Matt had a dream.
A very strange dream.
In it, he was a red hedgehog covered in a healthy coat of sharp spines.
He was strong, content, and happily munching on fruit without a care in the world.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last.
A giant suddenly appeared before him.
Matt could not see its face.
All he could hear was a sinister, deeply unpleasant chuckle coming from somewhere above.
The giant was both powerful and cruel.
It pinched Matt’s little hedgehog head between two fingers, then began pulling out the spines he relied on for protection, one by one.
The pain was unbearable.
Matt screamed and struggled, but the giant showed no mercy.
And somehow, it got worse.
After stripping away his spines, the giant produced a thick, cylindrical object and began forcing it toward his mouth.
Matt’s imagination immediately went somewhere horrifying.
Tears streamed down his face as he flailed all four little limbs in panic.
“No!
No!
You freak!” Unfortunately, his tiny hedgehog body stood no chance against the evil giant.
The thick object inevitably entered his mouth.
Matt stared into the abyss of despair as something began dripping from his— Saliva?
Wait.
Saliva?
Matt smacked his lips.
“That tastes like the rotisserie chicken from that place in Hell’s Kitchen.
Hmm…
slightly burned, and the seasoning didn’t penetrate properly.
Pretty disappointing.” He unconsciously began reviewing the food.
Then he woke up, bidding farewell to his brief and surprisingly pleasant life as a hedgehog.
The instant his senses returned, Matt detected a familiar figure standing beside the bed.
That person was holding a chicken leg.
And aggressively trying to shove it into Matt’s mouth.
“Calvin?” Matt sat up and smoothly took the chicken leg from him with one hand while rubbing his head with the other.
“When did you get back?” His thoughts felt muddy, almost as though he were still half trapped inside the dream.
Calvin did not answer.
Instead, he grinned.
“What the hell were you dreaming about?
You were crying and yelling ‘you freak’ like someone was violating you.” “Uh…” Matt went silent.
There was absolutely no chance he was going to explain the hedgehog dream.
He shook his head, trying to clear the lingering haze.
Then realization struck him.
His entire body tensed.
‘Wait.’ The Hand had attacked him.
He had been critically wounded.
He should have been half dead.
Matt inhaled slightly and immediately picked up the metallic scent of blood throughout the room.
One hand moved behind his back.
The holes in his suit were still there.
The wounds beneath them were not.
Matt instantly understood.
His sightless eyes seemed to brighten despite seeing nothing at all.
“Thank you, Calvin.” His voice became sincere.
“You saved my life again.” [Matt Murdock Favorability +2.] [Current Favorability: 83.] Calvin waved dismissively.
“Come on, man.
We’re friends.” Then he pointed behind himself.
“Now eat.
And while you’re doing that, tell me why you came home looking like someone used you as a shuriken target.” Following the direction of Calvin’s gesture with his senses, Matt detected two fragrant rotisserie chickens sitting on the table.
Beside them was an ice-cold glass of Coke, condensation already forming around it.
Matt swallowed.
Eating an enormous serving of roast chicken and soda in the middle of the night was objectively terrible for his health.
But…
It smelled really good.
Matt sat down, tore into the chicken leg, then washed it down with a long drink of Coke.
After a moment, he frowned.
“Calvin, why aren’t you eating?” Calvin immediately remembered the smell of the enhancement serum.
His stomach lurched.
His expression did not change.
Neither did his heartbeat.
“I suddenly lost my appetite.” He gestured toward the food.
“It’s all yours.
Go ahead.” Matt’s ears twitched.
Calvin’s heartbeat remained perfectly steady.
Satisfied that he was not hiding anything obvious, Matt put down the glass and began explaining.
“Earlier today, I was chasing a robber when I ran into several Hand ninjas.
They were moving toward the abandoned warehouse district in a hurry, so I decided to follow them and see what was happening.” A trace of unease entered his expression.
“That was when I encountered another ninja.
His entire body was surrounded by some kind of mist.” Matt’s hand tightened slightly around the chicken leg.
“I barely lasted a single exchange against him.” “Fortunately, they didn’t pursue me once I escaped.” He paused.
“I only ended up taking a few dozen shuriken.” Calvin felt a sudden pang of guilt.
There was a fairly good chance—possibly a very good chance—that Matt had nearly been killed because Calvin had obliterated the Hand’s laboratory and forced them to rush reinforcements into the area.
Still…
A ninja surrounded by mist?
‘Could that have been one of the Hand’s Five Fingers?’ Calvin cleared his throat twice and immediately changed the subject.
“So, Matt…
you want to get stronger?” “Of course.” Matt took a vicious bite from the chicken leg as though it personally represented every criminal in Hell’s Kitchen.
“I’ll train harder.
I’ll make my body stronger, improve my skills, and keep following the path I chose.” His expression became resolute.
“Someday, I’m going to make Hell’s Kitchen a place where ordinary people don’t have to live in fear.” “Good!” Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Calvin applauded enthusiastically.
Then, with impeccable timing, he retrieved the Physical Enhancement Serum from his system inventory.
“I’ve got something for you.” He placed the vial on the table.
“A friend of mine developed this serum.
Drink it and it’ll dramatically enhance your physical abilities without any side effects.” Calvin pushed it toward him.
“It’s yours.” Matt stopped with the chicken leg halfway to his mouth.
A grateful smile appeared on his face.
