New Body
"Ahh..."
I open my mouth as the doctor shines a light on my throat.
"How is he?" The Water Saintess asks.
"He is fine, miss Kizuma. It's a miracle, his entire body was deprived of any living signs a month ago." The doctor says. "It's as if...all the virus suddenly stop attacking the body."
The Water Saintess, named Ayaka Kizuma, is Ayato's older sister. After some digging, their parents died in an accident caused by a villain, which is a very typical backstory of heroes.
"Just in case, we will have you take the vaccine." The doctor says to me.
Vaccine...
I specifically modified my plague to have 5 layers of protection, each stronger than the other. In addition, when one layer of protection is broken, my plague's behaviour will change and become increasingly aggressive.
However...my resurrection took a toll on my powers. Since I am essentially the "main server" connecting all the plague...their behaviour has changed and weakened.
"Thankfully that plague villain is dead or else the entire world would be in shambles." The doctor comments. She takes a needle and grasps my arm, stabbing the tip into the deltoid.
...
Does a mere vaccine want to kill the main host? My virus quickly overwhelms and consumes the vaccines in the intramuscular route.
!
A line of knowledge enters my consciousness.
Interesting, I wasn't able to feel this before but I can derive the formula and purpose of the substance absorbed.
After my disappearance, the protection of my plague disappeared, leaving behind only lethality. The vaccine detects the toxin left behind by my plague and attacks the culprit.
"Can my brother be discharged?" Ayaka asks.
"Of course, but for precaution, we will keep an eye on him for 4 days."
Ayaka heaves a sigh of relief. "Thank you, doctor."
The doctor nods. "No problem, it's my job."
The nurse guides me back to my room and my sister left for the day after promising to return tomorrow.
...
There's a television at the side of the room with a window behind it. I close the curtains.
I take a deep breath.
Looking at the digital clock on the wall, it's been three years since my death...
[2027/9/21]
Right now, my priority is to retain my strength at its prime and learn more about my awakened power.
There are many ways to grow one's power but the most common is to continuously use it or consume a power crystal.
I can't afford to waste time training my power naturally using only the first option and there's no way I can get a power crystal for now.
There are four common categories of power:
-Physical
-Psychic
-Summoner
-Elemental
The majority of powers are a hybrid of the four, mine falls under Psychic. Each category of power has specific training methods that work wonders.
Psychic users utilize mysterious atmosphere energy to unleash their powers. They derive it from a core in their body that absorbs energy naturally, similar to the concept of "mana" in video games. Thus, if I continually absorb and circulate energy, I can expand my core and naturally, my power becomes stronger.
Every power ranks from the lowest F to the highest SSS. Some people start with an F rank power while lucky individuals with an A rank power. Either way, all power can be cultivated to the top rank.
Currently, my awakened power is without a doubt F rank because of my current body. I cannot control any plague outside of this body and can only release it.
...
A long black-haired nurse walks in at the moment and smiles at me. "Hello, it's nice to see you awake."
I nod. "Thank you," I say when she passes a tray of food to me.
"You should get a haircut after your discharge, take a look at the mirror." She says.
I look at the mirror in the corner of the room. A frail boy with azure eyes and black, messy, long hair sits atop the bed with trembling hands.
"Okay," I reply.
The nurse bowed and bid me goodbye before leaving.
...
*sniff*
This smell... My food is poisoned?
??
I can sense a presence overseeing me albeit unable to determine where.
This smell must be Power Poison, a Poison derived from condensing many power crystals to force the victim into overdose.
I smirk.
Without hesitation, I gulp the warm porridge down my throat.
*whoosh*
After the meal, the presence watching me disappeared.
...
It is lethal for any other person. I, however, have full control of over a billion microorganisms inside my body and each can directly absorb the energy, making an overdose impossible.
That might be the work of a villain who has a grudge against Ayaka, my apologies and thanks for the gift.
Another nurse walks in, this time a short-haired blonde foreigner, to collect the tray.
Small dust of green materializes on my fingertips when I pass the bowl to her. Her finger touches mine and the virus is directly passed on.
"Ah, I think there's something on your upper lips," I say when I notice it.
"Hm?"
She raises her hand to her lips and finds mustard left behind. "O-Oh! I'm sorry about this." She says in embarrassment.
Her body glows subtly in red, a sign that my virus has started its infiltration.
The first step is complete, my power will grow stronger as my virus spread further. To maximize infection, I disguise my plague as a simple cough disease. For the rest of the three days, I do nothing but absorb the energy from the poison.
-------------------------------
A beautiful woman dressed in a navy blue skirt and coat widens her eye. "How is the Water Saintess's brother still alive? I clearly placed the poison..." She says. It is revealed that she is the black-haired nurse from earlier that gave Ayato the food.
"Are you sure, Mika? You've always been the clumsy one." Says a blonde hair woman seating beside Mika in the same attire. It's the second nurse that came to collect the tray.
"I am clumsy, not stupid, Jessica. " Mika retorted.
Mika and Jessica sigh as they gaze around their luxurious abode. They are sitting on a couch beside a large glowing pool with a transparent window at the side. The view is beautiful in the night starry sky.
Both culprits are a pair of SSS-tier superhero idols. They were both regarded as the goddess of the hero association 3 years ago until the A-Tier Water Saintess steps in and plays a huge role in killing off the Villain of Plague.
As a result, she was instantly promoted to the SSS-tier, which many heroes were jealous and dissatisfied with.
The pair wanted to teach the Water Saintess a lesson but they couldn't target her. Mainly because she has too much support. So, they turned to the people Ayaka loved, her brother Ayato.
"It's already a miracle that brat dodged a bullet. He was suffering immensely from the Virus, why was he...arghh!! My head hurts." Says Mika, she gets up and goes to the fridge behind, taking out a pair of expensive wines. "We went through so much to get a sample of the Plague created by the legendary Plague Harbinger and inject it into his body. Argh..."
"Stop whining, it is what it is. Has anything ever gone according to plan?" Says Jessica.
...
"Now that I think about it, my brother goes to the same hero academy as that Ayato brat." Mika mumbles.
Jessica stares away. "Wow."
"What? You are letting him go?" Says Mika.
"Do whatever you want..." Jessica replies and gets up. "I will focus on destroying the Water Saintess herself."
Mika clicks her tongue at Jessica's annoying tacit approval. On the table beside the couch are documents of Ayato, Mika grabs it and slides her phone out to call her brother.
The document reads:
--------------------------------
Name: Ayato
Age: 19
Rank: F
Ability: Wind Manipulation
Alias: "Blowdryer"
Comments:
Ayato is a hardworking but extremely untalented hero. It's a pity to see his effort wasted but that's reality. The best he can do with his ability is to create a light breeze over a large area or a strong "blowdryer" effect in a small one. His ability is useless in an actual fight but several companies might find it useful; he can probably get a well-paid civilian job.
----------------------------------
A picture of a handsome and young black-haired, azure eyes Ayato is pasted at the end.
"S-Sis? What's up?" Says a man on the other side of the call.
"Hey, brat. I have a request for you. Do you know someone called Ayato?" Mika asks.
"Ayato? Oh, that fucker. Yeah, I used to bully him in the past but he suddenly disappeared. Why?"
Mika smirks. "He will probably be back soon, I want you to get ready and make his life a living hell. I can even provide you with a little support. How's that?"
"Oh? Sure, I miss the old days anyways."