SSS-Ranked Surgeon In Another World: The Healer Is Actually OP!

The large doors opened smoothly as they approached, revealing the massive interior of the theater.

Inside, the space opened into a vast hall filled with warm light and excited chatter. Rows of corridors led deeper into the building while large glowing signs displayed different screening halls.

People moved in steady streams, many holding the same popcorn containers and drinks as they laughed and chatted with friends.

Lily stared around with shining eyes.

“This place is huge…”

Ash flew ahead again, circling the high ceiling lights before swooping back toward them.

Bruce adjusted the popcorn bucket in his hand.

Lucy walked beside him, quietly taking in the bustling atmosphere.

Sophie leaned slightly closer to him as they moved with the flow of the crowd.

“Ready to watch yourself on the big screen?”

Bruce glanced toward the massive hall ahead where the movie would soon begin.

A faint smile touched his lips.

“Let’s go see what they turned it into.”

They followed the steady stream of people into the massive screening hall, guided by glowing indicators along the walls that directed viewers toward their assigned sections. The interior of the theater was vast, far larger than it had appeared from outside. Rows upon rows of cushioned seats stretched downward in gentle tiers toward the enormous WideTV screen that dominated the front of the hall.

Soft ambient lighting glowed along the floor edges so people could find their way without disturbing others. The quiet murmur of hundreds of conversations filled the air, a low ocean of anticipation that rose and fell as people settled into their seats.

Lily practically bounced down the steps toward their row.

“Here! Here!”

She had already spotted their seats.

Ash fluttered after her, circling once above their heads before settling comfortably on the armrest beside Bruce’s seat. The little dragon tilted its head curiously at the enormous screen in front of them, clearly fascinated by the scale of it.

Bruce sat down beside Lily while Sophie and Lucy took the seats to their other side. The cushions sank comfortably beneath them as they settled in.

Lily immediately leaned forward.

Her excitement had been building for the entire trip.

But the moment she looked up at the screen.

Her shoulders slumped.

“Why haven’t they started yet…” she sighed.

The massive WideTV was currently displaying the same trailers they had seen outside, short clips promoting the Adventurer Trial movie with dramatic music and quick glimpses of various participants fighting monsters.

Lucy chuckled softly beside her.

“Shouldn’t you be happier that we didn’t miss the beginning of the show?” she said with a warm smile. “Besides, the trailers themselves are a good way to pass the time.”

Lily groaned quietly.

“But I’ve already seen these!”

Still, she leaned back into her seat and continued watching.

After a moment, her attention slowly returned to the screen.

One of the trailers displayed a particularly flashy battle sequence, and Lily’s eyes began to follow the movements with growing interest.

Almost unconsciously, her hand dipped into the popcorn bucket resting in her lap.

Crunch.

Another handful.

Crunch.

Soon she was watching with quiet fascination while absentmindedly eating.

Bruce noticed.

He smiled faintly.

A few minutes later the trailer ended.

The background music faded.

The screen went dark.

The massive hall gradually grew quieter as people noticed the shift.

Then the screen turned completely blank.

A ripple of anticipation moved through the audience.

Bruce leaned back slightly in his seat.

Then he clicked his tongue quietly.

During the trailers he had spotted multiple familiar faces among the quick promotional flashes.

Jean Frost.

Claire Redwyn, the red haired girl.

Duke Hughes.

Even the man everyone had jokingly nicknamed Average Joe.

But one person had been missing.

Ozai Thorne.

Instead.

He had seen a completely unfamiliar face.

Bruce frowned slightly.

That was strange.

There had only been one hundred recruits in the trial.

And during the gathering phases of the first two stages, when everyone had assembled in the lobby areas, Bruce had seen every single participant at least once.

With his photographic memory, remembering faces was effortless.

Even the most insignificant details rarely escaped him.

Which meant the face he had seen during the trailer.

Did not belong to anyone from the trial.

Bruce’s gaze lingered briefly on the blank screen.

He had a suspicion.

But he wasn’t entirely certain.

He slowly looked around the hall.

Every seat was filled now.

Hundreds of people sat waiting.

The soft glow of anticipation lingered across the room.

Then.

A soft tune began to play.

The gentle melody spread across the theater, instantly drawing everyone’s attention back toward the screen.

The darkness faded.

Words slowly appeared across the massive display.

…

[March 7, 3000.]

[Five days.]

[One hundred Awakeneds called to participate in the first ever VR Trial.]

[The Trial of the Awakened.]

….

The screen paused briefly.

The narrator’s voice followed.

Deep.

Steady.

Calm.

…

[The Awakened.]

[You’ve seen them in the streets. Walked past them in the markets. Read their names in the papers after a dungeon clears, after a city is saved, after something terrible almost happened and didn’t.]

[You’ve called them heroes.]

[You’ve called them monsters.]

[You’ve called them gods.]

[But you’ve never seen what they see.]

[Never felt what walks beside them in the dark.]

[Never stood inside a dungeon and understood, truly understood, that the beast in front of you is not the most dangerous thing in the room.]

[That sometimes the most dangerous thing in the room looks exactly like you.

…

A hush fell across the theater.

Even Lily stopped chewing.

….

[One hundred of them entered.]

[They faced creatures that should not exist.]

[They faced hunger. Exhaustion. Fear.]

[They faced each other.]

[They faced terror.]

…

The words slowly faded.

…

[This is not a celebration.]

[This is not a warning.]

[This is simply the truth, uncut, unfiltered, exactly as it happened.]

[This is their world.]

[And for the next few hours.]

[it’s yours.]

…

[AWAKENED]

The screen shifted.

The next scene displayed Bale briefing the recruits on that first day.

The explanation of the trial rules appeared clearly.

Points earned from killing beasts.

Points gained from defeating higher ranked monsters.

And.

Points obtained by killing fellow recruits.

A faint wave of discomfort passed through parts of the audience.

Some people frowned slightly.