Chapter 47: Pods? Pods?!
"I want to register as an adventurer."
The bartender looked him over, evaluating him, then nodded and pointed casually.
"The door on your right."
Bruce followed his gesture and saw a lobby packed with even more people. Somewhere inside that mess was the path leading underground.
"Thanks," he said before leaving the bar.
He pushed through the rowdy crowd near the counter and reached the elevator door the bartender had indicated. A guard stood firmly in front of it, arms folded.
Bruce stepped forward. "I’m here to register as an adventurer."
The guard stared at him for a moment, then suddenly swallowed hard.
"Handsome lad, is this S-Rank suppression I feel from you? Are you S-Ranked?"
"Yes. I’m currently S-Rank," Bruce replied casually.
The guard froze. His eyes trembled in disbelief.
’An actual S-Ranked awakened standing in front of me. This guy is the youngest S-Ranked I’ve seen!’ He was both nervous and excited. ’S-Ranks didn’t just appear every day. And this one seems to be a prodigy...’
"Sir, are you really a new awakened? When did you awaken? How..."
Before he could finish, a muscular arm clamped itself around Bruce’s shoulder.
"Why are you guys bothering my classmate?" a deep voice cut in.
Bruce didn’t even need to look. He already knew who it was.
The man slapped a button beside the door and bypassed the security rune entirely.
"But Sir Ozai," the guard protested, but made no move to stop them. He clearly knew the man and didn’t want trouble. Since Bruce didn’t resist, the guard didn’t stop Ozai and then the doors closed.
’Maybe I was asking too many questions,’ the guard thought, sighing internally. ’I shouldn’t overstep my boundaries.’
Inside the elevator, Bruce glanced at the man beside him.
"You’re Ozai Thorne," he said flatly.
He remembered Ozai clearly, the loudmouth who made a scene during the Awakening Ceremony by yelling his firelord class and rank...With Bruce’s photographic memory, faces never faded.
Ozai smirked. "What’s up, Bruce? Glad you remembered."
He tapped a sequence on the control panel of the elevator. A brief hum ran through the floor before the lift suddenly began descending fast.
Bruce’s brows rose slightly. ’Underground? It didn’t make sense. Why would the Guild conduct trials below ground? Open terrains or combat fields made more sense. The mystery around this test kept growing.’
Minutes passed as they traveled deeper.
Then ding, the elevator stopped, and the doors slid open.
Ozai didn’t step out immediately. Instead, he paused, staring intensely at Bruce for a few seconds.
Bruce frowned slowly. ’What? Why is he looking at me like that... eh? Gay? Don’t tell me.’
Ozai finally spoke. "I’ll defeat you."
Bruce blinked.
Ozai continued, eyes serious. "And after that, Sophie will finally realize she shouldn’t stoop to your level." His jaw tightened. "No offense, but you’re not at her level, Bruce. She’s mine. So get ready, because I’m going to cook you."
Ozai walked out confidently like he had just delivered a legendary speech.
Bruce stared at him for a moment, silent.
Then he sighed. ’He talks too much. I really wonder what his face will look like when I beat the shit out of him.’
Before stepping out, Bruce peered through the elevator’s transparent door and saw what awaited outside; a vast, empty lobby that seemed to stretch endlessly. Nothing but smooth metallic floors and walls infused with faint mana veins.
He sighed softly and followed after Ozai, who walked ahead with a cold snort, his pride practically dripping from his back.
The elevator doors slid open. Bruce stepped out, and the instant he did, the elevator hummed and ascended back upward, vanishing into the ceiling above.
The silence that followed felt strangely heavy.
He exhaled quietly, his footsteps echoing faintly across the pristine metallic floor as he crossed the wide lobby. After a short walk, the path opened up into a large hall, bright, spacious, and already filled with people.
Dozens of Awakened stood there, each looking just as eager, nervous, or confident as the next. All of them were here for one thing: to earn the right to call themselves Adventurers.
Bruce’s gaze shifted toward the far side of the hall, and he froze.
Lined neatly along the wall were several large pods, sleek and futuristic.
"Pods... wait, are those VR pods?" Bruce muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing in surprise. "Is the test supposed to take place in a virtual world? That would make sense."
He stepped closer for a better look.
Each pod gleamed under the soft white light, its surface made of polished alloy and tinted glass. The design was elegant yet otherworldly—smooth curves, glowing seams, and control panels fitted with mana touchscreens. The metallic silver was accentuated by faint lines of neon-blue light that pulsed gently, like veins channeling power through the machine.
Every pod had a transparent, curved glass door that sealed shut once entered. The entire setup looked less like testing equipment and more like a gateway to another world.
The craftsmanship alone screamed cutting-edge technology. Even in a kingdom that thrived on mana engineering, this was beyond ordinary. The air was filled with quiet awe and anticipation. Recruits whispered among themselves, their curiosity painted across every glance.
Every now and then, someone would sneak another look at the pods, then gulp softly. They didn’t know exactly what those things did, but everyone agreed they looked incredibly cool.
Bruce’s expression remained calm, but his mind was racing.
His guess was simple: the pods used some sort of virtual simulation array. It reminded him of the VR systems back on Earth before he transmigrated. The design principles felt oddly familiar, just refined through magic rather than science.
So they really took the concept this far here too. Impressive.
He composed himself and moved toward the gathering crowd.
The moment he stepped closer, the sound of muffled chatter grew louder. Conversations overlapped as small groups of recruits exchanged complaints and speculations.
"Does anyone know when the registration process is starting?" one impatient recruit muttered. "I’ve been waiting for far too long."
"It only starts after a hundred recruits gather," another replied with a groan.
"We’re still missing ten or so. What kind of stupid rule is that?" someone else added, irritation thick in their tone.
Bruce’s gaze flicked between them before he adjusted his coat and quietly made his way toward the corner of the hall. He sat down on one of the empty seats, crossing one leg casually over the other.
Almost immediately, several heads turned.
The light caught his jet-black hair, making it gleam faintly beneath the hall’s illumination. His calm posture, sharp features, and unbothered presence drew the eyes of more than a few onlookers—some out of admiration, others out of pure curiosity.
He ignored them all.
So they’re really waiting for all hundred before starting. Makes sense, he thought. The Guild always preferred group trials to single entrants. It allowed them to test teamwork, decision-making, and adaptability in chaos.
Luckily, he had arrived just in time. Only a few more recruits were missing.
He scanned the crowd once more, his gaze sweeping through the mix of nervous and confident faces, but Sophie was nowhere to be seen.
He sighed quietly. ’She’s not here yet. Figures.’