Chapter 37: Because of Mediocrity, He Shines (Edited)

 Mindy McCready, codenamed Hit-Girl, is a formidable little girl capable of taking down over twenty armed gangsters single-handedly.

Initially, when Clark heard her name from the system prompt, he didn't connect the dots.

It wasn't until he reviewed the list of individuals capable of offering triple-digit impression points in his mind that he found inspiration in Kingpin. This girl is none other than the leading lady of Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl, whose strength far surpasses that of the male lead.

Facing Hit-Girl's attack, even the current Clark didn't dare to take it lightly.

Unable to dodge backwards while sitting on the sofa, Clark could only slightly sidestep, avoiding Mindy's direct stab. With a swift upward flick of his right hand, he brushed past the girl's wrist, causing her arm to go numb and her to lose grip on her butterfly knife, which Clark then snatched away.

With a successful counter, Clark feigned a move with his left hand in front of Hit-Girl, easily forcing her back.

Although Hit-Girl is formidable, she is still a child and without any mutations. Her strength, purely from rigorous training, is at most between 0.4 to 0.5 Widow, no more.

Against ordinary people, this level of strength poses no issue, but against Clark, with 1 Widow of combat ability, she's simply outmatched.

After casually flipping the butterfly knife with flair, Clark, with a half-smile, asked Mindy, "Exactly what grudge or grievance do we have for you to attack me?"

"Hmph!" Mindy retorted, not willing to admit defeat, "I was just underestimating you. Let's go outside and have a real fight. If I win, you give me my butterfly knife back!"

"No need to fight, I concede," Clark casually pocketed the knife, tossing it back to Mindy and raising his hands in surrender.

Catching the knife reflexively, Mindy frowned and asked, "Why won't you accept my challenge? Uncle Marcus said you're trained in combat and quite good at it!"

Clark seriously replied, "On my first day of martial arts training, my master told me there are four types of people you should never provoke: priests, ministers, women, and children."

"And you, being a little girl, check two of those boxes. Of course, I wouldn't dare oppose you."

Mindy was left dumbfounded by Clark's reasoning.

Receiving +666 impression points from Mindy McCready!

"Alright, Mindy, stop it. And Clark, come eat," Marcus's voice halted Mindy's challenge, and the two exchanged glances before obediently heading to the dining room for dinner.

During the meal, Clark presented his birthday gift, a Patek Philippe watch worth $160,000, only to be scolded by Marcus for squandering the savings left by his parents.

Reminded by Marcus, Clark recalled that besides the fixed asset of the Martha Gym, the original owner's parents had also left a sum of money in a bank safe deposit box.

With a wry smile, Clark patiently explained that he hadn't touched that inheritance; the watch was merely bought with a fraction of his royalties.

Marcus then smiled warmly, expressing sincere gratitude to Clark.

In the subsequent conversation, the relationship between Hit-Girl and Marcus was clarified.

Hit-Girl's father, Damon McCready, and Marcus were once feared by criminals as the vigilant duo. However, after Damon was framed and imprisoned by the mob, his wife died in childbirth, leaving behind baby Mindy to be raised by Marcus.

Years later, after Damon was released, he took Mindy away, ending Marcus's guardianship.

So it turns out...

"I'm the newly adopted one?"

Receiving +15 impression points from Marcus Williams and +234 from Mindy McCready!

However, Clark's focus seemed somewhat misplaced.

Back to his routine, Clark's academic performance, martial arts skills, physical fitness, understanding of quantum mechanics, and novel progress steadily improved.

Yet, as his strength increased, Clark sensed his physical abilities nearing human limits. Without a breakthrough, his achievements might remain limited.

Hank Pym's research into the super soldier serum was far from enthusiastic. According to him, Howard Stark spent half a lifetime barely succeeding in creating a less stable counterfeit of the original.

Expecting him to develop a finished product from a counterfeit sample in a short time was an impossible task.

One day, after sparring with Yi Long, Clark, having showered and changed, walked into the villa's living room to hear Hope complaining.

"Kick-Ass again? Has this clown taken over New York's TV channels? Every show is about Kick-Ass. Isn't it annoying?"

Curious, Clark sat at a polite distance from Hope on the sofa, asking, "What's got our lady so upset?"

"It's that Kick-Ass," Hope replied impatiently. "Ever since his beatdown video went viral, TV shows have been all about him. I can't even walk down the street without seeing green-clad imitators. It's exhausting!"

Clark chuckled, offering consolation, "Take it easy. He's actually our classmate."

"Who?"

"Dave Lizewski. Remember, on your first day, he switched seats with you."

"Really? Him?" Hope frowned, "With his skills, what's he trying to prove? Is he Kick-Ass or Get-Kicked-Ass? If you wore a costume and fought crime, you'd be way more popular!"

Clark shook his head, "Impossible."

Seeing her puzzled look, Clark explained, "Do you know why he's popular?"

Hope shook her head, confused.

"Because he's mediocre," Clark stated confidently.

"What?"

Hope couldn't understand how mediocrity could lead to popularity; the logic seemed flawed.

"Clark's right," Hank Pym interjected, descending from his upstairs lab. "It's precisely because he lacks skills that society encourages his spirit to fight against evil. If Clark intervened, quickly dispatching villains, it might work a few times, but if it happened often, it would raise questions about the police's role."