บท 388: Meet You
Charlie had noticed something strange while playing his game. Whenever his hero pool was low, the heroes he unlocked were more often from the Avengers than the Justice League. At first, it seemed like pure coincidence, but after thinking it through, he realized there was a logical explanation.
Heroes could appear in multiple pools because their strength and abilities changed a lot depending on the storyline they were in. However, even with these changes, each hero had an upper and lower limit to their power. For example, Hawkeye and Green Arrow, the iconic archers from their respective universes, had a ceiling that didn't go past C-level. Even at their best, they wouldn't get anywhere close to B-level. On the other hand, the Hulk had a lower limit of A-level, no matter how bad things got for him. Unless Bruce Banner was in control, the Hulk would never fall to C-level.
This showed a key difference between the two superhero teams. Both the Avengers and the Justice League had moments where their members performed extraordinary feats. However, the Justice League heroes had a much higher "floor" for their powers. Other than Batman—whose lack of superpowers made him an exception—heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern never dropped below A-level. Because of this, Justice League heroes were harder to unlock in the early stages of the game, when weaker characters were more likely to appear.
Charlie's first S-rank Justice League hero was Barry Allen, the second-generation Flash. Known as the fastest and strongest speedster in history, The Flash was a fan-favorite hero who had been a core member of the Justice League for decades.
While The Flash wasn't as iconic as Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman, he was still one of the most powerful members of the team. The Flash's speed had always been a hot topic among fans. Some calculations suggested he could run at hundreds of thousands of times the speed of light during certain storylines. However, those numbers didn't mean much in practice since The Flash's speed was always as fast as the plot required. In moments when he didn't need to perform universe-breaking feats, his default speed was still at least five times the speed of sound—an incredible feat in itself.
Eager to try him out, Charlie immediately tested The Flash in the game. The hero had a variety of special moves that made him stand out. These included:
- Phasing through walls: Vibrating his molecules at a high frequency to pass through solid objects effortlessly.
- Tornado creation: Running in circles around enemies to generate powerful cyclones that could knock them off their feet.
- High-speed arm swings: Moving his arms rapidly to create wind blasts that could overwhelm opponents.
- Lightning projection: Building up energy from the Speed Force and launching it as a deadly bolt of lightning.
While his special skills were impressive, The Flash's general combat mechanics were equally unique. They included two modes:
1. Normal Mode: This mode conserved energy while allowing The Flash to perform short sprints or quick dodges using directional controls. The game also slightly sped up the player's reaction time to help them keep up with The Flash's movements.
2. Speed Force Mode: This mode was where The Flash truly shined. When activated, the screen slowed down in a "bullet time" effect, where everything except The Flash moved in slow motion. Even in this slowed-down world, The Flash moved faster than anyone else. He left behind streaks of lightning and afterimages as he zipped through enemies. The visuals were stunning, and the gameplay felt like controlling pure power. However, this mode had a cooldown period, so it couldn't be used continuously.
After just a few minutes of gameplay, Charlie was convinced that The Flash was overpowered. As an S-rank hero, he was easily one of the strongest characters in Charlie's roster. The Flash also had unique abilities that made him more effective than most speed-based characters. Thanks to his Speed Force body shield, he didn't suffer from the usual problems of super speed, such as recoil or self-damage. This allowed him to hit enemies with devastating force without injuring himself. Charlie recalled how The Flash had once knocked out Wonder Woman with a kick at half the speed of light in the comics. It was clear that, for The Flash, the phrase "only speed is unbreakable" was completely true.
What made The Flash even better was how well he worked with other heroes. Within the Justice League, The Flash and Green Lantern were often paired together as the "red-green duo." This partnership made them ideal for team missions, especially those set in outer space.
The game update also introduced a new feature called skill duplication. This allowed Charlie to copy all of a hero's abilities instead of relying on random skill extractions. Unfortunately, the feature was limited to one use per upgrade, so Charlie had to choose carefully. While The Flash was tempting, Charlie ultimately chose Thor. Thor's balanced skill set, which included strength, speed, ranged attacks, and mastery of magic, made him an excellent choice. The only downside was that Thor's hammer couldn't be copied, which slightly reduced his effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, returned to the planet Glan after completing a patrol mission in his designated starfield. The planet had changed dramatically since Hal last left. A massive green building resembling a lantern now stood at its center. Jaeger, the protoss Charlie had unlocked earlier, had constructed this building as his new home. It was also becoming the headquarters of what would eventually be the Oa Corps.
Jaeger, who still preferred to appear in the form of a youthful boy, greeted Hal with his usual enthusiasm.
"Uncle, you're back!" Jaeger said, zooming out of the building at a speed that rivaled The Flash. "Someone's here to see you."
"Me?" Hal asked, surprised.
Following Jaeger into the lantern, Hal saw a familiar figure waiting inside: the god-king he had fought before. This time, however, the god-king wasn't hostile.
"Green Lantern," the god-king said with a smile, "that's what the astral world calls you, right? Relax. I'm not here to fight."
"Then why are you here?" Hal asked, still wary.
"I'm here on behalf of my supreme master," the god-king explained. "They want to meet you."
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