The System Gave Everyone Superpowers

The VIP boxes on the opposite side of the stadium were even more luxurious than ours. They were reserved for the families of the top students in the country.

I scanned the windows, looking for them.

It didn't take long.

In a brightly lit box near the center, I saw my parents.

My father was wearing a dark red suit. He was standing near the glass, talking to a wealthy-looking man holding a cigar.

My mother was sitting on a plush white couch, wearing an elegant blue dress and sipping from a crystal glass.

I wondered if they even knew I was here.

As if she heard my thoughts, my mother turned her head and looked out across the stadium.

Her eyes scanned the contractor boxes. She looked at Romder, then at Dawn. Then, her eyes landed on the Aegis box.

She saw me.

Even from all the way across the stadium, I could see her posture stiffen.

I stood there and smiled directly at her.

My mother quickly tapped my father on the arm and pointed across the stadium.

My father turned and looked. He saw me and his jaw tightened.

They knew exactly who "Seasons" was.

But they didn't acknowledge me.

My father quickly turned his back to the glass, pretending he hadn't seen me at all. My mother looked down at her drink, refusing to look in my direction again.

I chuckled softly.

"What's funny?" Genevieve asked.

"Nothing," I said. "Just enjoying the view."

I turned away from the family boxes and started scanning the crowd again.

That was when I noticed him.

In the Dawn VIP box, right next to ours, a young man was standing near the glass.

He looked about my age, maybe a year or two older. He was wearing a striking Hero suit. It was white with black geometric lines running across it.

He had a silver Hero tag pinned to his chest which read Koda.

He was looking directly at me.

When he saw that I had noticed him, Koda smiled.

It was the exact same smile I practiced in the mirror every morning.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

Before I could react, a massive horn echoed through the stadium.

The crowd erupted into a deafening roar.

The tournament was about to begin.

The stadium announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

"Welcome, citizens, to the Metropolitan Tournament!"

The crowd went absolutely wild. Confetti shot into the air, and bright spotlights swept across the arena below.

"Today, the best and brightest students from America's top two Hero Academies will battle for glory, honor, and the attention of the greatest defense contractors in the world!"

I stepped closer to the glass in the Aegis box, looking down at the field.

"First, let's welcome the challengers!" the announcer yelled. "From Forbe Technical!"

A set of gates on the left side of the arena slowly opened.

A line of students marched out. They were all wearing sleek, dark gray uniforms with the Forbe Technical logo on their chests.

"Forbe Technical was founded by the Forbe defense contractor," Mr. Graves noted, standing next to me. "They train their kids to be corporate-aligned from day one. Very efficient and profitable."

"Leading the Forbe team is their star pupil!" the announcer cheered. "An S-Tier powerhouse with a devastating Ice and Fire Blessing! Give it up for Marlon Shaw!"

A tall, muscular student stepped to the front of the Forbe line. He had long hair. He raised a hand, and a burst of red fire shot from his palm, followed instantly by a blast of freezing mist.

The crowd roared.

Marlon Shaw looked strong. An S-Tier with dual elemental control was incredibly rare. He was going to be a massive problem in a fight.

"And now," the announcer's voice echoed, growing even louder. "The defending champions! The number one Hero Academy in America! Welcome... Metropolitan Academy!"

The gates on the right side of the arena opened.

The Metropolitan students walked out.

"Leading the Metropolitan team," the announcer boomed, the excitement in his voice peaking. "Today is her seventeenth birthday! She is Level 99 and the S-Tier Master of Illusions! Let's hear it for Chloe Fawn!"

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My little sister stepped out of the tunnel.

Chloe looked exactly like I remembered, just a little taller. She had a dazzling smile. She walked to the front of the Metropolitan line and waved to the crowd, blowing kisses.

As she waved, she used her Illusionist Blessing.

Suddenly, the air above the arena shimmered. Massive, glowing, lifelike projections of beautiful white doves appeared out of thin air, flying over the crowd. The audience gasped in awe, reaching up to touch the fake birds.

It was a perfect display of S-Tier power.

The crowd chanted her name. Chloe! Chloe! Chloe!

In the Aegis box, Mr. Graves was vibrating with excitement.

"Look at her," Graves whispered. "She is perfect. The crowd loves her. The media loves her. She is a walking goldmine."

He turned to Captain May. "May, I don't care what it costs. When this tournament is over, I want a contract in front of Chloe Fawn. Offer her five million dollars as a signing bonus. Offer her ten. Just get her in an Aegis suit."

"Yes, Mr. Graves," May said, typing quickly on her tablet.

I just watched Chloe down on the field.

"She's impressive," Genevieve said, standing next to me. "Level 99 at seventeen? She must grind Private Zones every single day."

"She does," I said quietly.

"Students!" the announcer yelled. "The first event is about to begin! Prepare yourselves for... The Obstacle Course!"

The ground in the center of the arena began to rumble.

The System was activating.

Massive concrete walls, deep pits filled with water, and spinning metal blades started rising, transforming the entire stadium floor into a deadly maze.

