Vincent Crowe stared at the translucent blue window floating before his eyes, momentarily forgetting the pain coursing through his battered body. His confrontation with Felix Granger had left him with aching ribs, bruised arms, a split lip, and an unpleasant throbbing sensation in his abdomen. However, the sight of the Villain Assimilation System’s notification was more than enough to improve his mood.
[Innate Superpower Detected: Kinetic Acceleration.]
[Would you like to assimilate Kinetic Acceleration?]
[YES / NO]
Vincent glanced toward Felix, who remained unconscious near the courtyard wall, before returning his attention to the notification. There was hardly anything to consider. He had experienced firsthand just how troublesome Kinetic Acceleration could be, and the possibility of adding such an ability to his growing collection was far too attractive to ignore.
"Yes," Vincent murmured, selecting the corresponding option.
[DING!]
[Assimilation Successful!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully assimilated the innate superpower Kinetic Acceleration.]
[Superpower: Kinetic Acceleration]
[Classification: Assimilated Superpower]
[The acquired superpower has been permanently integrated into your abilities.]
[Total Superpowers: 4]
A strange sensation immediately spread through Vincent’s body. It wasn’t painful, nor did it resemble the familiar feeling of circulating Flux Energy through his muscles. Instead, he experienced a brief awareness of something new, as though another possibility for movement had suddenly become available to him. The sensation disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived, leaving him staring at his hands with growing excitement.
"Kinetic Acceleration," Vincent muttered, slowly clenching his fists. "Now that’s going to be useful."
He resisted the temptation to test his new ability immediately. His Flux Energy reserves were already nearly depleted, and after the punishment he’d endured, experimenting with supernatural acceleration seemed like an excellent way to collapse face-first onto the concrete.
Besides, he still had an unconscious Villain to deal with.
Vincent dismissed the System notification and approached Felix, checking his breathing and confirming that he hadn’t regained consciousness. The man was badly bruised, with blood staining the corner of his mouth, but he was alive. Vincent retrieved Felix’s black bag from beside the wall and placed it out of reach before taking out his phone.
It was time to complete his first official mission.
He opened the Hero Association’s application and navigated to his active assignment. Felix Granger’s photograph appeared alongside his criminal information, with a prominent option labeled REPORT CAPTURE beneath the profile.
Vincent tapped it.
The screen immediately switched to the phone’s camera, displaying a rectangular scanning frame and instructions to position the captured Villain’s face within the designated area. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.
"Oh, that’s convenient," Vincent remarked, crouching beside Felix.
He carefully positioned the camera above the unconscious man’s face.
A thin blue scanning grid moved across the display, accompanied by a soft electronic beep.
[Facial Recognition Scan Initiated.]
A clear, feminine AI voice emerged from the phone’s speaker. "Scanning facial characteristics. Accessing Hero Association Villain Database. Comparing biometric records. Please maintain camera position."
Vincent held the phone steady while a circular progress indicator appeared on the screen.
[Biometric Match Found.]
[Identity Verification Complete.]
The AI voice continued in its pleasant, professional tone. "Target identified. Felix Granger. Registered alias: Slipstream. Villain Classification: White. Superhuman Rank: 1. Current status: Wanted. Capture report submitted by licensed Hero Vincent Crowe, Hero Rank F."
A second notification appeared almost immediately.
[Capture Verification Successful.]
[Villain Status Updated: CAPTURED.]
[Congratulations, Hero Vincent Crowe!]
[You have successfully captured a White-Class Villain.]
[Hero Merit Awarded: +100]
[Current Hero Merit: 100]
[Villain Containment Division Dispatched.]
[Please remain at the capture location until authorized personnel arrive.]
Vincent stared at the notification for several seconds before a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"One hundred Merit," he said quietly, admiring the number displayed beneath his Hero profile. "My first hundred."
Although the amount was hardly impressive compared to the achievements of established Heroes, Vincent couldn’t help feeling pleased. Only yesterday, he had been an ordinary employee enduring constant humiliation at a Hero Agency. Now he was a licensed F-Rank Hero who had successfully completed his first independent mission.
And more importantly, he had acquired another supernatural ability in the process.
Naturally, the unconscious Villain offered no response.
With the capture officially registered, Vincent moved toward a relatively clean section of the courtyard and lowered himself onto an overturned wooden crate. His entire body protested the movement, particularly his ribs, which had absorbed several vicious strikes during the battle.
He carefully examined his arms, noticing the dark bruises beginning to develop beneath his sleeves. Although Bone Hardening had protected his skeletal structure, it hadn’t prevented the surrounding muscles and tissues from suffering damage.
"Looks like having tough bones doesn’t make me invincible," Vincent muttered with a grimace.
The fight had been a valuable lesson. Possessing multiple supernatural abilities certainly gave him an advantage, but without sufficient experience and Flux Energy, he couldn’t simply overwhelm every opponent.
Felix had possessed only one ability, yet his superior familiarity with Kinetic Acceleration had nearly decided the battle.
Vincent was still considering this when his phone vibrated.
Julian Reyes was calling.
Vincent answered and raised the phone to his ear. "Hey, Julian."
"Vincent! Finally!" Julian exclaimed, sounding relieved and irritated at the same time. "I’ve been trying to reach you for the past twenty minutes. What happened? Did you find anything?"
Vincent glanced toward the unconscious Villain. "Actually, I found Felix."
There was a brief silence.
Then Julian’s voice rose sharply. "You found him?! Where? Did he see you? Please tell me you didn’t do something stupid!"
Vincent laughed, immediately regretting it when pain shot through his ribs. "Relax. The fight’s already over. I captured him."
Another silence followed.
"Wait," Julian said slowly, sounding as though he were struggling to process the information. "You’re telling me you actually fought Slipstream and won?"
"That’s generally what capturing a Villain involves," Vincent replied with an amused expression.
"Don’t get smart with me, asshole!" Julian retorted. "You could’ve at least called before fighting him! What if something happened to you?"
Vincent smiled faintly. "I didn’t exactly have time to arrange a meeting. He noticed me following him, tried to escape, and eventually confronted me. Besides, I’m fine."
"Whenever somebody says they’re fine after fighting a wanted criminal, it usually means they’re bleeding somewhere," Julian replied suspiciously. "Are you injured?"
Vincent glanced down at his bruised arms. "A few bruises. Nothing serious."
Julian sighed heavily. "Unbelievable. You’ve been a professional Hero for barely a day, and you’re already giving me headaches. So what happens now?"