Reborn With A Technology System In A Fantasy World-Chapter 241: New Home? (2)

Karl’s enthusiastic flight was short, ending with a flourish as he and Adrian landed on a narrow, walkway on the block.

He led Adrian to one of the unassuming, identical house. It was made of a plain, dull silver metal, with no handle or knob, only a small, circular red mark on the wall beside it and a few slatted spaces on the wall for ventilation.

It was clear that aesthetics were not considered when making it. Adrian walked closer to touch the wall of the building. It was cool to the touch, and surprisingly smooth.

"It’s solid," he murmured. "Resistant, and yet... it feels malleable. Like it was poured, not built. Perfect material for such construction."

He was still admiring the wall’s structure when Karl tapped him on the back. "Aren’t you gonna open the door?"

Adrian gave him a curt nod. He turned and attempted to push the door, but it did not budge. He frowned.

He didn’t see a single lock or keyhole, so he could only try harder, bracing his shoulder and pushing with a fraction of his Transcendent strength. The door didn’t move an inch. He looked at Karl, expecting him to open it.

Karl only smiled and shrugged with a mischievous look in his eyes. "You’re the 7-Star Transcendent, pal. You got this."

Adrian could only sigh. He was annoyed, but also intrigued. He tried harder, preparing to rip the door clean off its hinges. He pushed, expecting the metal to tear like paper.

Nothing. The door didn’t even groan. It was as if he were pushing against the side of a mountain. He was genuinely shocked.

For a simple door to be capable of resisting his full strength... it felt unreal, and at the same time, deeply scary. The baseline technology here was on a completely different level.

"Open it."

Adrian finally gave up. Karl, seeing his friend’s baffled expression, let out a wide, triumphant laugh. "Hah! Gotcha! It’s not about strength, bro." He patted Adrian on the back. "Gotta use this."

Karl took a thin, metallic card out of his pocket and, with a flourish, swiped it over the circular red mark on the wall.

The mark flashed green, and with a soft, pneumatic hiss, the door slid silently into the wall.

"Isn’t that cool?" Karl asked, sauntering inside.

Adrian ignored his question and fixed his gaze on the card in Karl’s hand. "What’s that?"

Karl leaned against the doorframe and pointed it at him. "This? It’s my ID. Everyone has one. Where’s yours?"

"How did you get it?"

"Those blue guys," Karl replied. "They gave it to us before they teleported us to this sector. It serves as our identification, our room key, and it’s got our credits on it. It’s our access to everything, I guess."

"Hmm," Adrian said, his mind already dissecting the information. "That’s interesting."

He stepped inside and his attention was gotten immediately. The house consisted of two small rooms, and they were in the first one, a tiny common area.

Asides from the ventilation slits, it had a long, blocky, uncomfortable-looking couch and a long table before it. But those weren’t what had grabbed Adrian’s gaze.

It was the wall. The entire wall opposite the couch was alive. It was a massive, high-definition screen, and it was showing... "moving people." It was a broadcast of some kind.

<"...AND K’THARR THE GRAK IS JUST TANKING THOSE PSIONIC HITS! THE XYLOTL’S BLADES CAN’T SEEM TO FIND A PURCHASE ON THAT ARMORED HIDE!>

<HE’S GOING IN FOR THE GRAPPLE! OH, WHAT A COUNTER! LADY ZERIS REVERSES THE GRAB, USING K’THARR’S OWN MOMENTUM TO SLAM HIM INTO THE PLASMA-WALL!>

<THE CROWD IS GOING WILD!! THIS IS GALACTIC CLASH, AND THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS ON THE LINE!">

The scene on the wall was a brutal brawl. They were in a massive, hexagonal arena, surrounded by cheering crowd of hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

A tall, four-armed, crystalline being was weaving and dodging, psionic blades of pure, green energy extending from her wrists.

Her opponent, K’tharr the Grak, was a stout, reptilian brawler with a thick, armored hide, who was trying to get in close and use his pure, brute force.

Adrian’s eyes remained fixed on the wall as the brawl ensued, his mind absorbing every detail.

<"K’THARR IS UNLEASHING HIS RAGE! HE’S POUNDING THE BARRIER, BUT ZERIS IS TOO FAST! SHE’S USING THE ARENA, CREATING PSIONIC FEINTS! K’THARR IS CONFUSED! HE’S SWINGING AT ILLUSIONS!">

For two minutes, Adrian watched the high-level fight, captivated. The Xylotl, seeing her opening, created a final psionic feint to her left, then appeared on the Grak’s right, her energy blade plunging deep into a small, unarmored spot under his arm.

K’tharr roared, froze, and fell in defeat.

<"AND THAT’S IT! LADY ZERIS IS THE NEW CHAMPION OF THE GAMMA SECTOR LEAGUE! WHAT A DISPLAY OF TACTICS AND PRECISION!">

When the fight ended, Karl’s voice cut in, filled with excitement. "You liked it, right? I told you this place was nice! It might be kinda small and a bit uncomfortable, but this," he slapped the wall-screen, "makes it more than worth it!"

Adrian, himself, was impressed. Looking at the screen, he could tell that another fight was coming up, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to offer. "What else can this wall do?"

Karl’s face fell. "Sadly, I don’t know how to control it. It just... does this. But this is more than good enough for me. I wish I could fight over there someday."

His eyes were glowing as he watched the pre-fight analysis for the next match, a look of pure, primal desire on his face.

"Karl!" A new, sharp voice cut through the room. The door slid open, and Serena walked in, her hands on her hips and an exasperated look on her face.

"What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be helping Lord Loryn and the others with the food distribution, not...!"

It was only then that she noticed her brother, who had been standing quietly in the corner, observing everything. Her stern expression melted into one of pure relief. "Adrian! You’re back!"

"Yes," he said, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "I returned some minutes ago. Charles already let me know of the situation. Thank you for all the great work you’re doing."

Serena smiled peacefully. "It’s the least we can do. Our people are scared."

She shot a glare at Karl. "And some of us aren’t helping by slacking off." She turned back to Adrian. "I’ll take Karl with me so you can have some time to yourself."

"No! Wait!" Karl protested. "I have plans with Adrian! We were just about to... to... analyze this wall-thing! It’s very important!" He tried to wink at Adrian, a desperate, silent plea for a bro to help a bro out.

Adrian, however, wasn’t buying it. He had gotten what he needed: a baseline understanding of their new home. He ignored his friend and walked past Serena, heading for the second, smaller room.

"But... Adrian! You’re betraying me!" Karl said dramatically, his voice filled with mock-agony.

"You heard him, Karl," Serena said, a triumphant smirk on her face as she grabbed his arm. "He’s busy. Now come on, we have work to do."

"Noo!" Karl wailed as Serena began to drag him unceremoniously out the door.