Pre-mission Planning

Snapping out of the mesmerizing sight, the team proceeded to submerge themselves in the pods.

After they had done so, the stars in the ball blinked as each of them found themselves falling asleep.

Lance woke up in a blank white space. It reminded him of the scene in the Matrix where they loaded stocked up on guns.

As he looked around, he found that his teammates were also present. The last thing he remembered was passing the test. After that, everything seemed to be a blur.

In front of each of them, a floating screen came into existence. On it were the words:

"Welcome to your first Initiation Mission. In roughly half an hour, you will be transported into the labyrinth that exists below the Pentagon. Your mission is to find the notes on the experiments of the famous scientist, Nikola Tesla. The mission key is a dossier that contains these notes. Any one of your team touching the dossier will result in immediate passing of the mission and teleportation out of the location.

Items provided:

1xBarrier. This will protect you from gunshots when worn. Roughly 100 bullets from assault rifles can be blocked by the barrier before it loses effect.

1xExit Key. Crushing this talisman will result in immediate teleportation out of the mission location. You will still pass if your teammate obtains the mission key.

Please remember that death is possible in the mission."

The message ended with these chilling words.

Lance felt at his waist to find a small pouch with two items inside: a small shiny ball the size of his nail with a chain around it and a round red pendant adorned with a few gems.

After he was done reading, he observed the two new additions to once again feel afraid seeing the familiar Yu Yan there.

A similar conversation ensued. Lance had a feeling of deja vu throughout as Yu Ying seemed to be oblivious to their location and said similar things, such as Yu Yan's care for stray dogs and cats.

Yu Yan's apology shocked Lance a bit, but their conversation was cut short as a giant timer appeared above their heads.

Seeing the timer, Darius got a serious look on his face as he said:"We don't have much time. From the seniors, I know that each and every mission will put us in situations that will require us syncing our INs to full effect. Let us use this time to figure out some strategies. I am "Gaia" Darius. My IN is earth. Depending on the distance between the earth and me, my power is amplified to a certain degree. For now I only have two abilities: increased strength and gravity manipulation. As for the latter, I can only double the gravity in an area of 10 feet around me. State each of your intrinsic natures so that we can start planning."

No one complained seeing Darius taking the lead. Apart from being famous, Darius had the natural ability of a leader with his calm demeanor and tactical planning.

"I am "Spring" Entsy. After a short pause, I can either accelerate rapidly or kick with a force of 1500 kg. I can also jump on surfaces increasing momentum before unleashing a kick.", said Entsy, stoic as always.

Hearing these two, Lance was amazed. He knew that they were strong, but didn't know that they had such fantastical abilities. He was even slightly envious.

He punched Entsy in the shoulder, saying, "Damn Entsy! 1500 kg! That means you are stronger than all of the initiates right?"

"Kicking once will result in my leg bones breaking.", answered Entsy, opting to look into the distance.

There was a silence after hearing this.