If someone were to see Matt right now, they would see him pinning down a crying girl.It was the kind of scene that could guarantee instant social death and serious trouble.
Realizing that, Matt quickly backed away.
As he moved back, he also picked up the revolver and placed it behind him, out of her reach.
"Who are you?" Kora asked, sitting up. Her voice was shaky.
Matt rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward chuckle.
"Well… I was experimenting with my powers, and this kind of… happened," he said.
Kora blinked at him.
"Y-You have powers too?" she asked.
Matt nodded."Yeah. I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked gently.
Inside his mind, a notification appeared.
[Kora's affection toward you is now 30%.]
Good grief… just telling her I have powers raised it this much, Matt thought, surprised.Then he focused again.
"You have powers, right?" he asked.
Kora nodded slowly.
"Can you show me?" Matt asked carefully.
She shook her head immediately.
"No. I'll just hurt you," she said, lowering her gaze.
Matt frowned slightly.
"Is that why… you were doing this?" he asked softly.
Kora bowed her head in silence.
Matt stepped closer and gently hugged her.
Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn't push him away.
"It's okay," he said quietly."People make mistakes. That's normal. You don't have to be afraid of yourself."
Her body slowly relaxed.
"What if…" Matt continued, pulling back slightly and smiling,"…I help you learn how to use your powers properly?"
She looked up at him.
"That way, you won't have to be scared of them anymore," he said.
Another notification appeared.
[Kora's affection toward you is now 50%.]
Matt smiled inside.
Just 20% more, he thought.
She looked at him for a second—then suddenly burst out laughing.
Her laughter echoed in the room.
Matt blinked, completely confused.
"…Why are you laughing?" he asked.
Kora wiped her tears and smiled.
"Didn't you just make a mistake by dropping on me—and now you want to teach me?" she asked teasingly.
Matt coughed awkwardly.
"Well… I can't deny that," he admitted."Then how about this—we teach each other?"
Kora smiled again.
"By the way, my name is Mike Coulson," he said."And you?"
"Kora," she replied. "Kora Johnson."
Matt sat across from her.
"So, Kora… what exactly are your powers?" he asked.
She hesitated, then answered honestly.
"My powers let me collect a lot of energy," she said."But every time I try to use it… it explodes and hurts others."
Matt nodded slowly.
"Hm. Can you show me?" he asked."Just a small part."
Kora looked nervous but finally agreed.
Her eyes began to glow.
Red energy started swirling around both of her hands—hot, unstable, violent.
She quickly dismissed it before it could get out of control.
"This," she said softly. "That's my power."
Matt's eyes lit up.
"Oh… that's actually pretty simple," he said.
Kora looked at him, surprised."Simple?"
"Yeah," Matt continued."You're treating it like you're pulling the pin out of a grenade—and then just holding it."
He leaned forward.
"You're gathering the energy… but you're not releasing it properly."
Matt thought about all the games and shows he had seen.
"In most cases, you compress the energy first," he explained,"then guide it… then release it."
"In your case," he added gently,"you stop halfway. That's why it explodes."
Kora stared at her hands.
"…So I'm doing it wrong from the start," she whispered.
Matt nodded "just the last step of not releasing the energy"
"Yeah. But that also means it's fixable."
For the first time since he arrived—
Hope appeared in her eyes.
"Want to try my idea?" Matt asked.
Kora hesitated for a moment, then nodded.What he said actually made sense.
She raised her hand again—but this time, only her fingertips glowed.
A small amount of red energy gathered, calm and controlled.
She looked at it in shock.
Then she gently threw it away, and it vanished without exploding.
Kora froze.
"…Was it really that easy?" she whispered.
Matt smiled.
"Well, I guess you're going to teach me now," he said jokingly."You did it on your first try."
She stared at her hands again as if seeing them for the first time.
Then suddenly—
She rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you… thank you so much," she cried.
Matt was caught off guard but gently patted her back.
"It's okay," he said softly.
Inside his mind, he thought:
Poor girl… I can't even imagine what pushed her to the point of suicide.
He stayed quiet and held her while she cried, her tears soaking into his shoulder.
A notification appeared in his mind.
[Kora's affection for you has reached 90%.]
[She may kiss you at any moment, or the Host may make the first move.]
[Additionally, Host may now copy any three of her attributes.]
[Available options include: Inhuman Powers, Combat Skills, and Inhuman Physiology.]
[These are the best attributes she possesses.]
[Would the Host like to copy and amplify all three?]
Still holding Kora—who had stopped crying but refused to let go—Matt asked calmly in his mind,
"Will this cause any disturbance?"
[None at all.]
"…Copy them," Matt agreed silently, nodding.
The System responded instantly.
[Congratulations, Host.]
[You have successfully copied Heat Energy Manipulation.]
[Amplification triggered: 1000×.]
[Heat Energy Manipulation has evolved into Plasma Manipulation.]
Matt felt a strange warmth flow through his body—controlled, powerful.
[You have acquired Intermediate Combat Mastery.]
[Amplification triggered: 200×.]
[Skill evolved into Combat Grandmaster.]
Knowledge flooded his mind—
Fighting styles.
Instincts.
Reflexes sharpened beyond human limits.
Then came the final notification.
[You have acquired Inhuman Physiology.]
[Amplification triggered: 1000×.]
[Evolution complete: High Human Physiology.]
A final explanation appeared:
[High Human Physiology: A body that is ten times superior to a normal human in all aspects.]
[Host adapts to injuries extremely fast and gains resistance after each injury.]
[Host has no fixed growth limit.]
Matt took a slow breath.
He felt stronger.
Sharper.
Different.
Yet to Kora, he was still just the guy quietly holding her, keeping her safe.