When Jordan Evans opened his eyes, the tamed magnetic field had become an extension of his senses. Every change across Z City registered in his awareness, a living map overlaid on his consciousness.
Saitama was in there too. The hero searched rooftops and alleyways for a monster that didn't exist, having just saved a family of strangers from a car accident.
Watching him, Jordan felt a pang of shame. A simple ability test had caused city-wide chaos.
Next time, he'd go to the mountains. The cities in this world already struggled against an endless tide of monsters and disasters. When Demon-level threats appeared, entire districts faced potential destruction.
Accidentally wiping one off the map through carelessness wouldn't be worth it.
Pulling his thoughts back from the previous chaos, Jordan realized something unexpected.
He'd accidentally developed a new ability.
"Psychic power" plus "electromagnetic perception" equals...
Or perhaps it had a more familiar name: Observation Haki.
The psychic version, anyway.
From the moment he'd activated Magnet Release, he'd leapfrogged from controlling magnetism to mastering electromagnetic fields. He'd developed a telekinetic variant of the "Mind Network" in one jump. Even Jordan found it somewhat ridiculous.
Then again, considering his advantages, maybe it made sense.
Transmigrator knowledge. Mastery of psychic power as a Stand user. Superpower talent accidentally maxed out by Tatsumaki's SSR card. With accumulated experience and instinctive understanding, skipping the basic application stage of electromagnetic abilities wasn't unreasonable.
Could transmigrators really be accused of cheating when they were born with the cheat codes?
The changes from Magnet Release extended beyond Mind Network.
Previously, "Spider Static Electricity" only controlled bioelectric charge within his body. Now, thanks to his rapidly expanding biomagnetic field, its effective range had exploded outward. Even without the ability boost from the Kennen character card, Jordan could manipulate the almost endless positive and negative charges in the world to generate massive voltage and form lightning that affected weather patterns.
And that was just the most basic application of electromagnetism.
Since transmigrating, Jordan had always insisted that his original body's power was fundamental. Abilities granted by character cards were useful, certainly, but they were always separated by an insurmountable barrier. They ultimately weren't his own strength.
That's why he'd walked the path of self-strengthening, turning all external forces into nourishment for growth.
The stronger you became, the more you realized the importance of fundamentals.
That's why, after a month and a half in this world, he'd been able to defeat a Demon-level monster.
That's why, after receiving Tatsumaki's talent, he could use it seamlessly, transforming top-tier superpowers into immediate combat power.
That's why a single seed of chakra could grow into a towering tree overnight.
In truth, the Kennen character card that had accompanied Jordan for so long no longer served much purpose. Rigid skill applications only created habitual thinking patterns, obstacles on the road to developing his own abilities.
As for "Slicing Maelstrom," the ultimate technique unique to Kennen's card, it wasn't essential anymore. Not when Jordan could generate storms of his own.
Decision made.
"F-boy. Remove the character card."
A large pale purple hand with distinct veins emerged from the void. It reached straight into Jordan's chest and withdrew holding a purple card. The uninstall process was simple and brutal.
As F-boy's right hand vanished back into thin air, Kennen - Heart of the Tempest officially retired.
A gap appeared in the metaphorical bucket representing lightning in Jordan's power set. But Magnet Release immediately filled it, the hole sealing over.
It felt like shedding invisible weight. Instead of decreasing, his strength increased.
Not that the card had lost value. He couldn't use it personally anymore, but he could gift it to someone else. For now, it would rest in his deck, waiting for a destined recipient.
Given to the right person, creating a future S-Class wasn't impossible.
Multiple potential development paths bloomed in Jordan's mind. He was eager to test them. But the city beneath his feet simply couldn't withstand experimentation from a superhuman of his level.
The magnetic field enveloping Z City dissipated as he withdrew his power.
The next morning.
Anzu arrived at the police station early, as usual.
Night shift officers in the duty room struggled against drowsiness, eyelids drooping despite their best efforts. But when that young, energetic figure passed by, uniform accentuating her athletic grace, exhaustion vanished. Only silent admiration remained, tears of appreciation threatening to spill.
Deputy Section Chief Anzu was the best.
Since gaining superpowers, her energy levels had skyrocketed. She visited the bureau's training grounds and private gym daily, working up enough sweat to burn off the excess vitality thrumming through her system.
With her current strength, speed, stamina, and reflexes, ordinary people weren't remotely her match.
The police officers and coaches serving as her sparring partners found this rather challenging.
Headquarters was supposedly preparing to distribute a batch of independently developed high-powered energy weapons soon. Z City was among the first pilot cities. Anzu strongly suspected this batch was the same equipment the Section Chief had donated previously, but it didn't matter. She was already eager to test them. Once weapons arrived, she'd apply to become the Special Affairs Section's second field officer.
Beyond physical transformation, Anzu's work capabilities had improved dramatically. Tasks that once seemed troublesome and complex now yielded their key points easily. Since the Section's establishment, not a single case had gone unsolved under her watch. Even old cases transferred from other departments fell before the Deputy Section Chief's newfound analytical prowess.
The sense of accomplishment overflowed daily. Dark circles from forced late nights had faded. The former young policewoman now radiated mature confidence and charm. If not for professional discipline, colleagues would've lined up to the Director's office requesting transfers to Special Affairs.
Anzu rummaged through her bag for office keys. But the door, slightly ajar, swung open at her touch.
She froze.
A tall figure sat at her desk. A figure that absolutely should not be there at this hour.
Her first thought was hallucination.
"Section Chief?"
"Good morning." Jordan glanced up as the policewoman rubbed her eyes in a decidedly unladylike manner. He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Surprised to see me?"
"Good morning..." Anzu's smile brightened, rivaling the sunrise streaming through the window. "A bit! Section Chief, shouldn't you be wearing casual clothes and casually strolling around to clock in during work hours?"
"Such blatant slander of your superior will get you in trouble, Deputy Chief Anzu." Jordan's tone was dry as he watched his subordinate grin and act cute. "You wouldn't want a fresh breakfast placed in front of you that you can only look at but not eat, would you?"
He snapped his fingers.
The idle desk erupted with food. Yogurt, coffee, bread, eggs, a variety of steaming pastries. The dazzling array made mouths water. The air filled with tempting aromas.