As the four stared at Mark and he stared back, an awkward silence filled the room. Jack broke it by stepping closer to Mark with a wide grin.
"Another member? This is going to be fun! I'm Jack! What's your name?" he asked excitedly.
Mark glanced at him briefly before walking past without a word.
"Ouch… at least act like I exist," Jack muttered under his breath.
Mark surveyed the group, unimpressed. "They all look boring. There's no one exciting—" his thoughts stopped short as his gaze landed on Miwafe and Vanessa. Their appearances caught his attention, Miwafe's elegance and Vanessa's cuteness making him rethink. "I take it back," he said out loud.
The group exchanged confused looks. "Take what back?" Vanessa asked curiously.
Before Mark could respond, Smith's voice echoed from outside the room. "I'd like to apologize for Mark. He's what you'd call… odd."
Mark frowned. "Is that how you introduce me?"
Jack jumped back into the conversation, pointing excitedly. "So your name's Mark!" Then Rin, who had been sitting on the desk, leaned forward.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves since we have a new member," Rin suggested.
Miwafe crossed her arms with a huff. "What's the point?" she said dismissively, but Jack was already standing.
"I'll go first!" he declared. "I'm Jack, 19 years old, from the west side of this region. My ability is kinda like magic. Check this out!"
Jack pulled out a playing card, tapped it, and it instantly doubled in his hand.
"See? I can multiply things I touch. I can do other stuff too, but cards are my specialty," Jack explained proudly.
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Why only cards? Can't you multiply other things?"
Smith chimed in, "If I had to guess, it's because Jack's been using cards his whole life. He's so familiar with them that tapping into their Standz comes naturally. With training, he could apply this to other objects too."
Jack's eyes lit up. "Really? That's awesome!"
Miwafe blushed slightly and stepped forward. "Fine, I'm next—not like I want you to know!" she shouted, her tone sharp but flustered.
Mark winced, covering his ears. "What's with the yelling?"
Miwafe ignored him. "I'm Miwafe Cutki, 19 years old, and single—not like I care if you know!"
Mark, however, wasn't listening. His eyes were glued to her chest, making Miwafe blush furiously. "Hey, stop staring, you pervert!" she yelled, summoning a massive ice boulder above him.
Before Mark could react, it came crashing down, slamming him to the floor. "I'm guessing your ability is ice control," he groaned, clutching his head in pain.
Vanessa rushed to help him up. "Are you okay?" she asked with a warm smile.
Mark winced. "Define 'okay.'"
Vanessa giggled before introducing herself. "I'm Vanessa, 19 years old, from the center of this region—oh wait, that's where we are! Silly me." She stuck out her tongue playfully. "My ability is reading minds."
Intrigued, Mark leaned forward. "Read my mind right now."
"Alright," Vanessa said, focusing. A faint energy surrounded her as she tapped into Mark's thoughts. Her face turned bright red as the image of her in a bikini flashed in her mind.
"Umm…" Vanessa stammered, unable to look at Mark.
"What? What did he think?" Jack and Rin asked eagerly, but Vanessa shook her head, too embarrassed to explain.
Miwafe caught on quickly and glared at Mark. "You pervert!" she yelled, creating an even larger ice boulder.
"Wait, let's talk about this first!" Mark protested, but it was too late. The boulder hit him hard, slamming him into the wall.
"I thought they were newbies," Mark muttered, half-conscious.
Miwafe looked worried for a moment. "Maybe I overdid it…"
Rin chuckled. "Try not to kill him before I explains myself."
Mark slowly stood, shaking off the impact. Rin seized the opportunity to introduce himself.
"Rin Dice, 18 years old, youngest in the group but future leader, obviously," he said confidently. "I'm from the north, and my ability is sand control. Unfortunately, I need sand around to use it, so I can't show you now. But trust me, I'm a prodigy."
Mark, still dizzy, barely registered what Rin said. "You might have to repeat that," Jack joked.
Vanessa stepped in, smiling. "We all introduced ourselves, so it's your turn now, Mark!"
Jack added enthusiastically, "Yeah, show us your Stark!"
Miwafe corrected him with an annoyed look. "It's Standz, not 'stark,' idiot."
Rin and Jack began guessing. "Maybe he's immortal, considering he survived Miwafe's attack," Rin said.
"Laser eyes!" Jack shouted.
Miwafe glared at him. "How is that the first thing that comes to mind?"
Smith, standing outside, looked nervous. I can't let them find out Mark has no Standz… Thinks of something fast!
Before he could intervene, Mark spoke up. "I'm Mark Carter, 19, from the center of this region. My Standz is enhanced physical abilities."
Smith's jaw dropped. "What are you doing?" he thought.
"What do you mean by 'enhanced'?" Rin asked.
Mark explained, "My punches and attacks are ten times stronger than an average human's, and my durability is ten times better too."
Jack whistled. "No wonder you survived double Miwafe attacks!"
Smith quickly pulled Mark out of the room, shutting the door behind them. "What were you thinking?" Smith demanded.
Mark shrugged. "It's true, technically. And if we avoided the question, they'd get suspicious."
Smith sighed, reluctantly impressed. "Alright. That was smart, but we've got a bigger problem. The boss is on his way. This is it—whether you're in or out depends on him."
Mark gave an emotionless look then thought of his family and was determined as they headed to the boss's office, the tension rising with every step.