Chapter 1

A young man with black hair walked into the office corridor with a paper cup of coffee in his hand.

His face had a slight Asian look, though most people never guessed his background correctly. His shirt was neat, but his tie was loose now, and the tired look in his eyes made it clear that his day had already gone badly.

His name was Adam.

He stepped away from the main sales floor and entered the side corridor. There was no one there. Most employees were either inside meeting rooms or pretending to look busy at their desks.

Adam sat down on the bench near the wall and let out a slow breath.

His boss had already scolded him enough for one day.

Actually, enough for the whole month.

Adam lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. The coffee was cheap, bitter, and almost cold, but it still felt better than listening to another lecture about sales targets.

He took out his phone.

A news clip started playing on the screen.

Homelander was floating above a street with two rescued civilians beside him. Reporters were shouting questions. Cameras flashed. The people below were clapping like they had just seen a god descend from the sky.

The headline called him America's greatest hero.

Adam looked at Homelander's smiling face for a few seconds, then turned the video off.

He stared at the blank screen and took another sip of coffee.

This world was The Boys universe.

Adam had known that for years.

In the beginning, when he had first understood where he was, he had been excited in a very stupid way. He had thought that maybe his parents would give him Compound V one day. Maybe he would become a Supe. Maybe he would get powers and live the kind of life he had always wanted.

That hope had died slowly.

His parents were ordinary middle-class people. They worried about bills, rent, school fees, and savings. They had no connection to Vought, no secret agreement, and no hidden vial of blue liquid waiting for him.

At first, Adam had felt disappointed.

Later, after he grew older and remembered more of the future, that disappointment turned into relief.

Compound V was not a gift. Not really.

It made people powerful, but it also dragged them into Vought's hands. It turned children into products and adults into weapons. After seeing enough news, enough hero scandals, and enough clean corporate lies, Adam became glad his parents had never touched that thing.

Still, the universe had not left him completely empty-handed.

When he was young, a system window had appeared in front of him.

[Template System Synchronization Started]

That one line had changed everything.

At first, the percentage increased quickly. One percent, two percent, three percent. In those early days, Adam checked it again and again, thinking the system would activate soon.

But after that, the speed dropped.

A month passed for one percent.

Then several months.

By the time he entered college, the synchronization had already reached a high number. Adam had thought he was close. By graduation, it had reached ninety-eight percent.

After graduation, it reached ninety-nine percent.

Then it stopped.

Adam had thought it might complete when he got a job.

It did not.

One year passed. Then another.

Now he was working in a sales job he hated, dealing with customers who did not want to listen, managers who only cared about numbers, and a boss who acted like giving Adam this job had been an act of charity.

Whenever his mood became too bad, Adam checked the system.

'Status screen,' Adam thought.

A faint blue panel appeared in front of his eyes.

[Template System]

[Synchronization: 99%]

Adam stared at the number.

It was still the same.

He gave a quiet laugh without any real humor.

"Of course."

The window stayed there for a moment, then faded.

Adam leaned back against the wall.

Sometimes he wondered what kind of template he would get when the system finally opened. If it was a Saiyan template, that would be insane. If it was someone from Naruto or One Piece, that would still be more than enough. Even a strange template from some random anime or comic would be fine.

He did not need perfection.

He just wanted power.

He wanted the long-awaited adventure he had imagined for years.

Living a normal life in this world was not peaceful. It was frightening. Adam knew what Supes were capable of, and he had seen enough to understand that the screen never showed their real pressure.

He had already met a few people connected to the main story without trying too hard.

Once, his company had sent him to an electronics store for a sales-related visit. That was where he saw Hughie Campbell. Hughie had looked like a normal quiet employee behind the counter, the kind of person nobody would notice in a crowd.

Another time, through a corporate event connected to a client, Adam had seen The Deep in person.

On television, The Deep often looked pathetic.

In person, even he felt dangerous.

That had taught Adam something clearly. Even the jokes among Supes were still Supes. A normal person standing in front of them had no real safety.

Adam was still thinking about that when heavy footsteps entered the corridor.

His mood dropped at once.

'Again?' Adam thought.

His boss came around the corner with a hard expression on his face.

"There you are," the man said. "So this is where you are hiding."

Adam lowered the coffee cup.

"I was just taking a minute."

"A minute?" his boss snapped. "I told you to go meet the client team. I told you clearly. And you are sitting here drinking coffee?"

Adam stood up.

"I was about to go."

"You are always about to do something," his boss said, walking closer. "About to make calls. About to close deals. About to improve your numbers. But when I check, you are either wasting time or making excuses."

Adam said nothing.

The boss pointed a finger at him.

"Do not forget that I gave you this job when you needed it. You came here with nothing impressive, and I still gave you a chance. This is how you repay me?"

Adam's hand tightened around the paper cup.

His boss kept going.

"If you cannot handle basic sales work, then tell me. I will find someone who can. You think the company runs on your mood? You think clients wait because Adam needs coffee?"

The paper cup bent in Adam's grip.

Coffee spilled over his fingers.

The cup crushed in his fist.

His boss noticed it.

For a second, he stopped.

Then his face twisted again.

"Oh, now you are showing me anger?"

Adam looked at the crushed cup in his hand.

He did not speak.

He walked to the dustbin, threw the cup inside, and turned toward the exit.

Behind him, his boss raised his voice.

"Where do you think you are going? I am not done talking to you!"

Adam kept walking.

"Come back here!"

Adam still did not stop.

The boss shouted after him, "Fine! Keep walking. You are fired! Do you hear me? Fired!"

Adam's steps stopped.

A blue window appeared in front of his eyes.

[Template System Synchronization Complete]

[Synchronization: 100%]

For a moment, Adam forgot about his boss, the office, and everything else.

His bad mood vanished instantly.

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