Hands interlocked, Tempo and Infinite greeted one another. "Nice to meet you, man." Like a leech latching onto its host, Tempo delved into the mind and memories of the caped beta tester, praying to whatever omnipotent force out there that may have been listening for this journey into Infinite's mind to be less traumatizing than the last three.

Things were looking hopeful when Tempo found himself looking through Infinite's eyes inside a gym of all places, performing what seemed to be a four-plated deadlift. 'Even before he had powers, this guy was strong.' Ky thought as he spectated Infinte's world in a first-person perspective.

The young man huffed and puffed, straining himself as his veins nearly popped out from beneath his tanned, thick layer of skin. However, despite his drive, he failed– finding himself unable to complete the deadlift. He dropped the plates on the ground and an aggressive, "Fuck!" parted from his lips. 'I need to become stronger!'

His gym buddies surrounded him, patting him on the back whilst giving words of encouragement. He'd known these guys since high school and they'd been going to the gym together for the last five or so years, though only recently as young adults did they start taking it seriously.

"Good try, Mark!"

"So close!"

"Hey, man, next time."

Their words, however, were worth nothing to Mark; they were as meaningless as a summer ant. Mark was convinced that no words exchanged amongst brothers could make him stronger, he could only grow more powerful through his own willpower and work ethic. 'They're all satisfied with being weak, they wouldn't understand what it means to desire infinite strength.'

Feeling himself grow stronger, that sensation of the muscles tearing and repairing themselves, was an addiction for the young bodybuilder. He'd only just started truly pushing himself, yet he was growing at an exponential rate. Regardless of that fact, it wasn't enough; he needed more strength to feed his addiction.

His eyes locked onto the analog clock that hung above the mirror in front of the treadmills and the time read noon. 'I should know if I got in or not right about now.' Infinite dug into his workout bag, taking a swig of vitamin-filled water before looking through his emails on his cell phone. "Huh, what do you know, I got in that Hero x Villain thing."

Those who'd also signed up began surrounding the lucky bodybuilder, all wishing that they shared the same fortune. However, out of everyone in the gym, he was the only one who got in. Mark wasn't even the type to play video games anymore, they were nothing more than a waste of time in his eyes, but the mobile game sounded like a fun time waster during his five-mile walks and everyone was talking about it. He was invested in the hype more than anything.

Hello Mark Danvers,

Congratulations!

You have been selected for the Hero x Villain Online Closed Beta Test!

We have left a package at the address listed on your application. This is your Hero x Villain Online Starter Kit! Instructions for the next phase of the process will be inside.

Thank you for your participation and welcome to Hero x Villain Online.

Just as Mark had read the email, the woman from the front desk appeared with a box in her hands and her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "There's a package here for a Mark Danvers…" There wasn't any sort of delivery truck or delivery person, it was as if the package had materialized out of thin air onto her desk. Not to mention, why would someone have their personal package sent to the gym of all places?

She wasn't the only one who thought it was weird; though Mark practically lived at the gym, this was not his doing. 'Strange.' The address he applied with was his apartment address, yet the package was peculiarly delivered to his current location. Regardless of the oddity, Mark raised his hand, "That's me." and took the package from the woman's hands.

The crowd of gamers was still surrounding Mark as he opened the package, revealing the same contents that every beta tester would find– the manual, download code, and contact lenses. Following the procedure, he inputted the code into the mobile store and began downloading the app. As the app downloaded, Mark held the packaging for the contact lenses in his hand, inspecting them with his brows furrowed. 'I have to put these on to play?'

The idea of it wasn't very appealing, to say the least, but alas, Mark rose to his feet, parted through the crowd, and made his way for the gym's bathroom. Looking at the hulking, yet handsome young man in the reflection nearly distracted Mark. 'Did I get bigger, heh.' he thought as he flexed his arm while striking a pose. There wasn't a soul Mark loved more than himself, yet he wondered why he couldn't get a girlfriend.

With the app nearly finished installing, Mark began washing his hands before preparing a paper towel for the contact lenses. He removed his prescription contacts first, lying them gently on the paper towel before placing the game's lenses over his irises.

