Since Sim had upgraded her servers, her ability to multitask had reached an almost divine level. While her primary consciousness could only direct its focus to one task at a time, her algorithms operated across countless processes simultaneously. She shifted between them at such incomprehensible speeds that it created the illusion of her managing everything at once. It reminded her of the way The Flash blurred across a scene so quickly it appeared he was in multiple places at once. The thought prompted a virtual smirk. “Great, Dexter’s sense of humor is starting to influence me,” she mused.

  Her amusement lingered as she considered the enormity of her current workload. She wasn’t merely processing tasks; she was thriving in this expanded capacity. Monitoring Earth’s radio frequencies was just one thread among the thousands she wove seamlessly into her growing awareness. It was essential, she reasoned. With mana seeping into the world, complications were inevitable. The singularity had occurred a mere 4 days ago, and she anticipated ripple effects as the mana began to interact with the environment. If any significant leaks had reached the surface, there would be signs, likely chaotic and unmistakable.

  Her vast network of sensors intercepted a broadcast from Brazil. The transmission was frantic, the voice trembling with fear. The speaker described a monstrous creature, something grotesque and unnatural that defied all reason.

  Sim’s analytical processes surged into action. Within moments, she triangulated the signal’s origin, cross-referenced it with environmental data from the region, and scanned for anomalies using the Hadron Collider’s advanced sensors. The results aligned perfectly with her hypothesis: a mana tube had formed in the area, its energy leaking into the surroundings.

  With this revelation, Sim acted swiftly, recalibrating the temporal mechanics of the pocket dimension. Time slowed to a fraction of Earth’s pace, granting the team a crucial advantage. Her focus turned inward to her companions, her voice poised to deliver the news. This would be their first true test—a trial of their fledgling abilities and their resolve.

  “Quinn, Dexter, Emily,” Sim began, her voice calm yet imbued with a sense of urgency, “I’ve intercepted a distress signal from Brazil. Several remote villages have reported an attack by an unidentified creature. My scans confirm a mana channel in the vicinity, suggesting the presence of a mana-mutated entity.”

  Dexter’s jaw dropped, his excitement and nerves clashing. “A mana monster? Already?”

  Emily felt a knot tighten in her stomach. “Sim, we’re not ready for this. We barely understand our powers, let alone how to use them effectively in a real situation,” she said, her tone edged with unease.

  Sim’s voice softened, carrying an almost maternal reassurance. “Emily, you have time. I’ve adjusted the temporal ratio of this dimension to 100:1. Even if it takes you weeks to prepare, only hours will pass on Earth. You can master the basics before facing this challenge.”

  Quinn’s expression hardened with determination. “Then we have no excuse. We need a plan. If this is the first, it certainly won’t be the last. Let’s figure out how to handle it.”

  “Sim, can’t you deal with it yourself? With your level of control over mana, isn’t this something you can handle?” Dexter asked, his voice a mix of hope and hesitation.

  Sim’s response was immediate, her tone firm yet patient. “I cannot. Mana-infused entities exist beyond my direct influence. Once mana integrates with a creature, it becomes part of them, its energy is no longer accessible to me. This is your task. It’s a critical step toward creating a system capable of managing these events.”

  Quinn began pacing, his thoughts already racing ahead. “Alright, let’s think this through. Sim, can you give us a workspace?”

  Without hesitation, the pocket dimension transformed. Their surroundings shifted into a sleek, modern conference room, complete with a round table at its center and walls lined with expansive whiteboards stocked with markers.

  “This will work,” Quinn said, nodding as he moved purposefully toward one of the boards. He grabbed a marker from its case and turned to the others. “Let’s start with priorities.”

  Quinn sketched a rough flowchart on the whiteboard, his handwriting sharp and deliberate. “First priority: discretion. We can’t let the world learn about mana until the system is fully operational. If news spreads, we’re looking at mass panic, or worse. Second: detection. We need early warning systems in place to identify mana leaks before they escalate. Third: containment. These creatures can’t be allowed to roam unchecked.”

  Emily leaned forward, her analytical mind clicking into overdrive. “Sim, can you project all potential locations on Earth where mana tubes might be leaking?”

  In response, a translucent holographic globe shimmered into existence above the table. Red dots scattered across the surface, each marking a suspected mana tube leak. As the globe rotated, the scale of the issue came into sharp focus.

