The underground world of Verdancy had completely changed within a month.
Or maybe…
It was the Superhuman Unit that had changed.
What once felt like sixteen strangers forced together by circumstance had slowly transformed into something closer to a real team.
A dangerous one.
The massive underground base no longer felt cold or unfamiliar.
The once intimidating metallic corridors were now filled with casual conversations, arguments, laughter, and occasional chaos.
Especially chaos.
“THAT WAS NOT A FAIR MATCH!”
Bobby’s voice echoed through the cafeteria.
Adrian leaned lazily against his chair with a smug grin.
“You lost in twenty-three seconds.”
“You blasted me through a mountain!”
“Skill issue.”
Sasha sighed while eating quietly.
“Can someone mute him permanently?”
“Jealousy is ugly,” Adrian replied immediately.
Across the table Drew laughed while Jack nearly choked on his drink.
Meanwhile nearby—
Ria and Sylvia were discussing mission simulations on holographic screens while Damien quietly listened.
Even Silver occasionally joined conversations now instead of hiding behind Sasha constantly.
The entire unit had adapted surprisingly well to living together.
Of course rivalries still existed.
But so did friendships.
Most importantly…
Every single member had successfully learned the first two stages of Aether.
Aura Manipulation.
External Aether Manipulation.
Some were naturally better than others.
The Version III Superhumans like Adrian and Ria clearly possessed vastly superior output compared to Version IIs and Version Is.
That difference became impossible to ignore during training.
A Version III casually produced larger and denser Aether constructs than the others even without trying.
The gap between versions was real.
Massive.
Even Damien had learned that firsthand during training exercises against Ria.
He could keep up briefly through superior control and combat instincts…
But eventually the overwhelming output difference became too much.
Dr.
Frost explained it simply.
“Against someone of equal skill…”
He had said calmly during training.
“…output decides everything.”
And honestly…
Nobody doubted that anymore.
Sunday morning arrived quietly.
The entire Superhuman Unit stood gathered once more inside the main training hall.
Only now…
The atmosphere felt different.
More serious.
Less like students.
More like soldiers.
Mechanical drones hovered silently near the ceiling while giant holographic displays illuminated the metallic hall in blue light.
Then—
BOOOOM.
The massive doors opened.
Dr.
Frost entered calmly wearing his usual white lab coat over black cybernetic combat armor.
The room immediately quieted.
His silver eyes scanned the entire unit carefully.
Then he nodded once.
“You have all mastered the first two stages of Aether.”
A faint holographic display activated behind him showing recorded training data.
“To be honest…”
Dr.
Frost adjusted his gloves slightly.
“That is impressive.”
Even Adrian looked proud hearing that.
Dr.
Frost rarely complimented anyone.
Then his expression sharpened slightly.
“And now…”
The holographic displays shifted instantly.
Warning signs.
Mission files.
Combat footage.
Verdancy symbols.
“…we finally get down to serious business.”
The atmosphere in the room immediately changed.
“You are no longer trainees.”
The lights dimmed slightly.
“Your training course is officially over.”
A mechanical sound echoed through the hall.
[ACCESS GRANTED]
Dr.
Frost looked directly at them.
“From this day onward…”
His voice became colder.
“…you are official agents of Verdancy.”
The words settled heavily inside the room.
Nobody joked.
Nobody interrupted.
Because somehow…
Hearing it said aloud made everything feel real.
Then suddenly the floor beneath Dr.
Frost shifted mechanically.
SHHHHHK.
A hidden platform rose slowly upward.
And behind it—
An entire wall opened revealing another room.
The armory.
Several people visibly reacted immediately.
The room looked incredible.
Rows of advanced weaponry lined glowing metallic walls while holographic interfaces floated through the air displaying equipment information.
Energy blades.
Compact firearms.
Drone systems.
Explosive devices.
Portable shields.
Aether amplifiers.
The sheer amount of technology inside was absurd.
Even the air smelled different.
Metallic.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Dr.
Frost walked inside calmly.
He spread one arm slightly.
“…is the S-Unit Armory.”
