In a busy cafe with smooth reflective flooring and a wooden seating area, a boy with messy hair and ragged clothes sat at a table by himself.
He looked around, scanning his surroundings with his bright emerald pupils, his stare lingering on the sign over the entrance.
"CC Jitters." Derek read, looking away as he rested his chin on his palm.
'I wonder what episode I'm on.'
He could give a rough estimate, but he didn't know for certain.
Therefore, he couldn't help but consider an option on the shop feature of the system.
[Shop]
[Story Points: 25]
[Random Story Event: 20Sp]
[Random Card Draw: 15Sp]
[Recall CW Story: 5Sp]
[3 Points in Random Stat: 10Sp]
[Plot Manipulation: 60Sp]
[Level up to Unlock More]
'5 Sp points are low enough that I don't have to worry about…huh…'
Derek's eyes slowly widened as his eyes fell onto something he hadn't seen before.
'WHAT!!!'
[Plot Manipulation: 60Sp]
'When the hell did I get this?'
He guessed he'd attained it after levelling up.
'But is it what I think it is? The ability to control the plot of this world freely?'
The price was a little expensive, however, upon thinking this, a thought came to him.
'I was able to gain SP from my feats as myself against Savitar and my villain persona.'
Although the latter didn't compare to the former, his point was still valid.
'If I can increase my rank as both Derek Bond and a villain, I'll be able to have two income streams for SP.'
With this, he wouldn't need to worry about it.
"I have never witnessed a reason more justified for becoming a villain."
Derek almost felt tears forming as he smiled wholesomely.
But these were plans for the future.
Right now, he continued to watch the baristas and waiters at work as he became more anxious to eat.
'I'm not much of a coffee person, but I'm practically starving right now so I won't be picky.'
Though there were other restaurants in Central City, he mostly came here for the experience.
This was a common visiting spot for Team Flash, especially since Iris West, the love interest of Barry used to work here.
Besides, as he said, he didn't care where he got it, he needed something to eat.
He hadn't had anything to eat since arriving in this world.
It was mainly because he had no money but he found a quick fix to that.
-BLOP
"Good job, boys."
Though it wasn't visible unless one focused, Derek had a satisfied expression as he witnessed tiny balls of slime crawling on the ground, up the wooden chairs and into the clothes of the civilians sitting around him.
'Open.'
The slime separated in the middle like it was opening its mouth, spitting out a single hundred-dollar bill.
He was quick to find his slime, or rather Eclipse as his system named it, could do more than adapt.
It was like it had an infinite storage within it.
'Whatever I told it to swallow, it did…'
Derek paused as he said these words, his expression changing unknowingly into a wry smile.
'Let's stay focused.' He shook his head, dismissing the distracting thoughts.
From large bricks to even whole dumpsters, his slime would devour it.
Additionally, anything swallowed could be accessed by any piece of the slime, thus making Derek the greatest pickpocketer overnight.
"Here's your order, sir. Would you like anything else?"
A waiter brought Derek out of his trance, making him bury his hand in his pocket as he looked up with a smile.
Before him was a mug of coffee, a latte to be exact. Besides it was a simple and almost elegant sandwich, its ingredients peeking out so far from in between the bread yet keeping its structure.
"No, thank you." Derek smiled at the brunette waitress who had her hair in a ponytail.
With a round face and soft red lips, Derek couldn't help but pause, staring at her hazel eyes as a thought occurred to him.
Watching her nod and walk away, he turned his head to blank space.
'I think I know how to allocate these stat points.'
[Stats (Human): (12 unallocated stat points)
Strength: 4 (F)
Speed: 3 (F)
Endurance: 2 (F-)
Intelligence: 7 (D-)
Charm: 3 (F)]
'Alright, to start, one point into every stat.'
He thought hard about how he should do this since last night.
He couldn't remain the way he was and expect to become better.
Hell, he only had such an easy time last night against Alchemy because he caught him by surprise.
And Alchemy was just a regular person who didn't even know how to fight.
Therefore, to have a better idea of which was most important, he needed to have a feel for them first but did it slowly.
[Strength: 4 (F) -> 5 (F+)]
-WHOOSH
Derek widened his eyes, his whole body feeling a rush as his heartbeat momentarily quickened.
'Woah…'
Derek muttered, raising his hand and flexing it, tightening his grip every few seconds.
'It's only a single point yet I feel stronger than ever.'
He didn't know if that was a testament to how spectacular the system was or a nod at his weak body.
Either way, he jumped to the next stat, doing the same.
[Speed: 3 (F) -> 4 (F)]
Maybe it was because he was seated, or maybe, unlike the previous stat, his rank didn't increase, causing him to feel less of a reaction.
However, he was still fascinated at how much lighter his body felt, causing him to kick his legs out while seated.
Wasting no time, he continued.
[Endurance: 2 (F-) -> 3 (F)]
This time, Derek instinctively closed his eyes as a refreshing sensation ran through his body.
It was like all the fatigue and muscle pain from last night was being washed away, though not completely.
