[In the year 2000, a worldwide pandemic broke out.
The disease was merciless. Inescapable. Unstoppable.
It affected anything and everything without discrimination. People, animals, plants. All were equal before the might of the microscopic killing machine: the Cull.
No matter the environment, no matter the organism, so long as it was alive, it could—and eventually would—be infected.
No known cure emerged. No existing treatment worked.
The death toll began to rise.
One hundred thousand in the first year.
Five hundred thousand in the second.
Two million members of various species, especially humans, died in the third.
Humanity rallied against the existential threat, casting aside old rivalries, throwing away useless pride, and finding strength in their combined abilities. After all, what was the point of fighting each other when they could be fighting their greatest enemy?
Race. Nationality. Borders. Politics.
Their significance paled in the face of extinction.
The Cull's primary symptom was severe genetic mutation, beginning at the genetic level and rapidly escalating until entire bodily systems failed.
As for its other symptoms, think of almost any disease humanity had ever encountered.
Then apply them to every living organism you can think of.
By 2007, the human population had dropped to 6.1 billion people.
Everyone who could potentially contribute was recruited.
Nurses. Physicians. Researchers.
Engineers. Architects. Philosophers. Pilots. Even ordinary truck drivers.
Anyone who might help humanity survive.
By 2010, world order began to collapse.
Leaders rose and died. Revolutions, wars, rebellions, and assassinations followed. To those who believed themselves already dead, the rule of law meant increasingly little.
Then, in 2011, a young scientist named Pulma discovered something the world had overlooked.
"Every human on the planet has been infected to some extent. And babies are still being born. The Cull isn't simply destroying us. It's changing us at the base level."
The scientific community rallied around her.
Pulma theorized that the Cull had embedded itself into almost every living organism on Earth. Her hypothesis was proved correct. But that raised another problem: the Cull could no longer simply be cured.
But... perhaps it could be modified.
That idea was the catalyst that eventually produced humanity's greatest achievement: the Cull V-2.
Over more than a decade, researchers experimented on humans, viruses, bacteria, animals, plants, and countless other organisms, advancing technology as they did so.
Then, in 2024, the atmospheric modifier known as V-20 was completed and released.
Built using characteristics of the Cull itself, the modifier was as versatile and as far-reaching as its deadly counterpart.
On the day the V-20 entered the atmosphere, Pulma gave a speech. Words that became history to some, inspiration to others, and a point of unity for all.
"Today marks the end of an era of war, pain, and the constant struggle to survive: the Culling Era.
"It also marks humanity's first step into a new age. The Age of Evolution.
"We are humanity not merely because of our intelligence, but because our willpower, adaptability, and unity allow us to grow.
"To change.
"To evolve."
The Cull's effects did not disappear overnight.
Years of death and struggle still followed. Some people wanted to be rulers, while others wanted freedom. Humanity, after losing its greatest foe, turned its fangs inward yet again.
But just when humanity had finally escaped the Cull's clutches, another, more active problem emerged.
The Cull and V-20 hadn't just modified humanity.
They had transformed everything else too.
The ecosystem itself had been transformed.Creatures unlike anything humanity had previously known began to emerge.
Monsters.
Mo.
Those among humanity who developed strange abilities and rose to battle them became known as Hunters.
Those who instead protected human society from its own strength and operated independently of the Hunters eventually became known as Heroes.
Humanity called its newfound powers Venma—a combination of the names "Pulma" and the "V" in V-20.
Through limited resources, constant experimentation, and relentless adaptation, civilization slowly climbed back to the heights it had once reached.
Then it surpassed them.
Humanity had officially entered another age.
The Age of V.
The Metahuman Era.]
There was a smattering of loud clapping throughout the classroom.
All of it came from one man.
Zantos Edris.
The Hunter Class's homeroom and Mo Biological Studies teacher.
He slammed his hands down on the teacher's podium—upon which an apple rested—and grinned widely.
"So! What did you guys think? Was it good? I made it, you know."
Silence.
Zantos didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"That video should have given everyone who was paying attention a decent understanding of our history. Humanity used to be relatively mundane. We relied on weapons, technology, numbers, and countless other factors to survive."
He spread his arms.
"Now? Even the weakest modern human is genetically different from our ancestors."
Liam leaned back slightly, fighting the urge to yawn.
He is way too talkative. This is all basic stuff; who wouldn't know about it?
He glanced around, noticing a few yawning figures. The boy with the teal-colored hair was already resting his forehead on the table.
"We have stronger bodies. Greater resilience. Some even argue we're more intelligent."
Zantos rolled his eyes.
"Which is a ridiculous thing to brag about. It's 2203, not the Dark Times. Everyone has Venma. What's the point of arguing about superiority?"
His barefaced distaste was obvious.
Nobody replied.
Probably out of fear that answering would somehow make him talk even more.
"Anyway!"
Zantos placed a finger on top of the apple.
"The most obvious change in human physiology..."
He smiled.
"...was this."
The apple split into a hundred tiny cubes.
They fell neatly onto the plate beneath it.
"Venma."
Several students leaned forward.
"Our abilities vary enormously between individuals. They're controlled through the Electrostatic Pulse—or ESP—periodically produced by the brain."
