《I am my own God》


 Prologue: Between Lives

    "Farewell, you guys."


    "See you in the next one, Rich."


    "Watch over them, Yui."


    "Take care of yourself, Zoe."


    "..."


    Saying goodbye forever to the most important people in your lives...how hard do you think that would be? Now do it over a hundred times. You might think it gets easier; everything gets easier the more you do it, right? I wish that were the case, but it''s regrettably anything but. Knowing that I could never see them again, yet the emotions and memories remain, even after "death", kills me.


    Honestly, I''m pretty strong...like...really powerful, but even I have limits. Apparently, it''s only possible to manipulate my own life, but not others. I''ve tried countless times in the first ten lives of my soul life, trying to extend and revive my loved ones'' lives, but to no success. I''ve accepted that there is nothing but temporary for me. It''s not all bad though, I definitely cherish all the experences I''ve been through and it''s gotten me to the point where I can basically do whatever I want per life. It hasn''t even been that long since my last death, so I''m just chilling in my travel space until I get real bored. Not gonna lie though, this travel space used to be complete ass, with me cluelessly walking through a dark-as-fuck nothingness, hoping to hit a portal along the way. Once I got some power though, I converted the space into a hallway with doors on each side and a small room at the center for me to relax in. The doors have a sign with one word above them to indicate the overall type of world or universe it may be. Now you may be asking, "how come you don''t just choose where to go?" I can''t...that requires some Jesus level shit. Anyway, I''m currently lying on my soft bed, waiting until the moment I''m bored enough to take a walk. I take a few more moments before sitting up and looking at myself through a mirror: naked, with asian facial features, medium length brown bedhead hair, brown eyes, six feet tall, and a lean build. I stand up to conjure myself some clothing: a white t-shirt, grey sweatpants, running shoes, and my one and only silver ring. I take one last look at my wooden cabin of a room before walking out.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

 Chapter 1: Heaven

    ¡°Please state your name.¡±


    Due to the accumulation of my previous memories, my mind takes a few moments to adjust itself. Once my head clears up, I find out that I¡¯m currently sat down on a wooden chair, surrounded by nothing except whiteness. I¡¯m not even sure where the brightness of the room comes from, as there are no nearby light sources. I¡¯m unable to see how big the room is, as it¡¯s completely white, with no shadows anywhere. I try to get off the chair, but an unknown force prevents me from doing so. I hear the same mechanical voice speak again.


    ¡°Please state your name.¡±


    ¡°Kai.¡± I answer calmly.


    ¡°Welcome to Heaven, Kai. I am an A.I. meant to introduce you to this dimension. This dimension consists of two geographically identical worlds inhabited by humans and demons respectively. The humans, like yourself, reincarnate after having died in their previous worlds; they reside on Earth, one of the two worlds. The demons, however, are reincarnations of all non-human species who had a deep hatred for humans in their previous lives. They reincarnate on Hella, the other world, for the sole purpose of opposing Earth and its inhabitants. Both worlds have received and still receive equal amounts of reincarnations over time. Reproduction is impossible within this dimension.¡±


    ¡°At the end of every year, a life-or-death battle occurs in an arena located between the two worlds, which will be broadcasted to every single being. Besides the team of 12 that each world must bring into the arena, 10% of the worlds¡¯ inhabitants will be randomly chosen as the audience within the arena; the audience will be stripped of all stats and skills within the arena. Battle ends when either team¡¯s killed off; victory rewards the remaining team members by doubling all their stats, along with the right to do whatever they wish to the losing world¡¯s audience.¡±


    ¡°You will assume the age and appearance of when you were in your prime from your previous world. You, nor anyone else in this dimension, can grow old, but you can still be injured and killed through other means. There are laws and rules enforced by The Order, a large group of adventurers who desire peace and unity amongst Earth¡¯s inhabitants, although not everyone shares the same mindset. In a moment, you will reincarnate within Heaven¡¯s Castle, which is located in Edora, one of the major cities on Earth. However, before you start your journey, let me show you who you are in its entirety.¡±


    A window consisting information about me appeared in front of me. It reminded me of the games I''ve played in various worlds, a few of them also being Earth. Games really are universal...well, multi-universal.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kai


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Race: Human?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Age: 25


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level: 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Title: Multiverse Master


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    HP: 100?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    MP: 100?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: 100?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dexterity: 100?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence: 100?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Skills:


    Wisdom of a hundred worlds - Complete magic control.


    Strength of a hundred worlds - Complete physical control.


    Endurance of a hundred worlds - Takes very long to fatigue.


    Agility of a hundred worlds - Possess near instant reflexes and reactions.


    Flaw of a hundred worlds - Unable to level up.


    Experience of a hundred worlds - Stats are not absolute.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Summary:


    A being capable of traversing through dimensions with ease.


    Default appearance retained.


    De-synced from system...


    No further data can be extrapolated from this individual...


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°You can access this page for yourself simply by thinking ¡®status¡¯. To start off, I will give you a basic explanation of each stat. Strength is pretty straightforward, as it essentially defines the physical aspect of a character; how much one can lift and how tough they are on a physical level. Dexterity represents the different aspects of quickness within a character; how fast you can react, how fast your reflexes are, and how agile you are. Intelligence indicates your general proficiency with magic-related aspects; how fast your mana regenerates, your mana capacity, the power of magic-related abilities. Your health points roughly dictate your overall condition; how much damage you can endure and how close you are to dying. Health points are quite inconsistent and unreliable due to it being a subjective stat. Finally, mana is simply a resource required for the majority of magic-related things. Due to an abundance of mana essence within the air, your mana will naturally regenerate overtime. This can be strengthened through various methods, increasing intelligence being the easiest one. To achieve stat points to allocate, one must level up. The simplest way of doing so would be slaying creatures located across Earth...or Hela for experience points, which would level you up, granting ten points for allocation per level up. With all this said, I will now spawn you in the Draco academy for further assessment.¡±


    My mind goes blank for a few seconds, only to then appear standing on what seems like a circular steel platform. I quickly notice two girls on my right, each standing on their respective platforms. The girl beside me kept a composed expression, stealing short glances towards me and the other girl. She seemed to be of Asian descent, with relatively short brown hair that barely extends past her shoulders. The white dress shirt she wore over her small and slender body, combined with her black dress pants, extruded a look fitting of a young adult. She''s approximately a head and a half shorter than me. I take a look at the other girl and I couldn''t help but be instantly entranced by her baby blue eyes and long eyelashes. She shyly turns away after making eye contact with me, causing her elegant a-line wedding dress to gracefully spin around with her. A silver tiara encompassed her perfectly straight, warm blond hair, creating a contrast of colours fit for royalty. Surprisingly, she''s only half a head shorter. These two seem pretty interesting.