Additionally, a few CLICKS and CRACKS rang out throughout his body as his very bones were being tempered.
'That felt the best out of them all.'
Derek admitted with a pleasant smile.
However, looking at the two remaining stats, his attention focused.
Something told him these stats would be the hardest to notice with only a single point.
[Intelligence: 7 (D-) -> 8 (D-)]
'It seems the rank increases every two stat points.'
Other than this, Derek closed his eyes, focusing on whatever changes he could notice.
And though it was subtle, it was like some uncharted territory was suddenly discovered in his mind.
His thoughts suddenly became clearer, and less cloudy as he found it easier to focus, albeit only slightly.
'Sweet.'
Like Derek once thought, this didn't mean he'd magically have knowledge he didn't before.
It just meant natural skills like comprehension and focus would be amplified.
He was happy with this much, knowing what he had planned.
'Finally…'
[Charm: 3 (F) -> 4 (F)]
[7 unallocated Stat Points]
Derek waited for a change, but as he did…nothing.
He even touched his face a few times, trying to feel a difference in his face.
'Well, that was anticlimactic.'
With this, Derek scoured over the stats as he took a bite of his sandwich.
'Put 3 stats into strength and evenly split the remaining 4 into speed and stamina.'
[Strength: 5 (F+) -> 8 (D-)]
[Speed: 4 (F) -> 6 (F+)]
[Endurance: 3 (F) -> 5 (F+)]
-WHOOSH
If just one of them felt good, multiple at once was a euphoric sensation that almost made it feel like it was illegal.
Derek resisted the urge to get up and jump up a few times to test his new body.
But he ultimately controlled himself as he finished his sandwich with a grin on his face.
'I don't suppose these stats would change my taste buds.'
Derek didn't remember much about his past life, but every once in a while he would recall something.
'Like my distaste for Coffee.'
Holding the mug in both hands, cupping his fingers around it as he basked in the warmth it radiated, he slowly brought the cup to his lips as he took a sip.
And…
"BLEH!"
Derek's face contorted into an uncomfortable one as the bitter sensation filled his mouth.
He could taste the sugar in the beverage trying its best to remedy the bitterness with a sense of sweetness, but failed miserably.
'That tastes disgusting. But I paid good money for this shit…'
He thought, ignoring the fact that it wasn't technically his money.
Breathing in, he chugged the Coffee, refusing to stop and wait for the taste to kick in.
In the next few seconds, he slammed the mug on the table, holding his mouth, resisting the gagging as he forced himself to swallow the last mouthful.
Rising from his feet with a defeated and almost sickly expression, he walked to the counter and was met by the same waitress who served him.
"Done already? That was fast." She smiled warmly.
"What can I say, I woke up this morning like I hadn't eaten in days." Derek smiled back, straightening his back.
However, as he did, he caught the girl's eyes lingering on him, looking away as their eyes locked.
He remained confused for a moment before inwardly nodding in understanding.
'With these dirty clothes and the smell following me around, she probably believed I hadn't eaten in days.'
Not that it was a lie.
Sighing, he simply placed the hundred-dollar bill on the counter.
"Keep the change."
The female darted her head to him as her eyes widened.
"But…it's a $72 tip…"
All Derek heard was that the meal of a simple sandwich and coffee cost him $28, causing him to almost spit blood.
"Hey, where the hell's my money!"
A suited man shot to his feet as he patted his body, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Mine's also gone."
"And mine."
"Yep, it's definitely fine. Have a great day."
Derek rushed to the door with a smile as he waved the waitress off.
However, as he left, the cafe fell into a small commotion, the waitress leaned over the counter, seeing the table where the youth sat was indeed empty.
"Weird. He looked a little…different. I guess I didn't get a good look at him before. Maybe I need glasses."
She mumbled, the image of the boy's face still fresh in her memory.
***
"Tragedy strikes once again in Central City as a body was found in an abandoned car this morning."
"Reports say the deceased had severe swelling all over their body as if they were stung by a thousand bees."
"Authorities have ruled this a murder and were unable to comment. Could this be the rise of yet another Metahuman?"
Derek watched the news on his phone as he walked.
"Jeez, I'm telling ya, it's like everyone's lost their minds when they suddenly got these superpowers."
"That Flash fellow is the only good one amongst them."
Two men chatted as they listened to the same news on the radio.
'Nope, not a Meta this time.'
Of course, unlike Derek, they were born into this story.
'Brie Larvan, a computer hacker who is responsible for this swarm of robotic bees.'
'If I remember correctly, Ray Palmer, aka Atom and Felicity Smoak should be working with team Flash for this episode.'
But most importantly, this would be his chance.
[Recall CW Story: 5Sp]
'I wanted to save up to 60Sp but this is more important.'
He needed to be perfect.
After all, this is how he'd complete his quest.
This is how he'd finally introduce himself to the characters he loved.
And this was how Derek Bond would no longer be an Extra.
____________________________________________
Hey, you got your chapter. Now do your job and gimme those powerstones!