The instructor's expression changed so fast it was nothing short of jaw-dropping.
In the live broadcast room, the audience watching erupted into laughter, unable to contain themselves.
"F**k! That reaction was way too real!"
"Damn, is this what it looks like when instructors treat top students and bottom students differently?"
"Hahaha, I'm dying. The way he changed tone just for James!"
"If I were an instructor, I'd support top students like James too. He'd really be helpful if any weird situation popped up!"
S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters
Even the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D found themselves at a loss for words watching the scene unfold. Some looked puzzled, others amused, but only one person remained focused—Nick Fury. His one eye stared at the screen with intensity, brows furrowed.
He had long wanted to figure out what this "reality bender" classification truly meant.
And now, he might finally get his answer.
Inside the Training Hall
Back in the training room, the instructor stood at the front with a new air of seriousness. He seemed to shift into a more relaxed posture but kept his gaze steady.
"What I said earlier—those scenarios—those involved ordinary humans," the instructor began, pacing slightly as he spoke.
"But now, let's talk about the real threat."
He paused, surveying the group with a solemn look.
"If you walk into a room and suddenly discover a reality bender—and you don't have a reality anchor on you—what would you do?"
He let the question hang in the air for a moment.
"Or suppose you're just walking around, and the wall next to you suddenly becomes soft—malleable, like jelly. What should your immediate response be?"
There was a hush in the room as everyone waited for his answer.
"To understand how to respond, we need to first understand what a reality bender actually is."
From the audience, Jack—the overly enthusiastic recruit—couldn't help himself. He jumped up and shouted, "I know! Reality benders are people with a high Hume index! They can distort reality and alter the environment through willpower!"
The instructor raised an eyebrow but shook his head slowly.
"That's too textbook. What we need as a mobile task force is practical knowledge—understanding their abilities, yes, but also how to deal with them effectively."
Jack slumped back into his seat, looking thoughtful.
The instructor continued, his tone becoming firmer.
"There are three main classifications of reality benders: space benders, time benders, and space erasers."
Kamar-Taj
The Ancient One, watching from afar via magical projections, narrowed her eyes the moment she heard the word space. Her calm demeanor shifted subtly. Space distortion—something even she treaded carefully around—wasn't just real here; it was categorized.
She had assumed that space distortion was a rare, almost mythical phenomenon.
But here?
It seemed almost… commonplace.
What kind of dimension is this? she wondered. What kind of world breeds people capable of casually distorting the very fabric of existence?
Back in the training hall, the instructor explained casually, as if he were describing mundane office equipment.
"To give you an example," he said, "a space bender could reduce the distance between the skin of your hand and a toilet bowl—so that your hand reaches it instantly."
The entire live broadcast chatroom fell silent for a second. Then:
"…Did he really use a toilet bowl as the example?"
"Bro just described interdimensional toilet access."
"Is… is this how my dad always knows when I'm hiding snacks?"
But jokes aside, everyone immediately recalled SCP-1983. That same kind of distortion—the non-Euclidean space inside the doorway—it clicked.
"The key characteristics of a space bender are as follows," the instructor continued:
When using their powers, light in the area usually distorts.
The range of distortion is limited—it becomes weaker the farther it gets.
He elaborated:
"Because of the first point, the bender themselves often can't see clearly while distorting space. They must rely on sensing the environment."
"And because the second point means their power weakens with distance, we can strategize accordingly. Stay out of range, use light-based interference, and coordinate assaults from multiple angles."
"Next," he moved on, "we have the time benders."
"These ones are trickier. They don't cause light distortion when activating their ability. And most importantly, they rarely use their power on themselves."
Someone in the back raised a hand. "So what does that mean in practice?"
"It means," the instructor explained, "we can use light-based weapons to disrupt them. Laser cannons, photon grenades—anything that manipulates light or energy fields can throw them off balance."
"And since they rarely protect themselves, a well-placed weapon—inserted into their physical body—can still kill or incapacitate them."
The trainees nodded, finally beginning to grasp the logic.
The live chat began buzzing again.
"This guy is good. I'm learning more here than I did in three years of college."
"This instructor should run a YouTube channel."
"He really broke it down. I feel like I could fight one of these guys myself now."
"...Don't get cocky, bro. You still scream when you see spiders."
"And now," the instructor said, "the third type: space erasers."
A chill ran through the room.
"These are the ones that don't just distort space. They remove it."
"The key sign? When using their powers, they emit an overwhelming, booming noise—a low-frequency hum that destabilizes nearby structures."
As soon as he said this, the once-lively room fell into total silence.
Even Jack's usual eagerness faded. His face had gone pale.
This was no longer theoretical. This was a horror story with training manuals.
For people in the Marvel Universe—where mutants, aliens, and gods exist—reality-bending sounded like just another power set.
But for members of the Mobile Task Force, it wasn't just frightening. It was nightmarish.
These beings weren't misunderstood heroes or misled villains.
They were monsters.
Noticing the mood shift, the instructor softened his tone just a bit.
"Yes. Reality benders can manipulate the world through their will and perception," he said. "But there are limits."
Everyone looked up, startled.
"Yes. Limits."
He listed them off clearly and calmly:
Reality benders cannot see the future. They are vulnerable to ambush.
They cannot alter what they are unaware of. Lack of perception means lack of control.
They cannot impose will upon objects or beings they don't intend to manipulate.
They are human. Meaning they can be deceived, distracted, even emotionally manipulated.
There was a collective sigh of relief.
Jack even managed a small smile—until his hand shot back up.
"But boss—what about memetic hazards? How do we deal with those?"
The instructor's expression turned dark instantly.
"Dealing with memetic threats," he said grimly, "is the responsibility of the Eta-10 'See No Evil' Task Force."
He walked to the board and scribbled rapidly.
"Memes—cognitive viruses—can alter a person's thoughts, memories, even core beliefs. Exposure can be enough to convert you—turn you into a pawn, or worse."
"They don't just hurt you. They redefine you."
The room was dead quiet.
Then the instructor launched into a crash course on the three most dangerous types of anomalous enemies:
Reality benders
Memetic hazards
Anti-divine entities
It was information overload.
And just when the trainees thought things couldn't get any worse…
The instructor took a deep breath—and dropped the final category:
Divinity.
Everyone stared.
The instructor's tone was grave now. He spoke slowly, deliberately:
"Divine beings usually possess massive size and wield both reality-bending and memetic capabilities."
"They don't just break the laws of nature—they make new ones."
The room was silent again.
One student raised a trembling hand. "So… how do we stop them?"
The instructor smiled—but it wasn't reassuring.
"For ordinary task force members?"
He turned back to the screen.
"You report to combat command immediately."
"Evacuate all civilians."
"And most importantly..."
He paused dramatically.
"Try not to go insane the first time you see one."
In that moment, no one spoke.
Because they all realized the truth.
The Foundation wasn't built to fight villains.
It was built to stand between humanity and gods.
And if even James, the star recruit, was pale-faced by the end of the lecture—
What chance did the rest of them have?
___________________________________
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