025 ELECTROCUTION
New feature: Personal Information.
A new icon appeared on the app—a cartoon head. Damen tapped it. Instantly, his own profile flashed across the screen:
Name: Damen Dark
Rank: G
Strength: 11 | Charm: 10 | Meta: 11 | Command: 11
"So, I can even check my own attributes. No need to be tested in the machines anymore," he said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
The new features were incredibly useful, and they came at the perfect time.
He spent the rest of the night scanning the usual faces in the gym. Now he knew exactly who the highest ranked Metas were, and he added them to his favorites list- all of them Rank F or E.
He also poured over the meta transmutation list in the transmutation room. It was time to get another skill.
He already had a defensive skill, "Summon Shield," and an escape skill, "Flash Dash," but he lacked a main attack. He flipped through every skill on offer in the machines and considered their strengths and weaknesses.
By dawn, he had made his choice.
The next day, when Dorin arrived at the gym, Damen was already waiting.
"Oh, Damen! Why are you here? Shouldn't you be celebrating your graduation?" Dorin asked, clearly surprised.
"Celebration is a waste of time. I need a new meta skill," he replied matter-of-factly, his eyes sharp.
Dorin raised an eyebrow. "What skill are you looking at?"
"Electrocution," he said confidently.
"Electrocution? That's a Rank G skill… are you sure you want to learn it? this skill is among the strongest in its rank but its cumbersome to use because it requires close physical contact."
"Yes. I spent all night researching. This is the best choice," he said firmly, leaving no room for doubt.
Electrocution was the strongest meta skill in its rank, but executing a strike was notoriously difficult. Most rookie Meta heroes favored ranged attacks—they were far easier to use.
Damen, however, thought differently.
He wanted to master close combat, and with his Flash Dash ability, closing the distance to an enemy was effortless. For him, range was no obstacle….it was an opportunity.
"Alright," Dorin said, nodding. "The meta training fee will be 1,000 Aurs."
"I'd also like to upgrade the rank of my Summon Shield ability too," Damen added.
"Well, you know about that too?" Dorin asked, intrigued.
Even meta skills had ranks, just like heroes themselves. The weakest skills started at H and could develop on its own by frequent use. But as a hero grew stronger, sometimes their ranks could lag behind.
So, new meta chips were developed to upgrade these skills, bringing them in line with the user's growth.
"Which skill do you want to upgrade?" she asked.
"Summon Shield—upgrade it to Rank G," he replied decisively.
"That will cost an additional 1,000 Aurs," Dorin said.
Damen handed over the Aur card without hesitation, already focused on mastering his newfound powers. When he was done training, all his skills including Flash Dash would be at Rank G.
He would become the strongest meta in his rank.
There was still time before Damen's high school classes began, so he dedicated every moment to training at Heroes' Gym.
He tackled every course related to close combat, mastering each of his meta skill with precision. He even experimented, combining different abilities to create unexpected and devastating effects.
For Damen, training his combat skill wasn't merely to improve his scores in school… it was a matter for survival.
Dorin watched Damen grow stronger day by day. Her suspicions about him being the city's serial psychic attacker had long vanished, especially since the random psychic attacks had ceased entirely leaving them with no new leads to follow.
After three months of relentless training, Damen finally stepped back and assessed his progress. A satisfied smile curved his lips.
"I've grown stronger… Meta High School, here I come."
-----
Damen stepped onto the grounds of Melrose Meta High School No. 2—the school he had chosen.
There were other, arguably better options, but his decision on this school was deliberate. The reason was simple: this school was just a block away from the City Council Building.
With his mining range now vastly improved, he could continue mining DemCoins from the regular patrons of Heroes' Gym even while attending classes or when he sleeps.
He registered at student support, and the manager quickly escorted him to his dormitory apartment.
Unlike most students, he didn't have to share a room—he had the entire apartment to himself.
The school's recruiter when he met Damen knew their school wasn't the best, so the only way to recruit Damen was to offer the best amenities. The private apartment room was part of that inducement.
Damen allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. This was the closest thing he had to a home.
Before Damen even finished unpacking, a knock echoed at his door. He opened it to find a tall, dark, and strikingly handsome guy his age, one hand loosely resting on the waist of a woman beside him.
