Infinite Regeneration In The Apocalypse-Chapter 143: Inner World Creation

About twenty minutes later, Vogue walked through the front entrance of Titan Training Hall. The facility looked exactly as he remembered it—large, clean, professional, with dozens of people working out on various equipment throughout the main floor.

The moment he stepped inside, the receptionist at the front desk looked up and her eyes immediately lit up with recognition.

"Oh! Vogue, you’re actually here! We’re all so happy that you remembered this fine establishment and decided to visit us!" the receptionist said with an impossibly bright, warm smile that looked almost painfully fake in its exaggerated enthusiasm.

Vogue’s face twitched involuntarily at the obvious insincerity. He had worked at this gym for months before his trial and knew this woman’s true personality extremely well.

"I would have believed that greeting if it weren’t for the fact that I worked here long enough to know your actual character, Fiona," Vogue said dryly, crossing his arms.

The receptionist—a woman named Fiona who was probably in her late twenties—smiled even more convincingly, her expression becoming so saccharine it could give someone diabetes. But when she saw that Vogue was simply gazing at her with obvious suspicion rather than falling for the act, her demeanor changed instantly.

She snorted dismissively and dropped the fake smile entirely. "Hmph! If it weren’t for Manager Tim specifically instructing me to be extra polite and welcoming whenever you showed up, you’d better believe I wouldn’t waste even a fake smile on you!"

Vogue shook his head with exasperation and glared at her halfheartedly. "Would it actually hurt your soul to be genuinely polite to anyone? Just once?"

Fiona giggled at his complaint, the sound light and teasing. The movement made her rather substantial chest bounce noticeably beneath her tight receptionist uniform. "Do you want me to practice being polite specifically on you, Mr. Fancy Dual-Talent Stellar Knight?"

Her tone was mocking but not actually mean-spirited.

Vogue rolled his eyes dramatically. "You know what, just forget it. I’m not going to change your personality through conversation."

He turned to look around the main gym floor, observing the various people training. There were significantly more customers than he remembered from before his trial. Nearly every piece of equipment was occupied, and there seemed to be a waiting list for some of the more popular machines.

"This place is way more lively and crowded than it used to be," Vogue commented with mild surprise.

Fiona went back to typing at the holographic keyboard projected above her reception counter, her fingers moving rapidly across the light-based keys. She popped her bubble gum casually while she worked, the sound obnoxiously loud.

"Yeah, no kidding," she said without looking up from her work. "Manager Tim used the news of you working here to gain a massive influx of new customers. It’s been incredibly effective for business."

She popped her gum again. "Since you’re now famous as a Dual-Talent student who survived the trial, everyone wants to be just like you. So they’re specifically coming here and using the exact same workout routine and training regimen you used to follow when you worked here. Tim even printed out copies of your old training schedule and sells them for fifty credits each."

Vogue raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed despite himself. "Manager Tim certainly knows how to capitalize on business opportunities. I should ask for royalties."

"Are you here just for small talk and nostalgia, or do you actually need something?" Fiona asked bluntly, still not looking away from her holographic screen.

"I’m here purely for small talk and catching up," Vogue said with obviously false sincerity.

Fiona rolled her eyes so hard it looked almost painful. "What do you actually need, Vogue? Stop wasting my time."

Vogue coughed to hide his amusement. "I need to rent one of the private training rooms with full incognito mode activated."

Fiona chewed her gum thoughtfully while typing queries into the system. "Private room with incognito mode enabled... okay, there are two currently available. Will anyone else be joining you in the room?"

She turned to stare at him with a knowing, slightly mischievous expression on her face.

Vogue was momentarily stunned by the implication in her tone, but then he smirked right back at her. "Yup, you’re coming with me."

Fiona’s expression didn’t change at all. She simply rolled her eyes again and turned back to her screen. "Just you alone, then. Got it."

She processed the rental quickly and then slid a physical keycard across the counter toward him. "You already know how the private rooms work since you used to work here, so I won’t waste breath explaining the procedures. Just don’t lose this keycard, or you’ll be charged a replacement fee that’ll make you cry."

"Alright, next customer!" she called out loudly, completely dismissing Vogue’s presence.

Vogue shook his head with a genuine smile despite her rudeness. Fiona was incredibly blunt and often borderline offensive in her interactions, but underneath that abrasive exterior, she was actually a straightforward, honest, and surprisingly decent person. She was also fiercely loyal to the few people she considered actual friends.

He took the keycard and headed toward the elevator bank.

Vogue rode the elevator up to the third floor where the premium private training rooms were located. He walked down the hallway until he found Room 34 and swiped his keycard to unlock the door.

The room was exactly as he remembered—approximately ten meters by ten meters, with reinforced walls, ceiling, and floor designed to withstand tremendous impacts and energy fluctuations. There were various training equipment stored along the walls, but plenty of open floor space in the center for cultivation or technique practice.

Vogue walked over to the smart panel mounted beside the door and activated the incognito mode setting. The moment he pressed the button, thick steel security walls began descending from hidden compartments in the ceiling, completely sealing the room from outside observation or interference.

The walls locked into place with heavy metallic thuds, and the room’s lighting shifted to a softer, more ambient glow. Now he was in complete privacy with absolutely no risk of being disturbed or detected.

Vogue took a deep breath to center himself, then pulled the jade box containing the Creation Seed from his system inventory. He carefully opened it and removed the dried, wrinkled seed.

He stared at it for a long moment, feeling both excitement and slight nervousness.

Massive amounts of energy were required to transform this dormant seed into a functioning internal world. But according to the ancient texts he had studied, that energy requirement could be completely replaced by feeding the seed the blood of a legendary or divine being.