Inko knocked on her son's door. It was Monday morning, and he had to get ready for school, but she hadn't heard any noises indicating that he was awake.
"Izuku?" she called. "I'm coming in." She twisted the knob, then froze in the doorway. There, on the floor, was her son doing push-ups like no tomorrow. Sweat dripped from him constantly, pooling on the floor and seeping into the tiles. "...Izuku?" she asked hesitantly, barely recognizing the ripped teen in front of her.
"One… Second," he grunted, burning through another ten reps, before finally getting up. He hissed out a heated breath of exertion. "Yeah, Mom?" he asked, turning to her, revealing his marble-carved six-pack and chiseled pecs. It looked like he'd grown more than a handful of centimeters, as well. Inko had lost a lot of her stature over the years as she gained weight, so it was no surprise when Izuku surpassed her in height, but even then, he'd been such a small boy. Before, the top of her head measured with the bottom of his nose. Now, if she looked straight, she was only eye-level with his suddenly-broad chest. Was puberty really this dramatic for kids these days?
Inko's lips thinned into a line. "I was going to say it's time to get ready for school, but… I think we need to get you new clothes."
Izuku glanced down, noting how the ankle of the sweatpants he'd worn to sleep only came up to his mid-calf. He chuckled. "Ah, yeah. I already sold off most of my Hero merchandise, though, so you don't have to worry about paying for it. I'll take care of it after school." He'd also gotten a pretty penny from crafting more Kiba's with his remaining Raikan Fangs, then selling them to the Store, but she didn't need to know that.
"No, I'll take care of it. Go shower, try to find something that fits, and then we'll go to the store. I'm going to call the school and tell them you'll be absent another day due to… Unforeseen circumstances." The two shared a small smile.
And if Izuku slipped a few thousand yen into his mother's purse when they were done shopping, well… She'd pretend not to notice. Just this once. After all, it was nice to spend more time with her baby.
Tuesday was… Awkward, to say the least. With his new stature, the other students at Orudera Junior High noticed Izuku more easily, but because of it, they also suddenly seemed a bit too shy to approach him. Izuku wondered if it was because he was missing for the last week, and they weren't sure what to say, but the reality of it was that they weren't even sure who he was.
Is that a transfer student?
Was there always such a hot guy in this school?
Who the heck is that?
Many were shocked when the seemingly new student entered the classroom, and made a beeline for Midoriya Izuku's desk. Izuku, meanwhile, wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his peers. He dropped into his chair with a sigh. Written all over the wooden surface was the usual graffiti, though it seemed to have gotten more explicit and vulgar due to him not being there for them to say it to his face.
Looks like I'll have to ask the janitor for cleaning supplies during lunch break. If I'm lucky, maybe he won't try to spill them on me again. Caustic burns suck.
He pulled out his notebook then tied his hair back with the scrunchie he borrowed from his mother. His hair had grown along with his body, and the new weight made it hang over his face. The tickling was annoying, but he actually kinda liked how it looked, so he followed his mother's suggestion, and pulled into a loose ponytail. Materials on his desk, Izuku was ready for class.
At least, until Bakugou entered the room. The two made eye contact, and a second later, the blond was stomping across the room.
"Oi! Fucking Deku! You think you're hot shit!? I didn't fuckin' ask you to risk your dumbass life to try and help me! You didn't even do shit! All Might had to step in to save your worthless self! And why the fuck do you look so different after disappearing for a week!? You crawl into some hole and pump up on steroids so you could feel better about yourself!? Hah!? You takin' Trigger or somethin', you fuckin' freak!?"
Izuku blinked. It looked like his bully had been sitting on that for a while, otherwise he wouldn't have shouted something like that in the middle of the crowded classroom. Verbal abuse, yes, but admitting that Izuku had interfered in the Slime Villain attack? Not on his life.
"Trigger wouldn't do anything for me, since I don't have a Quirk," Izuku replied, sounding a bit confused. Surely Bakugou knew that? Although, Izuku didn't quite know if that was really true anymore. Did the System technically count as a Quirk?
