[Limitless Lv.1 (1/100): Interferes with matter at the atomic level to manipulate space. Anything approaching the user slows to a stop and can't make contact.]
[Energy Absorption Lv.2 (1/300): Can absorb most forms of energy. Current absorption rate roughly matches the user's storage capacity.]
When the fusion hit 5%, Sam felt his body change. His energy absorption sped up, his storage deepened, and a new technique etched itself into his soul.
Limitless.
He instantly understood how to use it, but at his current fusion he could only keep it active for about five minutes. Nowhere close to Gojo Satoru's passive, always-on Infinity. Still, for breaking out of a basement prison, it was more than enough.
With hours left before dawn, he kept drawing power, aiming to push fusion higher and unlock more.
"Hey, kid," a voice hissed from a nearby cell. Sam turned to see a middle-aged man staring at him. "You're a mutant, right?"
Sam glanced at his hand. A dim spark pulsed where his fingertip touched the lamp base—evidence of the current he was siphoning. Subtle, but noticeable if you were looking.
When Sam didn't answer, the man's tone turned ugly. "Figures. You freaks always have a way out. Listen up. When you make your move, you take me with you. Otherwise I tell the guards what you are. Bet they'll be real interested."
Sam said nothing. The man pressed on, whispering harsher, "You hear me, mutant?"
Government fearmongering made people like this brave. They forgot that mutants—if pushed—could tear them apart.
Sam brushed his white hair back, letting his bright blue eyes show. He smiled. "Don't worry, sir. I'll get you out right now."
The man grinned. "Smart kid."
Sam stopped pulling current and stepped closer to the bars, extending his hand. "Put your hand through. My ability's short-range teleportation. I'll jump you out."
The man's eyes lit with greedy relief. Easy. A scared kid. Once he was free, he'd call the cops and cash the mutant bounty. Safer than crossing the gang. And if this "teleport" was dangerous, would the kid be in a cage in the first place? It had to be something with a big cooldown. No threat to him.
If Sam hadn't awakened the system, the man might have been right. But that was before.
Their palms touched. A thin thread of current—too light to smell, too light to burn—snapped through the man's nerves. His body locked.
Energy Absorption at Level 2 could do that much without leaving a trace.
Sam wasn't here to fry him. Burning hair and cooked skin stank. Someone would notice.
He drew on his stored energy to harden his muscles, reached through the bars with his other hand, and twisted. A quiet click. The man went limp.
No one came. This late, that sound could've been anything—bones settling, a cot creaking.
Sam eased the body back, sat by the sconce again, and resumed feeding on the current. The notifications trickled in:
[Energy Point +1]
[Energy Point +1]
[Energy Point +1]
[Energy Absorption EXP +1]
[Energy Absorption EXP +1]
[Energy Absorption EXP +1]
Time blurred. A pale strip of dawn edged into view through a high, grimy window. The system chimed:
[Template Fusion: 10%]
[New skill unlocked: Technique Shift — Blue]
[Technique Shift — Blue Lv.1 (1/100): Generates a powerful vacuum-like attraction centered on Blue. Maximum pull tends toward negative infinity, akin to a localized micro–black hole.]
Ideas flooded Sam's mind—angles, vectors, traps. He pulled up his panel:
Name: Sam Moore
Template: Satoru Gojo
Energy Absorption Lv.2 (67/300): Absorb most energy; current rate roughly matches storage capacity.
Six Eyes Lv.1 (1/100): 360-degree extended vision and energy perception for precise manipulation.
Limitless Lv.1 (1/100): Atomic-level interference to control space; approaching objects slow to a halt.
Technique Shift — Blue Lv.1 (1/100): Creates a focused, overwhelming suction centered on Blue; pull tends toward negative infinity.
Template Fusion: 10%
Unlock more skills as fusion increases.
Energy Points: 12
At 100% fusion, a new character template will be granted.
Power hummed under his skin. With Absorption at Level 2, his reserves climbed faster and stretched farther. He could hold Limitless for at least ten minutes now and fire off Blue multiple times.
With that kind of edge, there was no need to bolt. Not yet. He had payback to deliver—starting with Jim.
The lock rattled. The door swung open. A few familiar toughs strode in, faces mean and eager.
Perfect timing.