"System," I said, my normal voice a thunderous boom after an hour of silence. "Report."
The interface in my vision lit up like a Christmas tree, a long list of notifications that had been queued up.
[PLUNDER QUEUE: PROCESSING...]
[Supe Neutralized: Weightlifter (Tier 4). Power: Super Strength, Super Defence. Choose Option: Retain or Convert?]
'Retain.'
[Powers 'Super Strength (Tier 4)' and 'Super Defence (Tier 4)' successfully integrated.]
A sudden pressure surged through my muscles. My bones felt more sturdier, as if reinforced from the inside.
[Supe Neutralized: Ice Breather (Tier 3). Power: Cryokinetic breathing, Ice generation, cold immunity, regeneration. Choose Option: Retain or Convert?]
'Retain.'
[Powers 'Cryokinetic breathing (Tier 3)', 'Ice generation (Tier 3)', 'cold immunity (Tier 3)', and 'regeneration (Tier 3)' successfully integrated.]
A deep chill settled into my bones, a feeling that was immediately neutralized by a comfortable warmth. My body now understood cold on a fundamental level.
[Supe Neutralized: Ice Pick (Tier 3). Power: Ice Manipulation and generation, Extreme freezing, organic ice form, cold immunity. Choose Option: Retain or Convert?]
'Retain all new powers. Convert any duplicates into XP.'
[Powers 'Ice Manipulation and generation (Tier 3)', 'Extreme freezing (Tier 3)', and 'Organic ice form (Tier 3)' successfully integrated.]
[Duplicate Power Detected: 'cold immunity (Tier 3)'. Converting to Experience Points...]
[Conversion Complete. You have gained 1500 XP.]
Just as the notification cleared, a new message popped up.
[SYNERGY ALERT! Multiple related powers from the 'Cryo' family have been detected. Do you wish to merge the following abilities?]
Cryokinetic breathing (Tier 3)
Ice generation (Tier 3)
Ice Manipulation and generation (Tier 3)
Extreme freezing (Tier 3)
organic ice form (Tier 3)
[Merging will consume all listed powers and create a superior composite ability: 'Cryokinesis (Tier 1)'.]
[As a bonus for achieving a natural Tier 1 ability through synergy, you will receive a 2500 XP reward. Do you wish to proceed?]
I stared at the message, a slow grin spreading across my face. A Tier 1 power. My first true god tier ability. And it came with a massive XP bonus.
"Yes," I said, the word filled with triumphant certainty. "Merge them."
[Merging... Please wait.]
An intense cold flared in my chest. It spread through my veins like liquid nitrogen before vanishing completely, leaving behind a profound understanding. I could feel the trace amounts of moisture in the air, the water in the pipes of the building, the ice in my freezer. They were all extensions of my will.
[MERGE COMPLETE! You have acquired 'Cryokinesis (Tier 1)'.]
[Synergy Bonus Awarded: +2500 XP.]
[Supe Neutralized: Doppelgänger (Tier 3). Power: Shapeshifting (includes voice replication and mimicry). Choose Option: Retain or Convert?]
'Retain.'
[Power 'Shapeshifting (Tier 3)' successfully integrated.]
A bizarre sensation washed over, as if my cells were momentarily forgetting what shape they were supposed to be in before snapping back into place.
The list continued, a rapid-fire tally of the Tier 5 fodder.
[Supe Neutralized: Slipstream (Tier 5). Power: Hyper-Secretion. Convert?]
'Convert.'
[+100 XP]
[Supe Neutralized: Chroma (Tier 5). Power: Chromatophore Skin. Convert?]
'Convert.'
[+100 XP]
[Supe Neutralized: Arm-Fall-Off-Boy (Tier 5)...]
'Convert.'
[+100 XP]
...and on and on it went for the remaining nine Tier 5 Supes, each one adding a neat 100 XP to my growing total. By the time the queue was finished, the final tally materialized on my screen.
[HARVEST COMPLETE]
[FINAL XP TALLY:]
Cold Immunity Conversion: 1500 XP
Synergy Bonus: 2500 XP
12x Tier 5 Conversions: 1200 XP
TOTAL XP GAINED: 5,200 XP
CURRENT XP: 5,200
[CURRENT POWERS:]
Cryokinesis (Tier 1)
Regeneration (Tier 3)
Shapeshifting (Tier 3)
Size Alteration (Tier 4)
Super Strength (Tier 4)
Super Defence (Tier 4)
I stared at the screen. In one single executed operation, I had gone from a man with one gimmicky power to a legitimate Tier 1 threat, with a versatile arsenal of abilities and a massive bank of XP ready for upgrades.
[Holy. Crap,] the System's voice was filled with genuine awe. [You robbed the bank and walked away with the entire mint. That was… efficient.]
"It was a good night's work," I agreed, a feeling of absolute satisfaction settling in.
"System," I said, my voice calm. "Initiate upgrade interface."
[Right away, Boss! Time to spend those hard-earned points. What are we improving first? The super-shrinking? Super-punching? Or are you finally going to invest in that shark tank?]
"Regeneration" I ordered.
The screen changed, focusing on the power I had selected.
[Power Selected: Regeneration (Tier 3)]
[Upgrade to Tier 2 requires 3000 XP.]
[Current XP: 5,200. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Confirm," I ordered.
[Deducting 3000 XP... Upgrade in progress...]
A warm sensation spread through my entire body, starting from my core and radiating outwards. It was a pleasant feeling, like sinking into a hot bath. I felt my cells vibrating, my DNA being rewritten with a more potent set of instructions for self-repair. It was over in a matter of seconds.
[UPGRADE COMPLETE!]
[Regeneration is now Tier 2.]
[Recovery from injuries is now drastically accelerated.]
[Can now perform full limb regeneration. As long as the brain is intact, any part of the body can be regrown.]
[Current XP: 2,200]
My body felt more alive. The passive healing from the Super Soldier Serum was a slow trickle. This was a roaring river, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.
"Next," I said, already moving on. "Size Alteration."
[Power Selected: Size Alteration (Tier 4)]
[Upgrading to Tier 3 requires 1500 XP.]
[Current XP: 2,200. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Confirm."
[Deducting 1500 XP... Upgrade in progress...]
This sensation felt like my physical form was becoming more malleable, more conceptually fluid. The hard limits of my previous size range seemed to soften and expand.
[UPGRADE COMPLETE!]
[Size Alteration is now Tier 3.]
[Size range has been expanded. New range: 0.1 inches to 25 feet.]
[Control and transition speed have been significantly improved.]
[Current XP: 700]
I tested it immediately, shrinking down to the size of a fly in less than a second. I had better control and the whole process felt smoother. I could feel the individual air currents in the room. This was becoming a truly powerful infiltration and evasion ability.
I returned to my normal size and looked at my remaining XP. 700. It wasn't enough to upgrade any of my other powers.
I leaned back in my chair. The night's work had been a resounding success. I had acquired a Tier 1 elemental power, a versatile shapeshifting ability, enhanced strength and durability, and had already upgraded my regeneration and size-shifting.
The power gap between me and the top-tier Supes was still a vast chasm. But I could see the other side. And I was building the bridge to cross it, one dead Supe at a time.