...No. It was more like…
An Awakening.
"-cking talking to you, you shitty Deku!" Bakugou's voice filtered in, breaking Izuku out of his trance. "Don't fucking ignore me!" he roared, slamming his palm down on the green-haired teen's notebook. At least, he would've, if Izuku had slapped his own hand on it first, taking the Explosion without a flinch instead.
Looks like Rasaka's Steel Scales is working as intended.
"Can you please stop blowing up my notebooks?" Izuku asked, irritation coloring his voice. "The price really starts to add up after a while. I won't be able to afford new school supplies for next year if I keep on having to replace the stuff I have now." That was a little white lie. If Izuku ran one or two more dungeons, he'd have more than enough funds, but he'd grown up poor, so he understood the value of smart spending and saving money in case of emergencies. Just because he'd come upon a bit of a windfall didn't mean he was going to throw his common sense away and start shopping like a maniac.
"Alright, alright, please settle down," the teacher said. He'd up at the podium for a minute or two, shuffling through papers, and was finally ready to start class. Of course, he hadn't batted an eye at Bakugou looming over Izuku's seat like a thug. Izuku felt his eyebrow twitch.
Bakugou clicked his teeth. "This ain't over, damned nerd," he growled, sauntering back to his desk.
Izuku rolled his eyes.
Walking back home from school, Izuku was looking over his Status.
"I don't have enough time in the morning to finish my run, so I'll need to fit that in before I start my homework," he muttered absentmindedly. "It's become a lot easier now that my Strength is higher."
Name: Midoriya Izuku
Level: 18
Job: None
Title: Wolf Slayer
HP: 1885
MP: 180
Physical Damage Reduction: 20%
Strength: 36
Agility: 27
Vitality :27
Intelligence: 27
Sense: 27
Remaining Points: 3
He'd neglected to allocate the points from yesterday's Daily Quest, since he felt the balance was starting to become a bit too skewed.
"I'm a bit worried. My body is changing too much for it to be normal, so it must be because I'm putting so many points into Strength. If I keep going like this…"
An image appeared in his head, of an Izuku with bulging muscles, like biceps bigger than his own head, and shivered.
"God, I hope that doesn't happen," he groaned, shaking his head to clear it of that disturbing depiction. "I should probably keep it balanced with Agility, since that seems to keep my muscles more streamlined, which allows me to move faster. Speed is good. In most cases, Speed is even better than Strength, especially since I have Rasaka's Fangs now. I don't have to rely on just my fists. As long as I can reach my enemies' vital points, I'll have the upper hand in a fight, and Agility will definitely help with that. But, if I encounter another opponent like Rasaka, with a body harder than I can pierce, then Strength will definitely help me to drive my daggers in with more force… Yeah, I'll keep them at roughly the same." He put yesterday's points into Agility, bringing it up to 30. He'd do the same with today's 3 points.
"Hmm… Vitality increases HP and defense, which is good. At 27, and in conjunction with the damage reduction from Rasaka's Venom, I can already pretty much ignore Bakugou's weaker blasts. They used to burn me pretty badly before, but that one earlier only took, like, 5 HP. Since I don't have many ranged options, I'll have to stick with close-range combat, and being able to take a hit will definitely keep me alive longer. With Sense, though, my reflexes and reaction time will increase enough that I'll be able to dodge most attacks. But what happens if I encounter something that uses AOE attacks? I won't always be to avoid everything, so Vitality and Sense are both equally important. Strength and Agility are priority 1, while Vitality and Sense are priority 2. Now… What to do about Intelligence? It doesn't seem to really affect my mental capacity. Despite it doubling from what it was in the beginning, my mind isn't clearer. I'm not making connections faster, my memory isn't better… It seems to be more connected to magic than anything. I have MP, so maybe in the future I'll be able to learn spells or something, but for right now, do I really need it?"
