As the first years awoke, they found a stack of money by their respective doors. A note was next to the bills.

  ‘You get 10k a month. This month you get 15k. Put the cash in the machine in your room and it puts the money in your account.’ The note read.

  Each student looked down at the stack. Leo put his fifteen grand in the machine, so did Jason, Andrew, and Mia. Tim also put his twenty grand from his stack in the machine. Each student noticed an arrow pointing to the back.

  ‘Return to the class after breakfast. -Derrick’

  “Good morning class. For the lesson today you each get a kai tool. you will also be fighting me. Let's head over to the sparring arena.” Derrick announced.

  “Why are we fighting you?” Leo asked as he followed Derrick to the sparring arena.

  “To assess your combat skills easier. Also to work on teamwork. you're not only going to be fighting kai banes.” He answered.

  Leo looks at Jason and Jason goes to follow their teacher.

  “You can choose any kai tool but only 1.” Derrick told them.

  Derrick opened the kai tool inventory.

  “Choose your tools, I'll be in the middle of the sparring arena waiting.” Derrick said.

  As he walks off Mia turns to her classmates.

  “I've got a plan. Leo, take the bead bracelet. It's called the Esoteric Bracelet. When it's activated you can change your property depending on the color. I'll take the Black Dragon Claw, it increases my output by a ton. Jason you take the Marksman's Beauty again.”

  She takes a breath. “Tim gets the divine mirror, it can absorb an attack from a kraft and output it at any time. Finally Andrew, you get the hands of god. They're gauntlets that are infused with unstable kai. After a certain number of hits, determined by kai level, it adapts to the target's durability. It would attack them as if they had the durability of a regular civilian. Follow my plan and we have a chance of winning.” Mia said as if it were fact.

  “Took you all long enough. Must have been quite the interesting conversation you kids had.” Derrick announced to them as they arrived near the middle.

  He looks at the selected kai tools then creates a gun and shoots at Andrew. The bullet is redirected to the left, where no one is hit by it.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Hey you didn't say we were starting!” Tim yelled.

  “Your enemies won't play fair so neither will I students!”

  Andrew starts to run behind Derrick. Mia shoots a kai output shot towards Derrick. He creates a shield to block it and he gets blown back into a punch from Andrew. Andrew keeps damaging the back while Leo's bracelet switches to a light blue.

  Leo puts his palms on Derrick's chest and puts kai into them. Andrew backs off on the attack. Derrick feels electricity surge through him, stunning him. Derrick keels over on his knees facing the ground.

  Derrick smiles and metal rods come out of him. One sticks into Leo and he takes his own electricity. The others shoot the lightning out at the other students. They should be able to take it. He thought as he made the rods. If not, the divine mirror should be able to absorb it or Tim should redirect them.

  Derrick watches the lightning travel towards the students. It gets closer. They'll dodge it or he's going to stop it right? It gets even closer. Ah fuck it. The slinging chakrams launch from a hidden arena on his pants and slide under a foot of each of the students except Leo. They fall just below the lightning strike.

  “The Slinging Chakrams? I thought you didn't have any kai tools, I didn't see you take any.” Mia asked.

  “I did say I wasn't going to play fair, didn't I Mia?” He chuckles slightly and stands up.

  The teacher kicks Leo away by the chest.

  “He has the Slinging Chakrams! They're 3 circular silver blades that move and fly either independently from him or follow Derrick's movements when they're infused with his kai! They also fly just slightly faster than him!” Mia informs her team.

  “I'll keep them off you guys!” Tim tells them.

  He flicks three fingers upwards and the chakrams go straight up and away from the students. Just as planned. Mia thinks as she grins. Tim keeps away projectiles. Me and Leo keep up the pressure and make him stay put while Andrew and Jason do damage.

  These kids got a plan. Jason switches the Marksman's Beauty to an assault rifle. Derrick forms a shield around himself, shielding himself from the attacks. However I think they fail to realize just how much of a difference there is between a good kai user, and an inexperienced one.

  Derrick's shield explodes outwards, crashing into Andrew and Leo. They get flung back away from him. He creates another shield facing Jason. He shoots kai at the Marksman's Beauty and knocks it out of Jason's hands. Derrick shoots a dagger out of his hand at blazing speeds towards Mia. It stabs her hand.

  “Now?” Tim asks.

  Mia nods and a giant blast hits Derrick from behind, it sears open back skin. He looks backwards and sees the mirror.

  “I give.” Derrick tells them.

  Tim drops the Chakrams and Derrick smiles. His back regenerates. The Chakrams fly at Tim's fingers and slice them off.

  “I told you I wasn't going to play fair, why immediately stop. Learn to make an unbreakable bond to ceasefire in that situation.” He said as they flew towards the divine mirror and pushed it towards him.

  3 of them down. Tim, he can't control projectiles without signs yet so his fingers being gone takes them away. I could've done his hand to be safe but fingers were the minimum. Mia also isn't going to be as much of a threat, she knows that any shot can be fired right back at her when I have this mirror and she'd just be wasting kai or hurting her allies. I can keep Andrew away with the Chakrams and he has no range. I can take Leo and Jason at once, especially with Jason not having range.

  Leo runs at Derrick. His beads turn red and fire flicks at his hands. He throws some punches at Derrick and he dodges all of them. Jason tries to punch Derrick from behind and he ducks. It hits Leo. Derrick grabs Jason's arm and throws him over himself at his friend. The wind gets knocked out of him.

  “I win. Come back to class and we'll discuss your faults.”

  “What do you think were your strengths and weaknesses?” Derrick asks.

  “We kept involving our personal feelings against a supposed enemy. But we had a decent plan.” Mia answers.

  “Partly right. You had a decent plan. You had some other strengths. Okay teamwork. Each person did what they needed. The kai tool selection was fine as well. However, involving your personal feelings isn't always the worst…people can betray you in this business but they can also help you.” Derrick responds.

  “Each of you will be sent to a specific staff member for extra help. Andrew, you will be with Gail. She's the kai tool teacher. Jason you'll be with Mrs. M, your hand to hand sucks. Mia, you get Braz. You need to learn to focus on more than one target easier. Tim you'll be with me, You need some all around work. Finally Leo, you'll be with Draken. I think you'll pair well with him and he's an excellent kai user. You have an hour of free time, do whatever you want then report to your staff members.” Derrick says as he dismisses them.

  Teachers in kai academy don't stay with a single year for their entire career, they instead rotate what year they teach based on the previous year. That means each teacher stays with their class for first years and when they graduate that teacher goes back to a first year teacher and has to find new students. Most teachers grow strong with their students in the four years. Because of this system, Derrick will be teaching this group of students until they graduate.