NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: A tough situation
Two weeks had already passed since Ren started living in this new world.
As the days moved, he was always spending his time researching for everything about this world. But also getting accustomed to his new speed and strength via his nightly stroll.
Every day learning new things about this world or seeing videos about impossible things being performed casually.
Bulky strong superheroes easily carrying falling building debris.
Tall muscled heroes punching forward and shockwaves resulting from it. Little girls using telekinesis to lift monsters up and then twist them up to death…
Various such impossible feats happened as Ren came to witness them. He also learned about the organizations that were present in this world.
However, throughout this… Ren focused on gaining info and mostly enjoyed his new life for a bit since the nightly run was addicting to him.
He did of course test his newfound strength and tried to fully adapt to his body's new abilities and he was doing good.
It seemed that a C rank was pretty strong even though it might seem otherwise.
Ren didn't think of becoming a hero, however, as he had just gotten a second life chance after dying in his past life. He wanted to take it easy. At least for a bit, as he knew he couldn't stay like that.
Even though he had briefly thought about this yesterday in the bath, he still didn't decide to act just yet. No matter what choice he will decide on in the future, it was still early to do so.
There was no hurry.
That was because in this E city he was in, there was a branch of the superhero association. Of course, many cities also had branches, but this one was relatively better since it had a huge number of heroes in comparison.
Especially a good number of B rank heroes and some A ranks and even a few S ranks.
When a city had S ranks present, it meant that it was adequately protected against the threat of monsters and gates.
When gates opened normally, the majority of such happenings were documented as A-rank gates and below.
Very rarely did it exceed such ranks, and the higher the rank the lower the chance for it to appear suddenly.
This led to the S rank being seen favorably as they could lead a few A ranks and deal with the gates.
And Ren just happened to live in such a city. This was why he thought that there was no pressing issue for now. If a gate opened nearby, then the heroes would take care of it. And the goddess gave him the option to live leisurely, so nothing bad should happen.
Right now, it was the day after Ren had met his neighbor Isaki and her daughter.
He was currently eating from a bowl with a spoon. Of course, he wasn't the one who made the food he was eating.
He didn't usually cook and even when he does it was usually something easily made.
'Aunt Isaki is just like the warm mother everyone dreams of' Ren had a small smile on his face.
The reason he mentioned Isaki was that she always leaves him food near his door after knocking.
She always knocks on the door, but then when he goes to open it, he finds no one and then on the side of the door, where a short stand was present with some flowers in a vase on it, he would find some food left for him still steaming.
And just like that, today he found the same thing. He found some soup along with some side dishes left for him. Even yesterday after they separated in the elevator, she also came later to deliver some food for him.
He soon turned helpless after considering this.
He didn't want to get very close but then it just wasn't possible the more time he spent in this apartment near them.
With this act of her leaving him food even after he rejected her invite to eat dinner repeatedly, and then her leaving food like she knows why he kept refusing every time.
She was being considerate of him, and Ren felt like she was just too good towards him.
He shook his head from these thoughts for now and then got up after finishing his bowl of food.
He then fetched his sneakers and quickly wore them, before he grabbed his keys and jacket, then he opened the door of his room.
He wanted to go on another stroll through the city at the night.
'It's just so exciting…'
He couldn't help it. For a person who was ordinary and then got a huge powerup, the feeling he would experience would be quite addicting.
the newfound speed he, had, the ability to jump over high buildings...
It made his confidence soar as he could feel like he could do anything.
Walking forward, he soon reached the elevator, and after a bit, he was out and heading out of the building.
Just like usual Ren walked through a few blocks to make sure no one would see him, before he finally enters a dark alleyway, and then start.
'That place looks good.' Ren decided on a good place and then after crossing the road he headed towards it.
Soon he was deep inside and took out his phone.
'I think today going to this store is good, they have some good snacks'
Using the GPS he decided where to go. He quickly memorized the way. For someone like him who had reached C rank, it was quite easy to memorize the road.
He then put his phone in his sweatpants pocket and closed the zipper, and then pulled his hoodie over his head, wore his face mask, and finally added
his jacket over everything.
He cracked his joints as he prepared.
Suddenly he ran forward to the wall and kicked it propelling himself upward very high in the sky.
His high thrilling nightly scroll had just started.
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This was a new routine for him.
It was something he did for a while now, and the thrill of running with the wind, the thrill of falling from high and then rolling on the ground and continuing as if nothing had just happened was just addicting to him.
Fwishh!
Ren kept running, as usual, jumping over walls, skidding under protruding beams…
But, today something was different.
It was as he was returning from the shop, after buying the sweets and snacks he wanted, something unexpected happened.
On a rooftop that was quite wide, just as he had jumped from a building towards it, something jumped at him in the sky.
Ren's eyes could trace what was happening due to his stats being quite high as he can be considered a C rank hero, on the verge of becoming B rank.
It was a person that appeared quite haggard, wearing fingerless gloves and a very old-looking coat.
He had a knife in his hand and he thrust it forward.
Ren's position in the sky didn't allow him to maneuver much, but he did try to grab the hands of the person stabbing him. His body just reacted instinctively.
Some people would panic, but some people can do amazing feats under pressure. Ren fell under this category. plus he had gotten used to his new abilities and felt calm.
But the moment Ren tried to grab the hands of the person, he was stunned suddenly and couldn't muster any power.
Ren's eyes widened as he was stabbed in the stomach with the knife and fell on the rooftop violently.
'W-What!'
Ren didn't know why his body couldn't move and avoid falling so violently by rolling on the ground. Even after his solution of grabbing his opponent didn't work, he tried to roll onto the ground and avoid injury, but he couldn't.
He also didn't know why he failed to grab the hands of the person in the first place.
But as he tried getting up, while disoriented from the fall, he noticed that his body was moving rigidly like it was too slow.
"Keke" An evil laugh sounded.
His eyes moved to take in the person that had hit him.
He suddenly noticed a bit of electricity on the knife and hands of the person whose eyes were glowing an eerie red.
'This person is a superhuman too…' Ren concluded.
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