She stares at me with disappointment, probably sees me as some sort of weakling, I assume.

  “Damn, she’s a goddamn ‘Mana-adept’. Take her out!” one of the terrorists shouts as the rest charge forth into our direction while some are firing at us.

  “Ugh, always ‘power-terrorists’. They don’t know when to quit.” she said with annoyance.

  “You…” She looked at me while being under fire even though most of the shots were missed. “Can you fight?”

  “uh…” I don’t know how to respond, whether to tell her that I can’t fight or lie about it and die trying.

  “Ah screw it,” she pulls a small rectangular stone tablet out of her pocket and tosses it to me. “Use this to defend yourself.”

  “Wait, is this what I think this is?”

  “Yeah, it's a [Mage Tablet], don’t hurt yourself with it.”

  She begins to dash toward the terrorist. She pulls the string as crimson arrows conjured out of thin air and fires it upon the terrorists.

  “What the-”

  “Agggh!”

  Two terrorists who were in the front got a piercing detonation and screamed out of burning agony.

  “Damn you!” another was behind the two smoldering bodies aiming the cannon at her.

  A glow emanated from his forehead along with the cannon’s growing energy about to be released.

  “Oh no you don’t!” she yells and jumps in the air while taking another shot through the barrel of the unstable energy.

  She lands in the middle of them and smiles with a lack of fear.

  The insides of the barrel started to rupture quite violently, while the wielder’s hand shakes frantically.

  “What the hell did the broad do to my gun?!”

  The others move out of the way, and the cannon brightens to a point of a red nova, pulverizing the guy’s arm to a burnt crisp.

  “Looks like you couldn’t handle your Psi abilities.” She grins mockingly.

  “Grrr! You think you're tough, huh? Then how about this!”

  The other terrorist’s body glows in an enveloped aura and pulls out a metal club. It also glows but more intensely as if putting more energy into it. He then charges forth try to swing it with great force.

  But the girl easily jumps away in a somersault and fires two more, but with little effect as the aura lessens the impact of the flames. She lands behind him.

  “Hah! You think your arrows can hurt me, little girl! I’ve put great reinforcement of chi onto my body, those arrows of yours won’t do shit!”

  Just as he was about to turn around to his opponent, she was already in face-to-face distance and swipes the leg with her bow, making him fall to the ground.

  Being above him, she nocks from the bow with five flaming arrows simultaneously and point-blank fires like a shotgun. It didn’t kill him due to the tough chi armor, but it was enough to make him faint out of overwhelming ballistic pressure.

  “You’re right that armor does protect you, but I thought you can take more than that, such a shame.”

  “Damn that brat! C’mon, let's attack at once!”

  I gaze at the female archer acrobats away from the terrorists’ attacks and shoot at them as well using the flame-like blades on the limbs to slash some of them close to her.

  I wanted to help her and looked at the object that she gave me, which was a strange tablet of runes.

  The tablet that she gave me is a [Mage Tablet], a tool that helps Mana-adept users to summon a specialized weapon of their soul’s desire.

  The weapon that is conjured depends on the kind of user. There are three types: melee, ranged, and support. It is not a weapon that all Mana-adepts use, since they can just wield regular weapons or magical weapons if they are lucky.

  Usually, Mage Tablets are expensive since they are portable. It is also a sort of a good way of knowing what a user is proficient in whether they summon a sword, a bow, a staff, or some unique weapon; a sort of all-in-one deal.

  One can even shape the [Mage Tablet] into any kind of weapon as long the user is proficient with different kinds of weaponry.

  Though it doesn’t help for the fact that I don’t really know how to fight, making the tablet kind of useless.

  All I could do was stand and watch in awe of her fighting prowess as she took them down one by one.

  I was also distracted enough that someone was about to backstab me with their magical sword.

  “Die, brat!” the ambusher yells, aiming right for me.

  There was no time for me to react, no way of knowing to defend myself or even close my eyes to avoid my ill-fated death. Too quick of events occurring.

  At this point, I saw a flash of my own fate…

  …Lying on the floor with a sword lodged in my back…

  …

  …

  -Don’t give up!-

  “HUH?!”

  I woke up from that strangeness and as I looked beyond me, a flare of neon red shots blasted at the terrorist right before my eyes. Each shot combusts and inflames the attacker as he screams in horror.

  “AHHH GOD, IT BURNS-” he continues to yell.

  Albeit it somehow didn’t kill him.

  “Oh shit! What just happened?!” I responded as the shots came out of nowhere. I look back at the girl who was still fighting the rest of the power terrorists and question what just happened.

