Dave stood at the edge of a rooftop, staring down at the bustling city below. His smartwatch beeped, a brief summary flashing across its screen about the fallout of ZeroPoint's takedown. The world was in shock. The infamous hacker organization had been obliterated in one night. Law enforcement around the globe had acted quickly after receiving anonymous tips, arresting key members of the group. Headlines splashed across every news outlet:
"ZeroPoint Hacker Group Dismantled Overnight!"
"Global Security Breached: Anonymous Vigilante Helps Expose ZeroPoint!"
"World Governments Praise Unnamed Hero for Bringing Down ZeroPoint!"
'Perfect,' Dave thought, watching the chaos unfold through his smartwatch. He had left no trace behind, no way to connect the takedown to him. Every piece of evidence he'd planted pointed back at ZeroPoint's own activities, making them the villains in the eyes of the public. They had been a serious threat, and now, they were nothing more than a name in history.
Dave's attention, however, was elsewhere. His smartwatch had finished its scan, pinpointing the location of Swift Blade, the lowest-ranked superhuman. 'This will be the true test,' Dave thought. If ZeroPoint was easy to take down with his technology, this was a different kind of challenge.
With a thought, Dave activated the teleportation skill he had recently purchased. In a flash of light, he vanished from the rooftop, reappearing in a dark alleyway on the other side of the city. The narrow street was dimly lit by flickering lamps, casting long shadows across the pavement. There, leaning casually against a wall, was Swift Blade.
Swift Blade's power was infamous in underground circles. Ranked the lowest of all known superhumans, his control over time and speed made him a dangerous opponent. He was fast—too fast. He wore a sleek black outfit, his blade strapped to his back, and his cocky smirk said it all as Dave appeared before him.
"You must be Dave," Swift Blade said, stepping forward. His movements were unnervingly smooth, almost like he was gliding through time itself. "Heard you've been making waves lately. Thought I'd see what all the fuss is about."
Dave didn't waste time with words. "Let's get this over with."
Swift Blade chuckled, cracking his neck. "You've got guts. I'll give you that." In an instant, his hand moved, and before Dave could even blink, the blade was in his hand, gleaming under the faint light.
Dave barely had time to react as Swift Blade rushed forward, slashing through the air with impossible speed. Dave blocked the first attack, but the force sent him skidding back. Swift Blade didn't give him a moment to recover, disappearing and reappearing like a blur, his blade whistling through the air.
'He's fast,' Dave thought, parrying another strike. 'But I'm stronger.'
Activating his strength enhancement, Dave's body surged with power, allowing him to counter Swift Blade's attacks with increasing force. But each time he thought he had the upper hand, Swift Blade would blur out of sight, only to strike from another angle. It was a dance of speed and strength, the air crackling with the intensity of their blows.
"You're good," Swift Blade said, his cocky grin never fading as he dodged another punch. "But you're too slow."
Dave grunted, teleporting just as Swift Blade's blade came down where he had been standing. He reappeared behind Swift Blade, landing a solid punch to his back, sending the superhuman crashing into the wall with a grunt.
Swift Blade staggered to his feet, but his smirk was gone. "Not bad," he muttered, wiping blood from his mouth. "But strength alone won't cut it."
The two clashed again, the sound of metal against flesh echoing in the alley. Swift Blade was relentless, his ability to control speed pushing Dave to his limits. Every time Dave landed a blow, Swift Blade would retaliate with blinding speed, his blade cutting through the air dangerously close.
Despite the intensity of the battle, Dave could feel himself growing stronger, faster. His training and his system were pushing him beyond his previous limits, but it wasn't enough. 'He's too fast,' Dave realized, frustration creeping in. 'I need to slow him down.'
With a burst of energy, Dave teleported again, reappearing right in front of Swift Blade and delivering a powerful punch to his chest. The force sent Swift Blade flying back, crashing into the wall once more, this time with a groan of pain.
Swift Blade struggled to stand, his breathing heavy. "You… you're stronger than I thought," he admitted, glaring at Dave.
"It's over," Dave said, stepping forward, his body still humming with power.
Swift Blade's cocky demeanor was gone, replaced with the cold realization that he had underestimated Dave. But before Swift Blade could respond, Dave's smartwatch beeped, notifying him of a new skill. "Mind Control Skill unlocked. Do you wish to activate?"
Without hesitation, Dave activated the skill. Swift Blade's eyes glazed over as the power took hold, erasing any memory of the fight. With a nod of satisfaction, Dave stepped back, watching as Swift Blade collapsed unconscious.
'If this is the weakest ranked superhuman, I can't even imagine what the S-ranks are like,' Dave thought grimly. He had barely won this fight, and that was a wake-up call. More training was necessary if he hoped to survive against the stronger foes out there.
As the fight ended, Dave's thoughts briefly flicked back to the world's reaction to the ZeroPoint arrests. His smartwatch had already been flooded with news updates. Companies were trying to recover from the fallout, and governments were praising the anonymous tip that had brought down one of the world's most dangerous hacker groups. No one had any idea that Dave was behind it all.
But there was something else—something darker. His system had detected more attempts to hack into his own technology, this time by individuals far more skilled than those in ZeroPoint.
'Who's next?' Dave thought, his expression hardening. With the Mind Control skill now at his disposal, he would ensure that anyone who tried to cross him would pay a heavy price.