Super Silver

[ Status ]

[Name: Mark Wayles]

[Lifespan: 21 / 76]

[Race: Human]

[Potential: Infinite]

[ Constitution: Infinite Energy Integration ]

[ Vitality: 15 →5 ]

[ Power: 14 →4 ]

[ Speed: 10 →2 ]

[ Superpowers: Super Regeneration-Level 2, Pyrokinesis-level 3 ]

[ Skills: Fireball, Flame Fist, Flaming Torrent, Infernal Spear ]

[Traits: Mark of the great one]

[Cosmic Laws: Fire-0.09%]

[Cosmic Essence: 0.13 ]

After winning his next three battles with ease, Mark checked his status. His stats had significantly increased after two days of relentless training. He had also mastered three new skills from his Pyrokinesis: Flame Fist, Flaming Torrent, and Infernal Spear. All of them were powerful.

Now, he was ready to face his next opponent: Super Silver, a powerful psychic known for his shiny silver sword and unmatched speed. From the information he had gathered, Super Silver possessed an agility-based psychic ability. He seemed to be quite popular, as the crowd cheered for him, chanting his name far and wide.

"Super Silver! Super Silver! Super Silver!"

"Super Silver, go and crush his pretty face!"

"Kill him!"

Super Silver's fanatic fans wished for Mark's demise, which enraged Anitrix and Elara. They were barely holding back their anger.

Super Silver stood tall on the stage, looking very imposing with a gleaming silver sword in his hand. His sharp eyes and angular face turned to the crowd, enjoying the glorious sensation.

The spotlight cast a sharp halo around him, his figure dominating the massive screen behind. Clad in a shiny, lighter combat suit designed for agility, he radiated an aura of effortless grace and strength. His natural, radiant smile sent waves of adoration through the crowd, causing his female fans to swoon over him.

In the shadow of his glory, Mark stood like a sore thumb. The boos of the crowd washed over him like a torrential tide, but he didn't mind. To him, the cheers that truly mattered were from his close friends. Though their voices were drowned out by the overwhelming noise, he felt their support deeply, resonating within his heart. As he glanced at them, their subtle nods and encouraging smiles spoke volumes. He found all the motivation he needed.

"Ready?"

The referee's call to attention snapped both combatants into the present. Super Silver finally acknowledged Mark, sizing him up with a hint of amusement that bordered on arrogance. To him, perhaps, this match seemed more a formality than a challenge. His predatory glance gleamed dangerously as he looked towards Mark, causing goosebumps to rise on Mark's skin.

Mark was not taking him lightly. Rather, he was more focused than ever, acutely aware of his major weakness: speed. His nerves were tense, every muscle coiled like a spring. Fortunately, Mark had brought a metallic spear this time around. Its weight felt reassuring in his hands, a solid counter to Super Silver's silver sword—if only he could keep up with his lightning-fast movements.

"Fight!"

The referee's starting signal shattered the stillness, launching both of them into action. Super Silver darted forward with startling velocity, a blur of silver and motion. The crowd roared with approval, caught up in the spectacle of his speed.

Mark struggled to keep up with his speed with his bare eyes. His eyes strained to track Super Silver's movements, resulting in his metal spear thrust meeting only empty air. Super Silver passed by him like a shadow, his swift motion confusing him momentarily. His silver sword moved like lightning to sever its target's head.

Mark barely managed to evade the silver sword at the last moment due to his advanced reflex training. To Mark's horror, he found his combat vest sliced open from the middle of his chest, with even a small cut on his chest. A system notification pinged in his mind:

"Ding! Your Super Regeneration ability (passive) is in effect: increased health and essence regeneration speed.]

As the system notification passed, he felt a tingling sensation in his chest. The wound started to heal. However, it had been a really close call. If he had been a fraction of a second late, his head would have been severed by now. Mark's heart pounded crazily at this thought, his heartbeat speeding up, adrenaline surging through his veins. The narrow escape made him panic a little.

Now, what should he do? He couldn't afford to make another mistake. His opponent wouldn't let him either.

"Tsk, lucky! But you won't be able to evade next time."

Super Silver clicked his tongue in regret, clearly disappointed in not being able to end Mark's life in one shot. His nonchalant attitude, and his dismissive confidence, ignited a fire of anger within Mark's chest.

