School closed for the day, and while others chatted and saw each other off. Mason and his friends stood outside the school's gate, catching up on current affairs before they went home.
He didn't tell them about what happened with Vanessa for two reasons, the first, it would get him annoyed since he was confused as to why she did what she did.
The second reason, they were good listeners, but terrible at giving advice, if he listened to their advice they gave him when he first started dating Vanessa, he probably wouldn't have a girlfriend till he graduated.
It was just him, Mike, Conner and Luke.
"Today is the day we've all been waiting for... The launch of the Guardians of the Cosmos! Luke, Mike, Mason. I'm sure you pre-ordered it days ago?"
"Yes."
"Absolutely."
"No." Mason just had to be different, it wasn't that he didn't want to preorder it, he merely forgot after all that had happened in the space of three days.
"Come on Mason! You know we've been waiting for this game forever! We agreed to pre-order it because it takes a lot of time to download. By the time we arrive home, the download was supposed to have been completed. It's a clan game for crying out loud!"
Mike couldn't hold it in, they had been waiting for this for a long time, now it seemed Mason was just holding them back now.
"Sorry guys, even if I downloaded it I'm not sure I'd play tonight. Got a lot going on right now and I need time to think."
"Is this about Vanessa? Man damn it! We told you to let go of her man! She's just no good! I mean you can't compare her to the other chicks in school!"
Mason sighed, these idiots he called his friends were always driven by lust and desires. Once upon a time he was the same as them, till he met Vanessa, now he channelled all that energy into her and their relationship.
"Whatever, I'm going home." He waved them goodbye before walking away into the distance. He covered his ears too, knowing how loud those imbeciles could get.
"Hey! Mason! Come back here!"
..
As he got home, he closed his room door behind him with a loud thud, threw his school bag to the side of the room, and collapsed on the bed almost immediately.
He wasn't just physically tired, he was mentally tired. He slept throughout the night due to the anesthetics H.A.V.A administered to him during the Nano regeneration process. Apparently it drained his stamina while restoring lost cells and damaged tissues.
"Vanessa..." He was all she could think about.
He thought her recent behaviors were because of how women usually were during that time of the month, but no, it was far worse than that. And even with a decision as big as transferring mid semester, she still refused to tell him what's going on.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at it, he had two thoughts clashing in his head. One part of him wanted to call her, another part of him wanted the exact opposite, to forget about her.
"Damn it all." He eventually decided to put his phone down.
"Hava."
[Yes master?]
"Bring up my bio-data." He needed something to clear his mind, and right now focusing on the system was exactly what he needed.
[----------------------STATUS----------------------]
[Name: Mason Harris]
[Age: 18]
[Gender: Male]
[Affiliations: Sonia (Aunt), Vanessa (Girlfriend), Luke, Mike and Conner (Best friends)]
[Race: Human]
[Talent: NanoForge]
[HP: 100]
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 5]
[Speed: 5]
[Agility: 7]
[Stamina: 6]
[Gear:
• Highly Advanced Virtual Assistant (H.A.V.A)
• Dual Specter (Level 1)
• NanoForge Abilities:
- Nano Creation (Level 2)
- Nano Regeneration (Level 1)]
[Inventory
- Basic body armor]
_____________________________________
"I've been stuck at level 3 for a while now, is there any way I can level up Hava?" With the current level he was at, all he could do was fight low level thugs like those hijackers. Now that superheroes were getting involved, the kind of combat tech he had might not be enough in the future.
[Yes, you can level up by completing tasks and missions.]
"Great, are there any tasks or missions I can take now?"
[No, there are no current tasks or mission available. Missions are assigned based on the crimes happening in the city, I've calculated the difficulty of the mission required to level up and so far, missions under my calculations are no match.]
"So you're saying the kind of crime or mission needed to move to the next rank is not yet available?"
[Yes master.]
"Damn it." He sighed, with the free time on his hands, he carefully examined his bio-data, and what caught his attention was his inventory.
"That reminds me, I also need to buff my costume, the fuckin hoodie keeps tearing each time. H.A.V.A, is there anything I can do to upgrade my costume?"
[Yes master, Nano Creation can help with that as long as the inputted description fits the level of materials Nano Creation can provide at it's level.]
"Alright, let's go with the normal costume, I'm already fond of that. Just make it all bulletproof and latex with a strong and thin fabric, can't have my hoodie tearing again."
[Understood, initiating Nano Creation...]
[Nano Creation has been completed.]
[New items has been added to your inventory!]
[Shadow Suit Mark I]
"Alright, now, I just wait for night."
..
By the time the night arrived, Mason was already suited up in his upgraded costume. He wore a black hooded jacket that glistened under the night light, partly open to reveal a tight combat suit beneath.
Straps crossed his chest, holding a tactical harness in place, while a utility belt lined with cartridges sat firmly at his waist, it was loaded with several EMP and bomb grenades. His gloves and pants were made of tough, dark material, fitted with straps and a holster, and on top of that, he had the Dual Specter on.
A smooth black mask hid his face, the hood casting it deeper into shadow, giving him the look of someone built for the night.
He stood at the edge of a roof, glancing down at the city. The view up there was beautiful, majestic and quiet, a little too quiet. But at the end, the night was still young.
"That's right." With the free time left on his hands, he remembered the fan page Mike mentioned during the day, and he brought out his phone before searching Fwitch for it again.
As his search pulled up, he couldn't believe his eyes. In the course of seven hours, the fan page had gained over 500 plus followers, bringing it to a total of 700 followers.
There were already several posts from so many people, posts saying when next would he reveal himself, when was his next crime.
Then, a bold idea slapped him.
He created a completely different account from his original one, took a picture of his new costume and uploaded it as his profile picture.
Then he joined the page.
He posted that picture on the fan page and captioned it. "Yo, what's good?"
He smiled, waiting for the chaos to erupt, so far only one picture of him was out in public, with the picture of his upgraded costume, he was sure to cause a stirr in the fan page!