After stuffing themselves, Tran and Fili said their goodbyes. To avoid control by the state or any organization, people with strong abilities had to level up fast. If you could truly master your power, like those SS Rank monsters, you wouldn’t worry about being targeted. Whoever came at you, you’d flatten them.
They’d lucked into meeting four goofy but kind researchers, so there’d be no trouble for now. Give it time, though… once the two of them hit top-tier, who cares who’s coming? Whatever.
Fili had it easy. He’d train under the bald guy, Damo. Damo was a fire-type, S Rank—the Flame that Burns the Sky. Different routes, same destination. Don’t let their names sound all chuuni and ancient; most S Rank abilities are like that. If it isn’t chuuni, how do you show it’s strong?
“Ahh, I’m leaving tomorrow.” Tran had been notified he had a flight tomorrow afternoon, headed to a neutral zone—a tech metropolis with a bunch of academies. He didn’t care much. His parents had already been told. Though the truth was different… the elders were informed their kid was too outstanding and had been exceptionally admitted to the World Superpower Elite Academy.
“Whatever. I’m full. Time to head home and pack.” With that, Tran strolled toward his place.
Night had already fallen. It had been seven or eight hours since they were taken, so it was late. Few people were on the street.
Suddenly, a ripple skimmed through the air. A transparent sword, like it was carved out of air, whooshed in and shot straight at Tran. Normally, the plot would go: the MC awakens and dodges the kill-shot. But Tran? He carried the power of World Annihilation. Without him even noticing, a gray aura surged out and erased the blade.
And the attack wasn’t just an air blade. A sleazy-looking man followed right after. Yeah. A sleazy-face.
The sleazeball wrapped his arms around Tran and slid behind him.
“Hey, hey, uncle, we got no beef past or present. Don’t go straight for my butt the moment we meet, okay?” Tran felt something hard and long pressing into his waist.
All he got back was heavy breathing.
“Bro, my bad. I’m ugly, and my… uh… rear’s loose! Just hold it. I know a gay dude—his name’s Fili! Let’s go find him. I’ll pay for the room!”
The breathing behind Tran went a little softer. Tran sensed a chance. He immediately rattled off all of Fili’s body stats, making sure the sleazeball knew this guy was totally his type.
“Are you done? Why are you so useless? You’re being held hostage, and you sell out someone you know?” A pleasant voice cut in. A short-haired girl stepped out of the shadows.
“So pretty!” That was Tran’s first thought. She had a doll-like face, stood around one sixty, all petite. It was summer, so she wore a fitted short-sleeve tee, with pink fingerless gloves on her hands.
“Pretty sis, I’ve got no choice. The uncle behind me is way too thirsty!” Tran struggled a little. He could feel that hard thing digging into his back, and it was seriously awkward.
“What are you talking about? How does he look thirsty… th-th… anyway, no. Didn’t you notice he’s already badly wounded?” The girl’s face tinted slightly red. She knew exactly what Tran was implying.
“Huh?” Tran finally felt something off. Why was that hard thing kind of cold…
“Kid, shut your mouth, or I’ll make you regret it.” The voice was disgusting, raspy. Tran obeyed; under a low roof, you bow your head.
“Hey, Soul Hunter over there. I know I can’t get away from you, but I also know your rules. When you hunt Superpower criminals like me, you can’t hurt bystanders. Or the consequences are serious. Heh heh heh.” The sleazeball kept talking in that gross tone to the short-haired beauty.
She actually hesitated. As a Soul Hunter, her first duty was to protect civilians. If they got hurt, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?
Tran was trashy and a slacker, sure, but there was a cute girl in front of him. He couldn’t just lose face. He shouted, “Pretty sis! Don’t mind me! Take him down! Men of China bleed, not cry!”
“I told you to shut up!” The sleazeball had had enough. He raised his gun butt and smashed it at the back of Tran’s head.
