Adam stood up, his body straightening as he brushed the dust and stray blades of grass off his clothes.
A sharp breeze passed over the endless meadow, rustling the green carpet that stretched far and wide around him.
His dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked out into the horizon.
"Every web novel I've read…" he began to think, his thoughts flowing as he tried to make sense of his situation. "…never lets a transmigrator be completely helpless.
They always get some sort of advantage—some extra cheat code or a hidden power. This has to be the same."
His gaze dropped to his hands, and he turned them over, palms up, examining them as though they held the answer to his questions.
He flexed his fingers experimentally, watching the faint movement of muscles beneath his skin.
The idea hit him suddenly, a spark of excitement igniting in his chest.
"What if…" he muttered, his lips curling into a smile, "…I'm already super strong? What if I'm like Saitama?"
The very thought sent a thrill of hope through him, and his smile widened into an excited grin. Saitama—One Punch Man.
The man who could obliterate anything with a single punch. If Adam had strength like that, then his worries would vanish in an instant.
Unable to hold back his excitement, Adam balled his hand into a fist.
He could feel the tension in his fingers, as though power might surge forth at any moment.
He raised his hand into the air, his body buzzing with anticipation as he looked up at the clear blue sky above.
With all the enthusiasm he could muster, he shouted, "Normal Series… Normal Punch!"
He threw his fist toward the sky with all his strength, expecting a thunderous explosion, a shockwave to ripple through the air, or at least some crackling energy to burst forth.
His eyes were wide, shimmering with eagerness. He felt like a kid unwrapping a present on Christmas morning, ready for the miracle he was sure awaited him.
But nothing happened.
The meadow remained still, undisturbed except for the breeze that seemed to whisper mockingly through the grass.
His fist had sliced through empty air, achieving nothing. Adam's face fell, his expression shifting from hope to confusion and then disappointment.
"What? That's it?" he muttered, lowering his arm. He looked down at his hand as though it had betrayed him. "So… I don't have Saitama's strength."
The realization weighed on him heavily, and for a moment, the excitement drained from his body. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a deep sigh of frustration.
"But," Adam murmured to himself, straightening up again, "so what? If I don't have super strength, then I must have something else."
He clenched his fists again, shaking off his disappointment as determination sparked in his eyes. He wouldn't give up—not yet.
"Think, Adam. Think!" he urged himself. The memory of another anime surfaced in his mind, one that had captivated him back on Earth. He snapped his fingers as realization struck.
"Of course! Rudeus!" he exclaimed, the name of the anime bursting from his lips.
The memory was clear—magicians in that world didn't need to chant spells or memorize complex incantations.
All they needed was to visualize their magic, and it would take shape.
Adam's heart raced as the idea sank in. "What if… what if I don't need to chant spells either? What if I just imagine it, and it happens?"
The excitement returned, spreading like wildfire through his veins.
He took a deep breath and extended his hand in front of him, palm open and fingers slightly curled.
His expression hardened as he focused, shutting his eyes to block out the world around him.
"Imagine it," he told himself firmly. "A ball of water—a perfect sphere. Big enough to cover my entire body. I can do this. I just have to see it in my mind."
In the silence, Adam's breathing slowed, his focus narrowing to a single point.
In his imagination, he could see it clearly—a sphere of water forming before him, rippling and shimmering like a jewel in the sunlight.
He smiled faintly, confident that he could feel its presence even now.
With a surge of excitement, Adam opened his eyes. His smile froze.
There was nothing.
The space before him was empty. His hand was still outstretched, but no magical sphere hovered before it.
The disappointment hit him like a stone to the chest, and Adam's face crumpled with frustration.
"No… come on," he muttered, his voice rising in pitch as disbelief set in.
He threw both arms up toward the sky and shouted, his voice ringing out across the empty field: "This can't be happening! I don't have any cheat code at all?"
The words echoed into the distance, swallowed by the wind.
Adam's shoulders sagged as despair began to settle over him like a heavy blanket.
He dropped to his knees, his fists pounding the ground as he groaned, "At this point, I might as well just get struck by lightning and be done with it!"
And then it happened.
A spark.
Adam froze as a strange tingling sensation rippled through his hands, starting at his fingertips and spreading like a jolt of electricity.
He lifted his hands slowly, staring at them with wide, disbelieving eyes.
The tips of his fingers were glowing—faint at first, but growing brighter by the second.
Sparks began to crackle, jumping between his fingers like miniature bolts of lightning.
"What… what is this?" Adam whispered, his voice trembling.
Before he could process what was happening, the sparks intensified.
A blinding light erupted from his hands, forcing him to squint against the glare.
The air around him seemed to hum with energy, a deep thrumming sound that grew louder and louder.
Adam's gaze shot upward just in time to see the sparks leap from his fingers in a violent, jagged arc.
The bolt of lightning surged into the sky with a roar, illuminating the meadow in a flash of white-hot light.
Far above, dark clouds materialized out of nowhere, blotting out the sun like an ominous curtain.
The bolt of lightning collided with the clouds, sending ripples of energy pulsing through them. The clouds churned and twisted, glowing faintly with the aftershocks of the powerful strike.
Adam stared up at the sky, his face a mix of awe and terror. The sheer force of what had just happened left him breathless.
The meadow fell silent once more, the wind dying down to a faint whisper. Adam's hands trembled as he lowered them, his fingers still tingling from the energy that had just coursed through them.
"What… was that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
And with that, the chapter ended, leaving the sky still dark and the air heavy with the lingering charge of Adam's impossible power.
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End of Chapter Four