The lighting shifted automatically as the Superhuman Unit entered.
Blue neon lines illuminated the walls while robotic systems moved equipment between stations.
“We have developed specialized gadgets and combat systems for your missions.”
Then—
Another platform rose slowly from the floor.
SHHHHHK.
And everyone immediately focused on it.
Armor suits.
The suits looked futuristic even by year 3000 standards.
Black cybernetic armor with sleek segmented plating covering the chest, arms, and legs.
Thin streams of glowing blue energy flowed between the armor plates like living circuitry.
The material itself almost looked alive.
Flexible yet heavily reinforced.
The shoulder guards were sharp and streamlined while the gauntlets contained embedded energy systems.
The boots looked lightweight despite clearly being heavily armored.
The overall appearance balanced military efficiency with terrifying elegance.
Honestly…
They looked like something superhuman assassins would wear.
Which was probably intentional.
Bobby immediately pointed dramatically.
“Okay now THIS is cool.”
Jack nodded aggressively.
“We officially look like main characters.”
Sasha smirked slightly.
“You already acted like one.”
Adrian meanwhile walked directly toward one of the suits confidently.
“As expected of my future aesthetic.”
“No one says aesthetic like that,” Drew sighed.
The moment Adrian touched the armor—
The entire suit suddenly moved.
SHHHK.
The black material separated apart like liquid metal before climbing across his body instantly.
Several people jumped slightly.
The armor formed around him piece by piece with mechanical precision.
Gauntlets.
Chestplate.
Leg armor.
Shoulders.
The blue energy streams activated softly afterward.
FWOOOOOM.
Adrian stared at his armored hand.
“…Okay that’s sick.”
Immediately everyone rushed forward.
The armory became chaotic within seconds.
“WAIT FOR ME.”
“DON’T TAKE MY SIZE.”
“THEY LITERALLY ADAPT AUTOMATICALLY.”
“Oh.”
Damien touched one calmly.
The armor instantly climbed over his body smoothly.
Unlike traditional armor…
This felt weightless.
Flexible.
Comfortable.
Almost natural.
The blue energy lines pulsed softly across the black plating while the material adjusted itself perfectly to his body shape.
Nearby Ria tested the gauntlets while Sylvia examined the armor systems curiously.
Silver looked amazed watching her helmet retract and reform repeatedly.
Bobby meanwhile was posing dramatically already.
“Behold.”
He pointed heroically.
“Peak evolution.”
Jack stared at him.
“You learned absolutely nothing from training.”
Dr.
Frost watched the chaos silently for a moment before speaking again.
“The armor is composed of advanced adaptive nanotechnology.”
Immediately everyone focused again.
“It possesses several functions.”
Holographic information screens appeared beside each suit.
“First…”
A damaged armor projection instantly repaired itself.
“…the armor is self-regenerative.”
The broken sections reconstructed automatically.
“Even if heavily damaged…”
The projection fully restored itself.
“…it will continuously repair itself over time.”
Several people looked impressed immediately.
“Second…”
The armor shifted shapes slightly.
“It automatically adjusts based on the user’s size and physical structure.”
The projections demonstrated the armor adapting across different body types.
“Third…”
The blue energy lines dimmed.
“…Stealth Mode.”
FWOOOM.
The projection suddenly became nearly invisible.
Several people blinked.
“What the hell?” Bobby muttered.
Dr.
Frost nodded calmly.
“The armor bends surrounding light and suppresses thermal detection.”
The projection disappeared almost completely.
“It is especially effective during nighttime operations.”
Adrian smirked.
“So basically…”
He activated his retractable helmet dramatically.
SHHHK.
“…we’re futuristic ninjas.”
“Close enough,” Dr.
Frost admitted.
The helmets themselves looked incredible too.
Smooth black cybernetic masks with glowing blue visor lines stretching across the eyes.
The masks retracted instantly when not needed.
SHHHK.
Silver repeatedly activated hers just because she thought it looked cool.
Which honestly…
It did.
Dr.
Frost gestured toward the back of the armor.
“Additionally…”
A symbol illuminated across the armor plating.
