Chapter 37: Hero Assessment
"I comply," David said calmly.
A new figure strode into the room, known as Smoke. He was around the age of 30, with a ruggedly handsome face framed by a beard and scraggly hair. His attire was a tactical ensemble of all-black kevlar vest and military fatigues, reflecting his professional and unyielding demeanor.
"Release him. I'll conduct this interview the old-fashioned way," Smoke ordered, his voice as steady as his gaze.
"Understood, sir," a soldier replied, and they left, dragging Duffy out.
Smoke looked at David and pulled out a cigarette. "Mind if I smoke?"
"No, I don't," David said.
Smoke took a deep inhale and lit his cigarette. The smell of smoke filled the air, a rich and slightly bitter scent that seemed to hang in the room, adding a layer of complexity to the moment.
"Do you want one?" Smoke asked, blowing a cloud of smoke.
"They're bad for you," David replied.
"You can smoke 100 packs a day, and it wouldn't affect you," Smoke retorted, his eyes twinkling with a challenge.
"Smoke, right? I feel like you shouldn't try to convince a kid to start a bad habit."
"Here on our side, everyone has their guilty pleasures. Which brings the question, why do you want to be a hero?" Smoke's question hung in the air, the smoke lingering as a symbol of the mysterious and intricate path that lay ahead.
David looked at Smoke, sensing the weight behind the inquiry. This was a test, a probe into his convictions and values.
He took a deep breath and began to speak. His words resonated, filled with truth and determination.
Smoke listened, his eyes never leaving David's face, knowing that he was witnessing something profound.
This was not just an interview. It was a moment that would shape both their destinies.
David pulled himself up from the ground and settled into a chair, well aware that the man interviewing him was a human lie detector. With the ability to detect even the subtlest shifts in a person's heartbeat, any lie would be instantly exposed. Honesty was his only option.
"I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn't a selfish person," David began, his voice strong and sincere. "I'm not some guy who's in it for the fame, or the glory, or the recognition."
Smoke's eyes narrowed, studying David as he posed his next question. "What's your goal if you don't want any of those?"
"I want safety and power," David replied, his words resonating with conviction.
"If you had power, do you think it would change you?" Smoke inquired, pushing David to analyze himself deeply.
"No."
"Do you think your goals or ideals clash with Omega 6's?"
"No."
"Would you ever leave Omega 6 for another country?"
"No."
"Do you sympathize with Villain Corporations?"
"That's a question?" David said, his brow raised.
"It's a list of questions I have to ask you. You'd be surprised at how many people say yes." Smoke's voice was nonchalant, but his eyes never left David's face.
The interview went on, long and grueling, with over 200 questions that probed David's mind and soul. During the process, David surreptitiously pulled up Smoke's status menu, his eyes scanning the information as he continued to answer truthfully.
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Status Window
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Name: Smoke
Title: Omega 6 Elite
Race: Arcanian
Level: 82
Strength: Supernatural (110)
Endurance: Super Human (60)
Agility: Super Human (60)
Intellect: Supernatural (60)
Super Powers:
- Arcanian Royalty Physique (Unique)
- Intangibility (Common)
- Danger Sense (Common)
- Rapid Learning (Common)
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The room was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke, a constant reminder of the intense scrutiny and challenge of the interview. It was a crucible, a trial by fire that would determine David's future and his place among the elite of Omega 6.
Every word was a step closer to his goal, every answer a reflection of his true self. As the last question was posed, David knew that he had proven his worth.
Smoke finally extinguished his cigarette, his eyes still fixed on David, the silence in the room heavy with significance.
"You've done well," he said at last, his voice soft yet commanding.
David's heart skipped a beat, and in his mind, he couldn't help but marvel, "I can't believe I passed this." Relief mixed with a new surge of anticipation as he realized that his journey with Omega 6 was only just beginning.
Smoke pressed a button, and the room began to transform. Out of the ground, a sleek treadmill emerged, its surface gleaming under the bright lights.
"We're going to test your skills, I need to give you a classification based on performance or whatever." Smoke said nonchalantly.
He looked at David, his eyes half-lidded but assessing. "Just run on this treadmill for five minutes to test your speed. Go as fast as you want, kid."
David's feet touched the treadmill, a machine meant to measure human limits. But today, it would witness something far beyond. Smoke leaned back, nonchalant, flicking ash from his cigarette, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Feel free to go as fast as you want," he said with a casual tone that did not betray the scrutiny in his eyes.
David focused, his mind alight with the memory of Jupiter's Lightning. Now, he would harness that energy, that god-like force, through his control of electromagnetism.