He took a look at his skills. There were only four at the moment.
[Longevity]:
Passive [Skill]
All diseases, poisons, and [Status Effects] are healed, and sleeping exponentially increases regeneration
[Unyielding Spirit]:
Passive [Skill]
Activates when HP is below 30%
Damage taken is reduced by 50% when active
[Advanced Dagger Arts]:
Passive [Skill]
Attacks with daggers do 33% more damage
[Sprint]:
Active [Skill]
Movement speed increases by 30%
Consumes 1 MP per second
"I haven't really used Sprint yet, but it seems pretty useful. It's the only thing I have that uses MP, though, and with 180 MP, I can hold it for 3 minutes straight. At 27 Intelligence, it looks like my MP regen rate is 11 every 18 seconds, so by the time the initial burst is done, I'll have regained another 110, so it's actually a bit longer. However, most fights won't last that long, I don't think. Only if I'm using hit-and-run tactics…" His muttering slowly came to a halt, and he scrubbed a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Ugh, I don't know. Fuck it. There's five stats, and five days in the working week. Monday's points can go into Strength, Tuesday to Agility, Wednesday for Vitality, Thursday for Sense, and Friday for Intelligence. Then Saturday for Strength again, and Sunday for Agility. Good enough."
"Of course you're muttering to yourself even when you're alone, you sack of shit," a harsh voice spat from behind him. Izuku whirled around, and came face-to-face with the person who was once his best friend. Back before he was diagnosed Quirkless.
Before he became worthless.
"Bakugou," he replied flatly.
Bakugou's face froze, before twisting into the most disgusted sneer he'd ever witnessed. "The fuck did you just call me?" the blond asked lowly.
Izuku raised a brow.
"I said," Bakugou repeated, "the FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?"
"It's your name. Did you forget?"
Bakugou Exploded forward, propelled by his Quirk, and grabbed the collar of Izuku's gakuran, dragging him down into a hunch so they were eye-to-eye. "I don't ever wanna hear my name come out the mouth of trash like you. Got it, scum?"
"Got it," Izuku murmured. Bakugou didn't want him to call him Bakugou, and Izuku didn't want to call him Kacchan (innocent, slightly rough, young Kacchan, who just wanted to be a Hero). So, he wouldn't call the arrogant blond anything at all. "What do you want, then?"
Bakugou shoved him back a step, then slammed a punch into his open palm, igniting a cloud of smoke. "You've really been getting on my nerves today. You think you're suddenly all that just 'cause you got a bit taller, huh? It looks like I need to do my civic duty and put you in your place, you fuckin' side character." He threw a punch, and hit nothing but air. Bakugou blinked. "Wha-?" His head whipped side to side, but there was no sign of the green-haired teen. He had vanished.
Almost like a shadow.
"I'm home," Izuku called as he entered the apartment. He sighed tiredly. His body was in peak condition, but he was mentally exhausted. Today had been rather trying, and it was all because of Bakugou. For someone who claimed to not want anything to do with Izuku, he sure did his best to seek him out.
And he calls me a stalker.
Izuku snorted at the irony. Would the blond have followed him all the way home? Maybe. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the bully knocked on his door this instant, demanding him to come out and take his beating without complaint, or something like that. It had been ridiculously easy to flip over the teen while his arm was extended, then sprint down an alleyway before he even noticed his prey had escaped.
Izuku turned the corner, and came across a strange sight in the living.
"Welcome home, Izuku," Inko panted when she noticed him standing in the hall. She was wearing blue tights under a pink leotard, purple sweatbands wrapped around her wrists and forehead. She was doing… Some sort of stretch with tiny weights in her hand, following the movements of the lady on the TV.
"Mom…"
"Yes, honey?"
"What are you wearing?"
Inko frowned. "These are my workout clothes," she said, as if they explained everything.
"...No," Izuku choked out.
"No?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with it," she said defensively.
