3 Chapter 3
Feeling a little tired after his workout, Izuku was relaxing on a park bench when a familiar sight entered his view.
Shortly after their little 'altercation,' Bakugo signed up at a local gym and began running the same route as Izuku. The latter never asked him why, but that didn't stop Bakugo from confronting and telling him that he would always be stronger and faster. After all, he was 'going to be the #1 Hero.'
Stopping near Izuku, Bakugo sneered as he asked, "Taking another break, loser? If you're not going to take this seriously, you should just quit."
Shaking his head, Izuku replied, "No, I don't think I will..." before taking a sip from his camelbak's mouthpiece. He had gotten used to wearing them in his previous life, and it was a hell of a lot more convenient than walking around with a water bottle.
*Tch*
Clicking his tongue, Bakugo looked like he had more to say but turned away and started running. As for Izuku, he enjoyed his break for a few minutes longer before resuming his own run...
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[February 25th, 2149]
With the UA Entrance Exam taking place the following day, Izuku found himself staring listlessly at his status screen.
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Name: [Izuku Midoriya]
Quirk: Digitalization
Current Level: 15 (42219 EXP)
Effective Level: 32
[Attributes]
Strength: 7
Agility: 7
Vitality: 100
Intelligence: 100
Dexterity: 100
Luck: 10
Free Attributes: 0
Rerolls Available: 2
[Perks]
[Lesser-Regeneration], [Healthy Body], [Sharp Mind], [Eidetic Memory], [Nimble Fingers], [Keen Senses]
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Though he was roughly 30 points behind where he expected to be, Izuku was fairly satisfied with his stats. The [Healthy Body] and [Keen Senses] Parks, in particular, were amazing. The former allowed him to always feel refreshed, while the latter enhanced each of his five senses, particularly his sight and hearing.
The issue Izuku was currently facing was that he wasn't sure whether to redistribute his stats or keep them as they were. Others might not know what the entrance exam entailed, but unless something had changed, he knew they would be tasked with defeating various robots. Doing so would reward them Villain Points based on the robot's difficulty, with the top 36 scorers being chosen for the Hero Course.
What the examiners wouldn't mention was that participants could also acquire points by 'saving' or providing assistance to others. Selflessness was one of the defining features of a Pro Hero, so providing aid to others would reward participants with Rescue Points.
With his current physical attributes, Izuku doubted he could defeat even the weakest Villain bot. If he focused on helping people, however, there was a good chance he could pass without needing to. The only problem was that the UA Entrance Exam was just the beginning. Once he became a student, Izuku would be expected to participate in combat and rescue training, exercises that would require skillful use of one's Quirk or a strong physique.
Though it was easy to distribute some of his attributes into Strength and Agility, doing so would make it much harder for Izuku to acquire bonus attributes. His system allowed him to break through the natural limits of humans, but growing beyond that with training was difficult. The higher an attribute was, the more difficult it was to elevate it further. Thus, if he wanted to perform well in class, Izuku would need to abandon his current method of acquiring attribute points...
Shaking his head, Izuku activated the reroll function as he muttered, "Whatever...I'll just use this as an opportunity to experiment and stockpile rerolls..."
Though it was called Rerolling, Izuku's attributes didn't immediately reset to 1. Instead, plus and minus signs appeared next to each attribute, along with a checkmark and x near the bottom. So long as he didn't confirm his selection, he could redistribute his attributes as he pleased.
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Name: [Izuku Midoriya]
Quirk: Digitalization
Current Level: 15 (42219 EXP)
Effective Level: 32
[Attributes]
Strength: 50
Agility: 50
Vitality: 100
Intelligence: 62
Dexterity: 50
Luck: 10
Free Attributes: 0
Rerolls Available: 1
[Perks]
[Bronze Skin], [Fleet-footed], [Lesser Regeneration], [Healthy Body], [Sharp Mind], [Nimble Fingers]
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Satisfied with his distribution, Izuku confirmed his selection, his body experiencing a rush similar to adrenaline. Unfortunately, while he felt like he could take a truck head-on, the decreases in Intelligence, combined with his loss of [Keen Senses], made him feel 'sluggish.' It was similar to the buzz one would get after consuming strong alcohol but significantly less pleasant.
"So this is what it's like to be as dumb as a Ph.D. holder..." muttered Izuku, an amused smile developing across his face. Then, after a moment of deliberation, he rose from his desk and picked up the heaviest dumbbells he currently owned. With 6-7 Strength, 20kgs was very near the 'max' he could curl with one hand. Now, while it didn't exactly feel weightless, he had no trouble lifting it at all.
Setting aside the dumbbell, Izuku moved over to his curl bar, currently outfitted with 50kgs of weight. This was close to his body weight, but he only had to exert a little to raise and curl it with one arm.
Raising and lowering the bar with little difficulty, Izuku remarked, "Wow, this is even better than I imagined. If Bakugo saw this, he'd have a brain aneurysm..."
Though he had once calculated each point to be equivalent to 5kgs of lifting power, the most Strength Izuku had ever possessed was 10. Now that he had 50, he should be able to deadlift approximately 250kgs. Far from superhuman, but incredible for a 14-year-old.
Returning the curl bar to its usual resting place, Izuku made his way over to his desk, retrieving an Exacto knife from one of the drawers. According to the information in his mind, the [Bronze Skin] Perk did exactly what one might expect, making his skin as hard as bronze. To test this, Izuku traced the Exacto knife across the back of his forearm, his green eyes glistening with curiosity as wherever he traced the blade, his skin gained a reflective bronze hue.
