I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities-Chapter 45: CH 44. Count Down
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!
The shrill sound of the alarm echoed through the room like an angry siren.
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!—
SLAM!
A groggy hand fumbled around, trying to blindly smack the source of the noise.
Ethan, wrapped in his blanket like a burrito, groaned as he half-lifted his head, eyes still shut.
"Ughhh… off already…"
He pressed the snooze button once.
Nothing.
Pressed it again.
Still blaring.
Ethan's eyebrow twitched. BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!
His patience snapped.
CRACK!
With a burst of annoyed strength, he smashed the alarm clock with one firm hit, silencing it permanently as shattered bits slid off the nightstand.
"Finally…" he muttered, turning around and burying his face back into the pillow.
He wasn't planning to get up early today. He refused to.
It had been three exhausting days since the Asterveil incident—the near-disaster that rocked his sister's school.
As a result, classes were canceled for a full week to give students and staff time to rest and recover.
But rest? Ethan didn't get much of that.
Thanks to Lisa.
Because he broke his promise of "being more careful," she made him pay. And by pay, that meant:
Fancy restaurants with absurdly small food portions and absurdly large prices.
Amusement parks that were more mentally than physically draining.
And the worst of all…
Shopping.
Endless hours of browsing, trying clothes, comparing fabrics, and repeating the process.
If villains ever wanted to break him, they didn't need torture. Just drop him in a mall with two shopaholics.
Ethan groaned just remembering it. He still didn't understand what girls saw in shopping. It was worse than facing a villain any day of the week.
And let's not even talk about his wallet.
Due to all the excessive spending, Ethan had reluctantly approached Sophia earlier this week to ask for a little more time to pay back the gauntlet she gave him.
To his surprise, Sophia just blinked, then said:
"I wasn't serious, idiot. You're helping me with my goals—that alone is worth more. Also, it's just a Rank 3 Battle-Tech. We've got plenty of those lying around."
Then she turned and walked away.
Ethan stared after her, deadpan.
"She really didn't need to flex that hard…"
Still, the guilt stayed with him, so he made a mental note:
Work extra hard and earn more credits.
...But that could wait.
It was Saturday. He deserved the morning sleep.
He will start working in the afternoon.
RIIING! RIIING! He's phone rang.
As Ethan let out a long, tortured groan, burying his face deeper into the pillow.
"Not again…"
He reached for his phone blindly, squinting at the screen as he answered.
The voice on the other end was sharp and professional.
"Ethan. This is Agent 777. Report to the Association HQ. The reason will be explained when you arrive please be fast."
Click.
Ethan stared at the phone for a moment.
Then sighed, voice muffled against his sheets.
"Guess there's no rest for a hero…"
---
After a quick shower and half-dressed breakfast, Ethan stepped outside, locking his front door.
Lisa wasn't home—she had somehow convinced Sophia to go out with her on a girl's day.
Ethan still didn't know how she did it… but all he could do was mutter to himself:
"Good luck, Sophia. You're gonna need it."
---
Meanwhile, somewhere inside a crowded shopping center—
Sophia stood behind Lisa, watching as she picked through the eighth rack of clothes.
"How many do you need...?" she mumbled.
Then—ACHOO!
She sneezed suddenly, rubbing her nose.
"...Someone's talking about me."
A chill ran down her spine.
---
Back in the estate, Ethan slid into his newly acquired black hover car. Sleek, silent, and stylish—it had cost him a chunk of his savings, but after all the annoying hover taxi calls while escorting Lisa, he decided to stop suffering.
He grinned a little as the engine purred to life.
"Worth every credit."
And with that, he hit the accelerator, the hover car lifting off the ground smoothly before zipping off toward the Hero Association HQ—
Another mission waiting,
and maybe… another mess to clean up.
****
As Ethan arrived at the Hero Association headquarters, the usually buzzing lobby was quieter than usual. The moment he stepped in, a stern-looking staff member waved him over without a word, gesturing for him to follow.
"Agent 777 is expecting you. Right this way."
Ethan didn't even get a chance to ask questions. He was briskly led through a series of sleek, polished hallways until they reached a reinforced sliding door.
It opened with a soft hiss, revealing a cold, minimalistic office.
Inside, there was nothing flashy.
Just a single HoloDesk—a high-tech surface capable of projecting 3D holograms, displaying files, and functioning as a full computer suite.
