Blood sprayed in a scarlet arc.
The Lizard Monster's severed head rolled across the pavement with a wet, gurgling sound, coming to rest against a pile of debris. Its remaining eye stared sightlessly at the sky.
A metallic scraping sound echoed through the ruined street.
The creature's pupil contracted—one last reflex of fading consciousness.
The lamppost it had snapped in half earlier now hovered in the air, tip sharpened to a wicked point like a medieval jousting lance. Light gleamed along the broken edge, sharp enough to cut through steel. The makeshift weapon hung suspended above Jordan's right hand, psychic energy keeping it perfectly stable as he approached.
Click. Click. Click.
Jordan's footsteps rang out against cracked concrete.
An unspeakable dread filled the air—primal fear leaking from a dying predator.
"N-no... s-stop... please—gyaaaah!"
The psychic lance punched through the monster's skull, pinning it to the ground.
Silence.
Jordan reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette case, and lit one with practiced ease. He took a long drag, exhaling slowly.
The smoke didn't dissipate normally.
Pale blue vapor rose from the Lizard Monster's corpse, coalescing into a spectral form—a ghostly lizard that roared soundlessly at Jordan, all fury and resentment given shape.
A soul. Or something close enough.
Jordan raised an eyebrow. "Still got fight left in you?"
The spirit lizard froze mid-roar.
It... it can see me?!
Blue flames ignited around Jordan's hand. A blank card materialized between his fingers.
The lizard spirit tried to escape—clawing upward with all four limbs, even attempting a frog-like swimming motion through the air. It ascended maybe half a meter before stopping dead.
Invisible force yanked it backward.
The spirit lost cohesion, form dissolving into a vortex of blue energy that spiraled down into the card below. The blank surface rippled, and an image appeared: a terrified upright lizard, frozen mid-scream.
Light flared across the card in geometric patterns. The white border darkened, shifting through shades until it settled on deep blue.
Demon-level Mysterious Being: Lizard Monster.
Defeated. Sealed. Complete.
Information flowed into Jordan's mind—Stand feedback, cold and clinical:
[Fate Draw Count +1]
[Current Fate Draws Available: 9]
Wee-oo, wee-oo, wee-oo—
Police sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder.
Jordan glanced at the mangled corpse, then flicked his wrist. Blue flames erupted. The road roller—still embedded in the pavement, covered in blood and viscera—dissolved into light and reformed as a card, which he pocketed.
Evidence sanitized.
By the time the first responders stormed through the fire-damaged entrance—police and firefighters wielding hoses and equipment—Jordan had already repositioned himself among the scattered survivors, face deliberately smudged with soot.
A familiar officer spotted him. "Evans! You made it!"
Jordan wiped his blackened face with one sleeve, surveying the carnage. "Just got here. Let's focus on search and rescue."
"Damn right. Bastard monster did this..."
More officers flooded the pedestrian street, spreading out in coordinated search patterns.
It didn't take long.
"Monster's dead!" someone shouted from the front line. "Holy shit—what the hell hit this thing?! A meteorite?!"
Jordan kept moving, scanning rubble with telekinetic perception. There—faint breathing beneath a collapsed wall section. He grabbed the edge and heaved, telekinesis amplifying his strength. The debris shifted, then toppled aside.
A little girl lay in the hollow space beneath, covered in cuts and bruises, surrounded by bloodstained concrete.
Jordan knelt, checking her vitals. Alive. Barely.
"Big... brother..." Her voice was threadbare, almost inaudible.
He carefully extracted her from the rubble, cradling her against his chest.
The girl's hand weakly clutched his sleeve. "I saw... you..."
Jordan stiffened.
"You defeated the monster." Her eyes—glassy with shock and blood loss—focused on his face. "You're a hero... right?"
Hero.
The word hit harder than expected.
For a split second, Jordan's mind conjured an image: a bald figure in a yellow suit and white cape, fist raised, expression blank but absolutely certain.
That's what a hero looked like in this world.
He glanced back at the rubble pile. His telekinetic sense painted the picture beneath: two bodies. Man and woman. No pulse. No breath.
The girl's parents.
Something twisted in his chest.