"This man really wants to kill me. But why?" Mark wondered.

Although it was a life-and-death battle, not everyone finished off their opponent after surrendering. Mark hadn't killed anyone till now, yet someone was trying to kill him for no reason. "Karma is really a bitch."

How could a human kill another human so easily? The sheer idea of cutting human flesh made him nauseous. "But now that someone was trying to kill him, what should he do? Kill him back?" But how? He was no match for Super Silver in terms of speed.

Inside a spectator room, Anitrix and Elara were in a heated conversation after seeing Mark's match assignment.

"This is audacious! How did this happen? Who the hell let Super Silver join this battle? His ranking is so high, and Mark's at the bottom. How could Mark handle him like this?" Elara was so angry that the whole room started pulsating with lightning energy.

Anitrix was scared stiff in one corner, not daring to move. "How would I know?" Anitrix said exasperatedly.

"True. How would you know?" Elara seemed to calm down somehow. She began to think rationally about who might be behind this sinister play. Then, a nasty smirk caught their attention from a corner of the spectator's area. It was from Darryl, with whom they had clashed earlier.

Then, Elara understood how the pieces fit together. This nasty work must have been done by Darryl and his underlings. "Damn! This scumbag! I am going to kill him." Elara immediately gathered lightning energy to rush forward.

"Wait, Elara," Anitrix spoke abruptly, halting her actions. Observing her confusion, Anitrix began to explain. "I think we should not intervene at this point. We should wait and see.

I think Mark has untapped potential that we haven't discovered yet. That's why he needs to feel this pressure. Only under constant pressure might he be able to bring out his full potential.

Don't worry. Nothing will happen to him. We're here, aren't we? If things go awry, we can save him easily. Especially with a powerful psychic like you around, what could possibly go wrong?" Anitrix spoke his mind, letting out a chuckle at the end.

Elara seemed to understand his reasoning somehow. "Alright. But, if anything goes wrong, I will save him immediately," Elara said confidently, her eyes glinting with determination.

Anitrix chuckled in amusement, shaking his head. "Your overprotective tendencies never cease to amaze me Elara. You also cared about me like this back then. Those days were the best."

Elara also went quiet recalling the past. "True."

....

Recalling Anitrix's teachings, Mark took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't waste time like this. He had to find a way to track Super Silver's movements at all costs. Otherwise, he would be dead.

The pressure was immense, but he knew he had to focus. He concentrated deeply on Super Silver, who was preparing for another attack. Letting go of all his worries, he delved deeper, trying to blend into the very essence of nature. At that exact time, the Infinity mark on his chest started glowing again.

[Ding!]

[Mark of the Great One activated]

[Congratulations! You have received a new superpower: Thought Acceleration]

[Thought Acceleration: Upon activation, your brain's information processing speed becomes 10 times faster. Duration: 60 seconds. Current Level: 1]

[Consumed 0.06 units of cosmic essence. Remaining cosmic essence: 0.07 units]

Mark became dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. He had just wished for this kind of ability, and now he had it for real.

Unbelievable! If he could gain new superpowers like this, wouldn't he be invincible?

But that was just a fleeting wish. His special trait activated randomly, so goodbye to any cheat plans.

Mark immediately activated his new superpower. As he did, his vision became incredibly detailed. Every spectator's shout, every cheer became crystal clear to his ears. He could even see a tiny ant on the asphalt ground.

The world around him appeared to slow down, though in reality, everything was the same. It was just his information processing speed that had increased tenfold.

In this heightened state, Mark finally saw Super Silver's silhouette, charging towards him in slow motion, his silver sword gleaming in his hand.

Super Silver was clearly visible this time, his movements slowed to a crawl in Mark's mind. Every detail—the breath, the flex of his muscles—became vividly clear, almost surreal. It was an incredible sensation.

The thought barely had time to settle before Super Silver was upon him. Mark could see the determination in his eyes, the subtle shift in his stance just before he struck.

Adjusting his grip on the spear, he felt its reassuring weight in his hands, anchoring him in the present moment. The arena faded into the background, leaving only the intense exchange between them, a deadly dance on the stage.

Super Silver's sword descended in a sweeping arc, but this time, Mark was more than prepared. With a swift motion, he parried the blow effortlessly, the metallic clang resonating through the arena.

"What?!" Super Silver couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Someone had actually parried his sword.