A/N
Welcome back, dear reader! I would like the time from now until UA to be its own arc, but I simply don't have enough ideas to make it one, so if you have any good ideas you want in the next few chapters, please leave them in a review for this chapter or the next. Remember, no idea is a bad idea, and I will respond to any review left regarding said ideas. Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!
With Katsuo officially on his way to becoming the strongest, he and All Might begin training Izuku Midoriya. How will Katsuo's presence affect the timeline?
CHAPTER SIX: ADVERSITY
Yet another beautiful morning was ruined by Katsuo's laziness. His normal schedule of waking up at 8:00 AM and throwing his alarm clock against the pillow taped to his wall was disrupted by the grade skip test. It was only the next day after becoming Midoriya's second mentor, so Katsuo's full attention should have been on that, but he always was a nervous test taker. Even with the enhanced memory and practically 100% chance he would ace the test, Katsuo's hands were still shaking from anxiety. But ultimately, he had been through way worse, so he was able to calm down to a certain degree.
After getting to school early and making his way back to the vice principal's office (who surprisingly wasn't playing Tetris this time), Katsuo was led to one of the classrooms on the first floor to take his test. Anxiety was omnipresent before the test, but it always disappeared once Katsuo got into the zone. Every question on the test was easily answerable, even the free-response questions were easy to solve. All in all, the test only took around 10 minutes to complete. The VP was skeptical at first, probably assuming Katsuo had done all this for attention or something, but a quick glance over the sheet led to the VP double-checking that the answers were correct with an answer key.
"Holy crap. Huh. Well, it looks like you passed with flying colors, 40/40. I'll go ahead and do the necessary paperwork and make sure your absences are excused from now on. You don't need to come back until graduation." And with that, Katsuo's middle school career ended with a bang. Unfortunately, UA only accepted teenagers 14 and older, meaning he would have to wait to take the entrance exam in November at the end of the year.
Still though, he was looking pretty good so far. From beating up his bullies to full-on skipping the rest of the year, Katsuo was in pretty good shape. But it could always be better, so he decided to dedicate the next few hours to getting the last four levels he needed to unlock the next scenario.
-HL-
Katsuo stuck to the promise he made to himself like the butter on bread he had for breakfast that morning. While it did take a while, Katsuo was eventually able to level up four more times, having his "new quest" constantly rubbed in his face. After deciding to help train Midoriya in any way he could, Katsuo received an alert of a new quest, which hadn't happened in a long time.
Quest Title: Train To Become A Formidable Combatant. Type: Story
Description: The fate of the world rests on the shoulder of one man, but his mentor sucks! If you help out the young hero now, you may benefit from it in the future. Requirements: Assist in the training of Izuku Midoriya. Rewards: ?
This quest was bullshit in every way. One, when did the system decide Midoriya had been sufficiently trained? And two, where the hell were all the rewards?! These were practically the only thoughts going through Katsuo's head as he finished up the last four levels he needed. Navigating his way back to the scenario tab, he clicked on the next scenario, which was no longer grayed out. This one was different from the first scenario, this time having a description.
Scenario Title: Tower of Dungeons. Lv. Requirement: 30
Description: Adventurers far and wide venture to these dungeons to become stronger and obtain the treasures within. But make no mistake, the Tower of Dungeons is a very dangerous existence.
"Umm… yap yap yap, just let me in already!" Katsuo couldn't bear to keep his excitement in. All he really gathered from the description was that people went to this tower to get stronger, which made him visibly excited. He clicked on the button to enter the scenario, only to be hit with a paywall. After coughing up 5,000 coins to unlock the scenario completely, Katsuo was transported into The Tower of Dungeons.
-HL-
The tower was vastly different from the first scenario. For one, it was populated. If Katsuo had read the description more carefully, he would have seen that he wouldn't be the only one here. Katsuo appeared in front of two large wooden doors which seemed to be some kind of portal, most likely to the outside of the tower. People were both entering and leaving the dungeon frequently, and just a simple glance would reveal that there was practically an entire town in there. Small buildings littered the entire floor, around 10-15 buildings total, with the ones on the outside jutting up against the wall. The buildings were occupied by merchants, craftsmen, and a single bar which seemed quite popular.
