Hybrid Misfit

[For more detailed information about the power system, please refer to the glossary section.]

"But still, I hope he's okay," Julius added, watching Crudele leave.

Crudele shut the door behind him and left the house with a saddened expression and a slouched posture. Upon stepping outside, he saw that it was probably around 8 a.m., but he didn't care and continued walking away.

"Don't cry, don't cry. You are a mentally strong man. Surely, an argument with your mother won't make you cry," he said to himself, holding back his tears.

While walking on the sidewalk, he saw an old lady around her 70s carrying two large bags, each weighing no less than 20 kg. Despite the heavy load, she didn't seem to be having any difficulty. Watching her, Crudele thought to himself, "RBC awakening sure is a miracle."

Crudele went up to the lady and said, "Hey, Grandma Amma, can I carry your bags to your home?"

"Oh, Crudes, you are such a sweet boy as ever," she replied.

Crudele effortlessly picked up her bags and started heading to her home.

"Hey, young man, why are you so sad? Do you want an apple or an orange?" she asked, picking an apple and an orange from her bag.

Watching her behavior, his mood lightened up, and he said, "Nah, I don't want anything. I just want to help you."

After he dropped her off at her house, she thanked him by giving him a delicious red apple. He continued walking, eating the apple as he went.

While he was aimlessly walking, a middle-aged man waved his hand to get his attention from afar. The man ran up to him and said, "Hey, young man, can you please help our bus over there?" He pointed to a bus in the distance, where it was clear that a tire was stuck in a pit of mud.

Crudele thought to himself, *How the hell did they get themselves into this situation?*

They both reached the bus, and the middle-aged man, who seemed to be the driver, said, "It was all my fault that we ended up in this situation."

While he ignored the driver, he looked at the passengers to check if everything was okay. To his surprise, all of them were elementary school kids, ready to go to school. Seeing this, he became a little enraged and insulted the driver a few times.

"Should I call more people for help?" the driver suggested, but Crudele ignored him again as he moved to the back of the bus.

"At least let the kids down from the bus," the driver said, but Crudele, touching the bottom part of the bus, responded, "Get in the bus."

"What?"

"Get on the bus, you idiot," Crudele said with a serious look.

The driver, a bit annoyed by Crudele's behavior, couldn't do much about it. The only thing he could do was hope that Crudele would break a bone or two while lifting the bus. The driver got into the bus, bending back to look at the kids.

All the kids gathered at the back of the bus to watch Crudele lift it.

"Is that man really going to lift the bus?"

"No way, is he being serious?"

"He's got to have a very cool RBC ability to do that."

"Big bro, you can do it!"

Every kid started cheering for him from the back seat. Their excitement made him a little nervous, and he muttered to himself, "Crudele, you better not mess this up."

He inhaled deeply and thought, "This probably should be enough."

"X-10 power."

The driver was shocked as the side of the bus that had leaned into the pit of mud straightened, and in the blink of an eye, Crudele lifted the bus out of the pit.

Every kid started jumping in excitement, waving at Crudele. The driver, not wanting to be further embarrassed by Crudele, started the bus and headed to school.

Crudele waved back at the kids as he headed to a nearby park. He thought to himself, "Damn, did I become the main character of some story or something? I can't believe a literal bus got stuck and I had to lift it. OMG, that's literally an MC moment. I guess God and the universe agreed that I am the chosen one." He said this proudly to himself, widening his chest as he headed to a bench under a tree.

Crudele has a unique RBC technique that allows him to strengthen any of his attributes: strength, speed, durability, endurance, vitality, senses, intelligence, and more. The only downside is that it takes a hefty amount of RBC energy. With his current limitations, he can use his technique for up to 6 and a half minutes. However, he can turn his ability on and off anytime he wants to. After his RBC energy is fully depleted, he collapses from fatigue.

Although normal and beginner heroes can't see RBC energy within their blood by themselves, it can still be measured by systems. This system is a boon for beginner heroes to measure their attributes, RBC energy, and levels. Developed by engineer Karl Einstein, the system is quite expensive, so Crudele doesn't have it right now.

Crudele approached the nearby vending machine and got a soft drink. Not far away, he saw a group of kids playing football. "Ah, those old days when everyone played football at our school ground," he thought with a sigh as he lay back on the bench. "Growing up really sucks. If only I could go back to those days."

ALERT!!!

A LEVEL 10 OR HIGHER MISFIT HYBRID IS LURKING AROUND HERE. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Crudele nearly choked when he heard the announcement. "WTF, level 10 or higher? That's the strongest monster to appear this year," he thought. "I'm in the southernmost part of town, and the nearest local NSHO building is around 40 minutes away on foot. I need to get to safety."

Fuck!!!

A sudden surge of intense energy and killing intent hit Crudele like a tidal wave. The spike was so powerful it made him want to puke right now.

"Wtf!!! Don't tell me it's already here," Crudele muttered, his heart racing as he looked around frantically for the source of the ominous presence.

Crudele's eyes widened in horror as he realized the intense energy was coming from the direction where the kids were playing football.

When the alert announcement came through, the kids had already started running, almost leaving the park to get home. But then, the ground began to tremble as though an earthquake had struck.

