After the clash with the second years, one thing became painfully clear to Quinn — he was far too weak.The fight had shown just how much he lagged behind the others.
Today was supposed to be a rest day, but instead of wasting time, Quinn was determined to grow stronger. Yesterday, when Vorden asked that peculiar question, Quinn had been intrigued. Could Vorden really copy his powers the same way? That was what they were testing inside the dorm now.
Currently, only Vorden knew about Quinn's abilities, and Quinn wanted to keep it that way.
Vorden placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder and immediately felt it — two distinct abilities inside him. He then turned toward the sleeping Peter, his next test subject.
"Hey, don't you think it's wrong, using him like this?" Quinn asked cautiously.
"Of course not," Vorden replied smoothly. "If anything happens, I'll instantly let go.
He touched Peter's shoulder and attempted to steal his earth ability. But to his disappointment, nothing happened.
"Strange…" Vorden muttered, frowning. "Normally, when I copy someone's power, my cells replicate their MC cells, and that's how it works. But with you, it's different. When I touch you, I can only replicate the attributes you already have. How unusual."
"Well, if that's over, I'm heading to the VR room. You coming?" Quinn asked.
Vorden instantly shook his head. "No way. I spent my whole childhood stuck in that game. Going back in feels like a nightmare."
Quinn shrugged and picked up the gauntlets he'd received from Teacher Leo. But before leaving, another idea struck him. He quietly slipped a spare bag and, while Vorden wasn't looking, he snuck a book out of his own bag.
And without a word, he rushed out.
At the VR center, Quinn paid with the credits he'd been saving, ten credits per day, stacked carefully since his time at the military school. After checking in, he placed the gauntlets and the mysterious book that his parents had given him as their last will inside the capsule's side compartment.
"Alright… experiment number 112 or 114, I guess it's, aah... anyway let's just see" he whispered to himself before sliding into the capsule.
He created a new account, hesitating at the username, but even after wracking his head he couldn't come up with a catchy name, until he started remembering the yesterday's events, his humiliation against the second years, he smirked. They treated me like trash. and I made a promise to punish those who treats their own kind like shit.
He typed: ThePunisher.
ID created. Welcome to PowerFighters.
A ding echoed, and Quinn's consciousness was transported into a familiar white space.
"Customize your avatar."
Quinn gave himself red hair, a scarred face, and ancient black ninja clothes.
Then came another prompt.
Beast Gear detected. Analyzing…
A loading bar appeared. Then a new message: Extra gear compatible. An inventory screen opened, displaying two items: his gauntlets… and the book.
Quinn's eyes widened. "The book? Compatible? How the hell…? Damn! Experiment 112 is a success!"
But confusion hit him next. Wait, if the book is a beast gear… how do I even equip a book?
Shaking his head, Quinn entered the practice arena.
He selected the Earth ability, wanting to sharpen his two newly acquired elements. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, and slowly, a sphere of stone formed in his hand. He grinned. With more effort, he managed to raise a wall from the ground, then sharpen the earth into spikes. Spikes were easier to shape than walls as the former strained his MC.
After several tests, his curiosity turned back to the book. He tried everything but couldn't figure out how to use it. Disappointed, he opened the quick-match option and pressed search.
A countdown appeared.
Opponent found.
Quinn's face dropped when he saw the details: Player Level 3.
Damn i am just Level 1.5, why did I get a level 3 now?
"Great. Just great," he muttered. He'd forgotten to switch to the custom-level option available on the game and in a rush, he chose the random level quick search.
But then, a grim smile tugged at his lips. "Doesn't matter. Real fights are never fair anyway. This will teach me more."
He adjusted his stance as his opponent appeared in front of him.
And then the battle began.