Multiverse Reincarnation Experiment Group Chat

The heroes looked out at the former battlefield. With Fenrir and the mysterious man having disappeared, only silence and dust settling remained. That and the sound of rushing water from up the Mississippi River, filling the newly formed small lake-sized crater.

Rex ripped off his sweat-filled mask. "What… The actual... Fuck just happened."

In a flash of light, a man in a blue suit appeared.

Cecil loosened his tie and looked down at the burned steel mill and desolate land surrounding it. "So much for our orbital cannon… If they're walking away from that, then we need to up our game. Fast."

Looking out to the cloudy sky beginning to brighten up, he sighed. "And we have some new monsters to contain."

Omni-Man floated down, bruised and bloodied. "That thing is trouble. That man was watching the whole time. He wanted that wolf to grow." Arms crossed and cape fluttering in the wind, the world's strongest hero radiated strength, and his current state added a new layer of menace and durability.

Cecil nodded and looked back at the large group of heroes.

Rex walked forward as he looked around. "Hey! Reform and Atom Eve—they were in there!"

Red Rush thought for a moment as something dawned on him. "They were in the building when that explosion went off, weren't they?"

He and the Immortal shared a look, and Red Rush sped off. He ran, as if trying to outrun the grief that would follow if two young heroes were lost, and he didn't want to let it catch him.

Robot, Rex, and Kate ran after him.

With a large sigh, Nolan looked at Cecil with a tired look. "I'll be off duty till next week." And he left with a shock wave trailing him.

Cecil doesn't watch him go. He looked to the steel mill, already calculating who to lie to and who to warn.

Cecil looked to the group of heroes and sighed. "I'm sending you all back. There will be a meeting about the event details and projected detention methods. You all will be given updates when we have them."

In an instant, the group flashed away.

With only the Guardians of the Globe and Brit left, Cecil talked freely. "There goes a few billion dollars. And a few prototype bracelets."

Brit rests a hand on his shoulder. "Well, at least damage to the actual city was minimal."

As Robot ran with his team, he had some of his machines running a deep analysis on the melted facility.

He detected three people, but with residue left over from those bombs, his readings were sporadic. He read Red Rush's life signature, blitzing around and throughout the building. Eve's signature albeit weak and slightly off.

Then he found another one that was similar to Reform's, but it constantly changed and was read as an error.

"They're both alive! Eve is in critical condition; let us assist her." As they made it to the entrance. Reform walked out in full bone armor, carrying Atom Eve in his arms. She was awake, but mentally and physically exhausted.

Dupli-Kate ran up to them, panting from the distance. "Are you two alright!?"

Rex's voice cracked for just a second as he jogged up behind her. "Jesus, Eve—Jesus. You scared the hell outta us." He didn't try to touch her. Just hovered nearby like he was afraid she'd vanish.

While in his bone armor, Reform was surprisingly intimidating. His tall stature and spiked appearance made him look like a real menace, but with Eve's tired and hopeful smile in his arms, he looked more like a bony teddy bear.

But to Robot, things didn't add up. He did the calculation and had the observational data; whatever kind of explosives those bombs were, they burned hot. For a moment, hotter than the surface of the sun.

Neither of them should have survived.

With Robot's mind occupied, Red Rush returned to the Immortal and Cecil. Stopping in a red flash, he swiped off dust from his suit. "Nothing of the Wolfgang, not even shadows. The only ones left are Atom Eve and Reform."

Cecil's brow creased. He knew Eve would be able to come back; he had the files on it, but Reform was Donald's project. This was above the kid's pay grade, yet here he was.

Putting a hand to his ear, he speaks with HQ. "Open up the file on Reform, I want everything on him. If he shits, I want to know what kind of toilet paper he uses."

Cecil didn't trust unknown variables. And Reform? He just became another unknown variable.

He looks back at the Guardians and nods before teleporting away.

-------------------------

As the day turned to night, I flew with Eve in my arms, and I found myself listening to the rhythmic vibrations of my wings.

Having shed my bone armor, I feel the breeze against my skin and take in the smell of ozone as we brush by clouds.

Colors feel so much more vibrant, and the world is full of color. It was as if a blind fold had been lifted.

With this feeling of life, I could hear the universe around me. Everything in existence had its sound, and I could listen to the universe around me.

From the smallest of planks to the largest of blackholes, each was part of an orchestra that made everything. All part of one, all played their part, and all worked together.

As a Precursor, I can use my own voice to direct the chorus, to change the parts, and to make new instruments. But something is blocking my voice, something that shouldn't be possible.

