Chapter 52: Equal Strength, Unequal Minds!
Bruce blinked, shielding his eyes from the blazing light. The sky above was brilliant blue, the horizon distant and empty.
And around him were hundreds of other recruits. Sophie wasn’t close by, and he couldn’t use his life force sensing trait in here.
The crowd was gathered just like before, each looking equally confused and astonished by the realism of the environment. The illusion was perfect, every texture, every sound, every shift of the wind felt authentic.
Bruce looked down at his hands and froze.
There, resting comfortably in his grip, was a pair of blades, sleek, sharp, and familiar.
A perfect replica of Red’s scalpel-like dagger form.
The AI had scanned his memory, or rather, not technically his memory, but his imagination, and replicated the exact weapon he had envisioned when he said "two daggers."
Bruce couldn’t help but smile faintly. "Impressive."
Around him, the other recruits marveled at their own weapons. Swords, axes, staves, bows—each perfectly customized according to their choices. Some swung them experimentally, others simply stared in awe.
Then a familiar voice cut through the ambient noise.
"Alright, recruits," a cold, authoritative tone boomed.
Bruce turned toward the sound.
Standing before them was a tall, muscular man with a long scar running across his face. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp enough to cut through steel.
The same adventurer they had seen in the hologram.
Bale.
He stood with his arms crossed, his presence alone commanding the attention of everyone present.
"I am called Bale," he said in his deep, gravelly voice, "an A-Ranked adventurer tasked with guiding you through this trial."
The crowd immediately erupted into murmurs.
"Wait, Bale? The mutant-beast hunter?"
"No way! That’s him?!"
"I thought he rarely came to the city!"
Bale’s name carried weight. He was famous among adventurers for his near-suicidal hunts into beast territories, sometimes disappearing for weeks, even months at a time. Many recognized the stories, though few had ever seen the man himself.
His reputation as a relentless hunter made him a living legend, and now here he was in front of them.
Bale, however, paid no attention to the commotion. His gaze swept across the recruits until it landed on Bruce.
For a split second, his brow lifted slightly.
He hadn’t expected to see the young man inside the simulation. After all, he was S-Ranked, and the system’s calibration had failed multiple times trying to synchronize him. Yet here he was calm, solid, perfectly simulated.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Bale’s lips.
’So, you actually made it in, huh?’ he thought. ’I was hoping you wouldn’t. Then the Adventurer Guild wouldn’t have to bend to the Thorne Family’s demands.’
He exhaled quietly, the faintest trace of resignation in his gaze. ’Still, I suppose that’s a small price to pay for the kind of advancement this technology can bring to the Guild as a whole.’
He said nothing and turned back to the crowd.
"Because many of you are newly awakened, mistakes are common," he began coldly. "Those mistakes are the reason for the high death rate among fresh adventurers who rush into the Outlands."
The crowd’s chatter faded. Everyone listened closely now.
Bale clasped his hands behind his back as he continued, his tone authoritative yet steady.
"To reduce those deaths, the Thorne Family, one of the Great Ancient Families, funded and developed this technology."
He gestured to the world around them.
"This advanced VR simulation system will show you everything you need to know before becoming true adventurers. From terrain awareness to mana utilization, from monster behavior to survival tactics, this test exists to prepare you."
At that moment, several recruits turned their heads toward Ozai, who stood confidently near the middle of the crowd.
Everyone knew he was a Thorne—one of the heirs of the family that created this groundbreaking technology. A few eyes carried admiration, others envy, but most held respect.
Bale noticed the shift in attention but didn’t acknowledge it. He continued speaking, his voice unwavering.
"All of these measures exist for one reason: to ensure that when you step into the real Outlands, you have at least a fighting chance to survive."
He took a step forward, his gaze piercing through the line of recruits.
"This test is designed not just to measure your skill, but your strength, heart, and will. It will push your limits, test your ability to adapt, and reveal whether you have what it takes to be an adventurer."
His tone deepened.
"It will test your fighting instincts to the fullest..."
"...and your adaptability," he said, pausing as the wind rolled across the plains, "to the extreme."
"This test exists to determine whether you truly have what it takes to be an Adventurer," Bale’s deep voice echoed across the open plains. "It will last for seven days."
A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd, but no one dared interrupt.
"The first five days will make up the first stage of your trial," Bale continued, his black hair fluttering slightly in the crisp savannah air. "In this stage, your goal is simple: hunt and survive. Every beast you see roaming this world can be hunted. Anything that moves. The stronger they are, the greater your reward."
His tone deepened. "The beasts here are ranked from F to S."
A faint ripple of excitement swept through the recruits, though many didn’t yet grasp what that truly meant.
"Each rank grants points based on difficulty," Bale went on. "F-Rank beasts: one point. E-Rank: two points. D-Rank: five points. C-Rank: ten points. B-Rank: twenty points. A-Rank,:fifty points. S-Rank..."
He paused.
"...one hundred points."
The silence that followed was almost deafening. The only sound was the whistle of the dry wind and the faint buzz of the simulation’s distant horizon.
Bale folded his arms behind his back. "Your final Guild ranking after this trial will depend entirely on your accumulated points across all three stages. So fight smart, fight hard, and do not waste your time."
The recruits nodded quietly, tension building in their eyes. The weight of the trial was beginning to sink in.
Then Bale added, "Inside this simulation, everyone’s strength and class are equalized. There are no ranks, no bloodline advantages, and no noble privileges. Here, all of you are A-Ranked adventurers."
***
A/N:
This 3 chs mass release is for @Todd_Peters thanks for gifting me a whooping no of 84 golden tickets, I was genuinely surprised and happy when I saw it...