Zantos picked up one of the apple cubes.
"Even identical twins don't possess completely identical Venma. Their abilities generally complement one another, but examine them deeply enough and you'll find plenty of differences."
His cheerful delivery began to lower the class's guard, little by little. Either they became bored and tired, or they became became slightly invested and interested.
Liam included, obviously.
Maybe I misjudged him.
Zantos popped a few apple cubes into his mouth.
He's pretty nice, actually.
"Oh, and I'm a retired Hunter."
Liam blinked.
"I spent quite a while working as a Sweeper before I got tired of it and applied here."
HUH?!
Liam flinched.
Him?!
A murmur passed through the classroom.
Liam, meanwhile, was trying hard not to smile.
He was a Sweeper?
His imagination immediately ran wild.
Is he gonna tell us about Hunts? What the aftermath looked like? What kind of Mo he saw? How—
Zantos's face suddenly twisted into a terrifying grin.
All of Liam's excitement vanished.
Woah.
"Alright, class!"
Wait wait wait—!
Zantos clapped his hands. "You guys are eventually supposed to operate as a team, so we're going to start with some team-building exercises!"
Liam stiffened. Excuse me?
"First up..."
The grin widened, and more than a few students shivered.
"...the Trust Challenge!"
Oh no.
"The objective is simple!"
Zantos thrust both hands outward.
"Reveal your Venma and its Status to your classmates!"
Liam's eyes widened in panic.
I was wrong!
His stomach dropped.
This guy's a nutcase!
Around him, students immediately began murmuring.
Liam raised a shaky hand to his face, horrified at the thought of his Status being revealed.
This is a horrible test! Liam thought, his mind spiraling towards what Venma Statuses were.
There were two major Status Sets: Favoured, and Feared.
Each contained five ranks.
Favoured: Accepted → Respected → Desired → Revered → Sacred.
Feared: Rejected → Suspicious → Denied → Forbidden → Fallen.
Each pair represented roughly opposite ways society reacted to a Venma.
Accepted and Rejected were the lowest.
Accepted abilities barely concerned anyone. Their users generally lived ordinary lives without much attention.
Rejected Venma were strange, uncomfortable, or visibly abnormal—but not necessarily dangerous.
A man with the head of a frog might get stared at.
He probably wouldn't cause a panic.
Then came Respected and Suspicious.
Respected abilities were useful enough that society naturally trusted their users: medics, rescuers, firefighters, and others whose Venma could directly help people.
Suspicious Venma created the opposite reaction.
Tracking someone anywhere.
Creating illusions.
Perfecting stealth.
The ability itself might not be evil.
But people would always wonder:
What if the person using it is?
Then came the ranks Liam wished he could stop thinking about.
Desired.
Denied.
Desired Venma were abilities humanity actively wanted.
Powerful combat abilities. Exceptionally useful gifts. The kind that could make someone famous whether they wanted the attention or not.
Denied Venma represented something else.
Abilities that challenged human safety.
Liam's chest tightened.
Of course I remember that one.
He was Denied.
And he absolutely hated it.
The Status wasn't proof that someone was dangerous.
But people rarely remembered that distinction once they heard the word.
Especially when the name of Liam's Venma alone was enough to send chills up some people's spines.
That was exactly why he wanted to use it to protect those very people, and not become exactly what everyone expected a Denied to be.
Above those ranks were Revered and Forbidden.
Revered Venma inspired awe, safety, or hope—miraculous healing abilities, enormous defensive powers, and similar gifts.
Their holders could practically be treated like royalty.
Forbidden abilities, however, inspired something closer to... terror.
They were incredibly rare powers humanity believed simply should not exist. There was no compromise.
A rampaging Forbidden holder could leave catastrophic scars behind.
And humanity was tired of scars.
Those who could be reasoned with often lived under extreme regulation.
Not quite prisoners.
Not quite weapons either.
But frequently treated as both.
Then came the final pair.
Sacred.
Fallen.
Humanity's greatest blessings...
And humanity's greatest fears.
A Fallen Status hadn't appeared in ninety years, and it wasn't missed. Their holders were beings considered as not humans, but monsters.
And not necessarily in a metaphorical sense.
Meanwhile, there were currently two living Sacred holders. Men considered to be humanity's equivalent of demigods.
They were the Iros—the world's number-one Hero and leader of the Heroes—and his Adjutant, the second-ranked Hero.
Liam sighed.
And now this lunatic wants everyone to announce theirs to the class.
"Alright, let's see..."
Zantos scanned the room.
"I'll pick at random!"
His finger suddenly shot forward.
"You! Pink hair! Third row! Beside that gloomy boy by the window!"
Liam turned in surprise. ...Am I the gloomy boy?!
Lisa, on the other hand, froze.
"Name and Status, please!"
Silence fell over the room, and the entire class looked at her.
Lisa slowly stood. She cleared her throat.
"My name is Lisa Manabe."
Liam watched her.
"My Venma Status..."
She paused.
"...is Denied."
The silence became twice as heavy.
Liam stared at her.
She's—
"And my Venma..."
Lisa looked forward.
"...is Hypnosis."