' All-Might…' Izuku whispered to nobody, with great exasperation, ' I can't believe you would say th—I… I don't want to believe that.' Izuku violently kicked the sidewalk, breaking a small piece of it off; lucky enough to hit the softer side of the concrete. ' Out of everyone in the world who would have believed it was possible to become a hero without a quirk, I thought you might've agreed!' Izuku looked at the ground, his mind stuck on the words of All-Might—his head seemed to spin when he went over the decline of his question, but in no way felt offended, rather, disappointed. All-Might was supposed to be the most inspiring hero in the world, so to hear him say no, without hesitance? It really showed Izuku that even the greatest hero is affected by the corrupt society revolving around the quirkless.
Sighing, Izuku lifted his finger, gently whispering the words, " skill tree," into the cold, outside air. Besides, he didn't have anything else to do, and working on his quirk should be the first thing on his to-do list right now.
In a dramatic-like explosion, a massive screen appeared in front of him—three others laid behind it—categorizing a plethora of unnatural and paranormal skills, otherwise known as "quirks." On the first screen presented "S pecial Skills" that required "Special Points" The second one displayed "Higher-Level Skills" , and the third one showed "Low-Level Skills."
These Abilities Ranged From
Medusa [Saps 100% of all stats from whoever is looking in your direction for three seconds. However, using this magic will cost every Magic Point in your reservoir; only works if full.]
Nightly Vision [1SPC] [Increases Ability To See And Predict Everything by 500% during night, but -10% DEX and -10% ST during the day]
Instant-Tail [1SPC] [Summon a fully functional tail on your body for +50 and +50, but lose 25% STR and 25% HP during use]
To
God-Speed-Resistor [Increases AGI & ST by 300% -20% DEX while in use]
And these were just a few randomly suggested, out of thousands, in just the Special Skills Tree.
And as much as these individual skills made Izuku giddy and shiver, none of these were what he was looking for. 'The quest,' Izuku remembered. Gently, he swiped his fingers against the screen and whispered again, "spell tree." In a mighty explosion of darkness, instead of light, Izuku was suddenly surrounded by what looked like stars and universes; nigh constellations of reality had bent around him. [Like Skyrim]
{Just a note: seeing the universes isn't like a big thing. It's simply just a menu for Izuku to purchase skills etc… he's not a God, nor do I plan to make him be. He will still kick ass while getting his ass kicked, though, I hope.}
{Update-Chapter Note; Izuku will work a little harder for his powers, but they will come to him as quick as I can make them when appropriate.}
Izuku would've flinched at the burst of darkness had he not read the instructions, but he did, and expected this entirely—somewhat. Nonetheless, it was still quite shocking to see it actually happen. Plus, the view was absolutely beautiful, and nothing restricted him from watching the galaxies turn, and witnessing the nova clouds colliding into each other, rippling into sparkly specks of dust. ' If it isn't All-Might that will believe in the quirkless, then... I will. And I will become the best hero- no, any sort of hero, no matter what; a hero that even the quirkless will aspire to become someday… even if I lose this power.'
Focusing back on why he was here, he looked for the Spell Tree he truly wanted to learn in. Destruction.
It wasn't hard for him to decide what kind of magic he wanted, especially since he knew what second-to-most mattered for the hero business. Part of him wanted to go straight for restoration and become a great healer like Recovery Girl, but he was too lacking in the power department to hope that he could ever become a hero. Even Recovery Girl had a method of greatly boosting her physical strength with her quirk by continuously repairing her muscle fibers, or even sapping her enemies of all their strength, giving her an advantage; that time was long ago, however, and that method no longer worked due to age.
Maybe he could've trained his body as many others had, and then rely on his physical prowess; if he had done that, he probably would've chosen his second and third choice in a separate order. It was a heated debate, but Destruction came out as the winner. As for the second place, Izuku had chosen Conjuration , which would still be in debate until he officially chose it.
