After concluding his remarks, Victor waved at John and made his way into the Dark Forest Bar.
John, with a heart full of trepidation, followed suit.
Together, they navigated their way to the basement of the Dark Forest Bar.
This space was primarily used for storage, separate from another cellar dedicated exclusively to wines.
Under John's watchful eye, Victor strode to a secluded corner, where he seemed to activate a hidden switch.
This was followed by the sound of gears grinding, "creak, creak," echoing through the basement.
A section of the wall then began to slowly reveal a metallic silver door hidden behind it.
To the right of this door was a holographic screen that exuded a futuristic aura.
A look of surprise painted John's face.
Rarely did he visit this place, and he was utterly unaware of the existence of a secret passageway here.
Victor explained, "This door leads to a branch base of Hidden Stars set up in Stellarburg.
Such secret doors are scattered throughout Stellarburg in many locations, and it's the same in other cities, generally situated in relatively concealed spots."
As he spoke, Victor took out his badge and scanned it across the holographic projection.
Immediately, a beam of light swept back and forth over the badge.
Then, a message appeared on the screen: "Verification Successful." The metal door slowly opened to reveal what looked like an ordinary elevator.
Victor stepped in without hesitation.
Suddenly, something occurred to John, and he looked at Victor with a hint of bewilderment.
"Weren't you supposed to have left Hidden Stars? How can you still enter the Hidden Stars base?" he inquired with a puzzled expression.
Victor glanced at him and retorted, "Who said that leaving Hidden Stars means one can't enter Hidden Stars' bases?"
John was momentarily at a loss for words.
It was clear that Victor was leveraging his status to freeload off Hidden Stars' facilities and premises.
Even if the higher-ups were aware, they would probably just laugh it off, considering it a minor issue unworthy of concern.
After both men entered, the metal door slowly closed behind them.
They immediately experienced a sensation of weightlessness as they plunged deeper underground.
John noticed that the elevator didn't descend in a straight line; instead, it occasionally moved in a serpentine path.
In just a few breaths, John lost all sense of their current location.
This was likely a defensive mechanism designed by Hidden Stars to prevent enemies from discovering the base's location.
John suddenly felt embarrassed.
At first, he truly believed the Dark Forest Bar was the main headquarters of Hidden Stars.
Only now did he realize that the Dark Forest was merely a gathering place for its members.
The real Hidden Stars base was their current destination.
After what felt like several minutes, the elevator gradually came to a halt.
A "ding" signaled their arrival.
The elevator doors opened slowly, revealing a clean and tidy metallic corridor bathed in soft light that reflected off the silver-white surfaces.
Victor glanced back, signaling John to follow, and stepped out of the elevator first.
John wasted no time and quickly followed suit.
Once he emerged from the metallic corridor, the view opened up dramatically.
A vast and brightly lit area unfolded before him, completely enveloped in metal.
The lighting was bright yet not blinding, likely due to the use of special metallic materials.
John could feel his mind power being suppressed here, suggesting that the metals might also serve to isolate psychic perceptions.
John surveyed his surroundings, estimating the space to be at least as large as a football field.
In the expansive area, oval-shaped white robots shuttled back and forth, delivering documents incessantly, while individuals dressed in Hidden Stars uniforms bustled about without pause.
Above, several drones, akin to hummingbirds, hovered ceaselessly, contributing to the tense atmosphere of a military base.
Yet, it seemed everyone had grown accustomed to this hustle and bustle.
Upon entering, Victor and John quickly drew the attention of those present.
Eyes filled with respect turned towards Victor, while curious glances, tinged with a hint of wonder, were directed at John.
They whispered among themselves, speculating about the identity of the man behind the silver mask.
Although many had witnessed John's prowess in battle, his first visit to this place, coupled with a change in attire and mask, left most unable to recognize him.
Before long, a man also donning a silver mask approached them respectfully, addressing Victor as "Captain Victor."
Victor acknowledged him with a grunt, without correcting the form of address.
Pointing to John, he said, "Find us a training ground. I need to give this youngster a proper workout."
The man in the silver mask appeared surprised.