    After I was done checking out the ladies, a voice is heard throughout the small room.


    ¡°Hello you guys, welcome to Heaven! My name¡¯s Erick, I¡¯m sure our A.I. has given you three a rundown of the situation. I understand if any of you have further questions beyond what was given, but rest assured, we will answer everything after the initial assessment. If you guys may walk through the door in front to the next room, that would be greatly appreciated.


    The girls look around, and at me for a bit. They seem a bit cautious to move forward, so I take the initiative to do so. I open the steel door and walk into a large, open room that looked like a mix of a school gym and sports arena. The room is furnished with wooden floors and glass panels on both sides of the room. In the middle of the room, there¡¯s a circular steel platform on the ground, similar to the ones we spawned on. A large screen is attached onto the wall in the back of the room, with a door underneath it. There were lots of people observing us behind the glass panels. The girls end up walking through the door, stopping behind me. The door automatically shuts once they¡¯re in the new room.


    ¡°Hello again! Just to clarify, no one around you means any harm and are only spectating. We¡¯ll be running a quick test, just to determine your capabilities and help you get started. With that being said, could Amelia stand on top of the platform?¡±


    The blonde girl hesitantly walks forward and stops on top of the platform . She seems pretty nervous, but didn¡¯t question the instructions spoken.


    After a brief moment, the screen lights up and displays the basic stats of Amelia on the screen.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Amelia


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Race: Human


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Age: 23


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level: 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    HP: 323


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    MP: 186


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: 281


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dexterity: 167


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence: 186


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    All of a sudden, an approximately 2 meter high, lower case t-shaped training dummy appears in front of Amelia out of nowhere. It seemed to be made of a green slime-like material. Then, in mid-air, on the right side of Amelia, a visible handle wrapped in leather forms from the bottom up, onto a steel hilt, then finally onto a large metal blade. The entire process of this well-crafted longsword took no more than a few seconds. A similar event occurred on the left side as well, but with a rapier instead. Both weapons remained in mid-air.


    ¡°The test is pretty simple, just destroy the dummy in whichever way you¡¯d like, the use of magic is also allowed. The type of equipment created were based on your memories, so they should be well-suited for you.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Amelia, simultaneously, wraps both her hands on the two weapons beside her. The weight of the longsword doesn¡¯t seem to affect her in the slightest despite i. She definitely looks comfortable while holding these two weapons, despite her lack of a matching outfit.


    ¡°Actually, would you prefer a change of clothes first?¡±


    ¡°No, this is fine.¡±


    Her demeanor has clearly changed after equipping herself. She definitely isn¡¯t shy anymore, especially with the aura she¡¯s emitting. She moves back a bit and gets into a stance that I¡¯m not too familiar with, but it resembles a mix between fencing and medieval swordsmanship. She holds her rapier in front of her, like one would while fencing. With her right hand, she holds the longsword slightly above head level, arm bent, matching an ox guard stance, which is supposed to be done with two hands. She focuses on the target forward, with her legs bent, prepared to engage and react to any situation that opposes her.


    She springs forward and thrusts her rapier, piercing right through the wooden dummy like butter. With no time in between, in one fluid motion, she swings her rapier to the left while still pierced within the dummy, easily cutting it again, and freeing the blade. She continues the swinging, and with the additional weight of the rapier, uses the created momentum to rotate her entire upper body. This allows her to extend her right arm like a whip, along with the rotation of her wrist to reposition the sword for a slashing attack, which sends the longsword flying down diagonally, decimating the dummy the instant the blade makes contact with the wood. With her two weapons down on her left side and a low posture, she ends her onslaught with an aggressive tackle onto the remaining bottom half of the dummy, causing it to fly a few meters back. She proceeds to stand up, with the two weapons in hand still. Not a sign of fatigue is shown.


    ¡°...¡±


    The announcer and majority of the observers had to take a few seconds to comprehend what happened. The scattered pieces of the dummy and her two weapons quickly dissipate into nothing during the moment of silence.


    ¡°Wow. That was spectacular! Even with your impressive stat page, we didn¡¯t want to expect too much, since they¡¯re never fully indicative of one¡¯s strengths. It¡¯s always exciting to be introduced to such individuals like yourself. It looks like you¡¯re also able to weave enhancement magic during your attacks...absolutely flawless. It¡¯s not often we get to witness someone as amazing as you, especially not while they¡¯re level one. Great job. ¡±


    ¡°...Is that all?¡± She asks shyly.


    ¡°Oh sorry, yes that will be all that is required from you. Thank you for being so cooperative. You can move back to where you were.¡±


    She scurries back behind me. Seems like her timid personality is back.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong. I¡¯m impressed you could pull those attacks off in that dress. ¡± I told her calmly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She replies quickly and quietly.


    ¡°Could we get Hina to walk to the platform now? The same test will occur for her as well.¡±


    The Asian girl confidently walks to the platform. I assume her uneasiness has died down because she knows what to expect now.