The reason why he wanted Conjuration second, was because if there were multiple people who needed to be saved, or perhaps a large party of villains coordinating an attack, he would need support. This isn't to say that he is never going to have backup, but it would be very comforting to know he had a permanently reliable partner—at least… if it worked how it did in the video games. It was as simple as that, however, Izuku didn't know what to expect from the power, meaning that he didn't know what his summons would look like, or if they were limited by movement, element, etc… It became even more confusing when he read what the skill would give him:
The Tree of Conjuration thrives in raising the dead or summoning creations from Oblivion . This skill makes it easier to cast these spells as it raises in level. Multiple elementals can be summoned, but they must be unlocked within the skill tree first. The first summon you create will be your permanent official summon, meaning that if you were to summon a Flame Daedra as your first summon, you may only be able to conjure that particular summon until you unlock/learn another elemental spell. Instantaneous knowledge about how to activate the spell will be provided upon unlock .
Izuku liked the sound of a Flame Daedra protecting the innocent, glistening with a bright flame, and standing tall by his side at all times. It made him feel as if he could be in two places at once.
Yes, fine, maybe restoration would be able to cure himself and those who were hurt in an immediate moment, but if he had an elemental by his side, following his commands, he could potentially save even more lives on a larger scale, and it would do Izuku no good to be out-winded in a battle he couldn't win by himself. He imagined that he could use a rock elemental to keep a building from falling over, or a wind elemental to bring back down an escaping villain. The same could be said for many other elementals, each having their own unique uses. Izuku assumed that each one would come with its own weaknesses as well.
Izuku took a deep breath as he stepped towards the Destruction Skill Tree, enthralled by its literal universal beauty. As he got nearer, the words became clearer and the elements behind it started to glisten. Fire, Ice, Earth, Lightning, Air, Gravity, Magma, Water, and so much more were open to him. But, much like the Conjuration Skill Tree, Destruction would randomize your beginning spell and element too, as well as limit you to just that one unless another was unlocked at a later date. The skill read:
The Tree of Destruction involves harnessing/manipulating the energies of frost, fire, wind, water, electricity, and the Earth itself. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Fireball, Ice-Cicle, Water Gun, Wind Blast, Rock Toss, and Lightning Bolt Ect. The first element that is cast by the user will become the official and permanent Elemental power of the user, otherwise known as an "Affinity", until others are unlocked/learned. The Beginning Element will be the most efficient with its user, meaning that if the user is given the power over fire, then fire spells will be learned much faster, and be more efficient. However, if the {user} is given a fire affinity for destruction and a water affinity for conjuration, then the user will have a 15% damage increase in destruction instead of 30%, and a 7.5% instead of 15% for conjuration. Instantaneous knowledge about how to activate the spell will be provided upon unlock .
Izuku took another deep breath as he confidently placed his finger on the universe in front of him, accepting the power that it offered. Upon receiving its freezing power, his body shivered uncontrollably, or rather, his hands did. This freezing pain continued to thwart his body, turning his blood to ice; something that Izuku hadn't found in the info guide, alarming him greatly. It was only when the freezing pain came to a stop that he refound his composure—in front of him, a screen appeared before slowly fading away.
Your Body Shivers As Your Soul Climbs The Icy Mountains. You feel your body become stronger in the cold, and your blood acclimates to the temperature. Your hands seem to smoke in the warmth.
New Ability Unlocked: Eskimo I
[10% Increased Ice-Magic damage when in colder climates, -15% Ice-Magic damage when in much warmer climates]
'Your hands seem to smoke in the warmth?' Izuku questioned, looking down. His eyes widened to find that his fingertips were basically covered in ice, mist appearing above them as the heat tried to sway it away, but failed dramatically. Izuku shook his hands worriedly, trying to get rid of the comical flakes that seemed to appear on his fingers, but failed to make any change.
New Tree Unlocked: Destruction
New Immunity Skill Unlocked: Cold Immunity I
New [Basic] Spell Unlocked: Frostbite
Upon the last notification, a gusty mist formed in his palms, and an unmistakable force began to push on his fingertips—a nudge, really—just on the brink of setting free. A smile seemed to creep on Izuku's face as he clenched his freezing fists tightly, grappling to his chest, letting the cold run through his veins. When the surge of cold finally stopped, he let go of his grip, allowing his fingers to fall against the empty universes.
