Mark was reading the books he had brought back yesterday. He was so focused that he blocked out all the noise he usually heard through his enhanced hearing. Even when someone knocked on his door, he didn't notice.
The door opened. It was his mother. She smiled, seeing her son studying so intently. She decided not to bother him and let him study in peace.
Mark was scratching his head, trying to understand the knowledge of Quantum Technology.
'Man, this is really complicated for some reason.'
Mark was having a hard time grasping the knowledge and the notes Dr. Kessler had left behind. He sighed. He knew how important this technology was. In every work of fiction he had ever read, this kind of tech bridged the gap with magic.
'Looks like I'll have to order an intelligence booster. That'll also keep me from always relying on them, and I won't have to waste time on studying anymore.'
Mark stared at the wall, thinking about what kind of intelligence booster he wanted. There were many ways to achieve it. After a few seconds, an idea came to him. He picked up the old gravity watch and called the Mauler Twins.
The call was picked up within seconds.
"Maulers, I want to commission another piece of tech."
On the other end, the Mauler Twins perked up. More money from Mark. They quickly asked, "What kind do you want?"
"I want a thinking cap that increases overall intelligence with no harmful side effects. Can you do it?"
The Maulers didn't question the request, just like usual. They gave their answer. "We can, but it'll push back the improvements on the tech you already requested if you want this faster."
"Sure, I can agree to that. So how much?"
"Five million, full price."
"Alright, I'll send the money tomorrow. Send me the location when you decide where to pick it up."
"We'll call you tomorrow. Pleasure doing business with you, as always."
"Same here."
The call ended. With that out of the way, Mark turned to the Mayan Death Magic book and began reading. As he went through it, he wasn't surprised by the requirements to use the magic. The basic requirement was that the user had to sacrifice a human in the name of Kisin, the Mayan god of death and trickery, and announce Kisin's name while casting the spell.
Despite this, Mark kept reading, trying to see what spells the book contained and what else it could offer. It took him hours just to finish. He sighed the moment he was done.
"Man, why do people even use this magic?"
There were so many side effects that Mark decided it wasn't worth trying to find a loophole for now. He was barely strong enough to handle a god's attention.
'I'd rather not use this. But the information does help me understand it better. And Kessler was amazing for finding a loophole with this magic. I'm impressed.'
Mark looked up at the ceiling and muttered to himself.
"Let's just focus on getting stronger from now on."
. . . .
Four months had finally passed.
Mark had just woken up from his sleep. On his table lay the three books he had taken from the Kessler Clinic, still open. Beside them sat the cap-shaped device, the intelligence booster he had ordered from the Mauler Twins, and a scanner of some kind that Mark had built with his own two hands.
He got up from his bed and opened the curtains. The sun kissed his body, shining over him. He enjoyed the warmth, but his body was nothing like it had been in the past.
The youthfulness was gone. He was now strikingly handsome, with a more mature look. His body had become beyond shredded. His muscles were incredibly dense.
Every striation was visible even at rest. He had zero body fat. Veins were visible but didn't bulge out like a normal bodybuilder's would. His skin had no oiliness at all, and its texture felt like fine, natural grain. Even his face had become sharper.
Mark massaged his neck and glanced at his wrist, where the gravity watch sat. The gravity was set to 120,000 g's. He stretched his back. "No wonder I felt something restricting my movement while I slept."
He reset the gravity back to normal. He suddenly felt light. Too light, in fact. If he moved a bit too fast, he would likely start floating. That was how easy it was to move in normal gravity for him now.
He headed out of his room with a towel and made his way to the bathroom. On the way, he yawned. Then he saw his mother just stepping out.
"Morning, Mom," Mark greeted her.
"Morning," Debbie replied. She noticed his sleepy face. "Did you not sleep well?"
"Yeah," Mark replied as he entered the bathroom.
"I didn't have time to cook breakfast today since I'm heading out, but there's leftover food if you want," Debbie told him.
"Okay," Mark called back as he got ready for his bath.
He turned on the shower and began cleaning himself, his thoughts drifting as the water ran over him.
'I've been checking for them using my gravimeters. From what I remember, this should be the month the Flaxans show up, if I'm not wrong.'
Mark had been building and refining the technology just to sense their arrival. He had used what he learned from the Quantum Technology books, allowing him to track gravitational disturbances. That way, when the Flaxans arrived, he would be able to get there in time. He couldn't blindly rely on his comic knowledge. He only had an estimate. He didn't know the exact date or time.
When he finished cleaning himself and got ready for school, he found himself home alone. His mother had already left, and his father was off doing hero work, just like always. He took the leftover food and ate it while watching TV.
As soon as he turned the TV on, he saw the task force the mayor had assembled. They had turned against the mayor, having uncovered what had really happened. It seemed they were now being funded by the government to keep working together.
'Looks like they won't be chasing me anymore.' A small smile crossed Mark's face. "Great."
With that, and his food finished, Mark headed straight to school. He turned the gravity back on before leaving. When he arrived, only a few students were still trickling in. He began hearing dozens of conversations pass by him.
"Did you get dumped by Alicia?"
"Yeah, but you don't need to rub it in."
"Hahaha."
"Did you do the homework Mr. Hiles assigned?"
"What? There was homework?"
"Amber, have you studied yet? We have a quiz today."
"Who told you that?"
"Do you know a student from our school has gone missing?"
"Really?"
On the way to his class, Mark passed by William. He gave him a simple nod and kept walking, ready to prepare for Allen's arrival and the chance to get a teammate. William nodded back, continuing on with another friend. The friend noticed the exchange and asked out of curiosity and confusion, since Mark hadn't approached William at all. Just a nod.
"Did something happen between you two?"
"Nothing happened. We just parted ways," William said.
"Really? That's it? I'm sure there's more to it." The friend knew something wasn't right about William and Mark's relationship.
William didn't want to say it, but he had to face reality. "We're not as close as we used to be. We usually hung out after school, but he's always busy now, even when he stopped working. He doesn't even talk to me unless I talk to him first."
"That's surprising. You two always stuck together," the friend said.
"Yeah. I know," William said quietly.