"By the way, will smelting give me weird abilities?"
Amano Ren pictured a nightmare of himself with a beetle's carapace, a long horn on his head, spidery legs sprouting from his back, and bristling barbed hairs.
A tail as long as his body, tipped with venom.
No. Absolutely not.
He liked getting stronger, but turning inhuman was hard to accept.
At least when there was a choice, he would not take that path.
Temporary changes might be fine.
[Rest easy. I am you, and the concepts I analyze will follow your heart.]
[Everything will be positive for you.]
[Of course, if you want it, I can hand it over.]
"Forget it."
His brow twitched. He could not accept that kind of change.
Leave the nonhuman path to braver souls.
A few breaths later, streams of light flashed from his palm again.
Power he knew flooded back, strengthening him.
[Super Defense (Ironclad Beetle): you can withstand 39,000 times your body weight without dying.]
[Super Strength (Hercules Beetle): similar ability detected, merged. You can lift 600 times your body weight and drag more than 2,000 times.]
[Spider Sense (upgraded fusion of Super Perception): similar ability detected, merged. You can sense incoming danger, notice any anomaly in your surroundings, and detect pheromones and signals in the air.]
[Web-Shooting: you can fire spider silk with tremendous extension, strength, toughness, and cold resistance... equivalent to Spider-Man's webs.]
[Toxin Immunity: you are immune to a portion of poisons.]
[Toxin Production: your glands can generate venom at will, enough to kill a bull in one minute.]
[Super Vision: similar ability detected, merged. You can see more colors and possess superior dynamic vision.]
[Static Control: you can control surface static on your body and other objects with ease, treating any obstacle like flat ground.]
[Master Weaver: your silk-crafting techniques are consummate.]
Stronger again.
Ren clenched his fist and punched the air. A sharp BOOM! cracked out.
With the lightest move he blinked forward dozens of meters, leaving shallow prints in the pavement.
Maybe it was his imagination, but the world felt like glass.
If he pressed a little harder, everything around him might shatter in his hands.
He had to be very careful, holding back wherever he could.
The biggest upgrade was Super Defense.
Even if the heaviest carrier dropped out of the sky onto him, he would walk away without a scratch.
Whether he could lift it was another question, but he was terrifyingly tough.
His strength had not jumped as much, only a few dozen tons, yet if his earlier self stood before him now and punched all day, he might nap through it.
He thought of Captain America. "Let's hope I do not die of exhaustion."
He shook his head and eased into the new power.
Thanks to his powerful brain and bodily control, the surge settled quickly under smooth command.
He could pinch a tiny ant and keep it safe.
A glance at the time told him half an hour had passed.
He headed for the café, and as soon as he entered he saw Kate slumped, bored out of her mind.
When Ren appeared, she shoved back her chair and bounced over.
Two or three meters out, something occurred to her. She halted, forced her face calm, but her eyes wandered everywhere.
"Where are the things?"
Ren deliberately slipped a hand into his pocket. Kate recoiled in horror. "Oh my gosh, you actually put them in your pocket. It is huge."
...Huge?
He followed her gaze and his face went dark.
He could feel the mix of wary, shocked, suspicious, and delighted looks from nearby tables. With a sigh, he pulled his hand out.
"Relax. I had him send the stuff home. I do not have anything on me."
She was unconvinced. "Then that..."
"A banana. Come on, let's go. You do not want to sit here any longer, right?"
He took her hand and headed for the door. Stay any longer and he would be branded a creep.
Still, Kate was intrigued and even reached out.
Ren rolled his eyes, glanced up at the high-rises, and had an idea. "I have another ability. Want to go on a swing?"
"Huh? There is one here?"
Hooked, she forgot the banana and peered around with suspicion.
"Ready."
His left hand snapped out silk after silk to anchor Kate, and his right hand flicked a long strand to a faraway tower.
He pinged a quick message to the nearby bodyguards, then launched.
"Aaaaa--"
"I am flying!"
They turned into dots, arcing between buildings as Kate's screams rang from afar, a mix of terror and thrill.
The two bodyguards hurried over, looked at each other, then at the unknown text that had popped up out of nowhere. Their worldviews wobbled.
When did he even use a phone to message them?
Were they supposed to chase?
They looked up, and that thought vanished.
One made a call. "Boss, Miss Kate just flew away."
"..."
Across town, Eleanor was in a meeting and went blank.
Little Kate flew away? Was this April Fools' Day?
"Mr. Amano texted us, then took her into the sky. They are about two blocks out now. Should we give chase? Maybe request satellites or street cams?"
Eleanor stared, mind empty.
The house and cash had not been simple gratitude. She had hoped to win Ren's goodwill.
Maybe bring him into Bishop Security. A company with a superhero would draw every billionaire alive.
But could they recruit someone this powerful and mysterious?
At least Kate seemed to get along with him.
Even if they could not hire him, his friendship would be valuable.
Her whirring thoughts were cut off when she glanced out the window and saw Kate and Ren waving at her before they swung away again.
They were more than twenty floors up.
"Boss? Boss?"
"I saw it."
Eleanor drew a long breath, her expression shifting. "Stand down. Come back."
She steadied herself and looked at the managers below. Suddenly, she lost all interest.
"Meeting adjourned."
Flying...
A flicker of envy stung her. It must feel incredible.