NOVEL WEB Chapter 57
The seemingly endless parade of flesh was unexpectedly brought to a close by a ranking Hero who came charging in from downtown.
The Hunters were the ones complaining, watching as the pieces of flesh were frozen, set ablaze, electrocuted, turned to stone, and even banished to some unknown space.
“We’re the ones shedding blood, but those latecomers just swoop in and take the spotlight!” they grumbled.
To be fair, I could kind of see their point. But seriously…
If the Hunters had managed to take down those Suicide beings—whatever you want to call them—before the Heroes showed up, wouldn’t they have earned some glory for themselves?
It’s not like the weaklings guarding outside the Gate had any right to be complaining.
Speaking of the Gate, as soon as the ranking Heroes showed up, the rift created by the Rift Generator closed up immediately.
I was kinda hoping the Boss would show his face for a bit, but he didn’t. I mean, how much of a coward can he be?
Unlike the Evil Society, there’s no way to find them and kill them; torturing their members for information is pointless since they only care about how to die, not how to live.
It was a real headache. I figured it would be fine to leave them be, but I was worried I’d get dragged into it myself.
With the Evil Society, the Heros Company, and those Liberators wandering about, I couldn’t just sit back and watch as a pack of rabid dogs ran amok.
Having such unstable elements around would skyrocket the difficulty of planning.
Plus, judging by what they had just done, it was clear they’d continue causing chaos in the future. And as the saying goes, chaos-makers must be dealt with.
I needed to put some serious thought into how to eradicate them. But still, duties called, so I headed back to the hotel to find that person.
That person was staying in a different room, not the one with the shattered window.
“So, it’s true, huh? Well, it seems it all ended up okay somehow. Phew, it’s hard to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t been here.”
“Yeah, right? Is it lucky or unlucky that this happened while I was here…”
As I thought about it, I felt like something always goes wrong around me. I slouched closer, resting against that person.
It’s not just that I got involved with the main characters; there’s also the fact that I’m being monitored by the Evil Society and now getting mixed up with these unexpected Suicide beings.
I felt like I was carrying a storm with me.
“I guess it’s good luck. Regardless, things turned out alright in the end. I’m sorry, Blanca, I called you over to rest but threw tasks at you instead.”
That person patted my head, apologizing.
“What does the Boss have to apologize for? The ones who should be sorry are those Suicide creatures.”
“Suicide…? Have you figured out their identities already?”
Oh, right. Those flesh blobs didn’t reveal their affiliations this time. I felt a bead of sweat run down my back, but still managed to explain it pretty easily.
“The rift in the sky was identical to the one that swallowed me, so I deduced they’re the ones behind it. The rift belongs to the Suicide beings.”
I told that person they could find news about it quickly, and I showed them the article covering that event we got caught up in while heading to a board game.
“I see, that makes sense. But the villain who opened the rift is reported dead, right?”
“That’s the tricky part. The dimensional ability user definitely seems dead, but how did they create such a large-scale Gate? And how on Earth did they turn people into those squishy blobs?”
That person crossed their arms and thought for a moment before saying, ‘Hypothetically speaking…’
“Hmm. Perhaps one of the powers among the Suicide beings can transform humans into dough-like blobs?”
“That’s…”
I was about to dismiss it, but then realized that both my own abilities and that person’s are outrageous.
With my fortune-telling ability, the walking chemical factory, the power of absolute acceleration, and emotional manifestation, why wouldn’t there be someone who can mold humans like dough?
“…That does make sense. Still, I don’t know how they used the dead guy’s ability.”
“I don’t know either. But sometimes you just have to let these things be and not stress too much about it.”
That person shrugged and handed me a treat. I quietly took a bite, savoring it, and they complimented me on my efforts.
Hehe.
Even with all the calamities of the day, that one kind word made all my fatigue melt away.
“Thanks, Boss. I think I’ll be heading out soon. I’d rather avoid the media spotlight… I should get going now.”
“Yeah. Be careful. Rest well today.”
