I rested my forearms on the smooth glass of the desk, lacing my fingers together.
"System," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying the absolute authority of a man who had just conquered death itself. "Initialize the interface."
[Oh, it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Boss!] the System's voice chimed in my head, practically vibrating with digital euphoria. [I have to say, the whole 'shatter her into a million pieces' maneuver? Ten out of ten for theatricality. But the loot? The loot is what we're really here for. Pulling up the bank statement now. Try not to pass out from the sheer zeroes.]
The air in front of me shimmered, the holographic interface projecting a glowing overlay directly into my field of vision.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
[HOST: Aryan Spencer]
[PREVIOUS BALANCE: 600 XP]
[ANNABETH MOREAU CONVERSION: +3,000 XP]
[MARIE MOREAU CONVERSIONS: +15,500 XP]
[TOTAL EXPERIENCE POINTS (XP): 19,100]
[CURRENT POWERS:]
Cryokinesis (Tier 1
Biokinesis (Tier 1)
Resurrection (Tier 1)
Super Strength (Tier 1)
Super Defence (Tier 1)
Super Speed (Tier 1)
Teleportation (Tier 2)
Super Stamina (Tier 2)
Enhanced Senses (Tier 2)
Fire Manipulation (Tier 3)
Telekinesis (Tier 3)
Shapeshifting (Tier 3)
Size Alteration (Tier 3)
Telepathy (Tier 3)
Cloning (Tier 4)
I stared at the number. Nineteen thousand, one hundred.
"Nineteen thousand," I murmured aloud, tasting the words.
[You've effectively cornered the market on godhood,] the System said, a smug satisfaction in its tone. [With this much XP, you are rewriting the laws of physics that apply to you. We can max out almost everything that matters. The board is yours, Boss. How do you want to play it?]
I leaned back, closing my eyes. My physical attributes were already maxed out.
My Tier 1 Strength, Defence, Speed and Regeneration made me effectively invincible in a physical confrontation.
Adding Tier 1 Biokinesis meant I could control the very flesh and blood of anyone who dared to stand against me and Tier 1 Resurrection meant that even if they managed the impossible, it wouldn't stick.
"We focus on operational supremacy," I said, opening my eyes. The blue light of the interface reflected in my irises. "Physical combat is the last resort of an inferior tactician. We are going to upgrade the tools of the ghost."
[I love it when you talk about strategy. It gets my algorithms all hot and bothered. Where do we start?]
"Teleportation," I commanded. "The current limit on my Teleportation is ten kilometers. It is sufficient for crossing a city, for jumping from my car to a boardroom. But it requires sequential jumps to cover real distance. Select Teleportation and upgrade to Tier 1."
The interface shifted, highlighting the designated power.
[Power Selected: Teleportation (Tier 2)]
[Current Range: 10 Kilometers.]
[Upgrade to Tier 1 requires 5,000 XP.]
[Current XP: 19,100.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
"Execute," I ordered.
[Deducting 5,000 XP...]
[UPGRADE IN PROGRESS...]
The sensation of upgrading a physical trait like Strength involved the feeling of muscles tearing and rebuilding. Upgrading Speed felt like the nervous system catching fire.
Upgrading Teleportation to Tier 1 was entirely psychological. It was an awe inspiring expansion of spatial geometry within the mind.
I gasped, my hands gripping the armrests of my chair as the concept of 'distance' in my brain was violently shattered and rebuilt.
It felt as though an invisible tether extending from my consciousness was suddenly shot out of a cannon, racing across the surface of the globe.
My mental map of the world, previously confined to the detailed geography of the tri state area, exploded outward.
I could suddenly 'feel' the curvature of the earth. I could sense the atmospheric pressure dropping over the Rocky Mountains. I could feel the crushing depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
[UPGRADE COMPLETE!]
Power Evolved: Teleportation (Tier 2) → Teleportation (Tier 1)
New Parameters: Range expanded to 1,000 kilometers per instantaneous jump. Activation latency reduced to zero milliseconds. Sequential jumping strain completely eliminated.
"One thousand kilometers," I breathed, opening my eyes.
"I could be in Washington D.C. in my next heartbeat," I said. "I could stand behind the President in the Oval Office, leave a note on his desk and be back in this chair before the Secret Service even noticed the air displacement."
[You could grab deep dish pizza in Illinois and be back before the cheese cools,] the System pointed out helpfully. [Priorities, man.]
"The tactical applications are absolute," I said, ignoring the joke. "Vought's black sites, their remote laboratories, their private islands… they are all instantly accessible."
I looked at the interface.
[REMAINING XP: 14,100]
"Next," I said, my voice hardening. "My current Telepathy requires me to be within a hundred meters of a target. It is excellent for boardroom manipulation and close quarters interrogation. But if I want to know what Edgar is planning before he even speaks the words aloud, I need omniscience. Select Telepathy and upgrade to Tier 1."
[Telepathy to Tier 1,] the System confirmed, its tone dropping its usual levity, recognizing the magnitude of the request. [Boss, I need to warn you. You are about to skip from Tier 3 directly to Tier 1. The sheer volume of neural data you are going to ingest will be catastrophic if you don't brace for it. You are going to go from hearing a room full of people to hearing a continent. It is going to hurt.]
"My brain processes information at Mach 30, System," I replied coldly. "My physical structure is indestructible."
[Alright. Just remember to build the walls. You have to filter it, or the noise will drive you insane.]
"Queue the upgrades sequentially," I commanded. "Take it to Tier 1."
[Power Selected: Telepathy (Tier 3)]
[Upgrade to Tier 2 requires 3,000 XP.]
[Upgrade to Tier 1 requires 5,000 XP.]
[Total XP Required: 8,000 XP.]
[Current XP: 14,100.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
"Execute."
[Deducting 8,000 XP...]
[UPGRADE IN PROGRESS...]
It began as a high pitched whine, a localized pressure right behind my eyes, as the power shifted from Tier 3 to Tier 2.
The hundred meter radius of my psychic awareness snapped outward to one kilometre. Suddenly, the silent penthouse was flooded with the psychic noise of millions of sleeping New Yorkers.
Dreams of falling, anxieties about debt, the sharp spikes of insomniac panic… it all washed over me like a tidal wave of static.
I gritted my teeth, my Tier 1 Super Defence keeping my blood vessels from rupturing under the sudden spike in blood pressure.
And then, the power broke through the ceiling into Tier 1.
The one kilometer radius detonated outward to one hundred kilometers.
My consciousness expanded to encompass the entirety of New York City, Long Island, vast stretches of New Jersey and deep into upstate New York and Connecticut.
I threw my head back, a guttural scream tearing from my throat. My hands slammed down onto the obsidian desk, the Tier 1 Strength spider webbing the reinforced glass surface.
It was a torrential hurricane of raw human consciousness. I could hear the desperate thoughts of a dying man in a hospital bed in Queens.
I could hear the cold mathematics of a sociopath planning a robbery in Newark. I could hear the pure joy of a child waking up in Brooklyn.
I could hear lust, terror, boredom, rage and profound sadness, all overlapping, layering, amplifying until it became a physical weight crushing my skull.
[BOSS! THE WALLS! BUILD THE WALLS!] The System's voice was barely a whisper in the howling maelstrom of thoughts, a tiny lifeline of digital clarity. [USE THE SUPER SPEED! PROCESS IT! FILTER IT OUT!]
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