53. Becoming a Superhero

Becoming a Superhero

These days, most people have played a role-playing computer game at least once. Even someone like me, who had almost no interest in games, had tried one or two out of curiosity.

After more than a week of living through the real version of a “game,” I could confidently say that reality resembled those games I barely remembered about as much as watching an action movie resembled actually shooting a gun and being shot by one.

Cheng Rui’s near-death experience had shaken Chi Li badly. My best friend stayed by the bed where he was slowly recovering and refused to leave.

For me, it only confirmed something I already knew: the fact that we had survived this long was nothing short of a miracle.

Name: Ye LinProfile: Female human, 17 years, 3 months, 13 days old

Abilities [10 available / 56 total]Force Adjustment lv3Force Sense lv2Forcefield Creation lv2Forced Acceleration lv3Constant Force lv2Persistent Force lv2Progressive Regeneration lv3Proximal Manipulation lv3Super Suit lv1Defensive Counter lv1Instant Action lv1Temporal Jump lv1Spatial Distortion lv1Spatial Jump lv1

Attributes [10 available / 56 total]Strength 22, Agility 12, Intelligence 6, Perception 9, Spirit 12, Luck 2

Looking at all the points accumulated from a single battle—enough to significantly improve my combat ability—I wondered for one moment whether Cheng Rui would still be lying unconscious in bed, nearly crippled, if I had used those points earlier.

The thought lasted only a moment.

A good memory and sharper awareness did not allow me the luxury of self-blame.

There had been no chance to upgrade during the fight. Even a few seconds of adjustment could have led to mistakes, and those mistakes would have gotten me and others killed.

This was not like a game. Checking your character sheet in battle was like texting while driving in a Formula One race—except all the other drivers were insane and actively trying to ram you.

That realization was not comforting.

It meant I had to set aside my worry for my friends, the exhaustion after adrenaline faded, several fresh and intimate experiences of the horrors of war, and every other distraction, then decide how to distribute these points before carrying out the new mission.

That mission could not wait hours or days while I sorted myself out, because delay meant more people would die.

Being a superhero truly sucked.

But someone still had to do it.

One major advantage of super-speed was that a few minutes of preparation could stretch into half an hour subjectively.

Proximal Manipulation also meant I could use my powers to fill a bathtub in seconds. The same principle that let Force Adjustment ignite air let me make the water instantly steaming hot.

As for changing clothes, I simply dismissed Super Suit and used my powers to scrub away the dirt, grease, and blood from my body.

Then, before anyone could say “practical superpowers,” I jumped into the tub. The last time I had worn ordinary, easily damaged clothing had been about a week earlier.

So there I was, soaking in hot, bubbly heaven, making serious decisions.

Someone once said that only insects specialize.

It was wonderful in theory to be able to do everything, but the truth was that people had limited time and resources.

The more skills a person tried to learn, the less time and fewer resources they could devote to any one of them. The result was mediocrity and failure.

There were more than ten thousand professions in the world, each with its own requirements. Specialization was necessary.

The same applied to these magical powers we had gained.

My new abilities had already proven useful. It was good that I could now deal with situations I previously could not handle. But available points were limited, because earning more required ever-greater challenges.

So there were two important questions: what abilities did I need, and what kind of person did I want to become?

Given the way magic affected my body, mind, and…