I bowed politely and took out the black bead I had kept safe in my pocket, crushing it between my teeth.
Just like when I came, black mist emanated from me, enveloping me, and when the fog cleared, I was back in my lonely rented room in the downtown area.
Sure enough, dizziness hit me, but instead of reaching for meds, I just let the dizziness take me and fell onto the bed.
It wasn’t even 6 PM yet.
I think I’ll take a nap.
– – – –
“Guys!! I heard the Suicide beings went berserk near the outskirts yesterday! Did you hear?!”
“I saw it too! It was total chaos! The airport was wrecked, and deadly gas was detected… My mom and grandma went to help restore the damaged buildings, so I slept alone yesterday…”
“You’ve been sleeping with your parents all this time, haven’t you, Lapiz?”
“Th-that’s not important right now!”
“True, but what you said is quite intriguing.”
“It’s bad to dig into someone’s private life, Minho.”
“Yeah. Bad. Creep. Beast.”
If there’s one good thing those Suicide beings did, it was launching their attack on the very day we received our suits, so when we got to school the next day, my suit design wasn’t brought up in conversation.
But instead of that, I flinched each time they brought up the deadly gas.
Still, that was better than being teased about my suit design, right?
“Blanca, you’re kind of quiet today.”
“Well, you all said everything I needed to say. I don’t have anything left to add.”
I timidly explained, and Yeonhwa dragged on her words ominously.
“Could it be… that you were there yesterday?!”
Yeonhwa suddenly made my heart drop as she pulled up a picture on her phone and showed it to the others.
“This is a picture of the battle caught on CCTV! You see that person in the corner on the streetlight? Doesn’t that kinda look like Blanca?”
It was a picture of me.
The quality was so bad and the distance so far that you could hardly tell facial features or even distinguish the school uniform, but I knew for sure it was me.
“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch, Yeonhwa? Blanca had no reason to be near the outskirts yesterday. And she doesn’t really look that similar either.”
“I think so too. The quality is poor, so it could just be someone up there keeping an eye on the situation.”
“Other people are right. It’s quite a leap of logic, Yeonhwa. Still, it’s interesting.”
The group chimed in, and it seemed like they decided to just ask the person in question.
“B-Blanca, is that you?”
“I don’t think so…”
“Probably not.”
The answer was obvious.
“It’s not me. I was wrapped up in my blanket all day yesterday. I wasn’t anywhere near the outskirts. Plus, that person doesn’t even look that much like me.”
“Why were you under a blanket… Ah, yeah. I see…”
Minho asked, a bit confused at first, but then he seemed to realize what I meant and looked away, quietly encouraging me.
“Haaah…”
“B-but it’s all black, so I thought it looked cool…”
“Thanks for the encouragement, but that doesn’t really help…”
Lapiz attempted to comfort me, but one word from me immediately shot her down, making her go “Uuugh.”
Just thinking about the suit made me feel depressed.
They told me I’d have to wear it during the practical exams for the final exams and for future public events.
Just imagining myself in that made me dizzy already.
“Attention. Greet the teacher.”
But the world was going to flow on whether I liked it or not. Time passed, and it was already time for the morning assembly.
Following Changwon’s voice, I greeted Justitia and spent my time blankly as the others began asking her if she had been at the site yesterday.
“Oh, and starting today, please change into your costumes during the free training period.”
“Whaaat?!”
A near-horrified question shot out, but Justitia pointedly called my name and nodded in understanding.
“I understand your feelings, Student Blanca. But you can’t just avoid wearing a costume forever just because it’s embarrassing. In fact, the more embarrassed you are, the quicker you’ll get used to it.”
She added that if it’s really too embarrassing, you could skip changing.
Wishing everyone a good day, Justitia moved on to the next topic.
“You’re all aware that the Sports Festival will be held in about a month? The results during the festival will also affect your class evaluations, so keep that in mind. Oh, and remember that costumes are mandatory at that time.”
This is nuts.
Ugh.