Antonio sat on the sofa, head nestled up against his stepmother's breasts as she hugged him.
"Do not be discouraged, Antonio. You must understand just how revolutionary a power with SSS rank potential is."
Antonio sighed, and his head sank lower into her bust. It felt as like he was being swallowed by the cushion of it.
"I know, I know. But usually a power with SSS rank potential starts at rank A, and has more useful abilities... a cleaner? What type of superpower is that?"
"..."
The two lay there for a few moments until the silence was eventually broken by Ranera.
"Antonio, tell me what it means to clean?"
"...I guess to remove the dirt from something. It's one of my abilities after all."
He had tested such a skill. Simply by hovering his hand over a spillage or mess that was recognised as "dirt", he was able to wash it away with a burst of energy that cleared it away.
He was also now immune to bad odours, which meant that his senses naturally filtered them out.
He didn't even want to test out the skill that granted him a strength boost when holding a cleaning mop. It felt disrespectful to himself.
"Wrong," Ranera replied. "The concept of cleaning extends far past just removing dirt from a surface. Who's to say that once you've ranked up, you won't be granted the power to clean injuries and poison from the human body? Or perhaps wipe a hero of their superpowers, or even wipe errors from existence itself?"
Stunned, Antonio didn't respond. It was known that SSS ranked powers were capable of revolutionary feats.
He just struggled to imagine his F-rank powers at such a tier.
"Anyways," Ranera said as she rose to her feet, leaving Antonio with no pillow to rest on. "You should get some rest. Tomorrow is another big day for you."
That's right. Tomorrow was the day of his first practical exam.
A chance to put his trash powers to the test.
---
The hall of the academy was no longer just an empty field. Overnight, it had been redesigned by a group of Superheroes with mirage powers.
Now, not only did it appear larger than it truly was, but it now resembled a small city, with buildings, parks, and roads spread throughout.
The studenta stood at the centre of the city, surrounding Truth, the superhero from yesterday.
"Welcome to the Urban Hazard Exam. The rules are simple. Spaced throughout the mock city are many "humans". They will look, talk, and act like real humans, though in truth, they do not exist. Alongside these humans, will be fake supervillains. Their attacks are real, and can hurt you, but they will not kill you."
"Your mission is simple. Find one of these humans, save them from their scenarios, and return to me. Afterwards, we will measure the Mirage's mental health, your combatefficiency, and the time that it took you to return here. This will be used for your class rankings. Does this make sense?"
The fifty students all nodded their heads, excitement spreading throughout the crowd. Despite being in an exam, it felt like they were being given the real chance to fight against evil and do good for the world.
Antonio wanted to share the feeling, but he couldn't help but wonder how he would perform against the others.
"Now, before we start, does anyone have any requests?"
The room remained silent, and no one raised their hands. Not until Antonio realised that he indeed, had a request.
"Yes, Janitor?" Truth asked, earning giggles from those around the room.
Antonio felt his anger rising, but did his best to calm himself down.
"Can I have a cleaning mop please?"
"..."
"A mop! He's really going to fight with a mop!"
"Oh god. The jokes write themselves."
Truth used his muscular hands to cover his mouth, but it was clear that he was laughing. Afterwards, he pulled out a cellphone and uttered words into it.
Moments later, a man appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere with a wet mop in his hand. He handed Antonio the mop before suddenly fuzzing out of existence.
A mirage.
Instantly as he took the mop in his hand, Antonio felt a surge of strength enter his body. His entire being felt as though it could now produce more power, yet it was still at rank C, which was just above average.
The laughter calmed down moments later.
"Now that everyone's equipped, are you ready to begin?" Truth said, voice carrying.
The students entered readied stances, eyes glancing off in the distance towards where they planned to head first.
Antonio clutched his hands around the wooden mop, planning out his steps. D rank intelligence didn't help much with that.
"Begin!"
———
A sudden burst of power took off all around him.
Roughly five students jumped into the air and took off into different methods of flight. Being rookies, they struggled to control it, but still manage to display an incredible level of ability.
Some students dashed with a speed much greater than human capability. Their hair and skirts flying around in the wind.
Others activated physical forms that made them feel more comfortable travelling in the cities. One of the boys' muscles swelled so large that he ripped out of his uniform.
All of this took place around him as Antonio jogged down a street with a mop in his hand, ears perked for the sound of a civilian in danger.
In the distance, he already started to hear the sounds of battle.
Fuck this ability. Fuck it to hell!
"Ahh, help! HELPPP!"
Suddenly, a woman's voice screamed from a nearby apartment complex. No other students were around as most had dashed far away from the centre of the city.
His below-average speed seemed to have played in his favour, allowing him to find a target nearby.
He pushed his anger to the side for now and burst into the apartment, dashing up the stairs at a regular pace.
His stamina, ranked D, was also at the human average, making him tired by the time he reached the top.
The scream came again from room number 143, so he burst inside.
There he saw it. A blonde haired woman in only her underwear hiding in her bed. Standing on the window ledge in a crouched stance was a man in jeans and a hoodie, with a black mask over his face.
Antonio knew that the man was actually a superhero playing a role, but he looked like a real thug at that moment.
"Mop man came to save the damsel in distress?" The thug laughed, hopping down from the window and landing in a boxer's stance. "Let's hope you can fight."
Antonio raised his mop in front of him, entering a combat stance that felt unnatural and defenseless.
Let's just hope this C strength makes a difference.