    Similarly as before, the same training dummy appears in front of the new girl, back in one piece. The screen¡¯s display changes, now showing Hina¡¯s stats.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Hina


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Race: Human


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Age: 21


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level: 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    HP: 238


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    MP: 198


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: 132


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dexterity: 364


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence: 198


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Before anything else happens, Hina runs back and stops in front of me. Amelia and I decide to back up a bit more.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready now!¡±


    Just like the test with Amelia, a weapon starts to form on the left of Hina. A wooden bow slowly appears, positioned with the bowstring at the top. The design seems to be somewhat derived from the Manchu bow. Instantly after, a quiver with a long leather strap containing five arrows form on Hina¡¯s right side. Hina flings the quiver onto her back and grabs the bow. Without missing a beat, she instantly slips three arrows between her fingers from the quiver behind her, attaches them to the bowstring, draws the bowstring, and releases all three arrows simultaneously towards the target¡¯s head. The moment the arrows leave Hina¡¯s fingers, she dashes towards the target with accelerating speed, during which, she slings the bow over her head and behind her back, with the bowstring acting as a strap. Moments before the arrows reach the target, she speeds up even more, side steps past the target and ends up behind the dummy. In the last half second, she manipulates the top and bottom arrow to sharply turn and fly onto each side of the dummy¡¯s head. During this, she withdraws the last two arrows, holds one in each hand in a downward position, jumps up and proceeds to swing down onto the dummy¡¯s head. In one, synchronized instant, all five arrows penetrate into the dummy¡¯s head. The time it took, starting from the release of the arrows to the dummy, took less than three seconds.


    ¡°How was that?¡± She says with a hint of cockiness.


    ¡°...¡±


    Once again, the bystanders are speechless. There has been an increase of spectators since the last test. Given how well Amelia did, word must have spread quickly.


    ¡°Boy, seeing the both of you perform to that level with ease is...is...insane! It¡¯s hard to figure out what words are fitting for the two of you. Just understand you both are one of a kind.¡±


    Hina runs back behind me and grins happily, clearly satisfied with her performance.


    ¡°Seems like you both were raised in pretty intense environments. I¡¯m sincerely impressed with you two. I would like to invite both of you to stay by my side in this new world of ours.


    ¡°I don''t even know you.¡±


    ¡°Um...me neither, sorry.¡±


    ¡°I could easily guarantee your safety in any and every circumstance that comes your way.¡± I continue calmly.


    ¡°Ahaha, you already saw how strong we are, I don¡¯t think there¡¯d be any issues with our safety. Thanks for the offer though.¡±


    ¡°Hey Kai, come on up, it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    I pretend to ignore him.


    ¡°Hey Kai, could you please move forward to the platform?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the please.¡±


    I walk onto the platform.


    The display changes again.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Kai


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Race: Human?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Age: 25


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level: 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    HP: 100


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    MP: 100


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: 100


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dexterity: 100


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence: 100


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    After it displays my stats, I notice fear within the spectators, most likely due to my race being an uncertainty. At least my stats are displaying properly, without the question marks.


    ¡°Why does your race contain a question mark, Kai?¡± The announcer sounds serious for the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself, maybe your screen is broken.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take me for an idiot. Please identify yourself!¡±


    I keep myself quiet to gauge the situation. He¡¯s panicking over such a minute detail. How pathetic.


    A few moments of silence later.


    ¡°Ah, sorry about Erick over here, he¡¯s relatively new and overly cautious. We didn¡¯t mean to make you feel unwelcome. I will take over for him in the meantime. Nice to meet you, Kai, my name is Celeste, I am the current vice principal of this academy.


    ¡°Ah, no worries, I can understand how a small detail could scare him...and everyone else watching. None of you have any kind of significant power to protect anything, so being insecure is a pretty natural response to anything unfamiliar.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is this subhuman trash to insult us in front of us like that?¡±


    ¡°Let me fight him!¡±


    I hear students yelling behind the glass.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s being so confident...his stats don¡¯t seem to warrant it. I understand him being upset because of people doubting him, but why push it?¡± Hina calmly asks


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not sure. He was pretty confident when asking for our companionship too...maybe he has something hidden¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on now, I apologized for Erick already. I do hope you can take back the words you said about him and everyone else. It doesn¡¯t do anyone good to spread hate, we already have the demons to worry about.¡± Celeste says with a bit of annoyance.


    ¡°And yet, the majority of the students, Erick included, inferred I might have been a demon, judging their reactions. Am I supposed to accept that kind of accusation because your students couldn¡¯t maturely handle a symbol on my stats page? I¡¯m not fond of taking shit from people, strangers no less.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right...and I apologize again for the entirety of the academy. Everyone spectating, please settle down and stop escalating things. Anyone else caught being loud and rude will be suspended indefinitely.¡± She actually sounds sincere, after realizing my point of view.


    Everyone around instantly became quiet. Despite their anger, they were pretty obedient.


    ¡°Thanks Celeste, you¡¯re not too bad. Since you put in the effort to apologize sincerely, how about I make it up to you a little. Spawn me a living test subject and I¡¯ll show everyone what real power looks like.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...are you sure about that? We have a lot of demon prisoners, but they¡¯re significantly tougher than the wooden dummies¡­and most new reincarnates wouldn¡¯t even have the conviction to harm another living being.¡±


    ¡°Just do it, I wouldn¡¯t ask if I wasn¡¯t sure.¡±


    ¡°...Fine.¡±


    It took a bit longer than the dummies, but a demon magically chained to a metal cross finally appears. It stood over two meters tall, equipped with thick, dark grey leathery skin and the muscle mass to shame a world-class bodybuilder. Additionally, with four obsidian black horns on its head, blood red eyes, and razor sharp teeth, it resembles a dragon in your darkest nightmares. It¡¯s easy to see why people are afraid of them...along with the fact that most demons find total pleasure in torturing humans. His stats page replaces mine on the screen.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: Asgaroth


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Race: Dragonic Demonkin


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Age: 526


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level: 150


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    HP: 4692


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    MP: 1776


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength: 3712


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dexterity: 1481


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence: 1776


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°ARGHHHH!! YOU FILTHY HUMANS, LET ME GO OR CEASE TO EXIST WHEN MY SOLDIERS RESCUE ME.¡±


    ¡°Shhh...corpses shouldn¡¯t be so loud in the morning.¡±


    ¡°WHO DO YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE TALKING TO, FILTHY LIVESTOCK? I AM THE LEADING COMMANDER OF THE DRAGON CORPS. YOUR PEOPLE HAD TO SEAL ME BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO KILL ME. FREE ME AND YOU¡¯D UNDERSTAND HOW INSIGNIFICANT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE.¡±


    ¡°...¡± So annoying.


