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The exam hall at HAC University smelled like nervous sweat and cheap ballpoint pens.
Thirty minutes into the entrance exam, a young girl with sharp eyes and sharper cheekbones stood up, her chair scraping against the floor with deliberate finality.
"I'm finished," Liu Yuwei announced .
The proctor's head snapped up. "Miss, you still have over two hours…"
But she was already walking out, her footsteps echoing in the stunned silence. Her classmates watched her go, their expressions a mix of confusion and barely concealed relief that the unnerving girl who'd been staring at her paper like it had personally offended her was finally leaving.
Outside, Liu Zhen waited with a bouquet of flowers that drooped slightly in the afternoon heat.
"Yuwei! How was it? Did you…"
"The flowers are wilting, Father. You should have put them in water." She didn't break stride. "I need to finish university in two years."
"Two years? But the standard program is four…"
"I'm aware." She finally glanced at him, something almost resembling affection flickering in her eyes. "I have things to accomplish."
Two years later, Liu Yuwei stood at the podium, her valedictorian gown making her look like she was attending a funeral rather than a graduation. The crowd of reporters before her were hungry for soundbites, their cameras trained on the young woman who'd just shattered every academic record at HAC.
"I stand before you today," she began, her voice carrying an authority that belied her age, "not to celebrate mediocrity, but to announce my intentions."
The reporters leaned forward.
"I will become X."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.
"The current system is broken. Trust Values have become a currency of the elite, a measure of popularity rather than capability. I will establish true order. I will repair society. And I will overturn this entire flawed structure."
She stepped back from the podium, her gaze sweeping across the stunned audience. "That is all. Thank you for your attention."
Micky watched the feed from his office, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Ken stood behind him, scrolling through data on his tablet. "This could be risky, boss. The cheating scandal between Mr. Matchstick and Ms. Blazing Fire has already caused friction between the sexes. Pushing a female hero with this kind of agenda might…"
"Exactly." Micky's smile widened. "The public is hungry for change. We've been relying on Bowa too heavily. She's talented, yes, but she lacks... presence. This girl has presence."
"She's not even a hero yet."
"She will be."
The speech went viral within hours. #QueenForX trended worldwide. Liu Yuwei's sharp features and sharper tongue captivated audiences who were tired of heroes who smiled too much and said too little.
"Queen," the media dubbed her, and the name stuck.
DOS signed her before the week was out. Their stock prices jumped forty percent. Bowa, who'd been languishing at #11 in the hero rankings, suddenly found herself propelled into the Top 10, her popularity surging alongside the new heroine who'd praised her in passing during a press conference.
"I admire Bowa," Queen had said, the words clipped and precise. "She represents what female heroes can achieve through merit rather than spectacle."
Bowa, watching from her apartment, had nearly choked on her protein shake.
Across the city, new heroes were emerging.
"That's what I want to be," she declared to her trainer. "I want to be like her."
And old ones gain more traction.
Lucky Cyan, whose powers were notoriously unpredictable, found herself suddenly flooded with fan mail. "I don't understand," she told her manager. "I haven't even done anything new."
"It's the Queen effect," her manager explained. "She's inspiring a whole generation. You're part of that generation."
Cyan frowned at her reflection. "But I'm already established. I've been a hero for years."
"Doesn't matter. You're being rebranded as a 'new female hero.' Just roll with it."
The 16th Hero Ranking Tournament was held in DOS's main arena, the stands packed with screaming fans who'd come to see history.
Bowa faced Smile, the current X, and the fight was brutal. Smile was relentless, his powers pushing Bowa to her absolute limits. But Queen's speech echoed in Bowa's ears: "through merit rather than spectacle."
She wasn't just fighting for herself anymore. She was fighting for every female hero who'd been dismissed, overlooked, or told they weren't good enough.
The final blow came as a surprise even to Bowa.
Smile hit the ground, and the arena erupted.
"The winner," the announcer screamed, "and your NEW X—BOWA!"
At the exact same moment, in a completely different part of the city, Queen was dealing with a Fear monster that had cornered a young girl in an alley.
"Stay back," Queen commanded, her voice carrying the weight of absolute authority.
The monster hesitated. Fear monsters didn't normally hesitate.
"Kneel."
It knelt.
Queen walked past it, scooped up the crying girl, and walked out of the alley without looking back. The monster stayed kneeling until she was gone, then slowly, tentatively, unknelt itself and slunk away to find a less terrifying human to terrorize.
Micky's office was filled with congratulatory flowers and champagne when Queen arrived with the rescued girl in tow.
Bowa was already there.
"Excellent work, both of you," Micky beamed. "Bowa, your victory was spectacular. But Queen…" He turned to the younger woman. "...I believe you deserve special acknowledgment. Bowa's rise in popularity owes everything to your speech."
Bowa's expression hardened. "I put in the effort to get where I am. I've been training for years. I fought for that title."
"And I chose you," Micky reminded her gently. "I knew what you were capable of. I know about your sacrifices—"
"I don't need someone to give me the title of X," Queen interrupted, her voice flat. "I'll take it myself."
The room fell silent.
