Chapter 1: New Skin

Yes that's it…

Sitting comfortably, hands behind my head and lounging on a wooden deck chair, I enjoyed sunbathing, surrounded by mirrored tanning plates. However, no matter how much I did such exercises, my skin remained the same color. However, my body absorbed the sunlight, gradually becoming stronger.

More than fifteen years have passed since I found myself in this world.

Surprisingly, then I really woke up in the form of a little superhero from the comics, who, in fact, had not yet had time to become a hero. Then I was as weak as a baby, although I was not really a newborn child.

But the muscles weakened due to the fact that the baby in the capsule did not have to strain them for a long time. I felt very weak. And, nevertheless, as soon as I was under the rays of sunlight, I instantly felt a surge of strength.

Already on that first day, in this world, I was able to calmly stand on my feet. Since then, every day I try to be in the light as much as possible and charge my body with energy. Even though I was not a fan of superman in a past life, I knew that it was the light of the Sun that was the source of his powerful superpowers.

What did I even know about this world?

In fact, quite a bit. I have not read superman comics, only as a child I watched the Justice League and the secrets of Smallville, but already at the moment I entered this world, I remembered little about the plots of those series.

True, since then I have not forgotten anything, in this world my memory has become perfect. I know that the grown-up Superman had a wife -Lois Lane. But, in fact, apart from the name, I don't remember anything else from it. I also know that Superman has a cousin, but, it seems, she should appear much later.

And yet, in the future, this world may be threatened by large-scale problems, such as invasions of space invaders and armies of demons.

And, for now, my main goal was to build strength, just through sunbathing.

Within a couple of years, as the Kent couple adopted me, as a child, I had strength comparable to several adults, and I could also run faster than a racing car. Alas, I did not have supersensions or flights, so far only a primitive enhancement.

Well, endurance, as well as resistance to damage. And with age, my abilities only get stronger. Now, as a teenager, I still can't fly, or maybe I can, but I just don't know how to do it. However, my powers are already close to the original Superman.

I can move so fast that the human eye can no longer follow my movements. Even without straining, I feel the sound barrier and easily overcome it, I can pierce it with a crash like a battering ram, or pierce it with a soft whistle like a needle.

In the first case, a powerful shock wave is obtained, in the second, overcoming the speed of sound occurs without destructive consequences and is much less noticeable for others. My physical strength is such that I lift a passenger car with one hand without exertion.

And it's amazing that I can do it. After all, this is more than just physical strength. The same car in my hands will not fail if I am careful enough. And it feels like I'm holding her not only with my hands. The word "aura" comes to mind, with which I seem to grasp the object when I touch it.

Maybe it is. An aura or some kind of telekinesis field, but it is still perceived as a force. In terms of stamina, I can stick my hand into the harvester and be completely unharmed, but the harvester blades may suffer. And, although I have not tried it, I am sure that I can safely withstand being hit by bullets or explosions.

What worried me besides growing strength through sunbathing was Superman's weaknesses.

The first thing that comes to mind is kryptonite, green meteor stones from this character's home planet. I didn't even hold them in my hands, but just being next to a small pebble, I already feel nausea and wild weakness, and all my superpowers simply go out.

They do not disappear, I still feel that accumulated charge of sunlight inside me, but I just cannot use it. And I even found one way to protect myself from this infection. Namely -lead! It prevents the harmful radiation of kryptonite.

Well, it is destructive for me and other Krypotnians exposed to yellow stars, but for people this mineral is practically harmless. So making a lead suit like the ones used for radiation shielding might help.

But what about Superman's other weaknesses? He, that is, I, is vulnerable to magic. Perhaps there is some kind of protective spell or enchantment to enchant the same protective suit.

Well, an equally important weakness is vulnerability to psychic attacks. It would be unpleasant if, with all my strength and resilience, I was simply taken under control by some pathetic hypnotist. Well, protecting your thoughts from telepathy would also be nice.

And then the helmet of the lord of metal comes to mind from a slightly different universe of comics. Perhaps here you can build something like that, or in some other way protect your mind from all brain-breakers.

This is about my supernatural nature, but here are my plans for life. Well, I'm not sure if I want to become a superhero and devote my life to fighting evil.

Of course, if a crime is taking place in front of my eyes, I can intervene, but on purpose to patrol the streets in search of any punks, no, thank you.

But the idea of using my powers for personal enrichment, such a thought quite seduces me.

But, in any case, at the moment I am not yet ready for some kind of active action.

Clark! -The voice of my father reached me.

Jonathan Kent, and I really see him as a foster father already. My new parents, who sheltered a little Krypton man from a space capsule, really became a family for me. As far as possible for a person with my character.

