NOVEL WEB Chapter 54
“While everyone else is buzzing around the staff cafeteria, here I am, heading to the atelier with Zion.”
“Are you really going to wear it, Blanca?”
“I don’t want to be the only one in a uniform. Plus, I’ve got tons of questions for that old man.”
After all, there’s no need to wear it. But I wanted to avoid looking out of place while everyone else was in suits.
No way was I letting myself become a high school girl at heart. When you show up in plain clothes among a flashy crowd, it only draws more attention.
And I didn’t want any more attention than that. Blending in would heighten my chances of achieving my goal.
Zion, who’d seen me up close, looked a tad worried, but since I was so resolute, he didn’t try to stop me.
As we entered the atelier, I spotted researchers wiping the droplets that had gathered everywhere and that old man.
“Ah, it’s you. What are you doing here, trying to add yet another task to your already overflowing plate?”
The old man asked me dismissively while wringing out a damp cloth.
“I came to get my suit. And I’ve got a few more questions.”
“You took it off in all that chaos but plan to wear it again? It seems the special branch people really are a bit off their rocker.”
“No… I came to ask how to avoid wearing that thing…”
As he raked me over the coals with personality types and black history, I debated just ending it all right then and there but held my ground.
“Alright then. So, what is it that you want to ask?”
“About the slime. Is there any extra?”
“Nope.”
“Uh, instead, it absorbs magical energy to bulk up. It was made to convert magic into matter before it was modified. So, if you supply it with magical energy, it’ll grow.”
Oh. So that’s how it works. Thank goodness I asked about the excess because I thought I’d have to absorb it to cover myself.
Instead, just feeding it magical energy would suffice.
“If it has that capability, why didn’t you say so?”
“I figured a student from Heros Academy would naturally know the traits of slime species. Guess I overestimated.”
Still, the fact that he casually dismissed me as a beastman was infuriating, but since he hadn’t mentioned the number of beastmen, I held my temper.
The old man tossed me a container filled with black slime and a manual while trying to shoo me away.
I stopped him, saying I had more questions, asking what would happen if the control device broke while wearing the slime.
“Ask that skinny guy over there. He experienced it firsthand during animal testing, so he’d know better.”
“You did human experiments too…?”
“Are you insane? Of course, it was an accident.”
Seriously, how could he be so confident? Getting closer would probably just further complicate my feelings, so I headed over to the pale-looking young man.
“Did you hear? What happened, and how was it?”
The young man stared blankly into space then said it was horrifying.
“We were experimenting to see how slime affects biological systems. Normally, the lab rats would die shortly after being injected with slime, but one rat managed to escape the lab using the slime…”
“I get it. So, that ended up in you?”
The researcher exclaimed without looking offended, saying he didn’t remember much after the slime transferred to him.
“Once the slime from the rat got into me, it’s all a blur. I think I hurriedly attached a prototype control device, but I don’t recall. One thing’s for sure—it hurt like hell.”
“When we checked while healing Seonghwan, the slime was eating away at his body, heading for his brain. Fortunately, it wasn’t moving fast, but imagine if it had made it.”
The old man interjected just as the researcher finished.
I had to make sure my neck stayed safe from any attacks.
“Lastly, what was that rat that escaped?”
“It might’ve been an individual with a high affinity for slime. Seonghwan was thrashing in pain when he stepped on and squashed it, so who knows.”
“I see. Got it.”
Why did I even ask? The casual way they mentioned it heading for the brain sent shivers down my spine. And why in the world would they put that on me?
That old man was definitely going to pay for this later. I vowed silently as I stepped into the changing room.
Hearing that story made it feel even more unsettling to wear what I was about to. But with the control device, I figured I’d manage somehow.
After stripping down and putting on the control device, I dipped my hands into the slime.
The slime quickly slithered up my body, covering my skin.
This time, calmness prevented any holes from appearing or any cleavage from spilling out like before.
So it appeared that managing the slime was affected by emotions. That needed to be added to the manual.
As I expelled magical energy to multiply the slime, it really did jiggle and swell a bit.
Is this really all the growth I get after pouring so much magic?
This is pitifully inefficient. It wouldn’t be practical for field use either.
I noted this mentally and thought of making a long coat to cover myself with the surplus slime.
“Well, this will do for now.”
It clung a bit tightly to my body for a coat, but considering it was merely stretched skin, it was practically as good as wearing a coat.
Deciding to be content, at least I could face people now.
“Zion, this looks… acceptable, right?”
“I think it’s fine. At least it’s better than that other look…”
I motioned him to stop reminding me of that.
“This is… alright, right?”
“Well… it’s better than before, but… um… let’s say it’s fine, Blanca.”
Minho and Yeonhwa said nothing, and Jinhyeon was turning away with his hair dyed pink, so I couldn’t get a proper read on his thoughts either.
Okay, seems it’s not all bad. They might be sneakily glancing at me, but that’s just how it goes.
“Alright. Looks like everyone’s here. Now, we’ll begin patrolling the streets under the guidance of our special instructor.”
Justitia proclaimed and came over to ask if I was really okay.
Thinking she meant my outfit, I nodded that it seemed fine, but she clarified that she wasn’t asking about that.
“Blanca, you’ve been specifically targeted by villains quite a bit. That’s what I’m asking about. If you feel scared or anxious, do let me know.”
Ah, that’s what she meant. It turned out this had left her with some trauma.
“I’m okay, really. Even if villains pop up again, Invictus or the class will handle it. Plus, I’m not one to live my life trembling at such things.”
Justitia accepted that and fell silent. But somehow, I felt as if I could see her expression beyond the sunglasses.
The others were outright staring at me with pity.
“Blanca…”
Let them misunderstand; it’s not entirely wrong.
Compared to the researchers who were gambling on whether their experiment subjects would die today or tomorrow, a villain attack was nothing.
I stood next to Im Changwon, leading the others towards the streets.
“Patrolling might seem like there’s not much to do, but that’s not true! It’s a crucial activity for heroes. It reassures citizens and warns villains, making it vital!”
Invictus stood right in front of us, leading with a booming voice while responding to the fans calling his name or wanting photos.
I was impressed that he was putting in that much effort, while I tried my best to hide behind his larger form to be less visible.
No matter what I wore, I couldn’t help but panic if a flash went off. And if I panicked, my coat might just fall apart.
I had no intention of going full creepy over the top, so I stuck behind Invictus, hiding my figure.
Being over two meters tall and muscular made hiding easy. Still, avoiding the camera entirely was tough.
In the crowd, someone pointed and said they recognized those gray cat ears.
Aside from that, surprisingly, the patrol went without a hitch.
No villains showed up, and nothing fell off my coat.
The suit was left at the academy, and there were no incidents requiring an emergency hero deployment or retaliatory terror against the association.
Everything went smoothly.
However, as soon as I sat down on the bus back to the Academy, a sigh escaped me from deep within.
Just showing my face in front of those kids left me on the verge of mental collapse.
It was hard to keep it together, and now I truly felt at my limit.
I missed the Boss.
Oh, right. I can just go see him.
Since I got the black orb from Wei, I might as well use it today. Yeah, I’ll use it when I get home. And I’ll need to score some catnip too.
What could possibly go wrong?