The Titan lunged.
Too fast. Too big to move like that. Yet it did.
Nate’s breath caught. Chest tight. Legs locked. Move, damn it!
The street ahead collapsed. Asphalt peeled away, swallowed by a chasm of twisting void. Buildings crumbled, toppling like flimsy props. The sky churned—black clouds boiling, streaks of blue lightning splitting the darkness.
MOVE!
His brain screamed. His body obeyed.
He snapped out of it. Bolted. No thought. No plan. Just raw, desperate survival.
Then—the wind hit.
A furnace blast. Hot. Thick. Suffocating. It reeked of ozone, scorched metal, death. The behemoth’s breath.
BOOM!
A claw slammed down. The earth shattered. Pavement erupted. Concrete shards screamed past his face, slicing the air.
Too close.
“Shit, shit, shit!”
He vaulted a taxi, hit the ground hard, rolled, came up sprinting.
ROAR!
The sound was pure force. It tore through him—rattling ribs, crushing lungs. His eardrums popped. Pressure caved in. His vision warped—a dizzying, gut-wrenching lurch.
For a second, the world tilted. Felt unreal.
Move.
A subway entrance ahead. Dark. Deep. Maybe safe.
Nate’s muscles coiled. No choice. He had to jump—
BOOM!
A blast of pure energy—out of nowhere.
It slammed into the titan’s face. Scales shattered, exploding like molten shrapnel.
ROAR!
The behemoth staggered. Snarled. Turned.
There. Up high. A skyscraper. A figure perched on the edge—then dropped. Fast. A blur slicing through the air.
They pushed off the building.
Glass shattered.
Steel groaned.
Rebar twisted, walls caved in under the strain. The whole structure listed, crumbling—
Then—blink!
Now—on the titan’s head.
Nate had no time to react. No time to think.
The shockwave would rip him apart—
A flash of silver.
A shield. A man behind it. Appearing out of nowhere, right in front of Nate.
BOOM!
The world detonated. The impact hit like a wrecking ball—pure force, raw destruction. The road imploded. Walls buckled. Fire roared. Shattered concrete exploded outward.
But the shield held.
Nate slammed into the ground, skidding back from the sheer force of it. Breath gone. Chest aching. His ears rang like a bomb had gone off inside his skull.
Through the haze and flickering embers—he saw him.
Tall. Solid. A stance like bedrock. One arm raised, gripping the shield—round, battered, edges glowing faintly from the heat.
The man turned his head. Just enough.
Strong jaw. Sharp gaze. Unshakable.
Nate knew those eyes.
“…Aegis!”
The hero moved. Joined the other figure.
Perched on the titan’s head. Golden cape snapping in the wind.
Nate squinted through the haze, through the pain. His vision swam, but he knew that silhouette.
Millena?
Yes. Yes.
No one else wore that cape. No one else could.
The Godfrey twins were here.
Nate’s chest swelled. He wanted to scream, to laugh, to drop to his knees in sheer relief. He was saved. His heroes were here.
Millena. Strength of Atlas. Power of the Sun. The heavy-hitter. Every punch—precise. Devastating. Golden energy blazed from her fists, slamming into the titan like a meteor shower. The beast staggered. Reeled. Its offense crumbled.
Then—Aegis. Shield of Atlas. Spear of the Sun. The breakthrough. While Millena battered, he broke.
Fast. Ruthless. Relentless.
He was everywhere at once. Weaving. Cutting. Tearing.
A flash— the spear ripped through the titan’s leg. A blur— it drove deep into an eye. A spin— it slashed clean through thick, armored scales.
The titan had no chance.
The twins gave it none.
Nate watched in awe. Every second, the creature fell back. Pushed further. Forced toward the bay, where it had first emerged.
The sheer precision, the power—it was mesmerizing.
No TV footage could ever capture this. Not the speed. Not the raw impact of every blow.
Nope. Never—
Wait.
His breath hitched. A thought, sharp as a knife.
When was the last time he saw Aegis and Millena fight together?
Annual sports day. When he was six. Twenty years ago.
Shit.
Then came the Kaer Lord invasion on the east.
The Godfreys were sent.
They never returned.
All that came back was Aegis’s shattered shield.
And Millena’s torn, bloodied cape.
Humanity’s finest. Dead.
Then—how were they here?
Nate’s stomach turned. A cold weight settled in his chest.
“…This isn’t real,” he muttered, realization crashing over him. “None of this is.”
