Noah stood amidst the wilderness, his face unreadable. The only sounds were the low hum of his car's radio and the tense breathing of Daredevil, or rather, Matthew Murdock, lying wounded on the ground.
Matthew grunted, struggling to rise, hand clutching his shattered ribs. Noah's cold gaze never wavered as he raised his rifle, aiming it squarely at Daredevil's forehead. He admired the man's tenacity but couldn't afford to let him interfere further.
"Sorry, Daredevil... or should I say, Lawyer Matthew Murdock?" Noah's voice was cold, even pitying. "You're a good guy, but you're blocking my way."
Matthew's eyes widened beneath his mask. "You... know me?"
"Not just you," Noah said, his voice softening slightly. "I know your firm, your double life... and even that your father's no longer with us. You and I, we're not so different—no family, just friends." He aimed the gun a little closer. "So, do me a favor. Stick to your fight with Kingpin, and stop trying to play the hero with me. Next time, I won't hold back, and neither will Kingpin once he finds out Daredevil's real name."
With a grim nod, Noah turned, sliding into his car and driving away, leaving Daredevil behind in the dust. Once out of sight, his stoic expression crumbled, pain shooting through his body with every bump in the road. His legs throbbed from the fractures sustained during their brutal brawl.
"Damn, that guy's tough," Noah muttered, wincing as he glanced down at his stats.
Character Stats:
Name: Noah
Life Span: 18/120
Strength: 1.4 (+0.2 equipped)
Constitution: 1.3+
Spirit: 1.4+
Charm: 1.4+
Available Attribute Points: 0.3
Opponent Analysis:
Name: Matthew Murdock
Strength: 1.4
Agility: 1.4
Constitution: 1.4
Spirit: 2.9
Charm: 1.2
Noah's own stats weren't bad, but Daredevil's mental resilience? Through the roof at 2.9, which probably explained how the guy stayed standing despite Noah's blows. Noah gritted his teeth, marveling at how he'd gotten the upper hand at all.
Despite his discomfort, he drove out to a remote area, stuffing his stash of cash into a hidden cave and covering it with stones. He tossed away his mask, clothes, and weapon a good distance away, then limped further into the woods, finally collapsing under a large tree. He knew he needed rest but felt the stirring of an idea.
"If I can just push my body's physical stat to 1.4," he muttered, "my body should start to recover on its own. Just need to push it…."
And so he began, reaching up to grab a tree branch and lifting himself, his arms straining against the pain.
Late Night Fitness Grind
Reps: 10... 100... 1,000...
Pain sliced through him, but with every pull-up, he could feel his body adapting, even strengthening. His endurance amazed him, and soon the exhaustion faded into determination. His mind raced with possibilities. The attribute panel had hinted at a way to push past his current limits, even under extreme conditions.
His breath coming hard and fast, Noah worked himself to the bone. "This pain is temporary," he grunted. "All I have to do is get stronger." He mentally tallied up every movement, ignoring the throb of his broken leg and focusing solely on the numbers ticking upward in his mind.
Reps: 1,345... 1,347... 1,984...
He finally hit a limit, his arms refusing to obey. He gritted his teeth, barely able to breathe. His panel flashed with new updates:
Stat Gains
Description:Completed 1,984 pull-ups with injury.Total repetitions reached: 35,124.Sustained 0.12% permanent body damage.
Rewards:Strength Cap +0.1 with five more repetitions.Physical Fitness Cap +0.1 after one more repetition.Spirit Cap +0.1 with two more repetitions.
Noah couldn't help but chuckle. It was working. He was slowly, painfully reaching new limits. His excitement pushed him through another set, and just before dawn, a final alert appeared:
Strength Limit Increased!
In an instant, he felt his body strengthen, the bones realigning, muscles solidifying, even his breathing easing. He pushed himself up and stretched, relishing his newly restored body.
With one final deep breath, he looked back toward the city, taking off at a steady pace. He was on a path of endless power-ups, and nothing would hold him back now.
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All right, my exams for this week are done. So, I will try to consistently upload for maybe the next 2 days. And here is one of the promised Bonus Chapters. There will be more. Maybe...
So, this is my first time doing this. I hope you guys can help me improve by providing your feedback, and some stones would be nice. (づ ◕‿◕ )づ