"The rules are simple!" the announcer explained. "Both classes will race through the course! The first student to cross the finish line wins the round for their school and gains a massive advantage for the next event! You may use your Blessings to hinder your opponents, but lethal force is strictly prohibited!"

The students from both schools lined up at the starting line.

Marlon Shaw crouched down, his hands glowing with fire and ice.

Chloe stood tall, her hands resting on her hips, looking completely unbothered by the spinning blades and deep pits ahead of her.

"Ready!" the announcer shouted.

A loud siren blared through the stadium.

"Go!"

The Metropolitan Tournament had officially begun.

The students took off.

It was absolute chaos.

Marlon Shaw shot a blast of ice at the ground, creating a slick path. He skated forward at high speed, taking an early lead for Forbe Technical. The rest of the Forbe students followed closely behind him, using strength and speed Blessings to leap over the concrete walls.

The Metropolitan students were struggling. Some got stuck trying to climb the walls, while others were slowed down by the deep water pits.

But Chloe didn't run.

She stood near the starting line, watching Marlon Shaw pull ahead.

"What is she doing?" Genevieve asked, leaning against the glass. "She's going to lose."

"No, she isn't," I said. "She doesn't want to run."

Down on the field, Chloe raised her hands. Her eyes glowed with a faint pink light.

She activated her Blessing.

She aimed it directly at Marlon Shaw and the leading Forbe students.

Suddenly, Marlon stopped skating, skidding to a halt, looking frantically around him. He threw a massive fireball to his left, hitting nothing but an empty concrete wall.

"What's happening?" Mr. Graves asked, confused.

"She's manipulating his senses," I explained, watching closely. "She's making him see and hear things that aren't there."

On the field, Marlon looked terrified. He started shooting ice and fire in random directions, clearly fighting an enemy that only he could see.

The other Forbe students running behind him suddenly crashed into each other. Some of them stopped and covered their ears, screaming. Others turned around and started running backward, completely disoriented.

"Incredible," Captain May muttered. "She is projecting a sensory illusion over the entire Forbe team. They think they are surrounded by monsters."

With the Forbe team completely panicked and attacking thin air, Chloe finally started moving.

She walked at a brisk pace.

Whenever she approached a spinning metal blade or a deep pit, she just cast a small illusion on the Forbe students who were stumbling nearby.

She made them think the safe path was right into the trap.

A Forbe student with a super-speed Blessing suddenly sprinted forward, thinking he was running toward the finish line. Instead, he ran straight into a deep water pit, splashing loudly and sinking.

Chloe calmly walked over the narrow bridge next to the pit, stepping past him without a second glance.

"She's ruthless," Genevieve said.

"She's efficient," Mr. Graves corrected, smiling widely. "She is neutralizing the enemy team without throwing a single punch. It's brilliant."

I just watched her.

Marlon Shaw finally snapped out of the illusion and realized he was attacking thin air. He looked around and saw Chloe casually walking past him, heading for the final stretch of the course.

Marlon roared in anger. He pointed both hands at Chloe and unleashed a combined blast of fire and ice.

The attack tore across the arena, melting the concrete and freezing the air. It was a devastating Area-of-Effect attack.

It hit Chloe directly in the back.

The crowd gasped.

The Chloe that Marlon hit flickered and vanished into thin air. It was a fake.

"Where is she?" Marlon yelled, spinning around.

"Right here," a voice echoed through the stadium speakers.

Marlon looked toward the finish line.

The real Chloe was already standing there. She had used an invisible illusion to cloak herself while leaving a decoy behind for Marlon to attack.

She smiled, waved at the crowd, and stepped across the finish line.

The buzzer sounded.

"And Chloe Fawn takes first place for Metropolitan Academy!" the announcer boomed. "A flawless victory!"

The stadium erupted in cheers. The Metropolitan students who had finally caught up cheered for their leader.

The Forbe students looked exhausted, confused, and embarrassed. Marlon Shaw punched a concrete wall in frustration, shattering the stone.

In the Aegis box, Mr. Graves started clapping loudly.

"Ten million," Graves said to May. "Offer her a ten-million-dollar signing bonus. I want her in an Aegis suit the second she graduates."

"I'll draft the contract immediately, sir," May said.

I looked across the stadium to the family box.

My parents were standing at the glass, clapping and smiling proudly.

Chloe was strong and her illusions were incredibly powerful but watching her walk through that course, I noticed something.

She never once used her Blessing against a real attack. She only used it to trick people.

If someone figured out a way to break her illusions, or if someone attacked her with something she couldn't trick... she wouldn't know how to take a hit.

The announcer's voice echoed again.

"Students, rest up! Round two will begin in fifteen minutes! The Construct Battle!"

The arena began to rumble again as the System prepared the next stage.

"Because Chloe Fawn secured first place," the announcer declared, "she has earned a special status for the next round! She is the Target!"

A glowing red crosshair symbol appeared floating right above Chloe's head.

Chloe looked up at the red mark, her smile faltering for just a second.

I smiled.

The obstacle course was easy. But high-tier Constructs didn't have human brains. You couldn't scare them with fake monsters.

Let's see how the golden child handles a real fight.