"Clark, come down here and help me. -Shouted Jonathan in a commanding voice, but then softened his tone and added a magic word. -You are welcome!

I chuckled involuntarily. Previously, he demanded to help him in farm affairs in the same demanding tone. Well, it might have worked with the original Clark, but I ended up being a bit more headstrong. So, if Jonathan wanted me to help him in something, he had to politely ask for it, and not order, like an overbearing parent.

Okay, I'm going down. -I sighed.

Standing up, I took a short-sleeved shirt from a chaise longue and put it on without buttoning. Then he walked to the edge of the roof and jumped down.

Yes, in fact, I prefer to sunbathe on the roof of the barn, which has been specially converted for this. Then Jonathan and I worked together to build this little site.

And now…

Jumping to the ground, I landed quite quietly, feeling my legs tighten, absorbing the impact energy.

Clark, over here. "My father called me again.

Jonathan himself was found in the barn. In order not to keep him waiting, I accelerated. Actually, my super-speed requires some concentration and in this state not only my actual speed increases, but the perception of time is also distorted.

I feel it as if the same invisible aura surrounds me, and everything around seems to freeze, as if someone has paused this world. And, in this state, I went into the barn, watching my father looking towards the entrance.

Hmm, what do you want? -I asked him from behind.

You again ... -the man shuddered.

Although he looked closely, he did not see the moment when I entered the barn and walked past him. But he felt a breath of wind, and already began to turn, but my question as a scrimmer made him scared.

So that?

"Help me get this fertilizer back to the pickup.

Sure.

The bags seemed really heavy to the person.

However, I didn't want to spend a lot of time doing this and quickly moved all the bags of fertilizer while Jonathan lifted one of his bags.

"Oh, you're done…" he sighed. -Thanks, Clark.

You are welcome. I nodded.

However, this was not the end of my work. For the next couple of hours, I felt like a grandson in the garden, whom they decided to involve in a job that was not at all interesting to him. So I was not interested in farming, even though I helped my father. But Jonathan himself was clearly pleased with the productive work.

"So you're heading to high school soon?" -He decided to break the silence with a conversation. -Do you already have thoughts about the future? Which university would you like to enter?

Dad, are you serious? I rolled my eyes. -I'm a teenager with super powers. Which university?

Hey, you understand that you should not put these abilities on display ... Of course.

But even so, I could work in the rescue service, for example, become a firefighter. But this is so, just thinking out loud, not that I haven't decided, I haven't seriously thought about my future.

Although, this was not entirely true.

And, just a rescuer or a firefighter, I was not going to become. Financially, I was thinking more about how I could use my abilities to make money quickly. Robbery of the same banks, although realizable, does not appeal to me.

Not because of some kind of morality, but because this money cannot be spent on a large scale, otherwise the question immediately arises, where did it come from at all? Is that for pocket money to use. Another thing is that you can win money! Yes it is.

To play roulette or poker for money, my strange superpower can help me here. Yet, my strength comes not only and not so much from the muscles as from this strange aura, power grip or telekenic field.

It is not easy to operate this thing, perhaps the original Clark did not even know that he was capable of such a thing and did not try, I just knew more about the nature of these forces and tested it. In addition to the successes that I have achieved, it is possible to keep silent about the hundreds of failed tests of those forces that I do not have or that have not yet awakened. As for the grip, simply by touching the table, with enough effort, I could move the objects standing on this table.

It's not full-fledged telekinesis, but it's close enough to it. And I think it's not difficult to imagine how this ability could help me in the same roulette.

Or Superman's X-ray vision, which I really haven't mastered yet. You could be the king of poker with it, heh. As for the real profession, I was more attracted to the role of a scientist or a businessman, or even all together.

Um, right, I missed another superpower, among others. True, here I do not know for sure, it's about solar energy, or it's the natural nature of the Kryptonite.

Namely -super intelligence. My brain works much better and faster than the human brain. The most complex calculations, which in principle I could not master before, after my rebirth I already solved it even in early childhood without any problems. But, true, this does not make me a genius, but it gives a tangible advantage.

Especially considering the fact that often during sunbathing I am not too lazy to delve into the scientific literature a little. Trying not to concentrate my efforts in one direction, I studied everything, trying to create some base in my head.

Just to be more erudite. And, I must note, the theoretical science of this world has gone much further than the science of my previous world, although in practice, the difference is not particularly noticeable. At least for now.

There is even some lag, which can be traced in conventional household electrical appliances. Nevertheless, so far my knowledge is purely theoretical and not that particularly significant. But enough to start some own research, given the material base.

