I slid into the backseat of the car, sitting between the two ladies.
I looked again at the guy who had dealt with the body. He flicked his fingers, and the white wolf vanished into thin air. Then he walked to the front seat and settled beside the driver.
The car started moving and rode off.
"So… what were you doing out there on the road?" he asked, glancing at me.
"I was—" I began to speak, but he cut me off before I could finish.
"By the way, I'm Damian. This is Theai." He nodded toward the green-haired lady beside me, then glanced at the one sitting by the window. "And that's our Vice Captain, Margaret."
"It's so nice to meet you," Theai said politely.
Margaret, on the other hand, gave a gentle smile and turned her eyes back to the window.
"First time seeing a monster up close?" Damian asked, a smirk forming at his lips.
"I… I've only seen them on television news," I admitted, my voice hesitant. "But seeing one up close… was terrifying."
Damian chuckled softly. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it. Just… don't let it get in your head."
I nodded, still thinking about the incident earlier.
After a few minutes of driving off the road, the car stopped in front of a tall glass building with a small concrete stairway.
"This is it," Damian said as he got out of the car.
I followed him.
The car drove to the parking area in the left corner of the building.
"Captain Edmund is looking for you, you know," Damian said, glancing at me.
"We were about to pick you up from the hospital. Why did you go out? Are you really okay now?" Theai asked, scanning me from head to toe.
"Yeah, I'm fine now," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
We walked up the concrete stairs and reached the two glass doors, a logo of the Sentinel Extermination Corps displayed in the center.
Inside, the building was neat and clean. I looked around, taking in the surroundings.
On the right side, another glass door led to a room where many people worked at computers. Some were talking to clients, while others focused on their own tasks.
I followed them as we moved forward.
The receptionist at the front desk smiled and gave a slight bow. Damian signed something on the desk, then walked toward the elevator ahead.
We stepped inside the elevator.
"We're heading to our office room. That's where the Captain is waiting," Damian said, glancing at me.
Margaret pressed the button for the 3rd floor, even though the building had seven floors.
When the elevator doors opened on the 3rd floor, we stepped out. Directly ahead stood a wooden door marked with a symbol different from the Corps' design.
Beside the door was a fingerprint scanner.
Theai leaned closer to me and whispered, "That's our squad symbol."
I just nodded and gave a small smile.
Damian opened the door, and we stepped inside.
The room was large, with three sofas arranged around a table in the middle. Bookshelves lined both sides. A flat-screen TV stood on the wall near the entrance. In the far corner of the office, a man sat in his chair, feet resting on his desk and flipping through a newspaper.
"Captain Edmund!" Damian waved as he walked closer.
"Ah! There you are!" The guy folded his newspaper and strolled in, a friendly grin spreading across his face.
"We've brought Ezekiel," Damian said, dropping onto one of the sofas.
"I see. You must be Ezekiel." The Captain stepped toward me and held out his hand, a small smile playing on his lips.
I shook it, feeling his grip firm.
His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I frowned, trying to remember.
"I know I'm pretty good-looking," Captain Edmund said with a wink, holding up a peace sign near his face. "You don't have to stare that long."
I blinked and pulled my hand back, my confused expression slowly turning to disgust.
"First, you need to change your shirt. It has some blood on it," he said, pointing at me with a finger.
I looked down and realized he was right. I should have borrowed Isaiah's clothes. "I didn't bring a change," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck.
"Don't worry. You can borrow my favorite shirt." He turned and walked to his desk, rifling through a handbag, then held up a neatly folded shirt with a grin.
My face was shocked at the design of the shirt.
It was a black shirt, and the design on it read "I love you" with a finger heart.
"Here you go. Just change in the corner by the bookshelf," he said, tossing me the shirt.
"Thanks!" I said, forcing an awkward smile and catching the shirt to my chest.
I darted to the left corner by the bookshelf and slipped into the shirt, tugging at the sleeves to make it fit.
"Their Captain is a weirdo," I whispered to myself, shaking my head as I adjusted the shirt
Once I was done, I walked back to them.
"Wow, look at you! You can keep it," he said, slouching back slightly on the sofa with a wide grin.
"No, I'll return it," I said, holding the shirt out and wrinkling my nose.
"First, we're going to unlock some of your abilities and skills. Follow us to the Neural Activation Room," he said, turning toward the door and motioning for me to follow. "It's a special room with a pod and machines. You'll wear a neural headset that links your brain to the computer system."
"Alright, let's head to the Neural Activation Room," Damian said, stretching his arms.
Everyone stood up from their sofas and started walking out of the office room. I followed them.
We walked down the hall and headed toward the elevator.
"Which floor is it on?" I asked as I stepped inside.
"7th floor," Damian replied, pressing the button. "It's the most secure floor for experiments and activations."
The elevator moved with a soft hum, ringing as it went up.
When the elevator opened, we stepped out into a quiet hallway. At the end of the hall was a secure metal door with a small keypad and a glowing panel.
"Here it is," Captain Edmund said, walking ahead and entering his access code. The door slid open.
Inside, the Neural Activation Room looked futuristic. Six pods were in the center, surrounded by machines with wires and monitors.
"This is where your System will be fully activated," Captain Edmund explained, gesturing toward the pod. "You'll wear the neural wires, which link your brain directly to the machines."
I swallowed nervously, looking at the pod and the equipment.
"Don't worry, it's safe," Theai said, patting my shoulder. "Just follow their instructions and you'll be fine."
"You must be Ezekiel!" A man stepped in front of me, gave me a quick look, and shook my hand.
"Let's get your System activated," he said, turning toward the pods and gesturing with his hand. "Just lie down on one of them."
I walked over and slowly lay down on one of them. He picked up the neural wires and carefully placed them over my head, adjusting the sides until they felt tight but comfortable.
Once he was done, he moved to the computer nearby and began tapping on the screen.
A few seconds passed before I felt something strange. A sudden surge spread inside my head.
"Relax," the man said calmly, his eyes fixed on the monitor. "Try to feel your Magic Core."
"Magic Core?" I asked, my brows raised in confusion.
He paused for a moment, then spoke while still working. "It's a kind of artifact. It's important to the Corps because we use it to create Systems. There are usually seven different types of Magic Cores."
He glanced at me briefly before looking back at the screen.
"We extracted and infused one for you. You were compatible with a Nexus Core, one of the strongest cores, ever since the day you were hit by a car."
"Wait… what?" My eyes widened as I tried to process his words.
He tapped a few more keys, then nodded to himself. "You're officially an Agent of the Sentinel Extermination Corps now."
A soft mechanical hum filled the room. The machines around the pod lit up, and a tingling sensation spread through my head as something connected deep inside my mind.
[Establishing Neural Circuits…]
[Synchronizing Nexus Core…]
[Linking Sorcerer System…]
[Initializing Skills and Abilities...]
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ 12%
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ 27%
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ 54%
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ 86%
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ 100%
[Sorcerer System Fully Online]