Staring at the mysterious figure who'd concealed every inch of his identity, Herman Schultz felt his mind go completely blank.
This sudden stroke of fortune—or perhaps this sudden new source of terror—had come far too unexpectedly.
'Work for the Arbiter?'
Peter's passionate speech had undeniably stirred something inside him.
But after that initial excitement faded, the throbbing pain in his hands dragged him back to reality.
The man standing before him was unpredictable and ruthless.
Would working for someone like that really end well?
And besides...
'He's already destroyed my hands!'
In his current condition, Herman was practically disabled.
What value could he possibly offer anyone?
Seeing Herman staring at his ruined hands with an expression of uncertainty, Peter had little difficulty guessing what was troubling him.
He chuckled softly.
"You still seem to have doubts about what I'm capable of."
As he spoke, Peter reached toward Herman's twisted, broken hands.
"Watch carefully."
Herman instinctively lowered his gaze.
What he witnessed next was something he would remember for the rest of his life.
A soft, warm white light began radiating from Peter's palm.
The glow seemed almost alive, possessing a purity and radiance that could only be described as sacred.
Peter gently placed his glowing hand over Herman's left wrist, which had been twisted out of shape so severely that fractured bone protruded through the skin.
Immediately, an indescribable warmth spread from Herman's hands throughout his entire body.
The agonizing pain that had seemed to penetrate his very bones began disappearing at an unbelievable speed!
Before his astonished eyes, the fingers and wrists that Peter had forcibly snapped and twisted began moving back into their proper positions.
Broken bones knitted together beneath the white light.
Torn flesh regenerated.
Even the wounds where bone had pierced the skin closed and disappeared.
Within a mere three to five seconds, both of Herman's crippled hands had been miraculously restored to their original condition!
Herman cautiously moved his fingers.
All five digits on each hand responded perfectly.
He could bend, stretch, and rotate them without the slightest discomfort, as though the unbearable agony he'd experienced moments earlier had been nothing more than a nightmare.
"Th-this... this...!"
Herman's mouth fell open wide enough to fit an egg inside.
A series of meaningless sounds escaped his throat.
His brain seemed to have stopped working entirely.
Only after a long silence did he finally manage to speak.
"Are... are you an angel, sir?"
Herman hadn't experienced much of the extraordinary side of the world.
As far as he was concerned, an ability capable of healing injuries so effortlessly could only belong to a divine being.
Furthermore, Peter had introduced himself as the Arbiter.
That title naturally reminded Herman of the angels of judgment described in Christian mythology.
"If I wanted to dress up as one of those, I suppose I'd need a white-and-gold costume instead."
Peter made the offhand joke before patting Herman on the shoulder.
"Now then, Herman. Tell me your decision."
"Do you want to keep living like a rat in the gutter, or would you rather work for me and become someone you never even dared dream of being?"
Thud!
Without the slightest hesitation, Herman Schultz dropped onto one knee.
He awkwardly placed a hand over his heart, attempting a formal gesture of allegiance.
"Boss, thank you for giving me the chance to turn my life around!"
"I'm willing to follow you!"
"As long as you give the order, I'll do anything you ask—except murder people or set things on fire!"
"Don't worry. I won't ask you to murder anyone or commit arson."
Peter extended both hands and helped Herman back to his feet.
That simple gesture brought a sudden warmth to Herman's heart.
For a man who'd spent years being treated with contempt wherever he went, it was the first time in a very long while that he'd felt genuinely respected.
He was still feeling deeply moved when Peter's next sentence left him speechless.
"If I want someone dead, I generally kill them on the spot. There's no point making my subordinates go through all that trouble."
Herman: '...'
A moment ago, Peter had seemed almost like a saint bathed in golden light.
Now, in Herman's eyes, he had become something far more complicated.
Half angel.
Half demon.
After a brief period of stunned silence, Herman recovered enough to swallow nervously.
"So, boss... what do we do now?"
Beneath his hood, Peter's ears twitched slightly.
His enhanced hearing had picked up the distant sound of a bell coming from Midtown High School.
Lunch break was almost over.
After considering the situation, Peter took out his wallet and removed every hundred-dollar bill inside.
He placed the money in Herman's hands.
"First, find somewhere to clean yourself up."
"Then I want you to spend the next week developing a new battery."
"It should be the same size as the batteries you're currently using, but its capacity should be only around twenty percent of theirs."
"Once you've finished, give me the battery and all the relevant research materials."
"Can you do that?"
"No problem, boss!"
After receiving the money, Herman felt his nose sting with emotion.
Ever since his parents had passed away, he couldn't remember anyone showing him this kind of concern.
He nodded repeatedly.
Then, after a moment's hesitation, he couldn't resist asking another question.
"But boss... why would we deliberately develop a battery with less capacity?"
'Isn't that obvious?'
'If you release all your best technology at once, how are you supposed to keep making money from upgrades?'
Having lived through the countless questionable business practices of smartphone manufacturers in his previous life, Peter understood the value of gradually releasing improved products.
Naturally, he had no intention of explaining that particular strategy to Herman.
Instead, he offered a more respectable justification.
He said that possessing an extraordinary invention could attract dangerous attention, and he didn't want the major technology corporations targeting them before their business was established.
Although it was merely an excuse, Herman was deeply impressed.
'No wonder he's the boss and I'm the employee!'
After exchanging contact information with Herman, Peter was about to leave.
But then his gaze fell on the man's red-and-yellow suit and metal gauntlets.
He immediately reconsidered.
"Wait. Take off that costume and all your equipment."
"Who knows what the witnesses have already told the police about your appearance?"
"You wouldn't want to walk out of this alley and get arrested again five minutes later, would you?"
"Brilliant thinking, boss!"
Herman was once again moved by Peter's apparent thoughtfulness.
Without any further hesitation, he hurriedly removed the suit and gauntlets.
After Herman left the alley, Peter nodded in satisfaction.
Then he bent down and picked up the discarded equipment.
The instant his fingers touched it, a familiar system notification sounded in his mind.
[Dark-Green-Rarity Sacrificial Item Detected: Shocker's Criminal Equipment]
[Item Description: Shocker's costume and vibration gauntlets. Although this is only the first set of criminal equipment created by Shocker, it holds extraordinary sentimental significance for him.]
[Sacrifice Reward: 800 Points]
[Would you like to sacrifice this item?]
"Well, you're going straight now and becoming a respectable member of society."
Peter muttered to himself.
"So why don't I, as your boss, help you find a better use for this old equipment?"
Without hesitating, he selected the option to sacrifice it.
Watching another 800 Sacrifice Points enter his account, Peter couldn't help feeling delighted.
Not only had he recruited a talented specialist like Herman Schultz, but he'd also obtained another substantial reward from the Sacrifice System.
'Man, being a superhero really is wonderful!'
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