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Control: 50
Strength: 7
Defense: 6
Speed: 8
Spirit: 17
(Note: A healthy grown man's score is 10 for each)
Skills: D-Class Metal Control, E-Class Body Strengthening
Strengthening: Golden Eye (8%)
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The screen in Ellen's mind had changed. A new image of his whole body appeared, with a special golden light shining from the eyes.
He reached out his right hand, and a new iron rod flew over from the metal rack in the corner.
Golden Eye? Let's see what this does.
"Leo! Come down for breakfast! I'm taking you to school soon!" Aunt Jenny called from downstairs.
"Coming now!" Ellen's eyes went wide with surprise. The iron rod in his hand broke in two. He wiped his hands over the pieces, and they changed shape into two round weights, which he tied to his calves. He grabbed a new jacket and his schoolbag and hurried downstairs.
Aunt Jenny was still busy in the kitchen. Uncle George was already sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.
"Jenny, Leo, the paper says two monsters attacked Manhattan last night. Hundreds of people died. It's terrible. It's just not safe out there anymore." Uncle George put the paper down and patted Ellen's head. "Leo, you can't go out alone at night, okay? If you need to go somewhere, tell us, and I'll go with you."
"George, Leo has always been very independent. I'm not worried about him. He's a good boy; he won't go running off!" Jenny came out with plates of fried eggs, ham, and hot dog buns. The three plates were piled high—enough to feed five people.
Ellen patted his stomach and said obediently, "Don't worry, I won't go out for no reason. I just got some new model orders that will pay a few hundred dollars! Uncle, Aunt, I'm really hungry, I'm going to eat now!"
He picked up two buns and started eating them with the ham and eggs, as if the snacks he'd just eaten were nothing. He ate like a starving young man.
George watched Ellen eating. "Leo, it's good to have a hobby, but don't work too hard. You're only ten. We might not make a lot of money, but we have more than enough to take care of you!"
"And even though Leo eats a lot, he makes almost as much as we do! Right, Leo?" Jenny sat down, smiling as she patted Ellen's head.
George and Jenny were a normal couple—a company worker and an electrical engineer. They fell in love, got married, and had been together for ten years, but they never had children. Tests showed they both had problems having kids, but they never gave up hope.
One day, on their way to an adoption center, they found a five-year-old Ellen, who had fainted from hunger. They felt he was a gift from God and took him home. They had treated him like their own son ever since.
They tried to call him by his original name, but it always came out as "Leo," and the name stuck.
Leo kept eating. Even after two full buns, his stomach still felt empty. All the food he ate, except for what his body used for basic energy, went straight to his brain.
It turned into a special power. Mixing this power with metal could slowly improve his control over it. This was the training method he had discovered for himself. Right now, the metal weights on his calves were being slowly absorbed.
A warm feeling spread through his eyes. The progress of his 'Golden Eye' ability went from 8% to 9% in that short time.
Leo, acting like a champion eater, finished the rest of the food. He picked up his small school bag, and Uncle George drove him to school.
They drove down two streets. Jenny saw a pretty young woman walking toward the elementary school with a little boy.
"Hey, that's my coworker, May!" she said.
George drove over happily. "Hi, May! Where are you headed? And who's this little one? Is he yours, May?"
"Jenny! This is my sister's son, Peter. He's living with me now. Peter, say hello to Aunt Jenny." May held Peter's hand and smiled at Jenny.
"Oh, you're so cute! What's your name?" Jenny asked.
"Peter... Peter Parker," the little boy said softly, shrinking back a little.
Jenny opened the car door. "May, get in! We can go together. Leo goes to that school too. Leo can play with Peter from now on!"
Ellen looked at the six-year-old first-grader beside him and almost hit his own head. 'Oh my god! Aunt May! Peter Parker! I just met Spider-Man as a little kid!'
Looking at the shy little Peter, Ellen grinned and held out his hand.
"Hi, I'm Leo. I'm ten years old and in fourth grade. From now on, you can call me Big Brother Leo! I can take you to school."
Peter looked at Ellen, and the two boys were connected in a strange new way.
...
That evening, Ellen lay on his bed, feeling happy. His mind was full of thoughts about Spider-Man. "Peter Parker! It's really him! I'm so lucky!"
Clink, clink. The two metal weights fell from his pants legs and flew into the scrap metal box on their own, where they broke into several pieces.
Ellen waved his hand, and a small piece of silver steel flew from the metal rack in the room into his hand. The steel, which was very hard, now felt like clay in his hands. In just a short time, he had shaped it into a rough human form. After a few more minutes of careful work, a detailed metal model of Spider-Man was finished.
It was beautifully made, smooth and perfect, as if it had been made in a factory, but even more lively and real. "I could sell this for at least a hundred dollars!"
He opened his display case. It was filled with all kinds of metal superhero and villain models. Many were waiting to be shipped to buyers, but some were just for his own collection, like this Spider-Man and his Iron Man Mark 1 model.
He closed the cabinet and tried to calm down. After a whole day of effort, his Golden Eye progress had reached 49%, but the two iron weights on his legs had been completely used up.
He pulled out another piece of iron, pressed his hands on it, and countless golden sparks flowed out, merging into his body and rushing toward his eyes once more.
From deep within his black pupils, a tiny golden dot of light appeared. It slowly grew until it filled his entire eyeball. He opened his eyes, and two beams of light shot out into the air before slowly fading away.
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Control: 50
Strength: 7
Defence: 6
Speed: 8
Spirit: 17
Skills: D-Class Metal Control, D-Class Body Strengthening
Strengthening: Golden Eye (50%), Copper Skin (3%), Steel Muscle (0%), Iron Bone (0%)
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At the same time, Ellen's eyes felt different. He hadn't turned on the light in his room, and now that it was getting dark, the room should have been very dim. But for Ellen, everything was as clear as day, maybe even clearer.
Looking outside, the world looked like it did in the daytime. The night had no effect on his vision.
But that wasn't all. Ellen focused a little, and a golden light appeared in his eyes. The walls around him seemed to vanish, and he could see right into the houses of his neighbours.
'Uncle Kai next door is cooking. I always thought Aunt Jing did the cooking?'
'Hey, isn't that Xiao Rui from my class? Why is he rolling on the floor?'
'Oh, is Aunt Aida hiding her secret money?'
'Sister Daibi is already doing her homework as soon as she got home!'
'Uh-oh, Aunt Donna isn't sleeping next to Uncle Fitz... yikes!'
Ellen looked around at all his neighbours. The Golden Eye didn't just give him night vision; it also gave him X-ray vision. He could even see clearly into a room a hundred meters away.
Suddenly, he froze. "Over there... someone's being robbed! At gunpoint!"