Looking up, Izuku stared at his last two choices, ' two more to go,' he thought. Now, backing away from the destruction tree, he faced the Conjuration tree with a thump. He hated the pain that he suffered earlier from the absolute cold, so you could only imagine how anxious he was to accept another element into his body. Even if it had been of the same element, Izuku wouldn't be too excited to feel any more of the same pain. He didn't want to go through that again, but he had no choice. In all honesty, he was taking a shortcut to power, so he didn't complain any further.
When his finger pressed against the universe displayed in front of him, filled with green gas giants and planets full of fauna, he could feel the presence of an icy being calling out for him. Saluting him, and hoping to serve under his command, no matter what.
Although Izuku couldn't see it, he could tell that it had its hand stuck out towards him, gesturing its introduction. With little hesitance, Izuku firmly reached out and grabbed it tightly, resisting the freezing temperature. One pull later, and something shot through his arm, reaching his entire body; an icy-blue aura started to surround him. Freezing to the touch, burning Izuku's insides with what felt like frozen fire.
As the pain begins to falter, Izuku falls back, and shivers as shards of ice surround his body, shielding him from harm. Or, well, not exactly. Looking up, Izuku could see a frozen blue elemental, many times taller than himself. It stood honorably and protectively in front of him before fading into mist. Izuku's genetics continued to be altered by the magic until it could properly handle it. It was just as bad as last time but lasted much shorter; the cold faded as the elemental did. And as they passed, Izuku couldn't help but realize that new knowledge began to take it's hold in his mind that he didn't seem to catch onto earlier. He knew how to release his ice… it never explained how to release a certain amount, however.
New Tree Unlocked: Conjuration
Immunity Skill Upgraded: Cold Immunity II
New Spell Unlocked: Glacier Guardian
Getting back into his position, Izuku panted into the space of nothingness. In reality, he was still on the sidewalk by himself. A part of him wondered if it was possible for anybody to see the screens that appeared to him so often, but discarded the idea to research later.
Restoration was the least of Izuku's worries; not fearing it would be painful, 'well, that would make sense, right?' Izuku's fingers twitched as he hovered over Restoration , taking in the beautiful light of the many miniature suns hiding inside its galaxies. Just like the others, it had its own separate beauty and defied anything Izuku had ever seen before. This time, he didn't hesitate to rest his fingers on the universe. As he expected, there was no pain, and when he blinked, he could still see the light in front of him, swirling gently. ' I hope to see you soon, Child,' an angelic voice called out to him. Izuku's eye seemed to flash open quicker than a light bulb as he observed his surroundings, backing away from the large skill tree in front of him. But there was… nothing? Maybe it was just in his head.
Ignoring what just happened, Izuku exited the Skill Tree, and the world around him revealed itself. Something about the transition threw Izuku off his feet and down to the concrete. Pulling himself to his feet, he could see some notifications pop-up next to him.
New Tree Unlocked: Restoration
New Skill Unlocked: You're A Wizard, Harry!
New Spell Unlocked: Regeneration
[+50 MP From activating three Spell trees] [ MP RESTORED ]
[100/100MP]
Quest Alert! [System Updated! New Interface!]
[Begin A Magical Journey] COMPLETE
Mission:
Spend One Skill Point Related To One Of The Five Major Arts Of Magic In The Skill Tree Tab
Use At Least Two Magical Spells
Rewards:
2 Lower/Level Skill Points
1 High-Level Skill Points
+350 EXP
+500¥
Bonus: +30% Efficiency in Destruction
Bonus: +15% Efficiency in Conjuration
Bonus: +10% Efficiency in Restoration
Izuku coughed into his hand, his breath still icy, and swiped away the notifications. He could hardly believe what was happening to be real, and he expected to wake up in his bed, still powerless. But that hadn't happened yet. And it was only last Thursday that he had thought—
Explosions cupped around Izuku's ears, catching his attention as he looked up towards the smoke. Something was off about the smoke, it wasn't normal. Izuku's eyes began to focus, feeling an all too familiar heat begin to rise, 'Observe' .
