Eleven days had passed since my second meeting with Superman and our "joint heroics," which had brought some unwanted attention my way. Those eleven days moved at a relatively calm (for a superhero?) and relaxing pace. Daily training sessions allowed me to gain a couple more levels and push my Fusion with Ryu to nearly 46%. Of course, that meant my "inner Japanese powerhouse" was constantly nagging me again...
In between, I took a trip to Metropolis with my friends, went on a few "heroic runs" to Gotham, Fawcett City, and Central City, and, for the sake of appearances, went on several "secret" dates with Michelle—aside from our nightly movie marathons and regular morning "workouts."
"Argh... Ugh... Haa..." I turned my head to the left toward the naked, panting girl lying beside me. "What... huff... what got into you this morning?" she asked, finally catching her breath.
"I just had a dream about your dance from yesterday..." Who would've thought she'd bring along a few "interesting" outfits for our trip to Metropolis? Heh.
"Pervert!"
"Look who's talking!" In response, Michelle grabbed a pillow and chucked it at my face. I swatted it away and, with a smirk, sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my sore back. "Do you have feline ancestors or something? You're a scratcher."
"And whose fault is that, nya?" I whipped my head around in shock to see her grinning at me, waving a hand. She didn't stay smug for long, though, as she started examining her nails. "Because of you, I ruined my manicure and broke a nail!"
"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked, shaking off the surprise.
"Don't worry, I'll make something myself." She slowly sat up and stretched, arms high. A pity the angle wasn't better...
"You sure?"
"Oh, just lie there and rest, you poor 'scratching post.'"
"Fine by me." I flopped back onto the bed. I watched her grab her clothes and sway her hips as she headed for the bathroom.
Yeah, that was quite the "wake-up call." Sadly, it was the last one for a while. My parents and sisters were returning from Europe this evening. It was going to be weird sleeping alone again, but at least I'd get a break from the daily marathon. It had reached a point where we were doing it purely for the sake of pleasure...
Internal gears begin to grind.
Incredible pleasure! One of the reasons for that was a certain H-game character providing insane skill bonuses. I should probably release her from Unity soon; aside from Spear Mastery and Fencing, her skills weren't strictly necessary anymore. Unless I wanted to keep the "one-handed style" bonuses... or experiment with Maximum Unity again?
"Focus, Michael!" I chased those thoughts away. My family was coming back after nearly a month in Europe.
Time really flies. It felt like just "the day before yesterday" that I woke up in the body of a delusional brat in a comic book universe (a place no sane person wants to be) with weird powers. Now? I was a mage, a martial arts master, a relatively famous "superhero," an acquaintance of Superman himself, a traveler of two other worlds, and... an H-game protagonist. Cough. Anyway, the day after tomorrow, I'd be seventeen. For the fourth time.
Originally, we were supposed to celebrate in Europe with my grandparents, but now it was just going to be a small get-together here. Given the current state of the world, that was probably for the best.
I felt a bit stingy about the missed gifts, but a fact is a fact. Hopefully, my parents brought back some decent souvenirs. I needed the cash—donating to this "system" was getting expensive.
"Speaking of donating..." I opened my Achievements and Statistics tabs.
Name: Miguel Alexander Trueno
Aliases/Titles: Drunken Master, Bonecrusher
Gender: Male
Height/Weight: 172 cm / 66 kg
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Level: 31
Experience: 50,950 / 52,700
Health: 1,712
Mana: 1,408
Effects: Genius, Natural Physique, Mark of the Hero, Unity (x2), ???
Characteristics
Free Points: 100
Strength: 47 (+9)
Endurance: 51 (+9)
Agility: 48 (+9)
Mind: 35 (+2)
Magic: 41 (+3)
Luck: 38 (+3)
Skills and Abilities
Ability Points: 21
Martial Arts: 19
Japanese Martial Arts: 31
Chinese Martial Arts: 21
Black Leg Style: 19
Boxing: 11
Movement: 19 (+1)
Flight: 22
Super Speed: 24 (+5)
Fencing: 12 (+3)
Spear Mastery: 9 (+28)
Sex Mastery: 25 (+32)
Ice Creation Magic: 24
My physical stats were crawling toward the 50-point mark. If I wanted to snag certain achievements without breaking my "build," I had to act now. I dumped 50 points into Endurance.
