Me and My Overpowered Abilities

Later That Night

An explosion tore through the ruins of an abandoned building that had been destroyed during the earthquake. From the smoke and debris, a blonde-haired woman came rocketing out, coughing up blood. She struggled to steady herself in mid-air before flipping and landing gracefully on the ground.

It was the same woman who had intervened to stop Mark from bullying Adam.

As she caught her breath, her eyes locked on the three figures standing in front of her, each wearing a clown mask that obscured their features.

They were members of an evil organization known as The Joker.

For reasons yet unknown, anyone with a system gained additional benefits from killing others who also possessed a system. This discovery unlocked a sinister path for those seeking power, allowing them to level beyond the standard cap of 10. The Joker had fully embraced this cruel reality, making murder a tool for their own twisted ambitions.

Levels 1 to 10 were classified as F-rank, while levels above 10 entered the realm of E-rank. However, leveling beyond 10 wasn't straightforward. It required meeting special conditions. The basic job class that most people awakened was only sufficient to reach level 10. To go beyond, one needed to find a way to evolve their job class.

"The government is full of hypocrites," said one of the masked men, his voice dripping with disdain. He stepped forward, his movements deliberate. "How many prisoners did you slaughter to reach level 15? Forcing them into dungeons, making them level up just to kill them off?"

He didn't wait for a response. With a sudden burst of speed, the leader of the three rocketed toward the blonde-haired woman, his intent clear.

The woman reacted instantly. Lightning erupted from her body, crackling in the air as she propelled herself backward in a desperate attempt to flee. She was above level 10, an E-rank, but she knew her limits. Facing three E-ranks at once wasn't a fight she could win.

'I can't run toward a crowded area, they'd slaughter everyone just to gain XP,' she thought, her teeth gritted in frustration.

Glancing back, her eyes crackled with lightning as she activated a skill to analyze her pursuers' capabilities. Most of the information was obscured, but she managed to catch a glimpse of their job classes: (Evil Knight), (Bloody Swordsman), and (Worshiper of Death).

The ground behind her erupted as undead clawed their way to the surface, summoned by the masked man with the (Worshiper of Death) job class. His class specialized in raising the dead and overwhelming his enemies.

She darted and dodged, twisting her body to avoid the skeletal arms reaching for her, destroying those she couldn't evade. But the sheer number of undead slowed her down, just enough for the (Bloody Swordsman) to unleash a skill.

Pain suddenly gripped her chest, sharp and suffocating. Gasping, she glanced back and saw the Bloody Swordsman had made his move. The blood she had coughed up earlier glowed faintly, forming a thin red thread that connected her to an undead. He had used her blood to create a bond, transferring any damage inflicted on the undead directly to her.

As she watched in horror, he plunged his sword into the undead's chest, and the pain surged through her body, leaving her gasping for breath.

Reacting instinctively, she activated her ultimate escape skill: (Lightning Dodge). Her body dissolved into pure electricity, losing a massive chunk of her energy in the process. She reappeared far away, stumbling to the ground, her breathing ragged and labored.

Forcing herself to her feet, she broke into a run, her legs shaking beneath her. But she saw something that caused her body to pause, her body freezing mid-step, as her eyes locked onto someone who shouldn't have been awake at this hour, let alone anywhere near this place.

Adam sat on the rooftop, calmly cutting his nails while enjoying the glow of the city lights against the night sky. With his headphones in, he was blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding below, at least until it came crashing into his view.

Noticing the commotion, Adam took off his headphones, glancing first at the blonde-haired woman rushing toward him, her expression desperate, before shifting his gaze to the three masked figures rapidly closing the distance behind her.

He sighed softly, shaking his head. This spot was usually deserted, But for Adam, it was a quiet retreat with a stunning view of downtown, a place where he could enjoy some peace. Clearly, that peace was now over.

Standing up, he slipped his shoes back on and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

"Hurry, g-get out of here. I'll hold them off!" the woman barked through gritted teeth, her voice laced with urgency and pain. She was bleeding, barely holding herself together, but her focus remained on protecting him.

Adam didn't respond. He simply walked to the edge of the roof and jumped down, landing effortlessly before strolling off.

The woman froze, speechless. She hadn't expected him to be so calm, so indifferent to the danger looming behind her. Shaking herself out of her shock, she gritted her teeth and steeled her resolve. She had a job to do, and she wasn't about to let a student die on her watch.

She stood her ground, facing the masked men, bracing herself for a life-and-death battle. But the clash never came.