And yet, while I lived a relatively simple life and slowly but confidently prepared for future problems. There is a very high probability that this world will face serious upheavals in the future, in which one can easily perish.

"Yes, I understand. You don't have to repeat it all the time."

"I'm just worried about you."

"I know."

Actually, we finished with work in the late afternoon. Although usually my father tries not to keep me busy with farming for so long.

I spent the evening in the same way on the roof. The sun had already set, but even so, I was getting some support from the reflected light of the moon. Although, this is not even a quarter of the charge that the daytime Sun gives me. But, nevertheless, these crumbs have value, and therefore I even prefer to sleep here, although not always. Well, and, probably, it is worth saying that this is not even a dream, but rather a kind of meditation.

The older I got, the less I needed to sleep, food, water and air. Now I do not need any of this at all, however, without the same food or breathing, I feel some discomfort, so I continue to breathe and eat, and drink too. Sometimes I also sleep almost like an ordinary person for my mental comfort. But, in general, being able to stay awake while maintaining the same productivity, I prefer not to sleep.

I mean, sleep is such a waste of time! Better to spend it reading, or at least watching movies and TV shows. Yes, I don't study all the time. Here, I recently stumbled upon the interesting show "Hello Megan!", A comedy sitcom from two seasons, interesting enough to spend a little time on it. But, also, I watch scientific films, sometimes it is more interesting than reading books.

As for my kind of meditation, this is exactly what "kind of like". In fact, I just lay there with my eyes closed and tried to feel my aura, which gives me protection, as well as incredible strength. Previously, I couldn't find anything at all.

But as the strength of this aura increased over time, it became much more apparent to my perception. And now I can even train myself to consciously manage this aura. Honestly, doing this, I do not feel like Superman from the comics, but some kind of psychic trying to develop telekinesis.

I spent much less time on physical training. But not because I think it is not important. Simply, even in this regard, my current physiology is ahead of human capabilities. Even as a child, I allocated at least an hour a day for exercise, as an option for advanced exercise.

But with age, I spent less and less time on it, and now I don't do it at all. My physical shape is already close to perfect, and in this regard, I feel like a cheater compared to professional athletes. And yet, this muscle relief looks quite impressive.

In the meantime, my training gave unexpected results.

My skill in the field was slowly improving, but now, in addition to this, closing my eyes, I involuntarily relied more on hearing. And now, hearing some rustle, I was distracted by him. I twisted my head, but it was more of a psychological crutch; I did not know exactly how the sensitivity was adjusted.

However, I could tune in by increasing the sensitivity of my hearing, or returning it to its previous level. And the rustle that I heard turned out to be swarming of insects near the house.

Well, the hearing is also good. -I sighed.

X-ray vision would be cooler though. Then I could look right through the walls to see girls from sports teams dressing up, for example.

Listening closely, I could make out the measured breathing of Martha and Jonathan in their bedroom. The parents were asleep. But I decided to take a walk. And jumping off the roof, he ran along the farmland. Not only Kent farms, but others in general.

The cool night air was quite refreshing, although it might seem unpleasantly cold to some. But I have a much wider range of comfortable temperatures. So I quickly got to the residential part of our town.

Smallville slept, keeping his mysterious secrets. Only a couple of bars on the outskirts were open, attracting people who just couldn't sleep at night. Not the most popular part of our small town.

Well, I didn't stay here, I had nothing to do there. So, having accelerated a little, I left the city limits and rushed on. With my speed, it only took a few minutes to get to Metropolis. Compared to Smallville, this is a metropolis with a small village in the background.

"Ha ..."

And unlike our backwaters, this city did not sleep. Its center was brightly lit by billboards and neon signs.

And the streets were lit by lanterns, under the light of which people went about their business, maybe not as many as during the day, but there were enough of them, at least in the center.

Interestingly, in Metropolis, I practically ceased to feel the modest nourishment from the moon. Its light scattered and seemed to be interrupted by the city lights. However, my body was already overwhelmed by the solar energy accumulated over the years of my life under the rays of a local star. I

don't know how much this reserve would have been enough without a new recharge, but obviously for a long time. For a very long time. I felt like a bottomless well of energy that is in full swing.

Avoiding especially illuminated streets, I ran to a high-rise building and, jumping in a jump, took off somewhere up to the fifth floor, but, leaning on the wall, without stopping, I run up.

In a state of acceleration, even gravity feels different and does not hold me back so much. So, I easily ran up the wall straight to the roof of a real skyscraper.

And, standing on the edge of the roof, looking down at the night Metropolis, I felt like a god above the mortals that roam the earth. With such powers, such potential, it was not at all surprising.

"Clark, seriously, you suffer from narcissism and selfishness."I grinned, voicing the thought that had arisen.

