Alex walked through the streets, looking for any possible job to do — He no longer had any money on him and he wanted to stop depending on Peter, his friend for his feeding.
Unlike before when he could not do anything for himself, he now had an ability and with the help of his ability, he would get something doing.
Since they were not yet qualified to go on missions, he would do it secretly — no one would find out as long as he hides his identity.
He would have gone to his house but he wasn't ready to go there just yet — Not like he was afraid of memories returning, he didn't want to draw attention to himself because he believed that many had their eyes on him — he was certainly being watched.
"Hey, it's a portal!"
As he walked with thoughts in his head, he didn't hear what the people were saying until he arrived at a place where there was a crowd. He looked ahead and saw how people gathered and we're mumbling about something, curious, he decided to check it out.
As he arrived at the place, he passed through the crowd and walked to the front — a large portal was standing there, hovering before the people.
There were some group of security men but no one dared to go over.
"Attention everyone, it is a C-rank portal, it is very dangerous. There are no heroes around yet but we must wait until help arrives!" One of the security men announced to the crowd.
'A C-rank portal?' Alex thought inwardly — his excitement building up.
He had always listened to lectures on villains and monsters.
He knew that monsters were ranked according to their powers. While the lowest rank is the E-rank monsters, the highest should be the A and S-rank monsters.
While the A-rank monster has the ability to destroy a town, an S-rank monster can destroy a complete city.
He had always wanted to fight these monsters himself but unfortunately, he didn't have any ability — that was then, not anymore.
Now, he had the ability — There was nothing holding him back any longer.
"Hello, I am a registered heroes," Alex, approaching one of the security men said.
The man sized him up and down, the boy standing before him was barely sixteen years old and why did he have his face covered with a handkerchief?
"Where is your ID, kid?" The security man asked.
Alex knew that they would ask him for his ID because every registered and qualified hero must have one.
He dipped his hand into his hoodie, attempting to bring out something but after some time, he brought out his hand and frowned deeply.
"I must have forgotten it in the office," he muttered in frustration, loud enough for the security man to hear.
Seeing how sad he looked, the man sighed. "Fine, kid, I am not supposed to allow you in but it seems you are a hero. You can go but make sure to come back alive, don't die in there but if you eventually do, it's your cup of tea and your own shame."
Alex was relieved inwardly but still wore a sad expression. "Thank you, officer," he said to the man. "If I die in there, it'll really be a shame for me to die inside there."
With that, Alex bade the man and walked into the portal.
Inside the portal, Alex found himself in a dark, damp cavern. The air was thick and musty, with faint clicking sounds echoing in the distance. His senses sharpened immediately, he could hear the faint scratching of legs against stone, the scent of decaying flesh hanging heavy.
He stepped forward cautiously, his enhanced strength making each movement feel effortless. His eyes adjusted to the dim light, catching glimpses of web-like structures clinging to the walls.
A sudden shift in the shadows made him pause. From the far end of the cavern, a massive figure crawled into view—a C-rank Caterpillar-Spider. Its segmented body pulsed with sickly green veins, and its eight crimson eyes gleamed with malice. Long, serrated legs scraped against the rocky floor as it crept closer.
Alex clenched his fists, excitement mixing with the tension. This was his first real fight against a monster. He wasn't going to let it intimidate him.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "Let's see what I can do."
The monster lunged, its serrated legs slicing through the air with a sharp whirr. Alex pivoted to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. His enhanced senses caught the subtle twitch in its muscles, he was fast, but it was faster than he expected.
Without hesitating, Alex surged forward. His fist slammed into the creature's thick exoskeleton with a dull crack, sending a tremor up his arm. It barely flinched.
"Hard shell," he noted, stepping back as the Caterpillar-Spider hissed, venom dripping from its fangs. The creature reared up, its front legs slamming down where he had just stood, shattering the stone beneath.
Alex circled, scanning for weak points. The pulsing green veins along its abdomen—those looked promising. He darted in again, this time aiming low. His fist drove into the soft tissue beneath its body. The creature shrieked, jerking back in pain, but one of its legs swung out, catching him across the side and sending him sprawling.
A sharp burn flared in his ribs, but the pain faded as his regeneration kicked in. He wiped blood from his mouth, a grin tugging at his lips. "You can hit harder than that."
The Caterpillar-Spider skittered toward him, legs clicking furiously. Alex stayed low, waiting and then, as it lunged again, he sprang upward, slamming both fists into its face. The impact cracked several of its eyes, a foul-smelling ichor splattering his hands.
The monster writhed, but Alex didn't stop. Grabbing one of its legs, he twisted with all his strength. A sickening snap echoed through the cavern as the limb tore free. The Caterpillar-Spider screeched, flailing wildly.
Alex's breathing grew heavier, he could feel the drain setting in. His strength had limits, and this fight was pushing them. Still, he refused to stop. He couldn't stop.
The creature, now enraged, spat a glob of sticky webbing toward him. He dodged, but some caught his arm, pinning it to the ground. With a growl, he yanked free, skin tearing as he broke through the adhesive.
"Time to finish this," he said, his voice low.
Charging forward, he drove his fist into the creature's damaged abdomen again and this time, he didn't hold back. His enhanced strength ripped through the weakened exoskeleton, shattering it completely. The Caterpillar-Spider convulsed, legs twitching violently before it finally collapsed.
For a moment, Alex stood over the corpse, his chest rising and falling. He could feel the residual energy inside the creature, it was raw and pulsing. Without thinking, he placed a hand on its broken body. The energy flowed into him in a cold rush, revitalizing his exhausted muscles.
The clicking sounds in the distance grew louder. More were coming.
Alex rolled his shoulders, feeling his strength returning. "Bring it on," he muttered, stepping deeper into the cavern.