The echo of three pairs of footsteps filled the winding corridors of the complex.

"Where are we going?" Elric asked hesitantly.

Since their return to the HQ an hour ago, Nova hadn't spoken a word. He simply gestured for them to follow—and they had been walking ever since.

Still no reply.

'Gravity Room... 80,900... Training Equipment... 43,400... Oh? Is this a communication device? Distance Token... 5,500...'

Nova's thoughts raced as he sifted through the Store, searching for anything remotely useful. He had already purchased forging materials, a training room outfitted with gear, and a token-like device capable of long-range communication.

Electricity powered none of it. Instead, it all ran on Mana and intricate arrays.

'Too bad that Mana-focused training room is so expensive...'

At last, Nova came to a stop. Without a word, he opened the door in front of him and stepped inside.

Neve and Elric exchanged puzzled glances. They had walked past this room countless times—so why stop now?

What happened next left them speechless.

With swift, precise movements, Nova began tearing through the walls, breaking through several at once. The two commanders could only watch in stunned silence as he expanded the modest room into something closer to a penthouse.

Then, without pause, he retrieved what looked like a small stack of metal discs—the Gravity Room. It wasn't a room in the traditional sense. Instead, it consisted of specialized discs that, when positioned correctly, formed a complex array capable of generating high-gravity fields. Essentially turning any room into a gravity one.

Carefully, Nova arranged the discs across the floor. Once everything was in place, he took out the main disc—the core of the array—and infused it with Mana. The lines of the formation shimmered to life, pulsing with Mana.

'Let's start with the lowest setting,' Nova thought.

In an instant, the gravity within the room doubled. It wasn't enough to cause real strain, but it did draw startled gasps from Neve and Elric, who clearly hadn't expected anything of the sort.

With a thought, Nova gradually increased the intensity.

'Let's see... who gives out first? Elric or Neve?'

The gravitational force climbed—ten times normal Earth gravity... fifteen... twenty. Still, the three stood firm. For Nova, it was effortless. For the other two, it was just beginning to get uncomfortable.

At thirty times gravity, a sheen of sweat formed on their brows. By forty, their legs began to tremble. And when the field hit forty-one, both Neve and Elric collapsed to their knees, gasping for breath, their bodies finally giving in to the crushing pressure.

Nova remained standing, unbothered. Without a word, he deactivated the array. The pressure vanished in an instant, allowing the pair to recover.

"You can train here when you're not inside a portal," he said calmly.

With a wave of his hand, various pieces of training equipment clattered onto the floor in front of them.

"Use these."

He tossed each of them a small token. "Infuse it with Mana. You can contact me if something comes up."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned to leave. "I'm off."

Just as Nova was about to leave, Neve called out, "Where are you going, Boss?"

"To prepare the gifts," he said with a chuckle. With a casual wave, he vanished down the corridor.

Stolen novel; please report.

Neve frowned slightly, watching him go. "I wonder what gifts he's been talking about," she muttered under her breath.

Elric, still catching his breath, didn't bother to respond.

While the two recovered in the gravity room, Nova stepped into the smithy, the heavy door closing behind him with a metallic thud.

"Let's see… one, two, three—eh, whatever. I'll forge ten swords," he muttered, already mentally organizing his workload. "Hector and Malachi should've picked better weapons. Now I've gotta make a glaive, a mace and shield… a bow for Adira… two daggers for Shira and Nox… and a rapier for Neve."

He paused for a moment, eyes scanning the forge, then added, "And I can't forget the armor sets for the generals."

As he spoke, his thoughts were already pulling up the Store interface, fingers moving with practiced ease as he purchased the remaining materials he needed. One by one they were added to his Inventory.

Of the 500,000 gold coins he had won from the tournament, barely 100,000 remained. Purchasing dozens of Distance Tokens, a room full of equipment, and an overwhelming amount of materials had taken a heavy toll on his finances.

'I should craft armor for Elric too,' he thought. 'After all, I did take his share of the tournament prize.'

His hands were already in motion, tossing materials into the forge as the temperature steadily rose, flames licking higher with each addition.