The Superhuman Unit logo. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
It resembled a glowing blue eclipse surrounded by sixteen sharp fragmented stars orbiting around it.
Beautiful.
But intimidating.
“The eclipse represents hidden evolution,” Dr.
Frost explained.
“The sixteen stars represent the first sixteen Superhumans.”
Everyone stared quietly at the symbol.
Then Dr.
Frost pointed toward the right chest side.
The Verdancy logo rested there.
A silver pine tree surrounded by fractured circuitry.
Nature and technology intertwined together.
Perfectly matching Verdancy’s ideology.
“This,” Dr.
Frost said calmly, “will be your combat attire during missions from now onward.”
The room suddenly felt much more serious again.
“You may also infuse the armor with Aether using the Second Stage.”
The holographic projection showed Aura flowing into the armor.
“This significantly increases durability and combat efficiency.”
Adrian clenched his armored fist slightly.
The blue energy streams glowed brighter immediately.
Honestly…
Everyone looked terrifying now.
Then the holographic systems shifted again.
Mission files appeared across the giant screens surrounding the armory.
“This brings us to missions.”
The room quieted immediately.
“All Verdancy missions worldwide operate on a contribution point system.”
Rows of mission categories appeared.
SOLO MISSIONS
SEMI-SQUAD MISSIONS
FULL SQUAD MISSIONS
UNIT MISSIONS
“Each week…”
Mission files scrolled rapidly across the screens.
“…up to ten operations will become available.”
Dr.
Frost continued walking slowly through the armory.
“Solo missions may be completed independently.”
“Semi-Squad and Full Squad missions require approval from Squad Captains or Vice Captains.”
Ria and Adrian immediately looked more serious.
“And Unit missions…”
The holographic screens darkened slightly.
“…are the rarest.”
Multiple large-scale operation files appeared briefly.
“These involve the entire Superhuman Unit.”
Dr.
Frost’s silver eyes narrowed slightly.
“They are assigned directly by me.”
More rankings appeared afterward.
Unit rankings.
Agent rankings.
Contribution statistics.
Competition systems.
“Every unit within Verdancy…”
The rankings shifted rapidly.
“…is ranked based on total contribution points.”
Jack blinked.
“There are rankings for all units?”
“Correct.”
“And individual rankings?” Sylvia asked.
Dr.
Frost nodded.
“All agents within Verdancy possess personal contribution rankings as well.”
Bobby immediately grinned.
“Oh this is absolutely becoming competitive.”
“That is intentional,” Dr.
Frost replied calmly.
“Competition increases efficiency.”
The rankings displayed elite units and agents briefly.
“Top-ranked units and agents receive special privileges.”
Adrian folded his arms confidently.
“We’re obviously reaching number one.”
Ria sighed quietly.
“You haven’t even completed a mission yet.”
“Minor detail.”
Finally—
The mission board stabilized.
Rows of available operations appeared.
The atmosphere inside the armory shifted instantly.
This was no longer training.
These were real operations.
Real danger.
Real consequences.
Dr.
Frost looked toward both squad captains.
“And now that everything is settled…”
The screens illuminated the room with blue light.
“…how about our Squad Captains choose their very first missions.”
A slight smile appeared on his face.
“And one final word of advice.”
Everyone focused carefully.
“Because you are genetically superior Superhumans…”
The mission difficulties shifted upward automatically.
“…your assigned missions will naturally be harder.”
Bobby groaned immediately.
“Of course they are.”
“However,” Dr.
Frost continued calmly, “they will provide fewer contribution points than expected.”
The room blinked collectively.
Jack looked horrified.
“That sounds criminal.”
Dr.
Frost smirked faintly.
“Though honestly…”
His silver eyes scanned the unit.
“…I doubt this handicap will matter much.”
Then—
The mission board fully activated.
Rows of classified operations illuminated the armory.
Dr.
Frost stepped aside slowly.
“Now then…”
The room became silent.
“Kindly step forward…”
The mission files flickered ominously across the screen.
“…and choose your very first Full Squad Mission.”