Chapter 8: Derived Abilities
Azu leisurely flew back to The Seven Tower, taking his time.
At that moment, a few notifications appeared on his retina.
[Laser Vision +1: 11/30]
[Super Speed: Proficiency 4/10]
[Invulnerable Body: Proficiency 3/10]
[Super Strength: Proficiency 4/10]
[Your "Flight" proficiency is maxed.]
[Upgrading to "Flight +1."]
[Flight +1: Altitude +50%, Speed +25%, Agility +20%.]
Hmm.
Flight had leveled up.
I wonder what changes the other abilities will have once they upgrade.
Oh right, I haven't checked out the Shop yet.
Opening the shop.
Azu's retina displayed a purchase list.
There was only one item on it.
[Tyrant Armor (Enhanced)]
Description: Using power armor developed by a secret organization as the base, this enhanced version utilizes Prometheus metal to increase the armor's hardness, with an added arc reactor to boost power output.
Armor Specs: Height—4 meters, Weight—11 tons, Arc Reactor, Shoulder-Mounted Mini-Missile Pods, Six-Barrel Aviation Machine Gun, Incendiary Rounds, Grenade Launcher, Retractable Alloy Blade.
Price: 30 Faded Proficiency Essences
Heh.
Too expensive.
It's a solid piece of gear though.
For an ordinary person, wearing this armor would practically turn them into a mini-Superman.
Azu shrugged.
But for him, as Homelander, it's a bit redundant.
Besides, I don't have 30 Proficiency Essences to spare.
Closing the shop, Azu turned his attention back to his Items.
The Faded Proficiency Essences could boost any ability by 2 proficiency points.
Azu eyed the Invulnerable Body ability in his status panel.
"Standing strong is the best offense."
He muttered to himself as he invested several Proficiency Essences into this defensive ability.
[Invulnerable Body Proficiency +2]
[Invulnerable Body Proficiency +2]
After using four of them...
[Your "Invulnerable Body" proficiency is maxed.]
[Upgrading to "Invulnerable Body +1."]
[Invulnerable Body +1: Body density +50%, Physical impact resistance +30%, Energy impact resistance +10%, Physical damage immunity +5%.]
[While upgrading "Invulnerable Body," you've gained a derived ability: "Regeneration."]
[Regeneration: Wound healing speed +50%.]
"Haha."
Azu couldn't help but laugh, "So there's a chance to derive other abilities when upgrading?"
"No loss there."
As a cautious planner, Azu used 5 more essences to level up Regeneration.
[Regeneration +1: Wound healing speed +130%.]
"Alright, that should do for now."
He sped up and returned to The Seven Tower.
Upon arriving at the command hall, Azu walked in to see two figures—The Deep and Black Noir.
The Deep, dressed in his green suit, looked quite charming. As soon as he saw Azu, he asked, "Homelander, is it true? You killed A-Train?"
"Is that real?"
Azu sized up the man, who was more interested in sleeping with women than doing hero work. "Would you like to inspect A-Train's body yourself?"
"N-no."
Much like his TV counterpart, this version of The Deep was also terrified of Homelander.
His face paled.
He immediately forced a smile.
"I believe you had your reasons for doing it."
"But... wasn't it a bit extreme?"
Azu walked behind The Deep, placing both hands on his shoulders.
He could feel it—The Deep's muscles tensed under his grip.
Azu gently pressed him into a chair. "This morning, I told the reporters I was going to reform The Seven."
"I wasn't joking."
"Look at what we've been doing all this time."
"Movies, TV shows, commercials, product endorsements."
"Don't you think we've become clowns?"
"Is this what superheroes are supposed to be?"
The Deep, now at a loss, glanced over at Black Noir across the room.
But Black Noir didn't respond at all.
All The Deep could do was chuckle awkwardly, "You're right."
"You think so too, right?" Azu smiled faintly.
"I have a plan."
"I'm going to turn The Seven into a real superhero league."
"Each of us needs to be strong enough to stand on our own."
"We must be brave, strong, just, compassionate, and full of love."
"We will be the solid wall that holds back the darkness."
"So, we can't have anyone like A-Train in our team anymore."
"Don't you agree?"
The Deep didn't dare say anything more, nodding vigorously with a forced smile.
"I'm glad you agree with me."
Azu walked over to his seat, then looked at The Deep.
"Next, I want you..."
Azu turned his gaze to Black Noir.
"And you."
"We're all going to work together to make this happen."
The Deep thumped his chest. "We'll make it happen!"
Azu nodded, then asked, "Where's Translucent?"
The Deep spread his hands, indicating he didn't know.
Azu picked up his phone and dialed Ashley.
"Tell Translucent to keep an eye on our friend Mr. Hughie. If a bearded man contacts him, I want to be informed immediately."
Ashley, not daring to question Homelander's reasoning, quickly agreed.
Hanging up, Azu stood. "Alright, that's enough for today."
Just then, a notification flashed across his retina.
[Warning: 31 minutes until disaster event occurs.]
Another disaster event!
Seriously, the troubles in this world are starting to rival those in Marvel.
Azu clasped his hands behind his back, smiling at the two men in front of him. "Care to join me for a little chat?"
He planned to bring these two along to handle the disaster event.
While racking up some Proficiency Essences, he'd also get a chance to see just what these so-called "heroes" were capable of.
Half an hour flew by.
[Disaster Event Triggered.]
[Do you wish to engage in this event?]
Of course, Azu accepted.
[You have accepted the event.]
[Event Title: Rise of the Night Empire - Prelude.]
[Description: A Boeing passenger plane hijacked by armed terrorists is crashing toward an airport, setting the stage for a massive disaster. However, this disaster is merely the opening act of an empire's rise.]
[Event Objective: Kill Eddie Or.]
[Event Start!]
As this message flashed, a fiery glow suddenly lit up in the distance beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of the command hall. The faint rumble of an explosion followed.
The windows vibrated with a soft hum.
Both The Deep and Black Noir stood up, staring at the distant horizon.
"What's going on?" The Deep asked in confusion, looking out.
At that moment, the alarm blared in the command hall, and a screen on the wall lit up with a figure.
Short black hair, edgy style.
Bright brown eyes, sharp features.
Wearing a crisp white suit.
It was Vought's public relations head, Madelyn Stillwell.
"Homelander, Homeland Security is requesting our assistance."
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