Max’s eyes flickered open as the morning sun crept through the blinds of David’s apartment. His muscles ached a deep, dull throb that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. It wasn’t the usual post-gym soreness; it was something else, a reminder of what had happened with Claire. He had absorbed her strength, but it wasn’t fully his yet. He could feel it, humming under his skin like an engine waiting to roar to life, but it was distant, muffled by inexperience.
“Dude, you okay?” David asked, not looking up from his tablet as he sipped his coffee at the kitchen table.
Max sat up slowly, blinking the sleep from his eyes. “Yeah… kinda.” He rubbed his temples. The world felt slightly heavier, his body… thicker, as though his muscles had subtly shifted overnight. It wasn’t unpleasant, just strange.
“You’re still adjusting to Claire’s powers, huh?” David’s tone was casual, but his eyes betrayed a glimmer of curiosity. “How’s that going? Any progress?”
Max grunted, standing up and stretching. “It’s weird. I can feel the strength, but it’s not all there yet.” As he walked towards the mirror, he caught his reflection and winced. His body was definitely more defined—Claire’s strength was making its presence known.
A soft ping echoed in his mind, followed by Frank’s familiar, neutral voice. He wanted to give the weird Alien AI thing a human name so it didn’t freak him out to think about his situation every time.
> Strength Integration: 82% - Current Mastery: 10%. Estimated mastery completion: 6 hours with focused training.
Max frowned. “Ten percent mastery?” he muttered.
David raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Frank says I’m only at ten percent mastery. I have her strength, but it’s gonna take time to fully control it.”
David smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Well, that’s why supers train, bro. Let’s hit the gym later.”
---
Classes at Neo-York University were a mix of academic rigor and subtle tension. The rule about not using powers on campus hung in the air like a storm cloud, constantly reminding students that they were walking a fine line. For Max, it was worse. Not only did he have new powers to control, but the nagging reminder of his rejection from the Hero Program weighed on him.
Their first class was Power Theory, led by Professor Howland, a tall, gangly man with a perpetual frown and deep, sunken eyes. He was a Rank B telepath, known for his strict approach to teaching and his aversion to small talk. The lecture hall was packed, filled with students from all ranks, human and super alike.
"Today," Howland began, pacing slowly at the front of the room, "we will be discussing the difference between innate and acquired powers. Most of you, of course, fall into the former category—your abilities are naturally yours, a part of your biology since puberty. But there is a rare subset of supers who can acquire abilities through other means like a traumatic event or interaction with a non-stable change particle."
Max felt his pulse quicken. It was as if Howland was speaking directly to him.
“Acquired powers are inherently unstable,” Howland continued, his voice calm but firm. "They require intense training to master, and even then, they often manifest inconsistently compared to innate abilities. These supers must develop control or risk burning out."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
David shot Max a glance, but Max ignored it, scribbling notes as if that would somehow ease the tension building in his chest. The truth was, he was an acquired super, and Howland’s warning rang loud in his ears.
The class droned on, diving into case studies of famous acquired supers who had struggled with control and were generally weaker. Max found his mind wandering to his progress bar, which now hovered around 90% integration. His palms were clammy, and his head buzzed with the thought of the strength simmering beneath his skin.
---
By the time they got to the gym, Max’s nerves were shot. He had been feeling the pressure all day, and now, standing in front of the weights, he felt that pressure boil over into raw anxiety.
David, ever the cheerleader, clapped him on the back. “Alright, man, this is it. Time to see what that Rank D strength can do.”
Max stared at the bench press, a nervous lump forming in his throat. He had never been the strongest guy in the room, and even now, with Claire’s strength coursing through him, he felt like an imposter. But David was right—he had to test it, had to know how much of her power he could actually use.
Taking a deep breath, Max lay down on the bench and gripped the bar. The weight felt… lighter than usual. He pressed it up, the plates clinking as he did. It wasn’t easy, but it was easier than it should have been.