Observed Object:
Smoke: New
Compound Catalyst: Nitroglycerin—
To be honest, he really didn't need the ' observe' to figure out what was going on. ' That's… those are Katsuki's explosions!' Without any more resistance, Izuku kicked off the cement and started running towards the smoke, a spread of flaking ice left underneath his feet, hoping it was just an explosion.
What? He didn't hate the guy? In fact, Katsuki was one of the only people who even talked to him. So… how bad was Katsuki, really?
[AGI: Increased by 1] [ST Increased by 10]
When Izuku reached the smoke, he could make out that whatever was causing the explosions had yet to stop, and didn't look as if they were going to anytime soon. Yet, they were getting smaller and smaller after each one, and Izuku began to worry about who was causing it. He had only just met the crowd, surfing through the huddle of people, slowly but surely making his way to the front.
"Just give me thirty more seconds kid, and this will all be over!" the villain happened to repeat, much similar to his own encounter with the sludge villain. Then, Izuku's heart skipped a beat at the tone of its voice, realizing that it was the same thing that caught him earlier. What a coincidence. The only reason he was alive now was because of All-Might and his analysis skill; gaining a new skill in the process.
"You disgusting mother-fu-! Get off—!" the voice stopped, sounding as if something had cut it off into a jumbled and slobbery mess. It sounded like someone drowning in, well, slime. ' He broke through!' Izuku thought worriedly. He hadn't gotten to the front of the crowd yet, but he was almost there, pushing past each person with as much strength as he could muster. Ice began to stick to the group's shirts, he noticed.
"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?" a person asked in the background. ' There are heroes nearby?' Izuku finally reached the front and gulped at the scene ahead of him, forgetting about the ice that was still running down his fingers, staining his sleeves. Whoever asked that question, he or she was correct. The heroes were there but weren't doing anything—except for Backdraft, who had been trying to wash out the fires but was failing horribly. Katsuki's explosions were just too much for the "pro" heroes to get near, and the villain couldn't be touched; Izuku wanted to help. He wanted to run out there and do something, anything, but he was powerless to help, even with his newfound powers. At best, Izuku could probably—an idea flickered into Izuku's mind, and as if on time, Katsuki turned towards Izuku, his face full of fear. ' That face…' Izuku thought. ' I admire that you're shooting for a high dream, kid, but separate the dreams from reality.'
Reality, huh? Izuku's feet lifted from the ground, almost hesitant as he pushed through the last of the crowd, breaking through a badly wrapped string of caution tape. Reaching for a bottle inside of his bag, Izuku began to unscrew the lid. ' So no —' Izuku faced the bottle towards the mass of sludge, ready for it to look his way, having still been unnoticed by it due to the heaping mass of smoke and ash. However, the heroes noticed.
" Kid, No! STAY BACK!" Death Arms shouted from afar. Izuku frowned that the hero hadn't even tried to stop him, much less try to get the crowd to back away. This seemed to have gotten the sludge villains attention as he turned towards Izuku, a horrid grin on his… Katsuki's face. His face became red with the lack of oxygen, and his eyes began to water.
"Oh, AREN'T YOU JUST BRAVE—" the villain teased. Izuku squirted the water directly into Katsuki's mouth, letting him get a moment to peel himself from the liquid that surrounded his jaw, gasping for air.
Once again, the viscosity of the sludge started to lessen, slowly melting but not losing its shape; not letting go of Katsuki, but its grip was definitely loosened. ' This will take everything I have…' Izuku thought, calling back onto the words and knowledge that were burned into his mind not too long ago. His hand began to rise before stopping midair, facing towards the villains eyes. 'BUT I CAN'T JUST LET HIM DIE LIKE THIS!'