One plain black chair sat behind it. A bookshelf sat at the far wall, barely filled.
No plants.
No pictures.
No color.
Just empty, sterile efficiency.
Behind the desk sat Agent 777, fingers flicking through a series of holographic images that floated in front of him—maps, files, live feeds.
Without even looking up, he said flatly,
"You can have a seat."
Ethan pulled the chair opposite the desk and sat down, slouching slightly as he waited. He rested his elbow on the armrest, eyes scanning the dead room.
'Told me to be fast like it was urgent…'
He glanced at the agent, still busy.
'…Yet here I am watching a guy scroll through blue lights.'
His mind wandered for the reason he was called as he tapped his finger against his thigh.
Was this a mission?
or was it a briefing about the Asterveil aftermath?
He thought through possibilities—until—
"Duskline District is about to be destroyed."
The words came so casually, so nonchalantly, that it took Ethan a solid three seconds to register them.
"What?" he finally blurted, shooting up from his chair.
His eyes were wide, body alert, confusion painted across his face.
"What do you mean by 'Duskline District is about to be destroyed?!'"
Agent 777 didn't flinch.
Neither Did he blink.
"I mean what I mean."
He looked up, face flat.
"It's about to be destroyed. So, we need to save it—and the people who live there."
Ethan stared.
This man… was serious.
But why the hell was he talking like it was just another Monday morning meeting?
He clenched his jaw, then blinked.
"Wait… is it just me or…"
He paused. A realization hit him like a soft breeze across the face.
He was overreacting.
Way overreacting.
This wasn't like him. His emotions were spiraling a bit too fast, too loud.
'…It must be a side effect of his ability,' Ethan thought, calming his breathing. 'His presence messes with people's emotional regulation.'
He let out a sigh and slowly sat back down.
"Okay… so why are you telling me this? You don't actually expect me to save a whole district, do you?"
Agent 777 stared at him, unblinking.
The silence lasted long enough to make Ethan sweat.
He started to regret asking, until—
"The Association isn't that desperate to assign a single hero to protect a district."
Ethan slumped in relief.
"Thank god. For a second I thought—"
"You were called because you had a run-in with someone involved in what's about to happen in Duskline." Agent 777 said cutting him off.
Ethan paused, eyebrows furrowed.
"…The speedster?"
Agent 777 nodded.
"Yes. Him. We've learned he's the second-in-command of an organization called Unkindness—led by the person whose name you saw on that paper."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Raven Spawn."
"Correct."
Agent 777 closed the holograms with a flick of his wrist, the light vanishing from the HoloDesk.
"We need your help to hold him back during this operation."
Ethan asked curiously.
"Wait, are there no other heroes that can handle a speedster? You've got tons, right?"
"They're all deployed on missions. We have to act now. And You're one of the few available who's already faced him and has the capability to hold him back."
Ethan rubbed his temple as he thinks.
'That's fair. A whole district is about to go up in flames… urgency makes sense. But your poker face made me forget how serious this is.'
He sighed again, nodding.
"Alright. I'm in. So… who am I working with, and when do we move?"
"We'll receive the target location soon," Agent 777 replied.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"…Wait, do you guys have a mole in their organization?"
Agent 777 didn't answer. But his slight pause and vague nod told Ethan all he needed to know.
"As for your team," Agent 777 continued, "you'll be working with a couple of heroes from my unit. I'll be leading the operation."
Ethan wasn't shocked. After all before being an Agent he was a hero first.
Once the briefing was complete and the operation plan laid out, they moved out.
---
Duskline District.
The hover transport glided silently through the back alleys and landed in a nondescript parking structure.
Ethan and the team—five others in all—were in civilian clothing, moving low and quiet. No colors. No capes.
The goal was clear: avoid detection.
They couldn't afford to spook Raven Spawn into detonating the device before they found him.
Agent 777 stood at the center of the squad, voice crisp and low:
"Spread out. Strategic positions only. We don't move until we get the exact location."
Everyone nodded silently, dispersing into shadows and vantage points.
Ethan took position near an alley rooftop, glancing down at the lively street.
Children laughed, old vendors sold noodles, people went about their lives…
…completely unaware that their world was on the brink of annihilation.
...
...
...
A/N I will release 3 extra chapters if I get 120 power stones or 50 Golden tickets.
...
...
...
...
