ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
***
Dawn broke over Takoba Beach, painting the sky in washed-out blues and faded pinks. Isaiah stood shirtless at the shoreline, sweat dripping down his face and shoulders despite the morning chill. His chest heaved with steady, controlled breaths as he stared at the work he'd accomplished.
Two weeks of daily grind had transformed a section of the beach. Where mountains of trash once covered every inch of sand near the entrance, a large patch of clean shoreline now stretched toward the water. The junk hadn't vanished—it stood in organized piles along the perimeter, sorted by metal, plastic, and electronics for easier disposal.
A system notification popped up in his peripheral vision:
["A Hero's Heart is a Janitor's Soul" - Progress: 11%]
"Only eleven percent?" Isaiah muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "This beach is going to kill me before that detective does."
『Stop whining,』 Arcan replied. 『At this rate, you'll be done in exactly... eighteen more days.』
Isaiah picked up his t-shirt from a nearby rusted barrel and threw it over his shoulder. "Thanks for the math lesson. Really helpful."
His mind drifted back to the night of the chase two weeks ago. After escaping Detective Hoga by the narrowest margin, he'd collapsed in an alley six blocks away, heart hammering against his ribs.
"That was too close," he'd whispered, checking his quest log to confirm his success. The objectives showed as complete, but the quest itself remained stubbornly active.
『You need a strategy adjustment,』 Arcan had told him that night, her mental voice unusually serious. 『Listen up, idiot. Your stats give you a foundation, but your abilities are your weapons. Pouring all your early AP into the foundation when your house is on fire is stupid. Upgrade your weapons. Get an edge. Hoard your points for what matters: Rank-Ups, Gacha pulls, and Ability upgrades. Got it?』
He'd gotten it. Since that night, Isaiah had been religiously completing his daily quests and beach cleaning without spending a single point. His AP had climbed steadily, a growing war chest for whatever came next.
Isaiah grabbed his water bottle and took a long drink. The morning sun had fully crested the horizon now, turning the ocean into a sheet of hammered gold. Time to head home.
He started his return jog, falling into an easy rhythm that his upgraded body maintained without strain. The streets were mostly empty at this hour, just a few early commuters and shop owners preparing for the day.
As he ran, Isaiah called up his Quest Log. He wanted to officially clear today's daily.
[Daily Quest Complete! 「Stop Being So Pathetic」]
[Rewards Issued: +50 Attribute Points (AP)]
[Total AP: 1570]
His eyes skimmed down to the next entry, and his feet faltered.
[EMERGENCY QUEST: THE PREDATOR BECOMES THE PREY]
Isaiah stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk. "What the hell? I escaped her two weeks ago. The quest should be over."
Arcan's voice came after an unusual pause. 『The objective was to escape the perimeter of the pursuing officer. The quest is not marked as complete. Therefore... you are still within her perimeter.』
A chill crawled up his spine despite the morning warmth. Isaiah scanned the empty street, suddenly hyperaware of every shadow and corner. "That's impossible. It's been two weeks."
As he stared at the quest log, something else caught his eye. The slots for his abilities—[FIREBREATH]and[MYSTICISM]—were faintly pulsing with silver light. The effect was subtle, almost like a heartbeat.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing mentally at the glow.
『Unknown,』 Arcan replied, which was rare enough to be concerning. 『Let's get back to the apartment. I need to run some diagnostics.』
Isaiah broke into a sprint, his earlier fatigue forgotten.
===
Freshly showered and dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, Isaiah sat cross-legged on his bed. Water dripped from his damp green hair onto the towel draped around his shoulders as he focused on his interface.
He tapped on [FIREBREATH].
The ability description expanded, but now there was a new section below the basic information. A level progression tree materialized before his eyes:
[LEVEL 1: The Spark](CURRENT)
Projects a 3-meter cone of flames dealing 120% Intelligence Damage.
Status Effect: 10% chance to inflict [Burn] (Target takes 5 DPS for 3 seconds).
[LEVEL 2: Bellows](LOCKED)
Active Effect: Increases range to 10 meters.
[LEVEL 3: Flash Point](LOCKED)
Passive Modifier: Flames transition from orange to White-Hot.
Effect: Damage output ignores 20% of Target's Fire Resistance. Can now melt standard steel alloys.
[LEVEL 4: Infernal Lung](LOCKED)
Active Effect: Unlocks [Compressed Blast]. Instead of a stream, the user can hold the charge and release it as a single, explosive "fireball" projectile with high knockback.
Cooldown: 10 Seconds (for Compressed Blast mode).
[LEVEL 5: MAX - DRAGON'S ROAR](LOCKED)
Evolution: Ability evolves into [SKILL: PURGATORY EXHALE] (Rank B).
Effect: The fire gains a "sticky" property, clinging to targets like napalm.
Bonus: Damage scales off Missing Health (Berserker modifier).
Beside [LEVEL 2] was a button: [UPGRADE: 500 AP].
"Holy shit," Isaiah whispered, scrolling back through the descriptions.
He quickly checked [MYSTICISM] and found a similar upgrade path with equally tempting abilities.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he asked, barely containing his excitement.
