By the time Mako arrived home, his body was still aching, but most of his visible wounds had already healed; only the internal injuries remained.
Unfortunately, his clothes hadn't fared as well. Torn, burned, and barely holding together, they were now completely ruined.
With a sigh, Mako stripped down and hopped into the shower, letting the warm water soothe his battered body. After getting dressed in a fresh set of clothes, he headed to the backyard to complete his daily quest.
After an hour and a half of training, Mako finally finished his exercises and stepped back inside for a drink. He collapsed onto the living room sofa, catching his breath before pulling up his system interface.
'Open System Interface.' Mako commanded.
A familiar blue screen appeared before him.
[User: Mako Grey]
[Health: 94/120] ⓘ (+1)
[Energy: 112/150] ⓘ (+1)
[EXP: 150/800] ⓘ
[Level 4] ⓘ
[Strength: 2] ⓘ (+1)
[Agility: 3] ⓘ (+1)
[Perception: 2] ⓘ (+1)
[Intelligence: 5] ⓘ (+1)
[Mentality: 2] ⓘ (+1)
[Stamina: 4] ⓘ (+1)
[Charisma: Locked] ⓘ
[Fortitude: Locked] ⓘ
[Attribute Points: 25] ⓘ
After ten days of saving up attribute points, it was finally time to see just how much of a difference they could make.
Mako's first priority was Agility. Every move in the Phantom Skill Set required Agility, and right now, he was nowhere near fast enough.
'Add 12 points to Agility.' Mako commanded.
[12 Attribute Points have been added to Agility.]
The moment the system processed his command, a cool, soothing sensation washed over his body. His leg muscles tightened and strengthened instantly, making him feel significantly lighter and faster.
Next, he turned his attention to Strength and Stamina. If he wanted to hit harder and last longer in battle, these two stats needed a boost. Plus, both were also required for the Phantom Skills.
'Add 6 points to Strength and 4 points to Stamina.' Mako commanded.
[6 Attribute Points have been added to Strength.]
[4 Attribute Points have been added to Stamina.]
Another wave of energy surged through him, reinforcing his muscles and filling his body with renewed endurance.
Finally, Mako decided to invest the last of his points into Perception. Being stronger and faster wouldn't mean much if he couldn't see an attack coming. With better awareness, he'd have a chance to dodge or react in time.
'Add remaining points to Perception.' Mako commanded.
[3 Attribute Points have been added to Perception.]
Strangely, there was no physical sensation this time. Unlike his other stats, Perception wasn't something that directly altered his body; it enhanced his senses.
With the upgrades complete, Mako took a deep breath and pulled up his updated profile.
[User: Mako Grey]
[Health: 94/120] ⓘ
[Energy: 112/150] ⓘ
[EXP: 150/800] ⓘ
[Level 4] ⓘ
[Strength: 8] ⓘ
[Agility: 15] ⓘ
[Perception: 5] ⓘ
[Intelligence: 5] ⓘ
[Mentality: 2] ⓘ
[Stamina: 8] ⓘ
[Charisma: Locked] ⓘ
[Fortitude: Locked] ⓘ
[Attribute Points: 0] ⓘ
Satisfied with his decision, Mako went back to his backyard so he could finally test out those phantom moves because the last time Mako attempted the move, it backfired horribly.
Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, he decided to try punching the air as if he were practicing shadowboxing.
'Umm, how do I even cast the moves in the first place?' Mako asked himself as he himself actually didn't know how to perform a phantom punch.
But before Mako could doo anything, the system came through to clear the confusion.
[The user only needs to think of the move that he wants to perform, and the system will automatically perform it, similar to how the user accesses the system interface]
'Huh, so the whole thing will be just controlled through my thoughts?' Mako quickly understood the system's explanation and decided to try it out.
Mako firmly planted his feet on the ground and cocked back his fist as far as he could go. Just as he was about to release the punch, he thought in his mind.
