Chapter 45: The D-Day!
Time passed quickly, and soon daylight crept over the horizon. On this D-day, Bruce was already awake before the sun had fully risen. Lily and Lucy knew he would be gone for a while, and even Ash had been instructed to stay behind and watch over them.
With Ash standing guard, Bruce had no worries weighing him down. He secured his coat, stepped outside, and closed the door behind him.
He made his way to the nearest Mana Train station, his chosen means of transport to the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters where he would finally take the test to become a licensed adventurer. With that license, he would gain unrestricted access to dungeons, something he desperately needed. Feeding Ash and Red was not cheap, and dungeon resources were the fastest path forward.
The trial for new recruits was being held at the main branch of the Adventurer’s Guild, far north, right at the kingdom’s border.
It was a dangerous region constantly threatened by beast hordes, so the guild had been built there to respond quickly to emergencies. Although many branches were scattered throughout the kingdom, only the main branch possessed the facilities to test the new technology being introduced, and this batch of recruits would be the first to experience it.
As for why Bruce needed a train when he could easily cross the distance himself, speed was not the problem. He could outrun most machines in this world even though they were highly advanced. The problem was the route. Using the train and getting off at the closest station was simply the safest option. The last thing he wanted was to mistakenly end up in a forbidden zone or lost in some beast-infested mountain range.
He had tried to buy a map yesterday, but surprisingly, he could not find one anywhere.
Though there was a closer guild branch in the city, this batch of testers had been specifically summoned to the main headquarters. That was the only place where the trial for the top one hundred recruits would take place. That was why Bruce had woken up so early. Missing this opportunity was not an option.
"I have to be fast," Bruce muttered, then exhaled.
With a light push of his foot, he shot forward like a released arrow, streaking down the street. The air cracked behind him as he casually shattered the sound barrier. A sharp sonic boom echoed in his wake.
A minute later, he arrived at the station.
The platform was already bustling with morning travelers, adventurers, merchants, nobles, and everyday citizens. Bruce moved through the crowd with effortless grace, ignoring the curious stares that followed him. He stopped near the edge of the platform and waited.
The station itself sparked his interest.
Sleek and modern, it blended advanced design with elegant stonework. Mana pillars lined the station, glowing faintly with condensed azure light. The train tracks did not rest on the ground at all. Instead, they hovered, suspended by mana-magnetic repulsion. The rails floated in midair, humming with controlled power while faint wisps of mana drifted around them like mist.
A flying train.
There was no clatter of metal, no roar of an engine. To a normal person, the world seemed silent, only wind and distant chatter. But Bruce with enhance sense, could hear it long before anyone else. The smooth hum of mana conductors. The rhythmic pulse of arcane energy. The faint whistle of compressed wind splitting around the incoming train.
Then the chimes rang across the station.
A melodious note announced the train’s arrival as it glided into view, cutting through the sky like a silver arrow. It slowed, hovered, and descended onto the floating track with perfect precision. The doors slid open with a hiss of blue mana.
Bruce stepped forward.
His presence naturally drew attention. A few girls on the platform paused mid-conversation, their gazes locking onto him. It was not just his striking build, tall frame, and sharp-boned features, or the shoulders that carried silent strength. It was the aura he carried, a calm, composed intensity that made him impossible to ignore.
His skin looked unnaturally flawless, healthier and smoother than most people who lived their entire lives on the best skin care. His hair, slightly tousled by the wind, only added to his effortless expression. Those watching all secretly admired him.
Whether he noticed their stares or simply did not care was unclear, but Bruce entered the train without breaking stride.
A breeze of cool, refreshing air greeted him as he stepped inside, a stark contrast to the warm morning outside. The interior was luxurious and refined. Polished silver walls, mana-lit ceiling strips, floating luggage compartments, and seats lined in obsidian-black fabric stitched with glowing runes.
Bruce walked down the aisle, scanning. He spotted a window seat near the back and took it.
Outside the window, the city sprawled beneath a bright sky. Towers, floating lanterns, and mana highways weaved between buildings. Travelers continued boarding. Conversations murmured. The atmosphere pulsed with motion and anticipation.
Yet even with all the noise, Bruce stood out.
Several girls seated nearby kept glancing at him. Some whispered to each other. Others simply stared. Their curiosity lingered, drawn by his calm demeanor, and his looks.
He did not react. He rested one elbow against the armrest, gaze fixed outside the window, lost in thought.
He acted completely oblivious to the attention he was receiving.
Giving those who kept staring at him a subtle sideways glance, Bruce sighed inwardly.
’It seems actively using my class under the extreme pressure of the mana gravity chambers is enhancing my physique even more. I am getting too handsome at this point. This is honestly stressful.’
The attention he was attracting was ridiculous, and he did not like it one bit.
Soon, the train began to glide forward with seamless motion. The kingdomscape outside slowly blurred as they passed through various districts: residential zones wrapped in mana barriers, merchant hubs filled with floating delivery drones, and towering noble estates guarded by knight constructs. Everything flashed past in streaks of color and speed.
Bruce leaned back in his seat, letting his body relax against the cushion as the sun spilled through the window and brushed across his hair. The rhythm of the train was steady, smooth, almost soothing. For a moment, he allowed himself to close his eyes and simply drift as the world raced by.