Charles brushed Erik's hand aside and said, "Who are you calling a nerd? You're just jealous because you couldn't keep up in school."
"Oh yeah? Who was it that came crying to me after getting beaten up as a kid?" Erik shot back.
"And who was it that used to show up at my house in the middle of the night, begging to copy my homework and swearing you'd study harder next time?"
"You—alright, so that's how it's gonna be, huh? Fine. Then tell me—who was it that fell into a puddle during the school trip and was too embarrassed to admit it, so you made up a story about diving for treasure?"
"You still remember that?!"
Watching the two of them dig up each other's childhood dirt without hesitation, Han Yu couldn't stop laughing. The more they bickered, the better their chemistry seemed. At least it meant that once the academy was established, they'd probably make good partners.
"Alright, enough, I'm not arguing with you anymore. Han, just test him already," Charles finally said after getting red-faced from the argument. He took a big gulp of coffee and caught his breath.
Han Yu chuckled and nodded—he honestly wouldn't have minded listening longer. Picking up his phone, he turned to Erik.
"Ready?"
"Do it," Erik replied after taking a few deep breaths. This was his chance to find out once and for all if he was a mutant. Every time he'd had a medical exam before, he'd half-feared the doctor might find something strange. Now, finally getting a definite answer would put that lifelong doubt to rest.
A faint beep sounded, and the three of them leaned in toward the phone screen. Slowly, a streak of red began to spread from the center until it filled the entire display.
A mutant!
Erik was a mutant!
Seeing the result, Erik's whole body broke out in goosebumps. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"I'm a mutant? But… why haven't I awakened my ability all these years?"
He stared at the screen in shock. "I've tried so many ways before, but it never worked. Why not?"
Charles was equally stunned. When he himself had first discovered his mutant powers, Erik's reaction hadn't been fear or disgust—but envy.
Back then, Erik had tried everything. Charles had seen his friend's efforts firsthand. When it finally became clear that Erik wasn't awakening, he'd resigned himself to being an ordinary human instead of a mutant.
That realization had devastated him. If he wasn't a mutant, he thought, then he couldn't truly stay by Charles's side. For a long time afterward, he fell into a deep slump, unsure of what to do.
In the end, it was Charles who spent weeks convincing him that being normal wasn't a curse. That he wasn't a freak. Only then did Erik return to his usual self.
But from that time on, Erik made a promise to himself: mutant or not, he would stay by Charles's side. His friend was too gentle—if danger ever came, Charles wouldn't even know how to fight back. Someone had to protect him.
From middle school onward, Erik, who hated studying, began forcing himself to work harder. Through sheer determination, he barely scraped his way into both high school and college—always at the bottom of the class, but still managing to pass.
Charles and Erik had become something of a campus legend: the genius and the slacker. No one was surprised that Charles got into Harvard—but Erik getting accepted, even by the skin of his teeth, was nothing short of miraculous.
That's how strong his resolve had been.
"Everyone's powers manifest differently," Han Yu explained. "Some people live their entire lives carrying a dormant mutant gene without ever realizing it. But don't worry—my X-System includes a method to trigger the awakening process."
As he spoke, Han Yu's thumb danced over his phone screen.
"X, help me awaken Erik's mutant gene."
"Please confirm," the X-System responded. "Do you wish to activate Mr. Erik's mutant gene?"
"Yes," Han Yu said firmly. "Start now."
"Understood. Warning: the process involves a certain level of risk. Please ensure all personnel are prepared."
A small speaker icon appeared on the phone screen—and the next instant, Erik dropped to his knees, clutching his head in agony. His face twisted in pain.
Startled, both Charles and Han Yu moved toward him.
"System, what are you doing?" Han Yu demanded.
"This method emits a sonic frequency audible only to mutants," the X-System replied. "It stimulates latent mutant genes, forcing dormant DNA to activate. For those whose genes are already active, it has no effect."
"I can hear something faint," Charles said, tilting his head. "Like a very soft buzzing—almost thought it was tinnitus. That's coming from your phone?" he asked.
"The process itself isn't dangerous," the X-System explained. "However, the awakening causes extreme pain to the subject. Medically, it ranks as Level Thirteen Pain."
Both Charles and Han Yu fell silent. Pain was medically categorized into twelve levels, with childbirth sitting at the top—level twelve. And this was supposedly worse than that.
"Erik, are you alright?" Charles crouched beside him.
Erik's jaw was clenched so tightly that veins bulged at his temples.He forced a strained grin.
"Ha… ha… this? This is nothing. Just a little tickle…"
But even as he said it, huge drops of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
After all, awakening the mutant gene wasn't some miraculous, painless event. The dormant gene had to come alive, and the process was like feeling every cell inside you being reborn—while fully conscious.
It wasn't pain anyone could easily endure.
"Erik, if it's too much, just scream," Han Yu said gently. "I've isolated the room. No one outside can hear a thing."
"Are you kidding? Like hell I'd scre—AAAAHHHH!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the pain surged, overwhelming him. He collapsed to the floor, convulsing violently as wave after wave of agony rolled through him.
The sound that tore from his throat didn't sound human anymore.Even a strong man would have been reduced to tears—and Erik, who'd once taken a four-on-one beating without making a sound, was now screaming uncontrollably.
"Hang in there, Erik! You can do it—you can do this!" Charles urged, voice trembling.
"Hah, must be nice to still feel pain," Han Yu muttered. "I've pretty much lost that sense. Maybe one day I'll drop a few nukes on myself just to feel something again."
Charles shot him a look that said you've got to be kidding me. He didn't fully believe Han Yu's claim that even nuclear bombs couldn't hurt him.
But before Han Yu could say anything else, his expression suddenly changed. In an instant, he jumped in front of Charles, unleashing a surge of psychic energy that formed a shield around them both.
The next moment, everything around them shattered—cups, tables, glass—exploding into pieces without warning.
Charles, shielded behind Han Yu, didn't feel the blast, but he saw it happen: the objects had burst apart on their own, as if struck by invisible force.
And the source of it all—was Erik.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
patreon.com/SuperTL
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Accelerator in Marvel "
" Marvel +18: My Travel Frog Steals Across the Multiverse! "
" DC Universe: Starting Off Controlling Batman "
" Marvel Starting from Gwen Spider-Man "
" Marvel: Invading the Multiverse, Wanda and Gwen Are Shocked "
" Just Arrived in Marvel, System Awakens Silver Superman "
" Marvel: I Took Over Iron Man's Team "
many more are available 47+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)