[Phantom Punch]
Mako's arm muscles suddenly bulged, revealing the outlines of his refined muscles and veins beneath his skin for a split second. His actual punch changed trajectory slightly while a silhouette of his previous punch continued to move in the same direction.
From Mako's perspective, he could see both punches, but from an opponent's perspective, it looked like Mako's arm had just become a blur for a fraction of a second.
The shocking automatic change in the punch nearly made Mako trip over himself, but he managed to catch himself at the last minute.
Only a second passed after the move was completed, but Mako still needed a few seconds to process what had just happened.
With moves like these, he was sure Bill wouldn't be able to avoid them. Thanks to his increased agility and perception, he should be able to detect his sloppy and rapid attacks and finally counter them.
Realizing that he might just have a chance at taking Bill on made Mako crack a burst of light laughter as he would finally be able to exact his revenge.
However, Mako was smart enough to not get too over himself as Bill was a level 3 ability user and would still be very tough to take on even with the advantage of the phantom moves,
"Right now, I have no real control over the Phantom Punch. It felt like I was just a passenger. If I want to stand a chance against Bill, I need to practice these moves over and over until I can use them properly," Mako muttered to himself.
At this point, he was nothing more than a vessel for the technique, executing it without truly mastering it. That wouldn't be enough if he wanted to survive tomorrow's fight; he needed to gain control.
Determined, Mako spent the rest of the day drilling his Phantom skills, pushing his body to adapt to their mechanics. By the time he wrapped up, he was exhausted, but he still had other responsibilities to take care of.
After a much-needed shower, he grabbed his things and headed out for his night shift at the bakery.
Ever since upgrading his stamina, Mako had noticed a slight change in his endurance. Even though he had spent the entire evening practicing his phantom moves, he felt like he could still work longer before fatigue set in, and his body recovered much faster.
The morning passed without much excitement, except for one strange thing, which was that Sir Derek was acting differently toward Mako. Not in a bad way, but in a way that felt… unusual. The old man, usually gruff and businesslike, had been oddly considerate from the moment Mako stepped into the bakery for his shift.
Instead of barking orders like usual, Sir Derek simply nodded at him, his expression unreadable. Then, after only a few hours of work, he did something even more unexpected.
"Mako, take a break," Sir Derek said gruffly.
Mako blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly. "Uh… a break? But I just started..."
"I said take a break," Sir Derek repeated, already walking toward the kitchen.
Mako hesitated, but when his boss disappeared behind the door, he figured it was best not to argue. A few minutes later, Sir Derek returned with something that made Mako's jaw drop: a massive breakfast platter stacked with eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, and even fresh fruit.
"Here," Sir Derek said, placing the plate in front of him.
Mako stared at the food, then at Sir Derek. "Uh… did I… do something?"
"Eat," Sir Derek ordered before turning away to wipe down the counter.
Mako didn't push further. Sir Derek wasn't the type to explain himself, and if he was going to act weird, Mako figured he might as well just take the lucky break.
Shrugging, he grabbed his fork and decided to just dig in.
After finishing the massive breakfast, Mako leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach in satisfaction. It had been a long time since he'd eaten this well, and he honestly wasn't sure how to react to Sir Derek's sudden generosity.
Just as he was about to get back to work, Sir Derek spoke up again.
"You're done for the day," he said gruffly, not even looking up from the dough he was kneading.
Mako blinked in confusion. "Wait… what?"
"You heard me. Go home," Sir Derek said, still focused on his work.
Mako sat frozen for a moment, trying to process what was happening. This was the same man who once made him scrub all the baking trays twice because he forgot to clean one. Now, he was giving him a feast and sending him home early?
"Are you… feeling okay, Sir Derek?" Mako asked cautiously.
Sir Derek finally looked up and scowled. "You questioning me, boy?"
"No! No, definitely not," Mako said quickly, raising his hands in surrender.
"Then get lost before I change my mind," Sir Derek grumbled, turning back to his dough.
Mako didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his things and hurried out before Sir Derek could decide to put him back to work.
As strange as the morning had been, Mako wasn't about to complain. The early leave turned out to be a blessing as now he had time to complete his daily quests before school started.
