The rain hadn't stopped.
Ren stood in front of the convenience store across from his apartment building. His hood was up, his hands in his pockets, and the system interface still hovered faintly in the corner of his vision.
> đź“Ł Target proximity: 14 meters.
đź“Ł Compatible ability: Detected.
📣 Class: D — "Thermal Touch"
đź“Ł Initiate copy?
He stared at the glass window.
Inside, a boy no older than seventeen restocked instant noodles. Ren recognized him—Kai, a local high schooler. Quiet. Kept to himself. Always wore gloves, even in summer.
Word around the block?
Kai could boil water just by holding it.
Thermal Touch.
A low-tier ability, sure. But still an ability.
Ren's pulse quickened. The menu blinked once more.
> âś… Initiate Copy? [Yes] / [No]
He hesitated. This was it.
Do I really want this?
What if this hurts him?
What if—
> đź“Ł Copying initiated...
Ren's body moved before his thoughts could catch up. He stepped through the automatic doors, and the bell chimed with a soft ding.
Kai looked up, startled.
"Uh... hey," he said nervously, clutching the noodle box.
Ren didn't answer. His eyes locked onto Kai's hands—gloved, trembling slightly.
Suddenly, Ren felt it.
Like electricity crawling under his skin. A heat blooming in his palms.
Then—
> 📣 Ability: Thermal Touch — Successfully copied.
đź“Ł Stability: 100%
đź“Ł Enhancement protocol available.
đź“Ł Do you wish to enhance this ability?
> [Enhance] — requires internal energy.
[Skip]
Ren blinked.
> Enhance?
So I don't just copy them... I can make them stronger?
---
He took a step back and left the store without saying a word.
Outside, he lifted his bare hand. The rain hit his skin and steamed instantly. His breath caught.
The air around his fingers shimmered like a mirage.
His skin didn't burn—but the heat was real.
He closed his palm.
And suddenly, the puddle near his feet began to boil. Steam hissed upward in angry spirals.
---
> đź“Ł Enhancement available: Double Output / Elemental Mutation / External Transfer
đź“Ł Select one?
Ren swallowed.
He didn't know how. He didn't know why.
But this wasn't just copying.
It was rewriting.
He chose:
> âś… Double Output
A rush of fire surged up his arm—but it didn't hurt.
It obeyed him.
They thought I was powerless...
Now I can double their power and give it back tenfold.
---
Later that night, back in his apartment—tiny, broken, lit only by the flickering light of a faulty lamp—Ren stared at the cracked mirror above his sink.
His reflection looked... different.
Not just his eyes—though they seemed to glow faintly now—but the way he held himself.
No slouch.
No fear.
Just… purpose.
> đź“Ł Replication Level: 1/???
đź“Ł New ability slots unlocked: [1/3]
đź“Ł System expanding...
He smirked.
If this was just the beginning...
Then the world had no idea what was coming.
---
Somewhere across the city...
An old man watched a glowing map, red dots blinking on a digital grid.
He frowned.
"Another late awakener," he muttered.
"And this one... doesn't register properly."
A woman beside him raised an eyebrow.
"Should we report it to the Council?"
The man shook his head.
"Not yet. Let's observe. If he's just another Class C, he'll burn out eventually."
But neither of them noticed the faint pulse in the grid.
A pulse that didn't blink.
It expanded.
đź“Ł Do you wish to enhance this ability?
Ren's jaw tensed. His hand still hovered near the display fridge, radiating low heat that made the glass fog up. He stepped backward and left the store without another word, the doorbell chiming behind him.
Outside, the rain still poured—but it no longer felt cold. His skin buzzed with energy, a strange warmth dancing beneath the surface.
He moved to the alley beside the building, out of sight, and held out his hand.
A droplet of rain touched his palm.
Ssssshhh...
It vaporized instantly.
He closed his eyes and focused. Just like he'd seen others do on the news or in the arena streams. The interface responded to his thoughts.
> đź“Ł Enhancement options for: [Thermal Touch]
— [Double Output]
— [Elemental Mutation: Flame Arc]
— [External Transfer]
Three choices. All sounded powerful.
But something in him leaned toward raw force.
> ✅ Double Output — Confirm?
[Confirmed]
Suddenly, it was like his veins lit up. The heat doubled—no, tripled—in intensity, but instead of burning him, it wrapped around his nerves like a second skin. He could feel the limits of the original ability… and how he had now surpassed them.
He reached out to a small puddle on the alley floor.
SsssHHHHT!
The water boiled instantly, steam rising in a sharp burst.
Then the concrete beneath it began to crack.
Ren stumbled back, blinking.
> I just boiled the ground.
He laughed quietly, still half-shocked. This was just a D-rank ability, enhanced once. What would happen if he copied something stronger?
A-level?
S-rank?
What if he could replicate a power no one could even control?
---
He returned home an hour later, still buzzing with heat that wouldn't leave his core. The building was as depressing as always: stained walls, flickering lights, and silence.
He climbed the stairs two at a time.
Each step felt lighter than the last.
Inside his tiny apartment, he dropped the soggy bread bag on the counter, not even hungry anymore.
His reflection in the cracked mirror stared back at him.
But he didn't look like himself.
He looked... awake.
> đź“Ł System update complete.
đź“Ł New slot unlocked: 1/3 abilities stored.
đź“Ł System Scan enabled: Radius 100 meters.
A small radar appeared in the corner of his vision—a circular map showing faint dots.
Two nearby.
One blue. One red.
> Blue: dormant or low-level
Red: active ability in use
The red dot moved slowly along the sidewalk outside.
Ren rushed to the window and peeked through the blinds.
A man in a tracksuit walked past—nothing unusual—until the guy tossed a cigarette into the air and flicked it midair, making it disappear completely.
No spark. No smoke.
Gone.
> 📣 Ability detected: Displacement — Class C+
Would you like to engage copy sequence?
Ren narrowed his eyes.
No. Not yet. He needed control.
Displacement sounded tricky. Probably unstable.
But he memorized the face.
---
The next morning
For the first time in years, Ren didn't sleep through his alarm.
He was up early. No fatigue. No aches. His mind was sharp, hyperaware.
He wore his jacket like armor now.
Not to hide himself, but to contain what had finally awakened inside.
As he stepped into the street, he glanced at his hand and whispered:
"Today... the world stops ignoring me."