first mission done.

With a powerful kick, Raven launched the first assailant backward just before the other could grab his weapon. Raven landed and delivered a punch to the jaw, rendering the man unconscious.

Following that, Raven employed his inhuman speed, systematically incapacitating his adversaries. His focus wasn't that of an amateur; he fought like someone accustomed to such missions.

Luna burst into the leaders' room, swiftly grabbing a chair and hurling it toward them. The first leader, a portly man with long hair and a beard, used his beard to block the incoming attack. The second man spat at Luna, but she agilely evaded the corrosive saliva.

"I see, an acid ability and a hair ability – quite repulsive," she commented.

"Who the hell are you?" the spitting man asked, his eyes cold.

"Do you think you can use abilities in public without being noticed?" She taunted.

"You're from one of those organizations. How much do you want?" He surprisingly asked in a calm tone.

"You think you can buy me? Pathetic," she scoffed.

"Don't be hotheaded, little girl. We have twenty men waiting outside. If we surround you, you'll be dead," he warned.

Luna smiled coldly, "Go ahead, call them."

The two leaders hesitated, but the door suddenly swung open, revealing a young man with bloodied hands, a faint smile on his face.

"Are you still not finished?" Raven asked with a frown.

Luna was in disbelief. "That was fast? I was just introducing myself and gathering information," she explained.

Raven nodded, "Alright, do your thing; I'll rest in the corner." He nonchalantly walked to a couch and sat down.

The two leaders were dumbfounded. "Did he defeat all my henchmen and then just sit there, letting his partner finish us off?" the portly man asked in disbelief.

"I guess," the skinny man replied.

Their anger flared, and they attacked. Luna deftly dodged the hair attack and executed a roundhouse kick, sending the skinny man crashing into the wall.

"You'll regret that," the portly man shouted.

His hair lunged at Luna, gripping her hand. She grabbed the hair and countered with a side kick to the stomach, forcing the man to his knees, ending the battle. "What a disgusting ability," she commented.

"That acid ability is interesting, but the hair one is truly repugnant," Raven added.

As he began searching the office, Luna activated her truth-detection ability and asked, "Raven, I'm sorry about what I did that day."

Raven froze in place and then sighed. "It's fine. I'm not petty. But a word of advice: don't speak to people like they're your subordinates; it puts you in a bad position."

She turned red. "I'm not always like that; it's just..."

"You judged me as an evil man because of that incident," he finished what she had avoided saying.

Raven scattered gold, money, documents, pictures, and guns on the floor. "I'm sorry. My mom is the only person I have left. I can't believe I acted so childish," she replied.

Raven smiled. "You're lucky. If I had a good mother, I might not have ended up like this." He mockingly reflected on his past.

Luna continued to use her ability and inquired, "Do you truly hate the people in school, or do you just not want to be with them?"

Raven sighed. "No, it's maybe because of my ability or something. People there are full of fake personalities. Besides Matt, all of you act fake, pretending to be cold and mature, hiding your true selves. Ain conceals her power and acts cute, and Lucas is the weirdest, acting foolish and always cheerful, like some Shonen main character. But I can see it in his eyes; he understands people and only pretends. Tell me, how am I supposed to believe in those guys?"

Recognizing the truth in his words, Luna was taken aback. "Well, you also hide your true personality under that cold façade."

Raven nodded. "Yes, I don't trust any of you. Why should I reveal my true self?"

"Well, it's the same for all of us. We're all new to this school. Though Lucas, Ain, and I come from families with ability users, we each have different problems and goals. Revealing our true abilities could endanger us," she explained.

As the skinny man began to stir, Luna swiftly knocked him out again.

"Well, maybe we just need time. I enjoy training with them; it's just that I can't act friendly with people lying to my face," he explained.

She understood, "Can... Can we at least be friends? You and me? You're so talented; I can learn a lot." She requested.

Raven was at a loss for words; her arrogant personality and cold appearance didn't match those words.

"Sure, just don't treat me like your servant, and we can be cool," he replied indifferently.

But his shyness didn't escape Luna's ability. "Haha, you're shy. You know I can see the truth in everything, not only words, right?" She teased.

Raven turned away and began putting everything he found into a big bag. "You use your ability to make friends; look at you showing trust," he mocked.

She shamelessly admitted, "I use it sometimes when trying to understand people; abilities are part of us," she explained.

He ignored her and kept looking for anything useful. "By the way, why are you gathering these things?" She asked.

Raven gave her a confused look, "We fought for our lives; do you think the little points they gave us are enough for my troubles? I'm taking the loot as well," he replied.

"You can leave the money there; I'll transfer it to your bank account later," suddenly, a woman's voice sounded from the window.

Luna was startled and was about to attack, but the woman quickly disappeared and reappeared beside her. "I'm from the academy," she said.

Raven nodded, "Sorry to trouble you," he said.

"I have a question: how did you know I was following you?" She asked.

The woman was in a mask and a black tracksuit. All that could be seen was that she was African American and had a scar on her right eye.

"Well, according to the teacher, I have a never-seen ability. How can the academy send someone like me on a mission without supervision?" he explained.

Luna and the woman were shocked, "Ah, you tricked me. I thought you saw through my stealth ability," she replied.

Raven chuckled and walked out of the building; Luna followed, leaving the woman to take care of the mess.