This Is Not the Life That I Imagined

In his journey to the BMI, John pondered, 'Crap, I forgot to ask why "Special Investigation Bureau" is written on the BMI from the outside. I'll inquire when I get the chance.'

Arriving at the BMI at 8:41, John approached from the front gate. A swift swipe of his watch/ID and the metallic gate opened. After parking his car, he headed to the side door, the same one he exited from before.

Entering the building, confusion clouded John's mind. "So, I'm here now. Where in God's name should I go?" He opened the watch screen, navigated to the colleague list, and selected Mentor Quinn.

(Calling Mentor Quinn…)

A holographic image of Quinn, sipping coffee, appeared on the watch. "John, what's up?"

"Sir, I'm in the BMI building right now. Where should I go?"

Quinn responded, "Your task got updated. Click on it, and it will navigate you to the training place. Anything else?"

Relieved, John replied, "Thank you, Sir. That's it."

"Ok," Quinn said, hanging up.

Opening 'tasks' (Task: go to the gym. Click to navigate), John moved as instructed, finding himself in front of a door marked 'Small GYM.'

Entering, he encountered a vast space filled with various exercise equipment, some familiar, others mysterious. A nearly transparent glass wall led to a vast field. The gym, for now, was empty. John noted with amusement how the gym's design looked like it belonged in a futuristic movie.

John found a spot, sat down, and checked the time on his phone (08:50 AM). The door swung open, revealing a teenager with a backpack almost identical to John's.

"Woah, this is not a small gym."

John rose, extending a hand. "Hello, I'm John Howard. Nice to meet you."

"I thought I was the first here. I'm Toby Lyons." Toby shook John's hand with enthusiasm that was impossible to miss.

After initial greetings, John asked, "How do you feel about the monsters, talents, and all that? For me, it's surreal."

Toby, brimming with excitement, replied, "It's freaking awesome, dude. I never thought I'd be a hero with superpowers. The first time I used my power, I thought I'd live in the dark to serve the light. But now, with others like me, going in teams to kill monsters... it's so exciting just thinking about it."

Internally face-palming, John nodded along, thinking, 'What an enthusiastic kid. I'm here dreading the next monster, and he wants to fight more. Good Lord, I'm not optimistic about where this is going.'

As they conversed, the door opened again, revealing a youth with a frowning face. Toby enthusiastically introduced himself, but the youth, Maxwell Ballard, merely stated his name and took a seat.

Trying to break the awkwardness, John chuckled, "What's your code name, by the way? Mine is Ordinary-Sleuth."

Toby proudly displayed a flame on his palm. "Fervent-Enkindler."

Maxwell, in a soft tone, said, "Solid-Warden," before checking his phone (8:59 AM).

A cough diverted their attention to Quinn, who appeared with a stern face. "Welcome to your new life. Stand before me straight."

The atmosphere shifted as the three aligned, waiting for Quinn to continue. "You only fought a level 1 monster. Your basic stats—STR, AGL, INT, VIT, and FLX—are your foundation. With them, your talent becomes better. In the next period, I'll be responsible for your training. You won't leave this building until your next task. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," they shouted.

Quinn nodded. "State your basic stats. Toby, you start."

Toby: "STR: 9, AGL: 9, FLX: 7, VIT: 7, INT: 11"

John: "STR: 9, AGL: 6, FLX: 5, VIT: 10, INT: 9"

Maxwell: "STR: 12, AGL: 8, FLX: 6, VIT: 9, INT: 8"

Quinn clarified, "To avoid any confusion in the future you need to know, intelligence (INT) attribute does not make you smarter. It develops your brain to use your talent better, and it differs from talent to another."

Quinn paused as he looked at their faces, one of excitement, another with apprehension, and the last with nonchalance. He continued, "Now, your talent awakened; the time you gain stats will be fast, but only by pushing yourself without using your talent. The training starts now. Grab a 20 KG weight-bearing shirt and run in the field for two hours."

Toby rushed to the weights, John took his time, and Maxwell went with wide strides. After putting on the weights, they started jogging.

Quinn's stern voice echoed, "I told you to run for 2 hours, not jog. Run with everything you've got." Quinn's aura unleashed, almost scaring them to death.

'Oh Lord, is he still a human?' John thought as he sprinted. Every slowdown earned a swift kick from Quinn, forcing them to run faster.

Once, John shifted his attributes to AGL to maintain his speed without getting tired. He got beaten up for 5 minutes straight before being forced to continue running without cheating again.

After two hours, Quinn clapped. "Take a five-minute break. The next exercise is weightlifting. Lift 40 KG for the next two hours."

Collapsed on the ground, John eyed the weights with despair. 'No, I'll die from this inhuman torture.'

Five minutes ended faster than they thought, and they started their next two hours of tortures.

Quinn's devilish voice returned, "Now, a five-minute break, and you'll start FLX training for another two hours."

With heavy breathing, they commenced stretching exercises with bizarre poses.

