Meanwhile, inside the pod room…
Bale and Lucen stood before the massive projection, Bruce's live scene reflecting across their faces.
Steam curled lazily from Bale's coffee cup as he took another unhurried sip, his expression calm, too calm for what he was watching. His eyes never once left the screen.
Lucen, on the other hand, looked like he'd forgotten how to breathe.
He dragged a hand down his face, shaking his head slowly. Then a long, weary sigh escaped him.
"With everything he's doing…" Lucen muttered, voice thin with disbelief, "it's honestly getting hard not to be shocked."
His gaze remained glued to the image of Bruce effortlessly handling the aftermath of the dungeon.
"He… he technically cleared an A-Ranked dungeon, boss included, in barely ten minutes." Lucen swallowed hard. "That shouldn't be possible. Even knowing his strength from the last trial, this is still… this is insane."
Another shaky breath left him.
But beside him, Bale's expression didn't change.
