The unworldly fact dawned on me. The person that I was standing next to was allegedly one of the strongest people on Earth.

I couldn’t grasp that knowledge. How does a person, who looks like they’re fresh out of high school, gain a notorious status like that?

I’m a person who bases things on fact and science. So far, none of those factors were applicable yet.

Did mother nature simply bless these individuals or was it the result of them manipulating their own genome?

But one thing was for certain, the atmosphere coming out of that room felt intense. The nerves had to be affecting me. That was the only explanation for this feeling.

There was some noise coming from the other side of the door; it sounded like normal chatter.

As soon as Jun opened the door, the chatter diminished. Everyone inside looked with curiosity. As expected of course.

A man walked towards us; he bared broad shoulders with a very muscular build that was bleeding through his shirt.

He towered over the both of us.

He facial features looked like your average Vietnam War hero mixed with a World War II veteran. His short and nearly buzzed red hair really sealed the look.

Everything about him screamed masculine. Every breath he took was filled with ferocity.

“You there...”

This was it. This was where I was gonna die.

“Excuse me, I really need to use the bathroom badly.”

Huh.

His whole tone and demeanor just changed drastically.

I looked to my side, and I noticed I was blocking the entrance to the bathroom.

“Yeah, sorry, my bad.”

“Oh god, thank you!” He hurried into the bathroom slamming the door.

That’s not what expected at all.

“I told him not to eat that leftover taco. By the way, who’s the new girl?” A lady on the couch said.

“Alex, this is Mary. I’m tasked with watching her.”

I’d slightly bow.

“Oh, this is the person, I was hearing about.” She stood up to properly introduce herself.

“Hi there, I’m Alexis, but you can just call me Alex. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” I responded by shaking her hand.

What a very fit looking woman. Her muscles were very defined. And her look was clearly inspired by western tomboys.

“Hey, Alex, where’s everybody else at?”

“Are you serious right now...”

Jun shrugged.

“Sigh, anyways. It’s only Chloe, Rev, and I in here. But Chloe went off somewhere not too long ago.”

So, Rev was the big scary guy who ran to bathroom. So far, they seem like normal people.

Are they actually apart of the top ten? I would expect a top ten team to look like people with extraordinary appearances or presence.

Honestly, if I were to see them on the street, they would just look like normal civilians to me.

The bathroom door behind me opened releasing a horrid stench that would make anyone cry.

“Holy crap, I was fighting for my life in there. I suggest not using that bathroom for a couple of hours.”

“Christ Rev, at least spray something after you’re done. Especially when we have a guest here.” Alex reacted.

“It’s fine, it’ll go away after a couple of minutes. Anyways, hi there, I’m Rev. I would shake your hand, but I feel like that would be kind of awkward.”

All I could do was smile awkwardly.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong.”

“So, are you here to become an agent?”

He doesn’t know why I’m here? I guess nobody has told him yet.

“Technically, I’m held captive here until they decided what to do with me.”

Rev’s face looked with astonishment. It was almost as if he wanted to cry.

“Wow, Jun. I didn’t know you were the type of person to kidnap someone.”

“What, no! Zoey and I rescued her from our latest mission, plus she willingly came.”

Rev looked at me for confirmation. I nodded slightly.

“Phew, you had me scared there for a minute. I thought you turned to a life of crime.”

Just like Jun, he’s the bubbly type, or perhaps just a tad bit stupid. You wouldn’t expect this type of persona to come from a guy like him.

As for Alex, she seems like the most normal out of the group so far.

But I can’t say the same for the random lady next to me staring directly at my hair.

image [https://img.wattpad.com/e1f298c23bd412753212bfe21e76ac4faf7fd98b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f542d555438664c667a5f77654d513d3d2d313437303439383237322e313766323765313763343231306162353930303135383236333739322e706e67]

Her short fluffy platinum blonde hair adorned her a shiny white hairband decorated with faint purple lines scattered across it. With her fair skin, she was a natural beauty. Her attire was designed for formality.

Along with her makeup, you really couldn’t ignore her looks. She looked elegant in a way.

“Uhm—.”

“Coconut.”

“Coco-what.”

“Your hair—it smells like coconut. And I absolutely love it, darling!”

She has a British accent!?

“Also, has anyone told you how pretty you are. You need to indulge me with your routine. You look like a magazine model!”

