Chapter 1: I See You're Awake

Chapter 1: I See You're Awake

What would you do if you were born into a world as a human with no abilities? A world full of people who paraded as heroes and villains. A world where you were expected to grow up, go to school, get good grades, graduate, and then attend college. To look forward to getting employed, earning a good salary, maybe getting married— hopefully not getting divorced. Have a kid or two, grow old, and die happily.

That was the dream of college student Kai Nero. He never desired anything more. Any childhood fantasies of becoming a "User" had died the moment he graduated from high school. Being a Non-User was great. As long as he stayed within a Hero Defense City, he never had to worry about villains attacking him.

To him, heroes were nothing more than overpaid salary workers— glorified soldiers in spandex. And villains? Hooligans with trendy outfits.

Live a simple life, die a simple life. That was all he wanted.

But fate had other plans.

One moment, he was sitting in class. The next, his world was engulfed in chaos.

A terrorist had infiltrated the school. No one realized it until it was too late. Before they could even react, he detonated the bomb.

Flames. Screams. Blood.

Kai felt the explosion before he heard it. A blinding light engulfed him. A force stronger than anything he had ever known. And then—pain.

Agonizing, excruciating pain.

His body was in ruins. What remained of him was only his upper half. His ribcage had been blown open, exposing his mangled organs, pulsating weakly as life drained from them. His spine—shattered. He tried to breathe, but all he did was choke on his own blood. His fingers twitched. His lips quivered.

His mind was fading.

The only thoughts that remained were regrets.

"Live a simple life? What a joke… I still got caught up in some shit."

"Heroes will save us? What a joke."

He had wasted his life. Playing it safe.

He regretted it all.

Regretted not chasing his real dreams, staying in a major he hated. He regretted never making real connections, living as a background character in his own life.

And yet— he wanted to live.

He wanted to change.

But the darkness was already consuming him.

His last breath left his lips.

And then—nothing but and all consuming black followed

---

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kai's eyes snapped open.

He gasped, his body lurching forward. His heart pounded violently against his chest. The rhythmic beeping of a machine filled his ears. His vision was blurry, but he could make out the sterile white walls, the glow of advanced monitors, and the faint hum of technology.

His body—he could feel his body.

His hands trembled as he raised them. His fingers were intact. His arms—whole. A cold shiver ran down his spine. His spine. It was still there. His legs were still there.

But how?

He remembered the explosion. He remembered dying.

Then, a sharp pain erupted across his skin, like thousands of cold needles piercing him at once. He groaned, clutching his head as his vision sharpened.

"Damn… my head hurts…"

The room was too advanced to be any normal hospital. No state-class facility had this level of tech. This was something else.

There was only one group who could fund a place like this—the heroes.

Before he could process it further, a soft click echoed through the room.

The door opened.

Kai turned his head.

A woman entered.

She had short, silver hair, wild yet effortlessly elegant. A pair of sleek black shades covered her eyes. Her tailored silver suit, adorned with intricate black patterns, hugged her figure perfectly.

But what stunned Kai the most—was her presence.

Everything in the room seemed to lighten the moment she stepped in.

She radiated beauty beyond human comprehension. It wasn't just physical. It was like she bent reality around her. The air itself carried her essence.

Her most notable feature?

Her chest.

Kai gulped.

She snapped her fingers.

In an instant, billions of tiny stars materialized beside his bed, swirling together to form a chair so radiant it seemed made of pure light.

She sat down with an effortless grace, crossing her legs. Her posture was imposing.

For a long moment, she simply observed him.

Then, she spoke.

Her voice was smooth, commanding, yet laced with irritation. Like she hated wasting time on him.

"I see you're awake."

Kai blinked.

She leaned back. "My name is Natasha Volkov. My superhero alias is Miss Starlight."

She scoffed. "Yeah, I know. Cheesy name. Moving on."

Kai could barely keep up. "Wait, what—"

She cut him off.

"No talking. Just listen."

Kai shut his mouth.

Her voice turned sharp. "Three years ago, you were caught in a terrorist bombing. Your body, along with many others, was retrieved by a criminal organization for illegal experimentation."

Kai's blood froze.

"Their motives are still unknown, but when we raided their facility, we found only one test subject still alive."

She leaned forward, staring directly at him.

"You."

Kai's jaw went slack.

His mind raced.

Three years?

That was impossible.

Natasha continued, ignoring his shock. "We conducted numerous tests on your body. Analyzed your blood. And you know what we found?"

She smirked.

"Nothing."

A long awkward silence followed.

Kai's heartbeat pounded in his ears.

"Nothing?" he echoed.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Nothing special. No powers. No enhancements. No anomalies. Nothing that explains how you're even sitting here."

Kai felt his breath hitch.

He remembered the explosion. He remembered dying.

So how—?

He looked down at himself. His hands. His legs.

He had been blown in half.

His body had been destroyed.

So how was he still here?

Natasha studied his face. Then, as if losing interest, she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Get dressed," she said casually. "No one wants to see your ugly ass."

Kai blinked.

"What?"

Then, realization hit.

He was completely naked.

Kai yelped, scrambling to cover himself with the sheets.

Natasha smirked, already walking toward the door. "Hurry up. I've got a beauty treatment scheduled, and I am not missing it again."

"Wait! What am I supposed to do?"

She didn't answer.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Kai sat there, stunned.

His mind was a mess. His life was a mess.

Nothing made sense anymore.

But one thing was clear.

He wasn't supposed to be

alive.

And perhaps did that that mean—someone wanted him dead?