The training facility transforms into an impromptu arena as other independents back against the walls, eager to witness the confrontation. The holographic boundary pulsates with energy, containing the combat while facility systems record every movement for assessment. Three against one. Fucking perfect.

  Prism moves first, her density-enhanced body charging straight at me while Vector and Flux circle to flank from opposite sides. Classic pincer maneuver. I center my weight, extending my telekinetic awareness to track all three simultaneously.

  "Should've minded your own business, new blood," Prism growls, her fist transforming to stone-like density as she launches a brutal haymaker.

  I sidestep rather than block, using minimal telekinetic energy to enhance my movement speed. Her momentum carries her past as I pivot, focusing on Vector who's already distorting space to accelerate his approach. The air ripples around him like heat waves over hot asphalt.

  Vector reaches me in a blur, throwing rapid strikes that leave visual tracers in the air. I create a thin telekinetic shield, just enough to absorb the initial impact while I analyze his pattern. His abilities make him fast, but there's a rhythm to his attacks, a fractional reset between spatial jumps.

  I time my counter perfectly, driving my fist through the gap in his defense during that millisecond vulnerability. The blow connects with his solar plexus, sending him staggering backward, gasping for breath.

  "Fuck," he wheezes, clutching his midsection.

  No time to capitalize. Flux has completed his transformation, his entire body now a living metal construct rushing toward me. Conventional telekinesis would be useless against his density, so I shift strategies. Instead of trying to move him, I manipulate the metal floor panels beneath his feet, creating subtle warping that disrupts his balance.

  Flux stumbles, giving me precious seconds to deal with Prism, who's recovered and charging again. This time I stand my ground, gathering telekinetic energy in a concentrated point. When she's committed to her attack, I release it in a focused kinetic blast, not at her body, but at the air directly in front of her.

  The compressed air expands explosively, creating a shockwave that knocks her backward without revealing my more advanced molecular manipulation abilities. She crashes into the holographic boundary, which flares with energy but maintains integrity.

  "Three on one seems fair," I taunt, keeping my breathing measured despite the exertion. "Former sponsored assets forgetting they're not elite anymore?"

  My mockery has the intended effect. Vector pushes through his pain, distorting space to appear directly behind me, aiming a strike at my kidney. I sensed the spatial disruption microseconds before his arrival and was already moving, using telekinesis to enhance my reflexes beyond normal human capacity.

  His fist meets empty air as I pivot, driving my elbow back into his face. Blood sprays from his nose as he staggers, spatial distortion flickering unstably around him.

  Flux changes tactics, slamming his metallic fists into the floor, sending vibrations through the metal panels toward me. The clever bastard is using my own strategy against me, destabilizing my footing. I leap upward, using telekinesis to enhance my jump and hang suspended momentarily at the apex.

  From this position, I can see Prism recovering, her body shifting density patterns as she prepares another charge. Vector is disoriented but still dangerous. Flux remains the greatest physical threat with his metallic form seemingly impervious to standard attacks.

  Time to end this decisively.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  As gravity reclaims me, I focus telekinetic energy into the floor panels beneath all three opponents simultaneously. Not lifting or bending the metal, that would be too obvious, but vibrating it at specific frequencies that interfere with balance and concentration.

  Prism stumbles mid-charge, her density shift faltering as her focus breaks. Vector drops to one knee, the vibrations disrupting his spatial calculations. Flux shows the least effect but still struggles to maintain stable footing.

  I land and immediately launch my counter-offensive. For Prism, I target the neural junction points where density control originates, applying precise telekinetic pressure that temporarily disrupts her ability concentration. Not enough to cause damage, just enough to prevent density shifting for several crucial seconds.

  With her density powers neutralized, I deliver a textbook combination, jab, cross, uppercut, driving her backward until her normal-density body hits the boundary again. This time she slumps to the floor, consciousness flickering as her enhanced durability fails without her density manipulation active.

  Vector attempts another spatial jump, but the floor vibrations have compromised his calculations. He materializes half a meter from his intended position, disoriented and vulnerable. I don't waste the opportunity, delivering a kick to his already injured midsection that doubles him over, followed by an axe kick to his upper back that drives him face-first into the floor.

  "Two down," I mutter, turning to face Flux.

  The metallic independent circles cautiously now, reassessing my threat level after seeing his companions dispatched so efficiently. His metal skin ripples with tension, light reflecting off its surface as he considers his approach.