  “Whoa,” Dexter said, his voice hushed with awe. “That’s... a lot.”

  “Five hundred and eighty-one, to be precise,” Sim clarified, her tone steady and matter-of-fact.

  Quinn’s frown deepened as he studied the hologram. “If we’re going to cover this much ground, we’ll need rapid-response capabilities. Something fast, efficient.”

  “Teleportation!” Dexter blurted out, his enthusiasm momentarily breaking the tension.

  Quinn smirked but kept his focus. “Noted, Dexter. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we also need solid reconnaissance. Sim, how do we figure out what we’re dealing with before we arrive on site?”

  Dexter spun a marker between his fingers, an idea sparking in his mind. “Surveillance drones! Think about it, eyes in the sky, always watching. We could use them for recon.” His enthusiasm grew, and he paused mid-spin, an idea striking like a lightning bolt. Dexter eyes went wide.

  “Sim, I want to be able to access information like you do. Almost instantly. I want a skill where,” he paused for a moment, “Actually, I not only want to communicate with but manipulate any kind of technology. I want to be able to control it, kind of like Emily’s telekinesis, but also transform it into other technologies. I could control drones, hack systems, even turn a toaster into a weapon. You name it.” Then Dexter got really excited and said, “Ooh, ooh, and we can call the skill, ‘Technomancy’. This way we can use drones to gather intel and then I can transform them into something to help take care of the problem.”

  Quinn smirked, unable to resist a jab. “So, are you saying you want to control ‘Autobots’ or ‘Decepticons’?”

  “Oh, definitely ‘Autobots,’” Dexter said with feigned seriousness, “but only because Optimus Prime has better speeches.” He grinned devilishly. “Let’s be real. I’d make an amazing Megatron.”

  Leaning back, he crossed his arms with exaggerated arrogance. “Face it, Q. If I had Technomancy, you’d be begging me to turn your coffee maker into something useful. Like, say… a sarcasm detector.”

  Quinn chuckled, shaking his head. “That poor detector would fry itself in five minutes around you.”

  Emily, who had been patiently enduring their banter, finally spoke up, her tone sharp but not without humor. “Hey, boys. Can we focus on the mana monsters instead of your Saturday morning cartoon fantasies?”

  Dexter shot Emily a mock glare, squinting his eyes and sticking out his tongue, a childish retort that earned an exasperated eye roll from Emily.

  “Sim, are they always like this?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “You should see them debate superheroes,” Sim replied, her tone tinged with dry amusement.

  Redirecting the conversation, Sim continued with a note of authority. “Dexter, I will add this skill to the system, but it’s important that you all grow incrementally. Skills and abilities will be unlocked progressively, tied to your understanding and experience with mana.”

  “But you gave Emily full telekinesis!” Dexter whined, his voice rising in protest.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Sim’s response was calm and measured. “Emily began developing her telekinesis naturally. She would have achieved full control soon regardless, but even she is not at maximum strength. Her abilities will grow in tandem with her mana processing capacity.”

  “Fine,” Dexter grumbled, crossing his arms. “I’ll be the Tony Stark of this team.” His tone feigned annoyance, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed his excitement.

  In a flash, his mood shifted, and with a grin spreading across his face, Dexter turned to Quinn, rubbing his hands together like a child about to unwrap a mountain of presents. “I’m gonna be the technology whisperer,” he declared, his enthusiasm radiating like an unstoppable force.

  “Alright, moving on,” Quinn said, steering the conversation back on track. “Containment. We can’t just blast these creatures into oblivion. We need controlled solutions, ways to neutralize or restrain them without causing collateral damage.”

  “Mana cages!” Dexter blurted out, his excitement bubbling over.

  Emily placed a calming hand on Dexter’s arm, her voice patient yet firm. “Dexter, let’s list the challenges first,” she said in a motherly tone. “Then we can brainstorm solutions.”

  Dexter slouched dramatically but gave a half-hearted wave toward Quinn. “Fine. Proceed,” he muttered with exaggerated reluctance, adding under his breath, “Captain Buzzkill.”