Arcan's voice took on a smug, professorial tone. 『The upgrade paths only unlock once the System determines you've used the base ability enough to understand its fundamental properties. You've been blasting trash with fire for two weeks straight. Congratulations, you passed the tutorial.』
She paused, then continued more seriously. 『Abilities aren't static. They evolve. But evolution costs resources. This is why you don't waste AP on a +1 to Strength when you could be saving for an upgrade that lets you melt a goddamn car. Early game is about unlocking potential, not grinding raw numbers. It's a better return on investment.』
Isaiah fell back against his pillows, staring at the ceiling. "So that's why you told me to hoard points."
『Obviously. A Level 5 Firebreath is worth more than twenty points of Strength will ever be. The System rewards specialized builds over jack-of-all-trades.』
Isaiah nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. With 1570 AP, he could upgrade both Firebreath and Mysticism to Level 2, and still have enough left for a third ability if he found one worth investing in.
He was about to ask Arcan about the still-active emergency quest when a familiar, mouthwatering smell wafted through his door.
Pancakes.
It was Saturday. Pancake Day.
Isaiah closed his interface with a wave and stood up, stretching. A genuine smile spread across his face, one that never would have appeared on the old Isaiah.
He'd never admit it aloud, but somewhere between the nightly check-ins and the perfectly packed lunches, "Inko" had become "Mom" in his mind.
Her unconditional love was a force of nature he had no defense against. It should have annoyed him—this sentimentality was weakness—but instead, he felt a quiet, fierce protectiveness.
I'll make sure she has an easy life. It's the least I can do for the body rental.
He walked out of his room, rolling his shoulders. "Man, I'm starving! I could eat a whole stack of—"
The words died in his throat as he entered the living room.
Inko stood by the kitchen counter, nervously fidgeting with her apron. "Good morning, sweetie! We have visitors."
Sitting at their small dining table was a man. Tan trench coat, five-o'clock shadow, rectangular eyes that seemed to catalog everything they saw. His posture was relaxed but alert, like a veteran cop who'd seen too much to be easily impressed.
"Hello, Izuku," the man said, his voice even and professional. "I'm Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi from the Musutafu Police Department."
But Isaiah barely registered him, because his attention had locked onto the woman standing beside the detective.
She wore a crisp white shirt tucked into black slacks that accentuated her athletic build. A thin black tie hung perfectly straight against her chest. Her dark hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, revealing a face that was beautiful.
Then his eyes traveled up, and his blood ran cold.
Two dark wolf ears perked attentively atop her head.
A bushy tail swished gently behind her.
And her eyes—those piercing red eyes—watched him with the focused intensity of a predator who had cornered its prey.
"This is my partner, Detective Kaori Hoga," Tsukauchi continued. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."
Kaori's mouth curved into a smile that never reached her eyes. "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, Midoriya-kun." Her voice was controlled, professional, but underneath ran a current of triumph. "We won't take much of your time."
Time seemed to slow down. Isaiah glanced at his mom's nervous smile, at the analytical gaze of Tsukauchi, at the predatory stillness of Hoga. In his interface, the emergency quest glowed ominously:
[THE PREDATOR BECOMES THE PREY]
A single, devastating thought crystallized in his mind: The quest never ended... because she'd been hunting him this whole time.
"Izuku, dear?" Inko called, concern creeping into her voice. "Are you all right? You look pale."
Isaiah forced his face into a confused smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Just surprised to have guests so early." He bowed slightly to the detectives. "What can I help you with?"
Tsukauchi gestured to the empty chair across from him. "Please, sit down. We just have a few routine questions about an incident that occurred a couple of weeks ago."
Isaiah moved to the table with wooden legs. As he pulled out the chair, Kaori's nostrils flared slightly, and her eyes narrowed. He realized with horror that she was scenting him.
"Pancakes smell great, Mrs. Midoriya," Tsukauchi said warmly. "I hope we're not imposing."
"Not at all!" Inko fluttered around the kitchen, sliding a stack of perfect golden pancakes onto a plate. "I always make too many anyway. Would you both like some?"
"That would be lovely," Kaori replied, her eyes never leaving Isaiah.
Inko placed the plate in front of Isaiah, then returned to the stove. "So what's this about? My Izuku hasn't done anything wrong, has he?"
Tsukauchi smiled reassuringly. "We believe your son may have witnessed something, Mrs. Midoriya. Two weeks ago, there was a series of assaults on criminals in the downtown area. The perpetrator was a vigilante wearing an All Might hoodie."
Isaiah kept his face neutral as he poured syrup over his pancakes. He cut a piece and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. "An All Might hoodie? That doesn't narrow it down much in this city."
Kaori leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "The vigilante also displayed a unique Quirk. Fire-based, according to witnesses."
The pancake turned to ash in Isaiah's mouth. He swallowed with difficulty.
"What's this got to do with my son?" Inko asked, returning with two more plates for the detectives.
"Just routine questioning," Tsukauchi assured her. "We're talking to several people who live in the area or who might have knowledge of fire-type Quirks."
His eyes shifted to Isaiah. "Midoriya-kun, would you mind shaking my hand?"