Starting Line
Badasu massaged the bridge of his nose as he sat at his desk, working another late night.
This was the third night in a row he had been forced to work this late, but being a Hero, Hunter and Doctor was exhausting. And it meant 3 times the paperwork.
But that wasn’t what bothered him. No, it was something more serious than that. He had gotten Izumi’s tests back, and they yielded some, unexpected results.
As a Doctor, he had seen all sorts of things. From medical conditions affected by Quirks and vice versa, to people sticking dinosaur toys upon their asses. And just when he though he’d seen it all, life found a new way to surprise him; Izumi’s blood test showed she had a Quirk.
From what he could see in her file, her Doctor at the time, Dr Garaki, had confirmed that Izumi was Quirkless. He had done by the most common method (And in Badasu’s personal opinion laziest method), examining her pinkie toe, and finding whether or not she possessed an extra joint. Which she did. There was no indication that Dr Garaki had done any other form of test, simply leaving it at that.
‘One of these days me and Garaki and gonna have a little chat’ Badasu though, cracking his desk slightly. All the hard work he and his fellow Doctors do every day, and this asshat can’t even be bothered to do a proper Quirk test?
But that could wait for now. What was most important was getting Izumi to come in and find out just what her Quirk was.
“Why is nothing ever simple with that kid?”
It was a beautiful day at the park. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and Izumi was running herself ragged.
Izumi had run what felt to be her twentieth lap around the entire park before the System had confirmed she had completed her Daily Quest, leaving her pretty exhausted. Normally, she wouldn’t subject herself to what she called the “One-Punch Man Workout”, but in this instance, it was more than worth it.
[Alarm]
[Running: 10KM: Complete (10KM/10KM)]
[Quest Rewards]
[You may choose from the rewards below]
[Reward #1: Status Recovery]
[Reward #2: Stat Points +3]
[Reward #3: Random Box +1]
“Accept Status Recovery” Izumi asked, and as a bright light enveloped her, all of Izumi’s fatigue and tiredness left her, leaving her feeling as if she just had a had a nice cup of coffee. “Now accept Stat Points”
[Name: Izumi Midoriya Level: 1]
[Job: None]
[Title: None]
[Fatigue: 0]
[HP: 100]
[MP: 10]
[Strength: 19] [Health: 10]
[Agility: 16] [Intelligence: 10]
[Sense: 10]
Remaining Ability Points: 3
Over the course of a week, Izumi had discovered a few things about the System, the first of which it allowed her to control her ‘stats’ which were her physical attributes. The second was that the System has Awakened her. Her Stas had all gone up to 10, including her MP AKA Mana Points. Which made sense, since those who Awakened had their bodies improved; even E-Ranks were far stronger than an average person. And based on her mana points, she would defiantly fall into the E-Rank category. Despite that, the jump from 1 stat point to 10 points made a massive difference. incredible.
Being able to control her stats was pretty cool, especially when every time she completed her daily Quest, it gave her 3 Ability Points to work with.
[Strength: 19 (+2)] [Strength: 21]
[Speed: 16 (+1)] [Speed: 17]
Satisfied with the results, Izumi moved on to the third reward. The Random Box usually gave her some moderately useful stuff like bandages, pens, and once a phone case. So she wasn’t getting to exited.
“Okay then, Accept Random Box” The Red and Yellow present like box appeared in Izumi’s hand, which opened, revealing an item Izumi had never seen before.
It was a metallic green oddly shaped key. It was old to the touch, making Izumi shiver slightly as she held it.
[Item: Dungeon Key]
[Item class: E]
[Type: Key]
[A key which allows you to create an Instance Dungeon You may only use this key at the four entrance Kaishi Subway Station Hosu]
Okay. This is new.
An Instance Dungeon? So the key could somehow create an artificial Dungeon?
‘Creating an Artificial Dungeon? Creating pocket spaces is a rarer ability than even warping Quirks. But I’m sure the principle at UA has an ability to create Dungeons as well. If that’s the case, will I get a Key for a D-Rank Gate as well if I clear this one? And a C-Rank after that? What are the limits here? If I don’t clear the Dungeon in a week, will it break like a normal Dungeon? Maybe not, but there’s no way to tell. Why can I only use it at Hosu? Is it to do with the structure of the Dungeon, or is it random?’
Izumi’s mind went into overdrive, analysing and theorizing about the Key. So many questions, so many possibilities, but Izumi as looked down at the key in her hand, she knew there was only way to get answers.
But first, she would have to make a trip home.
Miles away in Kamino Ward, a lanky man with greyish blue hair and red eyes, walked through the back allies, making his way into a small but cosy looking bar. He took a seat, taking off his hood and resting his head on the table with a tired sigh.
As if on cue, a humanoid cloud of purple mist materialised behind the bar, yellow eyes setting their site on the other man “Ah Tomura. I take it your mission went well?”
Tomura didn’t bother responding, instead raising his hand and flipping him off.