"Mom, I love you, but you look ridiculous. Just wear sweatpants and a t-shirt. Or invest in a tracksuit. Also, what the hell kinda workout were you even doing?"
"It's Zumba!" she chirped. Izuku slapped a palm to his face, a dull, meaty thud echoing through the living room.
"Just… No. Come on. Go change, then we're going for a run."
Inko crossed her arms moodily. "Fine," she muttered, not protesting. Considering how her son turned out, he probably knew what he was talking about.
"Stuff like Zumba isn't really gonna work right now, okay? That's only to tone your muscles. It doesn't help much for actually slimming down. Only high-intensity workouts can burn the calories required to lose weight, and eating properly. Less carbs, more leafy greens and protein. Ah, but that means we can't have katsudon that much anymore, 'cause of the breadcrumbs," he moaned mournfully.
"Izu… Izuku…" Inko gasped, barely keeping up with her son's insanely long stride. Izuku glanced at her, and paled at the way her face was drooping from exhaustion.
"Oh, shit! Sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" he cried, looping an arm over Inko's shoulder to keep her from falling over.
"It's… Okay," Inko panted. "Just… Need to sit."
"Ah, it's actually not a good idea for you to stop moving so suddenly," Izuku said apologetically, giggling at the betrayed look on his mother's face. "Let's keep walking for a little bit to cool down. Raise your arms and put your hands behind your head- yeah, like that. Your diaphragm has more space to expand that way, so you'll be able to take in more oxygen. Remember, in through the nose, out through the mouth."
"Oh, I hope nobody sees me like this," Inko said. "I haven't shaved my underarms in a while…"
"Mom!" Izuku complained, scrunching his face up. Inko chuckled.
"Hey! I had to change your poopy diaper hundreds of times, mister! You can't complain if I talk about my hairy armpits!"
They made identical expressions of disgust, before breaking down into laughter.
It felt good.
Time passed. Izuku continued working out with Inko, both of them improving because of it. Occasionally, Izuku would get a dungeon key from the Random Box he got as a reward for the Daily Quest. They were either E or D-rank, and Izuku only gained two or three levels from each, but it was better than nothing. Plus, it was a great way to get combat experience, and learn to fight different types of enemies. He also made a fair bit of money from selling off the drops.
Thus far, he'd completed a Goblin Cave, a Shogun's Palace (there were ninjas, for some reason, and he'd acquired a Runestone that gave him the Stealth Skill from the samurai boss) and a Dense Forest, filled with wolves and bears (the multi-headed bear boss dropped the Bloodlust Skill Runestone).
[Stealth]
Active [Skill]
All traces of you will be hidden
Costs 200 MP to activate
Costs 10 MP per second to maintain
[Bloodlust]
Active [Skill]
Using overwhelming pressure, the selected target is put in a state of terror for 1 minute. Several targets can be selected.
-Effect: [Fearful]: All stats -50%
Costs 100 MP to activate
Level: 26
HP: 3625
MP: 350
Strength: 62
Agility: 53
Vitality: 44
Intelligence: 44
Sense: 44
Remaining Points: 0
Today was a bit different. Izuku stared at the gray key in his hand, trepidation and excitement warring within him. "A C-rank dungeon, huh?"
Item: [Dungeon Key]
Item Class: C
Type: Dungeon Key
A key that allows you to create an [Instant Dungeon]. You may use this at the tunnel under the bridge.
"That place…" His grip on the key unconsciously tightened. He hadn't been there since his Awakening. With his newfound physical ability, it was child's play to scale a building and leap across the rooftops, making it home faster and faster with each week. Free-running his way over Musutafu also helped a lot with coordination. As a result, he hadn't seen a need to go back to that wretched place again. Now, it seemed like the System was forcing him to face his past.
I hope this doesn't become a thing.
The thought of returning to the Carthenon Temple made Izuku flinch, and he had to place a hand on a nearby wall, leaning against it heavily while images of a sea of blood- his blood- flickered past his eyes. Eventually, the flashback passed, and he was left breathing heavily on the side of the street.