With nowhere else to go, Katsuo had an idea. When in need of information, go to the bar. It was a timeless tale, and probably proven true too! Making his way inside, Katsuo sat at the bar. Katsuo got a strange look from the bartender when he ordered plain old water from a bar, but that was the only one he got. After receiving his admittedly delicious water, Katuso got to ask questions of the bartender while he wiped down the bar. Eventually, Katsuo had all the information laid out in his mind:
-There were 20 floors to the dungeon, each one more dangerous than the last the farther you descended.
-The floors moved around and remade themselves frequently, so the dungeon would likely be different each time he went in.
-In order to claim treasure from the dungeon, small amounts could be found in randomly placed chests, or mana crystals could be taken from the boss's corpse for a large pay at the "guild" office.
After supplying himself with sufficient information, it was time to go dungeon crawling. His journey through the first floor was nothing short of a blood bath, Katsuo having gone at least 20 to 1 against the monsters on that floor and come out unscratched. Then came the boss. It was a minotaur wielding a greatsword. Its movements were slow but strong, giving Katsuo a little bit of a hard time blocking, so he stuck to dodging and parrying. Ultimately, all it took was a quick slice through the neck and the mythical beast was down for good, disappearing into a black mist and only leaving behind a large mana stone. As he picked it up, the system rang out with a new notification.
The system has detected a tradeable item being picked up by the player. The trading tab of the shop has now been opened. Mana crystals, as well as other drops from monsters, can be exchanged in the system shop for "special coins". These coins can be used to buy the keys for special dungeons.
Everything the system said was confirmed by the addition of two new tabs in the shop, one being the trading station and the other being a tab titled: Keys. In the trading tab, Katsuo inserted the mana crystals into the system (he just stuck them through the screen) and got back 10 special coins. Looking at the Keys tab, Katsuo saw the cheapest key, the "XP Giveaway" scenario, was 500 special coins. Nothing in life is easy. As he turned around to exit the dungeon and grab another glass of water from the tavern, Katsuo spotted a group of adventurers who were looking at him like he had two heads. He put two and two together, assuming they were dumbfounded by someone who could clear the dungeon by themself.
He simply waved at them as he passed by, making his way back to the tavern and ordering more water. Yet again, the bartender gave him a strange look.
-HL-
The combined time spent in both dungeons (around five hours) only amounted to around an hour when Katsuo got back, making it nine in the morning. With nothing else to do, he asked his mom if she needed him to get anything from the store. After receiving a short list of stuff to buy from the convenience store, Katsuo began walking at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights and sounds of the less busy streets of Mustafa. Katsuo bought the items from the store and made his way back to the house, dropping off the groceries before settling back down in his room. "Hmmm… I need to put these new stats to good use. Mom has her surgery on Monday and it'll be expensive. It'll definitely be money we don't have right now, that's for sure."
The gears began turning once again, Katsuo tossing a few ideas back and forth in his head, testing them out and ultimately concluding they wouldn't work. Then, his light bulb lit up. An idea. A good one at that. Katsuo, giddy as a child in a candy store, ran to find his mother who was reading on the couch. "Hey Mom, do you have any of those books you studied in college?"
-HL-
Katsuo's plan was simple when laid out on paper, it's the execution he wasn't excited about. After leveling up earlier in the day, Katsuo's intelligence stat had expanded even more, allowing for even more memory storage. That's where the college books came in. If he could memorize math and science on every level, he would be considered a genius in any field he worked in. The one he was specifically interested in was the hero support industry. They were the ones responsible for designing gear to make heroes even stronger when on the field. This could be anything, from suits to arm cannons to sunglasses with built-in screens. The reason for picking this industry was simple: everyone benefits.
Katsuo's overall goal is to preserve the smiles of everyone he cares about, as well as the rest of the world, so what would be better than making heroes stronger? If he could memorize all the books he could find on math and science, then Katsuo could make money off of designing hero support gear while also strengthening the heroes for the upcoming battles in the future, even if he had no clue where or even what they were. That was another problem he had encountered after reviving: he didn't know anything about the future.
