— Meanwhile - ??? —
Within the vast chamber constructed of unknown alloy, an enormous clock was embedded into the colossal wall. This expansive space brimmed with various contraptions and strange equipment, most… appearing to originate from Earth, while others bore distinctly alien designs. Some components seemed crafted for anatomies far removed from human physiology.
Yet in this vast cavernous room filled with bizarre and undoubtedly expensive machinery... a spectacled man in a white lab coat slept soundly at his workstation.
On the wall, the digital clock ticked methodically onward, relentlessly counting down the time displayed across its face:
[5 Years : 2 Months : 12 Days]
[10:25:14:24]
Then… in a fleeting instant… the milliseconds changed abruptly:
[10:25:14:30]
The anomaly lasted mere moments, entirely unnoticed. The slumbering scientist remained oblivious, as if this temporal irregularity had never occurred.
Yet… the evidence was undeniable; the numbers had indeed shifted.
Like countless unobserved phenomena throughout the universe, this anomaly happened without witness or recognition…
But happened; it certainly did…
— Meanwhile, at Maximilian's House —
Maximilian jolted awake, his eyes snapping open as his heart pounded rapidly. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead while he took shaky breaths. Slowly pushing himself up, he scanned the familiar surroundings of his room in the 'New World,' confirming his location.
[Did you have a nightmare?] The System's voice carried genuine concern.
"Yeah..." Maximilian nodded weakly.
[You can talk to me about it, you know... I'm stuck here with you—it's not like I could tell anyone even if I wanted to.] The System's tone blended gentle encouragement with its usual casual demeanor.
"You're right..." A faint smile touched his lips before fading into silence.
[It's okay if you're not ready... I won't push you.] The System reassured him, then abruptly shifted her tone with energetic enthusiasm.
[How about we start the day with something exciting!?]
[Ding! Main Quest Unlocked! Congratulations! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧]
— MAIN QUEST: SCULPTURE DOMINATION! —
Description:
Every greatest villain must demonstrate their dominance to the world! Even when lacking the strength to guarantee survival, you must still assert your supremacy over your greatest enemy. Display your dominance today, become the greatest villain tomorrow!
Time Limit: None
Primary Objective: Destroy the 'Atlas' statue in the city center
Bonus Objective: Beat up all who attempt to stop you
Reward: Upgrade Temporary Ability Sharing to Permanent Ability Sharing
Bonus Reward: A System Feature Upgrade of your choice
—
"Huh!?" Maximilian's brow furrowed as he read the main quest description.
"What do you mean by 'even when lacking the strength to guarantee survival'? Are you jinxing me or something!?" he retorted.
[No, I'm not! I'm not responsible for the main quests, remember? This quest just appeared! I'm simply posting it for you to see! \(≧▽≦)/]
"Posting it to me..." Maximilian's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "So, while you can't deliberately create main quests, when they naturally appear, you can choose when to display them to me?" He'd caught the crucial distinction.
[Um... That's one way to put it? Well... yes, basically. (´～｀)] The System admitted somewhat sheepishly.
"You don't even seem sure about your own functions." Maximilian squinted suspiciously.
[Like I've told you, I'm not omnipotent. There are things that I don't understand too.]
"Hmm... Okay." Maximilian dropped the subject, recognizing the futility of pressing further. Since the System had respected his privacy earlier, he'd extend the same courtesy. That was only fair.
"Then do you know what triggers main quests?" he asked instead.
[I'm not certain... Perhaps… because of what you did last night? (´～｀)]
Maximilian reflected on the previous night's infiltration of the IHB local branch. Was that really significant enough to warrant this quest? Sure., He had executed a clean operation, no destruction, no deleted data. Get in, copy everything, and get out. A textbook stealth mission.
Whatever the case, arguing with the System wouldn't change anything. He'd simply complete the quest and upgrade to System Level 3.
"By the wat, since I have a lot of Villain Point now, Can I check the item in the shop?" Asked Maximilian.
[Of Course! (^▽^) ] The system then open the shop UI for Maximilian to see.