In my arms, I felt Samantha slightly turn, and her eyes opened.

Staring up at me as the night sky descended, displaying the map of stars and shining down the moon.

Her arms rest around my neck as she leans into me, with stars in her eyes.

Our eyes connect, as the world around us fades into the background. The faint smell of burnt iron, and her being wrapped in a towel I grabbed from the store for ten credits, was the only reminder of the previous disaster.

She was the first to break the silence, having more courage than I. "So… What exactly happened out there?"

Quietly breathing air out of my nose, I nod. "I do at least owe you an explanation."

Bringing us down to the ground, the dust was kicked up from the flapping of my wings. We landed in an empty forest, devoid of human interaction, a national park. Letting her stand, she looked at me with a worried expression.

Sam found a log and sat down, then slowly patted next to her.

Sitting down, I breathe in and out as I prepare myself.

"I suppose I will start with the obvious. I—I am not human." My gaze looked away as I couldn't look at her in shame.

With a wave of her hand, a small campfire is willed into existence with her power. She rests her hand on mine, the warmth from her easily matching the fire she made.

Sighing, I continue. "I am something called a Precursor, an alien species to Earth. From a different realm of existence."

I don't even need to see her to know she tilted her head.

"It—It's complicated… I have existed long before this world did, living, dying, and reincarnating in search of excitement, of purpose. But this time, I had locked away my memories."

Her hand faltered for a moment in disbelief. I heard the echo of her heart waver.

"The reason being, the rest of my species had been corrupted by rage and a goal to wipe free will from the life we had seeded in existence. To unite all under one will. But I hid. And I ran."

Samantha's hand softly squeezed my own, and I trembled.

"And a cartoonish as it sounds, during my self-induced amnesia, I was allowed to live another life. With my mindset being the only thing I kept, I was once again faced with my people's past and present. Forcibly bound to them, one with them."

Taking in another breath, I continue as my voice slightly hitches. "My memories still locked away, I acted in their interest, living the lives of people I had corrupted."

She froze for a moment. Shocked and appalled.

"But when those bombs went off, I lost my reincarnated body and let my consciousness drift in a higher existence. And I confronted my demons, my past, my people. And I remembered everything."

Finally building up the strength to look at her, I see the shocked expression on her face. "It was you who finally gave me meaning, who made me finally remember myself. That gave me a name I cared for."

The shock slowly turned into a conflicted expression.

Sam stared silently at the flames, as if she could find the answers hidden in the embers. The crackle of burning wood filled the silence before she finally spoke, softly. Trying to reason with herself.

"Kaleb, I wish I could just say it's okay, I really do. But you've lived entire lifetimes, seen different worlds… made mistakes I can't even begin to imagine. That terrifies me. Not you—but what you've been through, what you've done."

She turned her face toward me, eyes wet yet fierce. "But I know what it's like to feel lost, Kaleb. To look around and not recognize yourself, to be forced into battles you never chose, bearing burdens too heavy. You're not alone in feeling like that."

Her voice steadied. "The person sitting here beside me right now is someone who risked himself for me. That matters more than anything else. The man who saved me, who held me… he's not the same person who did those things."

Sam leaned her head against my shoulder, eyes falling shut as she breathed deeply. "Maybe I don't understand what you were, but I understand who you want to be. And I trust that man."

"Even—even if I am the cause behind all of this? Those monsters… Those bombs…" The words barely left my mouth.

"I don't know if I can forgive everything… but I want to try. I want to walk this with you." Her arms wrapped around mine. "And if you're the cause… then I guess we're going to fix it. Together."

We stayed there for a moment, letting the moonlight envelop us and the firelight glow.

Simply embracing each other, like two lost souls.

"What do we do now? Do we become fugitives? Or are we just going back to school like none of this happened?"

Sam spoke with a hopeful tone, grounding me, like she always has.

Leaning my head on hers, I let a small smile crack over my lips. "Never thought I'd say this, but maybe going to school will be a nice change of pace. Especially with you there."

"Great. My boyfriend's an ancient space alien who wants to go to school. Guess I'm just into that now." She said, laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Deciding to be a bit devious, I grow a few tentacles and wrap them around her waist. A fiery blush erupts over her. "Well, you know how to pick them, right?"

"Don't make me vaporize you, cosmic squid-boy." She said, flicking a small spark to my chest.

"Oh? Is that a threat?" I say, bringing her in close, pressing her against me. Our faces are close enough to feel each other's breath.