He started, and the treadmill came to life, the numbers escalating rapidly. 100, 200, 300, 400... It wasn't merely speed; it was a crescendo of human potential, a symphony of movement and power.
Then it happened.
With a thunderous explosion, the sound barrier shattered. The room trembled, windows rattling, as David broke through a limit not meant to be crossed. Smoke's cigarette fell from his lips, his eyes wide, his nonchalant facade crumbling.
"Hell," he whispered, "What is this kid?"
The speedometer didn't stop. Mach 1, 2, 3, 4... David's body was a blaze of light, a meteor cutting through the air, pushing the very boundaries of physics. The treadmill screamed in protest, struggling to keep up with the force that defied understanding.
Mach 5.
David slowed, but the room was still reverberating with the echoes of his power. He looked at Smoke, the glow of his achievement still surrounding him, his eyes challenging.
Smoke picked up his fallen cigarette, his hand shaking slightly.
"I've seen speedsters before, but this... This is something else," he said, his voice tinged with awe. He took a deep puff, the smoke swirling around him, his mind reeling from what he'd just witnessed.
The casual demeanor was gone; he knew he had just seen something extraordinary, something epic.
David faced Smoke, his chest still heaving from the run, the air filled with the musky scent of the cigarette.
"Was that good enough?" he asked, his voice steady, but his eyes alive with a spark of challenge.
Smoke's expression remained nonchalant, but his eyes betrayed a gleam of interest.
"Impressive, but we're not done. We'll measure your physical strength now," he said, a trace of excitement in his voice.
Without warning, the room transformed. Walls shifted, machinery whirred, and from the ground emerged a towering crystal, its surface reflecting a myriad of colors, shimmering as if alive. It was a monolith, a challenge that seemed to defy reality.
"Hit that as hard as you can with everything you have," Smoke commanded, his voice echoing in the room, "without power enhancements."
David's gaze fixed on the crystal, his mind focused, his body a coiled spring of raw power. He knew what he had to do. With a roar that resonated through the room, he launched himself forward, his fist connecting with the crystal with a force that seemed to shake the very foundation of the building.
A shockwave erupted, a sonic boom that shattered the silence, a raw demonstration of pure, unbridled strength. The crystal was left with a gaping crack.
"Physical strength is measured to be High Super Human level," the robotic voice intoned, its calm words a stark contrast to the spectacle that had just unfolded.
Smoke's eyes widened, a smile breaking through his composure. "I knew Jupiters were strong, but this..." he trailed off, his voice filled with awe.
But David was not finished. He could feel the energy within him, a force that demanded release. He looked at Smoke, a challenge in his eyes.
"Next, we measure your power," Smoke said, his voice trembling with anticipation. "Use your family's lightning. Show me what you can do."
David's eyes narrowed, his mind reaching for the essence of the storm, the fury of the lightning. He could feel it, a torrent of energy, a force that threatened to consume him. He embraced it, channeled it, became it.
With a cry that seemed to echo through the ages, he unleashed the lightning. It was not just a bolt; it was a cataclysm, a tempest that tore through the room, a blinding flash of raw power that obliterated everything in its path.
The room was consumed by thunder, a roar that seemed to shake the very heavens, a sound that transcended mere noise, a primal scream of elemental fury. The crystal was not just shattered; it was annihilated, reduced to dust in an instant.
Smoke stood frozen, his cigarette forgotten, his face a mask of disbelief. The room was filled with the smell of ozone, the air crackling with residual energy.
David stood amidst the chaos, his body glowing with an inner light, his eyes aflame with the fire of his power. His intellect, already at a superhuman level, had sharpened and honed his understanding of his abilities. During his one-month break, he had not simply rested but pushed himself, learning how to manipulate his lightning with a precision and power that had just been unveiled reaching supernatural levels in strength.
He had not just met the challenge; he had transcended it. He had shown them not just what he was, but what he could become.
a robotic voice came from the speakers in the room, calm and emotionless amid the raw intensity of the moment.
"B-List Hero Assessment."
Factoring in the extraordinary capabilities of other heroes made the B-List Hero assessment feel accurate. Pacer, who could break the light speed barrier; Ares, capable of deadlifting a planet; and Jupiter, wielding strength akin to his mythological namesake, all of these established a context for David's current classification.
But the underlying factor, the one that intrigued Smoke and promised more, was David's age. He was only 16, still raw, still developing. There was immense room for growth, untapped potential that transcended the immediate evaluation. In the wake of his powerful demonstration, the future seemed to stretch out before David, filled with endless possibilities.