David grinned. “Dude, that was smooth. Let’s add more.”
They stacked on more weight, pushing Max to his limits. But each time, the bar felt just a little lighter, the strain a little less.
Ping.
> Strength Integration: 100% - Current Mastery: 15%.
Max’s breath hitched. He was getting stronger, but something was off. His muscles burned, not just with effort, but with a strange, electric tingle, as if they were protesting the borrowed strength.
“I can feel it, man,” Max muttered, sitting up and wiping the sweat from his forehead. “It’s like my body isn’t used to it yet.”
David frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”
Max shrugged. “Dunno. Frank says I’m only at 15 percent mastery. I guess that means I’ve still got a long way to go.”
David leaned against the rack, thinking. “Maybe we’re doing this wrong. You’ve got the strength, but you don’t know how to use it. We should do something more dynamic. Real-world training.”
Max gave him a dubious look. “Like what?”
David’s grin was mischievous. “You ever heard of The Spire?”
---
The Spire was an infamous training ground for Neo-York’s supers—a towering construction site on the edge of the city, full of steel beams, half-finished walls, and towering scaffolds. Technically, it wasn’t a sanctioned training ground, but that didn’t stop students from sneaking in to test their powers under the cover of night.
“This is a bad idea,” Max muttered as they climbed through a gap in the fence.
David just laughed. “Relax, no one comes here after dark. This place is perfect for training.”
The site was eerily quiet, the wind whistling through the metal skeletons of future buildings. Max felt his heart race as they reached the base of the tallest scaffold. David gestured up. “Think you can climb that?”
Max looked at the towering structure, easily fifty feet high, and felt a knot of dread twist in his stomach. “You’re insane.”
“Come on,” David urged. “If you’re gonna master that strength, you need to push yourself. This isn’t about lifting weights. It’s about control.”
Max hesitated, then nodded. He knew David was right. He couldn’t just half-ass this. If he wanted to get into the Hero Program, he had to push past his limits.
Grabbing hold of the first rung of the scaffold, Max hauled himself up. His muscles burned, but they didn’t fail him. He moved quicker than he expected, his body adapting to the challenge. Halfway up, the wind picked up, swaying the structure slightly.
> Current Mastery: 20%.
A surge of adrenaline shot through him. He was getting closer to mastering Claire’s strength, albeit at a glacier pace. The wind howled, the scaffold creaking ominously as Max reached the top.
But as he swung himself onto the final platform, the metal beneath him groaned. Max’s eyes widened in horror as the bolts holding the platform in place began to give way.
“Max!” David shouted from below, panic in his voice.
Max’s heart pounded. The platform was going to fall. His mind raced. He wasn’t fully in control yet. He could feel Claire’s strength bubbling inside him, but could he trust it?
> Mastery: 25%. Critical situation detected. Do you wish to initiate emergency override? Yes/No.
“Yes!” Max screamed internally, and suddenly, the power surged through him like wildfire. His muscles screamed in protest, but he moved with lightning speed, grabbing onto a nearby beam just as the platform collapsed beneath him.
He hung there for a moment, gasping for breath, his heart hammering in his chest.
> Congratulations, Host. Full mastery achieved momentarily due to critical situation. Current Mastery: 35%. New Quest unlocked: Enhance Power Rank.
Max's grip tightened as Frank's voice faded. He was alive, barely, but something had changed. He could feel the strength now, pulsing, raw, and real.
"Max!" David’s voice was shaky as he helped him climb down, his face pale. “What the hell was that? You could’ve died!”
Max leaned against the beam, still catching his breath. "I needed to know," he said between gasps. "And now I do."
David gave him a hard look, but the tension broke with a grin. “Well, you’re a maniac, but hey, at least you didn’t fall.”
Max chuckled, though his thoughts were already elsewhere. The quest. What did Frank mean by enhance his power rank? He’d have to find out soon. But for now, he had something else a chance to get full control. And with that, the door to the Hero Program