Will's eyes fluttered open, the sterile brightness of the hospital room stabbing into his vision. He flinched instinctively, shielding his face with a trembling hand. The movement caught the attention of a few nearby nurses.
"Sir, please stay still," one of them urged gently. "You've been unconscious for a week. You need time to get your bearings."
She moved to guide him back down, but the sudden touch startled Will. His hands shot up defensively, his body tense like a coiled spring.
"Sir, please—you're safe! You're in a hospital," the nurse said quickly, stepping back. She retrieved a loaded needle gun from her belt, aiming it cautiously — but before she could fire, a hand gently pushed the barrel down.
"Hey, hey! Easy!" Peter's familiar voice broke the tension. "Will, it's me! Petey, your friendly neighborhood...uh, brother."
Peter struck an awkward superhero pose, beaming at him.
Will blinked. His voice was hoarse. "Who exactly are you trying to imitate?"
Peter's grin widened. "I'll give you a hint," he said, before dramatically striking a ridiculous pose from one of his favorite anime and shouting, "It was me! Dio!"
Will's eye twitched in secondhand embarrassment. Around them, a few nurses stifled giggles, and Will spotted the flash of a few camera phones out of the corner of his eye. Great — the memes were inevitable. He was never going to hear the end of this once he got back to school.
Still shaky, Will tried to stand — but stumbled. Peter caught him, quickly dragging over an empty wheelchair.
"You're surprisingly quick for a little guy," Will muttered with a dry chuckle as he accepted the seat.
Peter gave a mock bow of appreciation. "I aim to please."
Will leaned back, his expression sobering. "So... are you going to tell me what happened?"
Peter hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... good news first: the company's paying for your medical bills. Bad news: they refused to do much else after finding that weird bean you had in your pocket. Said it might've set the ape off."
Will frowned, confused, but nodded slowly.
Peter continued, fidgeting. "Also... they confiscated your phone. I didn't even know you had one."
"My phone?" Will's brow furrowed. "I don't have a phone."
Peter snickered. "Yeah, well, you did. Looked weird — had a lens on it. Honestly, I thought Google Glass was making a comeback."
Will stared at him, utterly baffled.
Before the conversation could go deeper, Peter checked the wall clock — and paled. "Oh, crap! I gotta go — late for my internship with Dr. Connors!" he blurted out, already backing toward the door.
Will gave a small, approving nod. "Considering what happened... it's the least he could do."
His fist clenched around the armrest of the wheelchair. The metal groaned slightly under the pressure, warping. A few nurses noticed — but no one said a word.
The moment passed.
A nurse cleared her throat politely. "Sir, we'll need to complete your discharge paperwork."
Peter flashed him a grin and a thumbs-up before vanishing through the doors.
Later, back in his room, Will parked the wheelchair beside the bed and shut his eyes, willing the System to respond.
System AI: Welcome, user.User: William Khorn ParkerSpecies: SaiyanAge: 15Bloodline Locked: 10% UnlockedFight ferocious enemies to unlock bloodline.
New Item: Zenkai Boost — Gain permanent (if unstable) power after recovering from near-death.
Stats:
Health: 8/15
Ki: 3/8
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 7
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 2
Wisdom: 2
Charisma: 2
Luck: 4
Inventory: 0/10 slots (Upgradeable)
Quest: Complete 1000 push-ups, 1000 sit-ups, 1000 squats, 1000 meters running.
Progress: 0%
Store: Locked
Will opened his eyes, smiling faintly. "So... my stats did go up a little. And Zenkai Boost, huh? That'll be useful."
Still, the mention of a bloodline left him confused. What bloodline? And why was it locked?
With no answers forthcoming, he let it be.
The next day, after a final check-up, Will was discharged. Uncle Ben and Aunt May were waiting with open arms, nearly crushing him in hugs.
May fussed endlessly, fluffing his hair and tucking blankets around him even after he insisted he was fine. Will didn't mind. She might not have been his birth mother, but in every way that mattered... she was Mom.
Especially lately, when Peter's rebellious streak had left her so worried. Letting her mother him a little seemed like the least he could do.
After dragging his tired body upstairs, Will collapsed into bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The alarm blared the next morning.
Will rose from bed, something different about his posture — a newfound strength radiating from him. He dressed quickly and slipped out while the house was still asleep.
Time to finish that quest.
In New York, abandoned warehouses were almost a natural resource. It didn't take long to find a derelict building that looked like it might collapse if he sneezed — perfect.
Will clapped his cheeks, psyching himself up. "Alright. Let's do this."
He started with cardio. The building echoed with the rhythmic pounding of his footsteps and heavy breaths. Sweat quickly soaked his clothes, but Will pushed through, determination in every movement.
System AI: 700m / 1000m completed.
"God... this is gonna suck," Will panted.
Thirty brutal minutes later...
System AI: 1000m / 1000m completed.Congratulations! Training Mission 1/3 complete. Dispensing random treasure...
A glowing metaphysical wheel spun into existence before him.
Before he could even think to hesitate, the wheel slowed — and landed on a spot labeled AWAKEN.
A brilliant light burst forth, and in his hand formed a small vial filled with shimmering liquid.
Will stared. The label read:
Diluted Awakening Water (5% purity)A mystical water said to awaken one's inner strength.
Will's mind raced. "Inner strength? What could that even mean?"
He hesitated — but deep down, he trusted the System. It hadn't steered him wrong yet.
Bracing himself, Will uncorked the vial and downed the liquid in one gulp.
At first, nothing happened.
The cold wind rattled the broken metal roof above. Will sighed, half laughing at himself — maybe it was just a placebo — and turned to leave.
He didn't make it two steps.
Pain exploded through his body, dropping him to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Darkness closed in around the edges of his vision.
Above, the full moon climbed higher into the ink-black sky.
And on this night, New York would find itself facing a force unlike anything it had ever seen.