A devious smile of her own grows as she swings herself, and we tumble off the log and onto the ground. With me landing on top of her, my hands planted in the ground around her, and my leg between her legs. The towel fell to the ground.

I looked down at her cheeks flushed, breath hitching, the fire's glow flickering in her eyes.

Her arms were hanging from the back of my neck, pulling me in closer, and we found ourselves being drawn into each other. Our lips met, and passion was ignited like the fire next to us, burning a thousand times hotter.

The world outside faded as I learned her every sound, every shiver, and memorized every cry of pleasure.

--------------------------------------------

The first thing I noticed was that the fire had long gone out.

The second thing was that Samantha had stolen the towel back in her sleep—and was now cocooned in it like a very smug, very naked caterpillar.

The third thing was the box.

Resting on a patch of moss beside their campfire's ashes was a very nondescript, utterly suspicious cardboard box.

I blinked. "No…"

A chime echoed in my skull.

[Infinite Box of Condoms: Deluxe Edition] 

[Description:

This item looks like a plain cardboard box of condoms, but it holds a mystical power. The user will be able to pull out any number of condoms, with any number of effects or shapes. These condoms can have any texture, taste, smell, and even color the user wishes.

All condoms disappear after the intimate session.]

'Note: Your Admins' respect consent. And comedy.'

I buried my face in my hands. "Damn you, Miku."

"Miku?" came a groggy voice behind me. "Is that your weird god-computer thing or your pet name for… something else?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Samantha peeking out of the towel like a pink-cheeked burrito.

"You don't want to know," I said flatly.

She sat up, blinked, and yawned… then noticed the box.

With calm precision, she plucked it up and read the label. Out loud.

"Infinite. Box. Of. Condoms."

A beat passed.

She raised an eyebrow. "Deluxe Edition? Really?"

I, red as a nebulae I once created, muttered, "I didn't ask for it. It just… appeared."

"Oh, so you got magically rewarded for incredible sex? I should be getting one of these, then." She waved it teasingly. "Or at least a gift card."

"Please," I groaned. "Let me die."

Samantha tapped the lid and tilted it open. A small puff of scented air wafted out.

'Vanilla? No… was that lightning and strawberry?'

"What the hell is 'chili mango camouflage'?" she asked, squinting.

I collapsed back onto the grass. "I'd rather not do this."

She chuckled, setting the box aside with a mock reverence. "Well, look at it this way: multiversal space monsters may want your soul… but at least your dick has variety."

I opened one eye. "I should've let the bombs take me."

"And miss out on the extra-ribbed glow-in-the-dark 'Cryo-Frost' edition?" she said, leaning over me with a devilish grin.

I groaned again. "Can I go back to fighting Omni-Man now?"

"Nope," she said, pecking me on the forehead. "You're mine now. And your inventory is very interesting."

Letting gravity take my limbs, I rest them on the ground and stare into the sun.

I look at her, looking at me. "There is still a lot I have to tell you… Are you sure you still want this?" The thought of her turning back scares me.

Resting a hand on my bare chest, she smiled. "In for a penny, in for a pound, right?"

Putting my hands back to my face as I cringe at her joke. "What happened to my cute and shy Sam?"

Looking between my fingers, I look to see her point to the… [Infinite Box of Condoms: Deluxe Edition].

She laughs as I groan in defeat. Resting on my stomach, Samantha enjoys my heat, when a thought occurred.

"You said you were some sort of moderator. What do you moderate?"

Like lightning striking, the realization crosses me.

"Oh shit."

Quickly opening the chat menu, I look at the entire week's chat log. In my fogged mind, I was occupied with… everything else.

Sam watched me scroll through the air. "So… Do I not get to see this system thing?"

"Uh? I am not sure, maybe if—"

A chat notification bubble came into my view. 'The MRE Chat system always welcomes willing participants. If permitted by the current moderator(s), then anyone may join. Also, if a potential user seeks not to reincarnate, then they may join without gaining a 'cheat' ability.'

"Hmmmmmm." My mouth straightens.

"What? What happened?" Sam asked, somewhat confused at my sudden change in expression.

"Well, I just got a message from what I assume to be the Admins. You can join the MRE Chat system."

"Really? That's oddly convenient?"

"It is. It is suspiciously convenient…" I say, letting my concern be plain to see. "Look, from what I know, this system requires users to take on missions. I think we would be correcting other universes or something like that."

Sam stared at me for a moment, trying to process what I just told her. "So, we would be like reality heroes or something?"

I nod.

