I scratched my head, my eyes alternating between the Electrocutioner suit, my bulletproof vest, and a book about electrical engineering in my hand.

I might have stolen the damned suit, but there's no chance in hell I'd strut around showing my ass in a tight spandex suit like some comic book character. I wasn't an exhibitionist, thank you very much.

So I began reading up on some electrical engineering to move the Electrocutioner's technology into my bulletproof trench coat. I had to put that boasted brain of mine to use some time and it felt like the right one now.

That was the plan, but I couldn't find any book with extensive knowledge on such short notice and only had basic information to work with, leaving me unable to transfer the technology completely to my bulletproof vest.

Note to self: buy a fucking cell phone.

'If only I had access to the internet, things would have been so much simper...' I mused, turning to the simple watch mounted on my bare room's wall. 'It's already too late to go to the library or buy a phone today...' I sighed, scratching my head.

'Should I...?' I hesitated as I opened my character screen, looking at my Mind attribute's score of 24 and the available 35 stat points.

I'd been curious to see if raising an attribute to 25 would give me a perk like what happened when Crime reached level 25, and maybe increasing my intelligence would make up for the lack of knowledge.

'Fuck it!' I grit my teeth and put one point into my Mind attribute. My eyes widened as the number went up to 25, and I felt my brain wiggling in my skull, giving me a massive headache.

I grunted in pain, holding my forehead. The pain luckily subsided quickly, and with it gone came a sudden feeling of epiphany, and I suddenly remembered things I'd long forgotten.

I also started making sense of things that I'd wondered about before but forgot somewhere along the way. The change this time wasn't quantitive like what happened before I fought the three thugs. It was qualitative this time around.

[Due to reaching a milestone in your Mind attribute, your brain has evolved, and you have unlocked a new perk: (Eidetic Kinesthesia)]

[Eidetic Kinesthesia: sometimes called Muscle Memory or Photographic Reflexes; it is the ability to instantly mimic any physical skill, including various fighting techniques, acrobatics, or weapon skills]

I gritted my teeth and pushed down the rush of excitement and euphoria at seeing what came with the qualitative increase in my brain. Unlike the sudden feeling of strength, I liked this feeling, perhaps too much, and the last thing I wanted right now was to get an addiction.

However, I didn't need to put too much effort into calming myself, as a feeling of weakness came over my body, and I collapsed on the ground in a boneless heap.

'What the fuck is going on?!' I immediately panicked as I tried to get up and failed, unable to lift my hands off the ground.

[Vital malfunction detected... scanning host]

'HURRY THE FUCK UP!' I urged, mentally screaming as panic overcame my mind at the sudden feeling of powerlessness.

[Scan complete: the host's current physique is unable to provide enough energy to sustain the host's brain]

'How do I fix it?' I took a deep breath to calm myself, though I expected and dreaded the answer.

[Solution: the host can upgrade his physique to match his brain by allocating points to the Body attribute]

'You'd like that, won't you?' I grit my teeth at the convenient answer, doubt filling my mind. Did the system know this would happen? Did it choose not to warn me, knowing I'll have no option but to increase my Body attribute?

[Warning: the host's brain is consuming all vital energy in the host's, any further delay may cause permanent brain damage or death due to lack of energy]

'DAMN IT ALL!' I wanted to scream in my anger and frustration, but I had no energy or the time to do anything else than think.

Left with no other choice, I gritted my teeth and allocated 7 points to my Body attribute, raising it to 25. I closed my eyes as the familiar sensation of strength began coursing through my veins.

My muscles constantly tightened and expanded, and I felt the blood rushing through my veins dramatically increase in speed, sending an electric feeling all over my body.

The changes didn't even spare my bones as I felt an itchy sensation in the very marrow of my bones if that makes any sense.

