A teenage boy woke up roughly and went straight into a sitting position on the bed, sweating heavily. He had just woken up from his nightmare, experienced a terrible flashback to his dream, and was holding his head as if he were in pain. The child in his dream was Frederick five years before his mother's death.

After successfully keeping himself together, he rose from his bed, headed to what seemed to be a sink, and washed his face with the previously collected water in a bowl. There was a cracked mirror in front of him. In the mirror reflection, Frederick was already mature, both physically and mentally. He has already toned his body as a result of his self-training outside of work.

It has been two years since his mother gave her life for him. Recalling his mother's last word, he clenched his fist once more and reaffirmed his determination to fulfill his mother's final wish.

“Your sacrifice won’t be in vain, Mother.”

Frederick swiftly dressed himself in his working attire and headed out for work.

Everything in Nautilopolis still remained unchanged. The system of slavery and hard labor remained intact. The place was still full of filth like before. With the extra energy he gained from eating her mother's portion, Frederick was in better shape than before. Thanks to his consistent workout and meditation, he was more productive at work, increasing his income and protecting him from potentially disastrous mistakes. He started to impress some of the foremen.

After a while, Frederick's excellent work impressed some of his superiors. Frederick's efficiency allowed him to meet his needs in half the time it would normally take.

Frederick sat down on the alley wall. Even though it was still evening, the shadow made the area so dark that you could barely see the end of the alley. There was no one present, but several messed-up trash cans and ripped papers were flying around due to the wind.

“I should have enough earnings right now,” thought Frederick, reviewing his progress. “Is it the right moment to make my plan to escape?”

Frederick continued to ponder his decision for some time. He believed that any failure would be fatal if he decided to start. His memories from childhood came flooding back to him in an instant. While he was still hesitating, two workers came up to him from the alley. It was clear they were hostile from their unfriendly expression.

“What can I help you with?” Frederick tried to be courteous in order to address the situation peacefully.

"Don’t play around! You took our job." Frederick's attempt seemed to have failed. If looks could kill, the men would have killed Frederick twice over. .

“That’s…” Frederick realized that the foreman had assigned him an additional task that was supposed to be other people’s work. He felt guilty, but he couldn't let himself be sentimental, given his current condition.

One of them stepped in first, without warning. Despite being only six meters away from Frederick, he proceeded to strike. Frederick recognized that this man was up for something and became vigilant, aware that he lived in a superpower society. As he expected, the man threw the punch from far away. His hand stretched like rubber and was likely to strike Frederick's face. Frederick quickly dodged to the right, letting the fist pass him. He quickly grasped the stretched arm tightly. The reverse elastic force drew Frederick towards the Rubber Man, just as the arm returned to its owner.

"What?!" Frederik's actions left the man in disbelief, and he was promptly kicked in the chest as Frederick got close to him. He stumbled back and collided with the alley wall, briefly dazed.

“Oh, so only his hand is the rubber,” commented Frederick while flying.

The other man was startled. But he quickly went back to his senses and ran toward Frederick, who was still recovering his posture from the flight. When Frederick felt the other man's presence, he straightened up and turned to face him. In the heat of battle, the man lunged at Frederick, his hand moving more like a grab attempt than a punch. Frederick decided it would be unwise to be grabbed by him, so he avoided the flurry of grabs and bided for his time.

Not long after, the chance presented itself. The man was heavily panting . His movement a bit tattered. As soon as Frederick felt it, he dodged the last attack by moving diagonally forward.

“Huahhh!” The man screamed in surprise. Without delay, Frederick dealt a hard blow to the stomach, as hard as it made the man cough blood. The boy then delivered another punch with his left hand, striking the man's cheek and shattering his teeth. His hand generated small electricity, knocking the man down and causing him to lose consciousness.

“His Grace is electricity…” commented Frederick.

After confirming his victory, Frederick took his breath. The alley was getting darker because of the cloud. The Rubber Man appeared from the shadow behind Frederick in midair, already swinging both of his stretching hands downward.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Don’t you think it’s over yet, little boy!” shouted the wounded Rubberman in an angered manner.

Frederick instinctively shielded himself from the swing with both hands, the force of the impact sending a small shockwave through the ground.

“Tch…” He felt a slight sting from the impact, but he managed to bring his hand open just in time to deflect the attack. Trapped in midair, the Rubber Man was helpless as his hand jiggled wildly. As an opportunity presented itself once again, Frederick swiftly advanced and unleashed an uppercut that connected with the rubber man's jaw.