From the distance, a sea of flames roared through the air, forcing the masked men to scatter, leaping away to avoid the blazing attack.

Their heads snapped toward the source—a young, handsome man holding a bag in one hand. His right arm was outstretched, faint wisps of smoke curling from his palm where the flames had erupted.

What caught their attention wasn't just the power behind the attack, but the man's age. He was young, barely 18, but was clearly another E-rank. 

"Three guys ganging up on one girl," he said, his voice cold, as he dropped the bag to the ground. "Your mom must be proud."

"Kill the boy who got away. I'll handle him, finish her off, and then join me," the leader barked, issuing quick orders to the other two. Without hesitation, he shot forward toward the newcomer, while his comrades split off, one racing toward Adam and the other charging the woman.

The young man frowned but didn't hesitate. With a wave of his hand, a towering barrier of flames erupted around the woman, shielding her from harm. At the same time, a sword materialized in his other hand, its blade glinting menacingly in the dim light.

'What? I thought he was a mage!' the leader thought, momentarily stunned. Everything about this young man's fiery attacks screamed mage, but now he wielded a sword? Was this some kind of trick to throw him off, or perhaps the flame barrier had a drawback, preventing him from using magic while it was active?

Pushing his doubts aside, the leader roared, an evil aura enveloping his body. In his hand, a spear appeared, greedily absorbing the dark energy. He lunged forward, his weapon aimed to strike, but the young man was already gone.

Lightning crackled in the air as the young man reappeared behind him, his steps cold and cool as he walked toward the other masked man charging the woman.

The leader froze, his eyes wide in disbelief. Slowly, his head detached from his shoulders, falling unceremoniously to the ground. He was dead before he could even process what had happened.

The remaining masked man stood paralyzed, his mind racing. 'What is this guy? A swordsman? A fire mage? A lightning mage? Or something else entirely?'

But he never got the chance to answer his own question. The fiery barrier surrounding the woman disappeared, and in the same instant, his own head hit the ground.

The young man calmly approached the blonde-haired woman, his expression neutral as he crouched beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice steady but cool.

"I'm okay... Adam, please, save him," the blonde-haired woman said quickly, her voice laced with urgency.

The young man frowned, his expression darkening at her words. Save Adam? The thought made his stomach turn.

Adam's actions, or lack of them, disgusted him. The guy had just walked away, leaving this woman to sacrifice herself in a desperate attempt to buy him time. It wasn't just cowardly; it was selfish.

Why should he bother saving someone like that? He owed Adam nothing, and truthfully, he didn't feel any obligation to this woman, either. She was a stranger, and her plea didn't change that.

Seeing his refusal, the blonde-haired woman gritted her teeth and forced herself to her feet. Ignoring her pain, she stumbled forward, determined to find Adam.

But she froze mid-step when she saw the third masked man lying lifeless on the ground, a massive hole in his stomach.

Her eyes widened as she scanned the area for Adam, but he was nowhere to be seen.

'Did Adam do this? No, that can't be,' she thought, staring at the wound. The hole was massive, large enough for someone to fit their arm through, and yet, there was no blood. Whatever attack had caused the injury had simultaneously cauterized it. Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of the situation.

'I didn't sense anything… how could this have happened?' The young man approached, his sharp eyes narrowing as he examined the body. His senses were finely tuned, and any attack powerful enough to one-shot an E-rank should have been impossible to miss. Yet, he had sensed nothing.

As realization dawned, his expression hardened.

'That's why he was so calm. He didn't see anyone here as a threat... he had the power to help and still chose to walk away. What a bastard.'

The young man's disgust for Adam deepened, his mind stewing over the indifference and arrogance it would take to let others suffer while having the strength to intervene.

Meanwhile, Adam sat atop a rooftop in another part of the city, overlooking the glow of the city lights. With a small nail clipper in hand, he calmly trimmed his nails, the world below him feeling distant and unimportant.

Adam was an outcast, and he preferred it that way. He wasn't anyone's hero, and he had no desire to be. What others thought of him didn't matter; their opinions were just noise. What mattered to Adam was what he wanted, and truthfully, he was still figuring out what that was.

"I should get a house," Adam mused to himself, his voice soft against the night air. "Before heading to college tomorrow, I should add a few extra zeros to my bank account."

He sighed, debating whether he should head to a bar that was still open and hope a woman might approach him. After all, it wasn't like he had the skills to strike up a conversation himself... By the way, he gained no benefits from killing anyone. He had no system, meaning he got no XP.