Chapter 10: New Member
A week had passed since the wave of change swept over every living creature on Earth. Experts had dubbed the phenomenon the Tide, describing it as something that washed over them — some said it was like a gentle breeze, others say like a suffocating, wet fog.
World leaders quickly realized that it wasn't just humans affected by the Tide — animals across the globe were changing too. In just the past week, seven ships had sunk, making ocean travel a dangerous gamble, as even the great whales had begun attacking vessels. Thankfully, no plane crashes had occurred yet, likely because birds didn't see planes as prey or threats.
Listening to the news in the background, Robert flipped open one of the many files on his desk. His eyes scanned the header: Division 0 — Wist City Branch.
He turned the pages, reading the first page:
Division 0 — Wist City was established in collaboration with the Wist City Police Department.
Current members: 15.
Structure: Two squads — North and South.
Division 0 — North Squad
Leader: Oliver Stun
Rank: Sergeant, Wist City Police Department
Ability: Rock Armor
Ability Explanation: Oliver can cover himself with rocks and dirt, dramatically boosting his defense, capable of shrugging bullets from low caliber firearms. Despite the heavy armor, he shows no issues with mobility or vision, indicating the transformation is magical in nature. However, his overall weight does increase.
Psychological Profile: Oliver Stun is described as just but arrogant. Observers note deep-seated insecurities stemming from accusations of nepotism, being the son of a high-ranking official. Analysts conclude that his "Rock Armor" Ability symbolically reflects his need to shield himself from criticism and perceived incompetence.
Robert skimmed through the profiles of the North Squad members but found nothing particularly noteworthy.
He turned to the next section.
Division 0 — South Squad
Leader: Bethany Green
Rank: Sergeant, Wist City Police Department
Ability: Homing Projectiles
Ability Explanation: Beth can "enchant" projectiles — bullets, stones, darts — causing them to unfailingly home in on targets she can see. Projectiles can curve mid-flight, weaving through obstacles. The enchantment lasts only for a few seconds, requiring frequent reapplication. The largest projectile she can affect is about 20 centimeters — roughly the size of a throwing dart.
Psychological Profile: According to past incident reports, Bethany once led a failed hostage rescue where an assigned sniper missed a critical shot. The failure deeply affected her, leaving her with lingering depression. Analysts suggest that her Ability reflects her subconscious desire to eliminate such failures in the future.
Interesting, Robert thought, flipping to the profiles of her squad members.
He snorted at one entry:
Ability: Mastery
Ability Explanation: Subject can instantly master any hand-to-hand martial art — from boxing to MMA — within seconds. However, if given a sparring knife or any weapon, his proficiency plummets to that of a complete novice. His Ability is strictly limited to unarmed combat.
Robert skimmed through the remaining profiles. One member had a healing Ability, but it only worked on himself. Losing interest, Robert closed the folder and stamped it with a PASS mark.
Our members with Abilities are still too few, Robert thought grimly.
Once three months have passed, the war will continue. And I can already see it becoming even more chaotic than before.
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Division 0 - Wist City Branch Building
Sarah followed Beth through the front doors. The receptionist greeted them, and they returned it with brief nods. They climbed the stairs in silence, Sarah trailing quietly behind.
Beth opened a door at the end of the hall, stepping into a lively scene.
Inside, a muscular man was lifting a heavy barbell, sweat dripping down his face, while another man stood close by, spotting him with a hand ready under the weight. Off to the side, a lazy-looking man munched on chips, observing the two lifters. Separately, another man sat at a desk, rapidly typing away on a laptop.
A young woman emerged timidly from the restroom, her blonde hair tied in a loose ponytail. Upon seeing Beth, she snapped a nervous salute.
"Good morning, Ma'am Beth!" she blurted.
Beth waved her off. "At ease, Tia. We're a squad, not the military. And drop the Ma'am."
Tia flushed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
Beth clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Listen up! We've got an assignment in an hour. This is Sarah, the member of our team who was unavailable due to being hospitalized. Adam, help her get familiar with everyone."
Beth then sauntered into her office, leaving Adam to take over.
He greeted Sarah with a warm smile. "You're finally discharged. You've missed a lot." He began introducing her to everyone, including the other newest member, Tia.
"H-hi, I'm Tia," she stammered. "My ability is... um, I can summon a tiger."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. A summoner? she thought.
Jackie whistled playfully. "I haven't seen your tiger yet, Tia. Why don't you summon it now?"
Tia flailed her arms in panic. "U-um, actually, this place isn't l-large enough! Tiggy's a bit... playful." She shrank back, embarrassed.
Adam leaned in with interest. "Your summon is conscious?"
"I—I don't really know," Tia admitted. "But Tiggy feels... alive sometimes. He's like a big cat."
Now, everyone was paying close attention.
Jackie turned to Sarah with a grin. "What about you, girl? What can you do?"
Sarah shot him an annoyed look. "I can make flames around my body... and make them explode."
She demonstrated, summoning flames that twirled around her arm.
Adam instinctively tensed, but Sarah noticed and quickly reassured him, "Relax. I can control it now. The flames won't explode unless I want them to."
She then snuffed them out with a snap of her fingers.
Jackie chuckled. "Say, you guys wanna show off your powers in the basement?"
Adam blinked. We have a basement?
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There really was a basement, Adam thought in amazement. It was massive, obviously a renovated part of the old sewer system. Practice weapons, a shooting range, training dummies, and a huge open space dominated the area.
Jackie waved Tia forward. "Come on, let's see Tiggy!"
Tia stepped up nervously. "D-don't panic!" she warned.
Stretching out her hands, a large white tiger materialized before them. It had a surreal appearance—part realistic, part painted, like something out of an ancient Axia Dynasty artwork.
"I only saw real t-tigers once... at Happy Smile Zoo," Tia explained shyly.
The tiger was massive, nearly three meters long, muscles rippling under its fur.
Adam narrowed his eyes. Stronger than the bear. I wouldn't be able to beat it.
Tia walked up and gently petted Tiggy, who responded with a deep, contented purr.
Jackie let out a low whistle. "Damn, it's purring. It might really be conscious."
Arnold stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Sentient summons... as an Ability..."
Sarah studied Tiggy seriously. "It's strong."
Peter, unfazed, continued typing on his laptop in the corner, only occasionally glancing at the tiger.
Jackie smirked at Adam. "Say, wanna fight it?"
Adam's eyes widened. Tia, panicking, frantically waved her arms. "N-no! I can't control Tiggy very well!"
Jackie laughed. "Relax. He's the last guy here who'd actually die."
Sarah turned to Adam, serious. "Can you beat it?"
"No," Adam answered bluntly.
Suddenly, Beth's voice called from behind them. "Try it."
Adam looked back, surprised.
Beth spoke again, calmly. "Try it. We need to learn more about how sentient summons work. But don't push yourself. If it's too much, I'll stop it immediately."
Adam nodded. "Alright."
Tia continued to panic. "Miss Beth, it's dangerous!"
Beth just shrugged. "It's fine. He can't die."
Everyone cleared out, giving space for Adam and Tiggy in the center of the arena.
Jackie shouted from the sidelines, "What weapon do you want?"
Adam thought for a second. "Something sharp."
Moments later, Jackie tossed him a military knife.
Adam caught it, looking at it with familiarity, then back at Jackie.
Jackie only shrugged. "Training weapons here are all blunt. That's Beth's knife. Don't break it."
Beth added, "Do your best."
Adam nodded, gripping the knife tightly. He turned to Tia.
"I'm ready. We can start now."
Tia trembled but gave the order. "O-okay! Tiggy, a-attack him! But don't kill him!"