NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: 「New Base」
Over the next few nights, Izuku made a name for himself in the slums. People heard about what he had done that night and tried to 'teach him a lesson,' but the result was that they ran away with their tails tucked between their legs.
In all honesty, Izuku wanted to kill them all, but he decided against it for several reasons. Firstly, he was too weak. He was not yet strong enough to withstand their attacks if they came at him together.
Secondly, he needed a somewhat tolerable reputation.
Being known as the invader who started a manslaughter spree the moment he arrived in the slums would have been a big loophole in his future plans.
He needed to show them how strong and ruthless he could be while also displaying a tolerant, forgiving side. At the same time, he took the opportunity to learn the full limitations of his quirk.
「Ghostly Rise」
「Allows the user to extract the ghost of the person they murdered to produce a matter called 'Ghostly Matter' that can be either solid or mist at will. In addition, it allows the user to use a mini version of the quirk of the ghost they extracted.」
「The user needs to replenish their Ghostly Matter whenever they use it, depending on how much was spent.」
「Over-absorption of Ghostly Matter can lead to physical damage, depending on how strong the user's physique is.」
「The user can only use the quirk of the ghost they extracted within twenty-four hours of the extraction.」
「The number of extracted quirks the user can use within twenty-four hours is two.」
Izuku hummed while thinking about the last point. It was a tricky condition no matter how he looked at it.
From what he had noted, he could extract three ghosts with his relatively okay physique. With continuous training, he was certain of his ability to extract more.
But he could only use two quirks of the ghosts he extracted, which meant he needed to choose wisely and only use a quirk when he had an urgent need for it.
'I tried pushing that limit, but the result was backlash. And no matter how hard I pushed myself, I couldn't activate a third quirk.'
Izuku had grasped his limits well and didn't intend to push them further unless there was potential for growth. There was no point in hurting himself without gain.
'Ghostly Matter is already very strong. As long as it's charged to the brim, I have no reason to rely on the other ability of Ghostly Rise.'
That evening, Izuku decided to visit the city. He looked around and scanned for any sign of 'Midoriya Izuku,' but there was nothing—no reports, no missing person posters, nothing. In addition, there was no news about the slums.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He had been worried whether his note would convince his mother or not, and, more importantly, whether his actions in the slums would alert the heroes.
Thankfully, everything was going according to plan.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
The sun rose over the slums, its light revealing the crumbling buildings and trash-strewn streets. Izuku stood at the edge of the broken place and stretched his arms.
His purple eyes scanned his surroundings, and he saw several other broken houses. They were similar to the house he had chosen, but the difference was that they had owners already.
With swift strides, Izuku appeared in front of a broken house.
"Yo."
He greeted the old man while observing his appearance. Tattered clothes, frail body, old and malnourished—this man had certainly lived there for a long time already.
"See my house there? I can fix yours to look the same," he offered, pointing at his house before grinning. "But you still gotta pay. Just information is enough, though. I need to know about the flow of water and electricity in the area, and you look experienced enough to know that."
The older man looked at him with a hint of skepticism. He had been hearing warnings about the hooded white-haired, purple-eyed teenager lately, as this boy had killed many. But now, the same person was offering him help?
"I really don't have much to give you, young man. You could learn this from anyone else. Please leave me alone."
But Izuku didn't mind the old man's refusal. Instead, he patted the old man's back gently.
"I'll handle it. Just have what I need ready when I'm done. Even if it isn't as good as I expect, I promise I won't hurt you."
With that, he set to work without waiting for the old man's response.
The old man looked at him with a scrunched face before grabbing some worn-out papers and starting to jot down the information.
Izuku's actions of balancing his reputation weren't for nothing.
By the afternoon, Izuku had finished fixing the old man's house. It wasn't as bad as his own—just some broken parts of the wall. Using Ghostly Matter to quicken his pace, he was done before he knew it.
The old man looked at him speechlessly.
"Good, right? Oh, are those the notes? Nice job, old man. That'll be helpful." Throwing those words casually, Izuku left for his house, leaving the old man too stunned to speak.
He hadn't thought the young man with a dangerous reputation was sincere. But not only was he sincere—he even accepted the information without any complaints despite it not being detailed.
"Wait, young man, what is your name?"
Izuku was about to enter his house when he heard the man's question. He turned around and smirked.
"Hizashi. You can call me that."
In the next few days, Izuku helped a few others around with cheap prices, which eventually resulted in his name being discussed with a new kind of reputation.
With that, Hizashi Izuku made his name known around the slums while slowly building up the place that would become his new base in the future.
For the time being, however, he had other plans.