Chapter 37: 50,000 Tons!
With the best and smartest training partner one could ever ask for, supporting him, Bruce’s progress was terrifyingly fast.
Sophie was not just raising the pressure. She was reading him. Every button she pressed, every second she waited, it was calculated from observing him, from understanding him. She knew exactly how much he could handle and exactly how far she could push him without letting him collapse.
Soon,
20,000 tons!
30,000 tons!!
40,000 tons!!!
50,000 tons!!!!
Bruce was no longer gritting his teeth or struggling to stay alive. He was moving under it. Training under it. Thriving under it.
His body no longer screamed in agony from each increase. Instead, it adapted, growing harder, faster, stronger with every second.
Then Sophie tapped her wrist and raised her hand, signaling him.
Bruce slowed his steps, still breathing steadily. ’Time out already?’
She pressed a command sequence and, with a sharp boom, the pressure collapsed.
In an instant, Bruce felt light, free.
Steam vents in the ceiling opened with a hiss, releasing scalding vapor that washed over him. The heat would have made any normal person scream, but to Bruce, after enduring 50,000 tons of weight, it felt pleasant. Relaxing, even.
The chamber door slid open. Sophie was waiting outside, holding a towel.
"Here," she said softly.
Bruce stepped out, steam rolling off his body. His shirt was soaked, clinging to his chest and abdominal muscles. Every line of his physique stood out, dense muscle carved by brutal training, veins glowing faintly beneath his skin.
For a brief moment, Sophie forgot how to breathe.
Her eyes locked onto him, heat rushing to her cheeks before she quickly looked away. She did not trust herself to stare any longer.
Bruce dried himself off with calm composure and handed the towel back.
At that moment,
GRRRRMMMBLE!!!!
His stomach roared like a beast.
Sophie blinked, then slowly smirked. "While I know that with your overpowered class you could probably keep training in there forever, let us get something to eat first."
Bruce sighed. "Yeah. Sounds good."
Sophie nodded and led him down a hallway lined with crystalline walls that reflected faint ripples of mana. She stopped outside a reinforced door marked; SHOWER CHAMBER – HIGH RANK USE ONLY.
"Go clean up first," she said. "I will wait."
Inside, Bruce washed away the sweat and dried blood, the remnants of being crushed to near mutilation under ten thousand tons of pressure. The warm water slid down the hard lines of his body as his muscles relaxed. He took a moment to steady his breathing. His reflection in the mirror was almost unrecognizable; sharper, stronger, honed, his features looks even more sharper than before.
When he stepped back out, towel draped over his shoulders, he wore only dark training shorts. Sophie was waiting by the wall, holding his black training shirt.
The moment he emerged, her breath hitched.
Steam drifted from his body in thin curls as he walked toward her. His chest and abs were defined and cut as if they had been sculpted from stone, veins tracing over dense muscle. His shoulders and arms looked unnaturally solid, power forged through chaos and pain.
For the first time since she met him, Sophie forgot how to speak.
Heat flushed across her cheeks.
She quickly thrust the shirt toward him.
"Here," she said abruptly, looking away.
Bruce accepted it with a light chuckle. Her reaction was adorable, but he did not tease her. He just pulled the shirt on and slipped his towel aside.
"Let us go," he said.
They made their way to the Supremacy Cafeteria, an elite canteen reserved for high-ranking members of the trainees of The Supremacy Hall. Marble floors, star-metal tables, mana-crystal chandeliers—everything inside radiated refinement and authority.
And yet, the second they stepped inside, the room froze. Dozens of trainees stared in stunned silence.
Whispers spread quickly.
"Is that Lady Sophie?"
"Who is that guy with her?"
"She never brings anyone here."
"I heard brought someone to the training hall, do you think it’s thesame guy?"
"It has to be..."
Sophie ignored the noise completely, brushing a strand of black hair behind her ear as she and Bruce chose a table by the window.
Within seconds, a server rushed over with a nervous bow. He was not stupid. You could offend any noble, but not a Reign. Not when one of the most revered figures in Velmora stood as the head of the family.
"W-What would you like to order, Lady Sophie?"
She glanced at Bruce. Even in a hall filled with elites watching them, she didn’t hesitate to include him.
"Bruce," she said softly. "Eat to your fill."
Bruce understood the message behind Sophie’s gesture. She was not treating him like some outsider who did not belong here. She was letting the whole hall know that he was with her.
He glanced down at the menu crystal as the server held it out. Most of the dishes were cuts of mutated beast meat: Firefang boar ribs, Stonehide bull sirloin, Thunder Elk stew, Basilisk flank roasted over mana flames. High-calorie meals meant for Awakened in intense training.
He selected one without hesitation.
"Flame-Grilled Dire Wolf steak," he said. "Triple portions."
Sophie did not even look at the menu. "I will take the same."
The server almost stumbled. Triple portions each? He bowed and retreated quickly, disappearing into the kitchen.
Soon enough, plates of searing hot meat arrived, steak thick as a brick, glistening with mana steam. The scent was intoxicating, savory, primal. Bruce cut into it cleanly with one slice. Juices flowed as he took the first bite. Powerful vitality energy exploded across his tongue. This was not ordinary food. It fueled the body like fire.
"Huh," he muttered. "Better than I expected."
Sophie lifted an eyebrow. "Surprised?"
"I thought food made from mutant beasts would taste wild," he said between bites. "But this actually has such flavor."
Sophie smiled faintly. "That is Dire Wolf meat for you. It packs a lot of vitality and low impurities. The perfect training food."
He smirked. "So I guess I will be eating a lot of these."
"Oh, absolutely," she said. "You will need it. You are a monster in the making. You will need monster meals to keep up."
Bruce paused, glancing at her. "You keep calling me a monster."
"Because you are one." She grinned unapologetically, taking another bite. "And I like monsters. Normal people are boring."
Bruce chuckled. "Fair."
For a moment, they ate in comfortable silence until Sophie leaned forward slightly.
"So tomorrow is the Adventurer Badge Trial," she said, wiping her lips with a napkin. "Are you planning to give a normal performance or make a scene?"
Bruce did not even hesitate. "A scene."
Sophie laughed. "Thought so."
He shrugged. "It is the fastest way to make money."
"And enemies, since it is bound to be highly competitive," she added knowingly.
Bruce cut another piece of meat. "Then I will crush them too."