“I’ll take that as a yes then”
Kurogiri turned around, grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge. He carefully poured the drink into a glass, before sliding it over to Tomura, who took it and down it in one go.
“Thanks Kurogiri. Really needed that. One of the guys I killed had a sand Quirk, and I got a mouth full of it. Throat feels like sand paper”
Tomura has been tasked with stealing information from a weapon smuggler group, mostly to find out who their main benefactor was. All for One was sure that it was one of the higher ups within the Hero Commission, and the information would make excellent blackmail material.
“Your welcome. Do you require medical attention?”
“I’m just a bit bruised up that’s all. They got a few lucky hits in that’s all”
Kurogiri raised his eyebrow (or at least Tomura thought he did) and crossed his arms “Oh really? Are you sure it wasn’t because you got a little cocky while fighting? Again?”
“No” Tomura said, not meeting Kuro’s eyes.
“Well at least you’re back safe. Did you get the information?”
“Yeah, I got it here” He pulled out a thumb drive from his pocket, carful passing it to the misty barman “I was meaning to ask. Has Sensei called?”
While he lacked facial features, Tomura had known Kurogiri long enough to pick up on the subtle changes in his face. And he seemed to be frowning. “I am sorry, but no. I haven’t heard from him since he sent the mission to retrieve this information. To be honest, he hasn’t been himself lately. He seems….?”
“Stressed?”
“Vey much so. I haven’t seen him like this since the weeks leading u to his fight with All Might”
“That bad?”
“Unfortunately. But on another note, I heard back from my contact. It seems All Might is indeed teaching at UA next year”
Tomura let the information sink in, lightly scratching his neck “So it’s true? Well then. That gives us plenty of time to prepare. We need to start recruiting people with right Quirks and right ideals that suit our goals”
“You want to attack All Might and UA? That’s not going to be easy Tomura. It’s not just the Symbol of Peace and teachers we have to worry about. Many of the students will be seasoned fighters as well. Normal villains would be cannon fodder. And we lack the amount of Nomu for a full on assault like that. Why not attack them individually?”
“Simple. I don’t plan to win”
“What?” Kurogiri asked in disbelief.
“Your heard me. Attacking All Might at UA would be the first crack in societies trust in heroes. Even if our attack fails, the fact that a group of villains had the guts to take on All Might at UA will scare people. UA is supposed to protect their students, supposed to keep them safe. And for villains to somehow break into the impervious walls of UA and threaten the lives of the students, even with All Might there? The people would be terrified. Scared that maybe their heroes can’t always protect them”
“I see your logic, but it won’t be that simple. If the attack fails, that would a major embarrassment on our part. And the Media would be on the heroes’ side.”
“Thats only the first part of my plan. Some may laugh at us, but other would flock to us. The guys who had the balls to take on All Might and UA? I have no doubt we would gain a following if we play our cards right. And as for the media, there’s more than one journalist willing to write whatever he’s paid to write. And that’s just the first step Kurogiri. Then, we start discrediting Heroes, finding out their dirty little secrets and exposing them. little by little, people will lose their trust in their precious protectors”
Kurogiri pondered what he said. It was a longshot, but not impossible “let me inform Sensei first Tomura. While I can tell you have spent a long-time planning this, we must be cautious. It is my job to watch out for you Tomura”
“Thank you Kurogiri. I knew I could rely on you”
“Oh course sir. That’s what I’m here for”
Izumi sat in her room, looking at a picture. The picture showed a eight-year-old Izumi standing next to her mother Inko, and her father Hisashi. He was easily two foot taller than Inko, with a muscular yet lean build. His black hair was curly as Izumi’s own, his eyes a glowing orange.
Izumi smiled fondly at the picture, as it one of the last times she had seen him. Hisashi was one of the first Hunters, before being a Hunter was actually a proper profession. He would selflessly throw himself into the dungeons, never afraid of the danger within. He never cared that Izumi was Quirkless, or that she wasn’t Awakened. He loved her regardless. He promised to always be there to protect Izumi and her mother.
A promise he couldn’t keep.
5 years ago, the second Japanese S-Rank Gate broke open, unleashing waves of undead upon Tokyo. Hisashi didn’t hesitate to jump into the fray, bravely fighting off legions of the living dead.
But even 5 hours into the fight, there was no end to them. The Dungeon Boss was approaching the Gate, and there was barley any Heroes or Hunters still able to fight. In a last-ditch effort, Hisashi and some of the other remaining Heroes/Hunters charged into the Gate, and defeated the Grave Keeper. But even with defeated, the remaining monsters in Toyko still run rampant. So Hisashi did what he had to. Since the Monsters had been commanded by the Grave Keeper, Hisashi used its head to lure the monster back into the dungeon, and fought as many as he could just long enough for the Dungeon to close. He……never made it out.
His name was never mention after the attack, no memorial, no one even remembered his name. none of the Hunters, including her dad, ever got credit for what happened. Endeavour took all the glory for himself, not even bothering to acknowledge the Heroes who gave their lives, who saved more lives than he did.
