Sudden Encounter...

~New York...~

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I walked through the bustling street of New-York, seeing the posters of the heroes again. This still felt surreal to me. It's been a week since I've been here...

I quickly let my thoughts move else where. seeking a casual gig in construction, the approach changes a bit. Instead of engaging with larger corporations, I might as well explore smaller, local construction crews or contractors who often take on smaller projects or need extra hands on deck for specific tasks. AKA, heavy lifting.

During my walk towards a lonelier district, I came across several smaller construction outfits. These were the teams working on neighborhood renovations, remodeling projects, or smaller-scale constructions like extensions, repairs, or landscaping.

These crews often have a more flexible approach to hiring, occasionally looking for part-time help or day laborers to assist with particular phases of a project. It could involve tasks like painting, hauling materials, basic carpentry, or site cleanup.

Sometimes, stopping by these smaller companies directly or checking community boards, online listings, or local newspapers might lead to opportunities. They might require temporary assistance for a few days or weeks, fitting well with someone seeking a casual side job in construction without the commitment of full-time employment.

The atmosphere in these smaller crews often feels more personal. I realized that they might be family-run businesses or consist of a tight-knit group of individuals who appreciate extra hands when the workload gets heavy...

'This was perfect for me.' I grinned to myself. I was a little more confident in myself.

As I strolled along the streets, the rhythmic sounds of construction drew me closer to a bustling site. Piles of materials and sounds of machinery hinted at a significant project underway. Amidst the organized chaos, what looked to be a supervisor directed the team with an air of authority.

I couldn't help but notice the supervisor's animated conversation with another worker about needing extra hands for some heavy lifting.

'Perfect!' I thought. Moore than eager to lend a hand and happy to snag a casual opportunity, I approached, the sounds of clanking echoing in the background.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to catch the supervisor's attention amidst the surrounding clamor. "I couldn't help overhearing that you might need some more help around here?"

The supervisor, a burly figure with a hard hat slightly askew, turned toward me, a mix of surprise and curiosity on his face. "Yeah, we do. Got some heavy lifting to tackle, and a few extra pairs of hands wouldn't hurt. You looking for work?" He asked.

I nodded, a spark of excitement igniting within me. "I'm not looking for a full-time gig, but I'm more than willing to pitch in for the day if you need the help."

He eyed me for a moment, assessing my determination. "Tell you what, we've got some serious lifting to do. Think you're up for it?"

My nod was resolute. "Absolutely. I may not look it sir, but I'm no stranger to hard work." I said trying to be a little charismatic.

With a subtle grunt and a half-smile, he handed me a spare hard hat and gestured me toward a group of workers huddled around a particularly weighty section of steel beams.

"Welcome aboard then. We could use an extra set of muscles." The supervisor's gruff voice carried a hint of camaraderie.

In no time I hit the posts, the workers seeing my figure being a bit apprehensive of me. Seeing the faces of hesitance. I quickly grabbed a steel beam that was close by me, and with a small huff, I heaved it over my self, feeling the weight pressing on my shoulder...

With doing that, I saw their looks of hesitance being turned into an expression of silent shock, with some being clearly surprised.

Still, it wasn't all that easy, the tasks were a bit physically demanding, but I dug in, matching the pace of the seasoned workers around me. The supervisor's occasional instructions guided us through the lifting and maneuvering of the heavy materials.

As the day wore on, the supervisor nodded approvingly at my efforts. "Not bad for a newcomer. You've got the hang of it."

Working alongside the crew, I found a rhythm in the teamwork and the shared determination to get the job done. Though it was just a hard day's work, the experience left me a little invigorated, even if it was my first.

As the sun dipped below the skyline, I bid farewell, leaving with the promise of returning for more work, they would be here tomorrow as well, so I had a bit of work on my hands...

Thankfully, they weren't cheap compensators, 17 dollars an hour isn't too bad. Working 5 hours gave me quite the workout too... I checked my status panel to see if I had gotten any increased because throughout the day, the weights did get a little lighter...

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- Striking Strength: 539 --> 576 KG

- Grip Strength: 135 --> 155 KG

- Lifting Strength: 290 --> 334 KG

- Dexterity: 4.5 --> 4.7 (10 for a normal human male)

- Movement Speed: 17 --> 18.3 mph

- Attack Speed: 101 --> 106 mph

- Reaction Speed: 2 fold greater than Attack speed

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I saw a sizeable increase in my two of my stats, but for the first time, the increase wasn't the same for everything... My lifting strength increased by around 15 percent, but everything else varied slightly.

