Chapter 189 - Higher Level Pod "Hmm, I don’t think there’s any need for that," Gradier Xanatus said and gestured to the supervisor with a rhino horn to open up the pod. Tsshhh! The pod opened up, and a boy with blond hair could be seen lying within it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 ’Ah damn, I had a feeling that this was gonna happen,’ The person within the pod was none other than Gustav. He sat up when the pod slid open, and the supervisors stared at his frame from within the glass wall. ’Just as I thought... It’s him,’ Gradier Xanatus said internally with a smile. -- A few moments ago, when the pod bar filled up, and everyone’s consciousness was manipulated, Gustav also felt it. His head was a bit woozy for a second, but in the next second, system notifications popped up in his line of sight. ---------------------------- [Host Brain Waves are being manipulated by external forces] [Mental Fortitude needed for blocking Brain Manipulation: 30] [Host has acquired enough mental fortitude to hindering Brain Manipulation] [Brain Manipulation has been successfully hindered] ------------------------------ Gustav felt like cursing when he saw this. He knew mental fortitude was good since it protected his mind, but, in this situation, it was actually doing more harm than good. He really wouldn’t like to stand out much. Yes, he was planning to reveal some of his hidden abilities during the test phase. However, at the rate things were going now, he might end up being too outstanding, and he didn’t know how that would end up for him. Gustav didn’t want to reveal the full capabilities of his mental fortitude because he was sure they were going to see him as an anomaly. Currently, his mental fortitude was so high that he could even control his dreams and change them to whatever he wanted when he is asleep. If he had a bad dream, he could just switch it or turn off his dreams entirely. There were other things that mental fortitude had granted him. He wanted to make sure they weren’t revealed. If there was a way he could reduce the stats, he would have done that immediately. Unfortunately, there wasn’t. Tsshhh! ’Ah damn, I had a feeling this was going to happen. The instructors might need to use a high-level brain inducer,’ Gustav said Internally while sitting up after the pod slid open. "Hmm, kid, step out for a bit," The supervisor instructed. Gustav did as he was told and came out. The supervisor moved closer to the pod and started checking it out. "I wonder what’s wrong with this..." Before he could complete his statement, he heard a voice in his mind. ’There’s nothing wrong with the pod, Chuks... Bring the kid here,’ It was the voice of Gradier Xanatus in his mind. ’Hmm, there’s nothing wrong with the pod? Then why didn’t it send him there like the rest?’ He questioned. ’Bring him over here first,’ Gradier Xanatus commanded. The supervisor nodded and grabbed hold of Gustav’s left arm. Gustav was alarmed by the sudden grip, but the supervisor leaped upwards towards the southeast area before he could react to it. Zwwoooonn! Gustav traveled across the air along with the supervisor, and before he knew it, they were closing in on a glass wall. Gustav placed his right arm in front of himself in defense as they arrived in front of the glass. However, to his surprise, there was no collision when they made contact. Instead, their body phased through it. ’Intangibility,’ Gustav immediately recognized this bloodline ability. It was one of the rarest bloodlines in the history of mixedbloods. Plop! They landed within the small room, and Gustav looked around. He noticed Gradier Xanatus standing among the weird-looking supervisors. "Sir Xanatus, I’ve brought him," The other male supervisor with grey colored hair voiced out. "Good, welcome candidate 00126," Gradier Xanatus voiced out. Gustav just stared in response. He was more concerned with the words that were going to come out of Gradier Xanatus’s mouth next and how he would counter them if they happened to be unfavorable. "It would seem your mental defenses happen to be higher than what the pod can handle, so you can’t be sent in with the others," Gradier Xanatus explained. "So, what’s gonna happen now?" Gustav asked with a calm look. "Well, this pod happens to be at the right level for your age group, so it’s either you’re way older, or you’re just different..." Gradier Xanatus said. "Can’t I just use a higher-level pod?" Gustav asked. "Well, you see, there are four levels of brain inducer pods. The pod you and your fellow participants used is at the beginner level, which is the first. The second level isn’t what normal participants can handle since their brain functions might be overworked. As for the third and fourth levels, let’s not even go there. You will be turned into a vegetable," Gradier Xanatus explained. "Why don’t we try the second-level pod?" Gustav asked once again. "If we use a higher-level pod to send you in, it would be a violation because it’s for the age group of thirty. Also, it will make it more difficult for you to differentiate between illusion and reality. The whole process would be quite unfair since the other participants will have it easier. Only special class candidates can handle it at your age," Gradier Xanatus replied. ’Special class?’ Those words caught Gustav’s interest, ’This means I’m in the safe zone since there’s a set of my age group that can handle it,’ This made Gustav calm down. His previous worries disappeared after he realized this. "Let’s try it," Gustav proposed. The supervisors stared at Gustav with a weird look after hearing that. The supervisor with rhino horns on his forehead replied Gustav before anyone else could, "Listen here, kid, without authorization, we can’t put you in that pod so forget it. Your case will have to be reported to the higher-ups and you will have to wait for their next set of instructions."