The Agency's Challenge: Facing Monsters

"As you know, our branch has an A-grade villain present to defend against any threat that might arise, he will be the one to deal with the A-grade monster."

Monsters and people were graded in the same way, but monsters were ranked differently from people. Heroes and villains would get their grades up by doing extraordinary deeds, because of that, you might find a B-grade hero who is weaker than a strong C-grade hero or villain but is much more intelligent and can devise plans to defeat them.

Monsters were ranked based on the amount of flux they had inside of them.

Both people and monsters had flux, and in the past, even heroes and villains were strictly graded based on the amount of flux they had and their overall power, it was just that after many years had passed, people noticed that that might not be the best way to grade them.

After all, people and monsters were different from one another.

Monsters didn't have the same intelligence that people had, and below the A-grade, the smartest monster was still at the same level as a toddler, only some could display the same intellect that an elementary student might have.

When stepping inside the S-grade and above, that changes. Monsters become more intelligent, and it was said that the most powerful and smartest monsters were smarter than an average human, which was horrifying to even think about.

Even with only their primal instincts, monsters were still incredibly dangerous, if they were to become smarter and smarter, then humanity might not be able to win against them in the future.

"Let me introduce you, this is Markus, he is the A-grade stationed here," Lucius said as a person suddenly appeared behind him.

It was the same man that would appear each time Lucius pressed the hidden button in his office.

"Miss Isabella, Mister Carl, nice to meet you," Markus said with a slight bow, to which Isabella and Carl responded in kind.

"I can fight against one of the B-grade monsters, and from what data we have, Miss Isabella should be able to fight against another one, of course, you are free to decline this, you are a scientist who has garnered a lot of interest in the agency, if you are unsure whether or not you can fight against a B-grade, I would rather you not fight it and risk your life," Lucius said with a serious expression.

"No need, I can take care of one B-grade."

"Thank you," Lucius said as he slightly bowed to Isabella before looking at Carl.

"Carl, I know that as a handler, your job should be helping out Miss Isabella during her battle and supporting her, but we only have a couple of C-grades present in the agency, with the strength you possess now, I have to ask you to help us, of course, just like Miss Isabella, you can decline."

"So, you want me to fight against the third B-grade monster?" Carl asked, to which Lucius shook his head.

"Not exactly, I want you to fight the monster with the rest of the C-grades, I believe that together, you can take it down with minimal casualties."

"But what about the other monsters then?"

"We have automated turrets and other forms of defenses installed, with any luck, one of us will be able to defeat the opponent and come back to help the agency out."

[ The system advises the host to help them, with the host's current strength, he can fight against a B-grade monster without any help. ]

'What, but aren't I just a C-grade?'

[ A C-grade when it comes to pure physical power, but with the two abilities the host has, you is more than powerful enough to be called a B-grade. ]

[ The bone manipulation ability alone places the host at the top of the C-grade, while the Winds of Desolation places you in the B-grade. ]

'I see, so if I defeat the B-grade by myself, I'll get a lot of rewards, right?'

[ The system is unable to tell the host anything about the rewards. ]

'Tch, alright, I'll do it.'

"There's no need for that boss, let the C-grades defend the agency, I'll fight the B-grade monster."

Lucius, Markus, and Isabella all stared at Carl with wide eyes.

"Carl, I don't think you understand just how powerful a B-grade monster is," Lucius said with a solemn expression.

"I know, that is why I'm telling you to leave it to me, the others will just be spectators during the battle if they join me, so let them defend the agency."

"Don't worry, you should know that I'm not the suicidal type, right?" Carl asked Isabella who smiled and shook her head.

She had already seen how Carl defeated a hero whose ability had allowed him to reach the C-grade during their battle. Upon sensing the high temperature, Isabella had been very close to joining the battle and dealing with the hero herself, but Carl managed to defeat him, and he had done it without having an ability at all.

With the ability he had recently gained, if he was certain that he could go against a B-grade monster, then Isabella would trust him.

"Let's go, we don't have a lot of time to waste, right?" Carl asked as he smiled and placed his sword and gun on the table. With the power he currently possessed, he didn't really have a need for the two weapons.

The gun wouldn't be able to pierce through the skin of a B-grade monster, and while the sword could thanks to Carl's high strength, he could just use his bones for that.

Markus and the others nodded and made their way to the entrance Markus glanced at Carl a couple of times.

'I can sense that the flux inside of him is at the level of a C-grade, but why is he so calm and certain that he can fight against a B-grade monster?'

'Even if he has a plan, without sufficient power, he will never be able to deal damage to the monster.'

'Is it an ability that he has?'

'There were cases where a person would gain an ability later on in life, that could explain why his flux levels had gone up so quickly in such a short period of time.'

'Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough.'

As they walked through the hallway, Carl suddenly stopped as a person grabbed his sleeve from the side.

"You guys continue, I'll come right away," Carl told Isabella and the others who nodded their heads.

"Angela, what is it?" Carl asked Angela who was looking down at the ground, even with her face mostly hidden, Carl was able to notice that she was blushing.

"They say you're going with the others outside, to fight the monsters," Angela said in a low voice.

"That's correct, a small group managed to climb over the wall from the side, they're going to arrive soon."

"Carl, you're a handler."

"Yes, I know."

"So why are you going out there?"

"Because I'm strong."

Angela suddenly glanced up, her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were sharp as she stared into Carl's eyes.

"I know you are, but you just got an ability, as a handler, it is your job to support them while they fight, not to go out and fight with them."

Carl suddenly chuckled before patting Angela on the head.

"I never thought you would be so concerned about me, you were ignoring me for the last couple of days, I thought you didn't like me anymore."

Angela suddenly looked to the side as her blush deepened.

"I'll be fine, we have more than enough people on our side, I'm going just in case something unexpected happens, in case a monster slips through."

"So fighting a B-grade monster is just in case, huh?"

"How do you know that?" Carl asked with his eyes wide open.

"I listened in to you guys," Angela said in a low voice as she pursed her lips.

Carl suddenly sighed before turning around.

"Don't worry, I'm strong, not to mention that I don't plan on dying any time soon."

"Be safe."

"If you come back."

"I'll…"

Angela suddenly blushed even further before turning around and whispering as she left.

"I'll visit your place again."

Carl chuckled as he ran through the hall, arriving at the elevator just as Isabella and the others were about to go up.

"Alright, let's go," Carl said as the trio looked at him weirdly.

They were in a large elevator that was usually used for transporting large machines.

Inside, there were currently 20 people present.

"Carl, I hope you remember the agency's policy on workplace romance, as long as it doesn't affect your working capabilities, it is allowed, but don't bring any drama to the workplace," Lucius said with a stoic face as Carl blinked a couple of times.

"I thought Carla was your girlfriend, and here you are, flirting with another one," Isabella said with a disappointed expression.

"I wonder what Miss Carla would say to that," Markus said as he also looked at Carl with disapproval.

Of course, inside, they were all snickering as they knew Carla wouldn't care at all.