The system chimed. I unlocked two achievements, granting me 50 Phantasms and two abilities.
Fortitude (Passive): Increases body density and durability, adaptation speed, and recovery.
Fortification (Active): Further increases durability and creates an invisible barrier around the body as strong as plate armor. Cost: 1.5 Mana/sec. It can be cast on others too!
"Worth it!" I checked my stats again. Not enough for another breakthrough yet, but I was getting there.
"Shower's free!" Michelle called out, passing my door.
"Coming!"
We spent the whole day cleaning the house, scrubbing away every shred of "incriminating evidence." I realized that a big house isn't always a blessing. Now I know why we have a "grumpy cleaning lady" over every Tuesday. I finished a hidden quest, earning 125 XP and the system's "guarantee" that we wouldn't get caught.
By evening, we were sitting on the couch, watching an old comedy while waiting for the parents.
"Where did you dig up this movie?" Michelle asked, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"You don't like it?"
"It's... silly. The humor is just the actor making faces."
"Maybe. Но you're missing something. To make a good comedy, you have to play it 'seriously.' You have to act as if you're in a drama."
"What?" She looked at me. "We're watching Jim Carrey!"
"Exactly. Is it Jim Carrey making faces, or is it the character, Ace Ventura, intentionally acting like a clown to annoy everyone around him?"
She stared back at the screen, reconsidering. But before she could find proof, a minivan with a familiar logo pulled up.
"They're here!"
I opened the door and was immediately crushed in a hug by my mother.
"My boy!" A bright red lipstick mark appeared on my cheek. "You have no idea how much I missed you!" Another smudge on the other cheek.
"I missed you too, Mom, but please—not in front of everyone. I'm not a kid anymore!" I tried to gently push her back, only to get two more marks before she breezed inside to greet Michelle.
"Hello, alcoholics!" my sisters chirped.
"I didn't miss you guys at all," I grumbled.
"Neither did we! Mom, he started it!" they shouted in unison.
I turned to my father. He held out his hand. I shook it firmly.
"Hey, Son."
"Hey, Dad."
"You've changed this month. Grown. Gotten stronger."
"Really? I don't feel that different."
"No, you definitely grew. Your shoulders are broader, and your grip is stronger." Oops. Might have squeezed a bit too hard.
"Well, training yields results." I let go and carried the luggage inside.
The next morning was my birthday. Seventeen. I woke up early, feeling refreshed despite only five hours of sleep.
"Time for some birthday luck."
I opened the system messages. Along with the daily login reward, there was a Birthday Gacha Ticket! It noted that if I pulled a character, they would start with a relationship and Unity bonus.
"The dev isn't such a jerk after all," I muttered.
I bought 30 packs of currency, spending 1,725 Phantasms. I was broke now, but it was my birthday. I had over 3,000 Phantasms total—six 10-pulls plus the special ticket.
I started with the Birthday Ticket. The machine whirred.
[Drop: Jaina Proudmoore - WarCraft]
A stunning woman with blue eyes and white hair with a golden streak. She wore her Battle for Azeroth outfit—white shirt, corset, blue jacket, and a staff with a massive blue gem. Since I had a relationship bonus... my mood was officially un-spoilable.
I moved to the DC 10-pull.
Power Girl (Bombshells) - DC: A curvy blonde in a sporty white top and shorts. Interesting.
Jean Bart - Azur Lane: A French battleship girl. Why does she wear one boot and one stocking?
"Sweet Victory" CD - SpongeBob: Signed by the characters? Okay...