“Uh, I actually get that a lot, or well, used to...”

“Well, clearly, you’re not getting enough of it. Also, I don’t mean to pry, but where do you buy your makeup from? Recently, I’ve been struggling to find anything new.”

To be honest, she doesn’t even need to wear makeup. Her face alone is already overkill.

Another extrovert. Are the rest of the group like this? She seems so caring though, a stellar contrast from Zoey.

Her sphere is so contagious I ended up answering all her questions.

Cough. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Alex mentioned.

“Oh, goodness me, I completely forgot to introduce myself. I’m Chloe, and you must be Mary, correct?”

I see. She already knew who I was from the beginning too.

“I heard quite a bit about you from Zoey.”

“Is that so, ha-ha.”

I really hope she didn’t say anything bad.

“But can I ask you a very serious question?” She whispered to me.

“Y-yeah, sure, what is it?”

“Did your heart flutter when you first saw him?”

“W-what. No! I didn’t even. I-I just met—.”

Chloe busted out laughing as if she was containing herself. Jun confusingly looked at us.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Relax darling, it’s just a bit of banter. You’re even all flustered.”

Who wouldn’t be if you asked a question like that out of the blue.

“Hey, Chloe, do have any idea where the others are? Apparently, they haven’t showed up here yet.”

“They’re all out overseas right now. I believe they’re dealing with a Code E breach again.”

“Huh, how come no one mentioned this to me!?”

“We did... For a week straight actually. You just never listen.” Rev answered.

“Really... Well then, my bad.”

“Sometimes I worry about you, Jun.” Alex added.

Jun covered his dumbfounded face in embarrassment.

I’m still shocked that he’s their group leader. The world never ceases to surprise me.

Jun would do a disappointing sigh. He seemed bummed about me not meeting the rest of the team.

Although I feel bad, I’m a little glad I didn’t meet the full force all at once. I don’t think my heart could handle any more pressure like that.

“I guess we’ll just wait here until they come back.”

“Well, that’s boring, how about you come with us to the training facility. I was planning on sparing with Chloe.”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea. You’re already giving her a tour, you might as well, darling.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Whatcha say, miss popular?”

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

“Then it’s set! You coming along, Rev?” Alex continued.

“Can’t. There’s a sale at the market today, and you know how I am about my sales. Maybe next time.”

A muscle head, but surprisingly a down-to-earth person. Him and my uncle would get along.

“Ah, you’re right, huh? Well, we’ll see you later then.”

We all waved him off as we started to make our way towards the facility.

This part of the building was filled to brim with people training.

“Everyday people come here with one goal in mind.”

“And what’s that?”

“To rank up of course. The higher the rank, the better the missions. They also all strive to be a part of the top ten. That’s the reason that pretty much drives everyone here, but only official agents have access to this place.”

“Wouldn’t that cause some type of hierarchy or some sort of social disparity?”

“Nope, but I don’t blame you for thinking that. I mean foremost we keep everybody in check by setting a good example. They all look up to us. Plus, whenever we do get bad apples, we just put them right back in their place.”

Jun explanations made sense in theory, but I know somewhere behind the scenes there’s people getting put down because of another person’s rank.

It sucks.

“Are you worried about the lower ranks, darling?”

“Well, I’m just thinking about this realistically.”

“You know, it’s not bad to just say yes.”

Chloe slightly chuckled at me.

“But you seriously don’t have to worry about it. When Jun said we put the wankers in their place. We actually mean it.”

“How can you even keep track of so many people? It seems impossible.”

“Well, that’s the thing. We always defy the word: impossible.”

Sigh, I don’t get it. I just can’t seem to understand them. Using logic doesn’t seem to apply to them. Oh well.

“I got to admit, this place is massive. There are so many things happening at once. I’m having trouble keeping up.”

“Well, of course, we trained every aspect of our bodies here. Speed, strength, agility, cognitive thinking, and a plethora of other stuff.”

“Oh, I see...”

“But if you think this is crazy... You should see Chloe when she’s drunk. She’s practically an animal.”

“Excuse me, I am not!”

Alex gave her reassuring pat on the back. It’s okay.

“Wait, am I actually? Don’t leave me in the dark like this.”

The sounds of swords and guns clanking and ricocheting off of everything was loud. These people are really giving their all. All for the merits of gaining notoriety and missions that could lead them to their death.

