Not if you're skilled

Ding!

John, aware of Sera’s earlier warning, slowed down to a safe speed and read the info box.

New Skill: Driving(Passive) level 1

Driving(passive) level 1: Your mana flows from your body and into the automobile you’re in. It acts as a smart cruise control GPS, able to perform simple maneuvers.

He smiled as the steering wheel glowed orange and righted itself. The speedometer stopped its descent and began another ascent into the 100-mph zone.

Arabella yawned and rolled over in her bed. She had been suspended from school. Her dreams all consisted of some sort of **** for John and Layla.

John’s car found a parking space 10 minutes before class started. John still had a shit eating grin on his face as he walked into the courtyard. Then he got punched in the face.

-1hp

His head didn’t even move. His smile disappeared though. The trembling fist connected to his face belonged to a small student who was also trembling. John turned to look at him. He was wearing a bandana over the lower half of his face. The kid’s eyes looked terrified.

“What are you doing?”

“Distracting you.”

Another punch flew at John, but he was ready. John ducked the punch and it hit the first kid. Both students fell over each other in a tangle of limbs. A flash of mana infused water flew over John’s head and hit a random onlooker, who screamed expletives. A group of students wearing bandanas like the first was going all out, causing a general ruckus but for some reason directing most of it at John.

His parkour kicked in and all of the attacks missed. He didn’t want to actually hit back, knowing what his attacks could do to what looked like this group of first years. He grinned and decided to stand and take the hits.

-1hp

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He took a step forward, still grinning.

-1hp

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The bandana gang started to get frantic, all of them focusing their attacks on him.

-1hp

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John took two more steps, then cast fireball in both of his hands. The atmosphere heated perceptibly.

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He took another step forward and their formation broke. They all charged towards him. John, caught by surprise by their bravery, jumped straight up and threw his fireballs at the floor below him. The resulting explosion pushed him higher, and then he cast flames in his feet to steady himself mid-air. The gang had stopped mid-charge and were now throwing attacks at him again.

-1hp

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John took a deep breath and thought hard about how to end this without hurting the other students. He grinned and dropped to the floor, activating Sparkbody as he fell. The world around him slowed to a crawl. Flying blobs of water trailed harmlessly through the air. John landed with a parkour roll and ran towards the gang. Most of them were still looking at where he was in the air a few seconds ago. The ones who saw him were panicking hilariously in slow motion. He reached the gang and cast sparks, tazering them one by one. They all fell into convulsing fits as John deactivated Sparkbody.

Encounter Complete! +100 Exp.

He stood by the mess, slightly embarrassed to be the center of attention in the courtyard but mostly confused.

“Mister Newman. You seem to be causing disturbances wherever you go.”

A voice like silk caressed John’s ears and made its way to his soul. He jumped away and tried his best to focus his Gamer’s Spirit. The headmistress smiled at him.

“So shy and strong willed. You must have quite the following. Not to mention your power.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Madam Ankov. These guys attacked me. As far as I know that’s the first commotion I’ve been a part of.”

“Oh, the first large scale fight. There was quite a structural threat you posed yesterday during your conjuration class. Then burning a student in your evocation class. The fight after school.”

John looked at her with genuine confusion. She didn’t care.

“And now this. You need to come with me to my office, young man.”

She disappeared, teleported to her office most likely, and left John in the center of a circle of students who were recording with smartphones. Then he teleported as well.

Layla was standing in the courtyard under her favorite tree. It was on the edge of the courtyard, and had a good view of everything. She was waiting for him.

I hope he has classes today. He had class all day yesterday, so maybe he signed up for a full schedule… As soon as he walks through those gates, I’m going to walk up to him and introduce myself properly. Will he remember me? That would be so romantic! What if he’s been looking for me too?

She pressed her thighs together and bit her lip, her eyes fluttering.

“Hey, Lay! Why you makin’ such a weird face?”

Layla smiled.

“Tess, I think you know why.”

“Jeez, already? School day hasn’t even started yet!”

“Doesn’t matter to me.”

Layla sighed contentedly. She would talk to him today. A few minutes later, she was pacing.

He’s not here. He’s going to be late. He probably doesn’t have class today. Why is he making me wait so long?

“Lay, calm down. You’re gonna wear out your shoes.”

Tess giggled. Layla shook her head.

“He hasn’t gotten here yet, what if-”

Then, she felt him. His presence exploded into the courtyard. She whipped her head towards the gates and smiled radiantly, then immediately frowned. Someone had punched him. In the face. She almost swooned. He hadn’t reacted at all!

So strong!

Another attempted **** that failed. The two bumbling dolts fell over each other. Layla started to walk towards the action, her hands ablaze. A gang of dunderheads started to attack him, and something snapped inside of her. She was about to sprint into the fray when she was tackled to the floor.

“Tess! Get your fat ass off of me! I have to fight! They’re trying to beat up my man!”

“If you had any faith in the power of your man, you wouldn’t feel the need to fight his battles for him.”

“It’s not about protecting him, it’s about showing him that he’s not alone!”

“Oh, shove a sock in it! He’s kickin’ all their asses! They ain’t even hurtin’ him. Oh shit! Do you feel that? He conjured some fire and it got warmer! They’re runnin’ at him! He’s flyin’! Oh shit where’d’e go? What the fuck? They’re all shakin’ on the ground like fish outta water! What the hell?”

Layla was having a giggling fit under Tessa.

He did it. He kicked their asses.

Tessa got off of her and helped her up. She was still giggling as they all got teleported to their first classes.

“Well, Mister Newman? What do you have to say for yourself?”

They were in a lavish office. Natalya Ankov sat behind a magnificent desk and looked at John over steepled fingers.

“There’s nothing to say, ma’am. They attacked me, I incapacitated them.”

“Yes. You know the school policy on fighting, yes?”

“Yes ma’am. It states that no unauthorized fighting will be tolerated on school property. But I-”

“I only asked you for the policy. If you know the policy, why did you fight?”

John grit his teeth.

“I fought because I wasn’t going to just stand there as I was attacked by a gang. Surely you wouldn’t just stand and let a group of people throw attacks at you?”

She smiled.

“Not if they were my equals in strength. But, that was not the case this morning. You were assaulted by a group of eight first-year students, friends of the first-year student you defeated in your entrance exam. They were of no threat to you. Had they been your equals in strength, it would have been understandable.”

John glared at her, rendered immune to her charms by the anger boiling inside of him.

“Because it is your first offense, as well as your first week, I will not punish you. But you are warned: next time you bully a younger student I will not be lenient.”

John was teleported into his first class of the day.