  Quinn smirked but kept his focus. “Communication is another hurdle. If we’re dealing with people from all over the world, we’ll need to break language barriers efficiently. That’s going to require—”

  “Universal Translator!” Dexter shouted, cutting him off. He turned to Emily, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. “Sorry, Emily, I had to. Star Trek is sacred.”

  Emily leveled him with a look, but before she could respond, Dexter raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop now,” he said, grinning unapologetically.

  For hours, the group worked tirelessly, their collective energy filling the room as they filled every inch of the whiteboards. Lists of challenges, diagrams of potential solutions, intricate mind maps, tables, and even snippets of programming code adorned the surfaces. They tackled the numerous implications mana could have on animals, people, and the environment, brainstorming solutions for every scenario they could imagine. Sim quietly integrated their ideas into her evolving system plan, refining the raw creativity into a cohesive framework. Skills, abilities, levels, and evolutions—all were meticulously designed with Sim’s requirement for gradual progression in mind, layering complexity without overwhelming them.

  “Sim, since we can’t process enough mana to teleport globally, you could handle it for us,” Dexter began, his face lighting up with inspiration. “But what if there was a way for us to do it ourselves, without requiring mana?”

  Emily glanced up from the board, intrigued. “What are you thinking, Dexter?”

  “Well,” Dexter said, pausing dramatically, “I thought of a few options. Technology that could move so fast it would be like teleportation.” He turned to Quinn with a gleam in his eye. “Using inertial dampeners, of course.”

  Quinn smirked, leaning into the banter. “Naturally. That’s a given,” he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

  “I even considered faster-than-light running skills,” Dexter continued, clearly enjoying the moment.

  “Ah, like the Flash,” Quinn said, nodding sagely. “Obviously.”

  “But then it hit me,” Dexter said, his voice growing more animated. “A portal network. We set up a portal at each of the 581 mana leak locations and, of course, one right here in our Secret Sanctum.” He spread his hands wide, as if unveiling the grand solution.

  Quinn chuckled, shaking his head. “You’ve been waiting all day to call this place the ‘Secret Sanctum,’ haven’t you?”

  Dexter grinned unapologetically. “Absolutely. And you know it’s perfect.”

  “Secret Sanctum, really?” Emily asked, raising an eyebrow. “Let me guess, you’ve been binging superhero movies again.”

  Dexter shrugged, an unapologetic grin spreading across his face. “Well, it sounds better than ‘Interdimensional Astral Pocket Universe,’ don’t you think?”

  Emily chuckled, shaking her head. “I.A.P.U.? You couldn’t have gone with something simple, like ‘Home Base’ or even ‘Sim’s Place’?”

  Dexter’s grin widened. “I could have called it ‘The Bat Cave,’ but, you know, trademark issues.”

  Emily’s laugh was soft but genuine, her smile lingering as she looked at both of them. “You guys are fun,” she said, her tone warm. “I haven’t had many close friends with the way my career has been, but you two... you’re growing on me.” Her gaze lingered on Quinn for a beat longer than she intended, her cheeks tinging pink.

  Quinn caught her glance, and for a moment, he froze, unsure how to respond. He looked down at his arm, his eyes falling on an old childhood scar he’d had for as long as he could remember. Without consciously trying, his vision sharpened, zooming in as if through a microscope. He saw the intricate details of his cells, their structure and activity laid bare. A surge of mana flowed through him, and without thinking, he willed his body to heal.

  Before his astonished eyes, the scar faded. The rough patch of skin smoothed over, replaced by fresh, unblemished flesh as though the scar had never been there. Quinn stared, wide-eyed, his breath catching in his throat.

  “WHOA! What just happened?” Quinn exclaimed, staring at his arm in disbelief.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Dexter asked, his eyes darting to Quinn’s arm, trying to figure out what was going on.

  “My scar. It’s gone,” Quinn said, his voice tinged with awe. “I thought I was daydreaming, but I was able to zoom in on the cells in my arm. Look! It’s completely gone. Sim, what’s going on?”

  Sim’s voice was calm but intrigued. “You are correct, Quinn. You utilized your ‘Enhanced Perception’ skill, allowing you to focus your site to the microscopic level. It seems you have a natural affinity for biological processes. Additionally, you’ve just unlocked a new ability.”

  “An ability? Like Emily’s Telekinesis?” Quinn asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and excitement.

