[David's POV]
I didn't waste any more time. After Roberta's surprise, I made sure to stay extra careful for the next summon.
The system interface hovered in front of me as I selected the next character: Agent Six from Generator Rex.
The light-based summoning process began once again. Just like before, a countdown timer appeared with the background customization prompt.
[Do you wish to customize the background of the summoned character?]
I confirmed.
[One Background Customization Card has been used.]
I quickly filled it in:
Name: John Bishop. He holds dual citizenship in both America and Madripoor. He was born in the United States but raised in Madripoor. He worked as an elite mercenary and now takes freelance bodyguard contracts. He recently relocated to the United States. A custom memory seed was added to give him basic knowledge of this world.
I confirmed everything.
A golden-white light sparked to life. The air changed as energy gathered into a tight column. A human shape began to form inside it. The light faded quickly, and a man stood where it had been.
He wore black gloves, a forest green combat suit, and heavy tactical boots. A pair of sunglasses rested on his face. His stance was calm and stiff, like a statue.
Then his eyes opened.
He did not panic. His face remained calm and stern, completely unreadable. There was no trace of fear or confusion, only quiet control. His posture and expression made it clear that he was someone who rarely showed emotion.
He looked around the room once. Then his gaze locked onto me.
"Where is this? And who are you?" he asked. His voice was low and steady.
He touched his temple with two fingers, right above his eyebrow. A small frown formed as a few seconds passed.
He was syncing. The custom memories and information were settling into his mind.
I stayed still. I didn't speak.
This man had once been one of the most dangerous mercenaries alive. Before joining any cause with structure, he had been reckless, aggressive, and ruthless. A ghost in the battlefield—able to vanish without a trace, kill without pause, and take on impossible odds. But now, he was more controlled. A man who followed orders, believed in duty, and walked a strict moral line. Someone who would bend the rules if it meant saving lives. I could fight him if I had to. But it would be a waste of energy.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Shin observing everything.
A few seconds passed.
Then the man spoke again. "So this is a different world, huh?"
His tone stayed calm, but there was something heavy behind the words. He understood and accepted it without much emotion.
"Yeah," I said.
He blinked once. "John Bishop. That's the name?"
"You didn't have one before," I replied. "And I'm not going to call you Agent Six every time. So yes. I gave you a name."
He tilted his head slightly, like he was testing how the name sounded in his mind. Then he said:
"Tch. Fine. I've been called worse."
I stepped forward slowly. I stopped just outside his reach.
"What do you remember last?" I asked. It was the same question I had asked Shin.
He stayed silent for a moment. Then he spoke again.
"I died," he said. "I protected someone. Saved the rest. That's all."
His tone didn't change. But I could tell he was not just throwing words around. He meant every one of them.
"I brought you here," I said. "It's not heaven. It's not hell. It's not the afterlife. Think of it like a reset. A second chance. New background. New life."
He looked around the room again. His eyes moved like a trained soldier. He did not relax, but I noticed he was not as tense now. He understood at least part of the situation.
"You did this?" he asked.
"I did."
"Why?"
"I need capable people," I answered. "People I can trust. People who do not panic. Who know how to fight and how to think. You're a master with blades, a martial arts expert, and can pull off things that look impossible. That's exactly what I need."
He paused.
"And you think that's me?"
"I know it's you."
He gave a short, cold laugh. "You talk like you've been watching me for years."
I said nothing.
I pulled a cold water bottle from my inventory and tossed it to him.
He caught it easily, without even looking directly at it.
"You just make water appear now?"
"Something like that."
He opened the bottle and took a sip. Then, without saying anything else, he walked to the side of the room and sat down against the wall. He was close to Shin.
He did not speak to him. He did not need to. Shin remained quiet, simply watching.
I turned back to the system screen.
--
--
[Third Person POV]
Agent Six now John Bishop walked forward and stood beside Shin. His eyes moved carefully around the space.
He looked at the tall robots standing at the edges of the warehouse, then at the unconscious woman on the floor, and finally at Shin, who stood quietly, his gaze fixed on David's back.
John turned to Shin and asked, "Why is she lying down? What happened?"
Shin didn't look at him. "She was brought here, like us," he said calmly. "But she suddenly became hysterical and attacked. He knocked her out."
John gave a small nod. "Do you know who she is?"
Shin shook his head. "No."
While they were talking, David stood a few steps away, eyes on the floating interface. He tapped the screen to summon the next person.
--
--
[Tahani POV]
Tahani opened her eyes and found herself standing. A man stood ten paces in front of her. To his right, at a slight distance, stood two more men. One wore a black coat. The other wore a green coat and dark shades.
She did not move right away. Her eyes swept the space in quick, sharp glances. She saw a woman lying on the floor beside the man ahead of her. The woman looked unconscious. At the far ends of the warehouse, she saw robots standing guard, still and silent.
Tahani's mind took all of this in within seconds. Her heartbeat stayed calm but her muscles were tight.
Before she could speak, pain hit her head like a blade. She winced and staggered one step but did not fall. Her teeth ground together. She kept her eyes locked on the man in front and the man in green.
Old instincts roared awake in her blood. She remembered flames, the red sky, her final heartbeat. She also felt new thoughts pushing into her mind — telling her where she was now, what this place was. She did not trust it. She did not trust them.
Her hands closed and opened slowly. She shifted her stance, ready to strike barehanded if she had to.
