, Kai. But-" he shifted to a serious, almost dangerous expression-"don't get cocky."
"Too late for that!" Kai stated proudly.
Just as he reached for his license, it beeped.
They froze in place.
The next moment, the card released bright light, and a holographic projection appeared to meet Kai's and his father's startled expressions.
"Portal detected. Danger Level: C. Location: Four blocks east."
Kai's eyes widened.
"That was fast," he muttered.
And without another thought, he rushed out the door.
"Kai! Wait-" his father called after him, but he was already gone.
Upon arriving at the scene, he was faced with havoc.
People screamed and ran for their lives while minor, scaly beasts came through with destruction.
The kobolds. These short, ravenous beasts wrestled their way through the streets, smashing windows and even breaking into stores while clawing at anyone too slow to escape.
A smile spread across his face; he knuckled up.
"Now, this is some action."
With that, he charged.
The first Kobold had barely enough time to turn before Kai's fist cracked its skull, sending blood splattering across the courtesy of the pavement.
Another charged him with an old dagger. Kai sidestepped, grabbed it by the throat, and smashed it into the ground with enough force to crack the pavement.
More Kobolds began to swarm him.
Claws lashed out. Kai wove through their attacks with ease.
Fangs snapped at his neck. He grabbed one by the snout and tore its jaw clean off.
He chuckled while holding another one by its legs and swinging it around like a bat to take the rest down.
It was a slaughter.
Within minutes, the last Kobold fell, twitching.
As soon as the final enemy fell to the ground, the portal flickered and collapsed.
Kai sighed and stretched his arms. "That was fun."
His Mercenary License chirped again.
"Congratulations. Monster Portal Subjugated. Credits Transferred."
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Checking his new balance, Kai smiled.
"Not a bad first job," he murmured, already looking forward to the next fight.
Another few unexpected beeps flared from Kai's mercenary license, followed by another holographic projection.
"Portal detected. Danger level B. Location: Z City Academy."
A glint of excitement lit up in Kai's eyes.
"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" he muttered, sneering.
It was time to throw those arrogant bastards a slap to the face with his success.
He dashed forward, unhesitant, blurring past the world towards the academy.
The academy was in a state of utter pandemonium upon Kai's arrival. Ogres rampaged on the school grounds. Their dissonant roaring made the air shiver, and their big clubs smashed through walls like paper.
Students and teachers were fleeing for their lives.
Some tried to counterattack with strikes that merely tickled the beasts. Others chose to run but were tragically squashed, flung, or devoured within seconds.
With that, Kai cracked his neck and stepped forward. Then came the action.
A flash on the field and an explosion.
One Ogre's head exploded when Kai's fist met its skull, splattering blood and brains all over the ground.
And before the others could make a sound, he was already amongst them, ripping through their ranks.
One swung a club at him—Kai intercepted it in mid-air and splintered it into tiny pieces before throwing a punch that cleaved through the Ogre's chest.
Then one more attempted to grab him; he went on to rip off its arm and used it to beat the Ogre to death.
In just a second, the last Ogre lay twitching lifeless.
The Portal flickered and collapsed.
Kai sighed with dissatisfaction. "Is that it? How boring."
He brushed himself off, looking at everyone's stares. But rather than gratitude, their eyes held fear.
"Come on!" he scoffed, holding his arms up. "Not even a thank you? I just saved your asses!"
There was silence. Then—
WHOOSH!
A fireball came toward him, aimed squarely at his head.
Or at least it was supposed to.
Kai's Energy Barrier snuffed out the fire instantly.
His expression darkened. "Who the fuck did that?" he asked in a cold and dangerous voice.
At that time, he turned his gaze toward the assailant-
John Igna, the son of Jacob Igna.
"You bastard!" John shouted, his voice twisted with rage. "I'll kill you for what you did to my father!"
Kai was lost for words. "...Killed?"
"So, I really did kill him. I thought Dad was just exaggerating," Kai thought to himself.
Then, the moment of doubt faded, and he laughed. A laugh that felt dark and twisted, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.
"Well, he deserved to die!" Kai said with a sneer. "You ability supremacist scum are nothing but filth in this world!"
Malice slowly gleamed in Kai's eyes. "Even better-"
His body tensed, muscles coiling like a predator about to strike.
"-I’ll kill all of you you! Starting with you!" he shouted and charged, intending to kill John with a single blow.
But just before his fist connected, a hand clamped around his wrist.
"Enough, Kai." Principal Raines intervened
"If you do this again, you will make an enemy out of the entire government," the principal stated as he tightened his grip. "And their target will not only be you but your father, too."
Kai’s burning anger blazed down.
"I see..." Kai's voice was low, barely audible, with a growl.
John was still boiling with rage.
"You're lucky the principal is here," Kai said, shooting him the cruelest of smiles. "Or your head would be rolling."
He made one last look around him, leaped away, and was gone from sight—leaving a school full of frightened students behind.
