“The teddy bear, the teddy bear, the happy teddy bear does this” I said to the little girl to entertain her while I covered the eyes on the bear costume.

My name is Oliver. I am a full time worker and I even have to do overtime just to make ends meet.

I have a 4x4 meter room, just enough space for a bed, a small fridge, a PC, and a bathroom with a tub.

Right now I am inside a bear costume at an 8 year old girl’s birthday party. She was about to turn 9.

I had already been working for four hours. The heat inside the suit was so suffocating it felt like summer even though it was winter season.

It is crazy how hot it gets inside this thing.

When the tough workday finally ended, after moving non stop, even doing somersaults with the risk of breaking my neck or maybe dying, I joined the rest of my coworkers to take off the animal costumes each of us represented.

I work for the amazing children’s entertainment company Animal Stars, which gives no guarantee whatsoever for injuries at work.

My coworker Tirion is a guy with golden hair, athletic build, and about 1.90 meters tall. The kind of person you would not expect to find in a children’s entertainment company.

I often wondered why he was not a rugby player, but his intelligence answered that question every single time.

“What a madness, right? These bastards make us work overtime and I bet five silver coins they will not even pay us.”

Does he ever think before speaking?

While I was wrapping up the costume, which was still dripping sweat even after wringing it out, nothing new in a job that always steals an extra hour of my life.

“If you bet five silver coins that they will not pay us, you would lose for sure. Want to make the bet official?” I told Tirion while glancing at him sideways and kept wringing the costume so it would dry completely.

Tirion scratched the back of his neck, thought about what he had said, and finally replied, “I withdraw my bet,” then stayed quiet.

Returning to the calm I only experienced on the city subway or in my own home, when the neighbor was not exercising non stop.

In the end they had paid me twenty silver coins, but they still owed me four. I was so tired I did not have the energy to argue with my boss.

When I finally got back home, I took the time to do one of the things I enjoy most after a long and exhausting workday.

A one hour bath in my small tub that I had filled with bubbles while waiting for the water to get warm enough to relax.

I rested my hands on one corner of the tub, staring fixedly at the water, but inevitably ended up seeing my own face.

One of my most characteristic features was my almond shaped blue eyes that always got compliments.

They matched perfectly with my completely black, slightly messy hair that I had not cut in two months. It was medium long.

I usually push it back so it does not get in my eyes. I like how it looks.

“The water should be ready now,” I murmured as I brought my arm closer to the tub and tested the temperature with my index finger. It was perfect, so I finally submerged myself.

Carefully I got into the tub until I was completely underwater. The water reached the very edge, almost splashing the rest of my tiny bathroom.

I sank deeper, closing my eyes to think about absolutely nothing. I had already talked and danced for ten hours with strangers to cheer them up while exhausted.

A worker deserves a proper rest.

I have never stopped working since my parents told me to leave home so they could have space for my two younger siblings.

Two years have passed, but I will never stop working. I need the money.

…

…

…

[Fireman System Activating…]

What the hell is this?

Even with my eyes completely closed, I could see the orange notification that looked like glass.

What the fuck?

I refused to open my eyes. Nothing in the world was going to stop me from enjoying my amazing bubble bath.

No hallucination caused by work was going to ruin my rest.

[Fireman System Fully Activated]

[User has obtained Fire powers]

I opened my eyes wide. A few drops of water from the tub even got into my mouth, making me cough and spit them out.

My mouth was completely open. The surprise was so intense that my pulse shot up at a dizzying speed.

I had spent part of my adolescence regretting that I never awakened powers, but what I had just read could completely change my life.

I thought of all kinds of possibilities, joining one of those superhero agencies or becoming a high performance athlete.

With this opportunity given by God or destiny, I could become rich.

RICH!

I could finally escape this miserable situation. I stretched both arms out completely, trying to touch the translucent screen that was projecting in front of me, but nothing made it disappear or change.

I brought one hand to my face and showed a wide smile.

“FINALLY! I have powers,” I murmured out loud while staring at the screen, clenching my fists tightly from excitement. The pressure even left marks on both palms with light drops of blood falling.

From the bathroom I could hear the family downstairs fighting and the neighbor upstairs playing music at full volume from his speaker.

If I screamed, my neighbors would hear me, but I did not really care. They could just think I was delirious or something. They could not put me in jail for hallucinations anyway.

I got out of my fresh foam bath to try using my new powers. I stood there completely naked, my sculpted muscles showing, thanks to dancing in colorful bear costumes at parties.

Finally I focused on moving to the next screen to see more data. I tried sliding mentally, then tried sliding with my wrist, but nothing worked. Then suddenly I remembered.

I brought a hand to my chin to think while trying to figure out a way to navigate the system. One option was to handle it like my childhood idol superhero.

Goldman, one of the best superheroes in this world, had a suit since he was not born with powers and had an incredible fortune.

I got sidetracked. He usually spoke to the suit and gave it instructions. Could this work the same way?

“Fireman System, I need to see my abilities,” I said quietly while still feeling the water dripping from my body inside the bathroom.

For a moment the system did not respond and stayed completely silent. Just when I had lost all hope, it appeared.

[Fireman System]

[User: Oliver]

[Element: Fire]

[Age: 21 Years]

Shit, it does not say anything new. I read each notification carefully.

Could this system not just give me all the information on one screen? This shitty design is stressing me out.

But the system had not said anything I did not already know. It had only confirmed that I had fire powers.

I concentrated like in those oriental series where people focus and imagine something flowing through their body.

Maybe this would work. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes again. Nothing happened. I only heard drops falling, until suddenly I felt a slight warmth in my stomach.

Could this be the path to my powers and my fortune?

I moved that sensation up to my arms and finally to my fingers, and then suddenly.

FWOOSH!

I opened my eyes and what I saw was incredible: small flames coming out from between my fingers. They were tiny, but with enough time I could control them to make them useful.

Although these powers… I was stunned by what I was thinking.

Are these villain powers? I do not know what I could do with fire. The only thing that comes to mind is killing people by burning them alive.

I brought both hands to my face to try to dispel those dark thoughts.

Fuck, I am not that kind of person. I could never kill an innocent.

Oliver felt completely uncomfortable going from immense joy to seeing the first problem with his powers.

CRACK!

The neighbor was in his schizophrenic moment, hitting his stuff and making unnecessary noise. I need to stop him right now.

“You will not fuck with me anymore,” I said into the air, intending for the guy upstairs to hear me.

I got dressed in my casual clothes, a red t shirt that matched my current powers and gray shorts.

I put my phone in my pocket to record in case things got complicated.

Goddess of my powers, please protect me. Why did I think of a goddess? I do not know. I am nervous, but this has to end somehow.

I went up the external stairs to the fifth floor. The apartment number was 5 07. I was about to press the doorbell. Knocking on the door would be too invasive.