But we already said it—Tran’s power was World Annihilation. Dying here would be so lame.
In an instant, a gray gas flowed over Tran’s whole body, especially his head. A wall-like layer appeared. The sleazeball touched Tran and was bounced away.
All three of them froze, but it didn’t matter. Tran and the short-haired girl reacted fast. Tran dropped low and sprinted forward without a word, while the girl lunged straight at the sleazeball.
He wasn’t slow either. He snapped up his right hand. Dozens of barely visible air blades formed and fired at the girl.
When Tran glanced back, he realized he could see those transparent things… even at night.
The girl was fiercer. She swung a full-round punch and faced the blades head-on. The result was obvious. The blades shattered, all of them, with one punch.
“B Rank ability: Air Blades. Sneaky, but strong. Activation condition: air temperature between 23 and 31 Celsius. So in summer, you can use it at night and indoors.” She rubbed her knuckles and rattled off his info. The sleazeball wasn’t shocked. If she came to catch him, of course she’d done her homework.
“Hmph. As expected. Just now your fist turned into an open palm, right? Looks like that’s your activation condition.” He launched his Superpower again.
“Who knows? Hurry up and accept justice! Let me sock you!” The girl rushed in again.
The sleazeball gripped two air swords and went at it with her. During the clash, the girl brushed his face and arm once.
“Oh? Little beauty, why are you touching me? Got a thing for uncle me? Heh heh…” He leered. Even if she came to arrest him, he didn’t mind a taste.
“Ha! With that face, you dare talk to me like that?” She touched the same spot on his face again.
“Don’t tell me…” He suddenly remembered something.
The girl touched his face once more. Then she slid back a step and wound up a punch.
Boom! A huge blast roared.
She walked toward him. The sleazeball was half-kneeling now, clearly spent and drained.
“How… how is that possible… It didn’t hit this hard before.” He struggled to speak. They’d fought before she came here, and she hadn’t been this strong. “You were hiding your strength?”
“No, no, no.” She wagged her index finger. “My ability is A Rank, and the activation conditions are strict. So big power is normal!”
“Tch. I won’t let you catch me. If I die, we die together!” He became the centerpoint, and hundreds of blades appeared. Their aim wasn’t just the girl; they targeted nearby buildings too. If he launched, a whole room could collapse.
“You villains, can you not go for self-destruction just because you’re losing? You’re just adding to my workload!” Before the blades even moved, the girl blitzed to his face—pa-pa-pa, three slaps—and finished with a massive punch to his jaw. The impact even detonated with a fierce blast.
The sleazeball finally dropped, motionless.
“Job done. I’m beat…” She tied him up with rope, dusted her hands, and looked around.
“Right, where are you going, little brother?” She spotted Tran trying to sneak off. At a glance at the wrecked scene, Tran knew it was trouble. He’d heard his power was strong, but he really didn’t want to get dragged into this mess.
“Ha, pretty sis, you’re done? That was awesome!” Tran scratched his head and smiled.
“What happened tonight isn’t something you should be involved in. Best forget it. I’ll be in B City for the next two days. If I hear any bad rumors… I’ve memorized your face. And that school uniform—I know which school it’s from.”
“No one will know! I swear on Fili!” Tran thumped his chest.
“Uh, who’s Fili?” The girl looked at him, confused.
“Ha, don’t worry about it, pretty sis. You must be tired. How about dinner on me?” Tran said. “I didn’t even get full. Let’s grab a bite.”
“No need. Remember what you said. Our work isn’t something you can join. I’m leaving.” She dragged the sleazeball away.
Once they were far, Tran finally let out a long breath. Then he remembered—he was leaving tomorrow. Why worry about any of this?
He also realized he hadn’t been scared by their fight. He could see all their attacks clearly. He even felt none of it could hurt him. He had no idea where that confidence came from…
In the distance, police sirens wailed. Great. Guess the fight was too loud.
Now’s the chance… time to bail.