"Fuck… I thought I was over that," Izuku grumbled, straightening up and wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. He still couldn't stand the sight of his own blood- it always sucked him back to that horrible day where he lost his sanity. "Well, for now, I might as well go clear this dungeon," he mumbled, pocketing the key and jogging in the direction of that familiar tunnel.
He didn't notice the bird that had fallen on the road behind him, dead from a stopped heart.
! Alarm
You have entered an [Instant Dungeon]
Izuku dug a flashlight out of his inventory, flicking the device on. It peeled back the darkness, revealing a series of caves in all directions. Seeing no monsters in the immediate vicinity, he began walking forward, following his Sense, which pointed him in the direction of a malevolent presence. Minutes passed in silence, and Izuku's paranoia was being amped up every second. He started glancing down every tunnel he passed- of which there were many- observing each for a few moments, before moving on to the next.
"Where are all the monsters…?" he murmured nervously. The hairs on his arms were raised in anticipation. Then, he heard it. The scuttling of something hard tapping against the stone. "Above!?" His head whipped up, flashlight following suit. There, hanging over him, were hundreds- no, maybe thousands- of ants clinging to the walls, the multitude of eyes glowing in the darkness. Izuku shivered violently.
"That's so fucking gross."
Then the insects descended.
"Ew, ew ew ew," Izuku groaned, flicking green bug goop off his cobalt-blue tracksuit (he hadn't been able to find a green one in his new size). "God, this is disgusting." An hour or two had passed, and it felt like he was making no progress through the underground labyrinth. Ever since the first swarm appeared, it was like the flood gates had opened, and wave after wave of ants had rushed him from all directions. Their mandibles could barely pierce his skin, thanks to Rasaka's Steel Scales, but it seriously creeped him out to feel them crawling on him. Fortunately, they were pretty weak, only about E-rank in strength individually. The numbers were only an issue because he had to kill more of them, which was a real pain, but he soldiered on, leaving hundreds of insect corpses in his wake. Due to how weak they were, he'd only Levelled Up once.
"So much for a C-rank dungeon," he growled, vertically bisecting another ant's skull with Rasaka's Fang. "I hope the Boss is stronger than this." Hoping to avoid the next group, he activated Sprint and exploded into motion, rushing down halls and simply ignoring any more mobs he came across. The network of caves passed by in a blur, and soon, he came upon a hall that was covered in some sort of white, silky fabric, which a few ants were cocooned in. Webbing.
"Oh, please don't be a spider Boss," Izuku prayed.
[Giant Arachnid Buryua]
"Mother fucker."
It was massive, even bigger than Rasaka. Maybe not longer, but it could definitely compare. Eight crimson legs, curled up to its bulbous thorax. Izuku counted 12 scarlet eyes, glowing like flood lamps. It's fangs were longer than Izuku was tall. There was some mercy in the heavens, though, because it was currently asleep.
"Probably tired after gorging itself on all those ants," Izuku decided, remembering the trail of half-mangled cadavers he'd passed on his way. "All those eyes means its got a pretty wide field of vision, so getting into a blind spot will be difficult. Arachnids are arthropods- it'd take too much effort to pierce its exoskeleton, but the joints aren't covered in the chiton. Instead of the eyes, I should aim for the legs. If it can't move, it can't really fight back." Izuku nodded, mind set on his plan of attack. He'd only have one chance at this. He adjusted, then readjusted his grip on his dual daggers, inhaling and exhaling deeply to center himself. Unbeknownst to the teen, his emerald eyes began glowing with a fierce light.
[Sprint] activated
Movement Speed increased by 30%
Leaping off the ground so hard the stone under his feet cracked, Izuku landed on the spider's front-most left leg, wasting no time in cleaving through the exposed soft spot with a Rasaka's Fang, before reaching towards the next and repeating the process. In an instant, he'd amputated all four left legs, and the Boss finally woke up. With a horrific shriek, the thing rolled over on its web, forcing Izuku to jump away before he caught tangled in the sticky threads.