We started to slow down the pace, I assume we were at the place. The doors opened after scanning Jun’s eye. It led to a massive white room with a single command console on the inside.

A big metal door painted white stood between us and the area where the sparing would take place. To best describe this place, it looked straight out of a sci-fi film.

I couldn’t help but notice that there wasn’t any weapons or training material in here.

Was it going to be hand to hand combat?

Jun was stood behind the console pressing buttons that I had no idea what their functions were for.

“So, what place do wanna be set in this time, darling?”

“Hm, how about the airport. It should be a good place to try out my new moves.”

“Alright. Did you hear that Jun!?”

Jun responded by giving a thumbs up.

An airport?

The metal door suddenly opened, and the two went inside, locking from behind.

At our side, there was a huge screen that lowered from the ceiling showing everything happening on the inside.

I was shocked. They were legitimately inside of an airport terminal.

“You’re probably wondering how this works, right?”

“I mean, yeah. How is this even possible? Is it like a hologram?”

“...Hm, sort of. It’s more like an advance version of a hologram. It’s all thanks to nano technology. That room is practically a block of nanos waiting to be activated.”

“Okay, but how does that explain the size increase. I saw a glimpse of the inside, it didn’t look that big.”

“Honestly, I’m not too sure about that. I’m not so good with the technology shit that goes around here. If you’re really curious about it, you can ask Zoey. She’s the one who knows a lot about all the inner works of the place. She’s like a feisty little nerd.”

“Sigh, I don’t think she’ll be willing to tell me about that. Let alone talk to me at all.”

“...Pfft, she’ll come around eventually.”

“Sigh, I hope you’re right.”

The two of them were staring at one another waiting for the start signal. They looked to be about ninety-five meters away from one another. Alex had a serious demeanor, whilst Chloe looked calm and confident.

A few seconds before the timer hit zero their weapons appeared out of thin air. It looked almost like magic.

“What the...”

“Oh that? You can also thank our nano technology for that. Instead of carrying our weapons around all the time, we wear these invisible bracelets that forge our weapons for us. It also holds all our gadgets as well. See.”

Jun swiped his finger across his wrist revealing a holographic screen. It had a huge number of options to choose from, so many that I couldn’t read them all.

“Wow...”

“Sometimes it still mind blows me how advance this is. Looks straight out of a sci-movie, right?’

He smiled at me afterwards.

As I glanced back at the screen again, I noticed the weapons the two of them were using.

Chloe had a glossy white rapier with its guard covered in gold flowers. Alex was accompanied by only a... hammer.

“Oh my, I see that you’re using a new stance.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working on some new techniques recently. I’ve been eager to test them on someone.”

“Well, you’re with just the right person for that. You ready, darling? We must entertain our honored guest.”

“Whenever you are.”

Chloe smiled. Positioning herself to a ready stance followed by Alex.

“Get ready to see a show, Mary.” Jun said.

I glanced at him then diverted my eyes back to the screen. For some odd reason, I felt somewhat anxious. I was eager to see this fight.

Before I could finish my thought, the timer hit zero and a light flashed green.

In half a second, Chloe managed to turn a ninety-five-meter distance into an arm’s length distance. That speed was inhuman. You could describe it as if she teleported, a guess that wouldn’t be so farfetched.

What was even more impressive, Alex had parried Chloe’s rapier using the claw of her hammer. She even predicted a counter-riposte. The fluidity of her defense was breathtaking.

I’ve seen you do that same dash plenty of times, Chloe, at this point, parrying it is second nature to me. I’ve already adapted to your style.

You would blitz your opponents with your outrageous speeds, crippling their initial stance, followed by an immediate response. You turn it into a never-ending cycle of punishment. It’s a match-made in heaven, a rapier requires the swordsman to use their full body weight, and when paired with your speed, the hit becomes absolute. You could classify it as cheating.

But that only works when your opponent can’t adapt fast enough to you. And there’s always a point when it becomes predictable.

—Alex, using her hammer, bounced it on the marble floor with such force, it created a wall of dust and debris providing her temporary cover from Chloe. It even helped her to temporarily stagger Chloe’s movement.

“Alex may have an unconventional weapon, but she makes that up with great use of her surroundings. With a small weapon like that you must be able to make split second decisions on the spot. Alex’s adaptability and unorthodox use of her weapon is what makes her one of the most technical agents on our team. She also makes great use of her brute strength.”

