The pride of every hero was their abilities, not because their personality as heroes was built around them, but because they were emblems of honour that proved they had also conquered their strongest desires to unlock those abilities.

Eric felt something slip away the moment his fist touched Nicholas’s palm, and he could almost tell immediately what it was that left. ’My abilities... I can’t use them anymore....’

"You wanted to know my ability, there you go.... And now that we don’t have superhuman abilities anymore, let’s start this match all over... Mano a mano," Nicholas said, a cold, deadly glint flashing in his eyes.

Selena, who was watching above, couldn’t help but gasp. ’An ability that allows him to cancel out the abilities of others?’

Nicholas’s fist moved with a blur.

Eric’s instincts peaked; he tilted his head at the last second. He felt the wind whip past his face as Nicholas’s punch went by.

Eric leaped back, giving distance between them, but just as he thought there was enough distance, Nicholas was already upon him, throwing a jab.

Eric’s arms rose over his face as an X, taking the impact of the punch, but right before he could relax, he saw the second hand coming right under his X formation for his jaw.

Eric panicked immediately, pushing himself back and falling on his butt.

He raised his head to find an axe kick coming down on him. Eric rolled over as the leg slammed straight into the ground.

After giving a reasonable distance away from Nicholas, Eric finally had time for a breather. ’Muay Thai, was he a skilled fighter before, or is this a part of his abilities?’

Eric felt cold sweat rolling down his face. He genuinely never thought he’d find himself in such a situation.

"Don’t forget the circle," Nicholas warned as he dashed forward. Eric glanced at the red circle right behind him, a cold smile going up his face.

He turned back at Nicholas, who was shooting forward. He firmly planted his feet to the ground, a loud laugh escaping from his mouth.

"You’ve done well, you got me good... But I’m a hero not because of my abilities, but because of the responsibilities I took upon myself. Don’t you dare think I’m weak without my ability, I’m Mightman!" Eric roared. Channeling energy to his core, he shot forward with his own fist.

Nicholas frowned as they both met at the center. Their fists met in a thunderclap of impact. Eric deflected a jab, countered with a hook that Nicholas slipped and quickly countered as his knee came up.

Eric twisted, taking it on his thigh instead of his ribs. Pain flared, causing him to wince, but he pushed through, driving an elbow that Nicholas barely blocked with both forearms.

They separated for a breath, circling.

Nicholas’s face remained impassive, but Eric noticed it—the slight elevation in his breathing, the red mark on his forearm where the elbow had connected.

"You’re bleeding, you’ve already made quite an impression, so we can end this now," Eric said, letting out a sigh.

"That doesn’t matter, the deal was whoever crosses the circle first, and neither of us have yet. It doesn’t end till that happens!" Nicholas came in with a combination—jab, cross, low kick. Eric blocked the first two, but the kick swept his lead leg. He stumbled.

Nicholas pressed the advantage, driving forward with a knee. Eric caught it against his arms, absorbing the impact, but the force drove him backward.

One step.

Two steps.

His heel touched the edge of the red circle.

’No!’

Nicholas saw it too, his cold eyes flashing with certainty. He wound up for a push kick that would send Eric over the line—

Eric dropped low, under the kick, and drove his shoulder into Nicholas’s planted leg.

Nicholas toppled backward, hitting the ground hard. ’We’ve been at this for 25 minutes, I can’t let this drag on.... I have to end this now!’ He didn’t let the fall stop him. He quickly swept the ground with his legs, putting Eric down with him.

Eric fell on his back, turning his head to the side as he saw half his body past the red mark. ’I lost...’

He burst into a loud laugh. "The newbie won. He actually won!"

Selena, who watched the entire exchange from above, couldn’t help but be amazed. ’Those two really outdid themselves there... That newbie... Nicholas, he has more to him than his cocky attitude.’ She couldn’t help but admit she had been worried that the fight would end with a brutal injury.

But not only did he return in good shape, but he also managed to win against Eric!

Eric stood from the ground, dusting off his clothes. "That was a nice one, boy! I have to give it to you." Just as he stood, he noticed something shift in his body again. ’My abilities are back... Did he turn it off? Or does it have a timeframe?’

"You fought well too," Nicholas said as he stood. "My money?"

Eric chuckled at his words. "You’re only here for the money, I see? Well, don’t worry... You’ll be getting your pay, I’ll see to that." He shifted his gaze to the watch glass above where Selena was. "Supervisor Selena, take him to Dana. They should have his information and that of his family in the Hero Association classified documents."

Eric shifted his gaze back to Nicholas. "You should follow her, she’ll guide you through the remaining procedures and also credit you..."

"Alright," Nicholas replied as he calmly walked towards the exit, leaving the room in silence.

As Nicholas’s figure faded through the exit, Eric quickly wrapped his hands around his gut. "He really packs a punch for an average kid... Don’t know if that’s also part of his ability... But an ability that cancels out others’ abilities? The higher-ups will definitely have their eyes on him," Eric said, his gaze lingering on the exit.

---

Just as Nicholas walked out of the test room, he met Selena waiting right outside for him.

"I’ve already asked Dana to key in your information along with that of your sisters before you met with Eric, so all we have to do is fill in your rank and add you to the forum. You should follow me."

Nicholas quickly noticed the slight change in tone. ’She seems to show me more respect now... And the disgust on her face completely faded... Well, I can’t completely blame her for that, since we didn’t start off well....’ Nicholas thought for a moment. "Alright," he replied calmly.

The two were just about to continue when blaring sounds of the alarm filled the entire building. Following it was a robotic, smooth, high-pitched voice.

"High threat level detected! The Hero Association Building, Detroit City, has been breached!"