“Calvin, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I can’t accept something like this.” His expression became solemn.
“Superhuman physical abilities might make me stronger.
They might even protect me from injuries like the ones I suffered tonight.” “But that isn’t the kind of strength I want.” Matt lowered the chicken leg.
“If I become too different from ordinary people, I don’t know whether Matt Murdock will still be able to understand them—their fears, their limitations, how vulnerable they can be.” “The strength I earn one step at a time through my own training feels real to me.
That matters.” His sincerity was unmistakable.
“Still, thank you.
Really.” Then his nose wrinkled slightly.
“Although I think your friend should probably work on the serum a little more.
From what I can sense, the liquid is extremely cloudy and somehow…
unpleasant.” Calvin had already expected this answer.
Fortunately, he had prepared for it.
“Matt, let me tell you something.” His tone became serious.
“The reason the Hand suddenly mobilized tonight was because of me.
I destroyed one of their laboratories.” Matt immediately turned toward him.
“What was inside?” Remembering the laboratory made Calvin’s expression harden.
“People.” The amusement disappeared from his voice.
“Kidnapped people.
The Hand was using them as human test subjects.” “Old people.
Young people.” He paused.
“Children.” “And there’s no guarantee that was their only facility.” “What?!” BANG!
Matt surged to his feet so violently that his palm slammed into the table.
His face flushed with anger, every muscle in his expression tightening.
“They were doing that to people?” During the day, Matt Murdock worked as a lawyer who fought for people who could not afford anyone else.
At night, Daredevil hunted the criminals who preyed on Hell’s Kitchen.
He had witnessed more cruelty than most people ever would and had personally put plenty of dangerous men behind bars.
Even then, Matt had always resisted the idea that killing people was the solution.
But after hearing what the Hand had done…
For perhaps the first time, part of him genuinely felt that the people responsible deserved hell.
Calvin smiled faintly and pushed the serum closer.
“Drink it.” “It’ll give you more power to fight the Hand.” He tapped the vial.
“As for whether becoming stronger will change who you are, I think you know the answer to that better than anyone.” Then he added almost as an afterthought, “Oh, and it might taste a little weird.” The moment the serum was on the table, Calvin stood and left the apartment at remarkable speed.
There was no chance in hell he was staying around when that bottle opened again.
Matt remained seated in silence.
His fist slowly tightened.
The Hand was powerful.
Too powerful.
If he remained merely human, there were enemies within the organization that he simply could not defeat no matter how hard he trained.
Eventually, Matt reached for the serum.
He could not see the liquid, but his radar sense painted an extraordinarily detailed impression of the vial and everything inside it.
The serum felt…
cloudy.
Which was strange.
Serums were normally clear solutions, and most enhancement serums he had ever heard of were administered through injection.
This one was murky.
And apparently meant to be swallowed.
Very strange.
Still, Matt did not truly suspect Calvin of trying to harm him.
They had known each other long enough for Matt to understand that Calvin was surrounded by mysteries.
Strange abilities and impossible items seemed to appear around him constantly.
There was no reason for Calvin to resort to poison if he wanted Matt dead.
One punch would probably send him straight to Saint Peter’s front desk.
With complicated emotions, Matt removed the stopper.
The instant the seal broke, he briefly wondered whether he had, in fact, already reached hell.
“BLEGH!” Matt’s sense of smell was extraordinarily sensitive.
He could distinguish individuals by scent, identify trace chemicals, and pick apart mixtures that an ordinary person would barely notice.
None of that prepared him for the serum.
The stench hit him like a physical attack and flooded the entire room almost instantly.
His enhanced senses automatically began analyzing it.
That only made things worse.
There seemed to be some kind of filth in there.
Something disturbingly similar to concentrated bodily fluid.
And, somehow, underneath all of that…
Matt could detect something almost maternal.
He froze.
‘What kind of deranged genius created this?’ More importantly, what chain of decisions had possibly led someone to conclude that these ingredients belonged in the same bottle?
Then Matt thought about the people the Hand had already victimized.
And the people they might hurt next.
He forcibly suppressed his gag reflex and slowly brought the vial toward his mouth.
His tongue was trembling.
His stomach was already cramping in anticipation.
Yet through sheer willpower, Matt overcame every instinct in his body screaming at him to stop.
He pressed the vial to his lips.
And drank the entire thing.
One thought dominated his mind.
‘Calvin, this is what you meant by “a little weird”?!’ ‘This tastes like somebody fermented the worst thing a human body can produce for ten thousand years and then mixed it with concentrated life essence!
This is fucking disgusting!’ The serum was horrific.
Its effects were equally extraordinary.
Only seconds after swallowing it, Matt felt his entire body begin to transform.
His muscles swelled violently.
Every cell seemed to surge with new vitality.
Then— RRRIP!
His Daredevil suit tore apart under the sudden expansion of his newly strengthened physique.
Down on the street below, Calvin finally heard the system notification he had been waiting for.
[Matt Murdock Favorability +3.] [Current Favorability: 86.] Calvin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“So giving someone the perfect gift really does boost favorability.” He considered that for a moment.
“This is starting to feel suspiciously like trying to romance a high-difficulty character in a dating sim.” Then Calvin looked up toward Matt’s apartment and gave the building an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
“You actually drank the whole thing.” He shook his head in genuine admiration.
“Matt, you absolute monster.
I knew you were built different.”