[Due to reaching a milestone in your Body attribute, your physique has evolved, and you have unlocked a new perk: (Superhuman Stamina)]

[Superhuman Stamina: sometimes called enhanced stamina, it is a term used to describe the ability of some characters to function without tiring or feeling undue strain. People who possess this perk can often go for long periods of time without rest or even sleep]

My expression darkened as I got up, feeling my stomach rumbling. I took out whatever snacks I had in my inventory and started munching with a vengeance as if vent my frustration on the innocent nutritious bars.

I didn't even feel like having an existential crisis about my increasing strength this time around because of how hungry and lethargic I felt right now.

'Do I need to eat more often now, system?' I asked after finishing all snacks in my inventory, feeling my hunger satiated. I really didn't feel like spending all my hard-earned money on food. Yeah, fuck that.

[No. The host only needs to eat right now to replace what the host's brain consumed to maintain vital operations]

'Well, that's some good news at least...' I sighed as I turned to the half Electrocutioner suit, feeling the urge to throw it in the trash as the main reason for this incident.

I shook my head, pushing down the ridiculous urge as I approached the trench coat and resumed working, already feeling more energetic after the meal as I put my newly evolved brain to work.

I was bound to invest more stat points into my attributes, eventually. The damned thing only hastened the process, so there's no point in sabotaging the suite I've already spent so much effort to make.

...

[Bulletproof Trench Coat MK2: the wet dream of every edge lord and their mothers out there, and a stable in Gothamite fashion. It now comes with the awesome ability to shoot arcs of electricity (It's bulletproof, it shoots electricity, and it's edgy as fuck, what more do you need to know?)]

I sighed, massaging my shoulders out of habit more than anything since I wasn't feeling tired or sore, thanks to my so-called Superhuman Stamina, no doubt.

I'd pulled an all-nighter to finish working on it, and I didn't feel slightly exhausted or tired, a good thing too, since it was time for me to go and meet Richard.

I lazily stretched my hands and stored everything in my inventory as I made my way for the door.

"Oh! Up early, as usual, Gray. You seriously have too much energy," Mark greeted, waving a hand as I neared the apartment complex's exit, causing me to smile.

"That bread ain't gonna get itself," I replied with a smile, shrugging my shoulder as I waved back with a smile.

"No kidding! Take care out there. I heard some freaks were out and about yesterday shooting up East End," Mark said with a smile as I passed by him, offering a word of advice.

"Will do, thanks, pal," I said, waving him goodbye as I left the apartment complex.

...

"You look taller," Richard said, raising an eyebrow as he saw me approach our usual spot in the park. He crossed his arms and gave me a scrutinizing look.

"Do I? Maybe I had a growth spurt in the night or something?" I replied, scratching my head in fake confusion. Richard obviously didn't, but he merely shrugged and let it go.

"No matter, I suppose," Richard said, waving it off. "Let's get to work. Only light training today since you'll need to be in top condition when it gets dark," he added, smiling meaningfully.

'Whelp, time to put that Superhuman Stamina to the test...'

...

"That's quite the growth spurt you've had today, kid," Richard said, raising an eyebrow as he regarded his student, who looked just as energetic as he arrived.

He had a light training regime planned for the day, but the way Gray breezed through it without any signs of tiring, exhaustion, or even shedding a single drop of sweat astonished and confused the martial arts instructor.

Giving in to his curiosity, Richard slowly increased the training's intensity and even sparred with Gray, but his student still didn't show any signs of tiredness. Not only that, but how quickly Gray seemed to understand and learn the techniques Richard taught him was equally astounding.

"Well, all this training has to be worth the squeeze," Gray replied with a shrug.

Richard had asked similar questions during the training as he tried to probe for some clue as to what caused his student's sudden transformation out of concern.

All he got was similarly vague, non-answer replies.

Richard knew of his student's extraordinary physique and his ability to grow by observing him run; it was why the martial arts instructor took him as a student, after all. But this was the first he displayed so much progress, leaving the martial arts instructor worried.

"Whatever you say, you little monster," Richard said, shaking his in exasperation. "Anyway, that's enough training for today," he added, gesturing to the side.

"It's time for a more practical lesson..."

 

---

 

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