12 scarlet eyes glared hatefully at Izuku, but he ignored the pressure that tried, and failed, to overwhelm him.
This thing's on another level from Rasaka and those other D-rank Bosses… But it's got nothing on that guy.
Compared to the Lord of the Carthenon Temple, a huge arachnid was just a nuisance.
Buryua's mouth opened wide, a thick, salivating tongue poking out and wriggling threateningly in Izuku's general direction. It was, unexpectedly, followed by a stream of acid. Izuku backstepped a few feet, watching as the corrosive liquid ate through the cave floor. A crackling sound caught his attention once more, and when he looked up at the Boss, still clinging to its web, he saw the top of its exoskeleton was breaking.
What is it-?
Like a scene from a horror movie, Buryua's back opened up, and out emerged a completely whole spider, all eight legs waving wildly as the monster got its bearings.
It can heal by molting!? That's bullshit!
Izuku avoided a few more acid blasts, before Buryua finally dropped to the ground, which Izuku had been waiting for. It was too dangerous to go up there and risk getting stuck. He Sprinted forward, weaving past the lightning-quick jabs of the Boss' two forelegs, and scaling another limb that slammed into the ground right next to him, quickly planting his feet firmly on Buryua's broad back.
The monster screeched furiously, shaking its body and trying to dislodge its passenger, but Izuku used all his force to dig Rasaka's Fangs through the hard chiton, impaling the monster and activating the daggers' special effects.
[Effect]: [Paralysis] has activated
The enemy's resistance is too high. [Effect] cancelled.
[Effect]: [Bleed] has activated
The enemy's resistance is too high. [Effect] cancelled.
Izuku snarled in aggravation.
Tch! Looks like I'll need to either weaken it more, or hit a vital point.
He allowed himself to go flying, flipping in the air to land on his feet, then sidestepping the sharp claws attempting to cut him to pieces. Sense was working in overdrive to keep him alive, and he pushed forth with all his Agility, quickly lopping off both forelegs at the second of their three joints. Buryua hissed scathingly, spitting a veritable river of acid, but Izuku jumped high over it, landing on the spider's face. Activating his Strength with such intensity that all the muscles in his arms tightened from the strain, he jammed his daggers deep into his opponent's glowing eyes with a spray of orange blood.
[Effect]: [Paralysis] has activated
The enemy will be unable to move for 1 minute
[Effect]: [Bleed] has activated
The enemy will lose 1% HP every second
Yanking Rasaka's Fangs free, Izuku stabbed down again, and again, and again, stacking the debuffs and thoroughly carving up Buryua's disgusting face. Due to the effects of Paralysis, it didn't even squeal as the damage finally took its toll, and the Boss dropped to the floor, dead.
! Alarm
You have defeated [Giant Arachnid Buryua]
! Alarm
You have Levelled Up!
You have Levelled Up!
You have Levelled Up!
! Alarm
You have learned a new [Skill]
[Vital Strike]
Active [Skill]
Aiming for weak spots deals 200% damage
Dagger only
Costs 70 MP to activate
! Alarm
You have earned the [Title]: Bug Squasher
[Title]: Bug Squasher
A [Title] given to a Hunter proficient in defeating bugs.
40% increased stats when fighting against Insect-type monsters.
! Alarm
The [Boss] has been slain. The [Instant Dungeon] will revert to normal
A moment later, and Izuku was standing back in the tunnel under the bridge. "No drops?" he moaned mournfully. "Oh well. Least I Levelled Up 3 times. God, if I never see another Insect-type monster again, it'll be too soon." He shivered in disgust. That dungeon was getting locked away in his trauma box, right next to the time Doctor Tsubasa had callously told him to give up on hoping for a Quirk.
Wonder what happened to him and his grandson?
Izuku shrugged. It wasn't really his business. He was more concerned with getting home and washing the bug goop off him.