16 Awakening

(A/N: I have returned)

Well it's not like I had many options in the first place.

I quickly realized that some of the skills that were presented to me were...

Less optimal then others, in simple terms.

For example:

{Horned Projection, Initiate level skill: A passive skill in which the user has bull like horns grow from their forehead upon aquiring the skill. The horns can then be fired out from the forehead like missiles, but requires a full day to regrow.}

It's not like they were worthless, but they were just not something I could see myself using. Some of these skills reminded me of the unfairness of quirks in My hero Academia, like people having quirks such as stretching their eyeballs out and having a engine as a head (A/N: Both are real, look it up for yourself)

But just as it is in My hero, some skills were just better.

Looking at the flying screens around me, I picked up on a few that really caught my eye.

{Velocity Stride, Initiate level skill, lvl. 1: Upon mental activation, the user taps into their innate potential, enhancing thier speed and agility by 1.5. Their movements become fluid and efficient, their body posture subtly streamlines, allowing them to move faster and be able to react faster. It can be maintained for 1 minute, any use of the skill after the 1 minute kimit results in the user being struck with intense pain and having to wait 5 minutes to reactivate the skill. This skill can level up.}

{Gut Instinct, Initiate level skill, lvl. 1: Upon activating, the user's instincts will be enhanced. By honing their natural instincts, the user taps into an enhanced sense of intuition. During the 2 minute duration, their subconscious insights become more acute, allowing them to make quick judgments and decisions based on subtle cues and feelings. This works on virtually any situation. Attempting to use the skill any more after the 2 minutes will result in a splitting headache and force a cooldown of 7 minutes. This skill can level up.}

{Empowered Physique, Initiate level skill, lvl.1: A passive skill that brings enhancement to various bodily functions. Upon acquiring this skill, the user experiences an array of benefits including:

-Enhanced nutrient absorption from food.

-Reduced sweat production.

-Accelerated healing capabilities.

-Increased muscle growth rate.

-Augmented physical power and strength.

And other bodily functions. This skill can level up.}

"Not that bad."

These 3 were going to be my picks for the skill ticket.

The first one, Velocity Stride, focused on enhancing my speed and agility for a short burst of time, great for getting out of dicey situations. It has a clear duration and cooldown, with a penalty for exceeding the duration. Overall not bad.

Gut Instinct basically enhanced my intuition across different scenarios, allowing for quick judgments. It does have a longer duration and cooldown though, with a penalty for exceeding the duration.

And finally, Empowered physique. It's a passive skill that enhances multiple bodily functions, plus there aren't any specific durations or cooldowns, so it's a constant enhancement.

"But which to choose?"

All 3 had the their own quirks and all of them weren't bad. I could use all of them as each one was something I needed. But I thought about my fight with Micheal.

'I was weak.'

I felt dissapointed when I remembered my fight with Micheal, that hyper caution and fear I had when he tried to attack me.

Don't get me wrong, John Wick is borderline superhuman, but even that didn't stop Micheal's better physical's. If I keep facing superhuman anomalies with perks that only give me peak human guys I won't be able to keep up.

I would be the opposite of the homelander speech: I'm weaker, I'm dumber, I'm worse.

And I don't want that!

I want to be strong, be it for my survival and my pride!

I need to be stronger!

"I know what I'm picking then."

I knew what I was going to pick, it was obvious to me.

"I pick Empowered physique."

It was a no brainer to me now, Empowered physique is able to permanently strengthen and enhnace my body. I could maybe hang with Micheal if I got it so it was a must.

The skill flew in front of me before suddenly turning into blue particles. The rest of the skills followed and all turned into blue particles as well and dissappearing from sight.

"Hey what the fu-...OH SHIT!"

I crashed to the ground, my body feeling like it was on fire. Waves of heat surged through me, every nerve ending tingling with an overwhelming sensation. It was as if my entire being was undergoing some sort of transformation. The pain was intense, almost unbearable, but something deep within me urged me to endure it.

What felt like days went by as I endured the pain, sweat and strange black goo covered the ground beneth me as clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. A constant pain was continuesly beaten into me with every second passing by.

I felt like I would go insane.

But it suddenly stopped.

I realized thar the pain was gone and pulled myself up as I examined myself. My suit's undershirt was dretched, in fact all clothes were dretched in a mix of sweat and weird black goo. I unbuttoned my shirt and threw it off as I looked down in shock.

My body was built, each muscle sharply defined. The strange black goo seemed to have vanished, leaving behind only a residue on my skin. My skin itself looked revitalized, and I could swear there was a faint, almost imperceptible glow emanating from it.

I flexed my arms, feeling the power coursing through my veins. I felt that I could punch a tree down with my strength now.

I let out a straight punch, my fist slicing through the air with newfound swiftness. The sheer power behind the blow left me feeling exhilarated, a grin spreading across my face as I reveled in the strength coursing through me.

"So this is what those wuxia protagonist feel after eating those body-enhancement pills!"

It really was straight out of a cultivation novel.

I had a stupid grin on my face as I laughed out loud at my newfound strength.

{Congratulations on your selections! The skill 'Empowered Physique' will be added to your skill list.}

{Now the please wait for the next hunt to be selected for you.}

"Wait what? I don't even get to rest! I just killed Micheal like 15 minutes ago!"

Can't a man get a break?

{Unfortunently that's incorrect. You have been in the rest room for well over a day now.}

What the hell!

"It took a day for me to finish that experience?"

{Correct.}

"My sense of time is fucked."

{Get ready for your next hunt.}

My body began to turn invisible again, starting from my feet and moving up. It felt like a tingling sensation as my form gradually faded from view, leaving only a shimmering outline in the air. The world around me seemed to blur and distort as the invisibility took hold, and I knew that I was about to embark on another adventure.

"Here we go again,"

(A/N: Now where should our MC go?! Imma be real I might do like Friday the 13th or like Terminator)