After time was up, Quinn clapped as food materialized before them and said, "Good, stop for now and eat your food."

Relieved, they devoured their food like hungry hippos. Just as they thought they were done, Quinn spoke again, "Thirty-minute break, then repeat."

After another 6 hours of intense exercise, they could barely muster the strength to walk. Supporting themselves on the walls, they were guided to their room by their watch/ID.

The room resembled the safe house but with a massage device replacing the portal. After a shower, John slept on the massage machine, despite its discomfort, succumbing to extreme exhaustion.

The next day, the relentless training continued, repeating day after day.

Two weeks later, after breakfast at the gym, Toby exclaimed, "Guys, did you check your stats? Mine has gone up."

John, examining his loose clothes, replied, "Yes, it increased, and I lost weight."

Maxwell nodded in agreement.

Quinn, holding a cup of tea, appeared. "Good morning."

Subconsciously standing straight, they awaited Quinn's next command. With a chuckle, he said, "I like your excitement. State your stats."

John, eyes filled with dread of the upcoming training, began, "STR: 9.5, AGL: 8, FLX: 7, VIT: 11, INT: 9."

With a glowing face full of expectation, Toby said, "STR: 9.5, AGL: 9.5, FLX: 8, VIT: 8, INT: 11."

Maxwell, emotionless, "STR: 12, AGL: 8.5, FLX: 7.5, VIT: 9.5, INT: 8."

Quinn, smiling, "Good. I added another component to your workout. First, you'll do what you used to but with additional weight. And you'll start your new training after that."

John exchanged a look with Toby, his expression wary, already dreading what Quinn had planned. Toby, on the other hand, looked like a kid about to unwrap his birthday presents.

"Exhausted from their first six hours of 'normal' training, they welcomed the brief lunch break. However, as soon as they finished eating, Quinn beckoned them to follow him. He led them to the far end of the gym, stopping before a heavy, reinforced door.

"This," he said, tapping on a panel, "is a specialized room for training your talents. Forget everything you think you know about a gym. In here, you'll push your abilities to their limits. It's adaptive, and each of you will face challenges designed specifically for your powers."

Toby's eyes sparkled. "Whoa, so it's like we're leveling up in a video game?"

John sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great… just what I needed. More 'fun.'"

Maxwell, ever-stoic, merely shrugged. "As long as it's useful."

Quinn chuckled. "Don't worry, it is useful. Every day after basic training, you will continue to train here."

They stepped inside the room, which at first glance appeared plain. Just an empty, white space. But as Quinn inputted their stats into a nearby console, the room began to transform.

Suddenly, John found himself standing in a maze-like environment. Dim lighting, shadows shifting, and the occasional sound of footsteps echoing in the distance. A voice overhead chimed, "You have five minutes to deduce the location of the suspect and escape the maze. Use your perception." 

John muttered under his breath, "Great, timed puzzles. What's next, a riddle?" Despite his sarcasm, he knew that sharpening his senses was crucial for surviving future missions.

As he navigated the maze, John had to focus on the tiniest details—the scuff marks on the floor, the faintest sounds of movement, even the slight temperature changes.

He knew that sharpening his senses was crucial for returning safely from future missions. The challenge was designed to test his wit, observation skills, and reaction speed, which was both a relief—since it played to his strengths—and a different kind of exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Toby stood in what looked like an abandoned city complex. Crumbling buildings surrounded him, and targets popped up at random intervals. A robotic voice instructed," Use your fire to destroy the targets as you navigate through the place."

Toby laughed, sending a jet of fire into the air. 'It's been a while since I used my talent!' He began blasting targets with enthusiasm, but soon realized that uncontrolled flames could backfire. He had to focus, aiming precisely and adjusting the intensity of his fire. 'Alright, time to get serious,' he thought, concentrating harder."

Maxwell found himself in a vast space filled with towering obstacles. Without warning, simulated attacks began—falling debris, projectiles, heavy objects crashing from above. Instead of dodging, Maxwell's instinct was to stand firm.

He hardened his body, raised his hands and blocked everything in his path. 'Maintain focus. Stay unshaken,' Maxwell told himself. The relentless barrage tested his endurance, but his expression remained impassive.

After their sessions, the three regrouped outside the training room, each looking drained yet invigorated.

Toby grinned widely. "That was wild! I nearly roasted myself a couple of times."

John smirked. "I got lost in a maze chasing invisible suspects. Not exactly my idea of a good time."

Maxwell cracked his knuckles. "It was... adequate."

John raised an eyebrow. "Just adequate? You had debris raining down on you!"

Toby chuckled. "You know, we're quite the trio—a detective, a Firestarter, and a human shield."

John couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds like the start of a bad joke."

"Or a great team," Toby said optimistically.

The corner of Maxwell's mouth twitched slightly, almost forming a smile. "We'll see."

As they headed back to their quarters, a comfortable silence settled among them. Despite the day's grueling training, there was a shared sense of accomplishment.

John glanced at his companions. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all'