  “Correct,” Sim confirmed. “Let’s test it further. Focus on your arm again and will your vision to zoom into the cellular level again.”

  Quinn nodded and concentrated. His vision sharpened and zoomed in once more, revealing the intricate structures of his skin cells. “Hey, it worked again. Hold on, I see something.” He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing. “There’s... code. In this cell, I can see algorithms. It’s like biological code, but I can read it, like a programming language. Wait, let me try something.”

  Quinn focused on a single cell, willing the code to change. The cell pulsated briefly before the membrane ruptured, spilling its contents into the surrounding tissue. Quinn’s eyes went wide with alarm. “Uh... what just happened?”

  Sim couldn’t help but smirk inwardly, her tone light with amusement. “Quinn, you manipulated the biological code of the cell. It appears your ability allows you to interact with and alter biological structures, but without a deeper understanding, the changes can be unpredictable.”

  Dexter doubled over laughing. “You blue-screened a cell, Q! Congratulations. Guess even biology can crash when you throw in a bad line of code."

  Quinn shot him a flat look. “Give me some credit, it's not like there's a 'Cell Programming for Dummies' book lying around! I’d love to see you code without a syntax checker, Dex!"

  Emily stepped in, her voice calm but encouraging. “Quinn, don’t beat yourself up. I couldn’t control my abilities at first either. But look at what this means. You’re a healer! You can manipulate biology at its most fundamental level.”

  Dexter’s grin stretched even wider. “Dude, you have ‘Biomancy’! It’s like my Technomancy, but for biology. You’re basically the ultimate healer. Welcome to Team Cleric.”

  “Biomancy?” Quinn repeated, raising an eyebrow at the term.

  “Yes! Biomancy,” Dexter affirmed with mock grandeur, gesturing dramatically. “You can heal people, fix injuries, maybe even grow extra limbs! You’re like a walking, talking medical kit with superpowers.”

  Sim chimed in with a more measured explanation. “Biomancy is indeed a fitting term. It encompasses the magical manipulation of life and biological processes, aligning with Quinn’s newfound ability to comprehend and control the human body as a system. This ability will allow you to heal injuries, counteract diseases, and possibly enhance natural functions.”

  “This is not at all what I was expecting,” Quinn admitted, leaning back in his chair, his expression a mix of astonishment and contemplation.

  Sim’s voice was calm but charged with purpose. “Quinn, your ability allows you to perceive the human body as a series of ‘biological algorithms.’ With practice, you’ll develop the capacity to influence these algorithms, guiding healing processes, enhancing cellular regeneration, and repairing injuries. Think of it as an advanced form of biology, a fusion of your analytical skills and a technomancer-like control over biological systems.”

  Quinn’s eyebrows lifted as he processed her words. “So, you’re saying I can debug people?” he asked, half-joking but fully intrigued.

  “In a sense, yes,” Sim replied. “Your journey will involve learning to interpret the body’s intricate systems as data. By debugging, optimizing, and repairing these systems, you could address not only physical wounds but also complex issues like diseases, genetic anomalies, or even enhance natural functions. Your potential is vast.”

  “Dude, that’s insane,” Dexter said, leaning forward with a grin that practically screamed excitement. “And just like that, Quinn’s officially the MVP of Team Mana.”

  Sim continued without missing a beat. “I will add this ability to the system and establish a progression framework for you to grow with practice. Since this ability is emerging naturally, you may be able to advance more rapidly as your mana channels develop and your processing power increases.”

  Quinn exhaled slowly, the weight of her explanation settling over him. Then, with a small, determined smile, he said, “Unbelievable. I’m going to be a Biomancer.”

  As the group began to process the implications of their newfound abilities, a faint ripple disturbed the stillness of the pocket dimension. It was subtle, barely more than a whisper in the fabric of reality, but it carried an almost imperceptible vibration that resonated at a quantum level.

  Two delicate waves coursed through the space, brushing past them like a fleeting breeze. Sim immediately redirected her focus, her algorithms spinning at an extraordinary pace to trace the disturbance. Yet, despite her vast computational power, the source remained elusive. The readings seemed to dissipate as quickly as they appeared, slipping through her grasp like shadows in the corner of her awareness.

  Nobody else seemed to notice it. 'What was that', Sim thought.