Or you don't suffer, but you get pleasure from it all.

Sighing, I sat down on the edge and watched the city for a while. This world, I have already got used to it. Seriously, I even have friends at school. More precisely, a friend, the only one. The Sullivan family moved to town a couple of years ago.

Well, Chloe Sullivan turned out to be a funny girl with whom it is interesting to communicate. With the rest of my classmates at school, I was simply not interested. They seemed kind of boring to me.

Even Lana Lang, a character that was practically Clark Kent's first love on the show. Although, she is a dreamer who lives nearby and we sometimes talked. But, I still try to stay away from her because of the meteorite pendant that she always carries with her.

It's so difficult to communicate with a girl, in whose presence you are overcome by weakness and nausea. I even once told her that this stone creates radiation that can be harmful to health with prolonged contact.

But it seems that the girl did not believe me, as she wore her pendant, and wears it. But he really can harm your health.

"Hah, okay, I'll go home."

After taking a walk, I decided to return.

And, having risen, I spread my arms to the sides before jumping off the roof of a high-rise building.

During the day it would have definitely been noticed, but now I was hidden by the night shadow. Not all of Metropolis is equally well lit at night.

As I watched the asphalt approaching, I felt the field surrounding me fill with warmth and the fall slows down. It was not a flight, but almost, just control of the speed of the fall. We can say that the aura of invulnerability protected me not only from blows, but even from the force of gravity, to some extent. Landing as light as a feather, I looked around.

Oh, crime!

Nevertheless, I did not jump into a crowded part of the street, but into a gloomy alley.

And then some drug addicts brutally kicked someone's body. I lost control of my hearing for a moment, yet the new ability still required some skill in control.

But, so I heard the crunching of the bones of a lying person. Although, much more important was what I did not hear, namely, his breathing and heartbeat. It was a corpse.

Yes, there is no one to save here.

So I immediately lost interest. I had no desire to just mess with these guys. And, leaving them to indulge in city fun, I was about to return home. But, they managed to notice me before I went into high-speed mode.

"Hey, what is this trick?"

"Hey, come here, you bastard!"

I stared at these addicts in surprise.

They directly smelled of malice and almost rage. They behaved not like ordinary punks, but like some kind of wild beasts. Having covered themselves, they looked at me from under their brows.

One of the guys was spinning a metal pipe in his hand. Actually, I could have already run away from here, but for some reason I was wondering what this situation could result in?

"What do you want?" I frowned.

No, they really are some kind of abnormal. The guy with the pipe suddenly screamed and ran at me, swinging the pipe.

I calmly let him run up and, catching his weapon with one hand, gave the guy a slap in the face with the other. I measured the strength, so I broke his jaw at most, but knocked out his teeth.

"Take it easy. Wow ..."Howling, the addict flopped down on the asphalt.

At the same time, he kept his palms near his mouth, but was even afraid to touch the injured jaw.

I looked at my hand and involuntarily winced. Splashes of blood, saliva and snot on my palm caused a strong feeling of discomfort.

"For bro!"

And another addict rushed right at me.

Honestly, I just didn't understand what was wrong with them? Why did they attack me so immediately? And, this whole situation began to annoy me.

Clenching my hand into a fist, I met the guy who had jumped forward with a blow to the face. And again the crunch of bones, and the sound of tearing facial muscles.

With a high-pitched squeal, the man staggers back and falls to the asphalt. But, his friend does not even think to stop. These guys are completely frostbitten.

"Fuck off already!"

The third one I met with a blow of my palm on the chest.

And oh ...

The crunch of breaking bones already seemed familiar to me. But, I definitely heard how the fragments of his shattered ribs pierce the soft tissues and some other strange squelching sound, which was followed by a liquid bloody cough.

Oops ...

Shards of bone seem to have pierced his lungs.

However…

I looked at my hand again. All the same blood and other substances. But, this is what was left after that first slap in the face. My second blow was also brutal enough to splatter me with blood, but no.

My disgust for this possibility of getting dirty has passed through my protective field, and now the splashes of blood or saliva just don't stick to me.

"Kha-ah-ah ..."The fallen guy hissed breathlessly.

Walking over to another lying person, I sat down next to him and wiped my hand on his jacket.

Well, after that I finally left the lane and returned home. And I was not at all tormented by remorse about the thug left to die. The guy with punctured lungs was already on his last legs and was unlikely to hold out even five more minutes. It didn't bother me at all. I didn't even consider it to be something important. It feels like I was bitten by a mosquito and I just swatted it.

Have I already developed a god complex?

(TL: Picture of Him)

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Editor/Translator For Now: MagnuS