Evolving Infinitely From An E-Class Hero-Chapter 85: Homebound Hero

The paparazzi still pushed forward against the ISA agents guarding the steps that led into the tower. They moved like a progressing tidal wave, with their flashing cameras.

Microphone waved in the air hoping to catch a sound from me, each and every reporter shouting over the others hoping to snag some communication with me—the world’s first SSS-Class hero.

Guild head Hun, clad in their sleek suits and their polished smiles also pushed through the wave of crowd, clutching contract proposals in their graps hoping to get my signature.

I stood at the foot of Tower D, my hands shoved deep into my pockets with my eyes scanning for an exit on foot. The crowd was like a living wall, closing in tighter with every passing second.

"For crying out loud, this one of the reasons I didn’t want to reassess in the first place... What a mess."

"This is way too much attention for me..."

The reporters nearest to me leaned in with their mics in hand mistaking my murmur for a deliberate act to communicate with them, a guild head hunter from the Silver Tiger Guild evident form the seal plastered on his suit, waved a pamphlet of contract, shouting, "Mr. Renly, just one moment please...!"

"Tch! The Silver Tiger Guild were really desperate today... Our if all the guild head hunters here they’re probably the one with the most presence here..."

I murmured again before my lips twisted into a smirk, i titled my head and shoved my finger into my messy blonde hair.

Then, I raised a hand into the air as if trying to silence the chaos. Sure enough, it worked. The crowd hushed to a near graveyard quietness for a split second, hanging on and waiting for my next move.

"Initiate," I said softly.

A hot ripple of confusion passed through the crowd. Then, it happened.

Golden nanites, shimmering like liquid sunlight crawled from the Forever Core in my chest.

The cores system made a couple initiation sounds as usual as the nanotechnology weaved over my body with breathtaking speed.

Black and gold, it materialized. Each plates snapping into place with metallic clink. The suit hugged my frame, its intricate circuits pulsing with faint powering energy.

The Forever Armor was complete in a matter of seconds, the crowd froze for a couple seconds, capturing every angle of the transformation.

Then, some in the back yelled. "It’s like magic!!!" And just like that, the noise erupted from the crowd once again.

"Bionic!!! Could I have your autograph!!"

"Bionic!! Reno Renly!! Could you tell us on Channel 11 News about your second enlightenment event!!!"

"Mr. SSS-Class Rank 1 please tell us about your powers and how they work..."

"Mr Renly, Bionic!! Could you listen to our proposal... We’re from the Red Lion Gate Guild!!!"

Tti-ring.

[Initiation Complete]

I flexed my gauntleted fingers, the armor humming with its usual latent energy.

The head hunters exchanged nervous glances, predicting my next move. They were determined to seal a deal with me here and now, so they surged forward with their screams growing louder and so were the reporters.

"Mr. Renly, what’s the armor’s power source?"

"Bionic, how does it feel to be be the first SSS-Class hero?"

"Reno, one word for our viewers please

My head turned towards the sky, completely ignoring every single thing they were saying to me.

"Come out..."

I muttered.

Boom!

The rocket boosters ignited at my back and soles, twin streams of golden-white flame erupting with a steady roar.

The ground trembled and the crowd stumbled back, shielding their eyes from the sudden blast of heat and light.

I shot upwards with an afterimage of golden and black slicing through the skyline.

The paparazzi’s flashes faded into pinpricks as I soared higher into the air. The reporters shouts dwindled to nothing, swallowed by the rush of air.

"Nice," I muttered. Glancing down at the sprawling city beneath me. Sector D — always hustling and bustling, maglev trains snaking through elevated tracks, and the distant hum, sirens of cars on the roads below.

The crowd at Tower D was now a speck of dust to me and their erratic frenzy was now a irrelevant to my height.

Then—

Tti-ring.

[Incoming Call: Boomerang Man]

"Yes, just who I wanted to talk to..."

Tti-ring.

["Reno, you dramatic bastard. You really had to make an exit like that huh?!"]

His familiar voice broke through my mind.

I chuckled, it was Jake Todd, my best friend. He was probably watching the live feed from wherever he was.

"What can I say Jake? Gotta give the people a show."

["Yeah well, you made every guild head hunter in the sector look like fools. The Golden Guardian’s probably crying into his fancy cape as we speak."]

"Tch! Let him cry, " I said, banking left to avoid a flock of ISA monitoring drones, to which a couple of them noticed my presence and lingered around me as I zipped through the sky. " I was gonna ask, what’s your reassessment result? You got it yet?"

Jake cleared his throat dramatically like he was about to give a grand speech.

["Just finished. Your boy is no E-class hero no-mo!]

"Really!... " My voice erupted with excitement. "What ranking is it..."