— Shop —
- Unlock A Random Beyond Omega Level Power 1000,000,000 VP
- Unlock A Random Omega Level Power 500,000,000 VP
- Unlock A Random Delta Level Power 100,000,000 VP
As Maximilian scanned the price list from the top, he nearly cursed aloud. This was... daylight robbery! He used to think earning 100 Villain Points (VP) was a decent income. But seeing these shop prices, that clearly wasn't the case.
He felt like a beggar content with making fifty bucks a day while some CEO earned a million per minute. The beggar could never comprehend the CEO's spending range until he saw it firsthand.
With a frustrated sigh, Maximilian's gaze dropped to the shop's lower tiers.
- Indestructible Magic Spoon 2,000 VP
- Super Hair Grow solution 1,500 VP
- Indestructible Super Slim Condom 200 VP
The items in the lower tier, while still pricey, at least fell within a range he could realistically afford.
"System, what's the power level of Delta-level abilities and beyond?" he asked.
[Are you sure you want to know? Don't blame me if you lose sleep over this. (⊙_◎)]
Maximilian fell silent for a moment before responding, "...Just tell me. Don't worry about it."
[Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. (￣～￣;)] The System paused, then continued:
[Delta-level powers can alter things on a planetary scale, summoning tornadoes, triggering tsunamis, reshaping geography, or even sinking entire continents like Australia.]
[Omega-level? Planet busters. They can obliterate a world without breaking a sweat.]
[As for… Beyond Omega? Reality warpers. They bend existence to their will, with power spanning solar systems... or even the universe.]
[To put it in perspective… remember when I called you a protozoa compared to multiversal level entities? Beyond Omegas are like beasts. Some are strong enough to threaten those 100 multiversal beings... but in the end, they're still just beasts. If those entities brought a gun? It wouldn't be a fight. It'd be a hunt.]
Maximilian gulped, his mouth suddenly dry.
— IHB (International Hero Bureau) Local Branch —
In the city center, several police cars and a black van bearing the UEC logo were parked outside a high-rise building. The van belonged to Earth Network Security and Telecommunications (ENSAT)—a specialized division under the UEC, established specifically to oversee all communication, cybersecurity, and telecommunications for UEC-affiliated bureaus.
The personnel working in ENSAT were elites among elites in network security and hacking. They were the architects behind the design, planning, implementation, and installation of all the network and security infrastructure currently used by the UEC.
After Maximilian had break in to the building and had copied all of the data. These people was called here by Strauss to help them track the one who broke in and also investigate the security vulnerability of teh entire building.
Within Strauss personal office He's sitting and looking at the man who come wit hthe ENSAT team, he was teh team leader. The Team leader now made a face as if he had chew on a fly.
"You're askin gfor an impossible, Mr. Strauss. reworking teh entire building of security and overhauling it is an impossible task to do in a short time frame! We need at least a year to do that, not a month!" The man fiercely retort what Strauss just said to him.
"What about reworking only teh security on data center? The security system here has already been exploit, and the same vulnerability is still there right now as we argueing. I don't want this security vulnerability informaiton to be sold in the black market and hundred thousands of hackers swarm at us!" Strauss counter.
The security network team leader shook hsi head "The entire security network of the data center is invlove the entire building and I may even need to update teh security system of teh other branch in anotehr city. It's impossible Mr. Strauss. The most we could do to install more security fail safe and data encryption." Teh team leader said with exhaustion.
Hearing thsi Strauss know that what he need to network security team would not budge so he decided to forgo it. He'll just increase security manpower, the solution is crude, but this is teh best solution for him right now.
Strauss then dismissed the team leader and sat brooding over the incident from last night. It had been an utter humiliation… one that made him question his own competency. Had he become too complacent? Or was the thief who broke in last night simply too skilled for both him and the entire security team at this branch to detect?
As Strauss was lost in thought, he noticed a new email. It was an emergency notification, one he had instructed the Citizenship Registration Center to send immediately if they received any information related to Maximilian.
He opened the email and saw a new citizenship registration form… but this time, the applicant was listed as Max Sterling Graham, status: twin brother of Maximilian Sterling Graham. In the attached photo, Max was wearing glasses, but other than that, he looked like a carbon copy of Maximilian.
Strauss immediately knew that this "Max" was a separate individual. Even though they had the same face, he was certain… this "Max" was definitely a different person from Maximilian.