    ¡°Do you require a weapon? Our mage can¡¯t seem to conjure a weapon for you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks.¡±


    ¡°AHAHAHA, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR WEAK HUMAN HANDS? HOW LAUGHABLE.¡±


    ¡°Bragging?¡± Hina thinks to herself


    Some of the students observing are even snickering, thinking I would humiliate myself, especially with no weapon.


    I stand there, left hand behind me, legs together, facing a monster one and a half heads taller than me and raise my right hand slightly above his left shoulder. Before anyone could question what I¡¯m doing, I chop down.


    ¡°WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO DO?¡±


    It takes him a few seconds to comprehend what happened. His confidence in his own strength and body, coupled with the lack of expectations he had for me prevented his mind from physically feeling any pain...initially.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.¡±


    His entire arm had been cut clean off his body. Blood came flowing out, dying the ground red. The interesting thing is that his arm remained in the same place, floating due to the magic chains keeping his entire body static in that one particular position.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What the actual fuck?¡±


    ¡°...This guy wasn¡¯t joking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for even joking about fighting him.¡±


    Once the demon settled down, I position my hand above his head and smile.


    ¡°Please. I¡¯m sorry I said anything, I¡¯ll go back to my prison quietly, please. Please, I stepped out of li-¡±


    I swing down once again, but with a wider range of motion this time due to his large frame.


    His supposedly tough body does nothing to hinder my hand, splitting it right down the middle from his head to his crotch. The chains disappear the moment his life is extinguished. The halves of his body only remain upright for a few seconds before falling to their respective sides. His internal organs scatter once the bodies hit the ground, floating in the pools of blood.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nothing but silence.

 Chapter 2: Dormitory

    ¡°Before anything else happens, I would like to thank you for slaying that demon, that was unreal. I think all of us would agree that we jumped to conclusions too quickly, and would love to welcome you wholeheartedly to our Draco academy...if you¡¯ll have us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I accept the apology and the welcome.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank you so much. We¡¯ll get you three sorted out as soon as possible. If you guys could just walk through the back door, that¡¯d be great. I¡¯ll be right down to introduce myself in person.¡±


    As we start walking towards the back, we notice that a small metal orb slowly materializing above the demon corpse. Once fully formed, it scanned the entirety of the body, separated limbs, and blood, digitizing everything at a quick rate. Nothing remained after a few seconds, with the floor looking brand new.


    Before we reach the door, it swings open and a gorgeous woman waltzes through, her face glowing with a smile, with an air of gentle authority. She¡¯s rocking a light blue blouse and white skirt which further accented her soft gaze through her dainty glasses. Her hair - naturally light brown in colour, dyed slightly with caramel highlights - was tied and worn back to display her professionalism.


    ¡°Celeste, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yup! It¡¯s great to see you three in person. I¡¯m so thrilled to have you guys in our academy! Please follow me, I¡¯ll lead you to your rooms so you can unwind and get settled in, as I¡¯m sure all of this has been pretty surreal.¡±


    She leads us through the door into a small room, identical to our starting one, with the only difference being a single large platform instead of three. She stands on the platform and signals for us to do the same. A bright blue light envelops the four of us and we reappear on another platform in a small area connected to a lobby of sorts. The lobby had lots of couches, chairs, and tables around, along with a glass dome above, emphasizing the spaciousness of it. It was connected to an entrance door on the other side and two hallways to the left and right of us. A few people in the lobby turned to take a look at us as we appeared on the platform.


    ¡°These platforms are placed all around the academy campus, meant for people with authorization to get from one place to another as quick as possible for emergency and other purposes. Anyway, we¡¯re now in the dormitory, which is where the majority of our students stay until they decide otherwise. I¡¯ll give you a quick tour as we head towards your rooms.¡±


    She leads us towards the left hallway, which I might add, is very wide.


    ¡°A lot of our students currently live right outside the academy, which is why westill have space in our dorm. Well, that and the fact that our academy''s never won a ranking battle, soa lot of students tend to leave for better learning opportunities.I mean, we couldn¡¯t even finish off a prisoner we captured...heh.¡± She looks real down about having to state that fact about her own school.


    ¡°Ahah, what''s there to worry about? You got me now, and as long as I''m part of this academy, I''ll make sure we climb to the top.¡±


    ¡°You mean we?¡± Hina chimes in.


    ¡°No, I mean I, cause you two didn¡¯t want to be with me, last I checked.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re part of this academy as well. We may not be as strong as you right now, but we¡¯re gonna strive to beat you, aren¡¯t we, Amelia?¡± She turns to look at Amelia with lit up eyes and an enthusiastic smile.


    ¡°Ummm¡­yeah!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it then.¡±


    ¡°Thanks so much again, it means so much that you three are okay with staying here...that doesn¡¯t happen often after I mention such things.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I think we¡¯re all pretty grateful that you¡¯re willing to guide us through everything since this is all new to us.¡± Amelia adds on.


    Hina and I both nod. It¡¯s true though, Celeste was willing to admit her and her students¡¯ mistakes when they falsely inferred the worst of me, despite her position as the academy¡¯s principal. She didn¡¯t hold onto her initial judgment, which is something pretty rare, even within all the different worlds I¡¯ve been to.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s the least I can do.¡± She gave us a smile and resumed the tour.


    ¡°As you can see, there¡¯s furniture in the middle of the hallway to promote a close-knit community. It allows people to just hangout wherever instead of always being inside their rooms and whatnot.¡±


    There were couches, benches, tables, and even some potted plants lined up in the middle of the entire hallway, which created a very cozy atmosphere within the dormitory. It was pretty lively, as there were many students chilling about. Regardless of what Celeste said, this academy definitely has their students¡¯ comfort in mind, which is something I respect.