"Then, sure. Why not. I'm already this deep, might as well join in on the action."

In an instant, a blue screen appeared before Samantha.

--------------------------------------------------

[Darwin]- "So, that's how I ended up living in Saitama's apartment complex."

[Blake]- "I'm calling BS."

[Graveminded has entered the chat]

[Pinky has entered the chat.]

[Pinky]- "SO this is the chat you were talking about."

[Pinky]- "Pinky? Could you… You know."

[Graveminded]- "Uh…"

[Moderator-[GraveMinded]- has changed [Pinky] to [Eve]

[Erika]- "Wow! A new member?"

[Yuki]- "OooooOooooo."

[Michael]- "Welcome, I am Michael.}

[Darwin]- "Another one bites the dust."

[Yuki]- "Shush, you."

[Eve]- "Hello! Nice to meet you. (ツ)"

[Blake]- "Hello."

[Yuki]- "Nice to meet you too!"

[GraveMinded]- "What have you all been up to? It looks like some of you are streaming."

[Erika]- "Oh yeah! We found that you can watch multiple streams at once, and you can have them float in the corner of your eye."

[Eve]- "You can stream?"

[Darwin]- "Yup, I'm watching Blake swim around his Island. We have a bet on when he'll reach his lap goal."

[Darwin]- "Plus it gives me something to due while washing dishes and work."

[Eve]- "Damn, you got reincarnated and you still have to work? That's rough, buddy."

[Darwin sends a GIF of Homer Simpson sinking into a bush.]

[Eve]- "Oh sweet, GIFs."

[Darwin]- "Well, working a 9-5 hero job could be worse."

[Eve]- "Oh snap. You're a hero, too? (〜^∇^)〜"

[Yuki]- "Wait, new people can join the chat?"

[Graveminded]- "I guess so. Though I did just get another message from the Admins, saying, and I quote, 'To avoid overcrowding the current chat, the chat group must overcome missions,' whatever that means."

--------------------------------------

Both Eve and I have been given a new pop-up message. '[System Notice]- A mission has been issued.'

Looking at each other, we noticed a lull in the chat as everyone digested the information.

My brow rose at the sight of the mission.

[Challenge Mission: Defeat the Chimera Ants]

[Difficulty rating: ***(++)]

[Description:

A universe under the Hunter X Hunter designation has been thrown off course and needs correction. Each mission participant will be given a random target to defeat from the Chimera Ant hive fortress.

This mission is optional, and due to this, it has an increased difficulty rating and reward pool.

Only four users will be allowed to participate in this mission.]

[Rewards: Tier 7 Familiar Voucher, Mystical Golden Pill, Lost and Found Token, and World Travel ticket.

Bonus Rewards may be gifted based on the Admins' discretion.]

Resting on me, Sam frowns slightly. "This system thing is… opportunistic, isn't it?"

"Yeah… It would seem so…"

I looked at her face as she considered the mission. "Are you interested?"

"I mean, a little. Yesterday was a roller coaster, and I'll need at least a few days before doing anything like this."

I nod. "Agreed, plus the Admins won't let me join in unless it's an emergency."

Sam tilted her head for a moment before remembering. "Oh yeah. The ancient alien and reality monster thing." She played with my hair as she remembered something else. "Fuck, I should probably head home."

Quickly standing up, Sam used her powers to create a new pair of clothing for herself.

"Wait? You could have done that earlier!"

Her only response was a knowing smile.

Getting dressed myself, I found my clothes in tatters. More evidence of last night's endeavors.

My clothing glowed a bright pink as they fixed themselves.

We lifted off, heading back to Chicago.

As we arrived at Sam's street, we landed a few houses down.

Pulling me aside, she looked me in the eyes as she spoke. "Now that we're… a thing. There are some things I need to tell you."

I raised an eyebrow.

She looked at me for a second. "We both have things we need to talk about. Look, my mom and dad are jerks." She sighed. "I'll introduce you to them when they get over the whole being gone for a night without telling them anything."

Smiling at her, I nod. "We can talk over the MRE chat whenever now. And stream if we feel like it." I say, raising my eyebrows. "Plus, I want to show you something later, when you're ready for it."

"Well, I look for to it, Kaleb."

As we walked away, our hands slowly parted. This was something of a tradition at this point.

Slowly walking away, I flew away to the Teen Team base.

Landing in the workshop, I walk towards the rooms, running into Robot on the way.

"Ah… Reform. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, how about you, Robot?"

"The same. You are dealing with any lasting effects from the explosion, are you?" His voice, while robotic, did have concern in it.