  "You're holding back," he observes, voice resonating strangely through his transformed vocal cords. "Interesting choice."

  "Showing exactly what's needed," I reply, maintaining my defensive stance. "No more, no less."

  He charges suddenly, metal form barreling toward me with incredible momentum. Instead of evading, I plant my feet and gather telekinetic energy in a focused point between us. When he's committed to his trajectory, I release it in a perfectly timed counterforce.

  The impact is dramatic, Flux's metal body stops as if hitting an invisible wall, the kinetic energy of his charge reflected back into his own form. The metal of his body actually ripples from the impact, vibrations propagating through him as he struggles to maintain cohesion.

  Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, I close distance and apply telekinetic pressure directly to the molecular boundaries of his transformation, the critical junction points where human tissue converts to metal. With precise application, I disrupt the transformation process at specific points, creating vulnerable zones in his otherwise impervious form.

  Flux gasps as patches of his metal skin revert to human tissue, the pattern spreading like cracks in armor. When enough vulnerability has been created, I deliver precisely targeted strikes to pressure points now exposed by the partial reversion.

  He drops to his knees, metal form flickering as control slips away. His transformation fails completely, leaving him human and vulnerable, gasping on the floor beside his unconscious companions.

  "Assessment complete," announces the facility system. "Victor: Independent Asset 7249. Combat efficiency rating: 93.7%. Strategic application rating: 91.2%."

  The holographic boundary dissolves as facility guards move forward to assess the defeated independents. Other assets watching from the periphery remain silent, reevaluating their understanding of the facility's newest independent.

  I stand in the center of the combat zone, controlling my breathing, careful not to show fatigue or exertion. I don't want anyone else getting ideas and challenging me to a fight.

  The facility guards scan my biometrics, recording combat data for the assessment database. "Report to Training Assessment Officer for post-combat debriefing," one instructs mechanically.

  As I move toward the assessment station, I catch fragments of whispered conversations among the watching independents:

  "...didn't even use advanced telekinesis..."

  "...took down all three without..."

  "...must have been holding back..."

  Damn it, I might have just drawn too much attention to myself. Well, right now all they have are their speculations. That's still better than actually showing them my full strength.

  Somewhere in the facility's database, my combat assessment metrics have just been updated, marking me as a more valuable asset than previously categorized.

  For better or worse, I've just changed my status in the complex ecosystem of Block D.

  CHARACTER PROFILES

  Gary (PROTAGONIST)

  STR: 11 - Enhanced strength

  SPD: 13 - Enhanced reflexes

  RES: 13 - Moderate enhancement recovery

  CTL: 57 - Impressive telekinetic precision

  AWR: 28 - Notable perception

  Primary: Advanced Telekinesis (Molecular manipulation, Neural Architecture Modification)

  Secondary: Physical Enhancement

  Prism

  STR: 18 - Density-enhanced physicality

  SPD: 9 - Moderate speed, hampered slightly when at max density

  RES: 20 - Extreme durability due to density shifting ability

  CTL: 8 - Strong but lacks finesse in combat adaptability

  AWR: 10 - Competent battle awareness, though susceptible to tactical misdirection

  Primary: Density Manipulation (Can increase or decrease density for attack and defense)

  Secondary: Enhanced Durability (Density shifting grants resilience against attacks)

  Vector

  STR: 8 - Momentum-enhanced striking force rather than base strength

  SPD: 22 - Spatial acceleration grants exceptional combat speed

  RES: 9 - Can avoid damage via spatial distortion but remains vulnerable when caught

  CTL: 16 - High-level combat adaptability, though reliant on rhythm-based execution

  AWR: 14 - Strong spatial awareness, but miscalculations can disrupt movement

  Primary: Spatial Distortion (Localized warping of space for high-speed movement and evasive maneuvers)

  Secondary: Enhanced Agility (Reflexes adapted for unpredictable, rapid repositioning)

  Flux

  STR: 17 - Increased impact force when fully transformed

  SPD: 6 - Heavy, slower movement when in full metallic form

  RES: 22 - Nearly impervious while transformed

  CTL: 12 - Decent control over transformation but unable to adapt quickly in combat

  AWR: 11 - Perceptive but struggles with reaction speed due to rigid form

  Primary: Molecular Conversion (Can shift body into a metallic state for combat advantages)

  Secondary: Impact Resistance (Absorbs kinetic force effectively, reducing external damage)