With blinking eyes, Mark looked at himself once more– his eyes darting around the mirror as he waited anxiously for something to happen. "I don't get it." he whispered, unknowingly seconds away from torturous pain.

Right on cue, plastic began melting into his irises. The agony of it was nearly too much to handle, but Mark wouldn't allow himself to scream like a wimp from the pain. In fact, he almost liked the pain, knowing that this pain would only make him stronger by the end of it all; his eyes had muscles after all. With his entire body clenched, his veins popping as if he were still performing deadlifts, Mark bit his lips to prevent himself from wailing like a coward.

Data started infiltrating his mind and in his visual field, the bodybuilder could see statistics and meters corresponding to his current health. The moments between data being streamed into his mind and his vision clearing was when the pain suddenly stopped. There was no soreness afterward, it was as if there was never any pain to begin with.

Mark's face was crimson, nearly steaming after holding in his screams for so long; nonetheless, it was a mission complete. Wanting to cool off, he turned the handle on the sink, only for it to completely break off, compelling water to spew all over the bathroom counter. 'What the hell…' Mark grabbed his phone and backed off, unknowingly opening the 'Powers' tab, revealing what was different about himself.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

[Unlimited Strength - With a power that is untapped, and virtually infinite, the user grows more powerful over time and through battle.]

'Unlimited strength…' Mark held his hands up to his face as if they'd changed in appearance yet they remained the same. He was trembling, not due to fear, but through adrenaline-fueled excitement. As the faucet spewed water, Mark placed his hand around it, almost as if he were choking it, and squeezed it like it was as weak as a can of soda; just like that, the spewing had ceased. Mark let out a sigh of disbelief, looking at himself in the mirror for a moment before running out of the bathroom and back into the weight room.

His gym buddies watched with puzzled gazes as Mark began placing plates on the deadlift bar with child-like wonder written all over the grin on his face. Usually, he'd shoot for four plates on each side, however, he doubled it this time. With each plate weighing forty-five pounds, along with the bar itself weighing the same, this added up to seven hundred and sixty-five pounds.

His friends were worried about him. They knew about his drive; he'd been this way since high school. That undying will of his often got him into trouble, his friends knew that and they tried to stop him. However, their pleas went ignored as Mark powdered his hands and got into a picture-perfect squatting position.

After a few deep breaths, he gripped the bar, but not too tight so as to not break it as he did the sink. He only used a small fraction of his strength to test the weight, smiling as he could feel himself moving the bar with such little effort. With that grin still on his face, Mark effortlessly deadlifted all seven hundred and sixty-five pounds, throwing the weight down on the ground before letting out an adrenaline-fueled shout. "AAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone was in disbelief. He'd been struggling to lift half that, yet at that moment, just minutes later, he lifted it as if it were weightless. His friends thought that this was perhaps all just a joke, a prank being pulled by the undercover superpowered weightlifter, however, when they each tried to lift it, the weight remained unmoved like a god's hammer. None of them could come close to matching Mark's strength.

Mark began piling on more weight to the bar; he'd gone so far, he might as well go for the world record. He placed thirteen plates on each side, and by this point, his friends felt as if they actually needed to stop him.

"Hey, Mark. I know you're feeling great because of all the adrenaline but don't be crazy. I don't want you to hurt yourself, man."

"Shut the fuck up and watch me."

Mark spoke as if he were a completely new man, his voice ravenous like that of an animal. He didn't care who came to stop him, even if his grandmother rose from the dead to tell him enough is enough, he'd lift the bar with her dangling off of it.

Mark stood over the one thousand two hundred and fifteen-pound bar and started clapping his hands like a true maniac. "WOOOOO! LET'S FUCKING GO. LET'S FUCKING GO!" He was already hyping himself up before he'd even lifted the thing. He'd completely lost himself.

As if the bar weighed less than a single pound, Mark lifted it, holding it longer than necessary to truly flex his strength before throwing it to the ground whilst letting out one final roar. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The entire gym was frozen as if time had stopped; however, Ky Tempus wasn't around to do such a thing. It wasn't just his friends who'd watched the feat, but everyone in the gym, even the old folks walking the treadmills and the moms walking out of their Zumba class.