'This is quite interesting...' I thought, genuinely puzzled for a moment.

'Could it be that doing specific actions lead to more of an increase in certain stats?' It seemed very plausible. Lifting weights throughout the day targeted my arm strength more than my leg strength.

"I'll have to experiment with that theory fully, later..." I muttered to myself silently. I continued my stroll, thinking about some future things...

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*BOOOMMM!!!!~* An explosion rang. I looked to my left seeing the massive explosion...

The calm of the night shattered by a deafening crash nearby, my heart skipped a beat. My quick trip to the dollar store turned into a shit show in an instant.

"THE HELL!?" I shouted instinctually. Still a little shaken up by the situation. countless thoughts racing through my mind. 

Smoke billowed from a building, I turned and amidst the chaos emerged a tall green hooded figure. 

"Everybody! RUN!!!" I heard a man shouted, running along with others.

For some reason, adrenaline surged within me as I felt myself unconsciously approaching the scene, in contrast, I saw people screaming and scrambling for safety around me, while I went closer...

In moments, the area was cleared from all persons, leaving myself alone.

The hooded figure loomed amidst the rubble, their presence casting an ominous shadow over the street.

'Have I... Seen him before?' I thought with slight recognition. However unknown to me, whoever this is, was very familiar to me...

Feeling the rush of the moment, I took stock of the situation. My recently heightened strength, speed, and reaction time suddenly felt like a glimmer of hope against this what felt like an skilled opponent.

I could tell he was strong...

"HEY! LOSER!!" I shouted unconsciously, his metallic mask looming towards my figure. Instantly, I felt excitement course through me, just like when I had the thought of flighting Jason.

This was no coincidence! I felt as if my body wasn't my own. Whatever I was doing, it felt right...

And whoever this was, I could tell, what looked to be a male figure, had an aura to them... I knew it was dumb, that's for sure, but I could tell that he would make me grow much stronger...

Steeling my nerves, I cautiously stepped forward, eyeing the figure. who was assessing me, analyzing my movements. The tension crackled in the air as I mentally prepared to confront this being.

"..." He said nothing. He instead quickly dropped down from the broken building. His eyes not leaving my figure.

However, the tension increased even more as I loomed closer...

*Fwish!~* I only heard a slight breeze pass me before he practically disappeared from my vision.

'He's fucking Fast!' I thought to myself, quickly upping my guard after barely catching the figure. Only to feel my bones rattling, no, they must have been broken from such a hit!

Immediately, my 200+ pound body was being flung across the street with immense speed skidding across the street before stopping just short of a wall.

*Guh!* I coughed, seeing my own spit and blood, barely grabbing a hold of myself. My vision blurred from just a single hit!

*Tap...*

*Tap...*

I heard metallic footsteps, his most likely. I quickly jumped backward, seeing the figure a little over 10 feet away from where I was now...

I heard a silent grunt,"...I don't do these sort of things... But seeing someone crazy enough to try and challenge me to hand to hand fight? It means your either foolish, or..." I heard him paused.

*Fwish!!~*

I saw him disappear once more, but this time I could see his figure much better than before.

"You actually thought you could handle me..." I heard his voice, much closer to my ear. However even if I could react to his movements, my body couldn't, pain rang through my arms and abdomen. At least I could react to him a little now...

*Fwoosh!!~*

Another strike was coming! His right leg pivoted off the ground with immense speeds.

'I saw it!' His kick, I could see it a little! Still, I couldn't take another hit. So I upped my guard, trying my hardest at dodging the blow, but I barely managed to. Feeling the gust of wind that strike created was alarming...

'Shit! That kick was even stronger than the last one!' I quickly surmised, creating as much distance as I could.

The hooded figure looked at me closely. His eyes, I could tell that they were sharpening under his mask. But I could tell... It didn't have that line of hostility it had before, but it held some curiosity...

"You, actually saw that kick, didn't you?... When you couldn't see the first one?" I heard him suddenly say, breaking my chain of thoughts.

'What?'

Instantly picking up my adaption that quickly was insane. This meant that he knew that the amount of speed and force of the first strike would've been enough, but now that he saw my growth...

"Heh~ I thought you might have been a crazy kid at first. But now?... Now, you have my interest..." I heard him say, barely over a whisper. 

I felt a sudden chill run down my spine.

'He's coming again...' I thought, a smile plastered on my face...

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END