[Bloodline System has been unlocked]
Ethan couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.
He had been reborn fifteen years ago into the world of Boku no Hero Academia, yet nothing special had ever happened to him. Hell, he was even an orphan.
No Quirk. No talent. Just the memories of his past life. And that hadn't been nearly enough to change the cruel reality of this world.
But now, right in front of his eyes, stood the one thing he had wished for—endlessly and without pause—for so many years.
"Is this… what I think it is?"
The screen responded with a new line of text.
[Absorb DNA and steal their genes. Unlock Quirks, mutations, and talents.]
He read the message over and over, unable to stop his racing thoughts.
He remembered his whole life in this world. Born in Japan, though for some reason he had retained his Western name. Raised by nuns in a religious orphanage, even though he himself was an atheist. He grew up among other children, and though he had once been a 24-year-old man, he adapted—playing along with the others, enjoying the perks of being a child wrapped in innocence.
Until the age of four, life was good: bathing with naked women, being showered with affection in the streets, idolized by everyone around him.
He was "destined" for greatness—or so he thought. But as time passed and no Quirk ever manifested, all those blessings faded away into nothing.
He became a reject, a social outcast, looked after only by the innocent-hearted nuns. As long as the bath privileges continued, Ethan didn't mind much. But he grew up—and those privileges stopped. He was no longer a child. Slowly, his life turned into pure misery.
But now, in this very moment… everything could change.
Now he could completely understand Izuku! How All Might had changed his life. This? This felt even better.
The holographic screen before him was his ticket to a new beginning.
[Do you wish to activate synchronization? The process may cause temporary discomfort.]
Ethan didn't hesitate.
"Yes. Do it now!"
A strange heat surged from the base of his skull to the tips of his fingers. A second later, his body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
BAM!
He hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Then the convulsions began.
Fortunately, there was no one else in the room. Unfortunately… there was no one else in the room.
His head slammed against the cold floor over and over, and with each hit, it felt like more and more data was being forcefully shoved into his brain.
"Agh… my head," he groaned as his body finally returned to normal. He was pretty sure he was going to have a lump—or already had one.
Then, in an instant, he remembered everything.
He had obtained a system. And he already knew how it worked!
He pushed himself off the floor and sat back on his bed, excitement buzzing in his chest.
"Status."
His voice echoed in the silence, eerie and hollow. He looked around, wondering if he'd done something wrong—until a new screen appeared before his eyes.
[Bloodline System – Status]
[Name: Ethan] [Biological Age: 15 years, 4 months, 24 days]
[Genetic Race: Human (100%)]
[Strength: 9] – [Agility: 12] – [Vitality: 8] – [Intelligence: 12] – [Perception: 10]
[Talents]
Cook (lv 1)
[Quirks]
Purification (24%)
He couldn't believe it.
It was complete garbage.
And yet, his eyes welled up with tears of joy. His stats were even worse than an average human back in his old world. Here? He was basically an ant. But it didn't matter.
He had finally gotten what he'd desperately wished for—a system that could make him the strongest in the world.
Not feeling excited would've been insane.
Besides, the system's entire purpose was to make him stupidly powerful!
'If I get All Might's genes… or even All For One's!' he thought, heart pounding with anticipation.
The system was designed to make him stronger through genetic integration.
To put it simply:He could absorb genetic material (DNA) from other human beings—through blood, fluids, or organic tissue—and gain a random ability from the target.
He could basically become as powerful as he wanted!
Absorbing someone's genes didn't just offer the chance to copy their Quirk. He could also acquire one of their talents, or even gain stats and unique traits depending on the nature of their Quirk.
Even becoming better-looking thanks to good genetics didn't sound that crazy anymore.
He was destined to be the perfect human!
"This… this is just the beginning!"
"Shut up, you useless freak!"
The shout came from the hallway—another orphan, pissed off. Ethan frowned and turned back to his system. He had to think carefully now.
He'd lived in this world long enough to know where he was. With U.A. as a clear temporal marker, plus the aftermath of All Might's public battle, it wasn't hard to estimate the current year.
Roughly two or three years before the canon timeline. Characters like Nejire, Tamaki, and Mirio weren't even showing up in the U.A. sports festivals yet, so he assumed he was their age.
That gave him plenty of wiggle room. Not only could he prepare for the canon events—He could change them however he wanted.
He currently lived in Tokyo, the heart of Japan. Learning Japanese had been a pain, but he managed it within his first two years here.
He was nearing the end of the school term. Just a couple of months left until U.A.'s entrance exams. He didn't know exactly what he wanted for his future, but starting by influencing the top prospects in the country? That sounded like a solid plan.
Well—if he ignored his laughable stats and the fact that he was in a completely different league.
He could get stronger. That was true. But it wouldn't happen overnight. And absorbing DNA? It was… weird.
Even Himiko Toga had been labeled a freak for her obsession with blood—especially after she committed murder. Using that method would be slow. Creepy. He couldn't just rob a blood bank. He couldn't go around asking people, either.
The other option? Hair—like how All Might had Izuku eat a strand to pass on One For All.But hair contained so little DNA, he'd have to eat an ungodly amount just to evolve a Quirk.
Plus, it was disgusting. Sneaking around eating people's hair? Even if he got strong, he'd never sleep peacefully again.
That left the final option: bodily fluids.
Sweat, tears, all that stuff.Ethan figured the reason he had two starting abilities was probably because two of the nuns had breastfed him as a baby.Consuming bodily fluids was just as weird—except in one very specific case.
"Sex…" Ethan muttered, though it felt like a distant, far-off reality.
He wasn't ugly. If he took care of himself, he could even be a decent-looking guy. But… he was a nobody.A Quirkless loser.
In this world, having no Quirk meant you were basically trash—unless you came from a wealthy family. Which he didn't.
He was an orphan. Even though the nuns raised him kindly, almost everyone his age (and even younger) mocked him for being Quirkless.
He had no shot at sex—not even if he tried paying for it.He was so poor that buying a street-side coffee was an economic disaster.
"Everything's impossible for me…"
All his previous excitement faded into gray reality.
Ding!
[New Mission Acquired]
[Objective] – [Obtain a Quirk or Talent by absorbing genetic material (DNA)]
[Reward: 10% boost to a random Quirk]
[Penalty: Loss of the system]
[Time Limit: 48 hours]
"Loss… of the system?" Ethan froze.
He hadn't expected such a sudden twist. He hadn't even planned for the future yet, and now he was being forced to act.
'This is bullshit,' Ethan thought with a sigh as he collapsed back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.It felt like someone had handed him a massive banquet—but gave him only fifteen minutes to eat it all.
He stared at the mission once more, and slowly, a smile crept onto his face. He clenched his fist.
This was it.
His beginning.