Chapter 152: A Super Student The weekend job had wrapped up earlier than usual. The sun was still hanging low in the sky, golden light spilling across the buildings. No rush. No threat. Just Max and Wolf walking side by side through the main high street, heading toward the train station. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚 It was one of those rare quiet moments, the kind where people let things slip without meaning to. And Wolf, as always, took the opportunity to pry. “You’ve gotten a lot better at fighting,” Wolf said, hands tucked behind his head like he didn’t have a care in the world. “No, scratch that, that’s not quite right. It’s like you already knew how to fight, but your body couldn’t keep up. Now it’s starting to catch up.” This guy gets it, Max thought. His read is scary sharp. And honestly, he wasn’t wrong. “Maybe,” Max said. “But according to you, I’m still C-rank. I was lucky to beat Dipter. And even now, if I had to fight him again, I’d lose, unless I pulled off some other trick.” He paused, letting the words hang for a second. “That’s why I have to get stronger. Fast.” “Right, right,” Wolf nodded. “But, honestly? You’re moving fast already. I don’t think it’s even possible to progress quicker without snapping something in your spine. And come on, with all the money you’ve got now, you could just chill. Play games. Live it up. Why keep pushing so hard?” Max didn’t answer right away. If he said, I need to take out the White Tiger, he could already imagine Wolf’s reaction. And it wouldn’t be good. Max didn’t know exactly where Wolf’s loyalties stood, but if he had to guess, they were probably a lot more aligned with the White Tiger than with him. So Max kept it vague. Careful. “I’ve got my own way of getting stronger,” he said. “And I need to make sure nothing falls apart along the way.” Wolf didn’t press further. But Max could feel it, he was thinking about it. Reading between the lines. Max thought back to the research he’d been doing. The deep-dive into the world of Superhumans. Most of the info online was vague, half-whispers, twisted rumors, scattered scraps on forums buried ten pages deep in search results. Still, Max had tracked it all. Paid access fees. Dug into shady websites. Followed every lead, no matter how thin or ridiculous it sounded. He didn’t waste a single opportunity. That’s when he found something. A name: Hercules. A man he’d heard about before, but whose whereabouts had always been a mystery. No one knew where he lived. No confirmed photos. No interviews. Just stories, wild, impossible stories. Sightings in forests. Hikers swearing they’d seen someone “not normal” near mountain trails. These reports weren’t even confined to one place, they were spread across the country. But Max found a way to narrow it down. All signs pointed to the Notting Hill area. Or somewhere nearby. He pieced it together from another lead, something most people would’ve missed. Apparently, Hercules had taken on a student once. That part had been buried deep. Scattered references. No names. No clear records. But Max found enough to connect the dots. The student had gone to a local school. Not part of any gang. No affiliations. Just… a force of nature. Unstoppable. This was a few years back. Before Dipter had shown up on the scene. And the wildest part? The kid had still been in middle school. That alone made the rumors sound absurd. But to Max, it only added weight. Someone that young, that dangerous, could’ve only come from Superhuman training. The story, however, didn’t have a clean ending. Apparently, the student snapped. Went too far. Killed three classmates in a fight. And even though he was rumored to be Hercules’s pupil, that didn’t protect him. Not legally. Not socially. Not in any way that mattered. After that, the kid vanished from all talk. Max knew why. Even being tied to a Superhuman couldn’t save you if the world saw you as a monster. There hadn’t been anyone willing to step in. Not back then. And even if Hercules had tried to act himself, then what? Follow new episodes on the "N0vel1st.c0m". It probably wouldn’t have made a difference. Max figured even Hercules hadn’t seen it coming. Maybe he didn’t believe his own student would go that far. That kind of violence? That kind of outcome? There was a good chance Hercules had been blindsided by it, which would explain why he never stepped forward. Never defended the kid. Never tried to intervene. Now, that student was just another name in the system. Locked up in juvie. And once he turned of age, he’d be transferred, straight into prison, alongside the adults. He’s probably in the same juvie as Dipter, Max thought. I wonder if they’ve ever met. Then again… it’s not really my business. The thought hung for a moment, then he shook it off. If he’s in juvie, he can’t help me. I’m not trying to learn from a Superhuman’s student, I want to learn from the Superhuman himself. That was the other reason Max had picked Hercules as his target. He had taken a student once. Which meant, unlike some of the others out there, Hercules wasn’t completely closed off. He was willing to teach. To train. To pass something down. That gave Max hope, maybe, just maybe, this whole thing could actually work out. Eventually, Max and Wolf reached the train station. The low hum of the city buzzed in the background, and the sky was starting to burn orange. “I know you’re the type to overthink everything,” Wolf said as he turned to him. “So I’m guessing you’ve already got some plan to get stronger.” Max didn’t respond, but Wolf wasn’t really asking. “So if you ever want a re-ranking from me,” Wolf added with a grin, “first one’s on the house. I’d love to see how far you can go.” He gave a lazy wave and headed off toward the platform. Max just watched him go, half-hoping no new mission would come through anytime soon. Wolf was useful, sure. But his rate? Was getting expensive. When Max finally got back to his apartment, it was just after six. The sun was low, the light spilling through the windows in a dull orange haze. The place was quiet. No one was there. No sign of Aron either. Max pulled out his phone, thumb hovering as he checked for messages. Nothing. No updates. No calls. No sign of Aron. He stared at the screen a little longer than he meant to, then locked it and let out a slow breath. “If he’s not here,” Max muttered to himself, “then that means he’s still out there. Still searching, right?” He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the door, tension settling in his chest like a stone. “I don’t know why, but… I’m a little worried about him.” His voice dropped, barely audible now. “He’ll be fine against Hercules… right?” But even as he said it, the doubt didn’t go away.