NOVEL WEB Chapter 79
“Just the way here, Justitia was all about obeying signals and cruising at a steady pace, but now? Nope! All signals are ignored as she floors it like there’s no tomorrow.”
Sure, I zipped around the outskirts at full throttle on my bike, but tearing through the city like this? It felt oddly different.
And by different, I mean in a bad, heart-pounding way.
Out there in the suburbs, I didn’t have to worry about crashing into someone, but in the city? Yeah, that was a whole different ball game.
“Is this really okay?!”
“A Hero’s vehicle is classified as an emergency vehicle when responding to a distress call, so it’s all good. Technically, we’ll learn about this in our second year, but hey, let’s call this a preview.”
“Oh, right…!”
Minho was holding onto his seatbelt as if his life depended on it, while Katyann, apparently not satisfied with a seatbelt, had her arms wrapped around him, eyes squeezed shut.
It was kinda cute, but at the same time, let’s be real, it made me slightly annoyed. I didn’t hate the fact that Minho and the Heroine were dating, but…
It was more like I’d prefer if they kept their lovey-dovey moments away from me. Seriously, it was irritating.
It wasn’t about feeling hurt as a woman; it was more like a flickering ego of the last apparent man standing reacting.
After speeding like a maniac, we arrived at a surprisingly large building not in the outskirts but somewhere in the city.
“Katyann, it’s fine now… can you let go? Thanks, phew… Hah. I thought I was a goner.”
“Don’t worry. I’m quite confident in my driving skills.”
“I don’t think that’s what I was getting at, Justitia…”
Justitia, looking unfazed by it all, caught her breath and told us to follow as she headed inside.
As we approached the entrance, armed guards from Heros Company blocked our way, demanding to verify our identities with a scanner at our faces.
Katyann seemed startled by the sudden action, but it didn’t take long before the scanner lit up green, signaling we were clear to go.
“Does being polite even matter?”
I knew the gate perimeter was heavily guarded. There had been instances of armed guards getting taken down and intrusions into the gates before, so I was even more on edge.
Still, yeah, these situations just left a bad taste in my mouth. I muttered my displeasure while glaring at the guard.
“The gates are a significant revenue source for Heros Company, Blanca. So it makes sense they act all jumpy.”
“I know, I know. My head understands, but my heart is having a fit over it.”
As I patted my chest, Minho muttered, ‘Ah, got it,’ and looked away.
“…Don’t look.”
Only after I realized what I had just done did I cover my chest with my hand and shot a glare at Minho, causing Katyann to also start playfully punching him in the side as if she had plenty to say.
Ugh, come on! I thought I was finally getting used to this, but nope, there’s just no getting comfortable with it!
No matter how many layers of coat I wore, my figure was fully revealed. Once I became aware of it, an unexpected embarrassment washed over me.
“Blanca…? Is that thing even safe?”
“I’m just trying to add some humidity since it’s so dry, okay?”
As steam clouded my figure partially, Minho looked at me with concern.
I shot back a slightly sharp response, and finally, we reached where Justitia was.
A gate, much like the ones made by the Rift Creator, hung in mid-air.
However, unlike the Rift Creator’s, this one was linked with various complex machines inside and out.
I knew what it was. Kind of a anchor and a wedge.
Gates that proved useful—either because the loot was sweet or the difficulty inside was low—were managed like this by Heros Company.
They used top-notch tech to ensure that even killing the Boss wouldn’t close the gate… or something like that.
They built isolation zones around fixed gates to restrict civilian access, prevent internal backflow, and also made it easy for Hunters to get in and out.
“Welcome. Chemicat, stop the moisture release. These machines can be quite sensitive to environmental changes, so watch out for humidity.”
I really didn’t want to turn it off, but it had to be done.
“…Fine, I get it.”
“Good. Before entering the gate, let’s go over a light warning. You guys probably won’t fall for it easily, but no solo acts. Especially you, Chemicat. Stay close to me. Got it?”
Justitia warned us, then accepted our response, seeming a bit more at ease before suggesting we head inside the gate.