Kurumi Nonaka - Testament of Sister New Devil: A purple-haired imouto.
Date with Johnny Cage Ticket - Mortal Kombat: ...What am I supposed to do with this?!
Star Wars Universe Ticket (168 Hours): A week in a galaxy far, far away? Tempting.
"Magic Lamp" Ice Cream: Just ice cream.
Tyrian Callows - RWBY: A scorpion-tailed crazy guy.
Luck Card +2: Now this is interesting. Why didn't I get these earlier?
Jumanji Console & Cartridge: Glad this is staying as a card in my inventory.
Next 10-pull:
Nathan Heywood / Citizen Steel - DC: A guy in a shiny metal suit.
Shinobi World Ticket (1 Year): A WHOLE YEAR? That's 9 hours in the real world. A bit much for now.
Alan Scott / Green Lantern (Earth 2) - DC: The blonde one. Wait, is he the one powered by 'The Green'?
72 lb Kettlebell: The legendary Soviet exercise tool.
Kurenai Shigandji - Taimanin RPGx: Another one from Shiranui's universe. I should "research" her game later.
"Wife-Beater" Tank Top: After a Taimanin character? The system has a weird sense of humor.
Lamball - Palworld: Enough with the Palworld!
Iron Wolf - DC: A parody of Stalin? Probably a Batman villain I've never heard of.
Kryptonite Ring - DC: I'll save this for when I meet Batman.
Incursio - Akame ga Kill!: The sword that becomes evolutionary armor.
I hesitated. Incursio was powerful, but the monster Tyrant inside was still "alive" in the armor. Maybe later.
Last 10-pull:
Djouka - The Apothecary Diaries: She looks like a total diva.
Enhancement Card: Finally.
Maximum Leveling Card: Wait... if this is what I think it is... I literally bowed to the system.
Red Inferno - Young Justice: A fire-controlling android.
Velvet Tiger - DC: A cat-themed villainess.
Nelson - Azur Lane: A tsundere blonde battleship. My "fleet" is growing.
Failed Superhero Movie Ticket: This is terrifying. Which failure? Green Lantern? Fantastic Four?
Lady Clayface - DC: A female version of Clayface.
50x Physical Multiplier:Holy crap.
Killer Croc - DC: The classic Batman lizard-man.
I stared at the 50x Multiplier. It increases Strength, Endurance, and Agility by 50 times based on current stats. "If I use this now, it breaks my build and I miss all the 'milestone' achievements. I have to save it for when my base stats are higher."
Then there was the Maximum Leveling Card. It brings any skill to Level 100 instantly.
I didn't want to waste it on cooking or knitting. Martial arts? Ryu's Fusion was already doing that.
"I'll go with my oldest, most iconic power." I chose Ice Creation Magic.
I lay down on the bed, activated Fortification just in case, and clicked use.
"F***!"
The world spun. My eyes burned. A JOLTING headache tore through my skull. My ears rang like a cathedral bell. I felt like I was going to throw up my non-existent breakfast.
I don't know how long it lasted. The pain was like a white-hot nail being driven into my brain. But when it subsided, I knew everything about Ice Magic. Ice Coffin, Dead Ice, Eternal Ice... I was now a Master.
The system notifications were screaming.
Level 100 Skill reached!
Exp gained: 63,000!
Levels gained: 16! (Current Level: 47)
Characteristic Points: 80!
Phantasms: 4,100!
I immediately pushed Magic to 100. Then I looked at the rest. I dumped points into Strength until it hit 100, then balanced Agility and Mind at 50. I threw the last few into Luck.
Achievements popped up left and right. My head was still throbbing.
"I need a painkiller..."
I pulled on some pants and walked out of my room.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
A chorus of voices, popping crackers, and loud cheers greeted me. Each sound felt like a hammer to my skull. I had to force a "surprised" smile while my brain felt like it was melting.
I should have put more points into Luck. Not that it would have helped with this...
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~ Evey 150 PS = Bonus Chapter
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