2 days of attempted heroism had taken a toll on Degen, he couldn't go on the way he was; it didn't feel right. Any of the other vigilantes could do what he did. He wouldn't make the streets of Gotham much safer by running around and taking out petty criminals, people already did that. There were problems that caused people to act as they did. Without solving those problems, more people will turn to crime.
That was all for the future though, now he was taking a break from all of that. Despite only doing 3 quests and being around for two days, heroism, or rather, the old man's story, had exhausted him. He needed to rethink his approach to problems, and he'd be on break until he figured out what he should do.
For now, Degen's life would return to normal. No worrying about stats, no seeking out crime, and no fighting. He still messed around with mana, that had been a part of his life for a long time and he didn't want to stop using it. In fact, he put most of his focus on learning how to use mana better. He couldn't do much with it now, but with a bit of effort, he knew he could work wonders.
School was also looking like it would return to being the same boring slog it used to be. Boxing was impractical for him and World History was essentially going over irrelevant information. Algebra and Biology were both things he'd learned about back in Saturn, a little bit of effort was all that was needed to bring back memories from learning at Saturn, after all, his memory had greatly improved with his increased intelligence. English was teaching him a language he already knew, while Latin taught him a language he'd never need.
All things considered, he was once again learning almost nothing from his classes. His classmates didn't make the experience much better, he barely talked with any of them, including Barbara, and really only had contact with them through being forced into groups with them. The first weeks at school taught him that he wasn't good at talking with people or making friends. At some point, he just stopped trying.
He occasionally told himself that he didn't need friends, after all, he was smarter than everyone in Gotham High. He knew he was lying to himself though, every time he walked home alone, he would glance at the people who went home together. They were cheerful, and he wasn't. The closest he had to a friend was the Russian storeowner, Alexei, with whom he often spent most of his lunch period.
Barbara wasn't among those he'd consider himself close to, and he had a feeling she didn't like him. Maybe it was the way she talked to him, how she constantly ignored him or rolled her eyes every time he tried to say something clever. He didn't know why she didn't like him, but it showed in her behavior. Of course, that wouldn't stop her from using him. She was his partner for almost every single major project he had, and every time, she would say she was busy with stuff at home and didn't bother to help him. Every time, she got full points for the project. By the third month of school, he had helped her with 8 projects.
He didn't know when he began feeling angry at her, it might have started with projects, it might have been earlier, it might not have. Regardless, it all led to him writing "Degen Vasir Only" on his next project with her. He felt some satisfaction from the horrified look on her face, and the look of betrayal with which she looked at him.
The way she acted made it seem like they were close and he'd stabbed her in the back. They weren't, and he made sure to tell her to go fuck herself. He rarely cursed, but he made an exception for her.
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The next few months passed by in a flash, every day felt the same. He stuck around to talk to Alexei less often, and his relationship with Barbara had almost soured to the point of no return. His dad was home less often than ever, every day was another problem at work. Degen found it harder and harder to care about these things, he just brushed them to the back of his mind.
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Most of his time was spent changing his mana. He figured out he could condense large amounts of mana to create something almost solid. It took a large amount of mana, but it was almost solid. It shined a brilliant white and he knew that it was much stronger than his regular mana. It wouldn't disperse after a while, it was permanent, and he could absorb it all back.
He could also create razor-thin strings of hard mana, and they would cut through almost anything they touched. Despite this being very powerful, his greatest invention came from the ability called "Motive". It took his mana and distorted it into strange patterns and complicated formations before returning a few statements about the person's motive.
He tried taking specific patterns and formations and twisting his mana into just those parts of the ability. He often got nothing, but through choosing and combining specific patterns, Degen created something entirely new. He called it mana sight, it allowed him to know the location of anything that touched his mana. He could feel their position, and he knew when they moved. He obtained mana sight by combining a pattern that seemed to disperse his mana and a few that returned information when combined. After messing with the patterns for a bit he learned that he was still a complete novice in terms of magic. He couldn't do anything other than use mana, he was basically a psychic or some variant thereof.
With the breakthrough in magic, he decided to go outside for a walk. He wasn't in a particularly good mood, but he wasn't in a bad mood either. He just wanted something to happen. After standing in a bad part of his neighborhood with a gold watch on his wrist and a silver ring on his finger, he got what he wanted.
It was a mugging. He got a notification before it happened but he ignored it immediately. He turned around and looked his would-be robber in the face. He wore shabby clothes, a worn-out green sweater and ripped jeans. He had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at Degen's head.
"Motive" he whispered. He didn't expect much, the motive was usually money for shoes, money for clothes, money for drugs and rarely anything else.
MOTIVE Frank Davidson used to be a construction worker but he lost his job 8 days ago. He couldn't find a job for days and his daughter's medical bills came appeared in his mailbox. With no way to pay or a place that would give him a low-interest loan, he turned to crime. He's never fired a gun in his life and he's $600 away from his goal.
Degen raised an eyebrow and talked before the man did, "Say, Frank. How'd you lose your job?"
The man sputtered "Wh- How- How do you know my name."
"I know everything," Degen replied dryly. "Now answer the question."
"The- The company I worked for, they recently fired most of the workers right before they were supposed to receive their paycheck," the man said truthfully. "Look man, if you know my name, you should know why I'm doing this. Please, I-"
"Yes, your daughter, I know," Degen coldly cut him off, "What was the name of the company?"
"GoldStandard. And her name is Angela. She has-" the man tried bringing his daughter back up again before being cut off.
"Was it the same person who fired all of you?"
"Y-Yes. The message came from the COO every time."
"Okay, now, one more thing. When the money runs out, what are you going to do?"
"She'll be transferred to a hospital in Central City, the rates there are far lower. I just need the money to pay for the transfer which happens in two days. I was planning this for the last 3 months. I just need a little more. When the money runs out, I find a new job."
Degen was silent for a bit before taking off the gold watch. He tossed it to the man who almost failed to catch. Afterward, he raised his hand and threw a coin-sized piece of solid mana at the mana.
"Solid Energy. It should be worth a lot, no?"
Degen finally found his purpose. He couldn't solve everyone's problems, but with Motive he could find the cause behind their problems. He wouldn't offer everyone a loaf of bread to feed their problem with, he'd simply get rid of the problem causing the poverty. Everyone that chooses to stay a criminal afterward wouldn't get his sympathy, but the man stealing to feed his family would.