He woke up the next day at 8:00 A.M. Class was from 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. then work from 8:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. It was a brutal schedule but the only one that worked for him.
Jayo Hindenbrook challenged him again and again, but the Composer eventually lost its cool and his combat strategy changed quite dramatically. The Sharpshooter aimed and connected with the Brawler's punch.
"Awooooooooooooooooo!!!!"
The scream sent shivers all throughout the crowd. The arm wasn't crippled but badly mangled. It could recover but the fear associated with the impact would forever scar the man.
But this wasn't the final result. The Sprinter rewound time again and again until the sweet spot was found. Unless Jayo was in a life and death battle, it wouldn't show. Once he was, his arm would immediately shatter upon contact. This could be considered crippling someone without actually crippling them.
Prolonged fights helped no one and therefore, Jayo ultimately backed off but he stared at Leo viciously before turning around.
Just like that, the issue was resolved, at least presently.
He was now back at his government funded job as he continued to work on the Composer.
The equations became increasingly complex and he soon discovered that the Composer didn't just consist of 20 equations but thousands. Fortunately, he was able to access the Sprinter's quick thinking mind without running after the 35th equation. He solved 200 with thirty minutes to spare and continued working on them.
The Sprinter was able to gradually increase its pace the more familiar it was with the route or the technique. With 15 minutes left to spare, he had solved 400. With 10 minutes left, 1,000. With 5 minutes left, 2,500. With 1 minute left, 10,000. When it was time to turn in his progress, the supervisor was dumbstruck with horror.
15,000 equations solved in 2 hours. That was 75 times more then what he normally did. It was also a total of 1.5 million dollars to hand out. The supervisor didn't have that much cash on hand. Excusing himself, the man went into another room.
The other workers stared at him the way one stares at a ghost. Absentmindedly. Yesterday this man had only solved 20. Today he turned in exactly 15,000 of them. The difference was too much. Was there any left for them?
Hey, who are you?
"I'm Leo"
No, I mean, who are you? Who replaced Leo?
"I'm Leo"
Leo turned in 20 yesterday, but he's always worked hard and consistently managed 200. Where did 15,000 come from?
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you"
He said this with a bitter, sarcastic, smile.
Oh I get it. It's one of those figures of speech where he wants to keep it a big secret.
Can you give us a hint?
Yes!
Any hint at all.
The Nano-Suit only had 2 modes of operation and one of them was functionally useless to WMRs. The other shot bullets. How could he reveal extra modes that didn't exist. How could he reveal that one of those modes was a special mode that allowed the other modes near limitless freedom?
Although he didn't give any hint, trouble would still come for him. After midnight, he was walking home when a shadowy figure interrupted him. It was an assassin! All clothed like one too. If it wasn't for his Nano-Suit alerting him to the danger, he would be completely clueless.
"Who sent you?"
He asked the obvious but the assassin was insanely dumb or confident.
"You're a dead man so it won't matter. Jayo Hindenbrook. You did something to him. Now he wants revenge"
"And what exactly did I do to him?"
For some reason, the assassin took the time to recount the story.
—
In the Hindenbrook residence.
"Father! You must deal with that kid. His name is Leo Skyfang and he humiliated me!"
The man was naturally not a petty one. He wasn't even sure how his son came to be like this. He had always been strict and without mercy. He demanded a reason every time the boy asked for cash. Whenever he went out with his friends, a detailed itinerary was mandatory the next day. Wine was alright but alcohol and drugs were off limit. He placed a bug in the smart phone and in the tv. There was nothing that should influence him towards becoming a silk pants or a ruffian.
"Explain it from the beginning. I have an impression of him. Hard working, righteous, and willing to stand up for his friend"
"Father. You're clearly mistaken. He beat me so ruthlessly. How can he be righteous?"
The man turned on the screen and played some footage.
Jayo had repeatedly provoked Leo. He never struck first, but he attacked first with words.
"Father. This footage is misleading. He clearly attacked first"
"So why did you provoke him them? Didn't the last few people you provoked end up in the hospital? You don't complain them because you like winning…"
"So you'll let your son be bullied?"
"Are you going to compensate the boys you hospitalized"
"That isn't the point"
"Boy. If you keep wasting my time like this, don't think about getting an allowance. You lost fair and square"
Seeing that he couldn't get through his father, Jayo instead called a friend. That friend called a friend and the cycled continued on until black market assassins were hired
—
"Now you know. In the next life, don't provoke the wrong person"
"I could say the same to you too"
Sharpshooter! Rogue Archetype!
He immediately stepped into a series of angles that refracted light, immediately rendering him invisible. By relying on Precision to identify opportunity in the light and Perception to efficiently utilize it, the assassin effectively turned blind. It was his best attempt at replicating the stacked trait, Illusion.
With a quick pull of the trigger, there was a hole in the middle of the assassins' forehead, effectively killing him.
"Jayo huh? You went as far as hiring someone to kill me? Was your father involved? He better pray he isn't or I'll make sure both you and him suffer the worst nightmare before you die"
—
A man that looked similar to Jayo Hindenbrook suddenly shivered. He had an ominous feeling. He immediately called for a servant and relayed his instructions.
—
Leo Skyfang was about to return home when he noticed suspicious movement in an alley nearby. He thought about it before covertly infiltrating the area. The area was lit enough to barely see more then a few feet in front of the lamps. There were tons of crates, trucks, and men delivering product inside. It was in a white bag roughly the size of a door.
The Nano-Suit quickly identified the substance and it made his heart palpitate with shock. This concerned the security of the United States. If he didn't gather more information about the operation, the damage to the infrastructure would be catastrophic. The question was if he should call for backup or go at it alone?
Was anyone better equipped compared to him though? Brawler was unmatched in physical combat, Sharpshooter has unparalleled marksmanship, Sprinter was uncatchable, and Composer allowed him to blend together and basically enable hybrid modes.
..
It was safest for him to go into it alone. If there were any fuck-ups, he could simply rewind the passage of time.
A shadow moved along the skyline as it jumped into an open window. The 5th floor was empty, or at least very quiet. Some quick scans revealed prone bodies scattered about. There was long metal and short metal. Guns and ammunition.
The stairs leading down was surrounded by enemy. He could've just gone straight through the first floor but he needed to clear all the enemies regardless.
A quick shot at the most isolated body and no one noticed. A few more shots and then they were close enough that the entire floor was alerted. He stayed silent for a few seconds but realized they didn't notify any other floor. They planned to take him down and return to business.
The 8th side stepped to avoid his shot. Then there was movement. The sound of running feet. Two people were closing in on him.
Composer! Sprinter!
They were fast and sneaky but he was more so. He slit both their throats and immediately changed positions. Killing them was easy. Them having instantaneous reactions complicated the matter. The Sprinter with its instantaneous computation speed with the Composer seamlessly blending that into the Rogue's Brawler meant the advantage was shifted in his favor.
He could see the bodies tense up. Pull their guns closer to their body. Aiming without direction. Just aiming anywhere at all. Then they all died. The Sprinter never get up any opportunity and it never hesitated, not even a bit.
He wanted to move towards the 4th floor but he sensed a dangerous aura. It was blood curdling, manipulative, patient, and eager for an equal.
"The one hiding in the shadow. You have interesting abilities. None that I've ever seen. Who are you and where does thee origin lie"