"Hey, new neighbor," the guy said with a lopsided grin. "I'm Zairgid Arkuoma. And this is…" He glanced at the woman, drawing a blank.
"Moona," she snapped, pulling away slightly.
"Right. Moona," Zairgid repeated, unfazed.
Zairgid has the air of a scion of a rich family…he was one of the privileged in the city. Three months ago, Damen would never dream of meeting such people but now… they could even be friends.
"I'm Damen Dark," Damen replied, keeping his tone steady and not too humble.
"Dark? Hmm. Don't think there's a major family by that name in Melrose City," Zairgid mused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Zairgid probably knows every scion of every major family who could afford to be placed in the privileged apartment dormitory. Damen wasn't one of them.
"No. Not from a major family. I'm just a regular guy," Damen said.
"A regular guy lands a premium unit like this in school? Come on," Zairgid said, leaning against the doorframe. "Unless you're one of those aptitude test prodigies who got full mark."
That was the reality of the situation- privilege in this world was reserved for the rich or… the geniuses who were born to enjoy such privileges.
Damen allowed himself a small smile.
The old him would've downplayed it, shrunk under scrutiny. But not here. Not anymore. He understood now that to be respected in this world, strength mattered and strength was nothing if concealed… it must be displayed to earn respect.
"Yup. One of those," he said without embarrassment.
Zairgid let out a short laugh. "Well, hell. Pleasure meeting you, genius." He extended his hand.
Damen shook it, firm and sure.
"High school," he thought. "This time, I won't disappoint."
-----
Just as Damen began to believe this new chapter might finally be peaceful, a violent crash echoed down the hall…followed by a roar.
"What was that?" Damen asked curiously.
It was the voice of another student.
"Who the hell took my unit?! I reserved this place for a year!" A figure stormed toward the door, his eyes blazing.
026 UNLIMITED PASS
Damen glanced at Zairgid, who merely shrugged, smirking. "That's Wrangle Snow. Total idiot. Ignore him."
"I'm not an idiot!" Wrangle snapped. "I'm the heir of the Snow family!"
Damen stepped forward, unflinching. "Wrangle, I don't care about your family name or your reservations. This is my apartment. Get lost."
Damen was exhilarated. It was the first time he scolded someone in school. Previously he was only the recipient of insults and now the tables have turned.
"You little—!" Wrangle lunged, his fist blazing with meta-energy. The energy formed a spectral snow lion which roared to life around his arm, tearing through the air rushing to destroy Damen.
"Snow Lion Blaze"
"Is this a meta skill? How did he summon a lion?" Damen mused.
"It's just a proprietary skill of the Snow family. The lion is just special effects… more sound than bite. It's nothing a genius like you can't resolve", Zairgid informed smiling.
Zairgid wasn't there to help him. He planned to watch the fight and see how strong Damen was… to become a genius who could afford the luxury apartment.
Damen didn't care about Zairgid's motives. He didn't need help anyway.
He also wasn't deterred at all by the unexpected attack.
Bang!
The snow lion shattered against an invisible barrier inches away from Damen. Damen summoned a glass frame of meta energy before him.
"Summon Shield"
"No, how can you block my lion? It's the strongest of our family's meta skill," Wrangler screamed with disappointment. His family's heirloom skill was disintegrated so easily.
"That's because your family skill is useless", Zairgid laughs.
Damen did not plan to wait around and chat.
"Fast Dash," Damen murmured, then he dashed towards Wrangle, seized his wrist, before pivoting hard. With a single fluid motion, he hurled him over the corridor railing.
Wrangle crashed into the courtyard below, scrambling up with a snarl. "This isn't over! You hear me? This isn't over!"
"Wow… you didn't kill him, did ya?" Zairgid said surprised.
Damen said nothing. He simply raised his phone and snapped a picture.
Name: Wrangle Snow
Rank: H
Strength: 10.0| Charm: 4.0 Meta: 8.0 | Command: 7.5
He studied the stats, comparing them to the force of their encounter. Then he exhaled, almost disappointed.
"I didn't expect high school students to be this weak," he muttered.