"I am fine, not too long ago I found something interesting about my abilities. I can take on the characteristics of animals I've eaten."

"How did that help during the incident?" Curiosity lined his voice.

"Over my lifetime, I apparently have eaten a lot of tardigrades. Some of which have amazing heat resistance."

Humming in understanding, Robot nodded. "I will see you around then, Reform."

As Robot turned away, he began to think heavily. He replayed Reform's answer again. Heat resistance from tardigrades? Logical, yet improbably convenient. This added yet another mystery to Reform's increasingly complicated file.

In his actual body, his malformed body weightlessly floated in a nutrient bath, and his mind raced from the want to investigate. As Robot, or Rudy as he wanted to be called, watched all of his drones work, he couldn't help but shake the bad feeling he had.

As we crossed paths, I headed to bed. There, I would message Sam for most of the night. But throughout the last two days, I have been using Apricot and Flara to deal with the growing Coral.

For Fenrir, I have him fighting Viltrumites. More accurately, Viltrumites created from my flesh and Nolan's DNA.

Though he didn't say anything, I could feel and hear Robot's growing distrust and concern, even from this distance, I could hear his malformed heartbeat. That fight using Fenrir may have been, too godlike.

'Now, I need to figure out this whole Coral situation. Maybe I should ask Sam about letting me use her powers.'

--------------------------------------------

Looking down at his clean dishes, Darwin reads the mission description for the tenth time.

As he put away the last plate, he looked at his status sheet. Darwin currently had two abilities.

[Clockwork]

[Description:

You can rewind localized time with 1-minute charges. When you spend a charge, you return to the past by 1 minute, you gain a charge every 12 hours, and you can hold up to 60 charges at a time.]

[Daily Grind]

[Description:

The user is given a strict workout of 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day. Despite the user's strength, this will stay a difficult workout. If the user fails to finish this workout, they will be given a massive stat debuff of 50% for the day.

After a total of 24 hours, if you have completed the workout, sustained no damage, gone to sleep full, and wake up well-rested, the physical stats of a regular grown human man are permanently added to your own physical stats. You will also be given 10 credits after each completion.]

After he had been reincarnated, he soon found that he was in the One-Punch Man universe.

How did he find this?

He watched as a certain Caped Baldy exploded a giant caterpillar.

Surprised by the revelation, Darwin's first instinct was to thank Saitama. Before he did something odd happened.

He heard some sort of chime, and Saitama quickly ran off, saying something about deals and discounts.

After parting ways, he looked at his status sheet. He found two things.

He had been gifted the [Clockwork] ability and something called [Daily Grind]. The notification for [Daily Grind] said 'from Admins.'

Without much thought, he accepted both. He decided that if he was going to stay in this Universe, he would need to take all of the help he could get.

The moment he did, something inexplicable happened. A timer started, counting down the hours for the day.

Looking back on his sheet, and read the description for his abilities.

"Shit." He swore to no one in particular. Only then, deciding to head home, something else occurred to him.

"Wait? Do I have a home?"

Checking his pockets, he found a smartphone, a wallet, and apartment keys. He opened the wallet and found an ID, 200,000 Yen, and a list of passwords and directions to his apartment.

With no other choice, he made his way back to the apartment. Climbing up to the fourth floor of a grey and somewhat old building complex, he took out his keys and opened the door.

It was a one-room apartment with a bathroom and a small kitchenette. There was no sign of life. It appeared to be completely unused till now. Looking in the fridge to find no food, Darwin looked up the nearest supermarket.

There, at the checkout line, he would meet the bald destroyer once again.

"Hey. You're that guy from earlier."

Holding a basket full of discounted food, the caped man looked back at the Portuguese man. "Huh?"

Saitama pointed to himself with red gloves.

"Yeah. You saved my bacon earlier. That giant caterpillar thing."

With a snap of his hands, it seemed like a light bulb went off. "Oh! That."

Then, the line moved up, and it was Saitama's turn to check out.

Shortly after, it was Darwin's.

Walking back up to the white caped man, Darwin continued the conversation. "The name's Darwin. Here, take some of my coupons as thanks."

Saitama looked at him as if he were the kindest man to ever exist. "No problem, man!" Greedily grabbing the coupon, the two walked.

The silence steadily descended on the two as they both walked in the same direction.

Darwin started to panic. "Ah… You live around here, too?"

Saitama, not caring, simply nodded.

After five minutes of unbridled awkwardness, they both ended up at the same apartment complex.

