Arthur stayed against the brick wall for a long time. His heart was finally slowing down. The adrenaline was leaving his system, replaced by a strange, buzzing energy. He looked at his hands again. They weren't shaking anymore. In fact, they felt steadier than they ever had in his life.
The alley was narrow and smelled like damp cardboard and old rain. It was a normal smell. It was a comforting, human smell. It was a far cry from the metallic, dusty scent of that red planet.
'What the hell is happening?'
He tried to piece it together. He remembered the pain. He remembered the feeling of his nose breaking. But when he touched his face, everything was perfect. His skin felt smoother. His muscles felt dense.
"Is anyone there?" he whispered.
His voice echoed off the bricks. No one answered. He felt like a crazy person talking to himself in a dumpster-filled alley. Then, he remembered the glowing box from before he blacked out.
"System?"
As soon as the word left his lips, a chime rang in his ears. It wasn't loud, but it was clear. A semi-transparent blue screen shimmered into existence right in front of his face. It moved with his head, staying perfectly in his line of sight.
[God Tier System: Status Window]
[Host: Arthur Sterling]
[Race: Viltrumite (Incomplete)]
[Level: 1]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 15]
[Dexterity: 9]
[Constitution: 3]
[Intelligence: 3]
[Wisdom: 3]
[Superpowers:]
[Flight (Basic)]
[Super Strength (Basic)]
[Active Quest: First Steps]
[Objective: Explore your surroundings and identify your location. Reward: 50 Experience Points, 1 Random Skill Crate.]
[Notice: New superpowers can be unlocked by completing quests or defeating powerful opponents.]
Arthur stared at the screen. He blinked, but it didn't go away. He reached out to touch it, but his hand passed right through the blue light. It was like a hologram projected directly into his brain.
'Fifteen strength? That's way higher than the others!'
He looked at the Constitution and Wisdom stats. Those were low. He felt a bit insulted by the Intelligence stat being a three, but he figured it was just a starting point. The most important part was the race description.
'Viltrumite. But it says incomplete?'
He didn't know what happened back on that planet. The last thing he remembered was the fear of five warriors diving at him. Everything after that was a blur of noise and heat.
"Okay. Explore. I can do that," Arthur said to himself.
He took a step toward the end of the alley. His body felt light. It was as if the gravity of the world had been turned down.
He reached the end of the brick walls and stepped onto a sidewalk.
It was a busy city. Yellow taxis honked as they swerved through traffic. People in business suits walked past him, staring at their phones. None of them seemed to care about the teenager in the white and grey spandex suit.
In this world, people in costumes were probably a common sight.
Arthur looked across the street. A large electronic billboard was flashing news updates. It showed a picture of a man in a red and white suit with a large 'O' on his chest. He was flying over a city, waving at a crowd.
[Omni-Man Thwarts Bank Robbery in Chicago!]
Arthur felt a chill run down his spine. This was the world of Invincible. He was standing on the same Earth as the man who had just ripped those intestines out on his TV screen.
'I'm actually here. This is real!'
He felt a strange mix of emotions. He was terrified because he knew how dangerous this world was. He knew what was coming. But at the same time, a small part of him was ecstatic. He had spent years dreaming of having a system and powers.
He walked a few blocks, trying to look natural despite his outfit. He found a discarded newspaper on a bench. The date was current. The location was New York City.
[Quest Update: Identify your location (Complete)]
[New Quest: Test your Limits]
[Objective: Use a superpower for the first time. Reward: 100 Experience Points.]
Arthur looked at the quest and then back at the sky. He had Flight listed in his powers. In the show, Mark had to learn how to fly by finding his center of gravity.
"So, i just have to copy what mark did?"
He stepped back into a quieter side street where fewer people were watching. He took a deep breath.
"Okay, Arthur. Just... lift off. Like a balloon."
He tensed his muscles. He tried to push against the air. Suddenly, his feet left the ground. It was a sudden, violent jerk. He shot up about ten feet into the air.
"Whoa! Holy—!"
His balance shifted. He felt a weird sensation in his ears, like they needed to pop. He started to tilt to the left. He tried to correct it by waving his arms, but that only made it worse. He began to spin in a slow, awkward circle.
The excitement peaked for a split second as he looked down at the rooftops. He was flying. He was actually doing it.
Then, gravity...
He lost his concentration. The flight stopped. Arthur tumbled through the air and slammed into the pavement face-first.
The sound of his impact was loud. He hit the ground with enough force to crack the concrete. A normal human would have died instantly.
Arthur just groaned. He rolled onto his back, staring at the purple-tinged clouds. His face stung, but nothing was broken. His high Strength and Viltrumite durability had saved him from a very embarrassing death.
'That... hurt. But not as much as it should have?'
He sat up and looked at the crater his head had made in the sidewalk. He started to laugh. It was a shaky, nervous laugh that slowly turned into a grin.
"I'm strong," he whispered. "I'm really, really strong!"
He stood up and brushed the dust off his suit.
He looked at the blue screen again. He needed to get stronger. If Omni-Man was already a hero, then the clock was ticking. He didn't know when the invasion would happen, but he knew he couldn't stay at Level 1 forever.
"System, how do I get more quests?"
[Ding! To receive more quests, continue interacting with the world. Higher-level quests are triggered by proximity to major events or characters.]
Arthur nodded. He needed a plan. He couldn't just walk around in a Viltrumite suit all day. He looked like the enemy. He needed to find a way to blend in, get some food, and figure out how to master his superpowers.
He started walking again, his mind racing with possibilities he can do with the system.