Zairgid's smirk faded. "Careful. Say that too loud, and you won't just make an enemy…you'll make the whole school your enemy. That Wrangle isn't a nobody, and his family is one of the majors in town."
-----
After Damen settled into his apartment, there was another knock at the door.
It was Zairgid, his neighbor.
"Hey, neighbor. Wanna go out?" Zairgid asked.
"Where to?" Damen replied.
"The usual spot… plenty of chicks there."
Damen hesitated. He was still a teenager…. girls weren't exactly out of his mind. But after everything he'd been through, flirting seemed trivial compared to the bigger challenges ahead.
"Sorry, I'm heading to collect my school resources," Damen said.
Zairgid grinned. "Then I'll tag along."
"You'll what? There are no chicks in the admin department."
"Says who? The nurses there are pretty cute," Zairgid shot back.
Damen shook his head, but let him come along.
The school had promised Damen unlimited access to the Meta Amplifier room when they recruited him—a privilege regular students only got for two hours a week. There were other perks too, and today he intended to claim them.
At the counter, the admin clerk froze when she heard his name. "You are… Damen Dark? The genius who scored full marks in the middle school aptitude tests?"
"That's me," Damen said without hesitation.
Zairgid nudged him. "Go on, hurry it up. We don't have all day."
"Hurry for what?" Damen asked.
"You'll see."
The clerk handed Damen an unlimited pass to the Amplifier room, then led him to another door. "You're also entitled to a weekly dose. Normal students only get theirs monthly."
"Dose of what?" Damen asked.
"Ecstasy," Zairgid whispered with a smirk.
Damen raised a brow but didn't press. If the school provided it, surely it would be safe.
Inside, two busty women in white coats and face masks waited. Zairgid lit up like a kid in a candy shop.
"Seriously? This excites you?" Damen muttered.
"It's a fetish," Zairgid whispered back, his eyes glued to them.
Damen ignored him and sat down. One nurse approached with a syringe.
"What's that?" he asked.
"It's SynGen Genomics," she explained. "For meta-humans, pushing past genetic limits isn't easy. This treatment modifies your biology… giving you a stronger body, faster development, and resistance to most diseases. Think of it as an upgrade."
That caught Damen's attention.
It didn't sound like a drug at all—it sounded like superpower. He offered his arm without another word.
The second nurse noticed Zairgid hovering. "You're not authorized here. Out."
Zairgid clutched his chest in mock despair. "No! He's just a kid…he's afraid of needles! He needs me here."
"Damn you," Damen muttered under his breath.
-----
After taking his weekly dose of GenSyn Genomics, Damen didn't feel much different. Maybe the effects were subtle, creeping in over time rather than all at once.
"Where should we go now?" Zairgid asked casually.
"I'm heading to the Meta-Amplifier room. I want to try it out," Damen replied.
"I'll come with you," Zairgid said without hesitation.
The two of them made their way to an annex building that housed a medium-sized auditorium. Two guards stood at the entrance.
One of them barked without waiting for greetings:
"Two hours of meditation per session. If you overstay, we'll throw you out."
Damen only flashed his unlimited pass.
The guard's expression shifted instantly, his eyes widening. "Unlimited pass? Then… the rule doesn't apply to you."
He hurried to open the door, even gesturing toward the prime seat nearest the amplifier core where the concentration of meta particles was strongest.
"You—out," the guard ordered the student occupying the seat.
The student jumped up immediately, not daring to argue, and vacated his spot. Damen sat down.
Beside him, Zairgid gave a single glance to the student on the next chair. That was enough…the boy recognized him and scrambled to his feet and offered his place without a word.
Damen noticed and frowned inwardly. "This Zairgid isn't ordinary at all…"
They settled into meditation. Minutes blurred into hours. The two-hour mark passed, but no guard came to remove them. Another hour slipped by.
Then, commotion erupted outside the amplifying hall.
Damen opened his eyes just as the door slammed open.
"Who the hell is hogging our amplifying space?" a burly student roared, storming in with a pack of followers.
The guards rushed forward, but the intruder launched a kinetic blast. One guard was hurled into the wall with a sickening thud. The other guards stopped quickly making phone calls to request backup.
"Don't make me ask again!" the burly student shouted.
The remaining students pointed nervously toward Damen and Zairgid.