With the upcoming duel against Bill looming over him, every bit of extra training time was precious. Mako clenched his fists as he walked home. If Bill thought he was just going to roll over and accept defeat, he had another thing coming.
*******************
[New Daily Quest]
[Task 1: Run 4000 meters. (4000/4000 m)]
[Task 2: Do 5 random acts of kindness. (5/5)]
[Task 3: Lift a total of 550 Kg. (550/550 Kg)]
[Tasks Completed]
[Reward: 50 EXP, 2 Attribute Points]
Mako arrived just in time before the bell rang at his high school. It took him almost his entire free time after his shift to finish his quests, mainly because he couldn't perform acts of kindness at 4-5 AM in the morning when there were hardly any people awake.
This wasn't Mako's first time receiving this quest, and when he first questioned the system about it, the system responded that it was randomly generated.
Mako wouldn't have completed his quests before school if it wasn't for the new agility and strength points he added, which allowed him to run much faster and lift a bit more weight.
Mako realized that it would be very important to focus on his attributes as well, not just skills and abilities, as those attributes themselves were essential to making him a strong fighter.
As Mako stepped inside his school, a strange tension filled the air. Cold stares met him from all directions, and hushed whispers followed him as he walked. Students pointed at him behind his back, quickly turning away whenever he glanced in their direction.
It weirded Mako out a lot, and he was shocked at how he suddenly became observant. This was all thanks to his perception attribute, which was previously Null.
His stomach churned uneasily. Something was seriously wrong.
Determined to find out what was going on, Mako approached a group of students standing near a tree. But the moment they noticed him coming, they scattered like roaches under a light.
"What the hell…?" he muttered under his breath.
For the next ten minutes, he tried repeatedly to get an answer, but each time, the students would either avoid him or pretend not to hear him. It was as if he had suddenly become the plague.
Frustrated, Mako's eyes landed on a frail-looking boy, someone just like him, a nobody without abilities. Seizing the opportunity, Mako moved swiftly. Before the boy even realized what was happening, Mako grabbed him by the collar, stopping him from running away.
"Let me go!" the boy yelped as he struggled against Mako's grip.
Mako didn't let go. His patience had run out. "Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!" he snapped, his voice sharper than he intended.
The boy was surprised by Mako's attitude and strength as a person of his figure with no abilities shouldn't be this strong.
The boy's eyes darted around, clearly panicked. "I-I don't know much! I swear! I just heard about it this morning!"
"Then start talking," Mako demanded.
The boy hesitated, his face pale. Then, realizing he had no other choice, he took a deep breath and spoke quickly, as if saying it faster would make it less real.
"Bill... he... he told the whole school that he's gonna get rid of you today. For good."
Mako's grip tightened slightly, his stomach sinking. "Keep talking."
"There's gonna be a fight... your fight. It's gonna be broadcasted on a private livestream. People are placing bets on whether you'll even last a minute or not."
Mako's jaw clenched. "You're kidding me."
"I wish I was," the boy said, gulping. "Bill warned everyone that if anyone tried to interfere... they'd be next."
Mako's fingers loosened, and the boy took the chance to rip free, bolting down the hall without looking back.
Mako didn't chase him. He didn't move at all. He just stood there, processing what he had just heard.
Bill had turned this into a full-blown event. Not just a fight but entertainment. A spectacle. A way to make money while publicly humiliating him.
Mako's blood boiled.
Then, just as quickly as the anger flared, a small smirk crept onto his face.
*RING!* *RING!*
The school bell jolted him back to reality, but the fire in his eyes didn't fade.
'So that's how it's going to be, huh?' he thought, cracking his knuckles. 'Things just got really interesting.'
**************************
Author's Note: Hey guys! Universal Power System is one of my favorite projects, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This is my very first work, so expect some amateur writing and a few slips. However, I always try to learn and correct myself so I can create a more coherent narrative. I hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to check out my other works!
Come say hi to me on Discord: https://discord.gg/TvjkrdnbE2