Chapter 29- Immortals and a quote from earth 

The Dean said "Once you get into the pod, you must apply some of your mana onto the pod the same way you use it in Magic Equipment. After that, the pod's door will close and you will lose conscience and the machine will trigger your soul into connecting to a body in an artificial space created by the Computers for your training. You should not panic at all since it might cause damage to your soul when it is in the process of entering into the body in an artificial space. Did you understand what I said and do you have any doubts, Students?"

There was no reply to ask any questions since The Dean had given the information without the students having any problems or questions regarding the information given. The Dean nodded and was going to instruct the students to use the pod before a hand was raised by a student and the Dean was surprised since it was Richard.

The other students were surprised to see the representative of S class having doubts. The Dean asked what the question Richard had was and the reply he got was "What would happen to the soul of the person who got a heart attack and died in the pod? Will his/her soul continue to linger in the artificial space created?"

The Dean, Kakashi Sensei, and the students were surprised by this valid doubt. The Dean replied to Richard "There has not yet been a single death inside the pod so I cannot answer your question." The Dean said to the students "It's your own choice whether you want to enter the pod of which I can no longer guarantee your safety after the question raised by Richard but I will say this again the higher the risk, the higher gain there is and you would not get this opportunity again. All those who want to enter the pod hands up"

The students were debating on the loss and profit in their heads and one after another the students raised their hands till all 7 hands including Richard's hand were raised. The Dean nodded in approval and opened the 7 pods' doors/entrances. One after another each of the students entered the pods' doors/entrances. I too went inside the pod and applied my mana to the pod albeit very little in fear that the pod might explode but nothing except my conscience blackening happened and I woke up in the artificial space where I would face several tests alone and as a team.

*In the evening in The GATE*

After 20 yrs worth of tests, I heard the mechanical voice that had given us the instructions on the tests say "All the tests allocated are completed in time, and ratings of the Ranks of each of the Students from F rank to SSS rank are in progress... successfully finished the rank ratings of the students." After those words were said to the student's mind, each student's rank was heard by the respective student. Some students were smiling and crying tears of joy while some were crying in sadness. Richard was among the students smiling since his rank was a shining SSS Rank.

After 1 minute passed after each one of the students was given their rank, everybody's soul left the bodies they were in and entered their original bodies. After the pods opened and the students entered anybody could recognize that the students seemed more mature and emitted the aura of real warriors that had been in many wars and faced many life-threatening situations in their life.

The Dean nodded in acknowledgeable before saying "I too was one of the 1st few people who had entered the artificial space to face the same tests you faced. I know the various blood-filled sceneries you must have seen since I too saw them but I had faced those situations before I entered the pod while you guys have never even seen blood before but I can see how much you guys have become stronger and tempered by these tests you faced. I will repeat what I said before in another way the more terrifying things you see and challenges you face will result in your growth. A Growth that even surpasses the prodigies in the S class"

These words seemed to enlighten the students except for one student who already knew what the Dean was saying from his own experiences because he had felt the pain of death several times already, a feat impossible for any mortal since mortals have only one life even martial artists except those who reach the rank of immortals which had not been done by Earthlings even after centuries of cultivation development in various eras counting the current Golden Era of cultivation but according to the books he had read and the NPC Richard's memory there had been a few people who had reached the rank of immortals in the past 10 million recorded in the history.

There being so few immortals after 10 million years shows how difficult it is to reach the immortal rank and a person who had not cultivated before dying 3 times would make even the people who had become immortals wonder what was happening to the world and its laws they were studying since all immortals had to study the world laws to become stronger.

While Richard/Gerald was having such a long thought, the Dean was wondering why Richard did not seem to be enlightened like the other students. The Dean's thought was a valid doubt that anybody would have after seeing somebody not look enlightened after his motivational speech. The Dean without paying any more time to the doubt he would not get the answer to his question till he asked from Richard and said "Everybody that would be all for your training since we cannot train everybody here anymore but everybody here should still practice since only practice makes one perfect. So everybody can now leave unless they have any doubts to be asked from me or your Sensei here." He pointed to Kakashi Sensei after his speech indicating he has "your Sensei." While Richard/Gerald was thinking how the same quotation of the earth was said in The GATE.