Chapter 54

A NEW POWER

After congratulating Talia, the others quickly realized that they all had hit at least one threshold themselves.

The mystery of ascension had long since lost its charm in favor of the desire to clean up immediately. So the team went their own ways to handle their own ascensions, with Augustus shouting after Talia that he recommended she do hers in the shower.

Less than an hour later, they reconvened in the armory for a second time. Augustus leaned against his workbench, arms crossed, while Annie sat on a crate kicking her heels idly. Alexander paced, restless with thoughts about his actions during the battle.

Talia arrived last. Her steps were steady, but her face told a different story. She looked like she’d seen a ghost, and her usual composure seemed almost painted on.

She didn’t speak to them when she entered, instead pulling the door shut behind her, and immediately approaching the device to display her status information.

[STATUS]

Talia Kim

| Alias: Unknown

| Organization: Grimnir

| Designation: Supervillain

| Bounty: [Calculating]

| Evaluation: Tier 2 (1%) — Class C+

ASCENSION POTENTIAL INDEX (API)

Physical Attributes

| Strength ✧ 101

| Endurance ✧ 101

| Constitution ✧ 101

| Dexterity ✧ 101

| Agility ✧ 101

Cognitive Attributes

| Intelligence ✧ 101

| Processing Speed ✧ 101

| Perception ✧ 101

| Focus ✧ 101

| Willpower (Perfection) ✧ 101 (+1)

Power Manifestation

Cognitive Resonance | Class C, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 93%

| Control — 95%

| Output — 77%

| Adaptation — 84%

Mind Palace | Class C, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 100%

| Control — 81% → 86%

| Output — 60% → 63%

| Adaptation — 40% → 48%

Techniques (1/3)

| Realm of the Mind

Skills

| Perfect Control

Achievements

| First Perfect Ascension

| Continue the Dream

The holo display reflected in each of their eyes. They skimmed past the familiar, instinctively searching for the new. And there it was, near the bottom: two sections none of them had ever seen before. Skills was ignored in favor of something truly new to them.

Achievements.

Beneath it sat two entries, gleaming in gold script. The second of them was:

First Perfect Ascension.

Talia opened it with a flick.

The description printed out before them.

[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]

First Perfect Ascension

You are the first within EARTH_1 to achieve a Perfect Tier 2 Ascension.

Through relentless effort and synchronization with your Willpower’s aspect, you have embodied your Dream. Your essence has been defined: Perfection.

For the combination of these two extreme successes, you have received the following reward.

Reward: Third Superpower Slot Unlocked.

(Note: An additional serum injection is required to awaken this power. You must show Control over superpowers to reveal them in your status information.)

Everyone froze.

No one spoke. Even Annie had nothing to say, her mouth opening, closing, then hanging slack as she stared at the words. Augustus’s careful composure cracked for the first time since the battle with Flashpoint.

Alexander exhaled, the weight of this new knowledge pressing down on him with its implications. He opened his mouth to speak, but Annie beat him to it.

“Okay, wait, hold up,” she said, jabbing a finger at the hovering text, eyes wide. “You’re telling me you get another power? Like, just like that? Talia’s over here, cool as ice, and this System thing is like, congrats, have a whole new power slot, no biggie. What’s it gonna be? What if it’s something totally awesome, like teleportation, or cloning! Imagine two Talias. Or ten. We’d never lose a fight again!”

She hopped off the crate, pacing now as the words spilled faster. “And hang on, this means we have to get her the serum. Do you know how impossible it will be for supervillains to get a vial? Okay, sure, Alex might figure out a plan to steal one, but still. And wait, if she can unlock a third power, does that mean I could get a fourth? Like, is that how this works now? Could we just keep stacking powers forever until we’re all like, I dunno, apocalyptically strong? Because I’m so down for that. I mean, not being an apocalypse, but you get what I’m saying, right?”

Her tirade ended with her gesturing wildly at the glowing achievement, like it might start answering her back. She finally stopped, then bent over, breathing hard, clearly just a little excited.

Talia’s lips twitched, the shock finally easing from her face. Augustus rubbed his temples.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Alexander muttered. “At least she wasn’t driving this time.”

Augustus patted Annie on the head. “I don’t think it was ‘just like that,’ no. It seems like a combined reward for two difficult accomplishments…” He frowned, hesitating a moment. “I am still uncomfortable with the idea of something so powerful that it can both try to kill us by trapping us in a fight with an invading army and reward us with something that most people would kill for.”

“Well, I can’t simply walk into a corporate facility and get another injection, either,” Talia said. “For several obvious reasons.”

“So we steal it, like Annie said,” Alexander said with a shrug, not in the least worried. “When we’re ready, we’ll hit up a facility that provides injections with a quick smash and grab. We should probably take extras, just in case.”

Annie jabbed a finger at him, still bent over. “And there it is.”

Alexander laughed. “What? That’s not even a plan. I’m just saying that I’m sure we can get our hands on it.”