But Izumi knew her dad wouldn’t want fame or glory. The fact he had saved so many lives would be enough for him to rest in peace.
She reached under her bed, pulling out a rectangular carboard box. Izumi opened it, revealing the last thing Izumi had left of her father; his dagger, The Dragon’s Wrath. It was the fang from a Dragon type monster, shortened and refined into a blade the length of her arm, with a small, silver hilt, which held a round eye like ruby in the middle.
It was a sight to behold. Even after years of not being used, it’s edge was as sharp as always, light of the setting sun reflecting from it.
By todays standards, The Dragon’s Wrath was worth at least 10 Million Yen at the Hunter’s Auction. Despite that, Izumi nor Inko had every through of selling it. it meant the world to them, they could never bear to part with it.
Izumi picked the Dagger, testing its weight. Even with her current strength stat, the weapon was surprising heavy, but manageable. She gave it an experimental swing, hearing the audible ‘whoosh’ as it cut through the air.
If she was going to try and run a Dungeon on her own, Izumi was going to need a proper weapon, and her old pocket knife wasn’t gonna cut it. And she had nowhere near enough funds to buy a decent weapon. So using the Dragon’s Wrath with her only option.
“Open Inventory”
Her Inventory screen appeared, displaying icons of all of the items she had stored. She took one last look the weapon, before placing it in the screen, a blade icon appearing in one of the storage slots.
Her eyes were then drawn to the key Icon next to it, before summoning the Gate Key into her hand. It was time to go to Hosu.
The train took an hour to get to Hosu, and another half hour get to The Subway Station.
The fourth entrance to Kaishi Subway Station had been shut down a month ago due to a villain attack, and was yet to be repaired.
Izumi looked around, making sure no one was watching her, before ducking under the ‘No Trespassing’ tape.
She took the key, looking around down at it.
‘Can I do this? “Should” I even be doing this?’ thoughts of doubt began to fill Izumi’s mind, the little confidence she had earlier fading quickly. ‘This is stupid. Running a Dungeon on my own? i must be crazy. Maybe I should just leave and go home, crawl into my bed and forget about all of this’
“No”
“This is my chance. My one chance to be a Hero like All Might, like Dad. I can’t just give up before I’ve even tried. If the System lets me grow stronger, then that’s just what I’m going to do” She took the key, held it in the air.
From the Key, a bright light began to envelop Izumi, forming a bright blue portal in front of her. With a new-born confidence, she walked through.
[Alert!]
[You have entered the Instance Dungeon]
As the light died, Izumi found herself in a looked to be a wild version of the tunnel, vines and grass overgrown everywhere.
The entrance had also closed behind her, meaning she couldn’t leave until she had completed the Quest. “Guess there’s no backing out now”
Izumi made her way through the station, find it empty and devoid of life. “No one’s here, so I guess the instance Dungeon really is its own separate dimension from the real world. But if this a Dungeon, where are the Monsters?”
“Grrrrrr!”
“Me and my big mouth”
From the shadows, a massive red blur shot out, slamming into her and throwing Izumi into the wall. She fell to the floor, coughing up blood. she looked up, managing to jump out of the way in time as a set of metallic jaws snapped at where her head been seconds prior.
Jumping to her feet, Izumi got a look at what attacked her.
It was a large wolf like monster, it’s fur blood crimson, and its mouth made from metal. Above the Monster’s head, a orange sign read out: Steel Fanged Lycan
‘This things fast, and it hits like a goddamn car. I lost 20 Health to that one attack!’
The Lycan didn’t waste a second attacking again, but this time Izumi was ready for it. the wolf jumped into the air, it’s steel jaws open. As it came down at her, Izumi caught both jaws with her hands. She then lifted the beast into the air, before slamming it back down into the ground, breaking it. But the monster wasn’t doesn’t, and began thrashing around, trying to escape. Izumi then lifted it back up, before bring it down again, and again and again. The monster’s thrashing began to weaken, so Izumi lifted it up to eye level, releasing her grip on its lower jaw, and striking its face with a powerful uppercut, sending the monster souring through the air, crashing into the metal shutters of one of the closed shops.
‘Woah! I didn’t know I was that strong! Did I actual beat it?” But Izumi wasn’t so fortunate as the Lycan reappeared. Its fur was wet and matted with its own blood, the steel jaws cracked. It was far from beaten.
It charged again, quickly picking it up speed. Izumi readied herself, accessing her Inventory, and pulled out the Dragon’s Wrath.
She raised it into the air, and just as the wolf was upon her, and brought t down with all her strength. The blade cut through the wolf like butter, slitting the monster in half, both parts of it’s corpse falling to the ground.
[Congratulations!]
[You have Levelled Up!]
[Name: Izumi Midoriya Level: 2]
[Job: None]
[Title: None]
[Fatigue: 5]
[HP: 205]
[MP: 22]
[Strength: 20] [Health: 11]
[Agility: 17] [Intelligence: 11]
[Sense: 11]
Remaining Ability Points: 0