Jordan's voice softened. "I'm just a cop, kid. But you're safe now. Get some rest—you'll feel better when you wake up."
"Thank you... big brother..."
He released a gentle pulse of psychic energy, calming the storm of adrenaline and trauma flooding her system. Her grip on his collar relaxed. Her breathing evened out.
She was asleep before the medics arrived.
[Fantasy Card: The Roadside Steamroller]
Type: Item • Rarity: N
A road roller, now thoroughly retired from active service. Weight, size, and impact—all perfectly calibrated.
Effect: Road Roller Drop
Summon a road roller that falls from the sky. Gravity and psychic force combine for devastating results. WRYYYYYY!
The next day—Saturday—Jordan took advantage of a discount sale at the supermarket.
He returned home with a refrigerator's worth of ingredients: vegetables, meat, spices, the works. Within an hour, his apartment smelled like a Sichuan hot pot restaurant, broth bubbling in the center of his table.
He tossed ingredients into the pot, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV.
"—shocking development in Z-City as Mysterious Being attacks escalate! The truth may surprise you—"
"—our cameras captured this harrowing footage from Senmu Commercial Street, where citizens—"
"—eradicate all monsters! Humanity will reclaim this world!"
"—Hero recruitment drive now open! Do you possess extraordinary abilities? Unique talents? Call now at 1-888-888-8888—that's 1-888-888-8888—"
"—breaking news: the Hero Association announces branch establishments in every major city across the nation—"
Jordan dunked a piece of beef into the spicy broth, watching the endless stream of Hero Association advertisements flood the screen.
A thought occurred to him.
Three years from now, Saitama still won't know the Hero Association exists. He popped the beef into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Does that guy not watch TV?
Then he remembered: Saitama's apartment only got a handful of free channels. No cable.
Right. That tracks.
Jordan cracked open a bottle of chilled cola—not vintage, just cold—and settled in for a marathon of promotional content and sensationalized news coverage.
By the time he finished eating, the sky outside had gone dark.
Jordan stepped onto his balcony, letting the night breeze cool his skin. The city lights glittered below—Z-City at rest, unaware of how close it had come to another massacre.
He leaned against the railing, thoughts drifting.
I think I might share a family trait of the Joestar bloodline since I have the Jo in my name, he mused. Not a real member of the family, but I inherited some traits. 1.95 meters tall. Physical stats in the A-range. Golden spiritual energy.
His Stand flickered to life around his hand—blue flames dancing in the darkness.
Maybe being a part-time hero wouldn't be so bad.
The blue Demon-level card materialized between his fingers.
[Fantasy Card: Lizard Monster]
Type: Character Card (Mysterious Being)
Rarity: R
A reptilian monster mutated from human origin. Disaster Level: Demon.
NOTE: This character is disgustingly ugly. Disassembly recommended.
Effects:
Night Vision: Visual acuity significantly enhanced in darkness or low-light environments
Ambush Predator: Explosive acceleration for sudden attacks and pouncing
Jordan's eyebrow twitched at the note.
Somewhere in the metaphysical space his Stand occupied, he could've sworn he felt the Lizard Monster's indignation.
Are you seriously insulting me even after I'm dead?!
Stand abilities were manifestations of spiritual power. The notes attached to cards reflected the user's subconscious thoughts—unfiltered, honest, sometimes petty.
Jordan smirked.
Character cards were different from ability cards. They sealed a Mysterious Being's power as it existed in life—skill set, physical traits, the works. You could equip them to yourself or even other people, but only one character card at a time. Equipping granted access to the sealed creature's ability system. You could even overlay the physical appearance if you wanted, though that seemed... excessive.
Like a paid game skin with built-in stats.
Advantage: immediate power boost.
Disadvantage: no stacking effects.
Ability cards like Spider-Sense had no such limitations. You could layer those indefinitely.
As for the "disassembly" option...
That was the nuclear choice.
Certain fantasy cards could be broken down as consumables, their attributes or abilities extracted as raw materials. Random chance determined what you got, but the materials could be used to strengthen the user's base body permanently.
Jordan had spent a month and a half experimenting with the system. He'd learned one critical lesson:
Cards are fun. Cards are useful. But real strength? That's built into your body.