Her eyes locked on the man in front. She could sense immense danger from him. The headache had also told her — he was the one who brought her here.
Her voice was low, flat, and cold like a drawn knife.
"What do you want? Why have you brought me here?"
--
--
[David POV]
I watched her closely.
Tall. Dark skin. Short braids. Sharp eyes. Simple dark clothes. Her stance was balanced and ready. She wasn't panicking. She wasn't confused. She was alert, calculating, and calm.
Her gaze swept the space—robots, Shin and John, the unconscious woman on the floor—then back to me. Her muscles were tense, not from fear but instinct. Even her slight wince from the memory download didn't break her focus. I had seen that look before. Warriors from war-torn worlds had that same edge.
"Does it matter?" I asked quietly, my voice steady.
She didn't respond. Not at first. Her eyes were still locked on me. Studying. Trying to judge threat level, escape routes, maybe even assessing the warehouse's structural weak points. Smart.
"What do you remember?" I asked.
A few seconds passed in silence. Then she finally spoke.
"I died," she said, voice low and tight. "A powerful demon attacked my world."
My mind clicked into motion. Only one name came to mind.
"Trigon."
Her eyes widened.
"How do you know that name?"
I gave a small shrug. "I know a lot of things about the people present in this room. Let's leave it at that."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, but didn't press further.
"As for your earlier question," I continued, "I need reliable allies. And I had the power to choose mine. You are one of them."
She opened her mouth, but I cut in before she could speak again.
"Consider it employment. I'll be paying you all."
I did the same thing I had done for Shin earlier—held out a bottle of water to her. She looked suspicious but thirsty, and after a few seconds, accepted it. Just as she brought it to her lips and took a sip, I summoned a small table from my inventory, placing it gently in front of me.
She choked.
Water sprayed out of her mouth as she coughed and stepped back. "You're a meta-human?" she asked, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.
I didn't answer. Didn't even look up.
Shin tilted his head and asked her, "What's a meta-human?"
She blinked at him, still surprised. "Someone with special abilities. Like him." She pointed at me.
I pulled out three bundles of cash and three burner phones, setting them on the table—one bundle paired with one phone, forming three neat sets. I gestured to them.
"Take one set each."
Tahani raised an eyebrow. "What's this for?"
"I'll explain everything soon. But first, understand this—I need capable people beside me. You're not here by accident. You're here because you can fight, think, and survive. The world you've stepped into... it's different. Dangerous."
John had been quiet the whole time, standing in the corner, arms crossed. Watching. He didn't say a word, just stepped forward, picked up a set, and nodded once before walking out.
I turned to Tahani. "See the world outside. Take your time. If you run into trouble, use the phone. Most of you are carrying all kinds of IDs in your pockets. They should work well enough."
"And a place to stay?" she asked.
"I'll arrange something. For all of you. Except Shin. He already has a place here, right?"
Shin gave a quiet nod.
I looked at Roberta, still unconscious on the ground. Her breathing was steady.
"I need to take care of her. If you need anything, just ask."
I pointed toward the entrance to the underground bunker.
"I'll be inside there."
Then I nodded to one of my bots. "That's Gideon, my AI. She'll be your guide."
Tahani gave a dry laugh. "You have an AI. Of course you do. Why am I not surprised."
I almost told her she hadn't seen anything yet. She'd be a lot more shocked when she saw the world beyond these walls. But I just shrugged.
Lifting Roberta carefully onto my shoulders, I turned and walked toward the bunker entrance.
--
--
A few hours had passed since the summoning. The warehouse was quiet.
Roberta lay still on the cot in the far corner of the underground room. Her breathing had slowed down. Her face was no longer full of rage. Instead, she looked pale but calm. The anger and violence she had shown earlier were now gone. All that was left was exhaustion and something deeper.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. Her body jumped slightly, like she had remembered pain, war, or death.
She sat up quickly, breathing hard. Her head moved around as she looked at the strange room. Plain concrete walls. Soft light from a hanging lamp. A metal desk. One chair.
And a man.
Me.
I stood on the other side of the room with my arms folded. I watched her quietly. I was the same man she had attacked earlier when she had first arrived. That attack came from panic and confusion, not hate.
Her eyes dropped to her hands.
She moved her legs and touched her side. Her body felt fine. But her mind still remembered something else. Dying. Bleeding out in the field while her young master held her. Her last thoughts were about revenge and duty.
"You're awake," I said.
She turned her head slowly toward me.
"Have you calmed down?" I asked.
She looked at me for a second. Then she gave a small nod. Her fists were no longer clenched. She studied me carefully, like she was trying to understand something.
"You're awake," I said.
She turned her head toward me slowly, wary, guarded. Her fists clenched slightly.
"Have you calmed down?" I asked evenly.
Her mouth opened slightly, then shut. She nodded once, reluctantly. Her eyes scanned me again, not out of fear, but calculation.
"Why?" she asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "What why?"
"Why have you brought me to this world?"
I held her gaze and answered calmly. "Because I need allies."
She studied me for a moment longer, then looked around again.
A long silence stretched between us. She looked down again at her hands, flexed her fingers slowly.
Then she asked, almost a whisper, "What happened to my young master?"
I shook my head slowly. "I don't know."
Roberta exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment.
I stepped back.
"There's food on the table. I will wait outside."
To Be Continued...