  If I were to look back at the flaming arrows she shot and the thing that just happened. Could she have the ability to conjure arrows at any time and any place? The shots were also smaller than the arrows too. Although, the way she fights doesn’t connect the reason to giving me the tablet. Is there someone else that is around here helping us?

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  But looking around there was only me, the girl, and the terrorists, no one else. This is too strange of events happening from tripping on over a girl and the sudden terrorist attacks.

  Also, what was that I just heard? It sounded as though someone was calling for me, begging me to keep going…

  A few minutes after watching, it seems the girl had defeated the criminals.

  “Whew, I think that is all of them...” the redhead says, surrounded by fallen attackers either knocked, killed, or burned.

  It seems that she defeated all of them without breaking a sweat as she moved closer to me. She had defeated all of them without my assistance. Though even with my help, I would probably be a burden in the fight.

  “Man… you didn’t even try to help out, maybe I shouldn’t have thought that you know how to fight and probably just a normal guy…” she looks at me with slight pity.

  Even though as a Mana-adept, I never had any serious combat training in my entire normal life. I guess it is kind of pathetic to even think of doing such radical actions.

  “Thanks for saving me, twice.” Always try to compliment even when being insulted upon.

  “Eh, what are you talking about?” she says with a perplexed expression. “I was kinda occupied during the fight, I don’t even know what that is supposed to mean.”

  While pondering my thoughts of being defenseless, I then notice something that is very odd. I saw something that was very transparent behind the girl. An invisible four-legged creature in a pouncing position?!

  “Shit!” I shouted and ran towards her as fast as I possibly could. “Look out!”

  “Huh?” she turns around in confusion.

  She was in trouble and noticed it too late.

  Without thinking, I went full flight or fight mode as I grip the tablet in my hand.

  With quick reflexes, I lift the mage tablet as it glows brightly like jade and begins to transform.

  Without any thought, I latched my hand onto the girl and pulled her to my side as close to myself, and thrust whatever weapon it had become.

  A long bar that stretches enough to with a sharp-bladed tip glowing in emerald pierces right through the invisible enemy and aggressively struggles with life and death.

  It de-cloaks itself and what appears on the impaled spear is a cyborg hound, weeping and slowly croaking to utter slumber, a permanent one.

  I… I am now wielding a weapon for the first time… and this is also the first time I have killed something…

  “U-um…”

  Looking at the weapon it seems that I am destined to use poles and spears in the future. I thought of using swords, but spears are kinda cool too.

  “C-Can you…”

  Although the use of the spear would also have disadvantages that a sword would be better at. But still, a spear, which is still fine.

  But one other thing, I was able to notice that invisible being while she did not. How was I able to see that when she, the girl who single-handedly defeated the group could not sense it.

  This is too strange. Is there something that helped me notice it like a reflection from something or is it maybe the girl put up something?

  ...Or, did I have something in me? Something that helped me sense it?

  ...No way that is a possibility. I may be a mana-adept, but this is too weird.

  “Can you, LET GO OF ME?!”

  Shaken back by the loud shouting, I looked at the source of it and saw her, close to me in breathing distance and also… I was holding her… I know where this is going, and it ain’t gonna end well.

  Her face reddened like a bright cherry squealed and swung one of her hands in the direction of my face cheeks and the rest is history.

  “You degenerate! I hope you die, Mongrel.”

  After a few minutes and her running off in shame, with a red mark shaped like a full hand on my left cheek I also ran as there was little time to waste before being tardy for the first day of school.

  It is a shame that I didn’t get to know her name before she whacked me, but then again she was kind of rude.

  “Shit there are only two minutes before the gates begin to close. C’mon Alder you got this!” I shouted in determination as I sprinted to get to the school's gates.

  <><><>

  But it was all in vain, as I got there the gates had already been shut. Oh, woe is me, and thou seest of my agony.

  “Dammit, all!” as I knelt in front of the gate door and bashed it with anguish.

  “Man…” I sighed while getting up. “Maybe I should just ditch for the day.”

  I wonder if McDonnells has some new burgers

  I was thinking of ditching since I could just come back tomorrow but with the disadvantage of getting lost. I wanted to see what is inside the school as it is a special school.

  As I was about to turn around and leave…

  “Hey, you're late too?”

  “Huh?” confused, I looked in the direction of the voice.

  I see a man who is nearly at my height and wearing the same uniform but less orthodox than I am.

  He had a sleazy grin on his face with a backpack on his back while holding one of the straps. He poses in confidence and with no shame as his short messy brown hair and staring at me with his emerald eyes. He looked so average that no one would notice him.

  Does he have this strange atmosphere or something similar to it that makes me confused? In any case, for some reason he looks familiar, I don’t think I know him, but it still reminds me of something.