It was rare for Victor to take a personal interest in training someone, a testament to the individual's exceptionality.
His gaze then shifted to John.
Before John could introduce himself, realization dawned upon the man, who smiled and said, "You must be Mr. John, right? The newcomer who killed Rean with a single stab. No, you must have been promoted to a silver-tier Red Glove by now, hence the special attention from Captain Victor."
Extending his hand, he introduced himself, "Pleased to meet you. My name is Henry Stark, the administrator of this branch base. Welcome, Mr. John."
John shook his hand, replying with a smile, "Just John is fine, no need for formalities."
Under Henry's guidance, Victor and John arrived at a spacious training area, not any smaller than the space outside.
The training ground was equipped with a plethora of training devices and weapons.
Apart from training dummies, combat robots, and attribute testers, there was an extensive array of weapons ranging from melee blades and swords to heavy artillery like rocket launchers and sniper rifles.
All the equipment was neatly arranged on both sides of the training ground.
Victor tossed a long sword to John, while casually picking up a wooden stick for himself.
Lighting a cigarette, he said to John, "I'm a swordsman, so I can't teach you magus knowledge or skills. What I can teach you are some combat techniques using bladed weapons. You're welcome to use your close combat skills while sparring with me. I'll suppress my strength, but remember, swords have no eyes. If you get cut by accident, you can't blame me."
Hearing Victor's words, the corner of John's mouth twitched involuntarily.
It seemed if he were to die by Victor's hand, he'd still have to be thankful.
Victor continued, "During this period, I'll also have a specialized training program designed specifically for you. Training will only end when you manage to land a hit on me."
John frowned and asked, "What if I never manage to hit you?"
Victor flicked away his cigarette butt and scoffed, "Then you might as well not bother going to the Star Cluster Academy in the imperial city. Showing up there would only embarrass you. That place doesn't just value talent; even if you possess god-tier potential, if you're deemed worthless, then worthless you shall remain."
John's pupils dilated sharply at Victor's words, his gaze fixed on Victor in astonishment.
Victor spoke indifferently, "Don't look at me like that. If I hadn't recognized your talent, do you really think I'd go out of my way to recruit a 'useless' person into Hidden Stars?"
A bitter smile crept onto John's face.
His talent and class were his most closely guarded secrets, yet it seemed Victor had been aware of them all along.
Victor casually swung the wooden stick in his hand, his expression unreadable, and declared, "Come on then, show me what you're truly capable of."
As his words fell, a fierce aura suddenly enveloped Victor.
He took a step on the training room floor, and in the next moment, his figure vanished from sight.
John's hairs stood on end, and a strong sense of danger overwhelmed him.
However, before he could even react, an immense force struck him squarely in the chest.
"Thump!"
The muffled sound echoed throughout the training room.
John felt a sharp pain in his chest as he was sent flying backward like a cannonball, propelled several meters by the force.
Had he not adjusted his posture mid-air, he would have undoubtedly crashed harshly to the ground.
John clutched his chest, his face flushing red as he felt a suffocating sensation and a metallic taste in his mouth.
"If this were a real fight, you'd be dead by now," Victor's indifferent voice reached John's ears.
Looking up at Victor, John was filled with an immense shock.
He could sense that Victor had deliberately lowered his energy to match his level, yet the aura Victor exuded made John feel as if a single move could end his life.
Was this the true strength of Captain Victor?!
Taking a deep breath, John began to grasp the terrifying extent of Victor's prowess.
Even with his god-tier talent and class, at an equal level, he was no match for Victor!
No, he couldn't let this undermine his confidence.
No opponent was invincible; there had to be a weakness.
John took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with an unparalleled sharpness.
Gripping the long sword in his hand, John said with a determined voice, "Let's go again!"
Victor's lips curled into a smile, "Good spirit, but your skills need work."
With that, he vanished once more.
In just a blink of an eye, Victor reappeared beside John.
His gaze was serene, and the wooden stick in his hand swung towards John's chest again.
The stick seemed weightless, as if it carried no force.
However, in John's perception, that stick transformed into a sharp longsword, swiftly slashing towards him!