The first thing he noticed was the smell. Damp brick, stale oil, and the faint tang of fried food drifting in from somewhere far away. The second thing was the sky. A faded blue cut into rectangular slices by tall buildings that leaned over the alley like tired sentries. He pushed himself up from the cold concrete and realized he was sitting between two rusted trash bins.
He was alive. Again.
It took a few seconds for the last memory of his previous life to fade. A bus, a rain-slick street, a driver on his phone, and then nothing. No tunnel of light. No grand figure telling him his destiny. Just the slow fading of sensation until this moment.
"Welcome to the Street-Tier System. Host identified. Installation complete."
The voice was everywhere and nowhere. Flat, neutral, utterly devoid of emotion.
He rubbed his face and laughed. "Of course. Reincarnation with a system. Why not."
A translucent blue screen flickered into existence in front of him. Letters in bold white text blinked once and then arranged themselves into neat lines.
STREET-TIER SYSTEMVersion 1.0.0 – Tutorial Mode Active
Primary Directive: Identify and defeat street-tier individuals for points and rewards.
Definition: Street-tier – Any combatant whose abilities are within human limits or marginally above them. Includes armed civilians, low-level vigilantes, unenhanced heroes, and criminals.
First Mission: Defeat one street-tier target within 24 hours.
Reward: Power Module Unlock – 20 Percent Smash.
He stared at the last line. "You've got to be kidding me. Deku's quirk? You're giving me One For All in installments?"
The voice replied with the same bland tone. "Clarification. Power is adapted for host physiology. Initial output is limited to twenty percent to prevent self-injury."
He stood up slowly, glancing at the narrow mouth of the alley. He knew this place. The style of the buildings, the kanji on the shop signs, the passing, odd-looking humans, even the vending machines glowing in the shade. Musutafu. Which meant this was the world of My Hero Academia. Which meant heroes. Villains. And a very specific group of people who would now be his prey.
Street-tiers.
The memory came back in a rush. That Death Battle episode. Izuku Midoriya versus Miles Morales. The memes that followed. Deku bullying every street-level character in fiction, one punch at a time. It had been hilarious online. Now it was his actual mission.
He grinned.
"System. How do I find a target?"
"Target location available upon activation of radar module. Radar module locked. Unlock requires first power activation."
"So I have to go find someone myself. Fine." He stepped out of the alley, squinting in the daylight.
The street was alive with people. Civilians in school uniforms, shopkeepers unloading crates, a couple of food stalls sending steam into the air. In the distance, he could see the glint of a patrol drone lazily floating over an intersection. A hero in a bright green and white costume walked past, smiling and waving at a group of kids.
Not a street-tier. Too flashy. Too much crowd control gear.
He needed someone low enough to count but tough enough to trigger the system.
He wandered for ten minutes before he heard it. Shouting from a side street. He turned the corner to see two men in hoodies arguing with a vendor. The vendor's cart was full of skewers and takoyaki. One of the men shoved the vendor, grabbed a skewer, and bit into it while the other laughed.
Bingo.
He approached at a casual pace, hands in his pockets. "Hey. Leave the guy alone."
One of the men turned. He had a cheap plastic mask pushed up on his head and a kitchen knife in his hand. "Mind your own business, punk."
The other one smirked. "Yeah, you want some too?"
A soft chime sounded in his ears. "Street-tier targets identified. Combat engagement will fulfill mission parameters."
Perfect.
He clenched his right fist. He did not know exactly how to use twenty percent of Deku's strength but he had watched enough anime to understand the basics. He pictured power surging through his legs, imagined the way Deku's movements looked on screen, and stepped forward.
The man with the knife lunged. He sidestepped, grabbed the man's wrist, and squeezed. Bone cracked. The knife clattered to the pavement. A sharp jab to the gut folded the man in half. He shoved him aside and turned to the second man, who swung wildly.
One step in. One clean hook.
The punch connected with a satisfying thwack, sending the man sprawling into a pile of empty crates. The whole fight had taken less than ten seconds.
A new screen appeared in front of him.
Mission Complete.Reward Unlocked: 20 Percent Smash Activated.Bonus BP for style: +5.
He flexed his hand. There was no pain, just a pleasant hum of strength running through his muscles. This was real. He actually had the power.
The vendor bowed repeatedly, thanking him, but he waved it off. He was already thinking about the next target.
"System. Any more missions?"
"Tutorial progression unlocked. Next mission: Defeat a recognized street-tier hero or villain. Reward: Agility Boost Level 1. Suggested target: Eraserhead."
He nearly laughed out loud. Eraserhead. The man who erased quirks. Against him, that was supposed to be dangerous. But twenty percent Smash was not a quirk. It was raw strength. Eraserhead could erase nothing.
This was going to be fun.
He spent the rest of the day wandering the city, testing his strength on whatever he could find. Leaping to grab a billboard ledge three meters up. Sprinting across pedestrian crossings before the light changed. Picking up a parked scooter just to see if he could. He could feel the difference already, the way his body responded like a well-tuned machine.
Night fell and the neon signs flickered to life. The streets thinned out, the crowds replaced by small knots of late-night workers and the occasional drunk. He found a cheap capsule hotel, paid in cash from the wallet he had "borrowed" from the thugs, and lay down in the narrow bed.
The ceiling was close enough to touch. The hum of the air conditioner filled the silence.
He opened the system menu.
Host: [Name Pending]Level: 1BP: 5Unlocked Powers:
20 Percent Smash (Active)
Next Goal: Defeat Eraserhead. Time Limit: 1 Month.
He closed the menu. Tomorrow he would fight more people. Tomorrow he would start his true career.
Not as a hero. Not as a villain.
As the ultimate bully of all street-tiers.