MTL NOVEL Chapter 8: LOL, Cheat!
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The bot lunged, and I Quickstepped again, barely avoiding a steel foot the size of a car. My legs were already screaming at me to stop, but the adrenaline—and the giant murder machine—kept me moving.
I darted around a corner, hoping to lose it. Nope. The thing smashed through the building like it was made of wet cardboard. Dust and debris rained down as I sprinted, ducking under chunks of falling concrete.
"You're really dedicated, huh?" I called over my shoulder, like it could hear me. Another swing came down, ripping apart the pavement just behind me. "Ever think about taking up yoga? Maybe chill out a bit?"
The alley ahead was a dead end. Fantastic. I turned to face the zero-pointer, my brain working overtime to come up with a plan that didn't involve me becoming street pizza. The bot paused, its sensors whirring as it calculated its next move.
"Alright, listen," I said, pointing my bat at it like that would do anything. "You don't want to do this. I'm like… a nobody. Barely worth the energy. Think about it."
It didn't think about it. The arm came down again, and I Quickstepped at the last second, the bat swinging up instinctively to smack the side of its head. It did absolutely nothing, but hey, at least I tried.
The bot hesitated, its sensors flickering for a moment. Then it lunged again, faster this time. My Quickstep was barely keeping me ahead of its attacks, and the cooldown was starting to kick in. My stamina bar was flashing in the corner of my vision, a big neon sign screaming, "YOU'RE SCREWED."
"System!" I shouted. "Any bright ideas?"
[OH, SURE. JUST TRY DYING LESS.]
"Wow, thanks. Super helpful," I snapped, diving behind a pile of debris as the bot's arm crashed down, sending chunks of concrete flying everywhere.
[YOU COULD ALWAYS TRY… UH… RUNNING AWAY MORE EFFECTIVELY?]
"Great advice, man. How do you come up with these shit?" I muttered, scanning the alley for anything useful. Nothing. Just more rubble and a dumpster that looked like it had seen better days.
The zero-pointer's shadow loomed over me again. No more Quickstep. No more dodges. My legs felt like jelly, and my lungs were about to go on strike.
"Alright, you win," I muttered, gripping the bat tightly. "But I'm going down swinging."
The bot's arm raised one last time, ready to end me. I braced myself, every muscle screaming in protest.
And then—
"THE TEST IS OVER!" Present Mic called out, his voice blasting through the speakers like a siren that couldn't decide between 'celebration' or 'shutdown.'
I slumped to the ground as the giant fist stopped right in front of my face, so close I could've kissed it. Not that I wanted to. "Fuck you too, robot," I muttered, flipping it off.
The zero-pointer's sensors flickered as if it wanted to flip me off back, but the power-down sequence had it freezing mid-swing like someone hit pause.
The streets of the fake city were a mess. Robots lay scattered in various states of destruction, looking like a scrapyard puked itself all over the place. Examinees were milling about, some grinning like they just conquered the world, others looking like they barely survived a natural disaster.
I passed by a guy sitting on a piece of rubble, nursing what looked like a twisted ankle. "Tough break, huh?"
He looked up at me, sweat dripping down his face. "Yeah… one of those three-pointers got me. Barely managed to take it down before it messed me up."
"Cool story," I said, walking off before he could start describing his injuries in detail. I had enough mental scarring for one day.
The girl I had dragged out of the alley earlier peeked back around the corner, clearly still processing what had just happened. "Are… are you okay?"
"Fine," I said, picking myself up and dusting off my pants. "Just another day of almost dying for no reason."
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but I was already standing next to her. I leaned in slightly, flashing a grin.
"How about you become my girlfriend? We could go on dates, hold hands, maybe kiss sometimes," I said, completely deadpan like I was offering her the weather forecast.
Her face immediately turned bright red, and without a word, she spun around and bolted like I had just proposed marriage instead of a casual relationship.
"Good talk!" I called after her, watching as she disappeared around the corner.
Someone behind me let out a laugh. "You seriously just dropped that on her?"
I shrugged. "What? You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
The infirmary smelled like disinfectant and regret, a combination I was starting to get used to with Izuku's track record. He was sitting on a cot, cradling his arm, which were all kinds of purple. It looked like he had gone ten rounds with a cement mixer and lost every single one of them.
"What the hell happened to you?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Izuku flinched at my voice, then tried to sit up straighter like he wasn't currently resembling a squished grape. "Oh, uh, I… I broke my arm."
"No shit, Sherlock," I said, walking over. "I meant, how did you manage to break it so badly? Did you jump in front of a train?"
He looked down, his hands trembling slightly. "I destroyed a zero-pointer."
I blinked. "You what?"
"There was… there was a girl," he said, his voice trailing off like he was trying to piece it together himself. "The girl from before. She was stuck under some rubble. The zero-pointer was about to crush her, so I—"
"You destroyed it," I finished for him. I stared at him, trying to process what he had just said. "How?"
Izuku didn't answer right away. His grip on his ruined arms tightened like he was holding back something.
"My foolish brother, we both know you've been training with All Might, but you're not that strong yet. There's no way you could've pulled this off without…" I narrowed my eyes, and the System immediately flared to life in my vision. 'Analyze.'
A flood of information about Izuku popped up in front of me, the usual stats, skills, and attributes. Except now, there was something new, something that hadn't been there the last time I checked.
