When Dr. Genus first proposed the Limiter Theory, it was only a hypothesis, and Psykos had paid it little attention. But as time passed, she gradually realized that the so-called Limiter might actually exist.
And the Limiter could be broken.
The Limiter was the upper limit that the laws of nature placed on a creature's abilities. Because of differences in physiology, environment, and cognition, every species had limits to its strength, endurance, perception, and other capabilities.
Those limits represented the highest level a creature could reach. In theory, no creature could surpass them.
But there were exceptions to everything.
For example, before Supes emerged, a scientist had claimed that the human body could not run a hundred meters in under ten seconds. Several athletes soon proved him spectacularly wrong.
By now, Psychic Powers had drawn much of the attention away from conventional sports, but the best times of today's world-class sprinters were all under ten seconds for the hundred meters.
Of course, the scientist had been proven wrong because he had set the limit too low. If he had set it at nine seconds, it might have taken ordinary humans centuries to break. At eight seconds, they might never have done it at all.
Even within the same species, individuals differed enormously. The more gifted a person was, the higher their Limiter could theoretically be.
Through years of research, Psykos had discovered that combat was the best way to grow stronger quickly. Fighting an evenly matched opponent—or struggling against the odds—produced especially dramatic gains.
She had reached that conclusion using data from countless battles and samples in her own laboratory.
When someone fought to the brink of death and fully unleashed their combat potential, their strength rose to a new level. If they survived repeated brutal battles on the edge