Setting aside the Exacto knife, Izuku pinched his forearm as hard as he could. Nothing happened at first, but the more pressure he put into his fingers, the more prominent the bronze hue. If anyone else were present, they would naturally assume it was the byproduct of a Quirk that allowed him to convert his body to bronze. That could be a minor issue, but Izuku didn't believe the teachers or staff of UA would make a big deal out of it. If push came to shove, he would just feign ignorance until they made him take a Quirk Evaluation Test.
Having confirmed his strength and durability, Izuku still had one thing to test before calling it a day. Like Strength, the most Agility he had ever had was 10. Now that it was 50, Izuku approximated his maximum speed to be around 33 meters per second, roughly 120 kilometers per hour. Compared to his strength, this was easily superhuman...
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Standing outside a fortress-like gate, various thoughts crossed Izuku's mind as he stared up at the four interconnected skyscrapers that formed the main building of UA. Those partaking in the Entrance Exam had been asked to gather in one of the assembly halls for an explanation, but Izuku wasn't in a hurry to enter. Instead, he was using his ability to inspect the status of others, specifically those he recognized.
Spotting a familiar girl with bobbed brown hair, large brown eyes, and tiny blush marks on her face, Izuku immediately inspected her status.
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Name: [Ochaco Uraraka]
Quirk: Zero Gravity
Current Level: 10(11246 EXP)
Effective Level: 15
[Attributes]
Strength: 14
Agility: 12
Vitality: 28
Intelligence: 35
Dexterity: 24
Luck: 46
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("Not too bad...") though Izuku. Her Level wasn't very high, but she was about as strong as an average adult. With her inordinately high Luck stat, she would grow much faster than most people. In other words, she had a lot of latent potential.
Noticing Izuku's gaze, Uraraka, wearing a thick coat and scarf due to the wintry temperature, gave him an awkward but friendly smile as she said, "Hello there. Are you also here to take the Entrance Exam? We can go in together if you'd like."
As Izuku was standing right in front of the entrance, Uraraka thought he might be nervous about stepping inside. She was also feeling anxious, so she thought it might make things easier for both of them if they entered together.
Catching Uraraka a little off guard, Izuku shook his head, calmly replying, "I'm not nervous. I was gathering information on the competition. To that end, you seem like a strong competitor. Might I ask your name?"
Extending his hand, Izuku added, "Mine is Izuku Midoriya. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Recovering from her brief stupor, Uraraka accepted Izuku's hand, smiling awkwardly as she replied, "It's nice to meet you, Midoriya-kun. My name is Ochaco Uraraka. I wish us both the best of luck in the exam."
Nodding in affirmation, Izuku offered a curt "Likewise." before releasing Uraraka's hand and letting her walk away. It was clear their interaction had intimidated her somewhat, so he didn't attempt to keep her longer than necessary. Instead, he spent a few more minutes observing other students before making his way inside...
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With more than a thousand students filling the auditorium, Izuku didn't attempt to search for his future classmates. Instead, he waited for the person who would be explaining the exam to appear, a famous Pro Hero with blonde hair reminiscent of a cockatiel's crown, triangular sunglasses, a leather outfit, and a series of speakers around his neck.
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Name: [Hizashi Yamada]
Quirk: Voice
Current Level: 37 (7018448 EXP)
Effective Level: 40
[Attributes]
Strength: 52
Agility: 29
Vitality: 130
Intelligence: 78
Dexterity: 59
Luck: 54
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Seeing the man's, Present Mic's stats, Izuku couldn't help thinking ("What is he, a cockroach?"). It was perfectly normal for most Pro Heroes to have high Vitality, making them exceptionally tenacious, but 130 was ridiculous. It wasn't the highest he had observed, but most of them possessed some form of physical mutation or body-enhancement Quirk.
Interrupting Izuku's thoughts, the wannabe cockatiel shouted, "Yeaaah~!" at the top of his voice, amplified by his Quirk. This was yet another reason Izuku had taken his time to enter, as everyone sitting near the front of the auditorium had to cover their ears like a bunch of idiots standing near the speakers at a concert...
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As expected, both the exam and the rules matched Izuku's memory from his previous life. After changing into clothes that were easier to move in, each examinee was asked to report to one of five exam sites, mock cities roughly 5x5 city blocks in size. Their goal was to destroy as many Villain robots as possible before time ran out. To make things interesting, there was also a 0-Point robot that examinees 'could' fight but were advised to avoid. As for what made it different from the other robots, well, it was the size of a building.
Unlike his counterpart in the anime, Izuku had no intention of confronting the 0-Pointer. Instead, he planned to take out some of the weaker robots before spending the remainder of the exam helping others. He might play Hero if Uraraka tripped as she did in the anime, but Izuku doubted things would play out the same way. After all, even random words spoken during a conversation could have a drastic impact on the flow of fate...
Setting aside his wayward thoughts, Izuku surprised several students by opening the armored suitcase he had been carrying around. Present Mic had stated they were allowed to bring along whatever they wanted, so he intended to make use of the 'support tool' he had prepared in advance.
"Is that...is that a sword?" asked a wide-eyed, incredibly confused girl with drill-like horns sticking out of her head.
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(A/N: Why punch things when you can slice them to pieces...?)