Scratching the back of his head, Darwin tried to defuse the tension only he felt. "It looks like we're in the same building… How coincidental…" Pulling out his key, he looked at the number. "I'm on the fourth floor. How about you?"

"Same."

He felt a sweat drop from his brow as the two walked up the stairs. Walking down the open paths, Saitama goes to open the door. And Darwin opens the door next to him.

With an audible gulp, Darwin looked to his apparent neighbor. "It… Looks like we're… Neighbors…"

With a simple nod, Saitama walked into his home. 

Darwin walked into his own and collapsed onto his roll-out bed.

But before he could sleep, a ticking noise reverberated through his head.

Looking to the count, Darwin, with a large groan, steeled himself for the upcoming challenge.

Grabbing the orange tracksuit he had bought at the supermarket, he changed and then walked down to the nearest park. One he had to look up.

His arms trembled with each rise, muscles quivering beneath sweat-slicked skin. The first fifty had come with grit and rhythm, but now, every push felt like lifting a mountain off his chest.

His breath came in short, ragged bursts, misting the grass beneath him as his core tightened and his shoulders burned with relentless fire.

Veins bulged along his forearms, and his elbows locked with a slight shake as he forced his body upward, just high enough to count.

On the way down, his arms nearly gave out, elbows buckling as his chest barely kissed the ground. He gritted his teeth, jaw clenched tight, lips pulled back in a grimace.

'Ninety-one. Ninety-two.'

His legs were still, locked in place, but his back curved now, posture faltering. Every repetition demanded raw will.

'Ninety-five.'

His arms trembled like wires under strain.

'Ninety-six.'

His breath hitched.

'Ninety-seven.'

Sweat dropped from his nose like rain.

'Ninety-eight.'

His arms shook violently, elbows halfway up, stuck in a slow quake. For a moment, he hovered, frozen between collapse and triumph.

'Ninety-nine.'

He dropped, chest to ground, gasping. Silence.

And then, with a groan that came from somewhere deep in his soul, he rose once more—slow, unsteady, complete.

'One hundred.'

Barely standing up, he moved onto the next almost impossible challenge.

His thighs burned like they were on fire, each descent slower than the last. Sweat clung to his brow, dripping into his eyes as he clenched his fists for balance. Around sixty, the tremble started—by eighty, his legs felt like stone wrapped in lightning.

He sucked in sharp breaths, gritting his teeth as his knees threatened to buckle.

'Ninety-five. Ninety-six.'

Each rise came with a full-body shudder.

'Ninety-nine. One more.'

He dropped, paused, then pushed through the quake in his legs, rising to full height with a strangled exhale.

'One hundred.'

Barely. But done.

Forcing his legs to move, he started to walk away, when that terrible ticking noise continued. With a pained moan, he took off his track jacket and tied it around his waist.

Displaying his sore muscles in a drenched shirt from exertion.

His breath came in ragged bursts, each inhale sharp, each exhale heavier than the last. The rhythm of his footsteps had long since lost its grace, now reduced to a pounding, uneven thud against the pavement. Sweat clung to him like a second skin.

By the seventh kilometer, his legs felt like lead, every stride a negotiation between momentum and collapse. His lungs burned, throat dry, chest tight. But he didn't stop. He couldn't.

At nine kilometers, time blurred—just pain, heat, and the endless stretch of road ahead. His vision narrowed. The final stretch rose before him like a cruel hill. With gritted teeth and a primal grunt, he surged forward, legs screaming, heart racing.

Ten. He crossed the mark, scarcely upright, but moving.

Finished and spent.

Darwin remembered this day like the back of his hand. He remembered specifically the bland chicken and rice he cooked after that as well.

Then he passed out and woke up sore. Sore, but undoubtedly stronger.

As the days went by, the workout stayed exactly as hard, but quickened ever so slightly. After two weeks, he had gotten it down to an hour.

And during that time, he started applying as a hero.

He figured that as he got stronger, he could get higher pay. Not to mention, get used to his [Clockwork] ability.

Which he did, slowly. After about two weeks, he had the strength of ten men.

He had sometimes forgotten to eat dinner.

But even then, the change was drastic.

He could run 110 miles per hour, lift 1,350 pounds, and punch through walls without getting hurt.

After some searching, Darwin found out about the upcoming Hero Association Exam. An Exam that would be held in two months.

A perfect amount of time to build up his strength.

Looking once more to the Mission, he sighed.

"Next time... Next time." He said as he walked to the park to work out, watching Blake do laps around an island.