We continued the tour.
At the heart of the compound stood the Grand Arena, a massive coliseum reinforced with energy barriers. It was built for ranking fights, tournaments, and high-stakes duels.
Next, the Mission Hall—a sleek, modern building lined with screens displaying missions, assignments, and rankings. At its center, a glowing platform pulsed softly.
"All missions are assigned here," June said. "And this is where you'll be teleported when needed."
A short distance away, she gestured to an imposing office.
"That's the Commander's domain," she stated, her tone sharpening. "Meetings, evaluations, and strategies happen there. If you're summoned, don't waste his time."
Finally, we reached the Cafeteria, positioned beside an open drill field.
"Eat, train, repeat," June muttered.
By the time we finished the tour, the sheer scale of Unit 02's base had fully sunk in.
I could only say it was huge.
After that, June dismissed us to head toward the residential block and didn't even ask how I was doing, even though I spent the entire tour limping behind her with exposed bones and burned muscles.
Everyone dispersed, some moving in groups, others walking alone. I naturally fell in step with Steve and Logan.
As we walked, I glanced around, scanning the crowd. North was ahead, walking with some of her academy friends. While looking for her, my gaze locked onto someone else, Mark.
He stared at me, his expression guarded. I scanned him. Level 14. There was unease in his eyes, though he tried to hide it.
I held his gaze for a moment before losing interest. Instead, I found North again. She was deep in conversation with Sara, seemingly unfazed by the exhaustion the rest of us carried.
Steve's voice pulled me back.
"Hey, you need any help? You look like hell."
I chuckled.
"I'm fine. Already recovering."
It wasn't a lie. I could feel my body healing, muscle fibers knitting back together, bruises fading. The only question was whether this was due to my high Constitution stat or maybe my passive ability.
Steve shrugged.
"If you say so."
I nodded.
"So, how did the fight outside the volcano go?"
At that, Steve exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair before looking down at his sword.
"Hectic. Brutal. On the first day, the strongest abominations were only Level 12. Manageable. But after that, their levels started creeping up. Slowly at first.
"For the first four days, I fought solo. Wasn't a problem. I could handle them on my own. But then the numbers surged, more than half the people couldn't kill them alone, so we had to form groups. By the end, it was less like a survival exercise and more like war.
"We rotated between recovering and fighting, but in the last four days, we could barely kill anything. Too many creatures, too many injuries. We just kept injuring them instead. The death rate of the creatures dropped. It was a grind just to survive. I barely managed to hit Level 19 on the last day."
I nodded, taking in his words.
"Did you enjoy it?"
Steve's exhaustion faded, replaced by a wide grin.
"Yeah. Leveled up my skill twice. But I really didn't like you running off on your own like that."
I raised my hands in surrender.
"Guilty."
Logan cut in.
"So? What did you really find inside the volcano?"
I sighed, then gave them a rundown, the orcs, the tunnels, the pods. I left out what happened after I dropped into the wide expanse. No need to bring that up with everyone else paying attention to our talks.
We walked at a steady pace, our conversation filling the time. Eventually, we reached the dormitory complex.
Inside, the reception area was well-lit and efficient, with counters and digital displays. And standing behind one of those counters was someone familiar, the same lady who had given me my ID card when I first arrived at PCB.
The woman with the Recorder class.
I smirked and greeted her.
"Hello, Recorder lady."
She glanced up, a small smile playing on her lips.
"My name is Jennifer, Billion."
I nodded.
"Jennifer it is. So, what are you doing here? I thought you worked at PCB."
She shook her head.
"I do work in PCB, but I'm assigned to Unit 02. That's why you met me there that day. I handle all your documents and reports. Right now, I'm here to update your IDs and provide details about your stay. My office is in the Commander's Wing."
With that, she launched into an explanation: our rooms, access to reports, Unit 02's internal server, monthly salary, and other essentials.
The process took about half an hour. Then, one by one, she upgraded our ID cards.
I held mine up, examining the sleek new design.
[Identity Card]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Billion Ironhart Age: 17
Academy: Avenue Academy City: Cairo
Rank: PB_02001 Department: Elite Unit 02
Status: Alive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My rank had been upgraded to 001. Everything else remained the same.
After saying goodbye to Jennifer, everyone started moving toward their assigned quarters. Rooms were allocated based on rank, but there was no difference in facilities, each of us received the same living and training setup.
Our group made its way to the first block, where the top-ranked members were housed. Logan, who ranked somewhere in the 40s, split off to head toward his designated building.
On the ground floor of our block, we found our rooms. Each door was labeled according to rank: 001, 002, 003, and so on.
In the corridor, Steve, Sarah, and I stood in silence, each glancing at the others but saying nothing.
Finally, I broke the awkward pause.
"Steve, drop the bag inside and come with me to the medical wing."
He nodded, disappearing into his room for a moment before rejoining me.
Together, we made our way toward the medical facility.
As we stepped inside, I immediately noticed how massive the facility was. A reception area, rows of treatment rooms, surgery wards, an emergency wing: there were sections I didn't even recognize.
I approached the reception desk and explained my condition.
The woman behind the counter barely reacted, simply nodding before saying.
"You need to see the Chief Medical Officer. Room 04, down the hall."
Steve and I made our way through the corridor until we reached the designated room. I knocked once before pushing the door open.
Inside, a young man sat behind a desk, scribbling something into a thick book. His dark eyes flicked up at the sound of the door, eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise.
I took the lead.
"Hello, sir. We're new members of Unit 02. I need some treatment, so we came here."
The man chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
"Well, I was supposed to visit all of you later, but since you're here, let's get it done now."
He gestured to a recovery platform. It was a bed with embedded medical scanners. I stepped forward and lay down.
"My name's Luke Clarke," he introduced himself. "Chief Medical Officer of Unit 02. Can I see your ID?"
I handed it over. He scanned it, then looked back at me, his expression shifting from casual interest to surprise.
"Level 25? Already?"
I smiled.
"Yeah. I fought a lot."
Luke shook his head, scanning my body with practiced efficiency. His brows furrowed.
"I can see that. Burn marks, fractures, exposed bone, claw wounds, severe muscle damage… What the hell did you fight?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
Raising a hand over my chest, a soft green glow emanated from his palm. Instantly, I felt warmth flood my body as the energy seeped into my wounds.
I watched in fascination as muscle fibers reknitted, skin stretched over exposed tissue, and my bones adjusted with a series of quiet pops. Pain faded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief.
I let my eyes slip shut, basking in the almost euphoric sensation of rapid healing.
After three minutes, the glow faded, and Luke lowered his hand.
I sat up and instinctively scanned him. Question marks.
A Master Rank healer.
Luke smiled and spoke.
"That was a lot of damage, Billion. Your body's mostly recovered, but you'll need to replenish your energy. Head to your room, order food from the cafeteria, and eat a lot."
I nodded.
"Got it."
Steve stretched his arms.
"Well, since we're here, might as well get a quick fix."
Luke sighed.
"Fine, get on the platform."
Steve hopped on and grinned.
"Go easy on me, doc."
Luke rolled his eyes and placed a glowing hand over Steve's chest.
"You're barely injured compared to him. Stop whining."
A minute later, Steve sat up, flexing his arms.
"Man, this feels great. Can I come back daily?"
Luke pointed at the door. "Out."
Laughing, we left and walked toward our apartments.
I spoke.
"Get freshened up and come to my room. We need to talk."
Steve nodded.
"Cool. Let's order something together."