////////////

At the same time, four figures sat around a table, surrounded by stacked boxes and crates. The place resembled a makeshift warehouse.

"Why isn't Thomas here yet? The tournament ended hours ago," Rachel muttered, her fingers tapping impatiently against the table.

"Be patient," Samuel replied calmly. "He should be here any minute."

"He better be," she said, crossing her arms. "Anyway, how long until the meeting with that... what's-his-name?"

Her voice trailed off into a murmur. Whoever they were meeting clearly hadn't left much of an impression.

"Galen. His name's Galen. But we're not actually meeting him—just whoever's pulling the strings behind him," Jack said from the side, his tone dry.

He glanced to his right. "Lia, how much time do we have left?"

Amelia shot him a quick smile as she pulled out a small, unusual-looking watch. It bore little resemblance to what one might expect a watch to look like. It was a small round plate that pulsed faintly with light every few seconds along its edges, displaying the current time based on the location they were in.

"Fourteen hours," she replied.

"That cheap little thing really comes in handy," Rachel muttered, eyeing the glowing device.

Samuel let out a quiet sigh. "Instead of talking about gadgets, maybe we should focus on what actually matters—the meeting. What's the plan?"

"It's hard to make a solid plan when we know almost nothing about them," Jack said, shrugging. "The only thing we do know is that they might be stronger than us. If that's the case, we'll have no choice but to play along."

He didn't seem the least bit concerned. Strength could always be gained later. As long as they followed orders and made it out alive, they could just dive into portals afterward and grow stronger on their own terms.

Amelia leaned forward slightly. "Even weak ones can become dangerous. That Hollis is already stirring trouble. It's only been a few days, and his people are starting to slack off."

"Isn't he supposed to be at the meeting too?" Rachel asked, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "If so, maybe we deal with him right then and there."

Jack gave a noncommittal nod. "We'll see. For now, all we can do is wait for Thomas."

"Mhm."

//////////

Some unknown time later, Nova finally finished his work. He stood in silence, eyes drifting over the newly forged weapons, mentally checking off each one.

'Swords that boost fire affinity for Alaric and Darius. One that boosts water affinity for Thomas. A light-affinity mace and shield for Malachi. Darkness-affinity daggers for Nox and Shira. A wind-element bow for Adira, and an ice rapier for Neve.'

'Elric's in the Legion—I'll give him a fire-based sword too. And Hector… he'll be fine with an earth glaive, right?'

A small smile tugged at his lips.

"How thoughtful I am," he murmured. "I'll keep the extras. They'll make good rewards for the others later."

Just as he stepped out of the smithy, he found Alaric standing right outside the door, arms by his sides.

"That was quick," Nova said, eyebrow raised as he glanced behind his general, scanning for anyone else nearby.

Alaric gave a wry smile. "Boss, it's been twelve hours."

Nova's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Looking around he noticed the sun that was about to come up.

Seeing the reaction, Alaric knew instantly that his boss had completely lost track of time. Taking a steady breath, he continued, "We met with the three top-ranked students, but on the way, we also ran into Thomas. Of the three, Troy and Clara decided not to join."

"That's unexpected. What about the last one?" Nova asked, curiosity sharpening his tone.

"Wesley came back with me," Alaric replied. "He said he wants to meet with you first before making any decision."

"You didn't spar with him, right? I doubt Wesley would've requested a meeting if you did," Nova said, his brow furrowed in thought.

Alaric nodded slightly. "Correct. He refused to spar and said he'd only join after meeting you."

"And Thomas? Did he do anything?" Nova asked.

"Nothing. He's currently chatting with Elric, Neve, and Jasmine."

"Alright. Thanks for the update." Nova pulled out one of the red swords and a set of light armor, then tossed them toward Alaric, who caught them reflexively.

"This is the gift."

Stunned, Alaric looked down at the items in his hands. Overwhelmed, he could only murmur, "Thank you, Boss…"

But the moment his eyes caught the items' descriptions, his jaw dropped—twice over, for two very different reasons.

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