The System Gave Everyone Superpowers

I woke up at six in the morning. I hated waking up at six in the morning.

I put on a t-shirt, sweatpants, and running shoes.

I took the subway downtown. The Hero Regulation Committee (HRC) building was massive. It was made of shiny glass and white steel, towering over the rest of the city.

I walked through the glass doors and into the lobby. It was packed. There were at least three hundred people waiting to take the exam.

I looked around the room. You could easily tell who was who.

On one side, there were the desperate adults. They looked tired. Some wore cheap construction clothes; others wore faded business suits. They were people who hated their normal jobs and wanted a chance at Hero money. They looked nervous, holding tightly to their coffee cups.

On the other side were the graduates. They were mostly eighteen or nineteen, like me. They had failed to get into the prestigious Hero Academies and went to normal schools instead. But they still wanted to be Heroes. They were loud, cocky, and doing push-ups in the middle of the lobby to show off.

Then, standing near the front desk, were the elites. There were only about ten of them. They wore brand-new, custom-made hero suits covered in corporate logos. They were heavily sponsored by rich companies. These were the kids whose parents paid private tutors to power-level them in expensive Private Zones. They bypassed the Academy system entirely. They stood with perfect posture, ignoring everyone else.

I walked over to a quiet corner and sat down on the floor. I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I just wanted to rest until they called my name.

"Hey. You look like you're about to pass out."

I opened one eye. A guy around my age was standing over me. He had spiky brown hair and was wearing a bright yellow track suit. He had way too much energy.

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"I'm resting," I muttered.

"I'm Leo," he said, holding out his hand. "My Blessing is Kinetic Punch. I can store up energy when I run and release it when I hit something. It's a B-Tier ability. Pretty sweet, right?"

I didn't shake his hand. "Shay," I said.

Leo dropped his hand and leaned against the wall next to me. "Man, I'm nervous. I trained in a Public Zone all month for this. I'm Level 12 now. What Level are you?"

"One," I said.

Leo looked at me like I was joking. "Level one? Seriously? Bro, you know this is a combat exam, right? They drop us into a Zone with real System Constructs. If you're Level 1, you're going to get crushed. Why are you even here?"

"I need to pay my rent," I said.

Leo laughed. "Right, right. Good luck, man. Try not to die." He walked away to go talk to a group of cocky graduates.

I closed my eyes again. People like Leo cared so much about Levels and Tiers. They thought hard work was the only way to win. They didn't understand that if you are smart, you don't have to work hard at all.

Suddenly, a loud buzzer echoed through the lobby. Everyone stopped talking.

A woman in a gray business suit walked out to the center of the room. She held a tablet in her hand.

"Welcome to the Hero Licensing Exam," she said. "I am Proctor May. Today, you will be tested on your combat and rescue abilities. If you pass, you will take the written exam this afternoon."

She pointed to a pair of double doors behind her.

"Behind these doors is an E-Rank Training Zone. It is a simulated city block. Inside, you will find hostile System Constructs and dummy civilians. Your goal is to defeat the Constructs and carry the dummies to the safe zone."

The crowd shifted nervously.

"You will be graded on speed, power, and efficiency," Proctor May continued. "If your Health Points (HP) drop below ten percent, you will be automatically removed from the Zone and you will fail. If you freeze in fear, you will fail. The exam begins now. Enter the Zone."

The doors slowly slid open and a cold wind blew out from the dark tunnel inside.

The elites and the cocky kids rushed forward, pushing each other to get inside first. The desperate adults followed slowly behind them.

I stayed on the floor and waited until every single person had walked through the doors. I didn't want to be caught in the crowd. Crowds mean pushing, and pushing means wasting energy.

Once the lobby was empty, I finally stood up. I stretched my arms, let out a long yawn, and slowly walked into the dark tunnel.

It was time to take the test.

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