The System Gave Everyone Superpowers

The rest of the summer, I perfected my double life.

By day, I was Seasons. The golden boy of Aegis Defense. I did morning talk shows, smiled for the cameras, and kissed babies. I shot three different commercials for Braple energy drinks. My Charisma stat made everyone love me. The public thought I was the nicest, most heroic guy in the city.

Captain May was thrilled. Mr. Graves gave me a massive bonus. I didn't have to fight a single Villain on camera. I just stood there and looked pretty.

But looking pretty didn't give me Experience Points.

If Black Hole ever decided to attack me, my smile wouldn't save me. I needed to keep leveling up.

So, by night, I was Shay.

I would sneak out of my penthouse apartment wearing simple black clothes and a ski mask. I left my Aegis communicator at home.

I would take the subway to the worst parts of the city. The abandoned industrial zones. The deep sewers. The places where the high-level Public Zones spawned.

When I found a Zone Boss, I superheated their heads, melting them before they even knew I was there.

I cleared C-Rank Zones in minutes. I harvested the XP and left the Cores behind so nobody could track the sales.

I was ruthless, silent, and incredibly fast, farming XP like it was a video game.

It was exhausting, but it worked. Every night I got stronger. Every day I got richer.

I was playing both sides of the System perfectly.

August was almost over.

I was standing on the roof of an abandoned factory in District 12. I had just melted a Level 40 stone gargoyle Boss. It dissolved into pixels, leaving a Core on the roof.

I ignored the Core and looked at the gold notification floating in my vision.

[Experience Points (XP) threshold reached.]

[Level Up!]

I closed my eyes as the familiar wave of heat washed over my body. My muscles relaxed, and my mind felt razor-sharp.

I opened my Status Screen.

Name: Shay Fawn

Age: 19

Level: 50

Title: [Opportunist]

Blessing: Master of the Elements (S-Tier)

HP (Health Points): 1,100

BP (Blessing Points): 295

Attributes:

Strength: 45

Agility: 46

Constitution: 45

Intelligence: 38

Wisdom: 59

Charisma: 45

Specializations: None

Skills: Burn (LVL 15)

Spells: Wings (LVL 15)

Bank Account: $512,765

Rank: S-Rank

I had hit the big milestone. Level 50.

I looked at my stats. I had been perfectly balancing them all summer. My Strength, Agility, and Constitution were all around 50.

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My Charisma remained at 45.

But my Wisdom was my highest stat. It sat at 59.

I had 295 Blessing Points.

When I was Level 1, freezing a puddle cost 2 BP, and it felt like a massive drain. Now, I could fly for hours and melt a city block without even feeling tired.

I made a lot of progress but still had a long way to go. Someone of my age and tier should be well over 100 already. I’m only halfway there. However, progress is progress.

I smiled, canceled my Status Screen, and flew back to my penthouse.

I took a hot shower, put on pajamas, and went to sleep.

I had won the summer.

The next morning, I was lounging on my couch, eating a plate of waffles, when my phone rang.

It was Captain May.

"Good morning, Captain," I said cheerfully. "Do I have another commercial shoot today?"

"No commercials today, Seasons," May said. "I have a major assignment for you. It's the biggest PR event of the year."

I took a bite of a waffle. "Sounds like a lot of work. Can't Genevieve do it?"

"Frostbite is already assigned," May replied. "But Mr. Graves specifically requested you. Aegis Defense, for the first time ever, has been selected as one of the official VIP security and corporate chaperones for the Metropolitan Tournament."

I stopped chewing.

The Metropolitan Tournament.

"The school tournament?" I asked.

"Yes," May said. "The annual combat tournament between Metropolitan Academy and Forbe Technical. It is the most watched sporting event in the country. Every major sponsor, defense contractor, and top-tier Hero will be there."

"Why do they need us?" I asked.

"To show off," May explained. "Aegis wants to sit in the VIP box, look powerful, and recruit the best graduating students before the other agencies can get to them. You are our S-Rank golden boy. We want you front and center."

I put my fork down.

"When is it?" I asked.

"December," May said. "Until then, you have the next couple of months off. Don’t get sloppy."

She hung up.

I sat in silence, staring at my phone.

The Metropolitan Tournament.

It was a reunion.

My former teachers would be there. My parents would be there. Chloe would be there.

Not to mention all the sponsors, defense contractors and Heroes who would be there.

This is the perfect occasion for Seasons to network. If I played my cards right, Seasons reputation and notoriety could skyrocket.

That means more sponsors, which means more money, resulting in less distance needed to become rich and comfortable.

This tournament presented another opportunity.

A chance to rectify the image of Shay, the lazy failure in front of the whole world, right as my parents watched on Chloe’s biggest day.

I woke up in my bed. The sun was shining through the windows of my penthouse.

I stretched, grabbed my phone, and checked the date.

It was September 1st.

I got out of bed and walked over to the calendar hanging on my kitchen wall. I grabbed a red marker and drew a big circle around December 5th.

The Metropolitan Tournament.

That was the day I had to go back to my old school. The day I had to face my parents, my sister, and the entire corporate Hero world on live television.

I put the marker down and looked at my Status Screen.

Name: Shay Fawn

Level: 50

BP: 295/295

I had spent the entire summer grinding, pushing my body to the limit.

I was officially strong enough.

"System," I said out loud. "Close."

The blue screen vanished.

I walked over to my couch and sat down, grabbing the video game controller off the coffee table.

For the next three months, I was going on a strict grind hiatus.

I was just going to be "Seasons." I would do a few easy PR patrols, shoot some commercials, and collect my paychecks.

I turned on the TV and loaded up my game.

I spent the entire day sitting on the couch, eating room service, and playing video games. It was glorious. This was the life I had always wanted. Comfort, security, and absolute laziness.

By the time the sun went down, I had beaten three quests of my game and eaten two pizzas.

My phone buzzed on the table.

I ignored it. I was busy fighting a dragon.

It buzzed again. And again.

I paused the game and picked up the phone. It was an unknown number.

"What?" I answered.

"Check your front door," they said.

I frowned. "Why? And who are you?"

"Just open the door," they insisted.

I groaned, put the controller down, and walked to the front door of my penthouse. I opened it.

Sitting on the floor in the hallway was an envelope made of cream cardstock, the edges were lined with real gold leaf.

I picked it up.

They hung up.

I broke the gold wax seal on the back and pulled out a card. The words were printed in elegant script.

The Church of God cordially invites the Hero known as Seasons to our exclusive VIP Friday Evening Service.

I stared at the card.

I hated the church but If I wanted to stay comfortable, I had to play the game. Associating with the Church was the ultimate branding move.

I sighed, picked up my controller, and unpaused my game.

I would go to their stupid service. But I was going to make sure it was the last one I ever had to attend.

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