Chapter 13: The Speedster is Short Lived!

Gen woke up feeling restless, his body still aching from the brutal training he had been putting himself through. Today was the day. Shibuya Station. Johnny. His first fight against another ranked opponent. He went through his morning routine, brushing his teeth and washing his face while staring into the mirror. His reflection was different now—sharper, more determined. He wasn't the same weakling who got beaten down by Isamu.

"So, Shibuya Station, huh?" he muttered to himself. "Better get moving."

The bustling chaos of Shibuya surrounded him as he arrived at the station. The crossing was packed, people moving in all directions, and neon billboards lit up the sky. He scanned the area, searching for someone with headphones. "Alright, headphones, headphones…"

Then he spotted him—a tall guy leaning casually against a pole, wearing bright orange headphones, bobbing his head slightly to whatever music was blasting into his ears. Gen took a deep breath and approached.

He tapped Johnny on the shoulder. The man lazily turned his head, lifting one side of his headphones. "The fuck you want?" His voice was indifferent, but his eyes held a sharp glint of awareness.

Gen cleared his throat. "Would you be Johnny?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied. "State your business."

"I challenge you to a fight."

A smirk formed on Johnny's lips. "A fight?" He sighed, rolling his shoulders before stretching his legs. "Alright, get ready. I have a few moves I wanna test on you."

"you got abilities, Johnny?" 

"yea, wait-do you have one of those status things?" 

"Mhm." 

"This is gonna be fun," Johnny snickered with amusement.

Before Gen could fully react, Johnny disappeared.

No, not disappeared—moved. His speed was incomprehensible, and before Gen could process what had happened, an explosive pain shot through the back of his head. Johnny had struck him from behind with a single punch, sending him sprawling onto his knees. His vision blurred, the ringing in his ears drowning out the sounds of the city. He fought to steady himself, gripping the pavement as people around them screamed and scattered.

"You're way too slow," Johnny said, cracking his knuckles. "This won't take long."

Gen gritted his teeth and forced himself up. He focused. He needed an edge.

"Fear."

He activated his ability, expecting Johnny to freeze in terror like the thugs from the night before. But nothing happened. Johnny stood there, unaffected, still smirking.

"Yeah, nice try," Johnny said.

Gen's stomach dropped. When the warning screen popped up saying "OPPONENT RANK IS TOO HIGH FOR THIS ABILITY TO BE USED."

He had been relying on Fear to give him an advantage, but now he was completely outmatched. Johnny disappeared again, and before Gen could react, another brutal hit landed in his stomach. He was sent flying into a vending machine, metal denting under the impact. Coughing up spit, he barely rolled out of the way as Johnny's foot crashed down where his head had been.

"You don't get it, do you?" Johnny said. "Speed wins fights. No matter how strong you are, you can't hit what you can't see."

Johnny's movements accelerated. His body blurred back and forth across the train station, and objects started to shift, getting pulled along with him. He was gathering force.

"MAGNET."

The acceleration force from his movement caused various objects to be flung in his direction. Trash cans, loose bricks, even a stray bicycle were lifted into the air, moving at deadly speeds. They shot toward Gen like bullets.

Gen dodged the first few projectiles, but the sheer number overwhelmed him. A trash can lid struck his shoulder, sending him off balance. A brick grazed his cheek, drawing blood. He clenched his fists. This wasn't working. He needed a plan.

Johnny suddenly stopped moving and smirked. "Time to end this." He bolted straight at Gen, arm pulled back, ready for a knockout punch.

"SWIFT."

Gen activated his ability at the last possible second. Instead of dodging, he stepped into Johnny's attack, raising his fist just as Johnny closed in. His punch connected first—hard.

Johnny's jaw cracked audibly as his body went flying, slamming into the metal pole of the station. A shockwave of force rippled from the impact. The metal bent inward as Johnny crumpled to the ground.

The station was silent except for the faint sound of Johnny groaning. Gen wiped the blood from his mouth and walked over, breathing heavily. He knelt down and examined Johnny's face. His jaw was mangled, his eyes dazed.

"Ooooh," Gen winced. "Yeah, sorry, bud. You might need reconstruction."

Then, a notification flashed in his vision.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

MISSION COMPLETE: DEFEAT A RANKED OPPONENT.

NEW RANK: 52/100.

BONUS POINTS: 8.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Gen exhaled, relieved. "Hell yeah. Looks like I get more points for defeating another ranked user." He stood up and stretched, feeling the soreness seep into his muscles. If this was only rank 52, what kind of monsters were ranked even higher?