    We walked for a while before reaching three doors at the end of the hallway.


    ¡°Here are your rooms! I know it¡¯s a little far, but I wanted you three to have the quieter rooms incase you guys like your privacy. They¡¯re also slightly bigger than the other rooms, so I hope that makes up for the slight walk required¡­¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Fine by me.¡±


    ¡°Yup, no problem!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­!¡±


    ¡°Dibs on middle.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take the right one if you¡¯re okay with the left one, Amelia?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s okay by me.¡±


    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll let you guys settle in for the day. I¡¯ve sent an informational notice to each of y


    ou regarding our classes and the campus layout. They should be located in your virtual mailbox inside your rooms. Note that the classes aren¡¯t mandatory, but they definitely would help you get started in various ways, so consider attending sometime! Have a wonderful night everyone! ...Oh yeah, almost forgot! No fights with other students unless there¡¯s a mutual agreement, thanks!¡±


    ¡°Good night ladies.¡±


    ¡°Bye Mister Cocky. Good night Amelia!¡±


    ¡°Night you guys¡­¡±


    The metal door with no handle automatically opens inwards when I get near it. I walk inside and the door slowly shuts behind me. I¡¯m honestly surprised at how vast the room is. There¡¯s a white queen sized bed to the far right corner of the room with a small bedside desk with two cupboards and a wireless lamp beside it. The lamp and pot lights above warmly lit up the room the moment I stepped foot onto the heated cherry hardwood floor. Across from the bed was the washroom with a relatively standard arrangement, consisting of - from right to left - a regular ceramic sink, a toilet and a stand-up shower with a sliding glass door. The area between the bed and washroom was a small living room space, with a leather couch, wooden table, and a flat screen mounted onto the wall. To the far left of the washroom door was the kitchen area, consisting of a marble countertop with a steel sink and an integrated magic stove and oven, a mini fridge in the corner, and a marble island in the middle with a few stools on the side. A magic-based washer and dryer were located in between the washroom and kitchen with a hanging bar and some clothes hangers above. There was also a walk-in closet to the far right of the bed, with a few sets ofone-size-fits-all pajamas and towels...no underwear though, so I guess I¡¯m going commando until I buy extras. Lastly, I notice a virtual, translucent mailbox with virtual sheets within it. I attempt to pick up the sheets and they automatically zoom out a bit in front of me. I have full control over the virtual sheets, with the ability to select, zoom, delete, and exit out of each sheet. I select the sheet labeled ¡°Classes¡±:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Classes are open to everyone within the academy.


    </td>


    <td>


    Classes are optional, and can be left early, but cannot be joined late.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Physical & Enhanced Combat


    </td>


    <td>


    Monday || 11:30pm - 2:30pm || Room A


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Magical Combat


    </td>


    <td>


    Tuesday || 11:30pm - 2:30pm || Room B


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Everything about Heaven


    </td>


    <td>


    Wednesday || 11:30pm - 2:30pm || Room C


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Past Item Creation


    </td>


    <td>


    Thursday || 11:30pm - 2:30pm || Room D


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Alchemy


    </td>


    <td>


    Friday || 11:30pm - 2:30pm || Room E


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Academy Battle Training (Exclusive)


    </td>


    <td>


    Only forElite Students


    Everyday || 3:00pm - 6:00pm || Room S


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So everyone attends the same classes...interesting. Tomorrow¡¯s Tuesday, so I¡¯ll check out the magical combat training and academy battle training.


    I then select the sheet labeled ¡°Campus Layout¡±:


    Wow, each building and room is several times larger than a football field...that''s very impressive.


    -stomach growls-


    I''m starving, let''s find some food.


    I get out of my room and start walking towards the lobby, noticing some looks in my direction as I do so. I decide to eavesdrop a bit with my enhanced hearing.


    ¡°Is he the one who killed the demon commander?¡±


    ¡°Are they sure he¡¯s human..?¡±


    ¡°Who cares if he is or isn¡¯t, he fucked that demon up without a sweat!¡±


    ¡°Not sure whether I should be intimidated or inspired¡­¡±


    I snicker a bit. As students continue to talk about me amongst themselves, a female voice calls out from behind me.


    ¡°Kai!¡±


    I instantly recognize the voice as Hina, so I decide to ignore her and continue to walk forward.


    ¡°Mister Cocky!¡±


    I turn around to see her running towards me. I wait until she stops in front of me and I deliver a quick smack to the top of her head with my palm.


    ¡°Stop calling me that, Miss Underdeveloped.¡±


    ¡°HOW RUDE! You clearly don¡¯t know how to treat a lady!¡±


    ¡°Oh I do, but you¡¯re not a lady.¡±


    My stomach grumbles again right after I say that.


    ¡°Too bad for you, I don¡¯t eat with rude men!¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, have a good night then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I decide to order a bowl of tonkatsu ramen, a bowl of noodles with a pork bone based broth. The noodles has a decent chew and bite, but the pork was rather dry and bland. Still got me full and content, so I couldn¡¯t complain too much. Considering how reincarnates can come from almost anywhere, it¡¯s not a surprise that Japanese cuisine is prominent within this world.


    Hina ordered a single Big Mac. Yeah, a Big Mac from a place called McDonald¡¯s. This fast food chain existed in at least half of the worlds I¡¯ve been in. I fucking love it. The only reason I opted for the ramen was because I literally had McDonald¡¯s the day I died in my previous life. Knowing that McDonald¡¯s exists is good enough, I¡¯m definitely going to take advantage of that in the future.


    ¡°Guess this rude man got to eat with you after all ahaha. Jokes aside, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re getting along, rather have more friends than enemies.¡±


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t wanna eat alone! But no problem, you and Amelia were the first people I met in this world, so it makes sense for us to try getting along. I tried to get her to come out, but no one answered when I knocked...I¡¯ll bet she fell fast asleep. Don¡¯t think this is a date by the way!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I won¡¯t think that with someone who¡¯s not a lady anyway.¡±


    ¡°Blehhh!¡± She stuck her tongue out at me.