“Only the five mega-corporations supply it,” Augustus said. “Making Santiago Systems the obvious choice.”

“Why do only those five have it?” Alexander asked, frowning. It wasn’t a topic he’d considered before.

Annie straightened. “None of them were willing to let the others get a monopoly, so they agreed to buy it out together,” she said. “And it’s rumored that they killed its creators, because nobody has seen them since.”

“The serum’s creators? Who?”

“Doctors Wilhelmina and Wilhelmina Kruger,” Talia answered.

Stolen from NovelBin, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Alexander frowned. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d heard it.

Annie jumped in, waving her hands for emphasis. “The Doctor twins! They worked together to create the serum. Got laughed out of half the universities in Europe for their pseudoscience, but they kept at it, anyway. And when they finally cracked it, they instantly became two of the greatest minds ever.”

That’s when it hit Alexander. “Are you talking about the first jump drive test pilot?”

Talia nodded. “Yes.”

Alexander blinked at her, then looked between the others. “Didn’t she die? The space agency announced the first jump drive was a complete failure.”

They all stared at him as if he’d lost it. Augustus’s brow furrowed. Talia tilted hers slightly, waiting for him to correct himself.

Annie was the one who broke the silence. “Uh, no? It was one of the greatest successes in science. Her test proved that the drive worked, and the follow-up missions led us to meeting aliens.”

Alexander rubbed his temple, trying to resist the growing headache. “Right. One of the anomalies between my reality and yours…”

Annie leaned forward, excitement returning. “Anyway! What’s the other achievement?”

Talia tapped the first one.

[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]

Continue your Dream

You have survived a battle with Dreamers from another universe. Continue your Dream, and prove yourself superior against all contenders.

Reward: Willpower increased by 1%.

(Note: Increase does not count toward breaking ascension thresholds.)

Annie scowled. “That’s way less cool than the other one.”

“I have it as well,” Augustus said. “I assume we all do.”

“Then let’s share and see what else we've got,” Annie said.

She went first.

[STATUS]

Annette Sheridan

| Alias: Scrappy [Unregistered]

| Organization: Grimnir

| Designation: Supervillain

| Bounty: [Calculating]

| Evaluation: Tier 2 (1%) — Class B-

ASCENSION POTENTIAL INDEX (API)

Physical Attributes

| Strength — 93% → 96%

| Endurance — 77% → 85%

| Constitution — 89% → ✧ 101

| Dexterity — 81% → 85%

| Agility ✧ 106 → 118

Cognitive Attributes

| Intelligence — 82% → 85%

| Processing Speed — 69% → 77%

| Perception — 75%

| Focus ✧ 109 → 114

| Willpower (Heart) — 96% → ✧ 101 (+1)

Power Manifestation

MetaMetal Adaptation | Class B, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 98% → 99%

| Control — 86% → 90%

| Output — 36% → 46%

| Adaptation — 91% → 92%

Thermal Flux Control | Class C, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 74% → 75%

| Control — 24% → 39%

| Output — 26% → 34%

| Adaptation — 33% → 38%

Density Flux Control | Class C, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 68% → 70%

| Control — 32% → 43%

| Output — 26% → 37%

| Adaptation — 29% → 34%

Techniques (1/3)

| Nutcracker

Skills

| Combat Lock

Achievements

| Continue the Dream

“I ascended Constitution and Willpower,” Annie said proudly. “Soon I’ll be as hard to kill as Flashpoint.”

Talia pointed at Annie’s Willpower attribute. “I got Perfection, which basically says my need for discipline and the relentless pursuit of self-improvement are who I am and how I grow stronger. What’s yours?”

“It says my Will is forged from courage and passion. That I’m driven by the unshakeable truth of what I love, and that I must not waver when my conviction is tested,” Annie said, paraphrasing. Then she shrugged. “That’s just me, obviously.”

Alexander shook his head in amusement, exchanging a look with Augustus.

“Hey, there are descriptions for these now,” Annie said, activating the information screen for techniques and skills.

Techniques

Techniques are specialized manifestations of your superpowers. They allow the expansion of a power’s scope, mastery of function, or a temporary bypass of limitations.

(Note: Technique capacity is increased with each Tier of Ascension. One at Tier 1, an additional two at Tier 2, and so on.)

Skills

Skills are the refinement of natural or trained abilities, pushed to their extremes. They represent physical or cognitive mastery elevated to the edge of the supernatural. Skills may function independently, but often interface with powers, amplifying scope and efficiency.

(Note: The first skill is granted by the System and tied to your first Ascended attribute. Others must be trained or gained through rewards.)

Alexander nodded slowly. “Blackout came to me when I was trying to stretch my powers further than I could, while also trying to shut down more devices than I really should have been able to.”

Annie scowled. “I wasted my first technique on punching people. That’s so unfair!”

“It lets you control all three powers in an instant, though,” Talia said, trying to reassure her. “And you said that’s really difficult for you to do.”