As he soared upward, his teeth shattered as well, and he plummeted to the ground, leaving him unconscious. The fighting came to a close. After removing his hand from the dust, Frederick moved his limbs to make sure his body was okay. His body was left with a couple of bruises in both of his arms because of the last blow he defended.

“This should heal in a jiff…”

“They had good Graces. However, it seems hunger and lack of experience rendered them weak,” commented Frederick.

“I better leave. My mood drops after all the fighting. Besides, I don’t want to think next to these guys.” thought Frederick when facing the couple of unconscious men. Frederick then proceeded to leave the place.

A sound of clapping could be heard from the alley exit when Frederick was about to leave. He noticed the sound and faced its direction.

“Astounding performance, lad! Very perfect!” A little old gentleman stepped out of the corner and praised Frederick's achievement. He gave off an air of luxury in his exquisite suit. In his left hand, he possessed what seemed like a blood container and a golden gauntlet that had a futuristic vibe.

For a moment, Frederick was taken aback. Curious about the old man's plans, he stared over at him.

“My apologies. Greetings. I am Albert. You must be wary of my intentions,” said Albert, realizing Frederick’s suspicious stare. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” On the ground, the elderly man began to put together his briefcase, which held a variety of tools. Amidst all those devices, Albert cautiously selected one vial containing a reddish liquid.

"You don't have Grace, do you?" Albert inquired, holding the red vial and deliberately showing it to Frederick. “This thing can grant you Grace that will help you,” continued Albert.

“No. That’s impossible,” responded Frederick without delay, as it was likely impossible.

“I know what you're thinking, Lad. You’ve never seen it before, yes? I will reintroduce myself again.. Ehem.” Albert perfected his posture and neatened his tie and sleeves to deliver a more serious pitch.

“I'm Albert Nikolai. I am a scientist who studies Graces and their support tools. I will gladly present you with a few of my children.”

Without delay, Albert shifted his gauntlet-wielding hand toward the garbage can situated behind Frederik. A blue gem adorned the palm of the gauntlet, which was gradually glowing. The brilliant light caused it to unleash a lightning-fast missile, which obliterated the garbage can and sent it whirling into the air, leaving a trail of smoke on its wake. The distorted can had a hole in the middle and multiple burn marks when it landed. The way it worked shocked Frederick.

“And this is my Grace” This time, Albert pulled back the sleeve of his other hand and opened his palm, exposing his arm. A sudden wound appeared on his arm, and then specks of blood began to float around. Shortly after, Albert made a motion with his arm as though he were pushing with all his might. In an instant, the flying blood shot toward the hand and, like a machine gun salvo, damaged the alley wall. The wall was left with deep holes, proving that being hit by that could be fatal. Out of nowhere, the device behind him began to drain some of the liquid.

“You see, My Grace allows myself to control my blood and move them anywhere at my will. Strong, isn’t it?” explained Albert. Frederick still continued to observe. “However, doing this will deplete my blood. So I made something that can refill my blood automatically whenever I’m lacking it.”

“And finally, this!” Albert showed the vial earlier once again. “This is my latest invention that no one knew about. This can give you the Grace that is the same as me,” said Albert excitedly.

“So, what business do you have with me, then?” asked Frederick.

“I want you to drink this.” The old man moved his hand in front of Frederick, dangling the vial in front of Frederick's face.

“And why should I drink this thing?” Frederick said as he glared at the strange man. .

“Don’t you want Grace?” the man replied, which immediately piqued Frederick’s interest. “ Imagine yourself having Grace just like everybody else, having the same level with other people. You can fight toe to toe against them without handicap.” Albert continued.

But Frederick was still hesitant. He looked away. His eyes averted everywhere else other than to the vial in front of him . He knew having Grace would greatly benefit his chances of surviving in Nautilopolis and carrying out his escape plan. Yet he was still suspicious of Albert. How would giving a random kid grace would benefit him? . Besides, he didn’t believe he could attain something that he wanted this easily.

“I’m doing fine without Grace, why would you want to give me a grace anyway?" Frederick added the last part after a bit of hesitation, trying to assess Albert’s true intention.

"I believe you should realize that you have only encountered a weak Grace user. Each time you rise, you may encounter stronger individuals who will stand in your way. On my end, I simply want to demonstrate the success of my research and proceed from there. "I will give you this for free," Albert said calmly, as he continued to show Frederick the vial closer.

“I…” Frederick had to choose. Would he choose to gain a grace? Or persevere with his strength alone?

1. Frederick accepted Albert’s offer. He needs everything he can get if he wants to get out. -Chapter 2.1

2. Frederick refused Albert’s offer. He managed finely so far, he had no reason to get one now. -Chapter 2.2