Nate closed his eyes. Breathed in. Held it. Exhaled, slow.
Let his heart steady. His mind catch up.
This world. This city. It wasn’t real. It was in his head.
Vega had pulled from his memories, fears, instincts. Stitched them together into this… simulation.
He was here to test a skill. But since no skill worked alone, a total Damage Control scenario had been thrown at him. Trial by fire.
Learn it. Master it. Survive it.
Nate sighed. Shook his head. “Yup.”
If the existential dread hadn’t sunk its claws in, he might’ve caught on sooner.
But, oh well.
Enough panicking.
Time to fix this… very realistic dream.
.
.
.
Atop a high-rise, Nate stood.
Watched. Waited.
Below, the twins fought like proper heroes. Just like he remembered.
Not just fast. Not just precise. But methodical.
SOP—Isolate and Mitigate.
Where they stood, destruction stopped. No more chaos. No more death. They didn’t just fight the titan.
They controlled it.
Every hit forced it back. Every move locked it in their rhythm.
Watching them, he remembered. Why he admired them. Why he once believed in heroes.
But still—
The beast refused to fall.
Halfway into the bay—ROAR!
A sudden breath. Deep. Charged.
Nate’s stomach dropped.
Before either twin could react—
Blue fire.
It tore through the city.
Streets melted. Air shimmered. Towers vanished in a white-hot blaze.
From one end to the other, everything in its path—gone.
Even Millena had to duck behind Aegis’s shield.
Then—silence.
Not real silence. The crackle of flame. The groan of collapsing buildings. But for just one second—
The world paused.
Nate let out a slow breath. Took it in.
“Well,” he muttered. “That evened out the damage score.”
A beat.
“Some deadly fire, though.”
No one could counter that. Not yet.
Not that he was worried. They’d win. They always did.
If only they hurried up.
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Until the titan was gone, he couldn’t Damage Control. If he tried now, the city would restore—and so would the beast.
That’d be pointless.
So, Nate waited.
Watched as the twins pushed harder. Faster. Sharper. Their rhythm turned ruthless.
And yet—
It took a while.
Too long.
Long enough for Nate to wonder.
“Will it always be like this?” he asked. Half to himself. Half to the ever-listening assistant.
“Watch the damage happen. Let people die. And only when it’s done, I get to do Damage Control?”
“Until you’re strong enough to eliminate the Damage Perpetrators yourself and drop them far from the Damage Site—yes,” Vega answered. Flat. Unbothered.
A beat.
“I suggest you start going after the perpetrators proactively,” she continued. “Earn some necessary offensive skills. Will help you in the long run.”
Nate sighed.
Damage Control gives you Damage Control skills.
Fighting gives you fighting skills.
Wasn’t that obvious?
He nodded to himself. “Yeah.”
A decision.
“I should do that. Should start small.”
ROAR!
The titan staggered.
Then—a spear. Blazing. Deadly.
Aegis’s throw hit home.
The beast toppled.
And finally—it sank.
Dragged under.
The bay boiled. Steam choked the air.
And Millena—
She readied the kill shot.
Her hands rose. Fingers spread. Heat shimmered around her palms.
Then—light.
A raw, blinding chunk of the sun ripped into existence.
Burning. Seething. A miniature star, hovering in her grasp.
Anything close melted. The water beneath her vaporized.
The Death Star.
Her signature move.
And this time—she wasn’t holding back.
With a scream, she pushed the star under.
The titan let out a final, ear-splitting cry—
Cut short.
Gone.
Evaporated in a blink.
Half the bay vanished with it.
Then—rushing water.
The ocean filled the void.
And just like that—
The Terror was finally over.
.
.
.
Nate didn’t waste a second.
Ding! Default Skill [Structural Awareness] Activated.
His vision sharpened. From this height, he saw everything. Understood everything.
Damage Report:
Impact Radius: 5.9 km
Buildings: 479 collapsed / 157 barely standing
Vehicles: 2398 wrecked, burning
Casualties: 7468 confirmed
Trapped: 3147 and decreasing
His breath hitched. “Woah.”
A whisper. A gasp. That was… a lot of damage.
So many deaths. Homes burned. Vehicles crushed. And the impact radius? Three times bigger than his last.
Doubt crept in. Could he even cover that much area?
He exhaled. Good thing this was a simulation. Even if he fell short, actual lives wouldn’t be lost.
But in reality—They would be.