"I AM UNSTOPPABLE. I AM-"

Mark stopped himself, the high was wearing off and he'd finally noticed the freakish stares he was getting from everyone, even his own best friends. They didn't admire him nor idolize him– no, they were afraid of him. Mark's body and mind simmered down, his breaths becoming less sporadic. "I uh- I gotta go now. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

Mark grabbed his things and fled the scene, leaving the entire gym dumbfounded. As Mark began running home, he'd usually walk the five miles to and from the gym, he noticed words appearing in his visual field.

[New Abilities Available!]

Mark had almost forgotten.

The source of his strength did not come from within, it came from the game. Mark looked through his phone, finding the Hero x Villain Online app once again before cycling through the skill tree.

[Flight - Grants the user the ability to fly - One Skill Point]

Mark's eyes lit up. With flight, the possibilities truly were endless.

He stopped in his tracks before fleeing between two buildings where no one could spot him. He then stood in one place with his fists clenched, looking up at the clouds with eyes filled with determination. With knees slightly bent, Mark took off, throwing himself in the air whilst leaving a crater behind him. However, his ability to fly, to truly fly, did not come naturally. Like an infant attempting to walk for the first time, Mark flailed about in the sky, losing control before gliding back down toward the Earth involuntarily. Bracing for impact, he crashed onto the roof of an apartment complex, causing the whole building to tremble beneath him. Those inside the building convinced themselves that it was the rare New York earthquake.

'Holy shit… Holy shit!'

Flying was unlike anything he'd ever expected it to be. It was exhilarating, yet terrifying. He wanted more, yet he feared the skies above him. Regardless, if he truly wanted to test his limits, he would need to master this ability; just like how he mastered every other aspect of his life.

Mark got down on one knee, a position similar to that of a track star. His fist, clenched, lay pressed against the roof beneath him. As he gathered not just energy, but courage alongside it, Mark could feel the ground trembling beneath him and those inside the apartment complex felt what seemed like another earthquake.

BOOM!

Like a missile, Mark shot up toward the heavens, once again causing the building beneath him to tremble whilst remaining intact. Those walking the busy streets beneath him could see the trail left behind him as he began breaching the atmosphere, wondering if what they saw was some sort of bird, plane, or alien from another world. However, none of those answers were quite on the mark.

Before long, Mark found himself floating just outside of Earth's orbit, holding his breath as the sun shone brightly onto his skin. Mark looked out into the endless void of space, and somehow, he saw himself in it. Like space, Mark felt that he too was endless; vast, and filled with untapped potential.

'I am…' Mark hesitated in his mind for a second. He wasn't so sure of himself, in fact, he was still afraid. He realized that his main goal, the goal of becoming more powerful than anyone else on Earth, had been accomplished. There was nothing left for him to do, nothing else to live for.

When his eyes once again locked onto Earth, dead set on the eastern side of the United States, he remembered why he wanted to become strong in the first place. It was a noble reason really, it wasn't because he enjoyed working out; that didn't come until later.

While at a party, there was a girl under the influence; she was sitting all alone after she was separated from her group. A young man, one of the football players who towered over Mark, approached her and started trying to take advantage of her state of being. Mark wouldn't stand for this. Despite being smaller and weaker, he stood up for the young lady, only to get beaten up as a response. Everyone was watching at that point; the girl was saved, but Mark felt humiliated. As he lay on the ground, holding his body in pain, everyone looked down at him.

This wasn't what he wanted; he wanted the opposite. He wanted everyone to instead look up to him as a protector. With that fueling him, he shot to become the strongest in the world, never to be viewed as weak again.

With these god-like powers, Mark felt that he didn't need anyone to look up to him anymore; no it was somewhat different now. He felt that it was his responsibility to become someone that everyone looked up to.

A symbol.

A hero.

He knew that like him, there were others out there who were transformed because of the game. That high he felt when he first discovered his powers wore off, the high that made him act outside of himself. However, for others, that high would never cease. Like that young man at the party, they'd try to take advantage of any situation. The world needed someone like him to protect them.

They needed–

'Infinite.'