From the ground emerged a nightmarish creature with a bulky humanoid posture. It was covered in a black exoskeleton and had razor-sharp, thin teeth. Above its two eyes, an extra eye glowed menacingly. Its head bore beetle-like pincers, giving it a chaotic appearance as if it had come straight from the depths of hell.

As it emerged from the ground, the misfit grabbed a child with its pincers. The other kids sprinted for their lives as the misfit prepared to cut the child in half.

Bang!!!

A kick landed squarely on its pincers, sending the child flying away. The figure who kicked the misfit leaped into the air and caught the child, pulling him to safety.

"X-10 speed"

Crudele, holding the child, dashed out of the park at a blistering speed of 180 km/h, thanks to his ability.

"Damn, I probably have less than six minutes left. Even with my ability, I can't make it to the NSHO building in time. And fighting it? No way—I've only ever taken down a level 6 misfit, and this one's at least level 10. I'm no match for it."

As Crudele was calculating his chances, the misfit leaped over him, significantly reducing his chances of escaping.

Crudele barely avoided the misfit's jump attack by sliding to the side and coming to a halt.

"How the hell is it matching my speed with that heavy armor?" Crudele thought, bewildered.

"If I remember correctly, the announcement said it's a hybrid misfit, which significantly reduces my chances of escape," Crudele thought.

The kid began crying loudly, and Crudele questioned his life choices, wondering why he had stumbled into such a dire situation.

Crudele began running with a plan in mind, and the hybrid misfit, seeing his movement, also pursued him, closing in with a slightly greater speed.

As the distance between him and the hybrid misfit closed to 70 feet, Crudele activated his X-10 power and hurled the child into the air.

Hearing the child's desperate cries, people began peeking out from their windows and doors, their faces etched with concern. Despite their worry, none had the courage to step outside or the RBC abilities required to face the threat. They could only watch helplessly as the terrifying creature continued its relentless pursuit.

Crudele activated both his X-10 power and X-10 speed simultaneously, causing his energy to deplete at nearly double the usual rate.

He grabbed a street sign and hurled it at the misfit, striking it in the eyes. The unexpected attack forced the misfit to cover its face with its hands in an attempt to block the assault.

The sign didn't inflict a single scratch, but that wasn't Crudele's intention. When the misfit used its hands to shield its eyes, Crudele seized the opportunity. He quickly slid between the misfit's legs, using his speed to maneuver past the creature.

However, the misfit wasn't foolish and had anticipated this move. Although it couldn't pinpoint the exact direction of the attack, it hardened its entire exoskeleton to guard against any potential threats.

To its surprise, the anticipated attack never came. Instead, Crudele seized the opportunity to launch himself from the misfit, catching the child mid-air and quickly retreating. He deactivated his X-10 power to conserve energy, using the brief respite to regroup.

"School classes really paid off this time," he thought with a brief moment of joy. In this world, from elementary school onwards, students are taught rules to defend themselves from potential misfit encounters. Although they might not be strong enough to fight misfits head-on, these rules help them survive longer until help arrives.

Crudele just applied rule number three in this fight: misfits always prioritize their defense over attacking. So, using anything in his arsenal to halt them while he made his escape was the key.

Both Crudele and the kid took cover behind a turn in the street. Crudele urgently instructed the child, "You know where to go, right? Head there as fast as you can and get help immediately." The kid nodded in response, understanding the gravity of the situation.

The kid sprinted in the opposite direction on the same street, catching the misfit's attention. Crudele facepalmed in frustration, muttering to himself, "Why are kids always so reckless?" He braced himself, preparing to intercept the misfit and prevent it from reaching the child.

"Come here, you oversized piece of crap!" Crudele shouted, hurling a rock at the misfit to divert its attention.

RROOOAAARRRR!!!

"Fuck, do misfits actually understand human speech?" Crudele muttered, half-jokingly.

To be honest, Crudele was terrified of the misfit. He made the joke to calm himself and distract his mind from the overwhelming fear.

The misfit charged at Crudele, its pincers leading the attack.

"X-10 power"

He attempted the same maneuver by sliding between the misfit's legs, but this time, he used X-10 power to grab its legs and force it to the ground.

But to his surprise, the misfit was far heavier than it looked. Even with X-10 power, he couldn't stop it, and it continued its charge unabated.

But when the misfit saw that Crudele was trying to hold its legs, it effortlessly tossed him into a nearby wall. The impact was jarring, and Crudele felt the air leave his lungs. The misfit then turned its attention back to him, coming for him with relentless intent.

Crudele struggled to regain his footing, his mind racing to come up with another plan. "Great, now it's even more pissed," he thought, wincing from the pain. The misfit's pincers glinted menacingly as it approached, each step causing the ground to shake.

But to his surprise, instead of attacking, the misfit opened spores on its back and neck, releasing a purple-colored fume. As Crudele inhaled it, he started to hallucinate.

The world around him began to distort and twist. Colors blended and shapes morphed into bizarre forms. His sense of balance wavered, and his thoughts became a chaotic whirlwind. The once menacing misfit now seemed to loom larger, its features even more terrifying.

Crudele struggled to keep his focus, knowing he couldn't afford to lose consciousness or clarity now. "Shit... I can't let this be the end," he thought, trying to fight through the hallucinations.