Events like this happened. Quiet often. Death tolls climbed higher. And there was no saving them.
Unless he gave his all.
Ding! Skill [Stabilization Sequencer] Activated.
Loading Optimal Stabilization Sequence… Loaded!
His vision shifted.
Overlay markers appeared.
Entry points. Exit routes. Fire. Water. Smoke. Structures.
Everything.
Information flooded his mind.
He didn’t think. Didn’t need to.
He knew what to do.
Nate took a deep breath. Shoulders loose. Neck cracked. Then—he pushed off the ledge.
Wind roared. Cold. Sharp. The ground raced up. Too fast.
His heart surged. Not from panic.
Excitement.
He focused. [Magnetic Shift].
A pulse.
He pushed on the rebars buried beneath the road.
His descent slowed—instantly.
The rush almost disappointed him.
Then, just before impact—
He cut the skill.
His boots touched down. Slow. Smooth. Controlled.
“Perfect.” Nate pumped his fist. Faintly. He was getting the hang of it.
Now—the Damage Control.
Rows and rows of wreckage. Steel and concrete corpses.
Fire and smoke billowed. Heat licked at his face.
Deep breath.
Snap!
Ding! [Time Stop] Activated.
All Stats Boosted by 500%.
Stabilize the Structure for Damage Control and Restoration.
Proceed with Caution!
Thump. His heart slammed.
A surge—electricity in his veins. Every nerve, every cell—ignited.
Muscles charged. Breath slowed. Mind cleared.
Nothing else mattered. Just the Damage Control plan.
He moved.
.
.
.
The world came to a stand still.
32 Seconds Remaining. Flashed at the edge of his vision.
First building. Or the pile of rubble it was.
[Magnetic Shift]—activated.
The shattered rebars pulled, linked, fused. He willed them to shape, to hold—
Ding! Skill [Structural Reconstruction] Activated.
Blueprint uploaded.
His brain flooded with schematics. Every beam, every joint, every screw.
Then—movement.
The building started to reassemble itself. Fast. Precise.
Nate blinked in disbelief. This… would make things a hell of a lot easier.
But no time to enjoy it.
He moved.
Second building—Magnetic connection established.
Blueprint uploaded. Reconstruction initiated.
He didn’t wait.
Third building—Linked. Rebuilding.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth—
Ding! Stabilization Point Secured.
The notification chimed in his head, over and over, a rhythm to his momentum.
Buildings. Bridges. Roads. Vehicles.
Anything broken—reconnected. Anything shattered—restructured.
The city pieced itself together in his wake.
It should’ve been too much—his brain should’ve burned out from the sheer volume of schematics flooding in.
But it didn’t.
Because this was what he did.
Sure it was starting to get overwhelming. But he wasn’t stopping.
10 Seconds Remaining.
The downtown skyscraper.
Move. Connect. Rebuild. Repeat—
CRACK.
A pang knifed through his skull. Like a spike driven between his eyes.
His brain screamed.
Hundreds of floors—schematics flooding in all at once.
Too much data. Too fast.
He grunted. Vision blurred. Teeth clenched.
Knees hit the ground.
Shit!
Two more left.
He knew this would happen. Planned for it. Left the hardest for last.
But this pain… this was different.
Not something he could power through. Not like before.
If this one building took five seconds—
No.
He didn’t have enough time.
Move. Move. MOVE.
Nate locked onto the second building. Focused. Reached.
Connection established.
PANG!
A white-hot nail drove straight through his skull.
It felt like his brain was tearing apart. Expanding. Splitting at the seams.
His eyes bulged—threatened to pop from their sockets.
He screamed. A ragged, broken sound—torn from his throat.
The pain didn’t stop. It dug deeper. Stabbed. Twisted. Kept twisting.
His arms buckled. He collapsed. Forehead slammed against the ground.
It was warm. Scorched from the fires.
Didn’t matter. Didn’t help.
If anything, it made it worse.
His skull throbbed. His breath hitched.
Another second lost.
Another—
Dammit!
Pinned his hand against the ground. Fingers dug into the pavement, nails scraping against debris.
His arms trembled. Shoulders screamed. His head felt like a live wire—frayed, sparking, burning.
Still, he struggled up. Two steps. Just two.
He crawled. Elbows buckling. Knees scraping. Every inch forward felt like dragging a mountain.
Third building.
Connected.
BOOM!
His brain exploded. Or that’s what it felt like.
Not a pang. Not a stab.