    We end up grabbing some vanilla ice cream cones before walking back to our respective rooms for the night.

 Chapter 3: Teammates

    The bag continues to swing more and more as I bob and weave around it, landing successive light, yet quick strikes onto it. I really enjoy warming up with martial arts, since they were the first things I ever learned in regards to combat, and not one day has passed where I don¡¯t practice them. Throughout the centuries of living, my body and mind have evolved to the point where they¡¯re in perfect sync with one another, which enables me to visualize and train in my consciousness and have it affect me physically in the exact same way. I finish up my training, get out of my mind, and fall back asleep.


    I wake up an hour before class starts to get ready. I take a warm shower, brush my teeth, slap on a new pair of pajamas, put on my running shoes, and head out the door.


    As I¡¯m heading to Room B, I take notice at the amount of students taking a gander at me. I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s because they know who I am or because of the way I¡¯m dressed...either way though, it doesn¡¯t really bother me. The walk isn¡¯t too bad, it reminds me of a fairly barren college campus, with lots of grass and some pathways connecting the few buildings. It takes me around seven minutes to casually stroll from my room to Room B. The double doors into the classroom are kept open and I¡¯m greeted by a few hundred students chattering on the wooden bleachers stacked up on both sides of the room. The entire Room B is separated into two parts, with the first area meant for theoretical and studying purposes, much like a regular college class, and the second area meant for practical and training purposes, much like a school gym. I stand at the doors looking up and down the bleachers, hoping to locate either Amelia or Hina.


    ¡°Yo Kai, what are you looking for?...Perhaps ME? Ahahaha.¡±


    ¡°Hi Kai.¡±


    I turn around and see Hina grinning mockingly with Amelia smiling innocently beside her.


    ¡°Nope, just Amelia.¡±


    ¡°Ehhhhhhhhhh? W-w-why?¡± Amelia¡¯s pale white cheeks quickly redden.


    ¡°Cause I figured the cutest girl would be the easiest to find.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­thanks...¡± She shyly whispers before looking down and playing with her fingers.


    ¡°HEY! WHAT ABOUT ME?¡± Hina instantly pouts in front of my face and loudly asks.


    ¡°Despite being cocky and annoying most of the time¡­¡±


    ¡°...What the hell, finish your sentence!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°!!! I hate you. Go die.¡±


    ¡°MOVE OUT OF THE WAY AND SIT THE FUCK DOWN!!¡± A large man behind us in a black suit of plated armor yells while pointing his sword at us. He¡¯s accompanied by another man with a gold suit of plated armor and a shorter man with padded leather armor.


    ¡°Who the hell are you guys!?¡± Hina angrily asks.


    ¡°...If you take that tone with me a second time, you won¡¯t have a mouth to take that tone with anyone anymore.¡± The man in gold armor threatens as he releases a sinister killing intent. Besides myself, every single person on the bleachers, Hina, Amelia, the man in black armor, and the man in leather armor start buckling down onto their knees while shaking. Their bodies instinctively cowered in fear.


    Indifferently, I point out, ¡°If the girls behind me aren¡¯t standing up by the count of three, you won¡¯t be seeing tomorrow. One, tw-¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, just because you can remain stand-¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    I flex and tighten my left hand¡¯s fingers to match a spear and take a quick step forward with my left foot, whipping my arm and hand in a semi-ovoid manner towards the man¡¯s throat. He tries to react to it, but fell seconds short. Everyone¡¯s released from the pressure and comes back to their regular state of minds, only to witness my hand impaled through the man¡¯s armor and throat, blood dripping from the fingertips. His lifeless body hangs on my forearm through the newly-formed cavity. I lower my arm and the corpse slides out, crashing down onto the ground. Blood drains out of the punctured flesh, staining the golden armor blood orange.


    ¡°W-w-what have you done¡­? He was an honor student from the Orchid academy...we don¡¯t have the power to offend anyone there, let alone someone of his status!¡± The man in the leather armor was clearly shaken about the entire situation, now fearing for the worst.


    ¡°You guys are so fuc-¡±


    I rush towards the man in black armor as he¡¯s standing up, grasp onto the armor surrounding his neck, and slam him back onto the ground. I grip a bit tighter, causing the armor to slowly crack under the pressure. Sharp edges of the metal dig into the man¡¯s skin, evident by the blood leaking from the crevices.


    ¡°S-s-s-t-op.¡± He struggles to voice out his plea as his armor increasingly crushes down on his throat.


    I finally let go seconds after.


    ¡°If you or anyone else from your dumbfuck academy have the gall to ever waltz back into this academy and threaten my people again, your teachers won¡¯t have any students left to teach.¡±


    He can only nod to me.


    ¡°You be on your way now. Safe trip home.¡± I say while kindly smiling.


    ¡°T-this is so bad, they¡¯re definitely going to come back.¡± The man in leather armor continues to be a nervous wreck.


    ¡°Who are you and why were you with them anyway?¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Elnoir and I teach today¡¯s class, I-I had to escort the Orchid academy guests around, as they wanted to sponsor us...but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case anymore.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, I told him not to come back. And if they do, well...let the Orchid academy rain blood.¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡±


    ¡°Kai.¡±


    ¡°The student who slayed the demon during testing?¡±


    A lot of the students were surprised as well.


    ¡°He was the one?¡±


    ¡°I thought people were exaggerating.¡±


    ¡°Merciless¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad he¡¯s on our side.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Well fine, at the very least, I hope you¡¯ll be okay. Students from the Orchid academy are pretty vengeful, so just watch your back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for worrying.¡±


    ¡°Hey Kai, thanks for watching out for me and Amelia...we heard you standing up for us, so that was pretty damn sweet.¡± She leans over and plants a kiss on my cheek. During that moment, I close in on her ear and whisper to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous yourself. There¡¯s the rest of the sentence.¡±


    ¡°You!!¡± She blushes and smiles before turning away.


    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re a lot kinder than you let on, Kai.¡± Amelia gently adds on, giving me a kiss as well. It was the first time I¡¯ve seen her be so confident without holding a weapon.