If I’m being honest, I had cleared tougher gates than this before, so I wasn’t really scared. In fact, I felt like I could effortlessly tackle that old gate by myself now.
But hey, I’m a student for now. I guess I should stick to what the teacher says.
As we stepped inside the gate, the bleak building we just left was nowhere to be found, replaced by expansive nature.
“Just because it’s called a gate doesn’t mean its form is fixed. A wide forest can appear as a gate, or it could show up like the maze Chemicat encountered.”
There’s no set design for a gate, so ensure you familiarize yourself with pre-entry info.
Justitia continued to teach us, leading us as she pointed out that a GPS signal was coming from ahead.
While we were cruising along, Justitia suddenly stopped, making us halt as well.
“…It’s a monster. Maha, your turn to shine.”
Before her stood a tree that was moving.
The roots were wiggling around like some squid or octopus.
Minho quietly nodded and then, with lightning speed, he launched a Rider Kick at the tree.
With that swift ambush, the tree burst apart and fell.
“That was easy-peasy.”
“It’s great to be confident, but don’t let it turn to arrogance. Everybody, get into combat stance.”
Minho quickly returned to our group while he kept shuffling his feet to build momentum, and Katyann lowered her face covering to reveal her lips.
I gathered my suit around my hands, feet, and tail, toughening up to form sharp claws and blades.
Of course, I also prepared tiny holes so I could inject poison if need be.
We encountered monsters here and there, but Minho would ambush or Justitia would pin them down while I ended up just watching.
As we swiftly made our way forward, I felt the GPS signal getting closer.
“This must be the spot. GPS won’t give the exact location, so let’s split up and search around…”
“Help me, please!! Is anyone there?!! Second!! Airi!!! You guys said you’d come soon…!”
“…Looks like we don’t need to. Let’s go.”
Justitia grimaced a bit but started moving toward the direction of the desperate cries.
However, I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“Gazer, it’s a trap. Small things are rushing around in the area. They’re probably… kids around 6, or 7 years old.”
Gazer turned to me with a cute smile and patted my head.
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m good. I can easily break through any trap like that. But thanks for the heads-up. Power word? Might need to use it soon.”
Justitia pointed at Katyann, pulling her close, and continued on.
“Who the…!”
“It’s a Hero, Gazer. Don’t worry. You’re rescued. Chemicat, please provide immediate first aid.”
“Yes-ees.”
I slapped the Hunter awake when he looked ready to drift off.
“Stay with me, patient. Do you have any allergies or anything significant I should know?”
The Hunter, bewildered by the rude wake-up call, babbled that he had nothing special and just begged to be saved.
“Got it, take this. Now… sleep.”
I poured some water with painkiller pills at the corner of his mouth and waited for him to swallow before releasing a bit of sleep gas to knock him out.
Ugh, this noise is unbearable.
To prevent infection from the wounds, I mixed some hydrogen peroxide with water and diligently applied it to each injury.
Even in his sleep, he seemed to squirm a bit in pain, but he stayed sound asleep.
Well, that’s the visible patchwork done.
“All set.”
As soon as I said that, green figures emerged from the brush and trees, screeching around.
It was the goblins, the ones you’d be sad without. They were a downgraded version of humans in every aspect, but still, as monsters, they were a tough match for ordinary folks.
With enough numbers and good luck, they could overpower even B-Class Hunters, but…
“Get down on the ground and don’t move.”
“Kyaaa!?”
Well, not against future ranking heroes.
As Katyann commanded, everyone around including me hit the deck and went still.
But Justitia released her magic, breaking Katyann’s command and moved on her own, dealing with the goblins.
Whether stomping or slashing them with her scythe.
“…Phew. If the power word’s command awakens, I might be paralyzed too.”
Katyann seemed taken aback, realizing such a foolish method would work against her. She blushed at the praise, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Hey, Katyann, can we please stop this now? It’s getting painful.”
“Ah…! You can move now.”
Minho sprung up in an instant, stretching his body. I followed suit.
“Come to think of it, I don’t feel like I did anything here.”
I playfully said to Justitia, who replied seriously that it would have been tough without Chemicat.
Mhm.
Justitia might need to pick up some technique on how to joke around.