The seven stood in the hallway, completely bamboozled.
The beauty of the place left them momentarily speechless.
They were positioned at the center of a long corridor, with five doors lining each side and a single, larger door at the far end.
It didn't take long to grasp the layout.
Each hallway was clearly designed to accommodate ten individuals.
Which meant one thing—each team had a maximum capacity.
And if a team exceeded it… well, no one needed to say the rest out loud.
Chris broke the silence. "Feel free to choose any room you like. Just take a quick look and get back here. We still have other places to scout."
The group nodded and began to disperse.
Leo headed for Room Four without much thought.
Whether by coincidence or something else entirely, Avril slipped into Room Three, while Alauna chose Room Five.
Leo paused briefly before entering, a faint chill creeping up his spine. The interior of the room was just as—if not more—spectacular than the exterior.
"This is a freaking VVIP-class suite, for screaming-out-loud's sake!" Leo shouted, eyes sweeping over the sheer eye candy around him.
And this was just the lounge.
He couldn't help but wonder what the resting quarters would look like.
Not willing to let curiosity tear him apart, he dashed toward what he assumed was the bedroom and—
BAM.
The sight before him left him stunned.
The bedroom was nothing short of paradise contained within four walls. The bed alone looked impossibly soft, draped in rich velvet sheets that practically invited him to collapse onto it.
Leo frowned slightly.
He couldn't understand why a training center would be this luxurious. It went completely against everything he had read in novels.
If anything, this place was the polar opposite. He gawked at the room before deciding to take a proper tour of the place. Eventually, he flopped onto the bed, stretching out with a foolish smile as a bit of drool threatened to slip from the corner of his mouth.
"Ahh… this is the life," Leo sighed blissfully.
Knock. Knock.
"Huh… who could that be?"
Leo groaned and rolled off the bed. When he opened the door, Chris stood there, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"Time to move," Chris said. "You sure took your sweet time."
Leo scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward giggle.
He gave the room one last longing glance before stepping out. The rest of the team soon regrouped, and together they followed Chris through the complex. As they moved, they couldn't help but keep looking around, taking in the pristine architecture and sleek, futuristic design.
Eventually, they arrived before a structure that resembled a dojo—its entrance sealed by a sleek black glass door.
As they approached, the door slid open automatically.
What lay beyond paralyzed them.
Inside was a fully furnished, fully geared, ultra-modern training facility—an advanced gym packed with state-of-the-art equipment, glowing panels, and reinforced platforms. It was clean, sharp, and intimidating all at once.
At first glance alone, the message was clear. They took a moment to scan the room from the doorway, but one thing immediately stood out. Without exchanging a single word, they all came to the same conclusion.
That was going to be the first thing they checked.
At the center of the room stood ten mannequins, arranged neatly in formation. Each was clad in a sleek, black, skin-tight suit that covered it from head to toe. The material looked advanced—smooth, seamless, and engineered to perfection.
The suits were striking.
The seven practically saw stars the moment their eyes landed on them.
Slowly, they turned to look at Chris, their expressions unmistakable—wide-eyed and hopeful, like a pack of excited pups.
Chris took in their reactions, then smirked.
"Go on," he said. "They're yours—rightfully so."
No sooner had the words left Chris's lips than the seven rushed toward the mannequins, completely unable to keep their enthusiasm in check. They crowded in front of the glass cases that housed the suits, staring at them with barely contained excitement.
Max tapped on the glass and glanced at the others with a tentative expression.
"Umm… how do we get them out?"
That snapped the rest of them out of their trance. Their excited looks shifted into thoughtful, almost solemn expressions.
"Well," Grey said after a moment, "if they're here—and Chris said they're ours—then there has to be a way to take them out."
As the others debated, Leo remained silent. He slowly traced his fingers along the edge of the glass door in front of him, eyes narrowing slightly.
Pshhh.
The door slid open smoothly.
The others froze, then turned to stare at him.
Leo blinked, then broke into a small giggle.
They rushed toward him at once. "How did you do that?" someone asked.
Leo looked down at where his finger rested and shrugged casually.
"Well… maybe there's a button here or something," he said. "You guys should check too."
A beat of silence followed.
Then everyone lunged for their own cases at the same time.