Bowa stared at her, a mixture of fury and grudging respect flickering across her features. "Is that so?"
"That's so."
They walked through the DOS lobby together, the silence between them thick enough to cut.
"Whatever your connections to Micky are," Bowa said finally, "they won't make you a hero."
Queen stopped walking. "I know."
"Then why are you even here? Why do you want—"
"Because if I didn't think you were worthy of the title," Queen said, turning to face her fully, "I wouldn't be talking to you at all. I don't waste time on the mediocre."
Bowa's fist flew toward Queen's face.
"Don't," she said to the summation of her command.
Bowa tried to break free, her powers flickering at the edges of her control.
"BOWA!" Big Johnny's voice cut through the tension like a knife. The massive hero was running through the lobby, his tiny son Little Johnny chasing after him. "WAIT! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO EAT YOUR SNACK!"
They careened between Bowa and Queen, breaking the standoff. Bowa stumbled back, her momentum thrown off and Queen released her grip, her expression unreadable.
Little Johnny skidded to a halt and performed an elaborate bow. "Queen! I'm so honored to meet you! I'm Little Johnny, currently the Number 15 hero and aligned with FOMO!"
Queen's attention, however, had fixed on Big Johnny.
Little Johnny's room was decorated entirely in shades of pink and purple, with various hero memorabilia scattered across every available surface. Queen sat stiffly on a beanbag chair, Big Johnny balanced awkwardly on her lap.
"He's so fluffy," she murmured, stroking Big Johnny's head like he was a particularly large dog.
Little Johnny beamed. "I know, right? He's the best."
The TV flickered to life, the news playing in the background.
Big Johnny shifted on Queen's lap and his enormous foot hit the remote. The channel changed.
Lucky Cyan's face filled the screen, her smile radiant as she posed for the cameras. "I believe in spreading positivity and good fortune to everyone!"
Queen stared at the screen.
The next day, Queen encountered Lucky Cyan in person in the DOS lobby.
Cyan was everything the video had suggested and more: effervescent, charming, and radiating an almost palpable aura of luck.
"Queen!" Cyan exclaimed, spotting her. "What an honor! I'm such a huge fan—"
Little Johnny appeared from nowhere, practically vibrating with excitement. "Cyan! Please, bless Queen for the upcoming ranking matches! She could really use your luck!"
Cyan smiled beatifically. "Of course! May fortune smile upon you, Queen–"
"I don't want luck," Queen said flatly.
The smile froze on Cyan's face. "I'm sorry?"
"When I become X, I don't want people to say it was because I got lucky. I want them to say I earned it. Through merit." She paused. "Through merit and not spectacle."
This would actually lead to them hitting it off, just from the sheer gratitude of someone not desiring her presence for what she could provide.
The smallest problem was in the assumption that Cyan had absolute control of her power.
In an alternate universe, Queen had none of Cyan's luck and instead of her own formidable will.
Here, everything was slightly …off.
From the slightly longer wait, the delay in arrival to the doors opening.
A mysterious white clad man appeared with a casual wave of his hand, the gesture almost lazy. The battle had been declared, the rules set. Queen stood across from him, her expression determined.
In any other situation, the man would not have even wasted time bothering beyond the greeting.
But just as she opened her mouth to issue her first command, a twenty-dollar bill on the ground as it fluttered in the non-existent breeze, practically glowing with temptation to one salary man in secret.
X raised an eyebrow at the sheer luck.
"KNEEL," Queen repeated, forcing his gaze away from the money for a second.
In that moment he decided to take the lucky break.
.
Queen rewatched the footage, her expression unreadable.
The screen showed that insufferable white-clad figure bent down with theatrical slowness, plucking the bill from the ground with two fingers like it was a priceless artifact after she said Kneel.
And then he moved.
And it became a blur of white and motion of dancing around every attack Queen threw at him, he sidestepped with millimeters to spare.
A spear?
He leaned back, the air from her spear ruffling his hair.
A kick?
He twirled, letting her momentum carry her past him.
A blast of energy?
He ducked, and the attack hit the wall behind him instead.
It made Queen snarl, launching herself at her target with renewed fury.
He yawned.
in the middle of a fight. Against someone who was supposed to be a serious contender for the X title and he yawned, and then he caught her spear in his palm like it was a child's toy.
"You have spirit," he said. "I'll give you that."
"Don't patronize me!"
"I'm not patronizing." He released her and stepped back. "I'm complimenting. Most people don't even get this much of my attention."
Queen lunged again and he sidestepped to which her momentum carried her into a nearby wall that she bounced off it but landed on her feet, and immediately launched another attack.
This continued for what felt like hours but was probably only a couple minutes. X kept dodging, kept weaving, kept making it look effortless.
Finally, X raised his hand.
"You're lucky," he said, his voice carrying across the arena. "I'm felt generous enough to give you an actual fight."
And then he snapped his fingers.
The footage ended.
Queen stared at the frozen screen, her reflection staring back at her.
"He was toying with me," she said flatly. "The entire time, he was toying with me."
Queen crushed the remote in her hand.
"I hate him so much."