The world of One-Punch Man, Z City, the Police Station.
Standing before the mirror in the Police Station lobby, Josen straightened his collar, his expression solemn.
The man in the mirror had black hair, blue eyes, and handsome features. His powerful, well-trained body stood six feet five inches tall, and his dark uniform made his sharply defined face look all the more resolute. Even a casual glance carried an imposing presence.
The memories inherited from his predecessor told him that he was a newly appointed Patrol Officer-the lowest-ranking kind of beat cop.
Josen was a transmigrator. Upon crossing over, he had awakened Psychic Powers from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure World: a "Stand." His Stand was called "Fantasy Card (Fantasy.Cards)" and took the form of a deck of unusual, playing-card-sized cards, their backs depicting a pitch-black cosmos filled with stars. Its Stand Ability was to bestow the concept of a "card" upon things, turn them into fantasy cards, and control the power within them.
One month after his arrival, his soul and body had fully merged, and Fantasy Card had awakened its second ability, "Fate Draw." He could randomly draw one fantasy card each day, and unused draws could accumulate.
Obviously, Fantasy Card wasn't a humanoid Stand that could jump straight into battle and start throwing out ORA barrages. Its stats might have been pathetic, but pathetic stats often came with god-tier abilities.
As far as Josen was concerned, controlling the cards' power essentially meant rewriting reality through the power of fantasy. All he needed to reach god-tier status was one miraculous draw.
The day his second ability awakened, a notification appeared in his mind: available draws +1. Without hesitation, he used it on the spot.
A blank card sprang from the deck, enveloped in brilliant blue flames-the spiritual flames of a Stand User.
As the flames faded, the card's border turned a deep purple. An image corresponding to its contents also appeared on its blank face: a red-and-blue spider.
[Fantasy card: Spider-Sense] [Card type: ability card] [Rarity: SR] [Description: a spider superpower, also known as the "Peter Tingle."] [Effect 1: danger precognition] [Increased adrenaline secretion, accompanied by a tingling sensation at the back of the head, raised hairs, and other symptoms, warns the user of imminent danger nearby.] [Effect 2: Spider-Time] [Greatly enhances reflexes, dynamic vision, and perception, allowing the user to enter a special state similar to "bullet time."]
Fantasy cards differed from one another. They were divided into four rarity tiers, each corresponding to a different border color.
N (Normal), common, white;
R (Rare), rare, blue;
SR (Super Rare), super rare, purple;
SSR (Superior Super Rare), superior super rare, orange.
Most fantasy cards made from things without supernatural elements were N cards. Josen had gotten lucky: his very first draw was an SR.
Following the instructions he had received in his mind, he grabbed the floating card and pressed it against his chest.
The instant they touched, the purple card silently shattered into a skyful of glittering specks. Like metal filings drawn to a magnet, they gathered into a returning tide and sank into his chest.
In an instant, the spider superpower took effect. Josen's five senses sharpened at an astonishing rate, and the world before him seemed to slow down.
For the first time, Josen experienced the unique allure of supernatural abilities.
Another week or so passed. Through experimentation and practice, he became increasingly adept at using his Stand Ability.
Like right now.
After clocking in and collecting his equipment, Josen walked out of the Police Station and turned into the alley beside it.
He raised his right hand and opened his palm.
Fantasy Card!
Stand Ability activated!
From Josen's perspective, brilliant blue spiritual flames ignited and enveloped his body as a white-bordered fantasy card materialized, floating in midair.
From a passerby's perspective, a handsome young police officer held the brim of his cap with one hand while raising the other, palm up. The whole scene looked painfully theatrical.
[Fantasy card: Small Police Motorcycle] [Card type: item card] [Rarity: N] [Description: a common small vehicle, colloquially known as a "little lamb" scooter.] [Effect 1: launch start] [Low fuel consumption, fierce acceleration-a must-have for macho men who want to ride in flashy, swaggering style.] [Effect 2: fuel display] [Fuel remaining: 68%]
He reached out and plucked the white card from the air. Amid a burst of dazzling bargain-bin special effects, the little lamb was unsealed and took physical form in front of Josen.
Vroom-
The engine gave a wild roar. Josen kicked up the stand and swung himself onto the seat.
Putt-putt-putt-putt...
The little lamb launched forward, carrying Josen toward his assigned patrol area for the day.
P.S. Currently available information that isn't worth a damn.
[Fantasy Card (Fantasy.Cards)] [Stats] [Destructive power: E; speed: E; precision: C; growth potential: A; persistence: A; range: C] [First ability: Card Control] [Bestows the concept of a "card" upon things, turns them into fantasy cards, and controls the power within them.] [Second ability: Fate Draw] [Allows one random fantasy card draw each day. Unused draws can accumulate.]
(Rank C: comparable to an ordinary human.)
After repeated global catastrophes in the world of One-Punch Man, the surviving humans had formed a unified government, and the cities were named after letters of the alphabet.
Z City, where Josen lived, was also home to Saitama, the Caped Baldy.
Monsters, Heroes...
Riding his little lamb, Josen's thoughts churned.
"Monsters" were a phenomenon unique to this world's rules: dangerous creatures that arose for unknown reasons and threatened human society. Based on the severity of the threat, the difficulty of eliminating them, and various other factors, the authorities had established five disaster levels.
["Wolf": the appearance of a creature or group that could pose a threat.] ["Tiger": a crisis involving mass casualties across an unspecified area.] ["Demon": a crisis threatening to cripple or destroy an entire city.] ["Dragon": a crisis threatening to destroy multiple cities.] ["God": a crisis threatening humanity's extinction.]
As for "Heroes," that brought to mind a recent news report.
After his grandson was attacked by a monster, the fabulously wealthy, butt-chinned Agoni had announced through the media that he would personally fund a private organization dedicated to handling such incidents, eliminating monsters, and protecting lives. Its name would be-
"The Hero Association."
Then his money power kicked in!
In just three months, this fledgling private organization expanded rapidly under the force of its financial offensive. Branches were established in every major city, recruiting powerful individuals to eliminate monsters and avert disasters. This group of powerful people, increasingly the subject of conversation among citizens, were-
"Heroes."
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