Late into the night, the quiet hum of the New York Police Department was jolted by a sudden call—a bank robbery had escalated into a full-blown explosive situation. Within minutes, police cars sped off, sirens blazing, converging on the scene. The bank wasn't far, so they reached it within ten minutes, only to find things weren't exactly as they'd expected.
Captain George arrived, pulling up just as his team started setting up a cordon around the bank entrance. Looking around at his officers, he demanded, "What's the situation?"
"Sir, the gang who set off the explosives have been captured, but things are... complicated," said an officer, glancing uneasily at the bank.
George's tension eased a bit hearing the gang was caught, but his curiosity peaked. "What exactly happened?"
The officer cleared his throat. "Apparently, while robbing the bank vault, another guy swooped in, grabbed all the cash they'd stolen, took out the bombers' ankles, and then drove off."
George's eyebrows shot up. "So, the gang responsible is in custody, but the money is gone, stolen by… another criminal?"
As George braced for the inevitable news backlash, the person responsible for this chaos, Noah, was already on his way back home, thanks to his boosted physique. His stamina was leagues better than before, but after running over 20 kilometers, even he was feeling a bit drained.
Finally reaching his apartment, Noah wasted no time. Stripping out of his sweat-soaked clothes, he took a moment to breathe before sitting down cross-legged. As he gathered his focus, he concentrated on cultivating his magical energy, "Azure Essence."
Within minutes, he felt the familiar warmth of the energy pooling in his core, growing stronger and faster than ever. A grin spread across his face. "Alright, all that physical training is paying off. This is a whole new level."
When Noah first unlocked his ability, the rate of absorption was much slower, but now it was over twice as fast. Even the renowned cultivators of the "Azure Essence Art" couldn't match his speed! He knew he was onto something.
After finishing his session, he switched gears to strength training, focusing on balancing his attributes. A burst of energy rippled through him as he lifted weights with sulfuric-acid-treated grips to challenge his strength further. Noah was dead-set on balancing his physical and magical attributes; if his speed or strength surpassed his body's limits, it could lead to injury mid-battle. And, in the Marvel universe, that's a one-way ticket to the hospital—or worse.
With that in mind, he pulled up his stats:
Name: Noah
Strength: 1.5 (1.7 with attribute boost)
Constitution: 1.4
Spirit: 1.5
Charm: 1.4
Unused Attribute Points: 0.3
His strength stood at an impressive 1.5 but with an additional 0.2 point boost, pushing it to 1.7—a figure almost unprecedented. Yet, it was a delicate balance. In a real fight, if his physical endurance and spirit didn't match up, he might injure himself instead of his opponent.
"Should I boost my constitution?" he wondered, staring at the blinking point beside his stats. As tempting as it was, the thought of wasting even a fraction of potential made him hesitate. Deciding against it for now, he grabbed a quick breakfast, downed a glass of sulfuric acid—diluted, of course—and mentally prepared for a day of being a "regular student."
Despite wanting to avoid attention, Noah's quiet walk to school was anything but. His boosted charm seemed to have leveled up his social magnetism, and people—both men and women—kept stopping him for the oddest reasons.
"Hi, uh, Noah, right?" stammered a girl with a bright-red blush. "I'm, um… Ally. Can we maybe... be friends?"
Noah blinked. "Um, I appreciate it, but I've already got a girlfriend," he replied smoothly, inventing a quick excuse. The truth was, he'd rather avoid any romantic entanglements in his already hectic, double life.
As he tried to continue on, another group stopped him, eager for a chat or asking random questions. Noah's supposed low-profile mission had been completely derailed, and by the time he finally made it to the school gate, he was feeling as worn out as he had been after the bank job.
Inside the classroom, he finally got a moment to breathe, his mind drifting to his evolving powers and plans. After last night's events, it was clear that being an average citizen in the Marvel universe wasn't an option. It was either grow in strength or get crushed by a world teeming with both heroes and villains.
Only through power could he survive in this world, one where crime and heroism often met head-to-head on the streets.
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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