Bruce Lee
The name gleamed on the interface, and a surge of energy ran through my body, filling every muscle with a lightness I had never felt before. It was as if 1% of his strength and agility had merged with me. Not superhuman, but the feeling of growing even a little stronger was satisfying.
Just as I was starting to process this new ability, a soft knock on the door snapped me out of it.
"Damon? Son, are you okay?" My "mother's" voice carried concern.
"Yes, Mom." The words rolled off my tongue naturally, as if I'd said them my whole life. The woman behind the door was the mother of this body—her brown curls and kind eyes felt familiar to Damon, though not to me.
And yet, I felt genuine affection for her. A bond that this body had built—and now it was mine.
"Breakfast is ready. I'll be waiting downstairs."
I fell back onto the bed with a sigh. This was too much. A new world, a new life, a family that wasn't mine… But at least I had the system.
I looked back at the holographic screen floating in front of me. Without hesitation, I pressed the gacha option.
"System, use my two pulls," I commanded.
A brand-new roulette appeared—not the same one as the templates. The flashing titles were far more mundane: "Gordon Ramsay's Cookbook," "Megan Fox Poster," "Michael Jackson's Dance Skills." The wheel spun, the names blurring together, and a drumbeat echoed in my mind as I held my breath.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE OBTAINED THE TEMPLATE "PLANK" FROM ED, EDD N EDDY!]
A piece of wood, with a childish face and two googly eyes, materialized in my hand. Surprisingly light.
"Seriously?" I sighed in disbelief. "Out of everything, I get Johnny's best friend. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
I shoved Plank into my inventory and hit the gacha button again. The drumbeat returned, the wheel spun once more.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE OBTAINED THE "MUSICAL TALENT OF BRUNO MARS"!]
"This… this actually isn't bad," I whispered, a grin spreading across my face. "But what good is it against Thanos? Write him Just the Way You Are to woo Lady Death?" The irony made me laugh.
I got out of bed, my stomach growling, and headed downstairs. The kitchen smelled of bacon and coffee. My mother was already seated at the table, waiting.
"Ready for your first day at your new school?" she asked, her smile warm and motherly.
"Uh… yeah, I guess," I said, sliding into the chair across from her. Inwardly, I sighed. I had just graduated in my old life, and now I had to go through high school again. Definitely not my idea of luck.
As I ate, an idea formed. Bruce Lee hadn't confined himself to a single martial art. He was a genius who took the best from each to create his own style. If my template was only at 1%, training in more martial arts might level it up and unlock more skills.
"Hey, Mom, I want to join a dojo," I said, my voice sounding more determined than I'd expected.
"A dojo? Of course. I'm glad you want to do something physical." She smiled. She was a nurse and had always preached the importance of exercise. The original Damon had never listened, so my request alone made her happy.
"And… what's the name of my new school again?"
She raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "It's Midtown High School, in Forest Hills. Don't you remember? We visited it a few weeks ago."
"I remember, just wanted to confirm. You know, so I don't get lost. Queens is big, after all," I said, focusing on my breakfast. Luckily, she didn't seem suspicious.
The ride to school felt like traveling through a dream. The streets, the cars, the buildings of Queens—everything screamed early 2000s. I pulled out my phone, a Nokia 3310, and sighed. Not the best tech, but it wasn't like there were better options. At least it had Snake.
My mother dropped me off at the main entrance, and I hugged her goodbye. It felt strange, but I didn't want to break character from what the original Damon might have done.
Midtown High towered in front of me, a banner reading "Home of the Tigers" greeting me. I took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The hallway was a whirlwind of students. Voices, laughter, shouts—all the chaos of high school blended into a constant echo. I stopped at the side of the hall to check my schedule.
History: Room 101
Algebra: Room 205
Chemistry: Room 302
And so on.
Suddenly, a boy with glasses and a backpack full of books bumped into me. His glasses fell, his books scattered across the hallway.
"I'm so sorry!" he said quickly, crouching to gather his things. I recognized him instantly. Peter Parker.
"Don't worry," I said, kneeling to help him pick up his books.
"I'm Peter Parker. You're new, right? I don't think I've seen you before," he asked, sliding his glasses back on.
"Yeah, I'm Damon Blake. Nice to meet you." I smiled.
Peter stood. Pretty normal guy—for now, anyway. Looked like the spider hadn't bitten him yet. "Where are you from? Your accent… it doesn't sound local."
"London. We just moved here last week."
"Cool. Do you like the city so far?" he asked, his smile genuine.
"Yeah, it's amazing. Way different from what I'm used to," I replied. As we walked down the hall together, he told me about the school, his love for photography, and the robotics club.
The conversation flowed naturally until Peter opened the classroom door.
"Parker! Just in time. And I see you've brought our new student."
Peter stiffened slightly. "Uh, yes, sir. This is Damon Blake."
The teacher walked up to me and shook my hand.
"Welcome to Midtown High, Damon. I hope you'll feel at home here. Now, please, introduce yourself to the class."
Every eye in the room turned toward me. My hands went cold, nerves rushing through me. I had read about this moment, seen it in movies, but living it was something else entirely.