A detonation inside his skull.
A raw, mind-shattering force that ripped through his nerves, sent his vision white—then black.
A sharp wetness hit his lips. Metallic. Warm.
Blood.
Dripping from his nose. Thick. Heavy.
Nate collapsed.
The world tilted. Spun. Warped.
His ears rang. His chest shuddered.
But he knew—
If he blacked out now, it was over.
Ding! Stabilization Point Secured.
And again. And again.
Each one sent another spike of agony through his skull. Like hammer blows straight to his brainstem.
Nate didn’t open his eyes. Couldn’t.
Just breathed. In. Out. In. Out.
Then—
[Time Stop] Deactivated.
His heart plunged.
Oh, fuck. He braced.
The world slammed back into motion.
The backlash came. Violent. Immediate.
His body convulsed. A shockwave of pure, searing agony blasted through him.
His muscles locked. Then tore.
His lungs clenched. Then burned.
It felt like his whole body was breaking.
A wet, choking sound escaped him.
Then blood.
Dripping from his lips. Splattering on the ground. Thick. Too much.
This—
This was no simulation.
Too real. Too very real.
Just kill me already…
Structure Stabilized. Damage Control: Success.
Now Restoring Damage…
Nate barely processed the words. Didn’t care.
He just lay there. Muscles fried. Limbs lead-heavy.
Then—
The pain began to fade.
Fast.
Not a slow recovery. Not a gradual return to normal.
Instant. Overwhelming. Complete.
His chest loosened. His head lightened. The pressure behind his eyes eased. The fire in his veins snuffed out.
Sound returned. Clear. Sharp.
People. Talking. Laughing. Walking.
“…Drunkard?” Someone muttered.
Drunkard.
They were talking about him.
Nate cracked an eye open. Saw feet. Hundreds of them. Passing by.
He forced himself up—and the crowd scattered.
People gave him a glance, then lost interest just as fast.
Like he wasn’t even there.
He stood. Wobbled a little, but stood.
Then he looked around. And saw it.
The city.
Restored.
Brand new.
The crumbled towers? Standing tall.
The streets? Paved and whole.
The vehicles? Lined up, undamaged.
The air? Clear, as if fire had never burned through it.
Even the building that had been half-destroyed by a tail strike—the one he was sure had been reduced to nothing but dust and steel shards—stood untouched.
All of it.
Because of him.
Sure, the pain hurt. But seeing this much restoration…?
Worth it. Every second of agony.
Ding! Default Skill [Death Step] Active.
34 Seconds Remaining.
A screen flashed. Nate blinked. Frowned.
Wait.
Did this restore my stamina? The thought barely had time to settle before—
Cries. Excited. Pointing fingers.
People gasping. Looking up.
Nate’s heart slammed. He followed their gaze.
Aegis. Floating above.
Glowing eyes scanning the crowd. Searching. Looking for him.
Oh, shit.
Nate’s pulse thundered. He spun.
No cover. No escape. Aegis could see through damn near everything.
A flash of light. A plane’s tail.
Far off. Distance. That might work.
A way out.
He whipped around. Saw a taxi. Flagged it. Dove inside.
“Airport. As fast as you can!”
Didn’t have to say it twice.
VROOOOOM! The yellow cab launched forward. Tires screeching. Speed climbing.
Nate barely breathed. One eye on the road. One eye on the sky.
Aegis. Still hovering. Still searching.
The car pushed faster. But not fast enough.
Ding! [Death Step] Deactivated.
Nate’s stomach plummeted.
No. He whipped his head out the window.
Aegis. Right there. Above them.
Nate’s breath caught. Their eyes met.
Or—did they?
For a heartbeat, Nate swore Aegis saw him.
He braced.
But then—
Nothing.
No reaction.
No pursuit.
Aegis hovered. Still scanning. Looking. Searching.
The taxi sped on. Faster. Further.
Until Aegis was just a speck.
Until he was gone.
Nate exhaled. Hard.
“What… just happened?” he muttered. Do I not have mana or what?
As if on cue, the Control Center flashed unprompted.
– Resources –
Health: 146 / 170 (2/min)
Stamina: 34 / 260 (4/min)
Mana: 0 / 140 (0.25/min)
Nate stared.
“...Ah. That’s why.”
A chuckle slipped out. Shaky. Relieved.
So, it’s not just two minutes. I’ve got six.
His fingers drummed against his knee. Brain already working. Calculating.
I can work with that.