It's not like his memories were wiped clean or anything, he just didn't know. From middle school onwards, Katsuo was practically dead inside, useless fate and all that. He could barely keep himself functioning on a day-to-day basis, let alone pay attention to anything going on around him. It's why he didn't recognize the number one hero when he was right in front of him, or why he can't use any knowledge of the future to his advantage, because he doesn't have any. And unlike all of his other problems, this one couldn't be solved. There was nothing he could do about it, so he decided to stop thinking about it and get back to work.
He had memorized every page within the hour and still had plenty of memory to spare, so it was time to go to the library! Where was that again? After asking his Mom for directions, it was to go to the library! It had a strict four-book maximum borrowing, so Katsuo spent the next few hours memorizing as many books as he could, page by word-filled page. God, I hate studying.
-HL-
-Told from the perspective of Eijiro Kirishima-
It all happened so fast. I was walking back home from school that afternoon when I saw some people looking scared, so I followed their line of sight to check it out for myself. And there, I saw a large man, probably nine or ten feet tall, staring down at a group of middle-school girls while he asked them a question. "Do you know where the Springer Agency is?" The man was covered by a black trench coat and black fedora, making him even more intimidating than he already was. The girls were quite possibly in danger, and yet I could do nothing, frozen to the spot I was standing in out of pure fear. One of the girls, a pink-haired one I recognized as my classmate, Mina Ashido, was about to stand up for her friends and tell the man when someone else walked up.
It was a boy our age, with black hair, striking purple eyes, and a somewhat muscular frame. The fear in his eyes when he tapped on the giant's arm was obvious to anyone who caught a glimpse of them, and yet he still got the giant to look at him. "I know where it is if you're willing to follow me!" The boy feigned a bubbly personality, but it seemed to trick the giant well enough. That boy was so… manly. Something I wasn't, not at all. Instead of protecting those girls, all I could do was stand there like an idiot and make someone else do it for me. Dammit. I ended up walking away in disgrace, content to not let the girls see me.
-HL-
What. The. Hell did I do that for?! Katsuo was on his way back from the library, four books in the plastic bag he was carrying when he saw a man speaking to a group of girls his age. It was creepy to him, but he most likely would have just walked away if it weren't for his perception. He could tell from looking at him and examining him. The man was dangerous. Not just his tall frame, but everything. He knew, his instincts knew, hell, probably everybody in a five-mile vicinity knew. And yet despite that information, Katsuo still tapped on the giant's shoulder and led him away from the girls.
Bullets of sweat ran down his forehead as he walked along, the giant close behind him. I don't know where the Springer Agency is! I don't even know who the hell Springer IS! The anxiety from before the test was back in full force, practically crippling his hands and legs, which were shaking out of control. Eventually, Katsuo found a clearing and led the giant into it. Oh god, what do I do now?! What- His panicked thought was interrupted by a single word blasting through his brain like a bad headache. DODGE.
Katsuo jumped out of the way, barely missing a heavy punch from the giant. "You lied. Puny insect." The giant punched even harder this time, Katsuo not being able to dodge or even block it this time, taking the full brunt of the blow straight to his stomach and going flying into the tree. CRASH! Katsuo left a crate the size of his back in the tree, coughing up an insane amount of blood as he tried to analyze the situation, to no avail. The giant walked over to Katsuo, picked him up, and slammed him on the ground one good time before waiting for him to move. He didn't, couldn't even. The giant's attack was simply too much for him to handle, and he lay there, still slightly coughing up blood.
Seemingly content, the giant wandered back into the city. At least… the girls are… safe… Katsuo used the last of his remaining energy to open up the shop and grab a healing potion, using it to heal at least some of his injuries. It wasn't 100% effective, but it was good enough. The feeling began to return to Katsuo's body once again, allowing him to painstakingly try to stand back up. It worked, but damn did it still hurt like hell. As Katsuo began to stumble back home, books still safe in the plastic bag, one thought echoed constantly through his head.
Don't get cocky. Don't get cocky. Don't get cocky.
A/N
Hello again dear readers! Like I said at the beginning of the chapter, I need ideas to fill in the space between now and the entrance exam. If I don't have anything for the next few chapters then I'll probably just do a time skip. Already have the next chapter kind of locked in though, so that's good. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a wonderful rest of your day! (I'm posting this at 2 AM, smh)