There. A local bike shop's online clearance section. A Giant TCR Advanced. Carbon fiber frame, Shimano 105 groupset. Two years old, last year's colourway, hence the discount. Originally retailed around $2,200. On sale for $1,000. Perfect. It had the pedigree, the right materials. It was a canvas worthy of his power.
The price made him pause. $1,000. That was more than a third of his current capital. A single bet, far riskier than the knives. Failure wasn't just inconvenient; it pushed him right back to the brink of financial ruin. The image of the eviction notice, the memory of the guards escorting him out of the bank tower, they flashed behind his eyes. Fear, cold and metallic, tasted on his tongue.
He clenched his jaw. No risk, no reward. This was the kind of calculated gamble necessary to escape the gravity of his past. He typed in his debit card details, the numbers decreasing on his online banking portal with sickening finality. $1825.62 remaining. He arranged for pickup, shipping something this valuable and bulky was out of the question.
Later that day, wrestling the surprisingly light bike box through his apartment door felt like smuggling treasure into a secret tree hole. He cleared a space amidst the debris, carefully assembling the machine. Even un-enhanced, it was a thing of stark beauty. Sleek black carbon frame with subtle grey logos, clean lines, components that looked precise and purposeful. It felt leagues away from the cheap junk littering his apartment, a symbol of the world he aspired to rejoin.
Evening descended, painting the grimy windows with strokes of orange and purple. The internal hum of his power had returned earlier, a low thrum of potential waiting to be unleashed. Ten charges ready. It was time.
He approached the bike not as a rider, but as an artisan focusing on his craft. He could, he suspected, just touch the frame and infuse the entire bike with a single +1. But this was his flagship project, his high-stakes gamble. It needed to be perfect, overwhelmingly superior. Each key component deserved individual attention. Precision work.
He knelt, placing a hand gently on the sculpted carbon fibre top tube. Frame. +1 Stiffness, Durability, Responsiveness. He pushed his intent, focusing the power into the intricate weave of the material. Ping. A deep, resonant hum vibrated through the frame, a feeling like settling density, a tightening of its very structure. It felt… more solid, more present. One charge down.
He moved to the front wheel, fingers tracing the rim, the thin spokes. Wheelset (Front). +1 Strength, Rolling Efficiency, Trueness.Ping. A cleaner, higher tone this time. Two.
Rear wheel. Ping. Three.
Crankset – the heart of the drivetrain. He touched the cold metal of the crank arm. +1 Stiffness, Power Transfer Efficiency.Ping. Four.
Front derailleur. +1 Shifting Speed, Precision.Ping. Five.
Rear derailleur. +1 Shifting Speed, Precision, Durability.Ping. Six.
Brake calipers, front and rear. +1 Stopping Power, Modulation.Ping.Ping. Eight.
Handlebars. +1 Stiffness, Vibration Dampening.Ping. Nine.
Seatpost. +1 Strength, Security. He focused, pushing the last dregs of his daily allowance into the simple carbon tube. Ping. Ten. Fainter this time, leaving behind the familiar feeling of psychic emptiness, the quiet waiting for the 24-hour recharge.
He stood back, hands tingling slightly, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple despite the cool air. The bike looked unchanged. No visible aura, no magical glow. But Theo felt the difference. It seemed to sit with greater poise, radiating a subtle energy of coiled potential. It felt tighter, sharper, more integrated.
He had to know.
Waiting until the dead of night, when the streets were relatively deserted save for the usual nocturnal ghosts, Theo carried the bike down the rattling fire escape, his heart pounding with anticipation and the thrill of the clandestine. He wore dark, nondescript clothing, pulling a beanie low over his forehead. On the cracked pavement below, bathed in the sickly yellow glow of a single functioning streetlight, he swung a leg over the frame.
The moment his feet clipped into the pedals and he pushed off, he knew.
Oh.
The bike didn't just roll, it surged. It leaped forward with an eagerness that startled him. The enhanced frame felt impossibly stiff, translating every ounce of his effort into pure, forward momentum. It was light before, but now it felt almost weightless, dancing over the uneven pavement. The wheels hummed, a smooth, frictionless sound, holding their line with uncanny precision.
He shifted gears. The clicks were instantaneous, telepathic. The chain snapped onto the next cog with zero hesitation, the enhanced derailleurs operating with a speed and accuracy that belonged on a Tour de France machine. He accelerated, pushing harder, the wind whipping past his ears, tearing at his clothes. The bike responded instantly, eagerly, feeling like an extension of his own body, a perfectly calibrated instrument of speed.
He swerved around a pothole, the bike leaning with fluid grace, the tires gripping the asphalt tenaciously. He braked hard as a stray cat darted out from an alley. The enhanced brakes bit down with smooth, immense power, scrubbing off speed without a hint of judder or fade.
This wasn't just a +1 bike. This felt like a +10. It was phenomenal. Exhilarating. He rode for nearly an hour, looping through the darkened, derelict streets of his neighbourhood, a phantom rider on a machine that felt utterly alien to the surroundings. He felt a surge of pure, unadulterated confidence. He could sell this. Easily. This wasn't just marketing fluff, this was a genuinely superior product. The $4,000 asking price suddenly felt entirely reasonable, maybe even modest.
Returning to his apartment, muscles pleasantly aching, mind buzzing, he immediately set to work on the online listing. No new brand name this time. High-end bikes relied on established marques. Giant was the brand. His enhancement would be the hidden value proposition.
He took meticulous photos, capturing the bike's sleek lines under the harsh glare of his apartment light. Then, the description: