[Skill: Stealth]
Toggled Skill
Mana Cost: 10 Mana per second.
Description: By activating this Skill, the Player is capable of completely hiding their presence from the physical world. The Player can still be detected if their opponents' have increased sensory abilities.
Yaoyorozu set about creating more ammo for her handgun as Izuku scanned over the text. "Sneak attacks aren't exactly my thing…"
"You're still gonna use it though, right?"
"Of course. There's no point in not using everything in my arsenal."
"You think the next room is the Boss Villain?"
Izuku nodded. "I'd put money on it. The only reason we haven't run into anything else in this place is because the Mimicat ate it. The Boss is probably the one thing it couldn't eat."
"That's a little worrying."
Izuku shrugged. "If it's that large it might also be slow. Whatever it may be. You wanna take a break or push on?"
Yaoyorozu checked her gun with practiced efficiency. Pulling back the slide halfway to make sure a round was chambered. "I say we get this over with."
"You're pretty handy with that. You didn't miss a shot back there."
Yaoyorozu laughed awkwardly. "It's a little strange, but I'm a bit of a gun nut. I'm not like the Americans or anything," She quickly clarified, "It's just that I have an appreciation for the simplicity and effectiveness of the design." She averted her gaze. "Taking them apart and putting them back together was like a fun puzzle. It kept me sane as a kid."
Izuku had to admit it was a little disturbing to imagine a small Yaoyorozu grinning happily as she disassembled and reassembled guns. But he wasn't judging. Everyone made it through life differently.
"I bet you could give Lady Nagant a run for her money."
Yaoyorozu's face flushed a light pink. "I'm not that good…"
Izuku felt the urge to compliment her further. She was exceedingly cute when she got flustered. However, he didn't want to waste anymore time inside a Dungeon. It was mostly just an urban myth, but many Heroes claimed that the longer you spent inside of a Gate, the more your soul was worn away at. There was nothing credible behind it, but it had stuck with Izuku for some reason.
"When we reach the Boss Chamber I'll use Stealth and go in first. Scout it out."
"Sounds like a plan."
So the two set off on a rather tedious walk, with very little conversation between them. The air felt heavier the deeper into the Gate they went, and they wanted to avoid getting ambushed in the event that the Mimicat had missed a few snacks.
But apparently the feline had been quite thorough, only skimping on the few Crystal Canaries that had attacked them near the Dungeon entrance.
""I feel it,"" Yaoyorozu and Izuku said in sync, before glancing at each other and giving a smirk.
"Well I sensed it first," She teased.
"Alright, let's see how well this works."
[Skill: Stealth has activated.]
"Woah. It's like you just disappeared into thin air," Yaoyorozu looked around for Izuku, despite the fact that he was right in front of her. "I can still sense your Mana, but it's like it's jumping all over the place."
"I guess it works pretty well then," Izuku said, making Yaoyorozu jump. "If it can confuse an A-Rank I think it's a solid Skill."
"Alright, if it gets dangerous yell for me, or just run."
Izuku nodded, forgetting he was invisible. "Uh right. Be back in a sec."
The very next cavern Izuku walked into was almost identical to a geode. With crystals lining even the floor, it was next to impossible to move swiftly. But he could tell that the Boss Villain was in that very room with him. Not just because he could sense it, but because it could sense him.
"It's a nice trick." A deep gravelly voice echoed throughout the crystal cavern. "Not even I can pinpoint your Mana."
Izuku froze in place, suddenly, the Mana he had been sensing ballooned out of proportion. It was time to retreat.
"But I would be a poor soldier of the Iron Body Army if my senses could not make it past that Skill of yours."
The voice was right behind Izuku. He hadn't even felt the source of the Mana moving, yet here it was just inches from his back.
DEATH
The same sensation from that strange creature in that first Dungeon assailed him. Without a moment to think, Izuku activated Strikespeed and jumped straight up with all of his might.
It was the right choice, because in an instant, the crystals he had been standing on were shattered into a million pieces, and even the crystals around them burst apart from the sheer energy.
"We can't fight him! We'll just have to run! Leave the Gate altogether!"
[Warning: Player and his trusted companion cannot leave until the Boss is defeated.]
DEATH
Again Izuku dodged by the skin of his teeth. If it weren't for his experience with the closeness of Death, he would already be a stain on the wall.
"Gotta regroup at least! He's way too fast! I can't even catch a glimpse of whatever he is!"
Izuku was so flustered by the speed of his opponent that he didn't have the time to acknowledge the fact that the Villain had spoken to him. He was too busy pushing his senses to the limit just to stay alive.
"If I call out for Yaoyorozu, he'll be on her too! I can only hope she hears this going on. Maybe she can get the jump on this guy!"
"Woah woah woah!" Izuku shouted as loudly as possible. "Time out!" He landed in a defensive position, prepared to take a hit, but it never came. He hesitantly looked up to see a dark-skinned being. Dark-skinned meaning entirely blackened, like the entity had been charbroiled. And throughout his body, there looked to be dozens of crystals embedded into the skin, each one bursting with energy. It didn't look like a hindrance, but an enhancement.
"What is it, mortal?" The creature, a humanoid, spat out the word 'mortal' with enough contempt to make Izuku flinch.
"You can speak…"
"And you can understand me." The creature, with glowing red eyes, bore down on Izuku. "Speak, or be eviscerated."
"Let's not rush into killing each other," He said. "Let's talk for a-"
"Do not patronize me, mortal. I am a born warrior. Born to kill things like you."
"I just want to understand you," Izuku cautiously responded. "Why you're here, why you want to kill me, everything. I just want to understand."
The being's eyes widened for just a split second at the word 'understand.' "Very well. If you must know before you die, I am not here of my own free will. That fool Ashborn trapped me here after my Liege forsook me. His enhancements," He said, pointing to the crystals, "Were not up to the same par he wanted. I was considered a failure."
"Ashborn? Liege? That's right, he mentioned an army… Are the Villains more organized than humanity thought?"
"You're trapped here?"
"Of course I'm trapped!" The creature yelled. "My brothers and sisters, you think we all wanted to be stuck in this hell?! In an eternal prison?!"
"Well maybe I can help-"
"I was promised freedom, but only if I snuffed out every last mortal soul that entered this godforsaken place! You are the first to be seen in well over a millenia, so I assume you are my prey!"
[Lesser Tenebris of the Iron Body Army, Arcka]
"Tenebris?" Izuku's latin was shaky at best, but he recognized that word. "The Dark…"
Whatever this demon was, it was part of a species called The Dark, and that did not bode well with all of its aggression focused on Izuku.
"Let's just take it easy, I will help you get out of this place, just let me try to-"
"RAAAARGH!"
"This guy is not a Lesser anything!"
Even with Speedstrike, Stealth, and every ounce of strength in him, Izuku was barely alive.
"Just one hit! Just one hit to slow him down!"
[Title: Hysterical Strength of a Hero has activated.]
Izuku roared back at Arcka. For a single moment, his Strength and Agility Stats doubled, giving him two things.
One, he managed to match Arcka, blocking his incoming blow and countering with a kick to his kneecap. His armor boots further enhanced him, giving him another +12 Strength for the kick. It wasn't enough to snap his knee in the wrong direction like Izuku was hoping for, but he could hear the faintest tearing of a ligament. It wasn't much but it would slow the Villain down.
And two, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Yaoyzoru at the entrance to the geode-like cavern. She was pulling dozens of metal pieces out of her arms, slapping them together as quickly as possible. It looked like she was just fiddling with random parts, but Izuku knew she had a plan.
"I don't think he's noticed her… in that case. Everything's on me to keep him busy."
Izuku's muscles spasmed in response to his overuse of them, but he ignored it, managing to block a second blow with his forearm, without the Title boost. Both the pain and the actual ligament damage had slowed the demon-like Arcka just enough to allow Izuku to keep up.
However, just because Izuku could get ahead of the game now, didn't mean he was in the same league as his opponent. Each hit from Arcka was heavy, only outclassed by the weight of that Statue Face creature. Without his gauntlets, Izuku's arms would already be black, blue, and broken.
"Impressive, for a mortal!" Arcka took a step back, allowing Izuku a moment to catch his breath. The demon was grinning grotesquely from ear-to-ear, "I haven't felt pain in so long… I feel alive again! You humans! You always think you're so smart! But the universe is filled with beings you cannot even fathom! You're pathetic!"
Izuku smirked. "You're right. I'm not that smart. I nearly failed high school after all, but…" Arcka's eyes widened as he felt the mass of magic power gathering behind him. "We're both idiots compared to her."
Yaoyorozu's face was pale and dripping with sweat as she hefted a Barrett M107 anti-material rifle. It was nothing special itself, just a normal anti-material rifle. But inside of it, there rested a single bullet made of raw magical energy. And judging by Yaoyorozu's face, she had used every drop in her body to construct it. There was no doubt that it could destroy anything in front of it.
[Skill: Echo Attack (Earth) has activated.]
Izuku drove his fist into Arcka's cheekbone as he turned to face the gun barrel. He couldn't let him move, not even an inch, until that bullet tore through him.
The stone spikes ran through the ground, not doing any damage, but obscuring his view and staggering him just for a moment. All he had to do was swipe his arm and knock away Izuku and the stone spikes. But when he could see once more, Yaoyorozu was gone from where she had been standing. And then, Arcka fell over.
He wasn't hitting the deck in the hopes of avoiding the bullet. And he hadn't been knocked over by Izuku either.
He looked to the right, noticing he couldn't turn his neck. What he saw… was his own body. The bullet had not made a single sound. It had torn through his neck with such force that he was decapitated. The last punishment from the universe he had received, was to watch his own body fall over, dead.
[You have defeated Lesser Tenebris of the Iron Body Army, Arcka]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have obtained a new Quirk!]
[You have obtained new items!]
[You have completed Quest: Inner Circle Part 2!]
At the same time Arcka fell over, Yaoyorozu did the same. Thankfully Izuku was there to catch her.
"I… Did… Did I… Did we do it?" She was pale, muttering, and barely coherent.
"Yeah," Izuku smiled, "You did it."
She let out a soft sigh before passing into unconsciousness, the last of her energy spent. But her pulse was strong, and her breathing was steady. She'd be just fine with a bit of rest. But more importantly, she had surpassed the fear that had assailed her not so long ago. She had killed a Dungeon Boss with a single blow.
"Alright, let's get the hell outta here," Izuku said to no one in particular, scooping up Yaoyorozu in his arms and beginning his trek back through the caverns.
When Yaoyorozu awoke, the first thing she heard was the crashing of waves on the sand.
"Mmmm… Where…?" She sat up to see Izuku working on a small collapsible stove in front of her, while she rested on a blanket on the soft warm sands.
"Hey, morning."
"It's morning?" Yaoyorozu was tired but she didn't think a whole day had passed.
"Sorry, force of habit. You've only been out for a few hours." He pointed off into the distance, where the sun was starting to turn the sky a bright orange.
"You brought all this with you?" She asked, looking around to see a cooler, and some food.
"Had it in the backpack I left here on the sands before we went in. I figured it'd be nice to have a bit of a picnic after the Gate."
The two had traveled by bus to get to the quiet beach, and Izuku didn't feel like carrying an unconscious girl onto said bus and getting questioned. Not only that, but he was also feeling a little under the weather. Not because of a physical condition, but because of Arcka's words.
Izuku and humanity themselves had always had the idea that Villains were intelligent, organized to some extent. But there was never an inkling that they were incredibly organized, intelligible, and structured.
If the Tenebris was to be believed, they had entire organized armies. Not only that, but Izuku had learned something interesting. The Gates were not some sort of invasion device, they were not being used to ferry Villains onto Earth, they were prisons.
"So who let the prisoner's loose on Earth?"
"Are you okay?" Yaoyorozu asked, clutching at her throbbing head.
"I'm fine!" Izuku lied, putting on a smile for her. "I've got a load of Rewards to accept, couldn't be happier!" She gave him a disapproving look and he sighed. "I'm okay, I'm just kinda rattled."
Yaoyorozu nodded, happy to receive a straightforward answer. "You don't have to lie to me."
Izuku smiled, genuinely this time, "Yes ma'am."
"Please don't start calling me ma'am."
"Copy that ma'am," Izuku said before snorting out a laugh.
Yaoyorozu gave him a second disapproving stare, one that definitely looked like it was coming from someone more mature than their age. In other words, it was a stare befitting a "ma'am." Izuku decided not to mention that and instead handed her one of the hotdogs he was making. And once he had his own, he sat down next to Yaoyorozu and began looking through the System Alerts.
"Alright, new Quirk, new items! Accept Rewards!"
The two, now eating and relaxing on the beach with the soft sounds of waves, took the opportunity to read in peace.
[Quirk: Stone Body]
Quirk Class: B-Rank
Cost: No physical or magical costs are required.
Description: Every Stat point put into Vitality is doubled.
"Oh so it's like Amplify but only for Vitality…" Izuku rubbed at his sore forearms, still reeling from the shocks of Arcka's fists. "Be good for the future. Though I wish I had it before I got ten whole Levels."
"You want a healing potion?" Yaoyorozu asked, noticing his discomfort.
"No…" Izuku once more felt conflicted. Arcka clearly wasn't a good person. Even Rasaka was just after revenge on Izuku and had let the civilians escape. Arcka just wanted to kill and inflict suffering. Yet Izuku couldn't help but feel bad for him. Several millennia stuck inside that Gate? Maybe it had made him insane. Maybe it wasn't his fault. He voiced as much to Yaoyorozu, who nodded.
"We're killing living beings. Some of them are evil, no doubt, but they can't all be… However, even if their intentions are pure, they're still trying to hurt people. We can't allow that." Yaoyorozu rested a free hand on Izuku's shoulder. "It's good to keep an open mind. You tried to talk him down and offered to help. If he didn't listen, that's his fault, not yours."
"Who imprisoned Villains in the first place?"
Izuku shook the thoughts from his head and continued onwards.
[Item: Crystal Chassis]
Item Class: B-Rank
Item Type: Chestplate
+20 Vitality
Description: Reduces pain reception by 15%
[Item: Tenebris Essence]
Item Class: S-Rank
Item Type: Enhancement
Description: A fine powder extracted from the Essence of a Tenebris. Can be consumed to evolve a Quirk.
Izuku and Yaoyorozu's eyes widened in sync, realizing just how powerful the item was. It really should've been ranked higher than an S-Rank considering its effects.
"Wow… what are you gonna use it on?" Yaoyorozu asked.
Izuku tilted his head. He could've enhanced Amplify or Stone Body to increase his Stat gain. He could've evolved Documentarian to gain immense amounts of knowledge about his enemy, which he realized he forgot to do against Arcka. But he decided on none of them, because an idea came to mind.
"Consume Tenebris Essence. Evolve Quirk: Creation."
Yaoyorozu immediately raised her hands, "No you shouldn't waste it on me! That's not-"
[Quirk: Creation, has evolved into Genesis.]
[Quirk: Genesis]
Quirk Class: S-Rank
Cost: Mana cost varies based on the objects created. Can create non-magical items with very little Mana or can create potent magical items with a high Mana cost.
Description: Can create anything so long as the user knows the chemical composition. Can now create temporary summoned creatures to fight alongside the user. Creatures will constantly consume Mana and will fade once the user stops feeding them Mana.
Addendum: Genetic Defect of Quirk has been corrected. User's reproductive system has been amended.
Creation was one hell of a Quirk to begin with, now it was powerful beyond belief. But the real power was in the last line of the System Alert. Yaoyorozu's lip quivered as she herself read it.
"I… I can…" She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop the sobs from escaping her mouth. "Thank… you…"
She reached over and wrapped her arms around Izuku. She was young, she obviously wasn't ready to have children. But deep down, she knew something inside of her had been fixed. It lifted a weight off of her shoulders that she hadn't even known she had been carrying. Now, when she was ready, she could have her own children.
Izuku stared agape at the System Alert. He was ready for Creation to go from powerful to overpowered, but he hadn't been prepared for it to take initiative and help cure Yaoyorozu of her infertility.
"Maybe the System isn't all bad… just a little…"
"Uhm… wow…" Was all Izuku could say aloud as Yaoyorozu happily cried into his shoulder.
It was a psychological healing as much as it was physical. Just the knowledge that it had been fixed was more than enough for Yaoyorozu to start crying. To actually think about a future that she could now have, that was a gift.
"Oh… uhhh… sorry I got your shirt all wet," She said, chuckling as she pulled away.
Izuku just smiled. "Nothing wrong with crying a little. See, it wasn't a waste."
She nodded, wiping away the tears as she continued laughing. "Ugh… such a load off my mind… Phew. Sorry, do you wanna look at the rest of the System now that I'm done bawling?"
"Hah, sure. Accept Quest Rewards," Izuku said as Yaoyorozu leaned over once more, this time resting her head against his shoulder. He turned bright red. If this beach wasn't abandoned, anyone there would think they were a couple.
[Rewards:]
1. Quest: Job Change
2. Job Change Instant Dungeon Key
3. Quest: Inner Circle Part 3
4. D-Rank Omni-Elemental Enhancement Gem.
5. +25 Stat Points
"Job Change?"
"It could be a role thing," Yaoyorozu suggested, then continued upon seeing Izuku's confusion. "Like in video games, you have a role or job. You can be the Tank, the Mage, etc."
"Oh… huh…"
[Quest: Job Change]
[Requirements:]
1. Complete the Dungeon with the provided Instant Dungeon Key.
2. The Player must complete this Dungeon alone.
[Quest: Inner Circle Part 3]
[Requirements:]
1. ?
"Well that's helpful."
"You got a D-Rank item?" Yaoyorozu questioned, pointing at the Enhancement Gem.
"I assume that's because it's 'Omni-Elemental.' I guess it means I can use all Elements at a D-Rank with it." Izuku was already planning on putting that one into the second slot on his gauntlets. He already had Poison on his gauntlets, but having every other Element in the System was pretty attractive for something he could always do, that being punch.
The +25 Stat points were also nice. If he put it into Strength, Agility, or Vitality, he'd basically get double the Stat points, but at the same time he was hesitant to let Intelligence and Sense fall behind. So what he decided to do was put 10 into Sense, 5 into Intelligence, then 5 into Vitality and 5 into either Agility or Strength.
Izuku Midoriya:
Level: 50
Strength: 118 (+5)
Vitality: 102 (+25)
Agility: 146 (+8)
Intelligence: 91 (+5)
Sense: 76 (+5)
Available Points: 0
[Mana: 1655/1655]
[HP: 4532/4532]
"What a day…" Yaoyorozu sighed as the sun reached the horizon, the sky turning a light pink-ish color. "Didn't think I'd ever kill a Villain Boss myself…"
"I couldn't have done it without you."
"Same here."
They sat in silence for a moment, simply reflecting and enjoying the sunset.
"We're gonna miss the last bus you know."
Izuku chuckled. "We can outrun the bus."
"Very true…"
"The UA applications are almost due. Are you gonna apply with me?" Yaoyorozu asked, her voice just barely above a murmur as she rested against Izuku.
"It's a great way to get access to more Gates without joining an Agency and signing your life away in a contract. And we can probably learn something from the Pros. After all, we have been kinda freestyling as Heroes."
Since the two of them had either been too weak, or too afraid, they hadn't really worked properly in a Hero team. They were just patchwork additions. Clearly they were more than strong enough to clear B-Rank Gates, at the least, on their own. But there was always more to learn.
"We just have to make sure we actually get accepted."
Yaoyorozu looked up at Izuku with her soft, intelligent gray eyes, "We will."