Eight in the morning.
The sun had only just risen.
For once, Calvin did not sleep until he woke naturally.
Instead, he was dragged out of bed by a steady series of heavy impacts coming from the roof.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Up there, a nearly seven-foot-tall mountain of muscle was pounding away at a heavy bag.
Every punch drove a deep indentation into the leather, leaving fist-shaped dents that made the bag look as though it might burst apart at any moment.
That enormous bruiser was none other than Matt Murdock himself.
Apparently, last night’s serum had given Daredevil one hell of an upgrade.
Matt had gone from around six feet tall to nearly seven, while his physique had exploded into the kind of absurdly sculpted mass normally found on bodybuilders who treated steroids like a food group.
His physical abilities had risen just as dramatically.
At a rough estimate, Calvin would put him somewhere around an upgraded version of Captain America.
“Morning, Matt.
How’re you feeling?” Calvin walked onto the roof with a yawn.
When he had gone upstairs to check on Matt the previous night, he had expected the entire apartment to still reek of that horrifying serum.
Strangely enough, there had not been even the slightest trace of the smell.
Matt’s theory was that whatever produced the odor had actually been part of the enhancement itself and had been absorbed by his body along with everything else.
The smell might have been unbearable, but according to Matt’s senses, there had also been something strangely warm and nurturing buried underneath it all.
Calvin still had no idea what to make of that.
‘Is that stuff even a scientific serum anymore?
Why does it sound more like some kind of mystical potion?’ “I feel great!” Matt drove another punch into the heavy bag.
BANG!
The bag finally exploded.
Sand burst across the rooftop and scattered everywhere.
Matt ran one hand over his newly enlarged arm, feeling the dense muscle beneath his fingers, and a completely genuine smile appeared on his face.
“Now that I have this kind of strength, I understand ordinary people’s vulnerability even better.” His hands clasped together in prayer, interlocking fingers rising until his forehead rested lightly against them.
“I’m going to save Hell’s Kitchen.” He smiled.
“With my fists.” The corner of Calvin’s mouth twitched.
‘Did I just accidentally create an extremely violent Catholic lawyer?’ With Matt built like this, the criminals of Hell’s Kitchen were about to experience some very educational evenings.
Still, Calvin was more bothered by something else.
Favorability was ridiculously difficult to raise.
Even after everything he had done, Matt was still four points short of ninety.
Calvin was beginning to wonder whether he would ever unlock that mysterious new system function.
Once Matt finished praying, he turned toward Calvin.
The serum had transformed his physique but had done nothing to repair his eyes.
They remained cloudy and unfocused, yet the eagerness for a fight in his expression was impossible to miss.
“Calvin.” He raised his fists.
“Help me find out how strong I am now.” Calvin stared at him.
“…” ‘Bro.’ ‘You really think drinking one serum and turning into a walking protein ad means you can beat me?’ Calvin had earned his strength by grinding levels and attribute points until his hands practically bled.
There was no way some external enhancement serum was going to close that gap overnight.
Naturally, Calvin kept those thoughts to himself.
Instead, his face lit up with a cheerful smile as he accepted the challenge without hesitation.
Because the system had just triggered a mission.
[Matt Murdock has issued you a mission.] [Mission: Reality Check] [Objective: Help Matt understand his current level of strength.] [Reward: EXP +300.] Mission rewards scaled with difficulty.
Three hundred EXP was only slightly better than an ordinary daily mission.
That alone told Calvin exactly how difficult this fight was supposed to be.
“Come on, Matt.” He crooked one finger at him with an openly provocative grin.
BOOM!
Matt’s expression became focused.
He drove both feet against the rooftop and launched himself forward in an instant.
His enormous body came crashing toward Calvin like a wall of muscle, carrying enough momentum to make the attack look genuinely intimidating.
Calvin kept smiling.
Matt’s fist was already within inches of his face when Calvin’s hand moved.
It seemed to teleport.
His fingers closed around Matt’s wrist.
Matt’s airborne body stopped dead.
Before his expression even had time to change, overwhelming force seized control of his momentum.
BANG!
Calvin swung him through a clean one-armed arc and slammed him into the rooftop.
Dust exploded into the air.
The entire roof trembled beneath the impact.
Matt lay flat on his back amid the settling debris and slowly closed his eyes.
His expression was utterly defeated.
“So…
the gap is still that big…” He exhaled.
“I…
have been humbled.” [Mission Complete.] …
Later, inside Coulson’s car, Calvin happily worked his way through another free breakfast while staring directly at the morning sun.
Normally, sunlight that bright would have forced him to narrow his eyes.
Today, it felt strangely gentle.
Calvin could clearly sense his strength gradually increasing as the morning progressed.
By noon, the enhancement would reach its peak and provide a considerable boost.
And this was only the most basic effect of Sun’s Grace.
The ability clearly had enormous potential.
After swallowing the last bite of his breakfast sandwich, Calvin turned toward Coulson.
“Hey, Coulson.
I only wiped out one criminal organization.
