Late night in New York City. The city that never sleeps was living up to its reputation, a sprawling grid of neon and noise.
Light Inksworth stood on the rooftop of his Chelsea loft building, the cool night wind tugging at his shirt. In the distance, the wail of sirens cut through the air, converging on a flickering orange glow in Hell's Kitchen. Another gang war, or perhaps a meth lab explosion. Just another Tuesday in the Marvel Universe.
He wasn't watching the fire, though. He was watching the shadows between the buildings.
Thwip.
A figure swung awkwardly past a water tower two blocks away. He wore a red hoodie, blue sweatpants, and cheap welding goggles. His form was terrible—he flailed at the apex of the swing, nearly slamming into a brick wall before correcting himself with a desperate shot of webbing.
Light smirked. "Peter," he murmured. "Looks like the spider bite kicked in."
It was the dawn of the Age of Heroes. And while Peter Parker was out there learning how not to die, Light was up here playing a different kind of game.
He checked the time. It was past midnight. The first full day of sales for One Punch Man had concluded. The initial wave of hype had crashed into the market, and now it was time to harvest the results.
He summoned the System.
[Fan Value Calculation Complete.]
[Day 1 Total: 280,840 Points.]
Light let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Two hundred and eighty thousand," he whispered, a greedy glint in his eyes.
It was a massive haul. He estimated that the hype would peak tomorrow as word of mouth spread, likely pushing him over a million within the week.
But Light wasn't patient.
He needed power now.
In a world where aliens could invade tomorrow or a Norse god could level a city block by sneezing, being an ordinary human with a magic tracing table wasn't enough security.
[System Alert: Host meets the criteria for the High-Tier Lottery.]
[Minimum Cost: 100,000 Points per draw.]
[Current Pool: One Punch Man (Chapters 1–4)]
Light did the math. He could draw twice. He could wait until he had a million to do a ten-pull for better odds, but the itch was too strong.
"Do it," Light commanded mentally. "Two draws. Maximum effort."
The digital roulette wheel in his mind spun, a blur of black and gold. Light gripped the railing of the roof, his knuckles white.
Please don't be trash. Please don't be Mumen Rider's bicycle.
Ding!
[Congratulations! Reward Acquired: Item – "Biceps King Serum" (Prototype).]
A glass vial materialized in Light's hand. It was warm to the touch, filled with a swirling, viscous golden liquid. Light recognized it immediately.
In the manga, this was the steroid developed by Fukegao for his brother, Marugori. One sip turned a normal human into a titan capable of wiping out a city with the wave of a hand.
A Dragon-Level threat.
"Dangerous," Light muttered, staring at the gold liquid.
If he drank this, he would become a god of destruction.
He would also become a mindless, naked giant.
"Hard pass on the side effects," Light decided, slipping the vial into his pocket. "But it's a hell of a trump card if I ever get desperate."
The wheel spun again.
Ding!
[Congratulations! Reward Acquired: Skill Fragment – "Vaccine Man: Energy Projection" (x1).]
Light blinked. "Fragment?"
[System Note: High-Tier skills are fragmented. Collect shards to upgrade.
Current Level: 1/10.]
[Do you wish to equip?]
"Equip," Light said instantly.
A sensation like lightning arced through his brain. It wasn't painful, but it was intense—a sudden rewiring of his nervous system to channel energy that didn't belong in a human body.
He looked at his hand.
He concentrated.
Hummmmm.
A ball of blue-white energy, the size of a grapefruit, flared into existence above his palm. The air around it distorted from the heat. It crackled with unstable power.
Even at Level 1, this thing felt like it could blow a hole through a tank.
"Incredible," Light whispered, the blue light reflecting in his eyes. "I'm not just writing about heroes anymore. I'm becoming one."
"Light?"
The voice came from the fire escape door.
Light flinched, his concentration breaking. The energy ball dissipated with a soft pop.
Gali stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt Light had given her as pajamas.
"What are you doing?" she asked, yawning. "And what was that... smell?"
"Smell?" Light asked, hiding his hand behind his back.
"It smelled like… compressed photons. Spicy."
She walked over, her nose twitching. Then, her eyes locked onto the table where Light had set down the vial of "Biceps King Serum." The golden liquid swirled enticingly.
"Ooh," Gali cooed. "Juice?"
Before Light could move, she snatched the vial.
"Wait! Gali, no!"
Light lunged, but he was too late.
With the speed of a starving viper, Gali popped the cork and downed the entire vial in one gulp.
Light froze. His blood ran cold.
That wasn't juice.
That was a high-grade mutagenic super-steroid.
Images flashed through his mind: Gali growing five hundred feet tall. Gali crushing the Chelsea loft. Gali stomping through Manhattan like Godzilla in a frilly dress.
"No, no, no," Light stammered, backing away. "Gali, spit it out! Spit it out!"
He braced himself for the transformation. He waited for the muscles to tear through her skin, for the ground to shake.
Gali blinked.
She smacked her lips.
Burp.
A small, purple cloud of smoke escaped her mouth.
"Tangy," she noted. "But it lacks texture. I prefer solids."
She tossed the empty glass vial into the trash can and looked at Light expectantly.
"Is there more?"
Light stood there, his jaw practically on the floor.
He looked at the girl.
She hadn't grown an inch. She didn't even look bloated.
That serum turned a human into a skyscraper-sized monster.
Gali had treated it like a shot of espresso.
"You…" Light pointed a shaking finger at her. "You didn't explode?"
"Should I have?" Gali tilted her head. "It was just a biological stimulant. Barely a snack."
Light slumped against the chimney, laughing hysterically.
Of course.
She was a cosmic entity.
What was a little Earth-based mad science to a being that ate physics for breakfast?
But Light didn't know that.
"System," Light muttered to the empty air. "You sold me a fake drug."