“I guess,” Annie said, shoulders slumped. Then she perked up. “At least I didn’t waste mine on a storage closet!”

Augustus crossed his arms. “The Storage Closet has been a great success, thank you very much. It has been quite useful.”

Before Annie could offer a rebuttal, he flicked his own status over to the holo. “I ascended Constitution, Processing Speed, and Perception.”

[STATUS]

Augustus Greaves

| Alias: Unknown

| Designation: Supervillain

| Organization: Grimnir

| Bounty: [Calculating]

| Evaluation: Tier 2 (2%) — Class B

ASCENSION POTENTIAL INDEX (API)

Physical Attributes

| Strength — 94%

| Endurance ✧ 137 → 144

| Constitution — 98% → ✧ 101

| Dexterity — 83% → 85%

| Agility — 73% → 79%

Cognitive Attributes

| Intelligence — 93% → 98%

| Processing Speed — 97% → ✧ 101

| Perception — 99% → ✧ 101

| Focus ✧ 101 → 107

| Willpower (Mystery) ✧ 165 → 168 (+1)

Power Manifestation

Arcane Seeker (Sorcery) | Class B, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 88% → 89%

| Control — 97% → 99%

| Output — 82% → 83%

| Adaptation — 98% → 99%

Techniques (1/3)

| Storage Closet

Skills

| Warden

Achievements

| Continue the Dream

“What is Warden?” Alexander asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

Augustus selected it, bringing up the new information screen for it.

Skill: Warden

Associated Attribute: Willpower

Your Willpower is built on the need to pursue Mystery. However, you have not forgotten that you are also protector and guardian.

Willpower enhances superpowers and attributes when embodying your true self. You receive the same enhancement when acting as a Warden.

“That would have been useful to know before now,” Augustus grumbled. “Perhaps I can expand on my shielding magic…”

“Does that mean we can all train a second Willpower aspect?” Talia mused. “That could be quite an advantage. I don’t know how I am supposed to embody perfection while fighting someone.”

“Me either. Am I meant to just ambitiously beat up people?” Alexander said with a shrug.

Annie put her hand up. “Is that why you wouldn’t tell us about Willpower?” she asked Augustus.

“Yes,” Augustus said with a slow nod. “Training Willpower by copying what worked for others turned out to be counterproductive. It kept people from being themselves. Your Willpower aspect reflects who you are at your core, while the attribute itself measures how strongly you can bend reality. How forcefully you can project your powers so that they can’t be ignored or resisted by other people’s Wills.”

They each considered Augustus’s words. The man had been toying with powers from the early days, and the insights he had were borne of experience the rest of them lacked.

A moment later, Alexander sent his own status to the display. He hadn’t got any further after realizing his Willpower had finally hit the threshold, and going through the ascension process for it.

[STATUS]

Alexander Rooke

| Alias: Unknown

| Organization: Grimnir

| Designation: Supervillain

| Bounty: [Calculating]

| Evaluation: Tier 2 (1%) — Class B

ASCENSION POTENTIAL INDEX (API)

Physical Attributes

| Strength — 69% → 72%

| Endurance — 76% → 80%

| Constitution — 73% → 77%

| Dexterity — 88%

| Agility — 73%

Cognitive Attributes

| Intelligence ✧ 105 → 113

| Processing Speed ✧ 101 → 107

| Perception ✧ 107 → 111

| Focus — 89% → 94%

| Willpower (Ambition) — 98% → ✧ 101 (+1)

Power Manifestation

Technopathy | Class B, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 92% → 94%

| Control — 85% → 90%

| Output — 46% → 51%

| Adaptation — 82% → 86%

Electrokinesis | Class C, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 46% → 50%

| Control — 42% → 43%

| Output — 44% → 49%

| Adaptation — 29% → 31%

Metallokinesis | Class B, Tier 1

| Efficiency — 48% → 56%

| Control — 11% → 25%

| Output — 17% → 25%

| Adaptation — 22% → 27%

Techniques (1/3)

| Blackout

Skills

| Hyperawareness

Achievements

| Origin 0 Soul

| Continue the Dream

“What’s an origin soul?” Annie asked, pointing at the golden script denoting his first achievement.

“I don’t know…” Alexander murmured. He pulled up the info, curious to find out.

[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]

Origin 0 Soul

You are the first soul from Earth_0 to survive the superpower awakening process of Earth_1.

The awakening process of Earth_1 causes extensive harm to the soul, resulting in the host's death. Earth_0, as the origin of Earth_1, contains compatible souls, which are extracted to support the awakening of the host’s Dream, ensuring they survive.

Your soul survived the process, instead absorbing the other. Your Ambition consumed your other self’s Hope.

Congratulations. May your Dreamcodntiinuee.

Reward: Origin 0 Soul’s Superpower Awakened: Animachina.

(Note: Awakening has already occurred. You must show Control over superpowers to reveal them in your status information.)

“What the hell?”