Do I really need a psychological evaluation over that?” Coulson’s hands paused on the steering wheel.
His mouth twitched.
More than two hundred people had died in a single night.
Was a psychological evaluation really that unreasonable?
The more troubling question was how Calvin could kill that many people without appearing burdened by it in the slightest.
Coulson swallowed.
“Agent Calvin, it’s standard S.H.I.E.L.D.
procedure.
Even I undergo psychological evaluations periodically.” “Fine.” Calvin clicked his tongue.
‘Standard S.H.I.E.L.D.
procedure, huh?’ More like HYDRA procedure with a S.H.I.E.L.D.
logo slapped over it.
Before long, they arrived at the same S.H.I.E.L.D.
field office where Calvin’s abilities had been tested.
Calvin entered the psychological assessment room alone.
Two men were already waiting inside.
One was an unfamiliar psychologist who looked like a completely ordinary office worker.
The other was the bald man with glasses Calvin had met before.
Jasper Sitwell.
The moment Calvin saw the HYDRA infiltrator sitting there, his eyes brightened.
There was a very good chance HYDRA had already taken notice of him.
Now the only question was how long they intended to wait before trying to recruit him.
The psychologist wasted no time and began the evaluation immediately.
“Agent Calvin, during yesterday’s operation, you eliminated an entire Japanese criminal organization.
The confirmed death toll is two hundred and fifty.” He studied Calvin carefully.
“Since the mission, have you experienced any unusual physical or psychological symptoms?
Heart palpitations, insomnia, nightmares, loss of appetite, anything of that nature?” Calvin thought for a moment.
“Actually, yes.” Both men immediately became more attentive.
“My appetite got better.” Silence.
Calvin continued matter-of-factly.
“I bought two whole rotisserie chickens afterward, and this morning I ate ten meat buns.” The room became painfully quiet.
“Ahem.” The psychologist cleared his throat.
“You…
certainly seem to have a healthy appetite.” He adjusted his notes.
“Do you believe the increase in appetite was related to eliminating the criminal organization?” “Absolutely.” Calvin nodded.
“Finishing missions puts me in a good mood.
Being in a good mood makes me hungry.” The psychologist blinked.
“So completing assignments makes you happy?” It was difficult for him to understand.
What normal person genuinely enjoyed being given more work?
“Of course.” Calvin sat upright with an expression of complete righteousness.
“Missions come with bonuses.
I like money.” Then he added seriously, “But I’ve never liked getting paid for doing nothing.
If I’m taking someone’s money, I should earn it.” The psychologist and Sitwell both visibly perked up.
The psychologist continued.
“Do you consider your actions yesterday morally justified?” Calvin gave him an incredulous look.
“Wasn’t this a S.H.I.E.L.D.
mission?” He spread his hands.
“I was protecting innocent people and putting a stop to human experimentation.
Of course it was justified.” The interest in both men’s eyes became even more obvious.
A long series of related questions followed.
Calvin’s answers were not necessarily the objectively correct ones, but they were always confident and deeply personal.
More importantly, he deliberately shaped the image he wanted them to see.
A man who had lived surrounded by darkness but still clung to ideals.
Someone practical enough to get his hands dirty, yet idealistic enough to believe there was something worth protecting.
Calvin was almost certain both men had entered this room with an assignment of their own.
A HYDRA assignment.
Which suited him perfectly.
Sure enough, once Calvin completed the evaluation and left the room, the psychologist and Sitwell exchanged knowing smiles.
Sitwell adjusted his glasses.
“There’s a very good chance he’ll join us.” The psychologist nodded with a smile.
“People like him are easy to use.
Give them a cause they can believe in, and they’ll convince themselves they’re doing the right thing.” His smile deepened.
“With abilities like his, he could become one of our sharpest weapons.” Sitwell chuckled.
“Careful.” He leaned back.
“If everything goes well, he may be one of us soon.” …
Calvin had barely left the S.H.I.E.L.D.
facility when his dedicated phone rang.
He answered.
“Agent Calvin, I have another assignment for you.” Fury’s voice came through the speaker.
“We’ve discovered that Tony Stark has recently been searching for top medical specialists from several different fields, but we don’t know why.” “S.H.I.E.L.D.
will provide you with a fabricated identity and credentials as a specialist physician.” Fury continued.
“Your mission is to get close to Stark and determine why he needs a doctor.
Report back as soon as you learn anything useful.” A system notification immediately appeared.
[Nick Fury has issued you a mission.] [Mission: A Delicate Condition] [Objective: Discover why Tony Stark is seeking medical specialists.] [Rewards: EXP +1,500, Nick Fury Favorability +10, Random Item ×1.] “Oh?” Calvin’s eyebrows rose with delight.
“So I finally get to meet Tony Stark.” He had not expected to make contact with one of Marvel’s most famous superheroes this quickly.
Better yet, the assignment sounded easy, and the rewards were excellent for the amount of work involved.
Still…
Calvin rubbed his chin.
“A delicate condition?” His expression slowly became thoughtful.
‘Don’t tell me…’