    Once again, a metal orb appears above the deceased body and gives it a quick scan. A few seconds later, everything faded into nothingness, armor included.


    Elnoir seems to have calmed down a bit by now and walks into the middle of the class, seeming to start teaching like it¡¯s a regular day.


    ¡°Hey Kai, would you be interested in teaching this class? There¡¯s no doubt you¡¯re more capable than me, let alone the rest of this class.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m alright, teaching isn¡¯t really my forte...I¡¯ve done it before but¡­¡± A few unpleasant memories fill my head.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I quickly snap back to reality. ¡°I just don¡¯t think I¡¯d be a good fit, sorry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry. I just wanted to check, so don¡¯t worry about it.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°You alright Kai?¡± Amelia worriedly asks.


    ¡°Yeah, just blanked out for a second, nothing worth mentioning.¡±


    ¡°In that case, will you three be sitting in for today¡¯s class or not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll get seated, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    We walk up the bleachers and find three empty seats at the top. All but one student moved to other seats after we sat down. He got up and sat down beside me.


    ¡°Hey, name¡¯s Ammon, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Kai. I¡¯m going to be straightforward with you. I¡¯ve kept an eye on you since the testing and after today¡¯s incident, I can¡¯t help but want to get myself acquainted to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? And what makes you worthwhile for me to be acquainted to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m one of the strongest reincarnates in Esteria. I, too, could withstand that man¡¯s killing intent without a problem. That should automatically place me above those two girls by your side, no?¡±


    ¡°How come you didn¡¯t respond to his intent then?¡±


    ¡°Aha...I¡¯m still pretty new, so I don¡¯t think I could beat him, but I can prove to you that I¡¯m of considerable skill if you¡¯ll let me. We could just head over to Room S after this.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re an elite student?¡±


    ¡°Only looking at one of the best, heh.¡±


    ¡°Yet you couldn¡¯t fight against an honor student?¡±


    ¡°Err...no...our academy¡¯s in a pretty bad shape right now. Despite being fairly new to this world, I¡¯m already considered an elite here. The ranking system usually goes like this: regular students, honor students, theoretical teachers, elite students, combat teachers, the principal, and the king. Unfortunately, the power level of Draco academy is far inferior compared to other academies¡¯, placing our combat teachers similar level to their honor students. The only people not inferior in Draco are the principal and the king.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect Celeste to actually be competent...Also, who¡¯s the king?¡±


    ¡°A man named Alek. I¡¯ve only seen him once, watching me and the other elites in Room S. He had an indomitable aura about him that I wasn¡¯t willing to test.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°So how about it, we gonna partner up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll decide once I see you in action. You two wanna tag along?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, sure! I have nothing else better to do, why not check out the so-called elites?¡± Hina is clearly excited.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go wherever you two go¡­¡± Shy and cute as always.


    We stop talking and start listening to the teacher. He goes into topics that I, personally, already know a lot about so I¡¯m starting to debate whether it¡¯s worth going to majority of the classes. He mentions different fighting styles, weapons, and even certain types of armor. The information he gives out is actually very beneficial for people unfamiliar with combat, but once again, it¡¯s mostly for beginners who aren¡¯t sure of where to start. I guess most of the experienced fighters either don¡¯t attend class or have already moved onto better academies. After an hour and a half of teaching, Elnoir takes off and a bulkier man walks straight into the second room. All the students get off the bleachers to do the same.


    The second room is a huge arena designed for heavy combat training. There are smaller stacks of bleachers on the sides and a door connecting to the portal room on the center left wall, in between the bleachers. Many small fighting rings are placed on one half of the room, while many training dummies occupy the other half. As students start populating the entirety of the room, the two girls, Ammon, and I grab a seat on the bleachers. I¡¯m currently more interested in observing more than anything else, it¡¯d be worth my time if I¡¯m able to identify someone with high potential. The gorilla of a teacher is also observing all around him as he stands near the center of the room.


    ¡°We honestly don¡¯t have much going for us in terms of our facilities. Academies receive resources based on their ranking, and as you already know, we¡¯re dead last.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I wasn¡¯t planning to train in class anyway. Fighting living beings would allow us to gain levels and have real combat experience, which is a lot more effective than static training.¡±


    ¡°There are machines that can simulate whatever you imagine, but we can¡¯t afford those in the regular rooms yet. Even Room S has just one of those, so we have to take turns using it.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem winning the next academy battle with me here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re real confident in your own abilities, eh?¡±


    ¡°No doubt.¡±


    ¡°Are you two morons done talking? I¡¯m bored. Can we just leave if we¡¯re not going to be training?¡± Hina annoyingly questions.


    ¡°Yeah fine, I don¡¯t think anyone of potential would be training here anyway. Let¡¯s just go to Room S now so I can see whether Ammon¡¯s all talk or not.¡±


    As we¡¯re walking down, I notice a girl, in my peripheral vision, striking a target dummy with her bare hands and feet. She¡¯s the only one who isn¡¯t using a weapon within the room. I approach her from the side.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Huh, me?¡±


    ¡°You are the one I¡¯m looking at.¡±


    ¡°Oh. My name¡¯s Mimi...aren¡¯t you Kai?¡±


    ¡°Glad you¡¯ve heard of me already.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you ask for my name?¡±


    ¡°I respect your way of training and wanted to ask if you¡¯d like to become friends.¡±


    ¡°...Friends? I don¡¯t know...I barely know who you are. Seems a little questionable.¡±


    ¡°How about acquaintances for now? We don¡¯t need to rush.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...okay! In that case, nice to meet you, Kai.¡±


    ¡°Same to you.¡±


    ¡°Well, my student identifier is Mimi#523, so add me and we can stay in touch.¡±


    ¡°How do I add you? Still kind of new to everything.¡±


    ¡°Did no one tell you how communication works between students? You can simply think ¡®contacts¡¯, much like how your status page works, and say who you want to add. All your approved contacts will show on the page, which allows you to message or call whoever is there.¡±


    ¡°Oh add me too, my identifier is Ammon#152.¡±


    I think ¡°contacts¡± and a virtual blank list appears. The top left of the page has an ¡°add¡± button. I tap it and say ¡°Mimi#523¡± and ¡°Ammon#152¡±, which the system has no problem requesting. I assume Mimi and Ammon accepted my request since the pending status was no longer visible.