["So although I have no meta energy, I still possess physical and mental prowess of a C-Class hero at best, then coupled with the gear enhancement I received from the ISA and finally my rank test, I came out with a sweet ranking of B-Class Rank 18!!"]

"That’s amazing bro, I’m so proud of you... You’ve earned it!"

["I bet I could give you a run for your money... Hehe"]

I snorted. "Keep dreaming, B-Class is amazing but you’re still my subordinate... Haha!"

["Pfft! We’ll see. Meet me at the usual spot tonight— the abandoned warehouse. Gotta celebrate your big day , Mr Bionic..."]

"Deal, " I said.

Then a sudden sound erupted from his end of the line, almost like a powerful engine rearing up to blast into space.

"Ermmm! Jake what is that sound?"

Vroooom!

Vroooom!

Vroooooom!

["When I said the ISA gave me enhancement I mean THEY GAVE ME ENHANCEMENT... Hehe... The newest hero in town has got to move around in style!"]

He yelled back to me, his voice trying to overcome the rearing sound of the engine.

"Your are joking right..."

["Nah bro I ain’t kidding! Twin turbine mini engine capable of moving at incredible speeds, and I nitro boost incase I want to rub shoulders with the sound barrier... I give you... The Boomerang Mobile!"]

***

I soared above the sector, the Forever Armor’s boosters humming at the city beneath me.

I flew just within eye reach so the golden glare of my suit glinted in the sunlight, and the people below who noticed me pass by stopped to point and stare at me.

"What a day!"

"Apartment Block 17, Sector D is about 2.3 kilometers away..."

I was gonna go home and prepare for my meeting with Jake this evening, I figured I’d beat the paparazzi there, slip in quietly and maybe grab a soda before the world would catch up to me.

As I approached the block, my stomach sank.

*Kpim!!!

A crowd swarmed the street below, just like at Tower D. A chaotic mix of reporters, fans and guild head hunters waving holographic signs.

BIONIC, JOIN STARLIGHT GUILD!

SSS-CLASS HERO TO THE WORLD!!

Flash!

The cameras flashed like a lightning storm, and drones buzzed, their lenses trained on the building’s roof. My escape route!

A swarm of drone carried a banner that was written: BIONIC #1: GO GO GO!.

Cute but not helpful.

It’s the way the civilians idolize high ranked heroes like we are gods, it’s jarring to an extent.

Bam!

I landed on the roof and pried open the hatch and slipped into the top floor stairwell. The smell of roof concrete oozed at me, replacing the ozone 9f the sky. My boots echoed as I descended to the 12th floor, apartment 11B. Mom’s place, my place. Really, since I hadn’t moved out yet. SSS-Class hero, still crashing a home. Go figure.

I pushed the door open and the Forever Armor also disappeared with my motion with the door.

I expected the scent of my mom’s lavender candles and the sound of the TV, maybe tuned in to a news station like how I left it.

Instead, I got her.

Standing in the kitchen room, arms crossed, her blonde hair pulled into a tight bun. Her blue eyes burned with that look— the one that said I was in deep, deep, deep trouble.

My heart did a little flip. Even at my current age of 19, my mom’s glare could make me feel like a kid caught sneaking cookies from the top of the refrigerator.

"You and I have some talking to do!" She snapped at me with a sharp voice, sharp enough to cut through my armor of it were still on.

I scratched the back of my neck, forcing a grin. "Hey, Mom... you’re home early...hehe."

She made a straight beeline for me and grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me into the living room.

"Don’t you dare ’hehe’ me, Mr. Bionic!" She pointed at the TV, frozen on a newsfeed of me blasting off from the Tower D.

"Since when did you start doing that!... Flying around the world!, SSS-Class? Do you see the multitude of people outside!?? When were you gonna tell me about all this!"

I winced softly and dropped into the couch. The cushions sagged under me, familiar and worn. "It’s been a wild day, okay? I was gonna tell you."

"Really?!!!..."

"Yes Mom!"

"Really!?"

"Yes Mom!"

"When? After the whole sector camped outside our building?" She gestured to the window, where the crowd’s muffled chants seeped through. "They’re out there with drones, Reno. Drones!"

"Yes, I saw it" I muttered rubbing my temples. "Look, I didn’t ask for this, it just sought of happened."

Her expression softened, but only a fraction of a second. She st across from me in her favorite sofa, the one with frayed armrests. "Then start talking, Blondie. From the beginning. How you my son go from zipping around the Sector on a skateboard to this... This... This... Bionic thing!"

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The beginning huh?

That meant Quatona, the Forever Core, Snake King... All of it. I took a deep breath, and the words started spilling out.

"Well, you remember that day Snake King attacked the city yeah?..."