The force of that strike affected my movements drastically. Which way was I looking at? This smoke screen is causing me to be disorientated. I couldn’t sense her presence at all. Not a trace of activity could be read. Unless she’s—!

“Too late, Chloe. I’m already in front of you.”

Chloe had an expression of disbelief and shock, as Alex grabbed her arm pulling her torso straight towards her fist. The first blow had knocked Chloe back dozens of feet, but her airtime was continued with an immediate strike of Alex’s hammer which she had kicked directly at her. The sound of Chloe crashing into the wall echoed down the terminal.

“She created a blind spot using the smoke screen she previously created. She figured out that Chloe relies heavily on her speed and visibility, so she responded by dealing with those two issues. Thus, punishing her in the process. She played this beautifully.”

“So, that means she won this, right?”

“But... Chloe still has complete control over the battle.”

“Wait, what do you mean? How—.”

In that single moment, what Alex had failed to grasp what was finally coming into fruition. Neither she nor I could have seen this coming. Chloe had revealed her true goal; the release of Alex’s guard and the sign of underestimating her opponent.

Trying to understand the speed was negligible. She was launched hundreds of meters away, yet there she was. The blade was centimeters away from Alex’s shoulder, although she managed to somewhat react to Chloe’s attack. Unbeknownst to her, it was a bluff.

Chloe shifted her location from the front to the back of Alex. Catered in such a swift motion, you were able to slightly see her afterimage.

A heavy breath alluded out of Chloe, every fiber of muscle in her body relaxed to idle. Her swordsmanship really shined in this moment. All I could do was watch in awe.

“Secret Technique Number Eight: ...”

Alex eyes widened to the realization of what was about to happen.

“Shit!”

“Vent de glace.”

She halted her blade at the very tip of Alex’s peach fuzz. A massive gust of wind followed suit, the surrounding objects around them were instantly blown away. Tiny crystals of ice scattered in the air and freezing a small part of Alex’s neck on the right side.

Stood in front of them was the complex crater on the wall where she thrusted her rapier. The entire wall was covered in ice. Her attack must’ve cooled the air to such a degree that it caused frost to form.

Alex dropped to her knees in complete silence. Her eyes gaped open staring at the wall. It was clear that Chloe won the fight.

Chloe diverted her attention towards the camera where Jun and I were watching from.

She gave a kind-hearted smile.

Afterwards, she turned her attention back to Alex who was sat there completely defeated.

“Sigh, I honestly thought I had you this time. But I guess not. The gap between us is still too big.”

Chloe leaned forward against Alex’s head.

“Well, that’s okay. I could tell that you’ve gotten stronger, darling.”

“Are you sure? To me it looks like the exact same result as the previous times we’ve spared.”

“Hm, I disagree, because look,” She pointed towards her hammer, “You’re still holding onto it, and that’s the first time you’ve done that.”

Alex laughed at Chloe’s observation.

“I guess you’re right, huh?”

“Well, I’m always right, darling. You should know this by now.”

“But rest assured, next time, I will beat you.”

Chloe smiled. “I’ll be waiting then.”

End of simulation. The console announced.

“So, how do you feel after seeing all that?”

“Well, it was pretty exciting. Crazy to be honest.”

“Oh, what happened to you logically trying to figure things out?” Jun teased.

“And what happened to you all being just humans? That entire fight defied every law of physics”

He jokingly shrugged at me.

“Really? It looked completely normal to me.”

“Well, it still doesn’t make sense, but I can still be amazed by what I saw...”

Jun smirkingly grinned at me.

I instinctively looked away. I looked towards the door that was slowly opening for them.

Jun skipped over to them who looked like they’ve been hit by a train and began his usual teasing.

These people, I still don’t understand them. Nothing about them screams human, they fit every criteria for a supernatural movie.

But on the other hand, all I see is just a ragtag of weirdos. Which in my old daily life, I would stay very far from, but right now, they don’t seem so bad.

In the distance, I noticed Rev and Zoey staring at us through a series of windows at the very top of the room.

I gave them a friendly wave.

Rev waved back, while Zoey gave a look of disgust and walked off.

Sigh looks like she still doesn’t approve of me.

“Hey, darling, come over here! I want to show you something!”

“Coming!”