    ¡°In that case, everyone add Hina#812.¡±


    ¡°...and Amelia#793 please.¡±


    After a few moments, everyone else seems to have finished adding each other.


    ¡°Cool, thanks for letting me know. Since I have you added, we¡¯re going to take off now, hope to talk to you soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay! It was nice to meet everyone, see all of you soon.¡±


    ¡°Bye Mimi!¡± We say simultaneously.


    It doesn¡¯t take long before we reach Room S. The doors automatically slide open for us and we walk into a fairly empty arena. There are two individuals sparring near the middle and two others watching from the side.


    As he¡¯s mid-air, he instantly conjures an ice spear within his grip, throwing it straight towards the girl¡¯s electric shield. It collides with it, dissipating the electricity, and continuing its path towards her. The spear pierces through her abdomen, flash freezing the blood that gushes out. A few seconds later, all wounds and spells digitize and cease to exist from reality, with both fighters uninjured.


    ¡°Great fight, Vivien.¡±


    ¡°Never gonna let me take a win, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not a chance ahaha.¡±


    ¡°Yo Vivien, Garett!¡±


    ¡°Heyo Ammom!¡±


    ¡°Yo!¡±


    ¡°Hey guys, I want you to meet Amelia, Hina, and the infamous Kai. That¡¯s Vivien, Garett, Alma, and Selene.


    We all greet and introduce each other. They seemed pretty chill, despite knowing who I am.


    ¡°So what brings you in with Ammon? It¡¯s not everyday that non elites show up in here.¡± Alma questions.


    ¡°I promised Kai that I¡¯d prove my strength to him. He¡¯s a tough cookie to befriend.¡±


    ¡°You? Prove your strength? Not many people don¡¯t know how powerful you can, especially considering you¡¯re lower level than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the compliment, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an acceptable form of proof. You also have to remember this man slayed a demon commander...and he just killed and humiliated two students from Orchid.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡± They all exclaim together.


    ¡°Yo man, that academy¡¯s hella vengeful. They¡¯re definitely going to start major shit with us. Why¡¯d you do that dude?¡± Alma seems fairly worried and annoyed.


    ¡°I agree with Alma, seems pretty stupid to pull a stunt like that. Whatever he did, you should have let it go, it¡¯s not worth risking the safety of the rest of us.¡± Garett adds onto Alma¡¯s frustration.


    ¡°Whoa, chill guys, you guys weren¡¯t there, it was fucking awesome how Kai didn¡¯t take any of their shit. Besides, he said he¡¯ll take responsibility if shit went down, just calm down.¡±


    ¡°...¡± I remained silent to allow them to cool off a bit. No point for me to escalate things after Ammon responded already.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get started then? Come on over, Kai.¡± He walks towards the middle of the arena.


    ¡°You¡¯re proving your strength to me using me?¡±


    ¡°Would that not be the best way? You can see and feel for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Aha, alright, what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be much of a fight if you went all-out...so you could just try defending and countering me. I think that¡¯d give you an estimate of my powers.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Everyone else stands to the side.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get what he was thinking...thinking about it gets me worked up.¡± Alma just couldn¡¯t let it go.


    ¡°Shut up. You guys don¡¯t understand the extent of Kai¡¯s strength...I¡¯m almost certain his threat of wiping out the Orchid academy wasn¡¯t empty. I believe he could do it.¡±Hina isn¡¯t one to not stand up for her friends. She knew Kai did what he did because of her and Amelia.


    ¡°Ahaha, you haven¡¯t even walked outside this campus yet. There are powerhouses you can¡¯t even comprehend.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t doubt Kai to be stronger.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    Ammon is equipped with just basic cloth clothing and two azure-colored daggers sheathed on each side of his waist. He draws his daggers and slowly walks towards me. He starts shifting left and right at a rapid speed, leaving afterimages right before he disappears in sight. I quickly shift into a self-made stance, based off of jeet kune do, and resume looking forward, relying on my other senses to react accordingly. Thinking I wouldn¡¯t notice, Ammon appears in front, above, and behind me simultaneously. The one in front quickly channels a blinding spell with one hand while slashing with the other; the one above is diving straight down with both his daggers; and the one behind attempts to hold me in place for the other two. I pivot ninety degrees to the right, close my left eye, and using my left hand, grab front Ammon¡¯s wrist to prevent his slash. I swiftly step back, exert ki force from my right palm to knock back the rear Ammon, while dodging the above Ammon, and pulling the front Ammon with me. The above and rear clones instantly disappear once they hit the ground with excessive force. With the real Ammon still locked in my grip, I throw a right hook to his chin with my right hand. He reacts to it by transforming his locked arm into a shadow and jumping back. He doesn¡¯t miss a beat to step back in and thrust a dagger towards my head and abdomen. Before his daggers reach me, I lean back to launch a heavy push kick onto his stomach, resulting in him flying several meters back and coughing up blood.


    ¡°I surrender.¡± After saying so, his blood digitizes away and he seems to be left uninjured.


    ¡°So you¡¯re an assassin...that was pretty good. Reminds me a bit of Hina, she did something similar during testing.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem fazed at all during the entire thing. Granted, I didn¡¯t go all out, but I definitely put in the effort to severely injure you.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, that was insane, Kai!¡± Vivien exclaims.


    ¡°Gotta admit, that was pretty badass.¡± Garett joins in.


    ¡°Eh, still doesn¡¯t showcase how strong he can really be¡­¡± Alma¡¯s still unconvinced.


    ¡°Considering that I¡¯m planning to make everyone here part of my team, how could I make you trust me?¡± I calmly ask Alma.


    Before he could answer, another person steps into the room, and an announcement is made.


    ¡°The King has entered Room S.¡±