Amanda took it upon herself to show Kyle around the place where he would be spending the next ten days before officially joining the academy.

Even after graduating, he would still be working here, so it was better for him to grow accustomed to the place early on.

"I was honestly pretty flabbergasted though...the location of this base is incredibly isolated. From the outside, it feels downright uncanny."

The area surrounding it was nothing but abandoned houses and a ruined church. The place had supposedly been evacuated years ago after a pandemic infected several people in the region.

But the truth was something entirely different.

The base itself had been constructed beneath one of those abandoned houses.

What truly surprised Kyle was the contrast between the decaying surface above and the high-tech world hidden underneath.

"Well, we need to keep our base of operations discreet, that’s why," Amanda replied, telling him exactly what he had already expected. Naturally, they had to remain hidden from the public eye.

As they stepped out of the room, which was mainly used for counseling, they entered the large central hall.

Several staff members occupied small cubicles separated by glass panels, giving each of them both workspace and a quiet environment to focus in.

Kyle observed them carefully. Some were speaking through headsets while others sifted through piles of paperwork.

Everyone looked deeply occupied.

"They handle distress-class cases, public affairs, and the monitoring of Montclair," Amanda explained. "If you ever need a site inspection done before going there personally, you can send a request to them."

Kyle nodded. Their role seemed incredibly important when it came to keeping the two worlds separated.

"Now, let’s go check out the training facility," Amanda said as they continued down the hallway. It was located across the passageway through which he had originally entered.

As they walked further, Amanda pointed around while speaking. "This is the conference room, and that’s the infirmary." A few steps later, she gestured in two different directions. "Those are the offices of the Commander and the second-in-command."

She glanced back at him over her shoulder before muttering, "Though there is no need to visit her too often. She’s usually busy with work and all, you know."

Kyle chuckled. "Not very subtle, Amanda."

Amanda groaned. "Okay, fine. I’ll just say it clearly-"

"Ah, I get it," Kyle assured her with a smile. "Only visit her when necessary. Got it."

Not that he had any intention of disturbing the Commander during working hours anyway.

Amanda nodded in satisfaction before saying, "Well then, let’s go check out the training hall."

Kyle raised an arm dramatically. "Lead the way, Senior."

Amanda smiled to herself. That actually sounded pretty nice.

She walked a few steps ahead while continuing to explain how things worked around here.

"There is no fixed arrival time for us. During classes, we usually don’t come here unless there is a mission assigned or we need to submit our monthly report."

"If a mission comes up, we first get debriefed on the situation. After that, we receive the necessary equipment according to the danger level, head to the site for inspection, and report back to the base regarding the course of action required. Once the higher-ups approve it, we proceed with the operation."

Kyle let out a whistle. "That’s quite a lengthy and systematic process."

Amanda gave a wry smile. "Being a Nightwalker means the base needs to stay informed about every move you make. That way, if you end up making a mistake or your actions create consequences worse than the original situation, the base can at least defend your actions and back you up."

Kyle nodded in understanding. "That sounds reasonable."

Amanda nodded back before placing her thumb against the biometric scanner beside the door.

Beep.

The heavy metallic door slid open with a low mechanical hum.

"Woah..."

The moment Kyle stepped inside, his eyes widened slightly.

The space beyond the door was enormous, almost the size of the warehouse where he usually trained. Yet unlike the warehouse, this facility felt alive with purpose. Every corner of it screamed specialization.

Bright white lights lined the ceiling far above, reflecting against polished steel walls and dark reinforced flooring marked with countless scratches, dents, and impact craters left behind by brutal training sessions.

The entire hall was divided into four massive sections.

To the left was the combat training zone.

Two full-sized sparring arenas rested side by side, surrounded by reinforced barriers thick enough to withstand heavy impacts. The floors of the arenas were cracked in places, evidence of overwhelming force being unleashed repeatedly recently

Nearby stood long weapon racks filled with every kind of training weapon imaginable.

Wooden swords.

Steel blades.

Spears, staffs, daggers, combat knives, shields, even heavy war hammers.

Each weapon was arranged with almost military precision.

Rows of training dummies lined the wall behind them. Some looked human while others resembled twisted humanoid creatures, likely designed to imitate monsters Nightwalkers fought in the field.

One particular dummy immediately caught Kyle’s attention.

A wooden striking dummy with multiple rotating arms and protruding blocks. It looked exactly like something straight out of old martial arts movies, except this one was reinforced with steel joints and covered in deep impact marks.

On the right side was the strength training section.

And unlike ordinary gyms, this place looked almost futuristic.

Massive machines made from black alloy and glowing blue panels stood across the area. Cable systems moved silently through magnetic rails while digital screens displayed weight calibrations and body strain percentages.

There were no ordinary barbells or dumbbells here.

Kyle approached one of the dumbbells resting on a rack and picked it up slightly before noticing the glowing panel near its handle.

The weight could be adjusted digitally.

Fifty kilograms.

Sixty.

Eighty.

One hundred.

All the way up to two hundred kilograms.

The internal plates shifted automatically with a mechanical click as the numbers changed.

Even the squat racks were absurdly advanced. Reinforced bars rested upon hydraulic supports while the platforms beneath them looked capable of enduring explosions.

Kyle glanced toward one of the active screens nearby.

The previous user had been squatting four hundred kilograms.

"Crazy..." Kyle muttered under his breath. "This place definitely belongs to superhumans."

Amanda smiled proudly. "Of course. Normal gyms feel like child’s play now."

Kyle crossed his arms. "Then how come you used to struggle so much with tiny weights back when we trained together?"

Back then, when things between them were still good, they used to visit the gym together often.

He clearly remembered helping Amanda with her form because she struggled even with weights most girls her age could manage comfortably.

Amanda immediately looked away before suddenly pointing elsewhere.

"Did you see that thing? That’s a gravity chamber."

Kyle narrowed his eyes at her painfully obvious attempt to avoid the topic.

Still, he chose not to press further and simply followed after her.

As they approached the enclosed section of the facility, Amanda glanced at him and asked, "Want to try going inside?"

Kyle blinked in mild surprise. "Well, sure."

He stepped into the chamber, and Amanda quickly pressed a few buttons before entering alongside him.

A moment later, the silver light filling the chamber shifted into a deep red.

Kyle let out a low groan.

An invisible force suddenly pressed down onto his shoulders, as though a massive weight had been dropped on him. Thankfully, he had already expected something like this. The name gravity chamber was warning enough on its own.

Then, without warning, Amanda crossed her arms around his neck.

Unlike him, she appeared completely unaffected.

"Kyle..." she murmured softly, "do you know the best part about this chamber?"

He hummed lightly. "What is it?"

Amanda slowly rose onto her toes before leaning close enough for her breath to brush against his ear.

"There are no cameras in here."