  “What’re you keep staring at?” he said without any politeness but not threatening. “Weren’t you just gonna head out and grab some special burgers at McDonnells?”

  “Huh?” I was very shocked that he knew what I was gonna do, I only thought of it and never said it out loud. “How did you know? …Are you psi-adept by any chance?”

  “Hmm…” he ponders. “Maybe I am, why are you questioning me? Are you a bit curious?”

  “...Well, I mean it's kinda rude of people to read other people's minds without permission.”

  “Oh… you think that I shouldn’t read minds, even though I have no control of it whatsoever? That’s kind of rude don’t you think?”

  I heard rumors about Psi-adepts and how with their abilities there are common occurrences of them losing control and possibly not only hurting others, but also hurting themselves. That is based on my assumptions.

  “I’m sorry, I thought that most psi-adapters have some control,” I said honestly.

  “Yeah right, you should be ashamed of yourself for assuming such ideas. Very shameful. You're lucky I'm the only one here and nobody else to beat your ass, bastard!”

  “I-I…” I could not say anything else, this person seems really pissed and if I were to say anything it might get worse.

  Of all days this is the unluckiest day of my life, getting bad-mouthed by both this guy and the girl and also almost getting killed. And also late for school on the first day. Life sucks.

  Life really sucks.

  “...pfft!”

  While feeling kind of miserable by the current events, the man who was staring at me with anger, began to laugh his ass off.

  “Hahaha, oh man… the look on your face.”

  “Eh?”

  “You know that I’m screwing with you right? Like I’m not even a psi-adept.”

  “...What?”

  He continued to laugh while I was going into a phase between sadness, anger, and confusion all at the same time.

  “I mean,” he continued. “You really don’t know the facts of psi-adepts, that I can see plain simple. But that is alright since you’re more of a Mana-adept.”

  “Wait?” I stopped him while being shocked again about knowing my specialty. “How did you know I was a Mana-adept?”

  That is the curious thing, there is no normal way of indicating whether or not I do have powers, usually in order to ascertain such information, a particular device that measures the power level and analyzes the source of power from the user is usually used by companies and especially schools, to see what they are capable of and other required assessments. But this stranger just somehow figured out who I am in our first-ever meeting.

  He was silent at the moment making it kind of awkward for me, maybe I should not have asked it…

  “Oh, you know just by assuming based on your mannerisms, having the knowledge of three disciplines and their powers.” There is no way he would know just by that, sounds very suspicious “...I also saw the action that happened on the street… And maybe a bit of gut instinct.”

  “Wait, you were there?” I inquired, as far as I know, there was no one but me and the girl, which makes me even more suspicious of him. Everyone ran away from the attack and after it, the police probably got thereafter I left there.

  “ I… hid behind a trash can…” he answered sheepishly.

  “...Are you serious?”

  “Yeah I’m super serious, you assume that I know how to fight?”

  Looking at him, on the outside, he doesn’t look that much muscular or have the aptitude of fighting. Although he is just average.

  “Okay fair enough, then what about you knowing where I was going to?”

  “Well, there happens to be a McDonnells in a plaza close to the school which we passed by… and also again, gut instincts,”

  “So… what is this gut instinct?”

  “That my ‘misunderstood Mana-adept’ friend, we all know that the one thing we do in a shitty situation is go find somewhere to eat,” he says while headed right past me.

  “Wait? What? Why?!” With no words to explain how weird he is. Honestly, he is a strange fellow. Hiding behind a battle and knowing what I was going to do or even my thoughts. He is too suspicious to be seen as ‘average’.

  I continued to push more questions as I am now even more confused than before. “So, you’re not a psi? Then what the hell are you?”

  “Ehhhhh… just a ‘Non-adept’.”

  "...What?"

  A ‘Non-adept’ is basically a regular person with no powers whatsoever. There is no way he is one and if he was then he must be lying in front of me.

  “Hey, I know a way into the school, if you want to still go in...” He explained while staring at the gates as he offered me another chance of not screwing up my first day. “Oh wait,” He turns his head back to me. “What is your name Mana-user?”

  “Uh It’s Alder, Alder Zephyr,” I replied to his question with affirmation. “What’s yours?”

  “Well Alder,” he turned around toward me with confidence that made him look… cool and composed while his messy hair blew against it, and still held his bag one-handed. He makes that sleazy grin as if he’s showing off. “Even though we both attended the same middle school you still don’t remember.”

  I looked at him with both surprise and shock as he pointed his thumb at himself.

  “My name is Ludio Oona, welcome to Triune High!”