[QUIRK: ONE FOR ALL (INHERITED)
Description: A power passed down from hero to successor. Grants immense strength, speed, and durability when activated. Currently at 0% mastery. Lol, your brother is a loser.]
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered under my breath.
Izuku glanced up at me, his face pale. "W-What?"
I waved a hand dismissively, the System screen disappearing from my view. "Nothing. Did you awaken a quirk or what?"
Izuku froze for a second, clearly caught off guard. He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes. "Same goes for you, right?" His voice was quiet but steady.
I nodded, leaning casually against the doorway. "True."
Before either of us could say more, the door opened with a faint creak, and Recovery Girl waddled in, muttering under her breath. "Honestly, you kids have the self-preservation instincts of lemmings." She pulled a chair over with her cane, setting her medical bag on the small table nearby.
Izuku looked down at his mangled arms, clearly not sure what to say. I decided to jump in, crossing my arms. "Maybe he's trying to set a record for most injuries in one week."
Recovery Girl shot me a pointed look. "And you? How many bruises are you hiding under that tough-guy act? Or do I need to check you next?"
I shrugged. "I am fine. Just here to make sure Waterworks doesn't die before the school year starts."
She sighed, turning her attention to Izuku. "This quirk of yours is more dangerous to you than it is to anyone else. Using it like this without proper control is only going to end one way: with you in a hospital bed. Or worse."
Izuku winced but nodded. "I… I couldn't just stand there and do nothing."
Recovery Girl frowned, pulling out some kind of ointment and starting to apply it to his arms. "And I am sure the girl you saved is grateful, but you need to understand your limits. Right now, your quirk is a loaded gun with no safety. You are lucky you did not shatter every bone in your body."
I watched as she worked, her hands surprisingly steady for someone her age. She muttered something about "reckless boys" under her breath as she kissed Izuku, before finally glancing back at me. "And you. Did you do anything stupid today?"
"Define stupid," I said, smirking.
She raised an eyebrow. "You look like you ran a marathon through a junkyard. I'll take that as a yes."
"Hey, I am still standing," I replied. "That counts for something, right?"
Recovery Girl rolled her eyes, clearly not in the mood for my bullshit. She finished with Izuku's arms, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. "You are done for now. But you are not off the hook. If I see you like this again, boy, we are going to have a long talk about whether you are cut out for hero work."
Izuku nodded again, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I understand."
"Good," Recovery Girl said, packing up her bag. She turned to me, pointing her cane like it was a sword. "And you," she said, narrowing her eyes, "Come and get your kiss."
I tilted my head, biting back the urge to smirk too wide. "At least take me to dinner first," I said, stepping closer.
She didn't even flinch. "Oh, don't flatter yourself. You're about twenty years too young and fifty IQ points too short."
"Fair," I replied, leaning in for the inevitable peck. Her lips barely touched my forehead before that warm, suffocating wave of exhaustion hit like I'd been body-slammed by a mattress. My knees almost gave out, but I gritted my teeth and stayed upright. Barely. "You sure this is legal?" I muttered.
"You're still alive, aren't you?" she shot back, already walking away. "Be grateful, or next time I'll use the cane on your head."
"Appreciate the concern," I called after her. No response. Tough crowd.
Izuku stood up from the cot, wobbling like a drunk flamingo. "T-Thank you, Recovery Girl!" he stammered, bowing so low I thought he might collapse right there. The old woman waved him off with a grunt before disappearing out the door.
I sighed, slinging an arm around his shoulder to keep him steady as we walked out. "You keep doing this 'break every bone in your body' thing, and I'm charging a babysitting fee."
He smiled weakly. "Sorry…"
"Don't apologize to me, Waterworks. Apologize to whoever has to stitch your ass back together next time. Let's go." I led him out of the infirmary and down the hall.
As we left the campus, Izuku kept glancing at me like he wanted to say something but couldn't figure out how. I ignored it, focusing on not keeling over before we reached home.
When we finally got back to the house, Izuku dragged himself upstairs without a word, looking like he had just lost a bar fight with a cement truck. I didn't bother saying anything as he trudged off. The guy could barely walk in a straight line, so whatever he was thinking about could wait.
I collapsed face-first onto the couch, kicking my shoes off haphazardly. The cushions groaned under me like they were protesting my existence, but I didn't care. My body felt like it had been through a wood chipper, yet there was still this buzzing energy coursing through me. Limit Breaker was still active, and it was like being stuck halfway between being drunk and having a sugar rush. It was addictive. Dangerous. And I loved every second of it.
The System decided now was the time to pop in like an uninvited guest at a funeral.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU SURVIVED THE DAY! WANT A GOLD STAR? OH WAIT, YOU FORGOT TO TURN OFF LIMIT BREAKER. ENJOY THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES, DUMBASS.]
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered into the couch cushion. "I know I'm still juiced up. Thanks for the reminder, Captain Obvious."
[JUST A REMINDER THAT YOUR MUSCLES, ORGANS, AND PROBABLY WHAT LITTLE BRAIN CELLS YOU HAVE LEFT WILL BE SYSTEMATICALLY WRECKED THE SECOND YOU DEACTIVATE. BUT YOU DO YOU, KING.]
I turned my head to the side and grinned. "Easy. I will never deactivate Limit Breaker until the day I die."
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