Black Mentis blinked once.
The memory finally broke apart inside his head, pulling him back into the present. His eyes shifted slightly beneath the dark mask as he stood motionless for half a second, trying to steady his breathing after the confrontation with Victor.
As Victor's voice still echoing in the back of his mind.
The threat.
The smug smile.
The way he stood there pretending he had power.
A quiet breath escaped through his nose.
He tilted his head a little, scanning the hallway around him as if reorienting himself. The muscles along his jaw tightened beneath the mask before loosening again.
Then he stepped forward.
The polished elevator doors reflected his figure clearly as he approached.
Black armor. The silver-gray lining stretched across the suit in sharp layered patterns. The reinforced combat fabric molded tightly over a powerful frame.
The silver emblem across his chest caught the overhead lights every time he moved.
His reflection stared back at him. His expression stayed controlled beneath the mask. Empty enough, more like unreadable.
But beneath the armor, tension rolled through him in waves.
His fingers curled slowly at his side.
The leather around his gloves creaked softly.
His fist tightened hard enough for the veins in his forearm to rise beneath the suit before he forced his hand to relax again.
A low growl slipped from the back of his throat.
"…I'll make you all pay for this."
The words barely left his mouth.
Too low for the security camera mounted high in the corner above the elevator.
Too low for anyone nearby to hear.
[DING.]
The elevator doors slid open smoothly.
Black Mentis stepped inside without hesitation. His boots hit the metal floor with a heavy [THUDS]… each step carrying weight.
The doors slowly began closing behind him.
For a brief second his reflection split across both moving panels. Two fractured halves staring back at each other.
Then the elevator sealed shut and started descending in silence.
The ride remained silent except for the faint mechanical hum vibrating through the walls.
Mentis stood still in the center of the elevator with both hands resting loosely at his sides.
The red floor indicator slowly climbed higher.
[Forty eight.]
[Forty nine.]
[Fifty.]
His eyes stayed fixed forward.
The doors finally opened again.
[SHHK.]
[DING.]
Bright white light spilled inside.
Mentis stepped out into the main hallway.
The corridor stretched wide and spotless beneath rows of fluorescent lights. Their constant hum blended with distant conversations, keyboard clicks, ringing phones, and the occasional footsteps echoing off the polished floors.
The entire place smelled faintly of fresh coffee, cleaning chemicals, and cold air conditioning.
Several massive digital screens hung along the walls displaying HeroCorp advertisements, emergency response statistics, and rotating rankings of active heroes.
Employees moved quickly between offices carrying tablets and folders.
A cluster of recruits stood gathered near one of the reception desks farther down the hall.
There were around Ten, maybe twelve but most looked barely out of training.
They wore fresh uniforms, Some stood stiff with nervous excitement while others whispered quietly to each other trying too hard to look confident.
One recruit kept adjusting the collar of his jacket every few seconds. Another bounced his knee unconsciously while pretending to listen to his friend talk.
Their quiet chatter filled the corner of the hallway.
Then one of them noticed Black Mentis walking past them.
The recruit froze mid-sentence.
"…Holy shit."
Another recruit immediately turned.
Then another.
The entire group straightened almost at once.
Someone lowered the tablet they were holding.
A woman near the back quickly fixed her posture and pulled her shoulders back.
"That's Black Mentis…" one recruit whispered under his breath, eyes widening slightly behind his glasses. "He actually looks even crazier in person."
"Look at the size of him…"
"Do you think he heard us?"
"No kidding he looks Hella intimidating too." another muttered quietly. "Look at the armor…"
A third recruit swallowed nervously.
"I heard he fought an Alien capable of destroying a planet bigger than earth directly one on one."
Mentis walked past them without slowing down.
His gaze stayed forward, he did not acknowledge them.
The heavy rhythm of his footsteps echoed through the corridor as he moved farther away.
[THUD.]
[THUD.]
[THUD.]
The pressure around him felt heavy enough that nobody dared step into his path.
One nervous recruit moved aside too late and nearly bumped shoulders with him.
Black Mentis didn't even glance at him.
The recruit froze instantly anyway.
"Sorry sir."
No response.
Mentis continued walking down the corridor until he disappeared around the corner.
The silence near the reception desk lasted another two seconds after he left.
Then everyone exhaled at once.
"…Damn."
"He didn't even look at us."
Farther down the hall, near the main orientation section, where Black Mentis is now currently heading, another receptionist stood behind a long polished desk.
She wore a fitted black business uniform with a silver HeroCorp pin attached near her collarbone. Her blonde hair was tied tightly into a professional bun without a single loose strand visible.
Both hands rested flat against the desk as she observed the recruits quietly.
Then, she clapped once.
The sharp sound cracked through the hallway.
Several recruits flinched slightly and snapped their attention toward her immediately.
One young man hurriedly pulled his phone out of sight.
Another stopped whispering mid-word.
"Alright," the receptionist said firmly. "Eyes up here everyone."
Her voice was calm but carried enough authority to silence the group completely.
She stepped out from behind the desk, heels clicking softly against the polished floor.
[CLICK.]
[CLICK.]
[CLICK.]
Her eyes scanned across the recruits carefully, studying their posture, expressions, and reactions before continuing.
"Today," she said, clasping her hands neatly in front of her waist, "we will be discussing HeroCorp's ranking system, how each tier functions, and what those ranks actually mean in the field."
One recruit near the front raised his chin slightly, trying to look confident despite the nervous tapping of his fingers against his sleeve.
The receptionist noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed just slightly.
"In this organization," she continued, "rank is not only about popularity. It is not about social media numbers. And it is definitely not about how attractive your costume looks on camera."
A few recruits shifted awkwardly.
One woman near the back coughed into her fist to hide a laugh.
The receptionist ignored it.
"Your rank determines authority, deployment priority, mission clearance, access to classified information, salary, political protection, and whether HeroCorp considers you valuable enough to keep alive during national-level incidents."
That wiped the remaining amusement off several faces instantly.
Good.
She continued walking slowly in front of the group.
"Lower-ranked heroes handle patrols, robberies, street-level threats and civilian rescue operations."
She lifted one finger.
"Mid-ranked heroes are assigned to enhanced criminal threats, organized superhuman activity, and regional disasters."
A second finger lifted.
"High-ranked heroes deal with extinction-level entities, dimensional threats, military-scale invasions, and classified operations."
A few recruits visibly stiffened at that.
One swallowed hard.
"And heroes like Black Mentis or the other 9 elites…" she said evenly, "…exist in a category most of you will never reach."
Silence.
Complete silence.
"Most elites carry multiple abilities, even some of them have entire power sets. Not to mention a couple of them stopped being measurable years ago." Her eyes moved across the recruits again. "Because once you reach a certain level inside HeroCorp… you stop being viewed as human."
She paused briefly.
"Their presence alone puts pressure on people. It can even be felt when they enter a room "
One recruit quietly straightened his back even more.
The receptionist folded her hands behind her back.
The room stayed quiet.