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.

No widening of eyes. No gasp. No comment.

Just a slight exhale as he took another slow sip of coffee.

Calm. Controlled. As if he'd already expected all of this.

Yet the faint tension at the corner of his jaw betrayed the truth…

Even Bale… was impressed.

....

Meanwhile back at the trial, Bruce sheathed his daggers…

His black hair fluttered wildly in the sea breeze as he surveyed the aftermath of the intense battle. The beach was littered with immobilized crabs, their massive bodies sprawled across the sand like broken siege engines. Severed limbs were scattered everywhere, long, armored legs snapped at the joints, their glossy bronze shells cracked open like shattered cookware, each one a silent reminder of how overwhelming the confrontation had been.

Taking in the scene, Bruce let out a quiet sigh, 'All crabs are down. And with zero casualties, it's safe to say I got the perfect score once they're all dead…'

What he did was genuinely impressive, even though he hadn't slain all four hundred plus bronze-shell crabs directly, he had something far more impressive to show: he had rendered every single one immobile and defenseless. To most, the task would have been a nightmare. To Bruce, it barely counted as effort. He could still kill them now after all...

And since their limbs were cut off, Vitality Collapse would spread cleanly. The blast would seep into the exposed joints, tunneling straight into their inner organs. One good detonation was enough to rupture them from the inside out.

With practiced ease, Bruce activated Vitality Collapse on five different crabs. The simultaneous explosions thundered across the coastline, dark smoke rising in heavy plumes as shockwaves rippled outward. The chained blasts tore through the remaining crabs effortlessly.

Seconds later, notifications of the crabs death flickered at the corner of his vision.

Soon a single notification appeared

[All targets eliminated.]

Looking up at the clear blue sky, Bruce exhaled softly. "Speaking of which," he murmured, "I should inform them that the beasts from the dungeon have been completely cleared."

He inhaled deeply, the scent of sea salt mixing with the iron tang of fresh burnt blood. Then he sprinted toward the village, his figure blurring against the coastline.

Arriving at the deserted settlement, he stopped. Houses were empty. Doors left swinging. It was clear the villagers had evacuated in a rush.

Undeterred, Bruce pressed forward. With the villagers traveling together in a group, their pace wouldn't be fast. He would catch them.

True enough, he found them within thirty minutes.

When he informed them the beasts had been handled, disbelief washed over their faces. Murmurs. Confused whispers. Some outright shook their heads. But as minutes passed, his steady tone, calm eyes, and complete lack of wounds sank into their hearts.

The skepticism faded. Then came relief. Then trust.

Bruce knew that with this, the mission was done.

But unlike what he expected… Bale didn't end the trial.

Instead, Bruce could only watch as the stronger teenagers were given horses, riding in pairs or small groups, while the rest hurried on foot toward the beach.

Upon reaching the village, Selphie and the others froze.

Their mouths hung open. Their steps halted. Their faces drained of color.

The sight before them was beyond anything they imagined.

Scorched crab corpses everywhere, some split open, some blackened from the explosions. Sand ripped apart. Smoke still curling from the ground. Shell fragments embedded in tree trunks. Pits carved into the sand from the force of Vitality Collapse.

"How… how did he kill all these… only him…" someone whispered, voice trembling.

"Impossible…"

"No human could… this…"

"A-apprentice Adventurers can't… but he…"

"Thank God we're saved..."

Their disbelief piled on each other until the shock was too much to contain. There was both shock, glee and appreciation.

Then, as one, hearts filled with reverence, the villagers bowed deeply toward Bruce.

"Thank you, Adventurer Sir, for your help…"

Bruce waved casually, as though they were thanking him for holding open a door and not wiping out an army.

Selphie and the villagers gazed at him with newfound awe, their earlier doubts now burning in their chests like shameful embers. Selphie especially felt it.

'How foolish of me...' she thought, practically wanting to hide her face. 'To think I questioned the capabilities of an Adventurer… no wonder he alone survived that previous dungeon they raided'

Many of the older villagers exchanged glances, uncomfortable yet humbled. Bruce, barely at the age of their sons, had strength they couldn't imagine possessing even in their youth.

Soon, they moved to harvest the scorched crabs for food.

Excited chatter broke out almost immediately. They marveled at how unbelievably thick the shells were, so tough that, without the parts burst open by Bruce's explosions, they wouldn't have gotten any meat at all. Children gasped. Adults clicked their tongues in disbelief. Even the elders murmured praise at the sheer destructive force necessary to break such defenses.

Bruce watched closely, learning from the way they expertly carved out meat from the crabs' bodies, noting the precise angles and motions used to avoid damaging edible parts.

Then—

Buzz—

The smart bracelet on his wrist vibrated once.

Before he could react, Bruce vanished from the spot.

His vision dimmed. Darkness washed over him.

And in the real world… Bruce's pod slowly slid open.

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